brecho cheapchic

   (just left. Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present, by John Leech. Made for Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol (1843).)

    Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (also known as The Grinch) is a 2000 live-action film from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, based on the 1957 book by Dr. Seuss.   Because the film is based on a children's picture book, many additions had to be made to the storyline to bring it up to feature-length. Directed by Ron Howard, produced by Brian Grazer, and starring Jim Carrey in the title role, it is the first Dr. Seuss story made into a live-action film. The movie received mixed critical reaction but spent four weeks as the #1 film in the U.S., eventually earning $260 million at the US box office. The film airs on ABC Family un-cut with deleted scenes that partially didn't make it on to the DVD release.
   The Whos of Whoville love Christmas more than any other holiday, but the Grinch, a hairy, green creature living just north of Whoville, hates Christmas.
   The Grinch lives with just his dog, Max, in a cave on Mt. Crumpit. He is haunted by unpleasant memories associated with the Christmas season, hence his having nothing to do with it. The Grinch is a childhood sweetheart of Martha May Whovier, but the mayor of Whoville, Augustus Maywho, has always been in competition with the Grinch for Martha's affections.
   As a baby, the Grinch was brought up with a love for Christmas. When he was eight years old, he made an angel ornament as a gift for Martha. He was also worried Martha would dislike his facial hair. He shaves, but ends up cutting himself in several places. At school the next day, he is ridiculed and even the teacher can't help but laugh. This is what drives him into a deep hatred of Christmas.
    Cindy Lou Who is a young Who who feels the true meaning of Christmas is lost, as she is overwhelmed by all of the commercial and materialistic commotion. She is fascinated with the Grinch and wants nothing more than to get him into the Christmas spirit again. She convinces the Grinch to participate in the Whos' Christmas festivities, tempting him with the fact that Martha May will attend, but Maywho publicly humiliates the Grinch by giving him an electric razor and proposing to Martha May. Furiously haunted by the past, the Grinch becomes angry, calling the Whos' Christmas stupid and saying the holiday is about nothing but greed. He returns to Mt. Crumpit and the Whos commence with a Grinchless Christmas.
   On Christmas Eve, the Grinch plans to ruin the Whos' Christmas by means of burglary. To masquerade as Santa Claus, he fashions a rocket powered sleigh and a red and white hat and coat, using Max as his reindeer. He steals all of the Whos' Christmas presents and decorations. When he stumbles into Cindy Lou Who, she tells him (thinking he's Santa) to not forget the Grinch, as she thinks he's sweet. The Grinch is at first touched, but quickly refocuses on his plot. Once all of the houses are robbed, he has Max pull the sleigh up to the top of Mt. Crumpit, where he plans to dispose of all of the presents.
   The Whos are at first miserable over what has happened, blaming Cindy Lou, but Cindy Lou's father convinces them that Christmas isn't all about gifts after all, and that they still have the Christmas Spirit - the one thing that doesn't come from a store. They sing at the arrival of Christmas, and the Grinch hears them echoing over the mountain. He is convinced that Christmas is something that can't be stolen, and his heart swells and he feels Christmas spirit at last. He realizes his stolen load is about to tumble off the mountain peak. At first he is unable to muster the strength to pull it back, but when he sees that Cindy Lou has climbed onto the sleigh, his worry for her saftey gives him the superhuman strength to lift the sleigh clear off the ground. He and Cindy Lou then bring the presents back to Whoville. The Grinch is accepted back into society and he himself carves the roast beast at Christmas dinner.

      The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Rankin/Bass stop motion animated television special. It usually airs during the Christmas season on United States television. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name, illustrated by Kurt Werth.

      The show is set in the 1920s and is narrated by Shirley Booth (as Mrs. Claus). Santa Claus (voiced by Mickey Rooney, as he did in the previous Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, of which this special is a semi-sequel) wakes up with a cold and is told by his doctor that he should make some changes to his routine on Christmas. He decides to take a holiday, and it becomes up to the elves, Jingle and Jangle, to search the world, finding people who still believe in Santa Claus. The elves, however, run into trouble along the way, when they get lost in Southtown, a small town in the Southern United States and their baby reindeer Vixen is mistaken for a dog and sent to the pound, where she sickens in the heat. The incredulous Mayor of Southtown agrees to free the reindeer if Jingle and Jangle prove they are Santa's magical elves by making it snow in Southtown on Christmas Day.

      Figuring into the storyline are two of the most well-remembered Rankin/Bass characters, Heat Miser (George S. Irving) and his stepbrother Snow Miser (Dick Shawn). Kind Mrs. Claus comes to ask both of them to work out a compromise to permit a Christmas snow in South Town, Heat Miser's territory; he agrees only if Snow Miser will surrender the North Pole to his control for one day. When they refuse to cooperate, Mrs. Claus goes to their mother, Mother Nature, who forces them to compromise.

      Meanwhile, Santa dresses in "civilian" clothes in order to find and rescue Vixen and ends up finding that some people still believe in him and in the spirit of Christmas, especially when the world's children decide they will make him presents if he plans on taking a holiday. The children's decision sets off headlines around the world.

      One little girl, however, is sad to miss Santa on Christmas Eve, and she writes that she'll have a "Blue Christmas." Touched by all the evidence he has seen of caring and generosity, Santa decides to pack the sleigh and make his Christmas Eve journey after all, including a public stop in a snowy South Town.

      The special premiered in 1974 on ABC where it aired annually until 1980, and still airs on the ABC Family cable network. Warner Bros. Television is the show's current distributor, through their ownership of the post-1974 Rankin/Bass TV library.

    White Christmas is a 1954 jukebox musical movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas". The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and co-stars Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen (Vera Ellen at this time).
   Filming took place between September and November 1953. The movie was the first to be filmed in the new VistaVision process and its lush Technicolor cinematography has ensured that it has had a long shelf life on TV, video and DVD. Released in 1954, it became the top grossing film of that year.
   The movie was supposed to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire for their third Irving Berlin extravaganza of song and dance—the first two being Holiday Inn (1942) and Blue Skies (1946). However, Astaire bowed out after reading the script. Donald O'Connor was selected to replace Astaire, but he, too, had to pass because of an illness. O'Connor was replaced by Danny Kaye. The choreography was directed by an uncredited Bob Fosse.
   Vera-Ellen's singing was dubbed by Trudy Stevens, except in the song "Sisters," where Rosemary Clooney sang both parts.
    The title song was first used in Holiday Inn, released in 1942, when it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep garnered this film an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
   Rosemary Clooney was not allowed to record her voice for the soundtrack album because it was being released by a record company (Decca) other than hers (Columbia). She was replaced on the soundtrack album by Peggy Lee.
   Dancer Barrie Chase appears unbilled, as the character Doris Lenz ("Mutual, I'm sure!"). Future Academy Award winner George Chakiris also appears, and has a notable appearance in two musical numbers, but is unbilled. John Brascia is the lead dancer who appears opposite Vera-Ellen throughout the movie, particularly in the Mandy, Choreography, and Abraham numbers.
   Academy Award-winning character actor Dean Jagger wore a toupee in the film. Also appearing were Mary Wickes, Anne Whitfield, Tony Butala, Bea Allen, Johnny Grant, and a large supporting cast.
   The story is about two World War II U.S. Army buddies, one a former Broadway entertainer, Bob Wallace (Crosby), and a would-be entertainer, Phil Davis (Kaye). It begins on Christmas Eve, 1944, somewhere in Europe. In a forward area, Captain Wallace is giving a show to the men with the help of Private Davis, ("White Christmas"). Major General Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger) arrives for the end of the show and has a field inspection prior to being relieved of command by General Harold G. Coughlan (Gavin Gordon) The men give him a rousing send-off, ("The Old Man"). During an enemy artillery barrage, Davis saves Wallace's life from a toppling wall, wounding his arm slightly in the process. Using his "wounded" arm and telling Bob he doesn't expect any "special obligation," Phil convinces Bob to join forces when the war is over. Phil using his arm wound as a way to get Bob to do what he wants becomes a running gag throughout the movie.
   After the war, they make it big in nightclubs, radio, and then on Broadway. They become the hottest act around and eventually become producers. They subsequently have a big hit with their New York musical, Playing Around. In mid-December, after 2 years on Broadway, the show is in Florida. While at the Florida Theatre, they receive a letter from "Freckle-Faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy", a mess sergeant they knew in the war (according to Rosemary Clooney on the DVD commentary the picture of him in the film is that of Carl Switzer, better known as Alfalfa in the Our Gang series), asking them to audition his two sisters. When they go to the club to audition the act ("Sisters"), Betty (Rosemary Clooney) reveals that her sister, Judy (Vera-Ellen), sent the letter. Bob and Phil help Betty and Judy escape their landlord and the local sheriff. The boys do the song "Sisters" to a record as the girls escape to the train. Phil gives Betty and Judy the train tickets that he and Bob were intending to use. When Bob and Phil arrive on the train, they have no tickets. Using "his arm" again, Phil gets Bob to agree to travel with the girls to Vermont for the holidays, ("Snow"). They discover that the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, Vermont, is run by their former commanding officer, Major General Tom Waverly, and it's about to go bankrupt because of the lack of snow and consequent lack of patrons. The general has invested all his savings and pension into the lodge.
   Deciding to help out and bring business in, Wallace and Davis bring Playing Around with their entire Broadway cast up and add Betty and Judy where they can. Bob discovers the General's rejected attempt at rejoining the army, and decides to prove to the General that he isn't forgotten.
   Bob calls Ed Harrison (Johnny Grant), an old army friend, now host of a successful variety show (intentionally similar to Ed Sullivan's). When Bob wants to make a pitch on the show to all the men under the command of the General in the war, Harrison suggests they go all out and put the show on television, playing up the "schmaltz" factor of the General's situation and generating lots of free advertising for Wallace and Davis. Overhearing only this, the housekeeper, Emma Allen (Mary Wickes), tells Betty. Bob tells Ed that isn't the idea and that he only wishes to make a pitch to get as many people from their division to Pine Tree for the show on Christmas Eve. The misunderstanding causes Betty to leave for a job at the Carousel Club in New York, after Phil and Judy fake their engagement in the hope of bringing Betty and Bob closer together.
   On the Ed Harrison Show, Bob asks all the veterans of the 151st Division living in the New England area to come to Pine Tree, Vermont on Christmas Eve.
   All is set right when Betty sees Bob's pitch on the Ed Harrison show. She returns to Pine Tree just in time for the show on Christmas Eve. Believing all of his suits had been sent to the cleaners, General Waverly concludes that he'll have to appear in his old uniform. When the General enters the lodge where the show is to take place, he is greeted by his former division to a rousing chorus of "We'll Follow the Old Man", and moments later is notified that snow is falling.
   In a memorable finale, Bob and Betty declare their love, as do Phil and Judy. The background of the set is removed to show the snow falling in Pine Tree. Everyone raises a glass, toasting, "May your days be merry and bright; and may all your Christmases be white."

The Ultimate Gift is a film based on author Jim Stovall's bestselling novel released on March 9, 2007 in 816 theaters. The film was not well attended and produced low box office receipts, though DVD sales were quite high in relation to its theatrical receipts.
   When his rich grandfather, Red Stevens (portrayed by James Garner) died, Jason (Drew Fuller) thought he was going to inherit a piece of the old man's multi-billion dollar estate, but it came with a condition. In order to get his share of the willed inheritance, Jason must complete 12 separate assignments within a year. Each assignment is centered around a "gift". The gifts of money, friends and learning are among the dozen that Jason must learn before he is eligible for the mysterious "Ultimate Gift" his grandfather's will has for him.
   At one point everything is taken from him and he lives as a homeless man; another time he visits a developing country where even old library books are a treasure. Along the way, the movie spins a side story that was not in the novel, adding a romantic interest, Alexia (Ali Hillis), and her daughter Emily, an outspoken mysterious girl (Abigail Breslin) who, unbeknowst to Jason, is dying from leukemia. All throughout the movie, Jason helps Emily to have a great life while it lasts. As Jason works through these twelve gifts in twelve months, he comes to see Red Stevens as more than a dead billionaire. At the end of the film when he chooses to use his entire inheritance to build a hospital, called Emily's home (named after Emily), for cancer patients and their families. He has exceeded the expectations of his dead grandfather and receives one final "gift", making him a billionaire. At the end Emily dies of leukemia, and Alexia and Jason pray for her. Alexia and Jason sit on a bench, kiss, and a butterfly flies by representing Emily and the credits roll.

In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, the film was placed 71st. It was voted 4th in UKTV Gold's Greatest TV Christmas Moments.
      The Snowman is the tale of a boy who builds a snowman one winter's day. That night, at the stroke of twelve, the snowman comes to life. The first part of the story deals with the snowman's attempts to understand the appliances, toys and other bric-a-brac in the boy's house, all while keeping quiet enough not to wake the boy's parents. The two then venture back outside and go for a ride on a motorcycle, disturbing many animals: pheasants, rabbits, a barn owl, a fox and a brown horse.
      In the second part of the story, the boy and the snowman take flight — the song "Walking in the Air" appears at this point. They fly over the boy's town, over houses and large public buildings before flying past a pier and out into the ocean. They continue north past many sights and animals. Flying into the aurora borealis they reach their destination.
      The two wander hand-in-hand into a snow-covered forest and attend a snowmen's party, at which the boy is the only human. They meet Father Christmas and his reindeer, and the boy is given a scarf with a snowman pattern.
      The story ends after the return journey. However, the sun has come out the next morning and the boy wakes up to find the snowman has melted. The viewer begins to wonder if the night's events were all a dream, but the boy discovers that he still has the scarf given to him by Father Christmas.

   Scrooge (1951), released as A Christmas Carol in the U.S., is one of the best-known film adaptations of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley.
   The film also featured Kathleen Harrison in an acclaimed turn as Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge's charwoman; a role found in the book, but built up for this film. (In the book, Mrs. Dilber is the name of the laundress. In the film it is transferred to the charwoman, unnamed in the book.) Fans of British cinema will recognise George Cole as the younger version of Scrooge, Hermione Baddeley as Mrs. Cratchit, Mervyn Johns as Bob Cratchit, Clifford Mollison as Samuel Wilkins, a debtor, Jack Warner as Mr. Jorkin, a role created for the film, Ernest Thesiger as Marley's undertaker, and Patrick Macnee as a young Jacob Marley. Michael Hordern plays Marley's ghost, as well as old Marley. Peter Bull serves as narrator, by reading portions of Dickens' words at the beginning and end of the film, and also appears on-screen as one of the businessmen cynically discussing Scrooge's funeral.
   In addition, the film expands on the story by detailing Scrooge's rise as a prominent businessman who was corrupted by a greedy new mentor that had lured him away from the benevolent Mr. Fezziwig. When that new mentor, who does not appear at all in Dickens's original story, is discovered to be an embezzler, the opportunistic Scrooge and Marley offer to compensate the company's losses on the condition that they receive control of the company that they work for - and so, Scrooge and Marley is born. During the Ghost of Christmas Present sequence, the film also reveals that Scrooge's girlfriend from his younger days, Alice, works with the homeless and sick. In this telling of the story, unlike the book or most other film versions, Scrooge's beloved sister Fan is assumed to be slightly older than Ebenezer. In this adaptation it is revealed that his mother died while giving birth to him (necessitating the change of birth order between Ebenezer and Fan), causing his father to always resent Ebenezer for it. He is reminded of this by the Ghost of Christmas Past when Scrooge bitterly mentions that Fan died from complications after delivering his nephew, Fred.
   Although the film was first shown on television as far back as 1954 (by local New York station WOR-TV), it did not attain its current popularity in the USA until the 1970s, when it began to be shown on local NET and later PBS, stations. Until then, the most widely seen film version in the U.S. was MGM's 1938 adaptation starring Reginald Owen. The Alastair Sim version had received a favourable notice from The New York Times when it opened in 1951,[2] and a mixed review in TIME[3] criticizing the direction while praising the performances, but otherwise had not caused much of a stir. However, in the years since, it has attained classic status in the U.S. and become a favorite of the viewing public as well. Sim's characterisation of Scrooge, from mean and sinister to happy and generous, receives particular praise.
   A colourised version of the film was released in 1989, and many of the DVD issues include it as an extra.
   Alastair Sim and Michael Hordern reprised their roles two decades later, lending their voices to Richard Williams' 1971 animated version of the tale.

      Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a 1970 stop motion television special, made by Rankin-Bass with models carved from wood (as with most Rankin-Bass specials). The film stars actor Fred Astaire as S.D. Kluger, the narrator, and Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle/Santa Claus (a role which he would frequently play later on). The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the Christmas hit of the same name, which was introduced on radio by Eddie Cantor in 1934.

      The plot summary in this article is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the content. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. (December 2008)

      At the start of the film, a brief newsreel (narrated by Paul Frees) is shown, depicting kids worldwide awaiting Santa Claus. Then, Special Delivery "S.D." Kluger (Astaire) is introduced. His mail truck breaks down, so he begins to tell the story of Santa Claus, in order to answer children's letters to Santa.

      The story begins in a gloomy small town called Sombertown, which is ruled by the mean and grouchy Burgermeister Meisterburger (voice: Paul Frees) (usually referred to simply as "The Burgermeister"). A baby arrives on his doorstep, with nothing more than a name tag that reads: "Claus" and a note asking for the Bugermeister to take care of the child. The Burgermeister orders his right-hand man, Grimsley (also voiced by Frees) to take the baby to the "Orphan Asylum" as he does not want it. On the way to the building, however, a gust of wind blows both sled and baby far away, to the mountains of the Whispering Winds. There, the animals living in that region hid him from the Winter Warlock (voice: Keenan Wynn), a powerful and malevolent wizard who dislikes anyone trespassing on his land. The animals bring the baby to the other side of the mountain, where he is discovered by an elf family by the name of Kringle, led by their wise matriarch, Tante Kringle. They immediately adopt him, giving him the name “Kris”. A few short years later, the boy Kris expresses to Tante the hope that he can one day restore the Kringle family to its former prominence as "The First Toymakers to the King;" however, as Tante explains, since the Burgermeister's rise to power and the fact that the Kringles can't pass through the mountains without inciting the wrath of the Winter Warlock, they have been unable to do so.

      When Kris is old enough, he volunteers to deliver the toys to Sombertown, through the woods. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kris, the Burgermeister has outlawed all toys in the neighborhood, having comically tripped on and being injured by one when he was walking out of City Hall. In revenge, he declares that anyone found possessing a toy will be arrested and thrown in the dungeon. Meanwhile, before Kris makes it into the town, he befriends a penguin who has lost his way while trying to make it to the South Pole and gives the little penguin the name "Topper". However, he has a close encounter with the Warlock, warning to leave, otherwise he is doomed. As Kringle and Topper run away, the Warlock suspects that he might come back and if he does, it will be his last trip. Once Kris enters the town, he meets Miss Jessica (voice: Robie Lester), a local schoolteacher. At first, Jess is a bit rude to Kris, but suddenly finds herself liking him when he offers her the one thing she'd always wanted for Christmas: a China doll. But not everyone is amused to see Kris, nor are they overly fond of the way he is dressed. Why, they're even frightened off by his very mentioning the word "toy". Indeed, the children of the town have been forced into hard labor, mostly by washing their stockings. Kris, however, decides to do something about that and begins handing out toys to the wee ones. Just then, the Burgermeister arrives on the scene. At first, he almost arrests the children when he discovers them playing with the toys that Kris gave them, even almost turning good when Kris gives him a yo-yo which he loves. Ever loyal, Grimsley quickly reminds the Burgermeister, however, that he is breaking his own law, so he soon snaps out of it, and after a short confrontation, chases him out of town.

      In the woods outside of town, Kris and Topper meet the Winter Warlock, who has vowed to capture the interlopers. Before the Warlock can finish Kris off, the latter offers the former a toy train. This act of kindness melts the Warlock’s icy heart, and the Warlock ("Winter, please!"), soon finds himself rediscovering the wonder of changing from bad to good, as he and Kris perform "One Foot in Front of the Other." Winter next shows Kris how to see who is naughty and nice through the power of a Magic Crystal Snowball. They soon see Jessica, who has been looking for Kris to say that the kids have been requesting more toys since the Burgermeister destroyed them all. Well, much to the Burgermeister's chagrin, Kris quickly grants that wish. With so many toys needed delivery, the Kringles moved up to the mountains, happily welcomed by Winter. The Burgermeister makes several more attempts to stop young Kringle (ordering the town's doors and windows locked, for example, forcing Kris down the village's chimneys). Next, the Burgermeister and his men start to search every home at dawn, finding no toys (as they were hidden in the stockings). Eventually, the Meisterburgers set a trap for Kris and the others; then, with the children of Sombertown forced to watch, every last toy in the village is burned! A few days later, Jessica, as the only one who managed to evade capture, personally confronts the Burgermeister - only to be rudely rebuffed by him. Feeling betrayed by the town, Jessica later sneaks back to Winter's dungeon cell, where Winter shows her some of his "magic feed corn", (his last available bit of magic) which will give reindeer the ability to fly. With the help of the reindeer, Kris, Topper, Winter (who has a renewed faith in his magic) and the Kringles escape from their holding cells, and flee into the woods.

      After months of being an outlaw (we see how his being named Public Enemy #1 leads him to be highlighted on a poster reading: "Wanted, dead or alive - the Terrible Toymaker!"), Kris returns to the woods, where he begins to grow his trademark beard as a disguise. But Tante, realizing the Kringle name is now dangerous, suggests that he return to his birth name of "Claus." Taking the matriarch's advice, he then asks Jessica to share the Claus name with him - as his wife. (In a last gesture, Winter manages to produce "just a little magic" to light the trees) After witnessing Kris and Jess solemnly take their vows, the group migrates to the North Pole, where they eventually build Santa's Castle and Workshop. As time continues to pass, though, the Burgermeister regime ends, as their forebears begin dying off and falling out of power, at which point the Sombertowners realize how silly the Meisterburger laws really are. Kris' legend, meanwhile, goes worldwide, and, having now fully styled himself as Santa Claus, our hero soon accepts his apparent inability to keep up with all those toy requests .... leading him to make his fateful decision to cut his number of visits down to once a year, on December 24.

      The film ends as S.D. Kluger reflects on what Santa's real meaning is all about. Just then, though, S.D. remembers that he still has a load of letters to deliver to Santa. Then, joined by Topper, Winter and a parade of children, S.D. begins to sing Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. The film's closing scene has Kris and Jess in silhouette, as he puts his old hat back on his head. Then, Santa steps out of his Palace, revealing himself in full splendor.

The Santa Clause (1994) is a Christmas film released by both Walt Disney Pictures and Hollywood Pictures, starring Tim Allen. Scott Calvin is a father who finds himself contractually bound to become Santa Claus when he unintentionally puts on the previous Santa's suit.

   Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a divorced father with an insolent son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd). On Christmas Eve, when Charlie is spending the night, they are awakened by a noise on the roof. Going outside to investigate, Scott can see someone on the roof. He yells at the trespasser, which causes the man to fall to the ground. The incapacitated trespasser appears to be Santa Claus. He magically disappears, but his suit remains. They find a business card in a pocket stating that if something should happen to him, someone should put on the suit, climb into the sleigh and the reindeer will take it from there. They find a sleigh and eight reindeer perched atop the house. Scott puts on the Santa suit to please his son, and begins delivering toys from rooftop to rooftop.

