Here’s a list of some essential Christmas TV specials and movies sure to add some laughter and joy to your home.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” -- 1965 (TV)

•           25 min

•           Disgusted by how commercialized the holiday has become, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas by directing the school’s Christmas play. Other Peanuts Christmas specials exist but they all pale in comparison.

“A Christmas Story” -- 1983

•           94 min

•           Ralph “Ralphie” Parker only wants one thing for Christmas -- an official Red Ryder BB gun. Many obstacles stand in the young boy’s ways as he tries to convince his parents, teachers, and even Santa Claus that it really is the perfect gift for him.

“Elf” -- 2003

•           97 min

•           Buddy (Will Ferrell) stowed away in Santa’s sack as a baby and was raised as an elf at the North Pole. When Buddy sets off to find his birth father in New York City he discovers the man is on Santa’s naughty list because of his heartless business practices.

“Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas” -- 1977 (TV)

•           48 min

•           Members of a poor, but happy otter family want to buy each other special gifts for Christmas, and risk everything for the chance to win the cash prize of a talent contest.

“A Flintstones Christmas Carol” -- 1994 (TV)

•           69 minutes

•           After being cast as Ebenezer Scrooge in a stage adaption of the story for the Bedrock Community Players, Fred begins to ignore his job, friends, and family to rehearse for his upcoming role. However, as his fellow actors fall ill to the Bedrock bug he is forced to take a look at his self-absorbed ways when he shares scenes with his wife Wilma.

“Frosty the Snowman” -- 1969 (TV)

•           22 min

•           A group of schoolchildren magically bring a snowman to life with a discarded top hat. The kids need to get Frosty to a colder climate, but a greedy magician who wants his hat back is hot on their trail. This animated tale is based on the popular Christmas song.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” -- 1966 (TV)

•           26 min

•           Irritated by the cheery annual celebrations of the Whos of Whoville, a grumpy hermit devises a scheme to disguise himself as Santa Claus and steal Christmas from the village. A big budget remake of the Dr. Seuss story was made in 2000 starring Jim Carrey.

“Mickey's Christmas Carol” -- 1983

•           25 min

•           This animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece features an all-star Disney cast. It’s not difficult to imagine Uncle Scrooge McDuck as the story’s central character either. Although there are many other Disney Christmas specials, this is the best by far.

“The Muppet Christmas Carol” -- 1992

•           89 min

•           The Muppets tell their own version of the classic Dickens tale. Muppet lovers can also check out two television specials, “A Muppet Family Christmas” from 1987 and “It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie” from 2002.

“The Polar Express” -- 2004

•           99 min

•           Based on the children’s book written by Chris Van Allsburg, this film centers around a doubting boy who boards a magical train headed to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Tom Hanks provides the voices of a number of the story’s main characters.

“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” -- 1964 (TV)

•           47 min

•           Sam the Snowman narrates this story of a young reindeer whose bright schnoz makes him an outcast. Rudolph sets out with a prospector named Yukon Cornelius and Hermey, an odd elf who wants to be a dentist, to find a place that will accept them for who they are.

“The Santa Clause” -- 1994

•           97 min

•           After unintentionally killing Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) must don the suit and deliver presents to all the girls and boys. However, it turns out this isn’t just a one-time deal; Calvin is now the new Santa. Best of all, despite his newly white hair, beard that won’t be shaved and massive weight gain, no one from his doubting family believes a word of it. The film was followed by two horrendously bad sequels, The Santa Clause 2 in 2002 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006.