10. The Ref (1994)

The late Ted Demme directed this bizarre movie about a crook (Denis Leary) who robs a diamond shop on Christmas eve. To avoid capture from the cops, he holes up in the home of the dysfunctional Chasseur family, played by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis. The film is a vehicle for Leary's biting humor, meaning it is VERY R rated, but still ends up becoming your traditional holiday morality tale. "The Ref" has long been a holiday classic in the Leshock household.

USELESS TRIVIA COURTESY IMDB.COM: The original ending of the film had Leary's character being arrested by the cops, instead of getting away. After a test screening with negative results, Demme changed it to let Leary get away. Good call.

9. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tim Burton's classic film follows Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown, who's just so darned bored with it. He stumbled upon a door leading to Christmastime, and boy does conquering that world sound great! Hey, Santa Claus could use the break! Burton came up with the story for this one, and it utilizes his wonderful stop-motion animation. For an extra treat, see it whenever it's released in 3-D!

USELESS TRIVIA COURTESY IMDB.COM: It took a group of 100 people 3 YEARS to make this movie! For every one second of film, the characters had to be moved 24 times. You thought your job was tedious.

8. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswalds host the family Christmas gathering at their house. Naturally, it's a complete disaster. You figure they would have learned after those unfortunate trips across the country and that train wreck in Europe. This might not be the best movie of all time, maybe it's a garbage comedy with lame jokes. But it makes me laugh....every....time. Another classic in the Leshock household.

USELESS TRIVIA: Frank Capra III, the grandson of "It's a Wonderful Life" director Frank Capra, was the assistant director on this movie. Not sure if Big Frank would have enjoyed this one or not, but lighten up, it's Christmas!

7. Love Actually (2003)

What a great film "Love Actually" is. If there were ever a movie to define the feeling you get when you first meet that special person, this is it. Never taking themselves too seriously, this all-star cast of British talent prove that you don't need to resort to gross-out humor to make a romantic comedy for the masses. A classic Christmas flick among all genders.

USELESS TRIVIA: Director Richard Curtis held a 45 minute meeting with the production team to determine what color underwear Lucia's character would be wearing in the lake scene. Ever wonder why movies cost so much to make?

6. Bad Santa (2003)

Hide the kids - Billy Bob Thornton takes on Christmas in "Bad Santa," one of my favorite comedies of the last 10 years. When a petty criminal is paired up with a shy kid, it's not exactly parenting 101. But again, a movie full of vulgar language and all kinds of filth ends up a heartwarming classic. I know what you're thinking - are you f&*#*&# with me?

USELESS TRIVIA: Bill Murray was signed on for the Billy Bob Thornton role, but had to drop out because of a commitment to "Lost in Translation."

5. Gremlins (1984)

Try not to watch this without wishing Magwais were real creatures. I loved this movie as a kid for the pure spectacle of it. But watching it as an adult, you get a new world of humor. But the film packs more than laughs, tell me you don't feel genuine tension when Billy's mom wields that knife, searching her home for a Gremlin as "Do You Hear What I Hear" comes from the record player? And to think the climax of that scene comes with a Gremlin being nuked in the microwave? Genius!

USELESS TRIVIA: "Deal or No Deal" host Howie Mandel provides the voice for Gizmo, everyone's favorite Magwai.

4. A Christmas Story (1983)

Boy, was Roger right about this one or what? Once the top movie on my list, but sadly, the endless replays on TBS have me quite tired of it. "A Christmas Story" follows Ralphie, a 1940's kid who, more than anything in the world, wants a Red Rider BB gun, despite the incessant warning of "you'll shoot your eye out." "A Christmas Story" is full of so many memorable moments, and remains a hilarious portrait of American life in the 1940's.

USELESS TRIVIA: "A Christmas Story" served as an inspiration for the created of the 1988 hit sitcom "The Wonder Years."

3. Home Alone (1990)

Ahhhh! Yes, I'm remembering how much I loved this film as a kid, but even today "Home Alone" holds up as a great Christmas film. Director Christopher Columbus and screenwriter John Hughes caught Macaulay Culkin at the perfect age, before he went off the deep end. Joe Pesci and an over-the-top Daniel Stern make a great team. My funniest moment comes when Daniel describes all of the things he's going to do to Culkin when he catches him:

"Then I'm going to smash his face with an iron!"

There's something so funny about a guy saying that to such a young child, while having an imprint of said iron seared into his face. Couple all of this with John Williams amazing score, and you have a holiday classic for generations to come.

USELESS TRIVIA: Daniel Stern allowed Buzz's tarantula to be placed on his face for only one shot. His character's scream was dubbed in later because he didn't want to frighten the spider. Watch the clip above for another look.

2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

A man claiming to be Santa Claus is thrown into the psycho ward! Look out! A young lawyer defends him - by arguing he's the real thing! "Miracle on 34th Street" is full of emotional closeups and sappy dialogue. It's message of "never being ashamed for what you believe" not only works for kids, but also may have been directed at grown adults who were beginning to fear the spread of communism. Sorry, I went to grad school. This is simply a classic oldie that still hasn't gotten old. It would have wound up number 1 on my list, if it wasn't for my obsession with a certain someone in the next film.

USELESS TRIVIA: Maureen O'Hara, who had just returned to Ireland before be shipped back to America to make this film, was forced to perform against her will. After reading the script, she was glad she came. I'm sure the bags of cash that arrived years later helped a bit, too.

1. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Merry Christmas movie house! Sometimes when I'm all alone, I wake up at 3 a.m. and run down my street yelling out crazy things at the neighborhood Christmas decorations. Did I just admit that in print?

Seriously though, Jimmy Stewart's classic performance never fails to bring a smile across my face. Keeping with classic Frank Capra, this movie goes to some seriously dark places. Remember George Bailey contemplates throwing his body off of a bridge?! Still, "It's a Wonderful Life" became a classic among young and old, because it taught us to value the finer things in life, like each other! The greatest Christmas movie of all time.

USELESS TRIVIA: In its initial box office run, "It's a Wonderful Life" only earned $3.3 million. Maybe they should have cast Vince Vaughn instead!

So, do you have a favorite Christmas flick left off the list? Leave a comment and let me know!