999 bet casino
Georgetown ventures out of D.C. for first time to face West VirginiaAge of Darkness: Final Stand gets 1.0 launch trailer
Skiing is growing in popularity. According to data from Statista, more than 18.4 million Americans took to the slopes last year, around four percent more than the previous year. There are many reasons why this winter sport has so many fans. It’s fun, of course, and it’s also a great form of exercise. Vacationing in ski resorts and towns also provides plenty of stunning, mountainous scenery, fresh air, and a chance to take a real break from reality. That’s why, according to Expert Market Research , the global ski market is worth more than $1.7 billion. By 2032, it’s expected to surge to a value of more than $2.2 billion. Jump to the resorts If you’re a fan of skiing, or you’re looking to try the sport for the first time, you have plenty of destinations to choose from. North America is home to multiple ski hotspots, like Aspen in Colorado, Powder Mountain in Utah, and Whistler in Canada. Europe is also one of the best places to head for a ski vacation—everywhere from northern Italy to Austria to Germany to Switzerland boasts picturesque scenery, stunning ski towns, and impressive slopes. Pexels But alongside all of the scenery and the skiing, food is vital for a great vacation experience. If you’re looking for a ski hotel or lodge that is going to provide you with delicious vegan food to fuel you through your winter sport adventures, we’ve gathered a few of the best places to choose from—from Europe to North America. Vegan-friendly ski resorts and towns all over the world Before we get into the specifics of hotels, lodges, resorts, and guesthouses to choose from, it’s important to note that, even if you opt for accommodations equipped with a kitchen or a hotel without plant-based options, plenty of ski destinations are home to multiple vegan restaurants. If you head to Breckenridge, CO for example, which is a small town that sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains, you’ll not only find a world-class ski resort, but you’ll also find plenty of eateries serving up plant-based food. Piante Pizzeria , for example, is the perfect place to unwind and feast after a long day on the slopes. There, you’ll find plenty of delicious pizzas , of course, alongside salads with breaded vegan chicken and shiitake bacon, antipasti, and pizza rolls with fillings like Philly cheesesteak and vegan chicken parm. Piante Pizzeria RELATED: 5 Unique Hotel Stays for Food Lovers, From an Italian Olive Oil Resort to a Mexican Jackfruit Paradise Park City, UT is close to two major ski resorts: Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort, and it’s home to several vegan-friendly eateries. In fact, according to HappyCow , there are 37 vegan- and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Park City. If you’re off to Japan for a ski experience, head to Hakuba. Located just outside Nagano, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1998, the small village in the Japanese Alps has a good selection of restaurants with plant-based options. In fact, HappyCow reports there are 26 vegan- and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the village. Pexels In Europe, the German city of Tübingen is home to several popular ski resorts, and it also happens to be renowned for its vegan options. In fact, in 2022, BBC described it as a “fiercely vegan, fairy-tale city.” France’s Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley is also home to more than 30 vegan- and vegetarian-friendly restaurants, notes Happy Cow, including the entirely vegetarian restaurant Sesame . But when you’re on vacation, it also helps if your accommodation caters well to plant-based diets. 7 vegan-friendly ski hotels and lodges Find some of our top picks for the most vegan-friendly lodges, hotels , and resorts in some of the world’s most beautiful and popular ski destinations below. BECOME A VEGNEWS VIP : Get exclusive product deals, freebies, and perks galore! Paradiso Pure Living 1 Paradiso Pure Living Renowned for its next-level scenery, the Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This makes it a dream ski destination for many winter sports lovers all over the world. If you’re eyeing it for your next snowy vacation, Paradiso Pure Living is a must-stay. The first vegan hotel in the Dolomites, you can expect spectacular plant-based cuisine, rooms with impressive mountain views, and perfect access to the slopes, thanks to the hotel’s location in the Dolomiti Superski area. FIND IT HERE Naturhotel Aufatmen 2 Naturhotel Aufatmen If you’re looking to relax in between skiing adventures, Naturhotel Aufatmen promises to take good care of you and your well-being. The hotel features a reading room, a fireplace lounge, a silent room, and even an organic swimming pond. When it’s time to refuel, head to the hotel’s restaurant for a totally vegan, vegetable-led, fine-dining experience . FIND IT HERE Four Seasons Resort Whistler 3 Four Seasons Resort Whistler Whistler in British Columbia is one of North America’s most popular ski destinations, thanks to its two stunning mountains (Whistler and Blackcomb), its picturesque lakes and forests, and its vibrant dining scene. For world-class plant-based dining, book a stay at Four Seasons and head to the Braidwood Tavern. The eatery isn’t 100 percent plant-based, but it does offer an extensive vegan menu complete with curries, stir-fries, burgers, salads, and much more. FIND IT HERE Guesthouse Wiesegg 4 Wiesegg Situated in the beautiful Bavarian Mountains, German guesthouse Wiesegg is a great place to stay for access to the slopes, the bar and restaurants in Reit im Winkl’s town center, winter hiking trails, and golf courses. Before you head out for a day of activities, feast on a breakfast buffet, which is made up of plenty of vegetarian and vegan foods, all of which are locally sourced where possible. FIND IT HERE Limelight 5 Limelight Another iconic North American skiing destination, Aspen in Colorado offers plenty of ski runs (both challenging and gentle), incredible scenery, and legendary nightlife. Limelight is one of its most popular hotels. There, you’ll have access to the slopes, of course, but also exclusive activities like the Audi Snowshoe Adventure, which involves borrowing an “Audi vehicle stocked with snowshoes for up to 2 hours” for a self-guided tour in the Roaring Fork Valley. When you’re worn out and hungry from all the fun, head to the Limelight Lounge to feast on options like truffle fries, baba ghanoush, veggie burgers, and vegan pizza topped with roasted wild mushrooms. FIND IT HERE Aravis Lodge 6 Aravis Lodge For cozy accommodation in the French alpine village of La Clusaz, head to Aravis Lodge. There, you’ll be looked after with onsite ski hire, late checkout times, a fleet of drivers, and plenty of delicious plant-based food. In fact, the lodge is certified by the Vegetarian Society for its range of vegetarian and vegan options, so you know you’re in good hands. FIND IT HERE Fairmont 7 Fairmont With the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, busy ski resorts, stunning mountain glacial lakes, and beautiful ice fields, it’s no surprise that Banff is a popular North American winter vacation spot. For top-quality, vegan-friendly accommodation in the area, the fairytale-esque Fairmont hotel is a great choice. Complete with a spa, a pool, and unique dining experiences, including the 360-degree dome and multiple onsite restaurants, there is no shortage of things to do. Most of the eateries at the Fairmont have plant-based choices, including the Bavarian-style Waldhaus Restaurant and the French-inspired Vermillion Room. FIND IT HERE DON'T MISS OUT : Get breaking news, recipes, and our weekly vegan deal by signing up for our FREE VegNewsletter Europe, US Boast the “Most Vegan-Friendly Cities” in the World: Report Where to Find the Best Vegan Food in Verona, From Creamy Pasta to Stuffed Polenta Where to Find the Best Vegan Food in Hanoi, the 2024 Culinary Capital of the World JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Shop Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.Adam Schiff Has a 'Justice Denied' Hissy Fit After News Breaks About Trump's New York Case
Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha on Wednesday attended the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2024 Reception that gathered hundreds of participants and delegates from participating countries. Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) and Co-Chair I of the APICTA Awards 2024 Working Committee Ir Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof, in his welcoming remarks, said, “Brunei Darussalam has been given the privilege of hosting the APICTA Awards 2024, 12 years since we last hosted it in 2012. It is an honour to host this prestigious event in Brunei Darussalam, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA).” He reiterated that Brunei Darussalam “has always been a strong advocate for technological advancement. Today, we come together to celebrate the exceptional innovations and achievements in the world of information and communication technology (ICT) across the Asia-Pacific region and stand proud as a platform for collaboration, learning, and the exchange of cutting-edge ideas”. The APICTA Awards, he described, “have become a symbol of excellence, recognising the creativity, passion, and hard work of ICT professionals, entrepreneurs, and organisations across the region. It is a testament to the incredible strides being made in ICT, from innovative start-ups to established enterprises and from visionary developers to forward-thinking policymakers.” He emphasised that APICTA’s vision and mission align with Brunei Darussalam’s own vision of fostering a knowledge-based economy. “As we navigate through an era of rapid technological transformation, it is crucial that we continue to inspire and support the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators who will shape the future of ICT not just in our region but across the globe. Together, through APICTA, we can create an environment that nurtures collaboration and pushes the boundaries of what technology can achieve for the benefit of our societies.” He also revealed that this year’s APICTA Awards 2024 received the highest number of entries in APICTA’s history, with 279 submissions from 15 member economies. The minister later joined the delegates and APICTA officials for a networking session before heading to the Atrium of The Mall to launch the Digital Brunei Exhibition, showcasing the nation’s innovation progress and commitment to technological advancements. The minister also toured the exhibition following the launch. Held in conjunction with the APICTA Awards 2024, the Digital Brunei Exhibition is open to the public until today, from 10am to 9pm. – James Kon Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha in a group photo at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards 2024 Reception. PHOTO: MUIZ MATDANI Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications Ir Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof delivers a speec. PHOTO: MUIZ MATDANI ABOVE & BELOW: Photos show the minister at the event. PHOTO: MUIZ MATDANI PHOTO: MUIZ MATDANI PHOTO: MUIZ MATDANICompany Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.17 Per Share LAS VEGAS , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an additional $500 million under the Company's share repurchase program. Considering the additional authorization, the Company had approximately $843 million remaining in repurchase authority as of September 30, 2024 . Additionally, the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per share, payable January 15, 2025 , to shareholders of record as of December 16, 2024 . About Boyd Gaming Founded in 1975, Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) is a leading geographically diversified operator of 28 gaming entertainment properties in 10 states, manager of a tribal casino in northern California , and owner and operator of Boyd Interactive, a B2B and B2C online casino gaming business. The Company is also a strategic partner and 5% equity owner of FanDuel Group, the nation's leading sports- betting operator. With one of the most experienced leadership teams in the casino industry, Boyd Gaming prides itself on offering guests an outstanding entertainment experience and memorable customer service. Through a long-standing company philosophy called Caring the Boyd Way, Boyd Gaming is committed to advancing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives that positively impact the Company's stakeholders and communities. For additional Company information and press releases, visit https://investors.boydgaming.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boyd-gaming-announces-additional-500-million-share-repurchase-authorization-302324275.html SOURCE Boyd Gaming Corporation...Set To Celebrate Badagry Heritage Festival Dec 27
Butler scores 35, Bowling Green beats Morgan State 102-81
Percentages: FG .440, FT .619. 3-Point Goals: 11-26, .423 (Wolf 3-6, Poindexter 3-8, Pence 2-4, Kinziger 2-5, Banks 1-3). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 3 (Banks, Kinziger, Pence). Turnovers: 7 (Banks 5, Pence, Walker). Steals: 3 (Banks, Kinziger, Pence). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .444, FT .769. 3-Point Goals: 8-20, .400 (Garcia 2-3, Parker 2-5, Richards 2-6, Charles 1-2, Shumate 1-3, Murray 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 2. Blocked Shots: 3 (Shumate 2, Charles). Turnovers: 5 (Garcia 2, Murray, Selebangue, Shumate). Steals: 5 (Cooper 3, Charles, Parker). Technical Fouls: None. A_1,525 (3,000).Qatar tribune Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE) has partnered with Management Centre Europe (MCE), a global leader in talent development. This partnership offers professionals in Qatar Foundation access to a unique global accreditation program, setting a global standard for managerial excellence and equipping them with essential leadership skills. This partnership will strengthen leadership capabilities by equipping leaders with the expertise to harness AI for improved decision-making, streamlined processes, and innovation. In addition to other learning and development programs, it focuses on integrating AI technologies into leadership practices, providing a unique approach that strengthens leadership. The agreement was signed by Abeer Al Khalifa, president of Qatar Foundation’s (QF’s) Pre-University Education, and Patrick Faniel, managing director of MCE. As part of the signing event, a workshop titled ‘How AI is Changing the Leadership World’ was held to explore the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on leadership and its implications for managing teams in an era of rapid technological advancement. Abeer Al Khalifa, president of Pre-University Education, highlighted the strategic importance of the partnership in advancing the evolution of education, stating, “This collaboration marks a pivotal step in fostering innovation within education, equipping educators and staff with cutting-edge tools and technologies that enable them to deliver a forward-thinking educational experience.” She further emphasized, “This partnership offers professionals at Qatar Foundation, particularly within Pre-University Education, the opportunity to engage with a distinguished international accreditation program. With global standards for administrative excellence, it provides them with the essential leadership skills needed to drive innovation and creativity, ultimately enriching the educational landscape as a whole.” On this occasion, Dr. Saheim Khalaf Al Tamimi, director of ABP, said: “This workshop offered valuable perspectives on how artificial intelligence is reshaping leadership and management approaches. As a leader, it is crucial to stay informed about emerging trends and technologies to ensure that our operations remain both efficient and innovative while being prepared for the future.” Dr. Al Temimi highlighted the essential need for leaders to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of AI-driven transformations confidently and effectively, stressing that this is a step every leader should take. “Through the workshop, I gained a deeper understanding of how AI can enhance decision-making, streamline processes, and drive innovation within Qatar Foundation. This knowledge will be crucial in designing programs that address the evolving needs and challenges of our teachers and staff.” “This initiative enhances our current Learning and Development programs by focusing on the integration of advanced technologies into leadership practices, further solidifying our commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation in the education sector.” During the workshop, Patrick Faniel, managing director of MCE, said: “Leadership is no longer just about managing people; it’s about navigating change and understanding the technological forces shaping our world. “We live in an era of unprecedented change. Technology has completely altered the way we interact and work. As leaders, we must adapt, not just react. The speed at which change is occurring demands a proactive approach to managing teams and businesses.” Faniel emphasized that the speed of technological evolution is palpable, and leaders must not only keep up with the changes but also anticipate what’s next, ensuring their teams are prepared for future challenges. “It’s about using AI as a tool to enhance human capabilities, not replacing them. Leaders must focus on how we can leverage AI to improve operations and better support their teams.” Faniel emphasized that the real challenge is ensuring that our people are prepared for the changes AI will bring, saying: “We can’t assume they will adapt on their own. As leaders, we must guide them through this transition and help them acquire the skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven world.” Faniel also addressed the fear many have about AI, saying: “Some worry AI will lead to job losses, but in reality, it will create new opportunities. The key is preparing and empowering employees to thrive in this new landscape.” Copy 06/12/2024 10
