Christmas Movies and the Spirit of the Season

So, what are your favorite Christmas movies? Are there movies that you just have to see before Christmas arrives?

In my family we watch a ton of Christmas movies in the month of December, movies that run the gambit  from the completely ridiculous to the utterly sublime. Every year my wife and I watch It's a Wonderful Life together to remind ourselves of how much we have to be grateful for. We also watch The Family Stone for a good dose of holiday snark.  In what seems like an odd choice, we also like the very quirky A Very Murray Christmas on Netflix. And we watch the whole range of Christmas movies with our kids from Arthur Christmas, Elf, The Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street, and more.

These movies have become an important part of how our family keeps the Christmas season. You could even say its become a ritual for us.

 They remind us to be grateful, to laugh, to look back on our own Christmases past, to reclaim some of the mystey and magic of Christmas. They make us laugh, cry, and feel some of the joy and love of the season. 

What are your favorite Christmas movies and why? Why are they important to you and how do they help you to keep the spirit of the season?