Christmas Movies - Best and Worst

I know that most of these have something profound to say but, right now, I'm in one of those "holiday" moods. You know........just want to drift and think of simple things.....like my best and worst Christmas movies.
Let me get the worst out of the way first. Starting my top 5 would have to be "Santa Claus - The Movie" starring Dudley Moore. It was billed as a Christmas blockbuster back in the early 80's wih its effects, etc. Well.......what a bomb. Dudley Moore as the elf who saves Christmas. Imagine that!
At number 4, Deck the Halls with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick......need I say more with that combination in the same movie. At #3, Jingle All the Way.....at least now, Arnold has something else to do. #2....Bad Santa - Billy Bob Thornton as Santa.....Yikes!!....I figure any Santa movie that you can't show to kids has to be on this list! And my number one worst Christmas movie is pretty recent...the infamous "Fred Claus" with Vince Vaughan, who, I think, somewhat redeems himself in Four Christmas's, by the way.
Now, on to my favorites.....I have alot that could have made this but I'll just give my top 5...at #5, Scrooged....Bill Murray's monologue about Christmas Eve is worth the whole movie......at #4....The Christmas Story...even though we will see this, ad nauseum, on TBS, it still captures so well what goes though a young boy's mind at Christmas time. And tell me you still don't howl at the "leg" lamp. #3 is probably in everyone's top 5 - "It's a Wonderful Life"....for obvious reasons.......#2, and this was close..."National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"......so many good scenes and lines in this movie....my favorite is when Clark's feet go through the ceiling while he was in the attic. Watching him trying to get warm from the air of the house was hilarious! And....(drum roll)...my #1 Christmas movie of all time is a pretty recent one but it's one that always brings out the "kid" in me every Christmas - Polar Express....which contains one of the all time great Christmas songs in Josh Groban's "Believe".
Yes, there are those that almost made it.....Tim Allen's "The Santa Clause"...or his one with Jamie Lee Curtis "Christmas with the Kranks"..the ORIGINAL "Miracle on 34th Street"...."Home Alone" (the first one"....David Stern steals the movie, in my opinion as Joe Pesci's criminal accomplice. There are more but I'd like your list. Let me know and, hey,....have a Merry Christams!!! Believe! (Did you hear the bell?)

Less Christmas Cards Than Ever

Call me old-fashioned....old school...whatever...but I miss that glut of Christmas Cards that would have arrived by now during past Christmas seasons. Because, now, we have instant ways of being in contact (see Facebook and Twitter), the idea of sending a greeting card is slowly, but surely, disappearing (an actual study has the statistics to prove this!). And, no, I don't count those "E-Cards", either. That, to me, is a second-rate way of letting someone know you were thinking of them. What that tells me is that you WERE thinking of them.....for about 10 seconds...fast enough to send a card via e-mail and then you can move on to the next thing in your life. An actual, MAILED, greeting card means that person took some time and effort to find and send something to you to express his/her feelings to you - even if they may be superficial. It's the fact that they made the effort. That means something......at least it does to me. Let's not let go of all of the old holiday traditions. This is the season to give thanks and appreciate all that you have and all who may be close to you. Let's take the time......send a card! And....yes...Merry Christmas!