The Santa Clause. One of the few entertaining Tim Allen films around. A fun story about what happens when a new Santa is needed, and the effect it can have on a less then stellar father. Haven't seen the sequel, but this one is always entertaining.

The TV Specials: Charlie Brown, Garfield, Rudolph, Frosty, Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is coming to Town, The Year without Santa. How can we not mention the various television specials that air year after year? I admit, they don't hold quite the same charm as they did when I was ten, but they are still an important part of the year, they herald the coming. The day draws near. You can't help but sit down and watch them, they're rather infectious.

The Polar Express. A potential classic? Perhaps. This enjoyable story just appeared this year, but it has a certain magical aura about it that just grabs on and doesn't let go. It's not perfect, but it captures that child like innocence, that age where doubt starts to creep in, this tale attempts to restore that.

It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. These are timeless classics, that I enjoy, but don't reach for as often as the ones mentioned above. The reasons are not terribly worthy of discussion, but I would be remiss if I did not mention them as seasonal films that are worth your time.

On the flip side, there are also those films which you should avoid like the plague.

Surviving Christmas. Haven't seen this one, and probably don't want to. I believe it holds the record for fastest film from theatrical release(10/22/04) to DVD release(12/21/04). Stars Ben Affleck as someone who returns to the home he grew up in and proceeds to buy the family, headed by James Gandolfini, to pretend to be his family. Kinda sad.

Christmas with the Kranks. What an unfunny mess this was, I can't believe I actually paid to see this dreck. I found one moment funny, and it was in the trailer. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis pair up as a couple who scrambles to put Christmas together in one day for their daughter who is returning from the Peace Corps. Avoid at all costs.

I know there are many more Christmas films, good and bad, but these were the ones that came to me. Please feel free to leave comments on your choices for holiday viewing, or what you think of the ones I have mentioned.

Happy Holidays!

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