An ultimate guide to the 25 best holiday movies of all time

Released over 1983's Thanksgiving weekend to a modest box-office take and directed by Bob Clark, who was known best at the time for making the raunchy teen comedy "Porky's," this movie has evolved over the decades into one of the most beloved holiday movies of all time (thanks greatly to TNT airing it all day long on Christmas Day since the late 1990s).

Based on the semi-autobiographical anecdotes by TV and radio personality Jean Shepherd, this beautifully crafted exploration of a boy growing up in the late 1930s who wants a BB gun for Christmas is filled with hilarious childhood hijinks and tender coming-of-age moments.

It continues to be a timeless story that demands your attention during the holidays.

With an all-star cast that's made up of Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, Mo'Nique, Omar Epps, Nicole Ari Parker, J.B. Smoove, and Romany Malco, this comedy, set around a dysfunctional family who get together for the first time since their mother's death, is a fun and heartwarming watch.

As in almost everything she's ever done, be ready for a standout performance from Mo'Nique. The Oscar-winner is in top form as the comic relief and also throws in some touching, dramatic moments for good measure.

If you are in search of something a little more adult in your holiday movie watching, then seek out Terry Zwigoff's dark comedy.

Billy Bob Thornton is perfect as Willie, a thief who fronts as a mall Santa. He and his partner-in-crime, Marcus (Tony Cox), spend every holiday working at a mall so they can rob it once the place is empty on Christmas Eve.

Though Willie is a degenerate alcoholic, their latest job in Phoenix gets him to attempt to change his bad ways after he befriends an unpopular boy.

If you are in need of some very naughty comedy, look no further.

This powerful drama from Todd Haynes, featuring fantastic performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, is perfect for those needing some substance with their holiday viewing.

Set during the 1952 holiday season, the glamorous Carol Aird (Blanchett) comes across department-store worker Therese (Rooney Mara) and the two embark on a forbidden affair that could break up a family.

The Griswold family decided to stick at home for the third movie in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" franchise, and it turned out to arguably be their greatest chapter.

Once again led by Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold, this time around Clark is trying to give his family the greatest Christmas ever.

And it all goes hilariously wrong.

From how they get the Christmas tree to how the family dinner turns out, all of it has led to the movie becoming a must-see during the holidays.

C'mon, did you really think this wasn't going to be on the list?

As much as this movie about Bruce Willis as a cop trying to stop a terrorist attack has stood the test of time as an amazing action movie, the years of people calling it a holiday movie (as it's set on Christmas Eve) have also kept it in the zeitgeist.

Go watch it and be the judge if it deserves all the holiday hype.

Tim Burton's masterpiece starring Johnny Depp as Edward, a boy with scissors for fingers who is taken in by a suburban family and falls for their teenage daughter Kim (Winona Ryder), is set around the holidays and one scene, in particular, makes it worthy to be on this list.

Around Christmas, Edward crafts an ice sculpture, and the ice flakes from his quick cutting float in the sky. Kim begins to dance as it seems like snow is falling all around her. It's a touching moment that only Burton can craft.

The holiday movie genre typically lacks stories centered around Hanukkah, but thankfully, Adam Sandler is here to fill that void.

Marking his first animated movie, here he plays a trouble-making alcoholic who is sentenced to community service. In the process, he begins to clean up his act.

Will Ferrell placed his flag in the holiday genre landscape with this Jon Favreau-directed comedy about a human man raised at the North Pole who decides to set out and try to find his real father.

The movie features great supporting roles from Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, James Caan as the father, and Ed Asner as Santa.

This one also has peak Ferrell comedy bits.

Joe Dante's dark-horror classic is perfect for those in your family who love a twisted story during the holidays.

A small town is turned upside down on Christmas Eve when a cute creature spawns a gang of evil monsters called gremlins who create chaos.

Enjoy the complete insanity displayed on-screen but also take a moment while watching to appreciate the groundbreaking animatronic wizardry done to pull off all the evil gremlins.

This great rom-com stars Mackenzie Davis as Harper, who spontaneously invites her girlfriend of one year, Abby (Kristen Stewart), to her family's house for the holidays.

The problem is Harper's conservative parents have no clue she's gay.

Once Abby realizes what's going on, hilarity ensues thanks to the great supporting casting of Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, and Mary Steenburgen.