Their final stop is the North Pole. The head elf, Bernard (David Krumholtz), shows him an inscription on the card which says that, upon the death of the previous occupant, whoever wears the suit assumes the identity of Santa Claus and all the responsibilities that go with it. This is the "Santa Clause," as stated by Bernard: "You put on the suit, you're the big guy." He also gives Charlie a snow globe.

   Scott only has eleven months (until the next Thanksgiving) to get his affairs in order before becoming Santa Claus full time, which he tries to refuse. He and Charlie spend the night at the factory. The next morning they awake back in Scott's home, where the only indication of their previous night's adventure is Scott's new silk pajamas with "SC" monogrammed on them. Scott dismisses it all as a dream.

   Soon, however, Scott starts gaining weight and his boss likens him to the Pillsbury Doughboy. He develops a ravenous taste for Christmas treats, like Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. He grows a long gray beard, and shaving it off has no effect; it regrows instantly. His hair whitens, despite all attempts to dye it. He somehow knows who has been "naughty" and "nice". Children approach him with gift requests. Scott's rapid transformation worries his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and her new husband, psychiatrist Dr. Neil Miller (Judge Reinhold), who try to terminate his visitation rights to Charlie. They question Scott's mental stability, and believe that Scott's changes are attempts at getting his son to like him.

   Eventually, Scott's visitation rights to Charlie are taken away. Disheartened, Scott begins to lose some of his certainty about his job as Santa. While visiting Charlie on Thanksgiving, Charlie's insistence that Scott is Santa re-awakens Scott's magic and he whisks Charlie away to the North Pole. Laura and Neil, who think Scott has kidnapped Charlie against his will, call the police.

   Charlie helps Scott and the elves perfect a new sleigh and new Santa suit for Scott. He calls occasionally, but this only reinforces Laura and Neil's belief that he is being held against his will. Eventually, Scott, as Santa Claus, goes on with his Christmas Eve trip, but is arrested while delivering presents to his son's home, and is accused of kidnapping Charlie. A team of rescue-elves, the ELFS, free Scott from jail, and fly Scott and Charlie home to his mother and stepfather, to whom Scott/Santa gives the presents they always wanted since childhood but never got: Laura gets a vintage Mystery Date game and Neil gets an Oscar Mayer "Wienie Whistle". (It was because of Neil's not getting the Wienie Whistle that he became convinced Santa didn't exist.) Laura, realizing finally that Scott really is the new Santa, tosses the custody papers into the fireplace and welcomes Scott to come see Charlie any time he wants. Bernard tells Charlie that the snow globe is magic. Anytime he wants his father to visit, all he has to do is shake it. After ten minutes, he shakes it and Scott comes back, says he was off to Cleveland, and takes Charlie with him.

   Rudolph the Red–Nosed Reindeer is a long-running Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired December 6, 1964 on the NBC television network in the USA and was sponsored by General Electric. It is based on the song by Johnny Marks, and in turn taken from the 1939 poem of the same title written by Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has aired over CBS, who unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version in 2005. As with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph no longer airs just once annually, but several times during the Christmas season. It has been telecast every year since 1964, making it the longest running Christmas TV special, and one of only four 1960s Christmas specials still being telecast (the others being A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman). And again, as with the Charlie Brown special, Rudolph has now been shown more than thirty-one times on CBS, although in this case, CBS was not Rudolph 's original network.

The Polar Express is a 2004 Academy Award-nominated feature film based on the children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg.
   The film, written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, is entirely live action using performance capture technology, which incorporates the movements of live actors into animated characters. It stars actor Tom Hanks in five distinct roles, including the role of Santa Claus. The film was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment in association with Shangri-La Entertainment, ImageMovers, and Playtone, for Warner Bros. Warner Bros. first released the $170 million film in both conventional and IMAX theaters on Wednesday, November 10, 2004. It was the last film in which Michael Jeter made a contribution as he had died in March 2003, and the film is dedicated to his memory.
   The film expands on the story from the original book. It maintains the visual style of the book. The "Hot Chocolate" production number was derived from a single sentence and a single illustration. The "Hobo," "Lonely Boy," and "Know-it-All" characters, the scenes on rooftops and on the locomotive, and the runaway observation car sequence were all new to the film.
   The Polar Express is a story of a young boy (Daryl Sabara) on Christmas Eve who is hoping for belief in the true spirit of Christmas. He suddenly hears some noise from downstairs and runs to investigate. Seeing a shadow of what appears to be Santa Claus, he soon discovers that it is his parents. He runs back to his room and looks through magazines and encyclopedias for confirmation of Santa Claus and the North Pole, but to no avail. Hearing his parents coming, he runs back to bed and pretends to be asleep while his parents whisper about how he had once stayed up late listening for Santa Claus. About an hour after they leave, a magic train called The Polar Express pulls up in front of his house. He is invited aboard by the train's mysterious conductor (Tom Hanks) to journey to the North Pole. Though he initially hesitates, he boards the train after it starts to move.
   On the train, the boy encounters a group of other children who are on their way to see Santa Claus, including a pretty young girl, a know-it-all and a lonely little boy. The boy also encounters a mysterious hobo (Tom Hanks), who lives on the top of the train, as well as the engineer and fireman (Michael Jeter). They must all overcome a variety of obstacles; at one point, a herd of caribou block the tracks. Later, the cotter pin holding the throttle together breaks. The train, now out of control and with the Hero Boy, Hero Girl Nona Gaye, and the Conductor standing on the front, then reaches "Glacier Gulch," an area with steep downhill grades. The three must hold on tightly as the train speeds through Glacier Gulch and onto a frozen lake. The train tracks are frozen under the ice, and as a result, the Conductor must guide the engineer and the fireman towards the other side of the lake as the ice breaks up behind them
   They then reach the North Pole and find out that the lonely boy named Billy (Jimmy Bennett), riding alone in the observation car does not want to see Santa (Tom Hanks) because he has come from a broken home on the bad side of his hometown; he says that Christmas does not work out for him. The boy and girl run back to try to get him to come along with them, but the Boy steps on the uncoupling lever and the car speeds back to the Roundhouse. The three of them travel from section to section of the North Pole's industrial area, first visiting the Control Center, then the Wrapping Hall, and finally a warehouse before they are airlifted back to the center of the city via Zeppelin. As they watch the final preparations, one bell falls off Santa's sleigh. The boy picks it up and shakes it, remembering that the girl could hear a bell earlier when he could not. As before, he can not hear it. The boy then says he believes in Santa and the spirit of Christmas. He then sees Santa's reflection on the bell; he shakes the bell again and hears it at last. He gives the bell back to Santa.
   The boy is handpicked by Santa Claus to receive "The First Gift Of Christmas." Realizing that he could choose anything in the world, the boy asks for the beautiful-sounding silver bell (that only believers can hear) which fell from Santa's sleigh. The boy places the bell in the pocket of his robe and all the children watch as Santa takes off for his yearly delivery.
   The children return to the train, and the conductor punches letters into each ticket. These letters spell some form of advice (such as "Learn," "Lead," or "Believe" for the Know-it-All, Hero Girl, and Hero Boy respectively.) As the train leaves, the Hero Boy discovers the pocket of his robe torn and the bell missing. He returns home, saddened by the loss of the bell, but is cheered when he sees that Santa had already arrived at Billy's house. On Christmas morning, his sister finds a small present hidden behind the tree after all the others have been unwrapped. The boy opens the present and discovers that it is the bell, which Santa had found on the seat of his sleigh. When the boy rings the bell, both he and his sister marvel at the beautiful sound; but because their parents no longer believe in Santa Claus or Christmas, they do not hear it. The last line in the movie repeats the same last line from the book: "At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe."

      The Note is a tv movie directed by Douglas Barr and starring Genie Francis and Ted McGinley. The movie aired on Hallmark Channel in December 2007. It is based on the novel by Angela Hunt. It was filmed on location in Hamilton, Ontario.

