1. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   All I Want for Christmas
2. Ernest Saves Christmas
   Trapped in Paradise

In "Rudolph. the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the names for the characters were inspired by real people. The original name of "Hermey" the elf was supposed to be in honor of Herbie, one of the producer's childhood friends. Also, Rudolph and friends were created in Japan!

1. Elf
   The Holly and the Ivy
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
   A Christmas Story

Jim Carrey was initially who they wanted for Buddy the Elf, but they ended up with Will Ferrell because Jim Carrey already had other Christmas movies in the works. Did you know that Will Ferrell was a mall Santa at one point? The snow in this film is mostly computer-generated. Buddy was bullied in an early version of the "Elf" script - his journey to seek out his dad began because he was bullied by the other elves for being different.

1. Santa with Muscles
   National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
   Jack Frost

Though the holiday season is usually packed with Christmas or other holiday movies, the year 1989 was a bit different. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" was one of only two movies released that year during the holidays. Also, this film has ties to "It's a Wonderful Life."

1. The Holiday
   A Christmas Carol
2. Four Christmases
   Prancer

Dickens got inspired to write "A Christmas Carol" after he spoke at a charity for an institution in London that is dedicated to the advancement and diffusion of knowledge. He started the story in October of 1843 and wrote obsessively for six weeks.

1. Miracle on 34th Street
   Christmas with the Kranks
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
   It Happened On 5th Avenue

"Miracle on 34th Street" was originally called "The Big Heart." Valentine Davies was inspired to write this story while he was waiting in a long line at a department store, according to TMC. The studio didn't get permission from Macy's and Gimbel's until after they finished filming.

1. Prancer
   The Nativity Story
2. The Perfect Holiday
   Edward Scissorhands

For "Edward Scissorhands," the studio originally wanted Tom Cruise to play the lead. After the success of "Batman" in 1989, 20th Century Fox decided to take a gamble on Tim Burton's quirky film idea. Burton lobbied for Depp to fill the role and thinks it worked out for the best.

1. Four Christmases
   The Perfect Holiday
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas
   The Nativity Story

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" is the first animated "Peanuts" special. None of the children who voiced the characters in this special are credited at the end of the film. Linus's speech about the true meaning of Christmas is actually Luke 2:8-14 from the King James translation of the Bible. Production of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" ended only ten days prior to its premiere date!

1. The Nutcracker
   The Perfect Holiday
2. Christmas with the Kranks
   A Christmas Story

The snow and frost on the trees in "A Christmas Story" was all frozen water put down by the crew. Everyone on set was surprised that the neighbors were so cooperative with the noise, because it took a full 24 hours using snow blowers to cover the area.

1. The Holiday
   How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2. It Happened On 5th Avenue
   Just Friends

The man who sang the famous "Grinch" song in the animated version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," Thurl Ravenscroft, is also the voice of Tony the Tiger! Tim Burton was originally going to direct the live-action movie, but he had a scheduling conflict. Eddie Murphy and Jack Nicholson both almost got the role of the Grinch before Jim Carrey nailed it.

1. Bad Santa
   The Nutcracker
2. The Holiday
   Ernest Saves Christmas

For "Bad Santa," Bill Murray was the first choice to play the lead. The "Guardian" says Murray was in final negations, but he dropped out last minute because of "Lost in Translation." It only took one line, "Sweet Jews for Jesus!" to get Terry Zwigoff to want to direct the film. He says he is much more interested in dialogue than anything else.

1. Love Actually
   Unaccompanied Minors
2. Metropolitan
   The Santa Clause

"The Santa Clause" was the first film in an ongoing collaboration between director John Pasquin and Tim Allen. After this movie was made, Pasquin directed Allen in movies such as "Jungle 2 Jungle" and "Joe Somebody," as well as the television series, "Last Man Standing." There is a Mickey hidden in the moon: when Scott and his kid ride the sleigh, you can see hidden silhouettes of Mickey's head.