Apple Cash: How to use it to send and receive moneyNoneINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Trey Robinson's 19 points helped Northern Kentucky defeat IU Indianapolis 66-64 on Saturday. Robinson added six rebounds for the Norse (3-6, 1-0 Horizon League). Josh Dilling went 6 of 11 from the field (5 for 9 from 3-point range) to add 17 points. Sam Vinson had nine points and finished 4 of 13 from the field. The Jaguars (4-6, 1-1) were led by Paul Zilinskas, who recorded 24 points. Jarvis Walker added 23 points for IU Indianapolis. DeSean Goode finished with six points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
King laughs at British comedian’s impression of Donald Trump at Royal VarietySpaid, Winner of CES Innovation Awards for Redefining the Future of Geospatial with AI, to Unveil AI Solution and OpenAI Platform at CES 2025Jets bring in yet another kicker as season-long nightmare continues
Sutton scores 23, Omaha knocks off Sacramento State 70-60
BRITS will watch five hours of telly a day over Christmas and 'lie' to loved ones to avoid socialising for a boxset. As Christmas officially kicks off, many will embrace the slow, relaxed pace of the Twixmas period between December 26th and 31st, indulging in some guilty pleasures while avoiding the social demands of the festive season. 3 Brits will watch five hours of telly a day over Christmas and 'lie' to loved ones to avoid socialising for a boxset Credit: Getty A recent survey from Sky and Now has revealed that, during this in-between lull, Brits will engage in some surprising habits, with a focus on binge-watching TV, staying in their pyjamas, and even skipping showers. According to the poll, a quarter will avoid showering for three days or more during Twixmas, while half admit to wearing the same pair of pants for longer than a day. Even more surprising, 21 percent of respondents will go up to five days without leaving the house, making the period a time for ultimate relaxation and avoidance of any unnecessary errands or social obligations. In fact, it seems that getting dressed is not a priority for many, as over half of respondents - at 55 percent - will spend at least one day lounging around in their pyjamas, with some spending the entire period in their most comfortable attire. read more on Christmas ONE HIT WONDERLAND Christmas song rich list revealed - including star who makes £1m a YEAR PROUD BRO Princess Kate's brother James praises his sister as she leads carol concert The trend of taking it easy continues with the discovery that 64% of Brits said their favourite activity during Twixmas is staying at home and watching TV. With family and friends often still lingering from Christmas, some will take the opportunity to lie about being busy to avoid socialising beyond December 25th. Around 22 percent of people admitted to fibbing to loved ones so they can stay home, binge-watch boxsets, and simply unwind without any obligations. It’s no surprise, then, that Brits are setting aside considerable time for television, with the average person watching five hours a day. Most read in Streaming LAST CHRISTMAS Gavin and Stacey cast break down in tears ahead of final episode ROYAL ENGAGEMENT? The Crown star Vanessa Kirby 'is engaged' to hunky sports star boyfriend HOT FOR BOT Racy Megan Fox movie packed with robot sex scenes tops Netflix streaming charts BACK ON Disney+'s most raunchy show Rivals confirmed for series two Over the six days of Twixmas, this adds up to an impressive 30 hours of TV viewing, and across the UK, it amounts to a staggering 1.8 billion hours of collective screen time. During this period, many will start and finish a new TV series in just a few days, with 52 percent of respondents committing to new shows. Hannah Murray's Deeply Personal Journey: From Game of Thrones to Wellness Cult Two-fifths will go so far as to binge-watch TV all day without ever getting up, cementing the idea that this is a time dedicated to indulgent relaxation. Rewatching old favourites is also common, with 51% of Brits revisiting beloved series they've already seen multiple times. With Gavin and Stacey's final ever episode set to air, it's perfect timing for fans to re-watch the entire series from the beggining. The Twixmas period also serves as a time for many to catch up on all the Christmas specials and festive-themed TV shows they missed during the chaos of the holiday. More than half of those surveyed - at 52 percent - will spend their time revisiting these programmes, and over a fifth - 22 percent - will make it a point to rewatch their favourite Christmas classics. This trend reflects a broader shift towards embracing comfort and relaxation in the days following Christmas. Read more on the Scottish Sun SHOCK SWOOP Former Celtic boss 'lines up shock January transfer swoop for Kyogo Furuhashi' MAKE THE YULETIDE GREY White Christmas update for Scots as snow & 80mph winds wreak chaos Jamie Morris, Executive Director of Content Strategy and Performance at Sky, said that this period of rest is the ideal time to relax, snack on leftovers, and enjoy some great television. Whether it's watching nostalgic favourites, diving into thrilling new series, or simply revisiting Christmas classics, Sky and NOW have ensured that Brits have access to everything they need for the perfect Twixmas. 3 Popular choices include the Harry Potter movie franchise Credit: Alamy 3 Sky's exclusive series like Game of Thrones too Credit: Alamy
All eyes will be on the player-availability report when the Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Golden State Warriors on Friday at Inglewood, Calif. While the Clippers are moving closer to the season debut of Kawhi Leonard, the Warriors are pondering a day of rest for Stephen Curry on the first night of a back-to-back that includes a game at home against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Leonard has yet to play this season because of a chronic knee issue, but he did return to contact practices before the Clippers departed for a three-game road trip last week. Head coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard needed to participate in full practices before the team would consider the star's return. The Clippers have won three of their last four games to represent another high point in an up-and-down season. One of their most impressive victories occurred Monday, 114-110 on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies. Norman Powell continues to look comfortable in a leading-scorer role with 29 points, while going 4 of 8 from 3-point range. James Harden had 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in his do-everything point-guard role. Ivica Zubac controlled the inside with 20 points and 19 rebounds and added four steals. "Everybody's involved," Lue said. "It's not coaches and players. We're all on the same team and that's how we treat each other. It's not this side and that side. We're all together. We win together, we lose together, we make mistakes together. That's who we are." Staying a collective unit has helped the Clippers to excel on defense and that came to the forefront by holding the Grizzlies to 20 points in the fourth quarter. Memphis was well under its NBA-best 122.7 points per game. "To hold them to 110 on their home floor says a lot about what we're doing defensively," Lue said. Curry nearly pulled off an unlikely comeback for the Warriors on Christmas Day when he scored eight points in the final 25.7 seconds and made a pair of 3-pointers in the final 12.9 seconds. But Golden State could not overcome a 109-100 deficit with 1:30 to play despite Curry tying the game on a 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left. Curry scored 38 points in what head coach Steve Kerr said was a "hard" 36 minutes. Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points with 12 rebounds. Before the game, Curry conducted a players-initiated meeting that stressed the urgency needed in the upcoming portion of the schedule. Even in defeat, the message seemed to be received, with Curry leading by example. "We're right in that window where we can still regain some momentum for the next however many weeks before the (All-Star) break," Curry said. "Or else we're in a situation where we're chasing down the stretch and nobody wants to be there." While Golden State did put forth a winning effort Wednesday, the reality is that the team has dropped five of its last six games. "We had a great vibe early in the season and we're going through it right now, but I love our guys," Kerr said. "High-character guys. They care." --Field Level MediaGet Supreme Court, division bench nod for fresh probe: HC to RG Kar victim's kin
Apple Cash: How to use it to send and receive money
