Ladies and gentlemen, once again it’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. With those holiday greetings and happy meetings when friends come to call, it’s the hap-happiest season of all. But most important of all, it is the time to reflect on what truly matters in life, especially when you are traveling to meet your family that makes the Ewings from Dallas look like Family Circus cartoons in comparison. However, you can bring some entertainment to last throughout the season and ensure that everyone is happy. With that stated, I’d like to offer the following list of entertainment for this holiday season:

1. It’s a Wonderful Life: Oh come on, who wasn’t expecting this classic to be on the list? All-important holiday feels aside, this film has an awesome Twilight Zone/Supernatural mashup vibe that still holds up for even the most jaded people.

2. A Charlie Brown Christmas: Sure, the audio quality is not the best, and the characters dance like they’re all in the porto-Harlem Shake video. (Seriously, am I the only one who remembers that?) But all of that is why it works on a near-perfect level, along with the great writing and character designs that represent the best of the late Charles Schultz. Plus, it goes along with the recently released Peanuts film.

3. Die Hard: Ok, this isn’t the most family friendly, holiday film. Nonetheless, it is an exciting crowd pleaser, perfect for viewing after eating the big dinner. (Plus, you get to show your cousin and Harry Potter fan what Alan Rickman was like before he was fiction’s most morally confused character.)

4. Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather: This delightfully twisted holiday tale is supremely fun to watch, especially for your relatives who are obsessed with Downton Abbey.

5. A Christmas Story: Yeah, this is another classic that nobody can ignore. After all, not only is it a great Christmas film, it is also a great film that captures the comic absurdity of childhood. However, some elements of the film may be a little dated: the “triple-dog-dare” gag, for instance, has since been done in ways that are arguably much more sophisticated.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Let me make one thing abundantly clear: this is about the 1966 animated feature with the legendary Boris Karloff, not the remake by Ron Howard, starring Jim Carrey in 2000. This fun little cartoon captured the spirit of Dr. Seuss far better than any of Hollywood’s newer film adaptations. Plus, that song is so enjoyable in a way that you can’t help but sing along.

7. The Saints Row IV DLC How the Saints Save Christmas: For those who wish for holiday entertainment that is more interactive, there is this downloadable content (DLC) for one of the most critically-acclaimed video games in recent memory. In a way, it will show you and your loved ones that the holiday spirit is for everyone – even if you are a gangster.

8. RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-stravaganza!: Are you and your loved ones fans of the 90s cult classic Mystery Science Theater 3000? Well, three of its former cast members have reunited in a live show to mock some Christmas short films that have… decidedly not aged well. As the description has noted, “And if that wasn’t enough, they’re even joined by comedy legend ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic for a musical short about the wonders of pork!”

9. The Lion in Winter: This is a movie that revolves around a medieval royal family at Christmastime. It also has the type of things you would expect from popular shows like Game of Thrones and Empire. Of course, it can be summarized quite accurately in the following quote from the film: “Oh, well. What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?”

10. BoJack Horseman Christmas Special: Assuming you or someone you know has a Netflix subscription, you might as well make use of it on something that is really worth your time. Plus, it is so enjoyably cathartic to see a no-holds barred dissection of 80s sitcoms, that it’s sure to please.

By David Baker