1. Jack Frost
   Gremlins
2. All I Want for Christmas
   I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Although "Gremlins" has been a classic Christmas movie, because of its Christmas time setting, it was actually made in the summertime. Gizmo's voice was done by Howie Mandel. Each animatronic gremlin cost the studio between $30,000 to $40,000. During filming, Phoebe Cates, who plays Kate, was totally freaked out by the animatronic gremlins, so she would avoid them at all costs.

1. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
   Christmas with the Kranks
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas
   Prancer

The plot for "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was inspired by the recurring collision of holiday store decorations. In the DVD commentary, Tim Burton explains that his childhood in Burbank, California, was not marked by seasonal changes, but rather by store changes. Fall and winter were melding times of Halloween and Christmas decorations in stores eager to bank off both holidays. This, he says, planted the seed for a story about the king of Halloween intruding on Christmas.

1. The Nativity Story
   All I Want for Christmas
2. Die Hard
   Jack Frost

"Die Hard" was Alan Rickman's screen debut. That's right, it's the same guy that plays Professor Snape in "Harry Potter." Due to tourist interest in Fox Plaza, people are now not allowed to take pictures outside the building.

1. Home Alone
   Lethal Weapon
2. The Nativity Story
   Jack Frost

The first script for "Lethal Weapon" was originally thrown into the garbage. Shane Black, the writer, was trying to be an actor and wrote the script for "Lethal Weapon" in less than six weeks. He thought it was terrible at first, not realizing what a hit he had on his hands. Black's intent was to write an "Urban Western" mixed with "Frankenstein."

1. Just Friends
   Unaccompanied Minors
2. Home Alone
   Trapped in Paradise

Without "Uncle Buck," there would be no "Home Alone." The idea for the movie "Home Alone" happened during the filming of "Uncle Buck," which also starred Macaulay Culkin. Chris Columbus wrote the part of Kevin specifically for Macaulay Culkin because of his precocious nature. He auditioned over 100 other people for the role, however.

1. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
   Batman Returns
2. The Holiday
   A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

Burgess Meredith, who played the Penguin in the 1966 "Batman" series for television, was asked to play the Penguin's father in the opening of the film, "Batman Returns." He was ill, however, so he couldn't do it. Danny DeVito was advised by Jack Nicholson, who did quite well in the first "Batman," to take the role of Penguin. Michelle Pfeiffer went through 60 catsuits during the 6-month shoot.

1. Metropolitan
   Trapped in Paradise
2. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
   All I Want for Christmas

In "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," Kris Kringle doesn't say his first line until eight minutes into the film. The father of the family where Santa Claus leaves toys in stockings looks just like the king in the book Tante Kringle reads, which explains why the Kringle family makes toys. This aired on TV on ABC and ABC Family, sometimes as specials with commercials.

1. Christmas with the Kranks
   It's a Wonderful Life
2. Four Christmases
   I’ll Be Home for Christmas

"It's a Wonderful Life" all began with a Christmas card. After years of trying to sell producers on his short story, "The Greatest Gift," Philip Van Doren Stern decided instead to send out 200 copies of his 21-page story as Christmas cards. RKO found it and decided to produce it.

1. Christmas with the Kranks
   The Snowman
2. The Holly and the Ivy
   A Christmas Tale

The movie is "The Snowman." The first ever snowman documented was in the illustration from a work entitled "Book of Hours," back in 1380 - and it was found in Koninklijke Bibliotheek in The Hague. The biggest snowman of all time - actually, a snowwoman - was created in Bethel, Maine, in 2008. The snowwoman was a whopping 122 feet tall and was called Olympia, to honor the US Senator representing the state of Maine, Olympia Snowe.

1. The Little Drummer Boy
   The Nutcracker
2. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
   Just Friends

"The Little Drummer Boy" was originally supposed to be called "Carol of the Drum." This is a popular Christmas song written by the American classical composer and teacher, Katherine Kennicott Davis, in 1941. In the lyrics, the singer describes how, as a young boy, he was summoned by Magi to the nativity scene where, without a gift for Jesus, he played the drum with approval from the Virgin Mary. He claims it was his best drumming performance (in the song).