This story was originally published on December 6, 2018. Much like Santa with his Naughty and Nice list, every holiday season we revisit the ranking to reconsider which films make the cut. The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s time to put away our differences in the interest of peace on earth, goodwill toward others, etc., etc., and kick back with a great Christmas movie , a filmmaking tradition that dates back to the 1898 film Santa Claus . In that one, Santa slides down a chimney, stuffs some stockings, and promptly disappears into the ether; the whole film runs just over one minute long. No one would argue that that early effort was anything but a Christmas movie, but these days, the question comes up frequently: What exactly is a Christmas movie? Is merely being set at Christmas enough? Or is there some elusive other element that makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie? It’s the old, now tired, “Does Die Hard count?” debate. Well, does it? Opting for a big-tent definition of what constitutes a Christmas movie, this list of the greatest Christmas movies ever made argues, yes, it does, very much so. And not just because it takes place at Christmas. The story of a man trying to repair his life, earn redemption, and keep his family together, Die Hard engages with some key Christmas-movie themes. More than twinkling lights and gift-making elves, we looked to these elements when putting the list together. Also, the movies on this list have to be good. There’s a cynical reason to make a Christmas movie: The demand is high, even for the bad ones, every holiday season, when cable plays them ad nauseam to satisfy Christmas-crazed subscribers. So, sorry, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation — just because you’re unavoidable doesn’t earn you a spot on the list. Another qualifier: We stayed away from the world of made-for-TV movies, though some direct-to-streaming titles did make the cut. That means Hallmark Channel Christmas movies about young people who don’t like each other but then end up liking each other a lot weren’t considered. The list is mostly feature films but with a few shorts thrown in as well. We also opted to include a wide variety of Christmas movies, ranging from established classics to cult horror movies . Not every title will be for everyone, but there should be something for everyone here, whether you want Jimmy Stewart welcoming the season or Santa’s demonic counterpart threatening a dysfunctional family. In the spirit of the season, we erred on the side of generosity. 50. The streaming era has produced many forgettable movies that disappear from memory almost as quickly as they appear under the “Top Picks” header. But some have stuck around, like this goofy, endearing Netflix movie starring Kurt Russell as a gruff but good-hearted ( and hunky ) Santa who spends one busy Christmas Eve helping out a family of troubled kids escape a series of mishaps. Think Adventures in Babysitting , but with St. Nicholas and a musical cameo from Steven van Zandt and his band. A sequel followed in 2020 that, while not quite as good, does expand on Goldie Hawn’s last-minute appearance as Mrs. Claus at the end of the original. 49. A true Christmas oddity, this is the only holiday movie featuring Jimmy Durante as a down-on-his-luck vaudevillian forced to part ways with his trained squirrel as Christmas approaches. That’s the heartbreaking premise of The Great Rupert , but it’s all a set-up to a happy ending in which Durante is reunited with his four-legged friend, the poor get rich, and the rich learn a lesson (a story element that pops up a lot in the flood of Christmas movies released in the years immediately following World War II). The plot lags at times, but Durante’s always fun, and so is Rupert, the delightful creation of producer George Pal, the stop-motion wizard behind Puppetoons . 48. There’s no shortage of Christmas horror movies, some of them quite good (as other entries on this list suggest). But none are quite like Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale , an unwaveringly deadpan Christmas thriller from Finnish director Jalmari Helander ( Sisu ). Onni Tommila plays Pietari, a boy living in a remote corner of Lapland, who comes to fear that a nearby mining operation has unearthed Santa Claus. But not, in his words, the “Coca-Cola Santa,” the real, demonic Santa dedicated to punishing the naughty. As Christmas approaches, and strange occurrences like the mass slaughter of reindeer start to transpire, Pietari and those around him discover the boy is only half-right and the real trouble is even deeper and stranger. Helander and his cast commit to the absurd premise wholeheartedly, allowing Rare Exports to work as a fun yuletide black comedy and a pretty solid supernatural action film at the same time. Fair warning: You’ll never think of Santa’s elves in the same way ever again after watching it. 47. Between this movie and another one a little higher on the list, Billy Bob Thornton has carved himself a nice space in the seamy-underbelly-of-Christmas subgenre. Holiday cheer provides an ironic backdrop for this overlooked-but-quite-good Harold Ramis thriller, starring Thornton and John Cusack as a pair of seedy characters looking to get the hell out of Wichita after ripping off their boss. Unfortunately, they haven’t factored in the possibility that bad weather (to say nothing of double crosses and other unforeseen bits of adversity) will get in their way. Thornton and Cusack make for a great pair, but it’s Oliver Platt who steals his every scene as a drunken lawyer in a film that provides the perfect antidote to the season’s excessive amounts of good cheer and faith in one’s fellow man. 46. Tim Burton isn’t exactly underrepresented on this list, but his second Batman movie is too filled with twinkles and tinsel not to include, even if its mood is ultimately more frightful than festive. The sequel pits Batman (Michael Keaton) against the dreadful Penguin (Danny DeVito) and the alluring Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) against the backdrop of a Gotham City all decked out for the holidays. (One key scene takes place at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony that goes awry.) Whether it truly celebrates the season or not is open for debate, but watching the film’s superheroics play out in a snowy, light-strewn, postcard-perfect city makes it feel of a piece with Burton’s other Christmas films. 45. There’s been no shortage of scary Santas in movies — see above and below for examples — but few as terrifying as Christopher Plummer in this sometimes brutal thriller. Plummer plays Arthur Reikle, a psychopathic criminal who poses as a mall Santa while scheming to rob a Toronto bank. When a clever clerk (Elliott Gould) gets wise and schemes to rob the robber, a battle of wits ensues. The action plays out across several months, but it’s the early scenes that will make you look askance at any stranger in a Santa costume, no matter how jolly-seeming. 44. Or, if The Ice Harvest isn’t a strong enough antidote, check out this truly twisted slasher about a toy-factory employee who goes on a Yuletide killing spree. Christmas Evil has a premise similar to the much better known Silent Night, Deadly Night , which sparked protests in the streets when it was released four years later. But Silent Night, Deadly Night is just a standard slasher movie in Christmas drag. Christmas Evil plays like a demented piece of outsider art that takes the idea of a killer Santa to some pretty extreme places — including an ending that has to be seen to be believed. John Waters is a fan, which pretty much tells you all you need to know. 43. Before The Nightmare Before Christmas , before Rankin-Bass specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , before even The Great Rupert there was The Insects’ Christmas , from Russian animator Ladislas Starevich. Starevich made a series of films using dead insects as his stars. His Christmas movie expands the cast to include Father Christmas and an animated doll. But insects remain, as the title suggests, front and center in an inventive, enchanting, if a little unsettling, look at how a bunch of bugs (and one frog) celebrate Christmas that climaxes with Santa, a grasshopper, and assorted other bugs skating on a frozen lake. счастливого Рождества to all! 42. What’s Stanley Kubrick’s final film about, really? Is it about one man’s harrowing descent into the erotic underbelly of New York as he wanders around one night? It is. But isn’t it also about a family nearly falling apart then getting back together in time for Christmas? Its final scene, set in a toy-and-Christmas-light-filled FAO Schwarz, suggests that’s the case. The film’s final lines are not directly related to the holidays or, technically speaking, family-friendly. But they, in their own way, encapsulate the season’s spirit of togetherness. 