It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

George Bailey (James Stewart) is worth more dead than alive. Or, so some would have him believe. Then came his "crucial day", Christmas Eve.

Although it is now considered the best Christmas film ever made, it was originally a box-office flop. The film is centers on a man about to commit suicide at Christmas, he has been financially ruined and is helped by a trainee angel, Clarance, who shows him what life would be like if he never existed.  The plot was considered too bleak for the 1940's and audiences found it difficult to to see how a film about a man driven to sucide was a celebration of life.

The more recent popularity can be attributed to a clerical error in 1974, when the copyright holder failed to renew the copyright.  The film fell into the public domain and US TV stations started to show it late at night to fill the schedule as there was no charge to broadcast it.  It reputation began to until it quickly became the Christmas classic.

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The Bishop's Wife (1947)

An under-rated Christmas classic, this is a heart warming tale of an angel called Dudley, played by Cary Grant.  Interestingly Grant turned down the role of George Baily in "It's a Wonderful Life" to take on the role of Dudley!

Once again, an angel comes to earth to help someone who has lost their way in life and show them their true destiny. In this case its a Bishop played by David Niven whose drive  to raise funds to build a new Cathedral leaves hime in danger of losing the love of his family (Loretta Young stars as his wife) and the meaning of his faith.   Dudley helps them to rediscover their real selves at Christmas time, in this enduring classic.

This film was the original upon the  "The Preacher's Wife" with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington was based.  As is normal the original black and white version is vastly superior.

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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

This Christmas film features a department store executive (Maureen O'Hara) who tries to find a new store Santa. She hires an old man (Edmund Gwenn) named Kris Kringle who claims to be the one-and-only Santa Claus.

There then follows the extroardinary scenes of Santa Claus being institutionalised for being mentaly unstable and then the following court case to prove his sanity. It shows a fine line between faith and insanity.

The movie was remade in 1994 with Sir Richard Attenborough cast in the role of Kris Kringle. It is a fair copy of the original with a slightly different ending, but overall is equally enjoyable.

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A Christmas Story (1983)

This 1983 comedy celebrates the sort of Christmas a young boy may have had in the 1940s. Young Ralphie Parker wants only one thing: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle. His parents don't want him to shoot his eye out and refuse to get it. Wacky hijinks ensue as Ralphie develops some very creative ploys to convince his mother and father that this is the only thing they should give him.

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

Scrooge (1951)

Scrooge is a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge was released as A Christmas Carol in the United States. Commonly judged to be the definitive 'straight' adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with Alistair Sim who was so good in the role he reprised in voice form for the 1971 animated version.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his beaming honker, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudoph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa's sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea... .

White Christmas (1954)

The song "White Christmas" was a long-established Christmas by the time this movie was written. The song was originally featured in "Holiday Inn (1942)" starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astair. White Christmas is a romantic comedy, with Bing Crosby's voice, Danny Kaye's comic timing, Rosemary Clooney's voice and Vera-Ellen's dancing, along with a series of great sets and costumes.