According to my colleague Diana Saenger, the following movies are the “Top 10 Classic Family Christmas Films” (as described in her recent article for the Classic Film section of About.com):

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.

2. Miracle on 34^thStreet (1947) starring Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O’Hara.

3. White Christmas (1954) starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.

4. The Bishop’s Wife (1947) starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young.

5. A Christmas Carol (1945) starring Alistair Sim.

6. Christmas in Connecticut (1946) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan.

7. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell.

8. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) starring Dorothy McGuire and Peggy Ann Garner.

9. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien.

10. Holiday Inn (1944) starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

Even though I’m not a big fan of It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s a wonderful list -- but I would definitely find a spot for A Christmas Story (1983).

Thinking about all those movies of the forties and fifties mentioned by Diana, I’m overcome with nostalgia for a time of “kinder, gentler” filmmaking. Nowadays we get edgy and sometimes downright depressing holiday movies like Bad Santa, Surviving Christmas and Christmas with the Kranks. In 2004, only The Polar Express would make my list of top Christmas family films. Within the past decade or so, just a handful of others seem worthy of consideration: Elf (2003), The Santa Clause (1994), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and The Grinch (2000).

Hmm. I’m beginning to sound a bit like the Grinch myself.

Sorry about that. Happy Holidays!

(To read Diana’s article, visit www.classicfilm.about.com.)