The nights are drawing in, there's the hint of snow on the air, if you listen closely then you might just hear the pitter pat of reindeer hooves!

With that in mind, The Round Up is proud to present our Top 5 Christmas Movies.

So sit back, pour yourself a glass of Christmas cheer and get in the festive mood while watching these Christmas crackers!

(5) Home Alone - 1990. Written by John Hughes. Directed by Chris Columbus

Ahhh, a little boy in a big house, questionable parenting and some comedy criminals, what's not to like? If you haven't seen this for a while, it still holds up as fun trip into the mixed-up world of "Movieland". While, in the real world the parents would have been incarcerated for criminal neglect, everything in this place turns out nice again, just in time for the credits to role. A kids vs grown ups film at it's very best, from the writer of such classics as The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller and the Director of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Fun for all with Macaulay, before the years and the drugs took their toll.

(4) It's a Wonderful Life - 1946. Written by Philip Van Doren Stern & Frances Goodrich, amongst others. Directed by Frank Capra.

Who Boo'ed? Eh? Who was it? SHUT UP! This is one of the all time greats when it comes to Christmas films. You might not have seen it for a while but don't let that fact that it's rolled out every Christmas like the Great Escape put you off. For a film that deals with the emotional breakdown of a suicidal man who feels he's wasted his life, it's not preachy or patronizing and still leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy at the end. A true classic, they don't make them like this anymore.

(3) The Muppet Christmas Carol - 1992. Written by Charles Dickens & Jerry Jhul (I'm guessing not at the same time). Directed by Brian Henson.

I love the Muppets and out of the more recent films they've made, this one is by far the best. With enough in jokes to keep parents happy, and more than enough slapstick to stop the kids getting bored, this film is a real treat on a cold winters evening. Michael Caine is cast as the miserly Scrooge ably assisted by a world populated by colorful creatures. Songs, sledging, snowballs, it's got it all.

NOTE: Scrooged with Bill Murry is also a class Christmas film and well worth an entry here. But Bill's got a wealth of good stuff and the Muppets are only going to show up here, unless we run a Top 5 Furry Creatures on sticks Round Up. Which, when's all said and done, we probably will do!

(2) Die Hard - 1988. Written by Jeb Stuart, based on Roderick Thorp's book. Directed by John McTiernan.

It's winter but Bruce still has a vest on! Baddies in Towering Inferno rip-off, but baddies with machine guns, high-tec drills and of course, Alan Rickman. Over the top and then some, it's an action film that everyone likes. The lines are now part of our culture, it put Mr. Moonlighting on the path to Movie Stardom and it made Alan Rickman the best snarling baddy for ages. Explosions, Guns, Throwaway line, it's got the lot and it's got a lovely Christmas background too!
Say it with me, come on now, say it...."Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho"

(1) Gremlins - 1984. Written by Chris Columbus. Directed by Joe Dante.

La la la la, lala, la la la la, lala, la la la la laaa laa laa la lala. GIZMO! Cute, furry, makes noises and "breeds" when you put water on him! Who'd have thought it would all turn out so wrong? A black fairy tail from the people that brought you Home Alone. Everything from the fathers crazy inventions to the story about "Daddy falling and breaking his neck while climbing down the chimney". It's all great B Movie stuff, with fantastic scenes of green monsters exploding in microwaves and a drunken bar brawl complete with flasher. We love this film and know you do too, if only for the stair lift bit! Now remember it maybe Christmas, but don't feed them after midnight!

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