Christmas is a time of tradition, merry carol singers, and red cheeks from the cold. This is the first time I won't be at home during the month leading up to Christmas, and I was nervous I wouldn't have the same Christmas spirit. But then I realized I can watch a plethora of Christmas movie no matter where I am to get me pumped for the holidays. However, since Christmas is still weeks away I thought I would put together a list of Christmas movies that range from holiday classics to movies that are merely based around Christmas as a warm-up going into the month of cheer.

1. A Christmas Story

My family has the tradition of watching this movie every year right before Christmas while we eat cookies and popcorn. I can quote this movie line for line and I am sure the rest of my family can do the same. This is a timeless classic that follows a little boy Ralph and his family leading up to Christmas. All Ralph wants is a Red Ryder bb gun, but everyone thinks he is too young to have such a dangerous toy. Through bullies and Santa visits and broken furnaces, this story is so funny. I love the clever humor of the eighties family with hidden love in the bitterness that all comes together on Christmas day. If you haven't seen this, this year is the perfect year to watch this eighties classic.

2. Christmas With The Kranks

I love this movie because this is how I imagine myself when I am older, running away to a tropical island to avoid the stress of the holiday season. But I don't think I could leave all the decorations and caroling and food behind. The Kranks are a couple that has decided to "skip" Christmas to go on a Caribbean cruise because their daughter is not coming home. All the neighbors find out and are not happy with them. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are hilarious with their mishaps leading up to the disembarkment. I cannot go through the Christmas season without watching this movie.

3. The Santa Claus

...The first one. The second and third Sants Claus movies are fine, but the original Santa Claus was such a clever and unique story. Scott Calvin is with his son on Christmas eve and accidentally knocks Santa off the roof. They then happen upon the sleigh and are whisked off to the north pole where an elf explains that Scott is now the new Santa, seeing as he killed the last one. I love innocent little Charlie and the cliché change of Tim Allen's character from a workaholic Dad to a loving and caring father. The quirky, cheesy holiday humor puts this movie high on my Christmas movie watchlist.

4. Love Actually

I can watch this movie even when it isn't Christmas. I have a soft spot for quirky British movies and this one definitely fits the bill. Movies that have multiple character lines that all connect are my favorite type of movies. This movie follows nine lives around Christmas, including that of a recently widowed man with his step-son, a married couple with the husband getting tempted by his new secretary, and the British Priminister. Though some storylines are more cheerful than others, I love that this movie shows the struggles of the Holiday season as well as the magic. Love Actually has a fantastic cast that includes many of my favorite actors/actresses and is "realistic" (in a movie way) and makes me laugh every year.

5. 12 Dates of Christmas

As TV movies go, I would say this is a better one, I was pleasantly surprised after expecting to cringe through the whole thing. Now, disclaimer, if you re looking for a jaw-dropping movie, that will be the greatest movie you have ever seen... this is not that movie. BUT if you are looking for a holiday movie that is off the beat and track or a change from the same movies you watch every year, then this is a good movie. This story follows Kate as she magically relives Christmas Eve over and over again, trying to figure out what she must change in order to stop the cycle. This movie is quite cheesy but it is really charming and made me laugh.

6. Just Friends

I love Ryan Renolds so much, so even though this movie is not technically classified as a Christmas movie it is going on my Christmas movie watchlist. Just Friends tells the story of Chris Brander and how he confessed feeling to his best friend in high school but was friend zoned. Ten years later, he still has feelings for her despite all his success and his new girlfriend, so he goes home for the holidays and has another attempt to win over his best friend. Ryan Renolds has the best comedic timing even in his early movies like this one, so I watch this during Christmas for a laugh and if you are in the friend zone I would watch this for inspiration.

7. The Holiday

This movie is another cute romance but is not widely acknowledged as a Christmas movie. Anything Kate Winslet is it has my heart, I love her in every movie and this one is no exception. In this movie, two women are having love life issues and just need an escape from the men that torment them. They decide to house swap, one in England and one in California, for the holidays: if they have to be alone they might as well go as far away as possible. This movie is adorable and slightly cheesy, but there is nothing wrong with a little cheese.

8. About a Boy

This has to be one of my all-time favorite movies, but it does not really have the Christmas theme in it the way other Christmas movies do. This movie is a feel-good story about a man, Will, who has lived off the money from his Dad's hit Christmas song his entire life and hates commitment, in any way. He is shallow and selfish until one year around Christmas a young boy shows up and makes Will realize how horrible he is. I have a true soft spot for movies that make their audiences feel awkward and uncomfortable because those are the most relatable. Life is full of awkward moments, but the only time you can laugh is when you aren't apart of them, like when they are in a movie.

9. You've Got Mail

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks will forever be my favorite movie couple of the nineties. This movie is about a woman, Kathleen, who owns a struggling boutique bookstore, and a man, Joe, that own a corporate bookstore that is putting her out of business. Naturally, they don't get off to the best start because of their competing businesses, but what they don't know is that they have been flirtatiously chatting online with one another. This movie is adorable and makes me laugh, partly because the early internet messaging is strange to me and I just love the banter of the characters. It is based mostly during Christmas time so it is acceptable to watch near Christmas and in the middle of June.

10. The Polar Express

This movie has to be my favorite Christmas movie of all time. When I was younger I had this movie on repeat during the days leading up to Christmas. I always dreamed that the polar express would come and pick me up Christmas Eve, alas, it does not exist. BUT I still love the movie. This Christmas Eve story is about a young boy who is starting to doubt the existence of Santa Claus. However, on Christmas Eve, he is picked up by a magical train that takes him to the north pole to see Santa. I love the creativity and the innocence of the children, that it reminds me of when I was giddy with the hope of Santa Claus coming to town. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without this movie.