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It’s almost time to put on your coziest fuzzy socks, festive sweaters, and matching pajamas for the whole family as December draws near. Then, curl up with a captivating Christmas book. Or, if you truly want to enjoy the spirit of the season, we recommend watching one of these timeless, nostalgic Christmas films. With just a few button clicks, you’ll be taken back to happy Christmases of the past.

It’s a Wonderful Life, Bing Crosby’s feel-good musicals from the 1940s and 1950s, and numerous adaptations of Charles Dickens stories are among the black-and-white classics we’ve featured. The Holiday, a contemporary classic, is the ideal sequel to Love Actually if you’re looking for romances set in the Christmas season. Are you looking for family-friendly options for cold evenings spent with your little ones at home? You don’t need to search any farther. Listen to Jingle All the Way, which is always spot on. We have other animated selections on the list, but no list of Christmas customs would be complete without a showing of the classic claymation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Whether or not it’s the most amazing time of year yet, the iconic Christmas film below will instantly transport you to the height of holiday joy, regardless of how you’re feeling. Enter at your own peril, Scrooges. As you smile a little, you may find yourself thinking about all the things you take for granted.

The Holiday Inn
The film, which is set in WWII, centers on a love triangle that develops over the holidays at a hotel. Characters played by Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby sing their way through a variety of crushes. For the film, Irving Berlin composed 12 original songs, including the well-known “White Christmas,” which eventually served as the basis for a follow-up film in 1954 that also starred Crosby.

White Christmas
We will never truly understand why White Christmas (1954) and Holiday Inn (1942), two swoon-worthy Irving Berlin stories, both feature Bing Crosby and the General Waverly’s Inn. We simply consider it to be a present from Santa Claus and a valid excuse to start a double feature. However, the one in which Crosby and Danny Kaye sing and dance to keep their inn open has to be our favorite of the two.

Connecticut Christmas
This comedy centers on Barbara Stanwyck, a food writer, whose flawlessly manicured façade as a homemaker with exceptional culinary abilities is revealed as a lie during one traditional Christmas that she refused to host. You never realized you needed this holiday romantic comedy.

Jingle All the Way
Starring Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Sinbad, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, this timeless 1996 movie will make you smile every year. After his young son Jamie (Jake Lloyd) pleads for a highly sought-after action figure for Christmas, Howard (Schwarzenegger), a workaholic father, goes on a heroic quest to fulfill his son’s wish.

The Store Near the Corner
This 1940 masterpiece about two store employees whose rivalry intensifies with each holiday sale and whose love blossoms with each penned letter is the inspiration for You’ve Got Mail’s tech-age plot. Yes, this one is definitely a pen pal mystery love affair. It also stars James Stewart, the other most iconic figure of the season, even though there might not be a Santa cameo.

It’s an Amazing Life
Frank Capra’s masterpiece, in any rendition, is a good method to illustrate the adage “the grass is always greener.” But “the grass is always grayer” would be a better choice if you like the original in black and white. James Stewart plays a guy who gets a glimpse of what life might be like without him in this groundbreaking holiday classic.

In 1947, Miracle on 34th Street
The original movie, starring Maureen O’Hara and John Payne, tells the story of how New York City officials sent a man to a mental hospital because he believed he was Santa Claus. And without the George Seaton 1947 precursor, there simply would be no miracle, regardless of whether you choose this version of the iconic movie or the John Hughes version with Mara Wilson.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
In this 2000 rendition of Dr. Seuss’s classic children’s book, Jim Carrey played the Grinch, who is, well, right up there with Scrooge as the ultimate holiday grouch. Don’t worry, one of the upbeat Whos from Whoville, Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), finds up “growing a size” in the green-hued, mountain-dwelling recluse’s heart.

A Tale of Christmas
Did Christmas actually occur if Ralpan “officialhadn’t rammed home his want for a “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time”? We all watch the Bob Clark story about a youngster in the 1940s who tries to persuade Santa to give him a BB pistol every year, which has become an unofficial rule due in part to 24-hour broadcasts on cable networks.

The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph
Arguably the greatest of the Videocraft classics, this animated Claymation jewel is perfect for young drummers and young drummers at heart. This 1960s iconography is still relevant 58 years later, and it tells the story of a toymaker elf who aspires to becwantsa dentist, an illuminated reindeer who want to be accepted, and all of their oddball pals in between.