41. As Christmas approaches, all is not well for Henry Brougham (David Niven), a Protestant bishop trying to raise funds for the glorious new cathedral of his dreams — a project that’s led him to neglect his wife, Julia (Loretta Young), and daughter and cause him to lose sight of his roots as a minister to the needy. Enter Dudley (Cary Grant), an angel determined to set Henry on the right path. The only trouble: He finds himself increasingly wanting to spend time with Julia instead. The film’s a bit pokily directed at times, but Young and Grant’s chemistry smooths over some rough patches — particularly when Grant gets a wistful look in his eyes suggesting that he might call heaven his home but he knows he could find even greater happiness on earth with Young’s character by his side. ( The Preacher’s Wife , the 1996 remake starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston, is also worth a look.) 40. Everyone knows that Christmas is about three things: spiritual reflection, spending time with family, and debutante balls. Or at least that’s what the season means for the self-described Urbane Haute Bourgeoisie of Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan , upper-class (and upper-class-adjacent) Manhattanites who spend their evenings attending deb events and their after-hours discussing life, politics, literature, and whatever else comes to mind. Edward Clements stars as Tom, a not-that-privileged college student who falls in with a more upper-crust crowd where he’s befriended by the acidic Nick (Chris Eigeman) and Audrey (Carolyn Farina), with whom he becomes infatuated. Audrey’s fondness for Jane Austen provides the strongest clue as to what Stillman’s up to with this fond but unsparing comedy of manners set among a group of not-quite-adults just before they have to decide what they do with the rest of their lives. It’s a spiritual reflection of a different sort, the kind loaded with endearing characters, witty lines, and unexpectedly touching moments. 39. What is Scrooged trying to say, anyway? You can watch the film over and over — easy to do if you have a cable subscription in December, when it plays all the time — and never quite figure it out. Is it a pitch-black comedy about the commercialization of Christmas? Is it a cynical send-up of our once-a-year celebration of kindness and selflessness? Is it a sincere depiction of a man being transformed by the holidays? It’s a tough film to pin down, probably because the darkly comic sensibilities of star Bill Murray and writers Mitch Glazer and Michael O’Donoghue often seem at odds with that of blockbuster director Richard Donner. But what makes this Reagan-era update on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol — in which Murray plays a cold-hearted TV network president visited by Christmas spirits — flawed also makes it fascinating, and Carol Kane is especially fun as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Worth noting: Dickens’s classic looms large over the Christmas-movie genre, making this just one of many A Christmas Carol adaptations to make the list. Others include ... 38. For a more tuneful version of the Dickens tale, there’s this 1970 musical starring Albert Finney as the eponymous miser. Finney holds nothing back as Scrooge, truly living up to the moniker “the Meanest Man in the Whole Wide World” given to him in “Father Christmas,” one of many earworm-y songs written by Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory songwriter Leslie Bricusse. Highlights include Alec Guinness as a spooky Jacob Marley and a truly scary Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. It’s a big, occasionally tacky, but quite fun take on the familiar story. 35. All three of these movies raise a question: How much Christmas does a movie need to be a Christmas movie ? All are great films that set key scenes at Christmastime, but is it fair to call them Christmas movies? In the generous spirit of the season, let’s include them (but let’s also rank them a little lower than some others because so much of their narratives don’t take place during the holidays). All also have moments so Christmassy it would be a shame not to include them. Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 Little Women adaptation gets the nod for the moving way it stages the moment when Beth (Claire Danes) receives a piano for Christmas (and Danes’s heartrending expression of overwhelming joy). Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version has to be included for the moment when Bob Odenkirk’s Mr. March returns home for Christmas and embraces his family while calling them “my little women.” Vincente Minnelli’s classic 1944 musical spans a year in the life of St. Louis’s Smith family, but it’s a year in which a Christmas ball plays a pivotal role and features Judy Garland debuting “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” now a Christmas standard (albeit one no one has performed more heartbreakingly than Garland). 34. With her follow-up to Something’s Gotta Give , Nancy Myers seemingly set out to ask the question, If I cast four actors who really have no business appearing in a soft-edged romantic comedy in my next movie, could I make it work anyway? The answer: kind of? Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet play, respectively, a tightly wound editor of movie trailers and a British newspaper reporter who decide to swap houses shortly before Christmas. This leads Winslet’s character, now in L.A., to befriend an aging screenwriter played by Eli Wallach and (eventually) fall for a kindhearted composer played by Jack Black. Meanwhile, Diaz’s character, installed in Surrey, unwittingly hooks up with the brother of Winslet’s character, played by Jude Law. It’s a somewhat shapeless movie that goes on too long, but it also has an undeniable, nap-friendly, tryptophan-like charm as four beautiful people overcome the ridiculously small hurdles keeping them from getting together in two photogenic environments. (Also, Wallach’s a lot of fun.) 33. Bob Hope didn’t so much play characters as variations on the Bob Hope persona, a wisecracking coward with a tendency to get in way over his head then make matters worse for himself. Hope’s not the most obvious fit for a Damon Runyon adaptation, much less a Christmas-themed Runyon adaptation with a deep sentimental streak, but their sensibilities end up meshing pretty well anyway in this 1951 comedy. Hope plays the eponymous character, a con artist who has to flee Florida for New York in order to pay off a debt to a gangster. The ensuing scam involves criminals dressed as Santa and a fake retirement home for “Old Dolls.” The inspired slapstick bits reportedly come from the brilliant animator-turned-director Frank Tashlin, but it’s Hope and co-star Marilyn Maxwell’s performance of the then-new “Silver Bells” that’s ensured the film its spot in the Christmas-movie canon. 32. Nostalgia and holidays both have a way of warping emotions. Combined, they’re hard to resist, especially when it comes to movies that won us over when we were younger. That’s why it’s impossible not to include Home Alone — the John Hughes–scripted, Chris Columbus–directed hit in which Macaulay Culkin finds himself unexpectedly left behind when his family mistakenly flies to Paris without him. But it would be unfair to rank it any higher. Have you watched it? Lately? As a grown-up? Like, watched it all the way through from the shrill opening filled with obnoxious kids to the leadenly staged slapstick climax? It’s a much rougher ride than you might remember. Still, Culkin’s charming, and the sentimental ending works every time. Just ask George Costanza . 31. Few movies have been embraced and rejected, rejected and embraced with the ferocity of Richard Curtis’s 2003 holiday smorgasbord of new love, old love, dying love, Prime Minister love, and porn-movie love. It’s unabashedly corny and sometimes annoyingly smug and simplistic in its take on love, but there’s just so much going on in the movie that it’s hard to reject it wholesale. Don’t like the silly story line in which some luckless Brits fly to America to test the theory that their accents will make them a hit with women? Just stay tuned for a wrenching tale of infidelity starring Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. Plus, it features the quintessential Bill Nighy performance as a washed-up rock star made miserable by his success, a true present any time of year. 30. Janet Leigh plays Connie, a war widow who unexpectedly becomes the center of a love triangle when her longtime suitor Carl (Wendell Corey) meets an unexpected rival in the form of Steve (Robert Mitchum), a veteran trying to figure out his place in the postwar world. Steve finds himself infatuated with Connie after they meet-cute in a department store — he’s a clerk, she’s a Christmastime undercover shopper — then starts a hard sell, asking him to dump Carl and take a chance on him. Mitchum’s tough-guy demeanor serves him well here, giving an odd energy to the love story. His character is sometimes written as too pushy, but the scene in which he declares his intentions over Christmas dinner, a moment where there’s no room for lies, is downright electric — and the final scene is a stunner. 29. Shane Black often sets his films against a Christmas backdrop, but where Lethal Weapon , Iron Man 3 , and others feel like films that happen to take place at Christmas, Black’s directorial debut feels like it could only take place at Christmas thanks to its themes of redemption, forgiveness, and rebirth. Here it’s New York thief Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) in need of a new start, which he gets when he’s mistakenly asked to audition for a role in a Hollywood movie. Once there, he falls into a mystery tied to his own past when he reconnects with a childhood friend (Michelle Monaghan) and reluctantly partners with a private eye (Val Kilmer). The twists, rapid-fire banter, and love of seedy crime fiction are familiar Black trademarks, but the concern for Harry’s happiness and connections with others — brought to life by the performance that cemented Downey’s comeback — make this Black’s most heartfelt script. 