      Newspaper columnist Peyton MacGruder (Genie Francis) finds a note addressed simply to 'T', washed up on shore. It appears to be from the victim of a recent plane crash, and carries a message of hope and forgiveness from a father to his child. MacGruder's readership is down on her column (called "Heart Healer"), and the paper is going to dump it unless she starts to write from the heart. Inspired, MacGruder decides to find the intended recipient of the note, all the while logging her journey through her article. As the mystery unfolds, the note affects each person she contacts significantly.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (also known as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas) is a 1993 stop motion fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to "Christmas Town".   Danny Elfman wrote the film score and provided the singing voice of Jack, as well as other minor characters. The remaining principal voice cast includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, and Glen Shadix.
   The genesis of The Nightmare Before Christmas started with a poem by Burton as a Disney animator in the early-1980s. With the success of Vincent in 1982, Disney started to consider The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short subject or 30-minute television special. Over the years, Burton's thoughts regularly returned to the project, and in 1990, Burton and Disney made a development deal. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco. Walt Disney Pictures decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner because they thought Nightmare would be "too dark and scary for kids". The Nightmare Before Christmas has been viewed with critical and financial success. Disney has reissued the film under their Disney Digital 3-D format in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
   "Halloween Town" is a dream world filled with citizens such as deformed monsters, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, vampires, werewolves, and witches. Jack Skellington ("The Pumpkin King") leads them in a frightful celebration every Halloween, but he has grown tired of the same routine year after year. Wandering in the forest outside the town center, he accidentally opens a portal to "Christmas Town". Impressed by the feeling and style of Christmas, Jack presents his findings and his (somewhat limited) understanding of the holiday to the Halloween Town residents. They fail to grasp his meaning and compare everything he says to their idea of Halloween. He reluctantly decides to play along and announces that they will take over Christmas.
   Jack's obsession with Christmas leads him to usurp the role of Santa Claus. Every resident is assigned a task, while Sally, a rag doll woman who is created by the town's mad scientist, begins to feel a romantic attraction towards Jack. However, she alone fears that his plans will become disastrous. Jack assigns Lock, Shock, and Barrel, a trio of mischievous children, to abduct Santa and bring him back to Halloween Town. Against Jack's wishes and largely for their amusement, the trio deliver Santa to Oogie Boogie, a gambling-addict bogeyman who plots to play a game with Santa's life as the stake.
   Christmas Eve arrives and Sally attempts to stop Jack, but he embarks into the sky on a coffin-like sleigh pulled by skeletal reindeer, guided by the glowing nose of his ghost dog Zero. He begins to deliver presents to children around the world, but the gifts (shrunken heads, Christmas tree-eating snakes, etc.) only terrify the recipients. Jack is believed to be an imposter attempting to imitate Santa, and the military goes on alert to blast him out of the sky. The sleigh is shot down and he is presumed dead by Halloween Town's citizens, but in fact he has survived the crash. Although he is depressed by the failure of his plan, he quickly regains his old spirit, having come up with new ideas for next Halloween. He then rushes back home to rescue Santa and put things right.
   Meanwhile, Sally attempts to free Santa but is captured by Oogie. Jack slips into the lair and frees them, then confronts Oogie and unravels his outer covering to spill out all the bugs that live inside him. With Oogie gone, Santa reprimands Jack before setting off to deliver the right presents to the world's children. He makes snow fall over Halloween Town to show that there are no hard feelings between himself and Jack; the townspeople are confused by the snow at first, but soon begin to play happily in it. Jack reveals that he is attracted to Sally just as she is to him, and they kiss under the full moon in the cemetery.

The Nativity Story is a 2006 drama film starring Keisha Castle-Hughes and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Filming began on May 1, 2006 in Matera, Italy and in Morocco. New Line Cinema released it on December 1, 2006 in the United States and one week later on December 8 in the European Union. The film made history as being the first film ever to stage its world premiere in the Vatican 
   The movie begins with the portrayal of the Massacre of the Innocents. The remainder of the movie portrays the annunciation (conception) and nativity (birth) of Jesus Christ to explain why King Herod (Ciarán Hinds) ordered the brutality.
   Teenage Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), betrothed to marry Joseph of Judea (Oscar Isaac), is spoken to by God and told that she is to deliver His child and call him Jesus. Mary then goes to stay with her cousin Elizabeth for the harvest, when she witnesses the birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who is past menopause, and her husband Zachariah (Stanley Townsend). Mary returns from the visit pregnant, to the disappointment of Joseph and her parents. Mary is accused of fornication, for which, if she is found guilty, she could be stoned to death in a public execution. At first Joseph does not believe Mary's explanation that she was visited by an angel, and that she has broken no vow of chastity. He resolves to quietly divorce her, but before he acts on this plan, he is visited by the very same angel. Joseph then believes Mary, and promises to marry her. Meanwhile, King Herod has demanded that every man and his family must return to his place of birth for the annual census. Mary decides to go with Joseph on his journey to Bethlehem, the City of David, and the place of his birth.
   The two fight against the wrath of Mother Nature (including an encounter with a water snake), camping out along the way, as Mary's pregnancy becomes more advanced. When they reach Bethlehem, Mary goes into labor, at which point a single man offers his stable for shelter.
In the meantime, Herod has been informed by three Magi that a King of the Jews has been born; Herod considers himself to be King of the Jews. He asks the Magi, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, to journey to the East and pay a visit to the newborn Jesus. Unbeknownst to Mary and Joseph, the Magi had previously discovered that three planets will align to form a great star. This Star of Bethlehem appears before the Magi, after a visit by the angel, Gabriel. They show up at the stable in which Mary, Joseph and Jesus are staying, and present the baby with gifts. For fear that they would be punished, the Magi do not return to Herod, but instead continue on their journey.
   King Herod, realizing that the wise men have defied him, demands the murder of every boy in Bethlehem up to the age of two. Joseph is warned in a dream of the danger and flees with Mary and the child to Egypt.

