Christmas is the season for giving, rejoicing, celebrating, having fun with family and friends and it’s also the time of year to gather round the TV and watch some favorite holiday movies.

I’ve compiled a top-ten list of all-time greats, from old classics to modern day flicks. So here it goes…

10. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

In this Oscar winning classic a gentle old man, working as a Santa Claus at Macy’s Department Store, is put on trial to determine whether he’s legally insane or in fact, the real Kris Kringle. To be honest I didn’t like this movie initially because of its rather somber mood and slow pace, but after seeing it a couple of times it’s really grown on me. It’s a great story with good acting.

9. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

I had to include this one – who could forget the line “My assets are freezing?” Michael Caine plays the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit in this very different take on the Dickens masterpiece. With a ninety per cent Muppet cast, it’s a laugh a minute! Great fun for the whole family.

8. The Santa Clause (1994)

Tim Allen is hilarious as usual in this family comedy about a man who accidentally kills Kris Kringle and has to take over his job. Great flick (thanks mostly to Tim Allen) despite the annoying kid who gradually grows more so in the sequels!

7. Elf (2003)

I couldn’t stop laughing the first time I watched ‘Elf’ (and I’ve seen it many times since!) Will Ferrell is brilliantly funny as Buddy the Elf in this modern holiday hit. A man, (Will Ferrell) is raised as an elf in the North Pole, but on finding he’s not actually a real elf, goes on a journey to New York City in search of his true identity. It’s a fun flick for all ages and definitely one to watch over the holidays.

6. Holiday Inn (1942)

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire are two entertainers (and rival suitors of Marjorie Reynolds) who run an inn that is only open on holidays. A Christmas season musical treat, brimming with tunes by Irving Berlin, including the unforgettable ‘White Christmas’. Very enjoyable and the music is wonderful.

5. White Christmas (1954)

And speaking of a White Christmas who could forget the film of the same title? Bing Crosby is back again, this time starring alongside my childhood favorite, Danny Kaye. Nightclub entertainers Bob Wallace and Phil Davies team up with singing-sister act Betty and Judy to help save Bob and Phil’s WWII commanding officer’s failing Vermont Inn.

Aaah - they just don’t make them like this anymore. Romance, dancing, singing and a story to warm the coldest of hearts! I loved this movie as a child and I still love it now. Timeless classic, a great cast and of course an incredible music score by Irving Berlin. This is a Christmas must-see!

4. Home Alone (1990)
This was a huge box office success that catapulted actor Macaulay Culkin into international stardom. It’s a movie you can watch over and over again and still enjoy. The story: 8-year old Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) is mistakenly left behind when his large family travels to France for the holidays. While initially enjoying time alone, he’s later forced to defend his house against bumbling burglars Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern).

Pesci and Stern are hilarious and Culkin is very tolerable and actually quite likeable, unlike other nauseating child actors! The best part of the movie is towards the end when the idiotic bad guys get busted up by Kevin, who outsmarts them all the way. Slapstick at its best, they must have learned from Moe, Larry and Curly! A very watchable and entertaining film.

3. A Christmas Story (1983)
You’ll shoot your eye out kid! What a classic - and one that’s relatively new to my list of Christmas films. Growing up in Wales, Great Britain, I didn’t actually get to see this movie until the early nineties when I first moved to America. I’ve watched it almost every year since and it’s grown to be one of my all time favorites, making number three on my list. A nostalgic view of Christmastime in 1940’s Indiana, this is the story of 9-year old Ralphie and his quest to become the proud owner of a Red Ryder BB gun. Non-stop fun, with pink rabbit suits, frozen tongues, sexy leg lamps and much, much more. ‘A Christmas Story’ has become the most played movie on television and one that’s hard to miss -- TBS runs a 24 hour marathon every Christmas. A must-see holiday treat!

2. A Christmas Carol (1951)

This 1951 film version of the beloved Victorian ghost story is by far the best. Alastair Sim gives a brilliant performance as miser Ebenezer Scrooge, making this a masterpiece and a Christmas movie classic. Charles Dickens would probably approve if he saw it! This movie is definitely worthy of the number two spot.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra’s classic depression-era tale is my number one pick – it’s quite simply a beautiful movie. The story, the message…just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. The themes unfortunately worked against the movie when it was released in 1946 and consequently it flopped at the box office. Now, more than 60 years later, this beloved tale lives on as a tribute to the most important aspects of life, family, friends and most of all -hope. Who can forget the story of kind-hearted but frustrated businessman George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) and Clarence the angel who is sent down from heaven to help him in his time of need? Wonderful thought-provoking, entertaining, well acted, a true tear-jerker! "It’s a Wonderful Life” will always be a favorite at Christmas or any other time of the year. The message is even more relevant given our current economic crisis; love, friendship, compassion, community = priceless.

That’s it for now. Hope you enjoy watching Christmas movies as much as I do. Most of them are pure entertainment while others have a meaningful theme. But all the films listed here are memorable classics, and twenty years from now many of them will still be on someone’s top ten list --guaranteed. Happy Holidays!

Alison Hill is a featured writer for Xomba.com. Read the rest of her work here .