1. The Year Without a Santa Claus
   The Perfect Holiday
2. The Nutcracker
   Santa with Muscles

"The Year Without a Santa Claus" is about a weary and discouraged Santa who decides to skip his Christmas Eve run one year. Mrs. Claus and Santa's Elves set out to change his mind. Mickey Rooney does the voice of Santa in this film. The name of the town that decided to cancel Christmas was Southernville, USA. The names of the two elves that Mrs. Claus sent to Southernville were Jingle and Jangle.

1. Home Alone
   Prancer
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
   A Christmas Story

"Prancer" is about a child, Jessica Riggs, played by Rebecca Harrel Tickell, who has recently lost her mother and is being raised by her father. She finds an injured Prancer and takes him home, then tries to nurse him back to health. Soon the town finds out about her Prancer and some very dramatic and strange events ensue. Interestingly, we venture to say that the reclusive old widow in the film is just a hidden version of a witch.

1. The Family Man
   A Christmas Tale
2. Unaccompanied Minors
   The Nativity Story

At one point, Nicholas Cage actually owned the Ferrari that was used in the film. He sold it about a year before the filming of "The Family Man" started. The falling snow, symbolizing the changes that are happening in Jack's life, is an homage to "It's a Wonderful Life." As Jack is bowling, he claims he jumped out of an airplane over the Mojave desert. Nicholas Cage's character actually does that in the movie "Honeymoon in Vegas."

1. While You Were Sleeping
   Unaccompanied Minors
2. Love Actually
   Frosty the Snowman

Julia Roberts turned down the role of Lucy Moderatz in "While You Were Sleeping." Roberts was enjoying the success of "Pretty Woman," so she seemed like an obvious pick. Sandra Bullock was lucky Roberts turned it down! Sandra Bullock was also the first cast member to join the film. Ben Folds references this movie in his song, "From Above."

1. Metropolitan
   Scrooged
2. Just Friends
   The Nativity Story

The film "Scrooged" marked Bill Murray's return to film. "Scrooged" was Murray's first major role following his self-imposed four year hiatus from Hollywood. Richard Donner said many of Murray's lines were ad-libbed. He described directing Murray as, "It's like standing on 42nd street and Broadway, and the lights are out, and you're the traffic cop."

1. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
   It Happened on Fifth Avenue
2. Frosty the Snowman
   A Christmas Story

"It Happened on Fifth Avenue" is a comedy, directed by Roy Del Ruth, about two homeless men that move into a mansion while the owners are vacationing in the south. The story was originally optioned for Liberty Films in 1945, for director Frank Capra. However, later that year, producer-director Roy Del Ruth picked up the story.

1. Shrek the Halls
   Christmas with the Kranks
2. Trapped in Paradise
   Unaccompanied Minors

Steven Spielberg originally wanted Bill Murray and Steve Martin to play Shrek and Donkey in the "Shrek" franchise. The producer's kids are what finally got "Shrek" the green light to be made. The two children of John H. Williams loved the original story and read the book many times. Chris Farley originally played "Shrek" - he had completed about 80-95% of his dialogue for the film before he passed, and Mike Myers took over the role. "Shrek the Halls" is just a fun way of incorporating some green Christmas spirit into the holidays.

1. Jack Frost
   Ernest Saves Christmas
2. Serendipity
   It Happened on 5th Avenue

John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale only filmed for a few days together during the shooting of "Serendipity." Much like their characters in the movie, they only saw each other for a short period of time. Following the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, images of the World Trade Center towers were digitally removed from all the skyline shots of New York City in the film. Kate Beckinsale performed her own stunts!

1. All I Want for Christmas
   The Perfect Holiday
2. The Nativity Story
   Black Christmas

According to director Bob Clark, the original script for "Black Christmas" featured murder scenes that were much more graphic. When NBC showed the film during prime time, it was deemed "too scary" for network television and was pulled off the air. Shooting the search party scenes in the park proved to be quite difficult, as the temperature was a freezing 10 degrees during the night of filming.

