Five Best Ever Christmas Movies

Christmas is less than three weeks away and that means there is *so* much to do to get organised. Instead, I'm working my way through all the schmaltzy netflix Christmas specials I can get my hands on, and pondering what I'd best pair them with.

So, herewith, a procastilist of my top five Christmas movies of all time - and that was hard, believe me, to whittle it down!

5. The Christmas Chronicles

Okay, it's a big call, because it's brand-new, just released in 2018, so new you can still hear the tinsle crinkling around the box, but I absolutely loved this Netflix offering. Starring Kurt Russell as a slim-and-he-knows-it St Nick, with carjacking, muggings, elves who do The Floss and a brother and sister duo trying to get through their first Christmas since their fire-fighter dad died, a single mum struggling to hold it all together, and this is a movie just bursting with heart. I cried at the end - like a baby. Recommend it a billionty times over.

Pair it with: choc chip cookies and a big box of kleenex

4. Last Holiday

This is a bit of an obscure one, so bear with me. This movie about a woman who's misdiagnosed with terminal cancer and therefore decides to live out all her fantasies while she still can... only to discover she's actually in fine health but is now broke is just made by the awesome Queen Latifah (and the schmaltzy, wrapped-in-a-bow happier than happy ending). Lots of stunning snowy settings and philosophical lessons about living life to the max, this will put a smile on your dial.

Pair it with: pumpkin spiced lattes and cinnamon buns.

3. Die Hard

It might be the quintessential holiday movie, but for me, Die Hard is a movie for all seasons. I love it any time of the year, but never more so than a few weeks before Christmas, when the festive spirit is in full swing, and I want to shout Yippee Kay Yay from snow-covered rooftops.

Pair it with: Bourbon and cigarettes (not real ones, obviously - those 'fads' from when we were kids).

2. Mickey's A Christmas Carol.

My favourite of all the Christmas Carol adaptations, this was one of my Christmas traditions growing up. We had it on VHS and my sisters and I would sit around and devour it - funny, I thought it was feature film length, but recently I watched it with my kids and it's far shorter than that. It fills me with all the same emotions now, as an adult, as it did then. When Tiny Tim cuts his pea in half... Sob!

Pair it with: A roast dinner and all the trimmings

1. Love Actually

It can't be anything else, right? I mean, there are so many more I want to throw into this list, but of all the Christmas movies ever made, i think Love Actually would still top this list. For a start, there's that ensemble cast - full to the brim of celebrity names, all so, so well-cast. Then, there's the tangled lives we get to see implode, and the lovely way we discover they all intersect. There's humour and heart, so much heart. From Sam's mum's funeral to Sarah's brother - and her devoted love for him

To Colin Firth's naughty cheating wife and his amazing love affair with Aurelia - just in cases.

And the biggest, most heart-pulling plot of all - Harry cheating on Karen (did he or didn't he?) and her stoic, reasonable, raw, completely understandable reaction.

That scene where she's listening to Jonie Mitchell, so heart-wrenching. I loved Karen so much for her restraint and maturity, and her beautiful broken heart, and I loved Harry too - silly Harry and his foolish choices, and the way you can see his face crumple as he realises the magnitude of what he's done, the way his life will never be the same.

How can one movie have so many different emotions, so many hardships and still leave you with a huge smile on your face!? Love it to bits - can't wait to watch it with my kids (but those porn scenes might mean we have to wait a few more years...)

Pair it with: Fruit mince pies, mulled wine and London dreams.

Okay, that's my top five (who thought five was a good idea?). What's your favourite Christmas movie? Have you got something new I can try out?