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4. A Christmas Carol (1951)

The first question that comes to mind when thinking of a movie adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic novel is: which one? Wikipedia says that there are over a dozen movie versions of Scrooge’s tale, but I say that only this one is worthy of mention in a top five list and is therefore the one to queue up on Netflix. Scrooge is played magnificently by one Alastair Sim, a British actor who dazzles us with his demonic but melancholic gestures. What makes this film the best of the lot is that it accurately captures the essence of Dickens’ story, in that it reflects on the agonizing, tortured human spirit in the context of the wretches of society. It achieves this effect with its mostly phantasmagoric overtones that reflect the feeling of despair and lost life that the story is meant to display. Not that there is anything wrong with the more romanticized, caricaturized versions of the lovely tale, but this one is thoughtful and sincere as well as being ultimately rousing and redemptive. Most of the movies on this list so far make at the very least a not-so-subtle attempt at conveying message in between the comedy, action, or slapstick that defines them. A Christmas Carol, by contrast, is a much more somber movie that demands being taken seriously. It’s Dickens all the way. For this reason the expected Christmas-themed denouement, grin-inducing when seen in the other movies, is much more tremendously effective and sentimental here.

3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

At the number three slot is perhaps the most recognized Christmas movie on this list. Several themes of this column come together with this one. For one, it’s one of the few on the list to have been nominated for Best Picture (it did not win) and to have won any Academy Awards at all (including for acting and writing). Second, it stars an exquisitely adorable young Natalie Wood (of West Side Story fame) in one of her first major roles. Third, it begins with a drunken Santa Claus at Macy’s (Bad Santa, anyone?). In all seriousness, this movie is an absolute must see. Although it is unabashed in its sentimentality, which permeates its upbeat message about the loveliness of innocence and the power of suspending rational disbelief, it is also extremely well made. It stars the classic actress Maureen O’Hara as the Macy’s event director who is in over her head when she hires an eccentric character to take the place of the inebriated Santa Claus. I’d be curious to see if a movie with its message exulting selflessness over corporate profit and kindness over dollars would resonate today. In any event, this is another truly inspiring film that I’d recommend for people of all ages.

2. Love Actually (2003)

I was close to making this modern British romantic comedy number three after Miracle, but the masterful way in which this movie weaves the tale of over 12 strangers around the holidays in a natural and organic way put it slightly ahead. Starring a spectacular British cast, this movie was one of the first “ensemble cast” rom-coms of which we have unfortunately too many today. Whereas movies from earlier decades focused on the important values of family and friendship around the holidays, Love Actually - accurately reflecting 21st century anxieties - places more emphasis on romance and love. The success of this movie is that it avoids easy clichés about love even when exploring age-old subjects. It also reminds the viewer of the associational value of the winter, snow, and cold with the holidays. But the movie, far from chilly, warms the spirit at the same time it saddens it by honestly reflecting different stages of human life and not shying away from the reality that things are not always ideal or as we foresaw them through more romantic movies (“romantic” as in quixotic). If you’re still stuck on gifts for the holidays, this movie is an excellent stocking-stuffer.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Topping the list is another feel-good classic of yore, It’s a Wonderful Life. The story stars one of the greatest American actors of the early 20th Century, Jimmy Stewart, as George, a kind-hearted, selfless soul whose Job-sian life brings him to the brink of despair, only to be rescued by a guardian angel who enables him (on Christmas Eve, of course) to appreciate the wonders of his life. Another well-known actress from the past, Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity), plays Stewart’s devoted wife, but it is Stewart who delivers the tour-de-force performance and who shames us at every turn with his heroic and noble deeds. The movie lost Best Picture to The Best Years of Our Lives, a similarly themed movie about the importance of love and the tribulations of reality, but which centered on the interplay of such motifs and the scars that World War II left on the nations ethos at the time. Over time, however, it is the softer, Christmas-themed Wonderful Life that has arguably prevailed as a timeless masterpiece. It deserves topping this list because not it does not only explore the importance of the holidays or Christmas. Rather, like the best movies on this list, it uses the holidays as a vehicle to explore and exalt the value and magnificence of life itself.

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