28. Sometimes the right actor in the right role is pretty much all you need. This pleasant, goofy film stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human who’s grown up at the North Pole living under the mistaken impression that he’s an elf, despite developing into a lumbering adult with little skill for elfish endeavors such as toy-making. Eventually, he has to find his way in the human world when he travels to New York in search of his birth father (James Caan). As a cynical department-store employee, Zooey Deschanel provides a fun contrast to Ferrell’s wild-eyed enthusiasm. The film’s more winning the less it relies on wild antics, but Ferrell and others make sure it stays heartfelt throughout. 27. Aardman Animations, the studio behind the Wallace and Gromit shorts and Chicken Run , brings its own particular whimsical sensibility to a holiday tale with this playful look inside the inner workings of the North Pole, where the latest in a long line of Santas (Jim Broadbent) seems reluctant to give up his post to one of his sons. Steven Claus (Hugh Laurie), who’s been running the operation for his dad with military precision, seems the obvious successor, but it’s the bumbling Arthur (James McAvoy) who best embodies the Christmas spirit, as evidenced by his mad rush to make sure the one kid who mistakenly got the wrong present doesn’t wake up disappointed on Christmas morning. The film mixes clever ideas — dig that high-tech North Pole! — with real warmth, making it feel like nothing less than the future of Christmas itself rests on Arthur’s shoulders. 26. The first big-screen Muppet project after the 1990 death of Jim Henson, A Muppet Christmas Carol features some terrific Paul Williams songs, and smartly slots the always charming Muppets in the familiar Dickens roles. (Kermit and Piggy play the Cratchits, naturally, yet it’s details like the Swedish Chef as a party cook that make it a particular delight for longtime fans.) In the end, though, what makes the movies is Michael Caine’s performance as Ebenezer Scrooge. Caine plays it straight, as if he doesn’t even realize he’s surrounded by puppets, ensuring that the movie works as a moving Dickens adaptation first, and a Muppet movie second. 25. A true cult classic, this low-budget noir directed by Allen Baron unfolds against the backdrop of a New York decked out for the holidays. Yet it’s anything but a merry Christmas for Frank Bono (also Baron), a Cleveland hit man who’s in town to do a job. Mixing gritty location shooting with lyrical narration, it mixes pulpy themes with a feeling of existential loneliness. The movie would work if it weren’t set at Christmas, but the holiday cheer ratchets up the sense of alienation and despair. Not everyone is destined to have happy holidays. Some might not even make it out alive. 24. Arthur Christmas too heartwarming for you? Then try Bob Clark’s classic horror film, in which a mysterious killer starts picking off members of a sorority house one by one during the lead-up to Christmas. Shot on and near the University of Toronto campus, it’s secretly one of the most influential horror films of all time, inspiring Halloween and all the slasher films that followed. Beyond its odd cast (Margot Kidder! SCTV ’s Andrea Martin! Romeo and Juliet star Olivia Hussey! 2001: A Space Odyssey ’s Keir Dullea!), it’s notable for using Christmas trappings to unnerving effect, including a truly memorable final scene. (Clark, who’d later go on to direct Porky’s , would return to Christmas with a much different movie less than a decade later.) 23. Is this a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie? Why choose one when it’s obviously both? The Nightmare Before Christmas has become such a Halloween marketing bonanza — with images of protagonists Jack Skellington and Sally becoming unavoidable every October — that it’s easy to forget it’s at heart the story of a kindhearted ghoulish spirit learning the true meaning of Christmas. (That its most famous song repeats the words “This is Halloween!” over and over again probably doesn’t help.) Directed by stop-motion wizard Henry Selick from a story and designs by Tim Burton, it plays like a sweet-creepy take on a Rankin-Bass Christmas special, building an elaborate mythology out of the holidays and populating it with endearing characters with lessons to learn and adversity to overcome. 22. Much like Nightmare Before Christmas , Joe Dante’s enduring horror favorite Gremlins plays like someone wanted to see how badly a bunch of little monsters could screw up the setting of another Christmas classic. The answer: pretty badly! Set in an idyllic American town straight out of It’s a Wonderful Life — its name, Kingston Falls, even hearkens back to that movie’s Bedford Falls — Gremlins features a cuddly little creature whose evil offspring run amok all over a sweet burg as it gets ready to celebrate the Christmas season. As usual, Dante mixes mockery with celebration, and the film evolves from a horror movie into a freewheeling send-up of both the holidays and the Hollywood movies that celebrate them. 21. Neither Disney animation nor its biggest star, Mickey Mouse, were riding high in the early ’80s. Disney had suffered a string of disappointments and setbacks, and though he remained an inescapable icon, Mickey hadn’t been seen in movie theaters since the ’50s. But this adaptation of the Dickens story suggested there might be life in both yet. Running just 26 minutes — and originally serving as the opener for a rerelease of The Rescuers — Mickey’s Christmas Carol offers a brisk, moving take on the familiar story. Scrooge McDuck (who else?) assumes the Scrooge role, but it’s Mickey and Minnie’s turns as the Cratchits that give the lovingly animated film its heart. After years of cutting corners and coasting on past triumphs, it provided an early sign that Disney was trying again — almost as if the studio has been visited by spirits reminding it what really mattered or something. 20. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck famously co-starred in Billy Wilder’s 1944 noir Double Indemnity , but that’s just one of four films to pair them together. They first teamed up for this 1940 Christmas romance in which Fred MacMurray plays John Sargent, a hard-charging DA who, through a misunderstanding, comes to spend the days before Christmas with Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck), a small-time jewel thief he’s prosecuting. They start to fall in love during a road trip to Indiana, a sojourn that almost allows them to forget that John still has to try to send Lee to jail when they get back. Directed by Mitchell Leisen from a Preston Sturges script, Remember the Night begins as a broad, brisk comedy but shifts moods as John learns about Lee’s difficult past. In a classic holiday-spirit turn, he comes to realize the advantages his loving family have bestowed upon him once he sees how appreciative Lee is after sharing the first warm Christmas morning of her life with his family. 19. A movie about holiday togetherness that focuses on three characters that would rather be anywhere else (at least at first), Alexander Payne’s 1970-set comedy stars Paul Giamatti as Paul, a boarding-school teacher unexpectedly saddled with caring for a handful of boys with nowhere else to go at Christmastime. When that bunch gets reduced to just one bright, sad, rebellious kid named Angus (Dominic Sessa), Paul finds himself forced to open up for the first time in years, both to Angus and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the head of the school’s cafeteria services who’s remained behind to provide meals. Mary’s still mourning the loss of her son in Vietnam, and Angus has family problems that remain veiled until late in the film. They seemingly have nothing in common, but Payne’s film evolves from a comedy of awkward interactions to a bittersweet celebration of togetherness that unfolds on the edge of despair. 18. French cinematic pioneer Georges Méliès’s contribution to the Christmas-film canon offers little in the way of narrative, just an abundance of turn-of-the-century Christmas imagery as a pair of sleeping children imagine a winter wonderland filled with frolicking musicians, holiday revelers, and, of course, Père Noël himself. It’s a lovely, whimsical short film that captures the inventive director in a festive mood, and immortalizes on film ways of celebrating Christmas that otherwise might have faded from memory. 