The Wife of the Preacher
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the preacher’s wife
The Preacher’s Wife is not the first Christmas film in which a heavenly messenger assists a human in his endeavors to improve himself (see: It’s a Wonderful Life). However, it is the only version of this narrative that has Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington. Washington portrays a celestial visitor who, while assisting a preacher on Earth, falls in love with—you guessed it—his wife.

The Man Behind Christmas’s Creation
If you’ve already seen every Christmas Carol adaptation—and there are a lot, including some on this list—you should see this film about Charles Dickens, the guy who invented so many Christmas clichés. The successful author’s life meets with one of his most well-known stories, played by Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey).

The Holiday
For the price of one, The Holiday is basically two Nancy Meyers romantic comedies. During the holidays, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet play women who want to switch residences, alternating between a stunning property in Los Angeles and another. and a quaint cottage in England. They both discover transnational beauties in the glistening lights and chilly weather.

The Polar Express
The Christmas vacation of the National Lampoon Warner Bros.
The film’s animation technique, which vividly depicts the icy North Pole and the enchantment of a train traveling there, is what best suits this charming tale. Chris Van Allsburg’s picture book of the same name served as the inspiration for The Polar Express.

Scrooged
The eerie FX drama has repeatedly reenactpuppetrles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in Muppet form. However, one of the most enduring and distinctive retellings of the traditional morality tale is the parody Scrooged, which starred Bill Murray. The disturbed protagonist, as portrayed by Bill Murray, is a crude television executive who has lost his way. His goals are reoriented by a string of extravagant ghosts.

A Carol for Christmas (1951)
It’s a no-brainer to see the beloved Charles Dickens classic about a miser who has a change of heart after three ghosts visit him. However, picking one version among a plethora of modifications might be quite difficult. We’ve got you, so don’t worry.

The Richard Donner/Bill Murray comedy Scrooged is the best choice if you’re looking for satire. Mickey’s Christmas Carol is what you want if animation is your thing. A Christmas Carol, starring Brian Desmond Hurst and Alistair Sim, is a popular choice if you’re a stickler for tradition.

At Home by Myself
The McCallisters leave their unruly 8-year-old kid at home while they travel from Chicago to Paris for Christmas, and he ends himself defending their three-story home from two foolish bandits. The movie is credited with making Macaulay Culkin a household star and John Hughes’s box office monster a beloved holiday classic.

In fact, love
We can’t decide which aspect of Richard Curtis’s magnificently British Christmas ensemble movie we adore more: Hugh Grant knocking on people’s doors in search of his true love, Colin Firth being confused in translation, or Bill Nighy as a pelvic-swiveling rock star. Curtis creates a holiday movie that “To us, it is perfect” in a romp that is as humorous and endearing as it is depressing and heartbreaking.

Christmas Vacation in National Lampoon
Even though this 1989 classic’s title contains the term “vacation,” the Griswolds, under the leadership of patriarch Clark, are just traveling to Crazy Town. As Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) prepare to host a large family gathering at their Chicago home, they prepare for the inevitable dysfunction that accompanies Aunt Bethany, Cousin Eddie, and a Rottweiler named Snots.

A Christmas with Charlie Brown
The PeanutsLinus,ous dance routines, Snoopy, Lucy, and Linus are starting to resemble A Charlie Brown Christmas. Discover the true meaning of Christmas by following your favorite meek and dejected comic strip character as they navigate the holiday’s typical commercialism in an animated special that you grew up watching.

Nativity in Black
Before you see Black Nativity, a film full of high notes, star power, and sincere discussions on the meaning of the holidays, warm up your vocal chords. Black Nativity, which is based on a drama by Langston Hughes, tells the story of a single mother who goes to New York to visit her estranged family members, including a pastor and his wife. The film, which stars Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Jacob Latimore, was written by Kasi Lemmons.

Exchange Locations
Trading Places is the only holiday film set in the realm of high finance, but several others have a serendipitous twist. In the film, a dapper street hustler (Murphy) has a flair for the job after trading places with a preppy commodities broker (Dan Aykroyd) on a dare. Despite not being specifically about Christmas, the film is set around the holiday season and is frequently listed as one of the greatest comedies with a Christmas theme.

