Thanksgiving is over and it is officially time to be ready for Christmas! What is there to love about Christmas? Well, there is the emotional and true meaning behind it - family, love, togetherness. There are the presents. There are the carols. And, of course, there are the movies. Who can go throughout the Christmas season without watching those classics? There are movies that have been around for years and it looks like they will be around for a long time. No complaints here. I was brought up with these classics and these movies even predate me. These shorts and films are true classics that remind family and friends alike the meaning of Christmas.

1. A Christmas Carol. Now, in my humble opinion, I am not a huge Charles Dickens fan, but I believe he got something right when he wrote A Christmas Carol. It is my favorite story of all time. The symbolism, allegory, and imagery behind this work is fascinating. The directors and actors that have done their own rendition of this story have done well with it - well, from the versions I have seen anyway. You can not go throughout Christmas without watching at least one version of A Christmas Carol. My absolute favorite version is the one starring Alastair Sim. Sim looks the part of Ebenzer Scrooge and does a fabulous performance in his 1951 rendition. If you're not into old films, Disney's more recent version with Jim Carrey is outstanding and follows the book very accurately.

(A Christmas Carol, 1951)

2. A Year without a Santa Claus. Okay. I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for stop-motion Christmas movies. Who can't love this classic with the feuding Miser Brothers? The songs are quite catchy. The Snow Miser and Heat Miser are probably one of the most famous siblings in film. There is no actual study behind that, so don't take my word for it. I believe, though, that a childhood can not be complete without you having seen A Year without a Santa Claus, a story about Santa being sick and unable to deliver the presents and Christmas spirit to the world.

(A Year without a Santa Claus, 1974)

3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Who doesn't love a good underdog story? This title character gets made fun of for his red nose, but as the song states, he saves Christmas. His glowing nose saves his friends from the abominable snowman and along the way he meets an elf who dreams to be a dentist, instead of making toys in the workshop.

(Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1964)

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Whether you watch the Jim Carrey adaptation or the Dr. Suess cartoon, you can not go through your season without seeing this movie or singing the song. "The Whos down in Whoville" remind us that it's not about the "boxes and bags" but the spirit of being together with the ones you love.

(How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 1957)

5. It's a Wonderful Life. Here is a Christmas staple in my book. James Stewart's performance in this movie brings me to tears without fail. I watched this from a young age, but it did not start "hitting home" and making sense to me until my adult years. This is an extremely long movie, but the moral and meaning behind it is nothing to dismiss. If you have yet to see this movie, do yourself the favor and watch it. It pulls every heart string. This movie gives hope to anyone who feels lost or meaningless or at a standstill in their life or job. Remember: Teacher says, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."

I know there are plenty of other Christmas movies, but I figured I would spare you the A Christmas Story spiel since that movie is on for 24 hours on Christmas day - and I am quite sick of it by this point. What are some of you favorite Christmas movies?