1. The Holiday
   Prancer
2. The Polar Express
   Four Christmases

"The Polar Express" uses 3D motion capture techniques to digitally record the physical performances of the actors before "skinning" them with their animated forms. All of the children's roles were acted by adults, using oversized props so that they could get the movement right. Before the hero boy boards the Polar Express, the clock says 11:55. The time doesn't change until the first gift of Christmas is opened at the end of the movie.

1. All I Want for Christmas
   Jingle All the Way
2. The Perfect Holiday
   Christmas with the Kranks

The story, "Jingle All the Way," is based on the 1980s shopping frenzy that happened over Cabbage Patch dolls. Chris Columbus wanted Joe Pesci to play Myron, but some thought he would look too short next to Arnold Schwarzenegger, so they dropped him from the role. You can actually buy official Turbo Man action figures, featured in the movie, on Ebay. The Wintertainment Parade was filmed at Universal Studios, in Los Angeles, in the middle of May.

1. Metropolitan
   A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
2. White Christmas
   One Magic Christmas

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye's comedy act, "dressed up like a dame," wasn't in the original script. But one day they were goofing around and the director Michael Curtiz thought it was so funny, he wrote it into the movie. This film marks the third time that Bing sang "White Christmas." It was originally performed on the radio show, "The Kraft Music Hall," and then in a 1942 classic called "Holiday Inn."

1. Christmas with the Kranks
   The Nativity Story
2. The Perfect Holiday
   Santa with Muscles

"The Nativity Story" focuses on the period in Mary and Joseph's life when they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. This is an epic biblical drama. Filming began in May in 2006, in Matera, Italy, and Ouarzazate, Morocco. Other sequences in the film were shot in Craco, a ghost town in the Italian region of Basilicata and Cinecitta, Rome.

1. Santa with Muscles
   The Holiday
2. Ernest Saves Christmas
   The House Without a Christmas Tree

In "The House Without a Christmas Tree," a young girl in Nebraska named Addie yearns for a Christmas tree for the holidays in 1946. Her widowed father is horrible and bitter, and he refuses to abide by her wishes because of the family's past. Addie ends up bringing the Christmas tree home from school.

1. The Nutcracker
   It Happened On 5th Avenue
2. The Bishop's Wife
   Just Friends

Originally in "The Bishop's Wife," Cary Grant played the Bishop and David Niven played the Angel. When William A. Seiter left the film, Henry Koster replaced him and saw what had been shot so far. He thought that the two were in the wrong roles. Cary Grant eventually conceded and accepted the role as the Angel. The name of the dog in the film is Queen.

1. Lovely, Still
   The Nutcracker
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
   The Holiday

"Lovely, Still" is a holiday tale that tells the story of an older man discovering love for the first time. The writer and director for this film is Nik Fackler. He wanted to write a whimsical romantic tale about an elderly grocery-store bagger that experiences the pangs of first love at a ripe old age. Elizabeth Banks portrays the woman's daughter and Adam Scott plays the role of the store's owner.

1. One Magic Christmas
   Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
2. Trading Places
   A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

The movie, "Trading Places," was inspired by a tennis game. Screenwriter Timothy Harris presented the idea of the film as two brothers arguing over nature vs nurture. The screenwriters of the script hung out with drunk traders to do research. The traders they got to hang out with in L.A. were three hours behind New York City and therefore their happy hours started quite early.

1. It Happened On 5th Avenue
   I’ll Be Home for Christmas
2. Joyeux Noel
   Jack Frost

The film, "Joyeux Noel," is dedicated to the soldiers who fraternized on Christmas of 1914 in many different places on the front. The film was supposed to be rated R originally. However, a film critic, Roger Egbert, criticized the rating and it was changed to PG-13. The film takes place on August 4, 1914, and in December of 1914.

1. The Nutcracker
   Prancer
2. Christmas in Boston
   Angels Sing

"Christmas in Boston" is a 2005 TV film, starring Marla Sokoloff and Patrick J. Adams. It aired originally in the United States on December 14, 2005, on ABC Family Channel's 25 Days of Christmas programming block. The story is that Gina and Seth become pen pals when they are in the 6th grade. 13 years later, they've still been writing to each other and have not met. She is a journalist and he is a toy inventor. When they finally meet, it's fireworks.