17. A song of yearning for holiday togetherness the singer suspects he’ll never find again, Bing Crosby’s recording of the Irving Berlin song “White Christmas” became a runaway hit in 1942 as America adjusted to the loss and separation of World War II. Its success was spurred on by the August release of Holiday Inn , a musical conceived by Berlin that starred Crosby and Fred Astaire as collaborators who break up and reunite over the course of a year, all against the backdrop of a country inn only open on holidays. (All the better to showcase Berlin’s knack for crafting holiday-themed hits.) With Danny Kaye subbing in for Astaire, Berlin and Crosby teamed up 12 years later for White Christmas , another holiday musical set at an idyllic getaway. Both films have become Christmas staples, and both have much to recommend them. Featuring top-drawer Berlin songs and one memorable scene after another — Astaire tap dances while smoking and setting off fireworks in one — and elegant direction by Mark Sandrich, Holiday Inn is the better film by a good measure, but watching it means grappling with an ugly blackface number mid-film. (To make matters worse, skipping the scene altogether would result in missing an important plot point.) White Christmas , on the other hand, features fewer songs and a sleepy, low-stakes plot as Crosby and Kaye romance (sort of) a sister act played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. Still, its aggressive, Technicolor pleasantness has its own charms. 15. Tim Burton clearly has a fondness for Christmas that extends beyond A Nightmare Before Christmas . Batman Returns , for one, uses the holiday to memorable effect. But Burton’s Edward Scissorhands goes even further, treating a sensitive, lab-created man with scissors for hands (Johnny Depp) as a Christ-like, too-pure-for-this-world figure who descends on an American suburb where he’s celebrated, then persecuted. The first collaboration between Burton and Depp, a team-up that would become less welcome as the years piled up, is a lovely celebration of outsiders that captures the Burton sensibility in its purest form, elevating his sympathy for monsters and a disdain for the “normal” world into a moral drama filled with arresting images. 14. Not unlike Scissorhands , John Ford’s 3 Godfathers similarly uses echoes of the story of Christ to tremendous effect. A rare Christmas Western, the film stars John Wayne as one of a trio of bank robbers who agree to care for a newborn child while fleeing the law in Death Valley. Ford’s biblical echoes aren’t subtle, nor are they intended to be, but Wayne keeps the film, and its themes of redemption and rebirth, grounded with one of his most sensitive performances. 13. A great Christmas movie that not enough people talk about, It Happened on Fifth Avenue opens with the homeless sage Aloysius T. McKeever (Victor More) moving, as he does every Christmas season, into the luxurious Manhattan home of vacationing tycoon Michael J. O’Connor (Charles Ruggles). From there the film keeps piling on the complications as it breaks down the divide between the haves and the have-nots. McKeever is soon joined by a displaced World War II vet (Don DeFore) and O’Connor’s daughter Mary (Ann Harding), who doesn’t let on that she’s loaded and knows the house even better than those squatting there. The house grows more crowded, new loves get kindled, old loves get renewed, and O’Connor is forced to do a Scrooge-like about-face when he gets reacquainted with those less fortunate than him. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, who took on the project after Frank Capra decided to make It’s a Wonderful Life instead, It Happened on Fifth Avenue earns its warmth honestly, tethering a tale of fresh starts and changed hearts to the real difficulties faced by those reaching for the American dream in a postwar era that was supposed to bring prosperity for all. 12. In a film as sexy as it is funny, Barbara Stanwyck plays Elizabeth Lane, a magazine columnist who risks being exposed as a phony if she can’t create the perfect Christmas at the Connecticut home she’s writing about as part of a PR stunt to reward recuperating GI Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan), who’s been dreaming of tasting her recipes while serving in World War II. The only problem: There is no Connecticut home, and she can’t cook. The farcical complications pile up from there, and Stanwyck deftly balances Elizabeth’s mounting sense of panic with wry humor as she reckons with her unexpected desire for Jones — a desire that has popped up just after she’s decided to give up on love in return for a marriage of convenience. Director Peter Godfrey keeps the action fast and light while trusting Stanwyck to excellently bring her character’s dilemma to life, even if it involves changing a diaper as if she’s never seen a baby before in her life. 11. Produced as the planet descended into another World War, this 1939 short , like many animated films, depicts a world populated by wide-eyed cartoon animals. The difference: They’ve inherited the Earth from humanity, whose habit of making war has led to its destruction. Directed for MGM by the influential animation pioneer Hugh Harman — who, with his partner Rudy Ising, had already logged stints working for Walt Disney and Warner Bros. — it’s a masterfully downbeat vision of the future; the cute protagonists, with their enthusiasm for keeping Christmas traditions alive, do little to offset the short film’s depictions of the horrors of war and the ways we fail to live up to our noblest principles. When Fred Quimby, William Hanna, and Joseph Barbera remade it 16 years later as the also-great Good Will to Men , they had to change little beyond the addition of nuclear war and other up-to-date threats. 10. The end of the year can be a confusing time of reflection for those who feel they don’t have anything to celebrate. That feeling is captured beautifully in Scottish director Bill Forsyth’s tale of a Glasgow DJ (Bill Paterson), who finds himself unexpectedly alone when he’s dumped by his girlfriend shortly before Christmas. Adrift, he finds himself drawn into a turf war between two rival ice-cream vendors, a conflict that might offer him a chance to start over, or might drive him to the brink of madness. Paterson beautifully depicts a man who’s quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, experiencing a nervous breakdown as the world around him grows stranger and more absurd. That it all somehow builds toward a hilarious moment of reconciliation involving an unexpected new ice-cream product is just one of many little miracles in a Christmas movie that takes a roundabout way to celebrating the season’s possibilities of renewal and rebirth, but still gets there all the same. 9. It takes time for a film to emerge as a Christmas classic, and while this one may not end up being shown in constant rotation alongside A Christmas Story and Home Alone , let’s stake an early claim for Sean Baker’s Tangerine , a film that follows the Christmas spirit into some unexpected corners . Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor co-star as, respectively, Sin-Dee and Alexandra, a pair of transgender sex workers living on the fringes of Los Angeles. Released from jail on Christmas Eve, Sin-Dee is driven to frustration when she learns that her pimp/lover Chester (James Ransone) is cheating on her as Alexandra prepares for a musical performance. Chaos mounts as day turns into night in the hours before Christmas. Baker’s film, co-written by Chris Bergoch, alternates laughs and shocks, but it keeps circling back to how this particular Christmas has become a crossroads for its central characters, and how much they need each other if they’re going to make it through another year. It all ends with an image that, in its own way, is as warm and generous as Charlie Brown’s friends reviving a seemingly hopeless tree. You might have noticed that this list — some notable exceptions aside — is dominated by stories of prosperous white families. Among its other virtues, Tangerine serves as a corrective to that tradition, serving as a reminder that Christmas isn’t limited to the land of picket fences and neatly trimmed trees. It’s a film as vital, alive, and in touch with the holiday as more traditional entries — an invitation to other filmmakers to redefine what a Christmas movie can be, and as much a story about the importance of human kindness as the one that tops this list. 8. Like Comfort and Joy , Todd Haynes’s Carol depicts the holidays as a time of possibility and peril as an intense, forbidden romance plays out against the backdrop of the 1952 Christmas season. The film stars Cate Blanchett as the eponymous unhappy housewife, a woman who unexpectedly falls for Therese (Rooney Mara), a store clerk. But their relationship seems doomed before it really begins once it threatens Carol’s ability to see her child, leaving her with an impossible choice. Inspired by Brief Encounter and adapted from a 1952 novel by Patricia Highsmith, otherwise best known for pitiless crime fiction like The Talented Mr. Ripley , Carol uses its holiday setting as more than a backdrop: Haynes bathes the films in Christmas lights, sure, but he also captures the spirit of a season through Carol and Therese’s relationship. The passing of one year gives way to a potential new beginning of the next — for those who can make it to the other side. 7. Odd as it may sound, many of the same qualities in Carol also make Die