• Review by David DiCerto
  
• Review by George Mearns
  
• Review by Scott Nehring
  

    Miracle on 34th Street (also titled The Big Heart in the UK) is a 1947 film written by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton, and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn. It is the story of what takes place in New York City following Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, as people are left wondering whether or not a department store Santa might be the real thing. Because of its Christmas theme, the film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.
    The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to Gentleman's Agreement.
    Davies also penned a short novella version of the tale, which was published by Harcourt Brace simultaneously with the film's release.
    In a Thanksgiving tradition, NBC airs the film every year after the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
    Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is indignant to find that the person (Percy Helton) assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated. When he complains to the event's director, Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), she persuades Kris to take his place. He does such a fine job that he is hired to be the Santa for Macy's flagship New York City store on 34th Street.
    Ignoring instructions to steer parents to goods that Macy's wants to sell, Kris tells one woman shopper (Thelma Ritter) to go to another store for a fire engine for her son that Macy's doesn't have. She is so impressed, she tells Julian Shellhammer (Philip Tonge), head of the toy department, that she will become a loyal customer. Kris later informs another mother that archrival Gimbels has better skates for her daughter.
    Fred Gailey (John Payne), an attorney and neighbor of Doris, is babysitting the young divorcee's nine-year-old daughter Susan (Wood) and takes her to see Kris. When Doris finds out, she lectures Fred about filling Susan's mind with fantasy. Meanwhile, Susan sees Kris talking and singing with a Dutch World War II orphan girl in her native tongue and begins to wonder if perhaps Kris is real. (In the 1994 remake, Kris communicates with a deaf girl via sign language.) When Doris asks Kris to tell Susan that he really isn't Santa Claus, Kris surprises her by insisting that he is.
    Doris decides to fire him before he can harm anyone. However, Kris has generated so much good publicity and customer goodwill for Macy's that a delighted R. H. Macy (Harry Antrim) promises Doris and Shellhammer generous bonuses. To overcome Doris's misgivings about keeping Kris, Shellhammer proposes sending Kris to Granville Sawyer (Porter Hall) to get a "psychological evaluation". Kris easily passes the test, but antagonizes Sawyer by questioning Sawyer's own psychological health.
    The store expands on the marketing concept. Anxious to avoid looking greedy by comparison, Gimbels implements the same referral policy throughout its entire chain, forcing Macy's and other stores to respond in kind. Eventually, Kris accomplishes the impossible: Mr. Macy shakes hands with Mr. Gimbel (Herbert H. Heyes).
    Doctor Pierce (James Seay), the doctor at Kris's nursing home, assures Doris and Shellhammer that Kris' apparent delusion is harmless. Meanwhile, Fred offers to let Kris stay with him so he can be closer to his workplace. Kris makes a deal with Fred - he will work on Susan's cynicism while Fred does the same with the disillusioned Doris, still bitter over her failed marriage.
    Then Kris learns that Sawyer has convinced a young, impressionable employee, Alfred (Alvin Greenman), that he is mentally ill simply because he is generous and kind-hearted (Alfred plays Santa Claus at his neighborhood YMCA). Kris confronts Sawyer and, in a fit of anger, raps him on the head with his cane. Doris and Shellhammer arrive at that point and only see the aftermath; Sawyer exaggerates his injury in order to have Kris confined to Bellevue mental hospital.
    Tricked into cooperating and believing Doris to be part of the deception, a discouraged Kris deliberately fails his mental examination and is recommended for permanent commitment. However, Fred persuades Kris not to give up. To secure his release, Fred gets a formal hearing before Judge Henry X. Harper (Gene Lockhart) of the New York Supreme Court. Warned by Mr. Macy to get the matter dropped, Sawyer pleads with Fred not to seek publicity. To Sawyer's dismay, Fred thanks him for the idea. As a result, Judge Harper is put in an awkward spot - even his own grandchildren are against him for "persecuting" Santa Claus.
    Fred quits his job at a prestigious New York law firm to defend Kris and has a falling out with Doris, who has no faith in his abilities and calls his resignation an "idealistic binge" over some "lovely intangibles." He replies that one day she might discover that those intangibles are the only worthwhile things in life.
    At the hearing, District Attorney Thomas Mara (Jerome Cowan) gets Kris to assert that he is in fact Santa Claus and rests his case, believing he has prima facie proven his point. Fred stuns the court by arguing that Kris is not insane because he actually is Santa Claus - and he will prove it. Mara requests the judge rule that Santa Claus does not exist. Harper is warned privately in chambers by his political adviser, Charlie Halloran (William Frawley), that doing so would be politically disastrous for his upcoming reelection bid. The judge buys time by deciding to hear evidence before ruling.
    Fred calls R.H. Macy as a witness. Mara pointedly asks if he really believes Kris to be Santa Claus. Macy starts to give an equivocal answer, but when Mara asks him point-blank, Macy remembers the expressions on the faces of small children upon seeing Kris and firmly states, "I do!" On leaving the stand, Macy fires Sawyer. Fred then calls Mara's own young son to the stand. Thomas Mara Jr. testifies that his father had told him that Santa was real and that "My daddy would never tell a lie! Would you, daddy?" Outmaneuvered, Mara concedes the point.
Mara then demands that Fred prove that Kris is "the one and only" Santa Claus, on the basis of some competent authority. While Fred searches frantically, Susan, by now a firm believer in Kris, writes him a letter to cheer him up, which Doris also signs. A mail sorter (Jack Albertson) sees it and realizes that the post office could clear out the many letters to Santa taking up space in its dead letter office by delivering them to Kris.
    Kris is uplifted by Susan's letter. Just then, Fred learns that over 50,000 pieces of mail have been delivered to Kris. Seeing an opportunity, Fred presents Judge Harper with three letters addressed only to "Santa Claus" and notes that they have been delivered to Kris by the United States Post Office, a branch of the federal government. When Harper demands that Fred produce the "further exhibits" he mentioned, the judge is soon hidden behind the bags of letters. Harper rules in favor of Kris. Afterwards, Doris invites Kris to dinner, but he reminds her that "It's Christmas Eve!"
    On Christmas morning, Susan is disillusioned because Kris was unable to get her what she told him she wanted most. As they are about to leave, Kris gives Fred and Doris a route home, supposedly to avoid traffic. Along the way, Susan is overjoyed to see the house of her dreams (exactly matching the drawing she had given Kris earlier) with a For Sale sign in the front yard.     Fred learns that Doris had encouraged Susan to have faith, and suggests they get married and purchase the house. He then boasts that he must be a great lawyer, since he managed to do the seemingly impossible. However, when he notices a cane leaning against the fireplace that looks exactly like the one Kris used, he wonders, "Maybe I didn't do such a wonderful thing after all."

The Muppet Christmas Carol is the fourth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson. Released in 1992, it is one of many film adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
      In this adaptation of the Christmas story narrated by Dickens himself (played by The Great Gonzo) with the occasional commentary of Rizzo the Rat, it is Christmas Eve in 19th century London. The merriment is not shared by Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine), a surly money-lender who is more interested in profit than celebration. So cold to the season of giving is he that his book-keeping staff, including loyal employee Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog), has to plead with him just to have the day off work during Christmas by pointing out that Scrooge would have no customers on the holiday and that it would waste coal to sit alone in the office. Scrooge's nephew, Fred, arrives to invite his uncle to Christmas dinner and two gentlemen also come to Scrooge's offices, collecting money in the spirit of the season. Scrooge rebuffs his nephew and complains that it isn't worth looking after the poor, as their deaths will decrease the surplus population. Fred is shocked at his uncle's uncharitable and cold nature, but repeats his invitation, makes his own donation and departs.
      Later that evening, Scrooge finds himself face to face with the spirits of his former business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley (Statler and Waldorf) who have been condemned to shackles in the afterlife as payment for the horrible deeds they committed in life. They warn him that he will share the same fate, only worse, if he doesn't change his ways, and foretell the coming of three spirits throughout the night.
      Scrooge is first visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a child-like specter who takes Scrooge on a journey back through time to his youth. He recalls his early school days, during which he focused on his studies; the meeting of a young woman named Belle (Meredith Braun), with whom he would later fall in love; and the final parting between Belle and Scrooge, despite Scrooge's protests that he would marry her as soon as he had enough money. Later, Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, a large, festive creature with a booming voice who lives only for the here and now. He gives Scrooge a glimpse into the holiday celebration of others, including Bob Cratchit and his family who, although poor, are enjoying Christmas together and reveling in the anticipation of the Christmas goose. The Spirit also shows Scrooge's own family, who aren't above cracking jokes at Scrooge's expense. Later, Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, a silent entity, who reveals the chilling revelation that young Tiny Tim (Robin the Frog) will not survive the coming year, thanks in no small part to the impoverished existence of the Cratchit family. Furthermore, it is revealed that when Scrooge's own time has passed, others will certainly delight in his absence from the world, with local businessmen attending his funeral only for the free food and Scrooge's servants stealing the very clothes he was to have been buried in. It is this final epiphany that jolts Scrooge back into humanity, and makes him vow to celebrate with his fellow man. Scrooge goes about the town spreading good deeds and charity, plans a feast for Bob Cratchit and his kin, and learns to adopt the spirit of Christmas throughout the year.

