There are some pretty terrible parents in your favorite Christmas movies

Universal

Tis the season to ignore your kids.

• There are a lot of neglectful and thoughtless parents in Christmas movies.
• Films like "Home Alone," "Jack Frost," and "The Grinch" are some prime examples of not-so-great parents in Christmas movies.

More often than not, Christmas movies are thought to be full of merriment. But there's one concerning trend in many Christmas movies: The parents are usually pretty terrible.

There are five different "Home Alone" movies. Five of them! How many times can a set of parents forget about their child over the holidays? But it's not just the McCallister parents - a significant number of parents in Christmas movies neglect their children, are irritated by their presence, and are just generally oblivious to their existence and emotional needs.

That's not to say that all parents in Christmas movies are terrible. Alonzo and Anna Smith in "Meet Me in St. Louis" are wonderful parents to their four daughters, and Mary Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" is the epitome of parental excellence. But poor parenting is evident in multiple films, like "The Grinch" or "Jingle All the Way."

Here are some examples of remarkably inept parents in your favorite Christmas movies: