Tom Hanks and More Stars Share Their Favorite Christmas Movies; check out

It’s that time of year to curl up on the couch, sip on a hot chocolate, and watch one of our most beloved genres: holiday movies.

If you’re looking to ramp up the nostalgia and holiday magic, there’s a never-ending list of Christmas classics such as: “Happiness Cannot Be Purchased” (1946), “Illusion is also lived” (1947) and “Frustrated Christmas Vacation” (1989).

Plus, the latest movies that earned a spot on everyone’s annual must-watch list, like “A Leprechaun in New York” (2003), “The Polar Express” (2004) and “Klaus” (2019) 🇧🇷

The most popular genre for Christmas movies is comedy, according to IMDb.

At the top of the category list is the 1990s hit “They forgot me” with a rating of 7.7 out of 10.

“No matter when they take place – modern era or period – Christmas movies and television specials are always about someone who has lost his faith in humanity and regained it. Saved by other people being kind”, Tom Hanks, who stars in “The Polar Express” and “Message for You” (yes, some have put this romantic comedy on their Christmas list), he told CNN 🇧🇷

We asked Hanks and a few other celebrities, along with several journalists from CNN , about your favorite Christmas movies. See below.

• Tom Hank: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)

Genre: Animation

Release date of: December 9, 1965

IMDb Note: 8.3

Curiosity: the TV special was put together in just a few weeks to meet broadcast demands

“It probably lasts about 24 minutes, but time freezes when I see Snoopy build his doghouse with all the trimmings and lights and he wins first prize. It’s great to see those kids rehearsing their Christmas play. You just know Christmas is coming when you see Snoopy and Charlie Brown,” Hanks told CNN 🇧🇷

• Ron Howard: “Happiness Can’t Be Purchased” (1946)

Genre: Drama

Release date of: December 20, 1946

IMDb Note: 8.6

Curiosity: This Jimmy Stewart classic has the highest rating of any Christmas movie on IMBd.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it. I think it’s one of the most fascinating stories to revisit and I’ve never watched it without taking a moment to consider the central thematic question: are you aware of how you might affect those around you and the ripple effect of that?” said Howard.

Who doesn’t cry when they see Jimmy Stewart rediscover himself and his will to live? In a really complicated, difficult and frustrating world, a damnable world, there, the choice to engage and live matters and you can matter. And it was powerful then and it is powerful now. It is actually more powerful now,” he added.

• Bobby Flay: “A New York Leprechaun” (2003)

Genre: Comedy

Box office: $255 million

Release date of: October 9, 2003

IMDb Note: 7

Curiosity: O The film’s tagline was: “This holiday, discover your inner elf”

“I Think Will Ferrell is a comedic genius. My favorite scene in the movie is when he thinks he’s found the best cup of coffee in the world,” Flay told CNN 🇧🇷

• CNN’s Abby Phillip: “An Angel in My Life” (1996)

Genre: Romance

Box office: $92 million

Release date of: October 9, 2003

IMDb Note: 5.6

Curiosity: O film is not officially tagged as a “Christmas” movie by IMDb, but it is by The Movie Database

“You have Whitney Houston, you have Denzel Washington, and you have the story of an angel almost having an affair with the preacher’s wife. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this,” said Phillips.

“I watch it every year several times during the Christmas season, but I love watching it on Christmas Day and I love playing the soundtrack. The soundtrack to this movie is incredible. It’s such a fun Christmas movie,” she recounted.

• doctor Sanjay Gupta: Home Alone (1990)

Genre: Comedy

Box office: $592 million

Release date of: November 16, 1990

IMDb Note: 7.7

Curiosity: is the most popular “Christmas” movie on IMDb, according to the site’s internal score, which considers user searches and other metrics

“What always immediately makes me think of Christmas is this one. It immediately takes me to Christmas. It’s one that my three teenage daughters and I will curl up on the couch and watch for sure,” Gupta said.

• CNN’s Dana Dash: “Love Is Simply” (2003)

Genre: Comedy

Box office: $87 million

Release date of: September 7, 2003

IMDb Note: 7.6

Curiosity: for the film’s 20th anniversary, Hugh Grant 🇧🇷 Laura Linney 🇧🇷 Emma Thompson 🇧🇷 Bill Nighy and Thomas Brodie-Sangster attended a special meeting

“It makes me so happy the way it ends. It’s such a positive message. It’s so funny. It’s a classic. If he’s on TV and I click on him, it’s over, I have to finish. It’s simply the best Christmas movie ever,” said Bash.

• CNN’s Jake Tapper: “Die Hard” (1988)

Genre: Action

Box office: $161 million

Release date of: December 22, 1988

IMDb Note: 8.2

Curiosity: is the highest-rated action film on IMDb’s “Christmas list”

“My favorite Christmas movie is without a doubt Die Hard. I know it’s controversial to say, but it’s obviously a Christmas movie. It takes place at Christmas and there are many themes throughout the film about the holiday. It has all the elements you want in a Christmas movie: Homecoming, love and lots of murderous terrorists,” said Tapper.

• doctor Anthony Fauci: “Of Illusion One Also Lives” (1947)

Genre: Comedy

Release date of: June 4, 1947

IMDb Note: 7.9

Curiosity: andThis classic was remade in 1994 by director Les Mayfield. The remake has a 6.6 rating on IMDb

“It takes me back to my childhood because it was made when I was a kid and you see it every Christmas. It had that innocent warmth of Christmas, the innocence of childhood,” Fauci told CNN 🇧🇷

• CNN’s Sara Sidner: “A Christmas Story” (1983)

Genre: Comedy

Box office: $60 million

Release date of: November 18, 1983

IMDb Note: 7.9

Curiosity: Peter Billingsley returns as Ralphie, now an adult, in a sequel released this year

“I watch it every year at least twice. I was a very active kid and could see myself onstage with the bullies and all. The narrator in this film is like the voice of God to me. It brings out all the wonders and wounds of childhood you can imagine. I loved it so much that I went to Cleveland at one point and went to see the house where it was filmed,” said Sidner.

• CNN’s Kate Bolduan: “The Ghosts Strike Back” (1988)

Genre: Comedy

Box office: $154 million

Release date of: November 22, 1988

IMDb Note: 6.9

“There is only one and it cannot be debated. It’s arguably the best holiday movie of all time. Bill Murray as Frank Cross: deliciously horrendous, cyclical, horrible human being. And then in classic Christmas, Carol makes a comeback. It didn’t escape my notice that Frank Cross is a TV executive. So there is hope for all of us,” said Bolduan.

• Ana Cabrera, from CNN: “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1946)

Genre: Animation

Box office: $154 million

Release date of: December 6, 1946

IMDb Note: 8

“Who doesn’t love Rudolph? I just remember growing up, that was the only movie we had to watch. It’s one that stays with you. It’s such a great movie: the characters, the message, the magic Even as an adult, it’s what I want my kids to watch every year because I still love it as much as I did then,” said Cabrera.