In 1968, Rankin-Bass produced a stop motion animated Christmas television special based on The Little Drummer Boy. The film names the drummer boy Aaron and expands the song's storyline to include events before the birth of Jesus. It stars the voices of Greer Garson as "Our Storyteller" and Jose Ferrer as Ben Haramad; it also features the Vienna Boys' Choir singing the title song. It aired for many years on NBC (under original sponsorship of the American Gas Association (AGA)) before entering syndication. It currently airs in the U.S. on the ABC Family cable channel.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) is an American film produced and directed by Frank Capra and loosely based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern.
      The film takes place in the fictional town of Bedford Falls shortly after World War II and stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve gains the attention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) who is sent to help him in his hour of need. Much of the film is told through flashbacks spanning George's entire life and narrated by Franklin and Joseph, unseen Angels who are preparing Clarence for his mission to save George. Through these flashbacks we see all the people whose lives have been touched by George and the difference he has made to the community in which he lives.
      The film is regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television around the world, although, due to its high production costs and stiff competition at the box office, financially, it was considered a "flop." The film's break-even point was actually $6.3 million, approximately twice the production cost, a figure it never came close to achieving in its initial release. An appraisal in 2006 reported: "Although it was not the complete box-office failure that today everyone believes … it was a major disappointment and confirmed, at least to the studios, that Capra was no longer capable of turning out the populist features that made his films the must-see, money-making events they once were."
      It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars without winning any, but the film has since been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number one on their list of the most inspirational American films of all time.
      On Christmas Eve 1946, George Bailey (James Stewart) is deeply depressed, even suicidal. Prayers for George Bailey are heard by angels appearing as stars in the night sky. Clarence Odbody, an Angel Second Class, is sent to Earth to save him—and thereby earn his wings. Joseph, the head angel, is told to review George's life with Clarence.
      As a 12-year-old boy in 1919, George (Bobby Anderson) saved the life of his younger brother Harry from falling through ice, though George caught a cold that became an ear infection and left him hearing-impaired in one ear. Returning weeks later to his job as errand boy in a pharmacy, George stopped his boss, local druggist Mr. Gower (H.B. Warner), from accidentally filling a child's prescription with poison while grief-stricken over the death of his son from influenza.
      From childhood, George's greatest ambition has been to see the world and design bridges and skyscrapers. However, George repeatedly has to sacrifice his dreams for the well-being of the people of Bedford Falls. Four years older than Harry, he puts off going to college to help in the family business until Harry graduates from high school and can replace him at the Bailey Building & Loan Association, essential to many of the disadvantaged in town. But on Harry's graduation night in 1928, as George discusses his future with Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) — who has had a crush on him since she was a little girl — family friends arrive after George and Mary were throwing rocks at an old house to make wishes, and break the news to George that his father has had a stroke. Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), a vicious slumlord, seizes this opportunity and tries to persuade the Board of Directors to end the "sentimental hogwash" of home loans for the working poor. George persuades the board members to reject Potter's proposal; they agree, but only on condition that George himself run the Building and Loan. George reluctantly stays in Bedford Falls and gives his school money to his brother.
      Harry goes on to college, but George's hopes of leaving Bedford Falls upon his return are dashed once again when Harry unexpectedly brings home a new wife. Her father has offered Harry a job in his company too good to turn down. Although Harry offers to do precisely that to help his brother, George cannot bring himself to ruin his brother's prospects.
      George's mother tries to set George up with Mary, despite Sam Wainwright (Frank Albertson) supposedly being attracted to her. Sam is an insouciant friend of George working in New York City, with the catchphrase "Hee haw!" George and Mary eventually get married, but on their way out of town for their honeymoon witness a run on the bank that leaves the Building & Loan in serious danger. Potter, sensing another opportunity, offers George's clients "50 cents on the dollar," but George and Mary use the $2,000 intended for their honeymoon to lend the townspeople what they need to quell the panic until their funds are restored. Later, Mary (with the aid of cabbie Ernie and Bert the cop) concocts an elaborate mock honeymoon in their new house, the abandoned mansion on which they had once made wishes. Mary confides to him that this was what she had wished for that night.
      George then starts up Bailey Park, an affordable housing project, with bar owner Martini and his family as the first homeowners. They and the other residents are rescued from paying high rents in the slum the locals have nicknamed Potter's Field; Potter grouses that their homes "are worth twice what [they] cost ... to build." Potter tries to derail the competition by tempting George with a job at eight times his current salary, $20,000 a year, but George realizes that Potter is trying to bribe him and vehemently rejects the offer.
      Over the next several years, George and Mary raise a growing family. When World War II erupts, George is unable to enlist due to his bad ear. Harry becomes a Navy pilot and is awarded the Medal of Honor for shooting down fifteen enemy aircraft, including two Japanese kamikaze planes that were about to crash into a Navy troop transport.
      On Christmas Eve, while on his way to deposit $8,000 for the Building & Loan, Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) encounters Mr. Potter and, bursting with pride, shows him the newspaper article about his nephew Harry, about to be honored by the President. Absentmindedly, he leaves the deposit envelope with the $8000 in the folds of the newspaper; Potter discovers it later in his office and keeps it. That day, the bank examiner is to inspect the Building & Loan's records; George discovers Billy's mistake and becomes unhinged while searching the town for the money. Returning home, George takes out his anger on his wife and children, as well as yelling at the teacher of his youngest daughter for allowing her to walk home without a coat — to protect a flower she had received — and catch a cold, then after comforting the child by pretending to reattach petals to the flower while secretly stashing them in a pocket.     Downstairs, he is tormented by everything the children do and by the thought that his sacrifices have left him unable to provide a safe home for his family. In desperation, George tells Potter that he has misplaced the $8,000, and appeals to him for a loan to rescue the company. Potter, knowing that Uncle Billy has actually misplaced the money, reacts with subtle surprise to George's admission. Potter turns George down and, smirking, insults him. Later, George crashes his car into a tree during a snowstorm and runs to a nearby bridge, intending to commit suicide, feeling he's "worth more dead than alive" because of a $15,000 life-insurance policy). Before George can leap in, however, Clarence the angel jumps into the water. After a shocked George saves him, Clarence reveals himself to be George's guardian angel and pleads to help him. (In this movie, angels are actually ghosts, or the departed souls of humans, who, if they do some good deed or enough good deeds after death, earn their wings — heralded by a bell ringing somewhere on earth.)
      George bitterly wishes he had never been born. Clarence then shows him what the town would have been like if George had never existed. Bedford Falls is called Pottersville and is mostly a slum with Main Street dominated by pawn shops and sleazy bars. Bailey Park was never built; the land is part of a desolate cemetery. George's home remains a run-down, abandoned mansion. George sees the people he knows and loves, but in this alternative world where he doesn't exist, none of them recognize him and their lives are hard and grim. Mr. Gower was convicted of poisoning the child, spent years in prison, and is now an alcoholic reduced to panhandling. Martini no longer owns the bar. Ernie and Bert, although still friends, are much darker characters, and think George is insane when he claims to know them. Violet is a dancer who gets arrested as a pickpocket. Uncle Billy has been in an insane asylum for years, while Harry is dead, since George was not around to save him when he fell through the ice. Consequently, the men Harry would have saved in the war have also perished. His mother is a lonely, embittered widow running a boarding house, and Mary is a spinster librarian.
      George returns to the bridge and calls upon Clarence and God to let him live again. His prayer is answered and George is returned to the moment he met Clarence. Small changes that had occurred while he didn't exist, such as his daughter's petals in his pocket, his crashed car, and even the weather being windy instead of snowy, are now just as they were, but George runs home filled with a new appreciation of what he has accomplished. There, he finds that his friends and family have collected a huge amount of money to save George and the Building & Loan from scandal and ruin. The newly arrived Harry proposes a toast to his brother, "the richest man in town." Seeing how many lives he has touched, and the difference he has made to the town (and having helped Clarence earn his wings), George Bailey realizes that despite his problems, he "really has a wonderful life."