1. The Holly and the Ivy
   All I Want for Christmas
2. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
   Krampus

Krampus is older than Jesus. He was born of a pre-Christian, Alpine Pagan tradition, and is described as a "boozy goat-horned menace that whips children around Europe." Krampus rides shotgun with Santa. In a Mexican Christmas movie, Santa Claus shows a jolly old elf thwarting the devil Pitch at every turn, protecting the children and showering them with gifts. Men in Europe are encouraged to terrify children as Krampus.

1. Christmas with the Kranks
   Christmas Town
2. Four Christmases
   Ernest Saves Christmas

"Christmas Town" is about a cynical workaholic who gets suspicious of her banker father's sudden departure from his career and city life in order to move to a small town - a small town that has unusually strong ties to Christmas. She goes to the town to search for her father and find out what is going on, then finds a town called Hollyville. It turns out to be the location of North Pole Enterprises, where Santa's elves work.

1. Four Christmases
   I’ll Be Home for Christmas
2. Surviving Christmas
   Jack Frost

James Gandolfini was ten years older than Christina Applegate, but in the film, "Surviving Christmas," she played his mother. This film was shot without a completed script. Because of this, there were delays and many arguments over what to shoot. John Favreau was offered a chance to direct, but he decided to make "Elf" %0Dinstead.

1. All I Want for Christmas
   Remember the Night
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas
   Prancer

"Remember the Night" is an American romantic comedy. It was written by a wonderful and famous comic writer, Preston Sturges. This was the last of Sturges's scripts shot by another director, as Sturges started his own directorial career the same year, with the release of "The Great McGinty." Preston originally wanted the title of the film to be, "Great Love." Director Mitchell Leisen, who produced the film, shortened Sturges' script multiple times before and during filming.

1. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
   The Nutcracker
2. The Shop Around the Corner
   All I Want for Christmas

To make sure the film, "The Shop Around the Corner," didn't have any of the glamour that was usually associated with him, Ernst Lubitsch went to the lengths of ordering a dress to be left in the sun to bleach and altered so that it fit poorly on Margaret Sullivan. All of the scenes for this film were shot in sequence. In the book, "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise," Lubitsch says this was the best movie that he ever made.

1. Ernest Saves Christmas
   Christmas with the Kranks
2. The Ref
   Jack Frost

"The Ref" is a 1994 American black comedy film, directed by Ted Demme, starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey. "The Ref" did not perform as well at the box office as Leary had hoped. He blamed the studio's method of marketing. Leary ended up making fun of himself during interviews. Pope John Paul II responded to a mention of the movie that it was supposedly vulgar and unpopular.

1. Silent Night
   The Perfect Holiday
2. Trapped in Paradise
   Jack Frost

Set on Christmas Eve in 1944, during World War II, "Silent Night" is about a German mother and her son attempting to seek refuge in a cabin. The cabin is invaded first by three American soldiers and then by three German soldiers. She convinces the soldiers to put their differences aside and share an evening together over Christmas dinner.

1. Santa with Muscles
   Four Christmases
2. Angels Sing
   A Christmas Tale

"A Christmas Tale" is about the troubled Vuillard family, who are completely accustomed to illness, grief, and banishment. When their matriarch needs a bone-marrow transplant, the estranged family clan must team up and reunite just in time for Christmas. Sounds like a modern holiday take on "The Addams Family."

1. The Perfect Holiday
   I’ll Be Home for Christmas
2. The Nativity Story
   Christmas Story

Christmas story tells the tale of old Saint Nik in a different light. Nikolas goes from generous young boy to the Santa Clause figure we know and love today.

1. Love Actually
   One Magic Christmas
2. Christmas with the Kranks
   The Night Before

"The Night Before" was inspired by director John Levine's own tradition. The premise of the story was his brainchild. Jonathan Levine pitched the idea to Seth Rogen and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, while they were collaborating on the film "50/50." There are plenty of comedy cameos in "The Night Before" - for example, Miley Cyrus!