If you have never seen "The Hebrew Hammer" it's time to change that.

Adam Goldberg plays Mordechai Jefferson Carver, an orthodox Jewish crime fighter known as the Hebrew Hammer who is the only hope to save Hanukkah and Kwanzaa from Santa Claus' evil son (played by Andy Dick) who wants everyone to celebrate Christmas.

Goldberg is fantastic in this exploitation-style spoof.

Years after penning the script for "Gremlins" (and passing on making "Christmas Vacation") Chris Columbus went and made an instant classic with this 1990s comedy.

Macaulay Culkin plays a boy who is left at home by mistake during the holidays and must defend his house from burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern).

Thirty-plus years later the movie will still give you some solid belly laughs.

Frank Capra's classic is as powerful and timely today as it was when the movie opened in 1946.

Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a big dreamer who is ready to leave his sleepy hometown of Bedford Falls and see the world. But real life gets in the way and, before he knows it, he's got a wife and kids and is living in an old drafty house.

He decides to end it all but a guardian angel shows up that completely changes Bailey's life leading to a very merry Christmas.

This is one you have to watch with the whole family.

This is one of those movies that has found a fanbase thanks to a new generation of moviegoers.

When the movie came out in 1996, this comedy that follows Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as fathers trying to get their hands on the must-have gift, Turbo Man, was a dud.

But since, it's become a go-to this time of year for kids.

Here's another one that didn't find any success when it first opened but has since become beloved.

Ryan Reynolds plays the once-overweight high-school best friend to Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). Now a womanizing L.A. record producer, he finds himself back in his hometown with a rising pop star (played by Anna Faris) and it turns out Jamie is still living there, which brings back all the old feels and a lot of hilarity.

With a lot of great slapstick comedy and an amazing sequence that features the destruction of a front-yard full of Christmas decorations, this is a movie that's both a great holiday comedy and a laugh-out-loud funny depiction of being in "the friend zone."

This powerful 1990 TV movie, executive produced by Eddie Murphy, marks the final performance by Sammy David Jr.

It follows a young foster child whose only wish is to reconnect with his father.

The cast also includes Cicely Tyson, Della Reese, Ben Vereen, and Esther Rolle.

It's hard to skip this one during the holidays.

Set in London, we follow 10 different stories that all interlink as it gets closer to Christmas.

The wonderful ensemble includes Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Sienna Guillory.

This classic went home with three Academy Awards in 1948 and, in 2005, was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress. It's one of the greatest holiday movies ever created.

Set between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we see what occurs when a department-store Santa, who claims to be the real deal, affects the lives of a group of people.

This under-appreciated holiday comedy stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie as three childhood friends who always connect on Christmas Eve to track down the best party in New York City.

Filled with great laughs and an awesome supporting cast made up of Lizzy Caplan, Mindy Kaling, Jillian Bell, Michael Shannon, and Tracy Morgan as Santa, this is a holiday comedy we highly recommend.

Henry Selick's beloved stop-motion animated musical combines the Halloween and Christmas holidays together to create a movie that never gets old to watch.

We follow Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, as he finds his way into Christmas Town and devises a plan to take over the holiday.

In this remake of the 1947 Cary Grant movie "The Bishop's Wife," Denzel Washington stars as an angel who comes down to Earth around the holidays to help a preacher (Courtney B. Vance) save his church.

The movie also stars Whitney Houston, who lends her voice to the soundtrack, which has made it one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time.

This 1994 comedy launched a franchise with Tim Allen at the helm as ol' St. Nick.

In the movie, Allen plays Scott, a guy who accidentally causes Santa to fall off his roof on Christmas Eve. Scott and his son take it upon themselves to finish Santa's deliveries and, before he knows it, he's the new Santa.

Bill Murray is in top form in this darkly comedic take on "A Christmas Carol."

In it, he plays a selfish TV executive who is visited by three ghosts to help him regain his Christmas spirit.

The comedy is filled with a great supporting cast that includes Karen Allen, John Forsyth, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane, Robert Mitchum, and Alfre Woodard.

This beloved musical is another timeless fixture in the holiday season.

On top of the masterful songs written by Irving Berlin, the cast is made up of Bing Crosby Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen as the leads in this post-World War II take that follows a song and dance team (Crosby and Kaye) who fall for a sister act (Clooney and Vera-Ellen) at a wintery Vermont inn.