Hard a great Christmas movie, no matter what star Bruce Willis says . Yes, the John McTiernan–directed movie is one of the best action movies ever made; yes, it’s endlessly quotable; and, yes, it transformed Willis from that guy on Moonlighting who occasionally put out music under a different persona into a full-fledged movie star. But it’s also a story of loss and renewal in which Willis’s New York cop John McClane has to navigate the strange world of L.A. and take down a bunch of Eurotrash pseudo-terrorists in order to repair his marriage. And that’s no small part of the movie. Reconciling with his wife in time for the holidays is McClane’s mission. The rest is just a sidetrack, though neither goal will be easy. Still, he guns down the bad guys and emerges from the confrontation bloody and with a sense of forgiveness. Merry Christmas to all! 6. A proudly mean-spirited black comedy seemingly at war with the Christmas spirit, Bad Santa somehow loops all the way back around to being a heartwarming Christmas movie about one man’s redemption. It’s a weird trick, pulled off in large part thanks to star Billy Bob Thornton’s performance as a hard-drinking con artist who uses his work as a mall Santa as a setup for grand larceny. Actually, “hard-drinking” doesn’t begin to describe Thornton’s Willie Soke, who spends much of the film in a near-stuporous state yet still manages to form an unlikely makeshift family with a misfit kid (Brett Kelly) and a bartender (Lauren Graham) with a thing for Santas. With able support from Bernie Mac and John Ritter, director Terry Zwigoff keeps the humor dark without losing sight of his characters’ humanity — however deep they might sink into a drunken haze. 5. Making his second appearance on this list with a much different Christmas movie, director Bob Clark’s venerable 1983 film adapts storyteller and radio personality Jean Shepherd’s tales of growing up in Hammond, Indiana, while cutting nostalgia and sentiment with just the right amounts of broad, occasionally dark, comedy. (And, it has to be noted, some pretty unfortunate racial stereotypes toward the end.) The episodic film follows Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) in the days before Christmas, when he wants nothing more than a Red Ryder air rifle — and seems destined not to get one. Narrated by Shepherd himself, it mixes big comic moments, like a kid getting his tongue stuck to a stop sign, with affection for family life and days gone by. Clark renders the memories of growing up in a particular time and place so well that Shepherd’s Hammond — its name changed to “Hohman” — becomes an idealized stand-in for any time and every place. 4. There are many great romantic movies set at Christmas, but somehow The Shop Around the Corner still stands above them all. Maybe it’s the irresistible premise: A pair of feuding co-workers don’t realize they’re falling in love with one another via anonymous letters. (If that sounds familiar, it’s because Nora Ephron drew on the same source material — the Miklós László play Parfumerie — for You’ve Got Mail .) Maybe it’s a cast headed by Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan and filled out with colorful character actors. Maybe it’s because few directors have balanced lightness and romance like Ernst Lubitsch. Whatever the case, it’s both a peerless romantic comedy and one of the great Christmas movies, weaving themes of forgiveness and second chances into a love story that reflects the season in which it takes place. 3. What makes an adaptation of A Christmas Carol great? Above all, it’s the actor playing Ebenezer Scrooge. There have been many memorable movie Scrooges (take a look at the multiple entries above), but few as memorable as Alastair Sim. He’s not just terrifyingly convincing as a pitiless miser in the film’s early scenes but also heartbreakingly affecting as a changed man in its closing moments. Not that Sim doesn’t get help from director Brian Desmond Hurst, who whisks the action along while surrounding his lead with lushly realized Victorian trappings and an able supporting cast. But the film rests on Sim’s shoulders, and it’s not hard to see why he’s yet to be supplanted as the definitive Scrooge. 2. Here’s a question: What was going on that led to so many great Christmas movies being released in 1947? That year saw the release of The Bishop’s Wife , It Happened on Fifth Avenue (see above), and offered most viewers their first chance to see the greatest Christmas movie of all time (see below). It also produced this lovely story of a girl (Natalie Wood) whose mother (Maureen O’Hara) unwittingly hires someone who may be the actual Kris Kringle as a department-store Santa at Macy’s. What follows is part fantasy, part romance (as O’Hara’s character starts to fall for a charming neighbor), part indictment of commercialism, part defense of letting children be children as long as they can, and part legal thriller (well, sort of). Mostly, the film, written and directed by George Seaton, is an irresistible bit of Christmas whimsy made unforgettable by Edmund Gwenn’s turn as the man who might be Santa. 1. What else? Really, what other film could top a list of the greatest Christmas movies of all time? Frank Capra’s enduring classic stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the unwitting savior of Bedford Falls, a man whose goodness and generosity has touched more people than he realizes. In fact, as one bleak Christmas looms, he doesn’t realize it at all and is ready to commit suicide — until an angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) arrives to show him the error of his ways. Though it’s become synonymous with holiday cheer, Capra’s film works because of its willingness to go to some dark places, and because of Stewart’s ability to play a gregarious goof one moment and a man whose world comes crashing down the next. Curiously, the film didn’t go into wide release until after Christmas in January of 1947, which might have contributed to its underwhelming box-office performance. But it received a second life thanks to relentless airings on local television in the ’70s and ’80s, where its depiction of one man’s dark night of the soul (and a nightmarish vision of what unrestrained greed looks like without those interested in fairness and justice to stand in the way of the Mr. Potters of the world) connected with a new generation. It’s not hard to see why. It’s grounded in details of the times that inspired it — the Depression, World War II — but its vision of holiday kindness, and of the sort of country most of us would want to live in and the values of kindness and generosity most of us share, remains timeless.
Georgetown is set to play its first road game of the season while West Virginia attempts to build off its successful 2-1 trip to the Bahamas when the former conference rivals meet on Friday in Morgantown, W. Va., as part of the Big 12-Big East Battle. Picked 13th out of 16 in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll, West Virginia (5-2) has been riding the hot shooting of Javon Small and Tucker DeVries. Small averages a team-high 19 points and shoots 41.3 percent on 3-pointers while DeVries adds 14.9 points per game and hits on 46.9 percent of his threes. Every basket was needed last week as the Mountaineers upset then-No. 3 Gonzaga and then-No. 24 Arizona with a loss to Louisville sandwiched in between. All three contests went into overtime, believed to be a first in program history. First-year coach Darian DeVries, who led Drake to three NCAA Tournaments in the last four seasons, had never seen anything like it. "I've never been a part of three games like that, especially with the quality of opponents that we went up these last three days," he said after the Arizona win. "Just incredible resolve and grit and toughness from our group all three nights." Georgetown has started 7-1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season and has done so with a completely revamped roster that includes 14 freshmen or sophomores. As a result of an inexperienced squad, coach Ed Cooley specifically delayed the Hoyas' first trip out of the nation's capital. "Obviously, the competition is going to change," Cooley said after the Hoyas defeated UMBC 86-62 on Monday. "We systematically scheduled this way to build confidence, continuity and chemistry and let our players feel what it is to win, and that's something hopefully that will have some carryover as we now get ready to head out on the road for the first time." Since losing to Notre Dame on Nov. 16, Georgetown has won five straight games by an average of 25.2 points. Thomas Sorber leads the Hoyas in scoring at 15.8 points per game and leads the conference in rebounding at 8.9 per game. Sorber was named as the Big East Freshman of the Week for the third time in four weeks. Georgetown holds the narrowest of leads in the all-time series at 27-26. The two schools met 27 times between 1995 and 2012 as league foes. The Mountaineers captured their lone Big East Championship in 2010 by defeating the Hoyas 60-58 at Madison Square Garden. --Field Level Media3 genius recipes to use up your Christmas leftovers