The Holiday of the Best Man
Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, who frequently appear together on screen, stoke their romance for a follow-up to Malcolm D. Lee’s The Best Man. After the antagonism between Diggs’ Harper and Morris Chestnut’s Lance has subsided, they get together with their friends for a final Christmas before—well, we won’t give anything away. But first, we’ll give a sneak peek at the actors’ New Edition tribute.

Santa Claus
Tim Allen plays the most well-known man in red this season, complete with a large belly and a shaggy beard. A divorcee named Scott Calvin, who coincidentally becomes the next in line to rule the fabled realm of elves, magic, and toy manufacturing, is recruited by the Santa Clause—notice the spelling. Who else agrees that ASugarlande greatest Santa Claus in all of sugar land?

The Stone of the Family
The Family Stone is a double entendre that alludes to the Stone family at the center of this dramedy as well as the engagement ring that Diane Keaton’s character, the matriarch of the brood, is attempting to avoid getting on her son’s vile girlfriend’s finger (played by Sarah Jessica Parker). It all adds up to a Thanksgiving filled with spousal exchanges, profanity, and tears.

Elf
Until Will Ferrell dons that Kelly-green Buddy tunic and runs around New York City like a child in a candy store, it’s just not Christmas. Ferrell plays Santa’s eponymous assistant in Jon Favreau’s instant favorDeschanel also stars a blond-topped Zooey Deschanel, as a feisty man-child searching for his estranged biological father.

Fifth Avenue is where it happened.
That one miracle was only a few blocks away from another Christmas surprise. The opulent and frequently abandoned apartment of Manhattan’s second-richest man has been occupied by a homeless man, his dog, and his friends. After discovering the men in her father’s house one Christmas, the millionaire’s daughter decides to have a quick one of her own.

Everything I’d Like for Christmas
This charming throwback isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is: a heartfelt, even syrupy tale about two O’Fallon brothers setting up a complex parent trap over the Christmas break in an attempt to reunite their family. Leslie Nielsen plays Mr. Claus, Lauren Bacall plays Grandma, and Ethan Embry and Thora Birch play cherub faces.

The Prancer
Though his nose may not be as dazzling, Prancer’s star power is equal to that of the most well-known reindeer. As a wounded and discarded animal, he encounters the little girl who would heal him and, of course, save Christmas for everyone. Rebecca Harrell Tickell, Cloris Leachman, and Sam Elliott lead the way in a timeless song that might have a profound effect on atheists.

Frost, Jack (1998)
In this fantasy about a child whose father dies and resurrects as Frosty’s hockey-playing friend, Michael Keaton, who has worn numerous character cloaks, including the iconic Bat mask, a bio-exorcist’s striped suit, and a pair of mom jeans, puts on a snowman for size. It’s truly a touching movie, but be prepared for the most heartbreaking “Landslide” scene ever, which occurs a quarter into the movie.

Scissorhands Edward
There’s nothing that shouts “merry Christmas” like a ghoul with a scissor grip. Tim Burton is a visionary filmmaker who, naturally, uses a costumed Johnny Depp as his misunderstood protagonist to transform the holiday season from cheery and holly to bizarre and unusual. If you don’t recall, the film ends with one of the most beautiful and considerate fake snowstorms we’ve ever seen.

The Man of the Family
Nicolas Cage’s filmography is extensive and includes both lowbrow horror films and highbrow Oscar dramas. In this holiday classic, however, the actor who has come to be associated with wild storytelling is actually just your typical family man—that is, until he is shown a glimpse of modest suburban life by a magician who is posing as a convenience store employee, played by Don Cheadle.

Only Friends
Real-life friends Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris team up for some holiday cheer on both coasts. Reynolds plays Chris Brander, a fat Jersey teenager who becomes a successful record producer in Los Angeles and sheds his geek persona. He returns to the East Coast ten years later in an attempt to escape the friend zone that his high school crush, Amy Smart, has kept him in.

The Kranks’ Christmas
Families gather together during the holidays, but they can also have dysfunctional relationships. Despite receiving negative reviews when it was first released in 2004, Christmas With the Kranks has subsequently become a holiday mainstay. Luther and Nora Krank (played by Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) choose not to celebrate the holidays after their daughter moves out and lives overseas. When their daughter returns home, they make the decision to go all out right away.