Nobody really needs any encouragement to watch movies at Christmas time, but just in case you did, I thought it would be fun to share my top ten favorite Christmas movie posters with you all! The criteria has been quite simple when it comes to selecting each poster. I haven’t picked posters based on their looks, layout or design, the only criteria for selection was that it has to be one of those posters that just gives you that *excited* feeling you just don’t get at any other time of the year! So here goes…

10. The Santa Clause
A fat Tim Allen, what more could you ask for?

9. The Polar Express
Fast becoming a modern day Christmas classic. Only slightly spoiled by animation that is just a little too lifelike that it can look creepy in places but the story is so powerful you forget all about the weird Tom Hanks train conductor and just enjoy the ride.

8. Love Actually
A Christmas chic flick that even guys can enjoy. Love Actually is a rare gem of a movie… a grown up Christmas classic with no Santa Claus/Elves/Rudolph/Toys/CGI in sight yet it still captures everything that is exciting about the festive period.

7. Nightmare before Christmas
A great Disney movie that manages to combine the holidays with Tim Burton, no mean feat.

6. The Muppet Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is one of THE stories of Christmas, an absolute classic in every sense of the word. Combined with Kermit and Co it’s everything you could ask for in a Christmas movie. Smart, funny, endearing and literally full of characters it is as much a part of the holidays as turkey and stuffing!

5. A Christmas Carol
A movie that has been reborn numerous times in a wide range of formats, from huge budget movies right down to low cost direct to TV dramas, a Christmas Carol is one of the best around. The poster below is taken from the most recent Disney incarnations, but almost any version of the great Charles Dickens story deserves a place in everybodies top 10.

4. Santa Claus the Movie
If you live in the UK you won’t be able to avoid Santa Claus the Movie. It is on TV every year without fail, usually on Christmas Eve as I frantically run around the house wrapping anything in sight. Dudley Moore puts in a memorable performance and in my opinion it contains the most believable Santa in any Christmas movie, it’s as if St.Nick himself auditioned and got the part!

3. Home Alone 2
The second half of a great Christmas combo, Home Alone 2 gave me my first images of Christmas in New York which has stuck with me ever since. (Home Alone 3 & 4 have been intentionally left out of this list just so we can pretend they don’t exist)
This movie is extra special on a personal level as I actually designed a poster when I was 10 years old that won a competition! My prize was to take my whole school class to the local cinema to see the movie for free with drinks and popcorn included! I was the most popular guy in my school for at least 5 minutes after that!

2. Elf
As a guy who isn’t Will Ferrell’s greatest fan, I watched Elf for the first time more out of interest than anything else. It turned out to be one of the best Christmas movies Ive ever seen! Such a simple story, but Buddy the Elf is played to perfection and there are so many laugh out loud moments it’s impossible to pick out just one or two

1. Home Alone
No real surprises here. Home Alone is not only my favorite Christmas movie ever, it is up there in my best movies of all time. I once heard it described as a live action cartoon, which pretty much sums it up. There are so many comic capers to list but after watching Kevin McCallister in full flow you will never look at a door knob/iron/blow torch/paint pot/tarantula/toy cars/tar/feathers/broken baubles in the same way ever again!

So what do you think? Have I missed out the glaringly obvious?? Are there any other Christmas classics you would add? Feel free to join in the discussion below!
Happy Holidays!!!!