Jonathan Taylor Thomas stars as a college student Jake Wilkinson attending school in California, Pasadena College, who has hardly ever been home for Christmas.
      A few days before Christmas Eve, his father offers to give him a vintage 1957 Porsche if Jake is home in by 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve (when the family has dinner) in New York. Jake prepares to go; however, a group of bullies leave him in the middle of the desert dressed as Santa Claus. The bullies were supposed to get a cheat list from Jake, but their leader Eddie Taffet (Adam LaVorgna) prevented it, unbeknownst to his friends, to get Jake out of the way and claim Jake's girlfriend Allie (Jessica Biel) for himself. While Jake is stuck in the California desert, Eddie is giving Allie a ride to the Big Apple. Now, Jake has only three days to make it to Larchmont, New York if he wants the car and Allie.
      He stumbles upon a few obstacles such as a thief who is driving kitchen goods to his dealer near New York so Jake hitches a ride with him, unbeknownst to him that the man is a thief. A police officer pulls them over for speeding and becomes suspicious of them, so Jake lies and says that the man is his elf and they donating the goods to the childrens hospital. The police officer offers for them to follow him since he is heading in the same direction. At the hospital the children remind Jake, the thief and the police officer about the importance of family, and the thief decides to win back his girlfriend who is headed in the opposite direction. The police officer buys Jake a bus ticket to New York.
      Meanwhile Allie and Eddie are heading for New York and decide to stay at pretend village hotel and are caught kissing under a mistletoe on camera by Jake, hesitant to speed the bus up he uses a cooler and a week old meat sandwich saying that it is a liver which is for a little girl at hospital, he finds the village and Allie and Eddie's room, he sees Eddie walk out of the shower in a towel and assumes that he had slept with Allie (he didn't, Allie made him sleep in a sleeping bag), Jake and Allie eventually make up but Jake blurts out that Eddie prevented him from getting his dad's car. Upset that Jake that had come there to get the car and not herself (which he actually did), she replaces his seat on the bus and leaves.
      Jake and Eddie drive and Jake tells Eddie that he will go home and win Allie back and get the car, jealous that Jake will get Allie Eddie throws Jake out but is soon arrested. Jake decides to enter a Santa Clause race to win the $1000 prize to buy a plane ticket to New York. He meets a nice man who he beats and wins the prize. But on his way to the airport he learns that the man is actually the Mayor who uses the prize money to buy presents for the needy. Jake reluctantly gives the money to the mayor and calls home. Jake's sister arranges for a plane ticket for Jake but he is not granted the ticket since he has no photograph identification. So he decides to stow away in a dog kennel in a cargo plane.
      When he reaches New York he apologies to Allie and receives his dad's car and makes it home in time for dinner.

Jingle All the Way is a 1996 family comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad. The name is taken from a line in the Christmas song "Jingle Bells". This is the last comedy to date that Schwarzenegger starred in. Other comedy films Schwarzenegger has starred in are Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and Junior. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $15 million for his role in the film.
      Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is often busy at his job, and has a hard time finding time for his wife, Liz (Rita Wilson) and his young son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd) - especially when compared to next door superdad divorcé, Ted Maltin (Phil Hartman). After breaking his word again by missing Jamie's karate grading (from green to purple), Howard resolves to redeem himself and his marriage by fulfilling Jamie's ultimate Christmas wish, an action figure of Turbo-Man, a popular children TV superhero.
      Unfortunately, as is the habit with him, Howard has promised to buy that figure earlier that year and then promptly forgotten about it. To make things even harder, Turbo-Man toys are the must-have gifts of the season, and stocks of Turbo-Man toys are quickly drying up all over the country. Desperate not to disappoint his family again, Howard embarks on an epic city-wide quest to find the toy everyone's looking for. Along the way, Howard encounters Myron Larabee (Sinbad), a postal worker dad with a rival ambition, and the two quickly become bitter competitors in their race for the action figure. The chase begins to arise the ire of a police officer whom Howards keeps running into, and one of the most memorable scenes includes Howard desperately hooking up with a band of brand-spoofing crooks and ending up thrashing them. In addition, Ted attempts to hit on Liz, which she eventually turns down hard.
      The search climaxes with both dads masquerading as live action stuntmen in a department store parade. As the "real" Turbo-Man, Howard uses the opportunity to present a coveted limited-edition Turbo-Man doll to his son in the crowd. But before he can recognize his dad, Jaime is chased around the parade by Myron, dressed as Turbo-Man's archnemesis Dementor. Jamie is ultimately saved by Turbo-Man, who reveals himself as his father.
      Touched by Myron's undying dedication to his own son, Jamie relinquishes the doll to him and confesses that his dad is the only superhero he needs. In the final scene, Howard puts the star on his tree and shares a happy moment with his family - until Liz asks him what he got for her, This causes Howard to look at the camera with a look of horror on his face, as he realizes he forgot to get Liz a gift.

   Jack Frost is a 1998 Christmas film, starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston. Keaton stars as the title character, a father who dies in a car accident and comes back to life as a snowman. Three of Frank Zappa's four children: Dweezil Zappa, Ahmet Zappa, and Moon Unit Zappa, appear in the film. The film is rated PG by the MPAA.
   Michael Keaton plays the title character, a man who is actually named Jack Frost. He runs a band and thus is forced to miss many events in his son's life, but promises to be home for Christmas Eve. His band is scheduled for an audition that day, but mid-way along the trip they change their minds to be with their respective families. Jack tries to race home to make it in time. However, on his way back, he dies in a car accident due to a faulty windshield wiper.
   A year later, Jack returns as his son Charlie's (played by Joseph Cross) snowman, and decides to make up for all the times he missed with his son. Henry Rollins tries to stop him in his minivan but fails. In the end, Jack is forced to flee with his son to a cabin to stay cold, and thus alive. His wife arrives, and realizes that her husband has returned. Dawn and Christmas Day arrive, and Jack becomes human once more to say goodbye before returning to the afterlife.

Home Alone is a 1990 Christmas film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film features Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. While initially relishing time by himself, he is later greeted by two house intruders. Kevin eventually manages to outwit them with a series of booby traps. The film also features Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard and Roberts Blossom.
      The extended McCallister family prepares to spend Christmas in France, gathering at Peter and Kate's home in Chicago the night before their flight. Eight year-old Kevin, Peter and Kate's son, finds himself the ridicule of the other children, and after getting into a fight with Buzz, his older brother, he is sent to the third floor of the house, wishing his family would disappear. When a power failure causes the McCallister's to wake up late, they accidentally leave the sleeping Kevin behind as they hastily depart to the airport. On the trans-Atlantic flight, Kate realizes that they have left Kevin behind, and once in Paris, immediately tries to book a return trip back to Chicago. While the rest of the family is set to return two days later, on Christmas, Kate manages to fly into Dallas and then Scranton, but cannot get a flight back to Chicago. She manages to hitch a ride with Gus Polinski and his polka band who are traveling to Milwaukee.
      Meanwhile Kevin, waking up to find the house empty, is elated that his wish came true and enjoys doing activities that he was normally not allowed to do. However, Kevin finds himself scared by the appearance of the police, called by his parents to check on Kevin, his next door neighbor "Old Man" Marley who was rumored to have murdered his family back in 1958, and the appearance of the "Wet Bandits", Harry and Marv, who are raiding other houses along the block with their occupants away on holiday. On Christmas Eve, Kevin manages to overhear Harry and Marv discuss plans for targeting his house that night. After seeing Santa Claus and watching a local choir perform in hopes to have his family return, Kevin runs into Marley, and comes to realize that the man is quite friendly, and none of the rumors about him are true. Kevin finds Marley is estranged from his son, and suggests he reunite with him for Christmas. So that night, Kevin returns home to prepare a series of booby traps about the house. The bandits are initially fooled by Kevin's illusion that the house is occupied, but realize he is home alone, and attempt to gain entry, running into the various traps. They manage to chase Kevin out of the house, who flees to the vacated, neighboring Murphy home. The Wet Bandits manage to trap Kevin but then Marley is able to subdue the two bandits, who are later arrested by the police. After thanking Marley, Kevin returns home, leaving milk and cookies out for Santa's arrival while still wishing for his parents to return home.
      Kevin wakes up the next morning to find his mother has returned after she finally arrived in Chicago. Shortly afterward, the rest of the McCallisters, having traveled directly to Chicago from Paris, arrive and the extended family celebrates Christmas together, Kevin keeping silent on his encounter with the bandits. Peter finds Harry's missing gold tooth where he was hit with a paint can the night before, wondering what it is he found on the floor. Kevin discovers Marley took his advice and watches him and his son reunite. However, Buzz angrily shouts at him, "Kevin! What did you do to my room?!", as his room had not yet been cleared up, so Kevin races away, and the film ends.