Favorite Holiday Watching.

What is your favorite thing to watch to get you in the holiday spirit?

Every year my top 10 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS movies change. Although they are some of my favorites, this year I will exclude Home Alone 1 & 2 for the first time from this list. But I highly recommend you watch the beginning of Home Alone 2 for the beautiful shots of the World Trade Center... Every year it gets me.

So, this year, I had a guy call up to confess his guilty pleasure on this topic. He refused to allow me to air the call unless I changed his voice. We were talking about how he, like me, has to watch Christmas movies behind his wife's back until after Thanksgiving. Click the play button below to hear this funny call. Note: Deb's laugh was altered and it sounds hilarious!

#10. The Santa Clause. Tim Allen really pulled this off. Judge Reinhold is frickin badass. When you make it to Santa's workshop, they capture it just like I imagined as a kid. I love all these movies... Even the one with Martin Short.

#9. Bad Santa. This is just AWESOME! If you have a dirty mind and haven't seen it, I feel sorry for you. If you have seen it and don't like it. I totally understand. Just wrong. But so, so right. It's always nice to see John Ritter. You won't laugh right for a week.

#8. How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The Classic, not that Jim Carrey P.O.S. Max the dog always cracks me up on the way down the hill when he waves from the back of the sled. The way the animation moves is just comforting. The repeat of some of the slides always cracks me up. GREAT SONG!

 #7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This is usually 1 or 2. Cousin Eddie is just a classic character. The grandparents, Snot the dog, the car scene on the way to get the Christmas tree. A must every year. Maybe twice.

#6. Surviving Christmas. I have to admit this is only here to honor and remember James Gandolfini, who is really great in this role. Catherine O'Hara was the mom from "Home Alone" and she is also great in this. Ben Affleck is a rich guy who didn't have a good Christmas as a kid. He pays strangers to be his family for the holidays. This is done despite the disgust of the "daughter" played by Christina Applegate. So dysfunctional that Doo Dah (the grandpa) was asked, "Are you smoking pot?" Really underrated movie.

#5. The Family Stone. Craig T. Nelson and Diane Keaton are the parents of a dysfunctional household of grown up brothers and sisters. This features Dermot Mulroney and his bride to be portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. He asks his mom for "The Family Stone" to give to her for Christmas. The mother says no. Hilarity ensues.

#4. It's A Wonderful Life. Every year I watch it and try to be a better person. There is way more to a good life than money. It's funny how that message is timeless. Still, it would have been awesome to see ol' Potter get what he had coming.

#3. Elf. When Zooey Deschanel starts singing to get everyone's Christmas spirit up, I get choked up every year. Even if you don't like Will Farrell, this movie has everything including a dwarf named Peter Dinklage. James Caan does a god job of making you hate him. The "6 inches!" line by the manager played by Faizon Love is one of the Pants' family's most uttered catch phrases during Christmas. One of my favorite scenes is when the Elf meets the mall Santa. He SCREAMS SANTA! Elf then questions and assaults mall Santa, accusing him of smelling like beef and cheese. What's your favorite color?

#2. Scrooged. This re-telling of "A Christmas Carol" was a favorite in our house. I have always been a fan of Bill Murray. I find it ironic he never got along with Chevy Chase but Bill's brother Brian did? Bill's brother, John Murray, plays his brother "James" in the movie. Bill's other brother, Brian Doyle Murray, played the father "Earl" ("Go out and get a job and buy one! I'm only 4!")  David Johansen a.k.a. Buster Poindexter gives his rendition of the Ghost of Christmas Past.  Carol Kane is amazing as the ghost of Christmas Present. "The b*#ch hit me with a toaster!"  May god bless us... Everyone.

 #1. The Polar Express. This movie speaks to me and through the years I have been able to see past the awful animation to the amazing story. I still hear the jingle of the bells. JP