It is unlikely that most of these will be watched again and again, year after year; the best festive films, however, are gifts that keep on giving. What distinguishes them is that they are not just seasonally appropriate but are great films by any measure: touching treatises on loneliness and human connection that just happen to have a few snowmen and carolers thrown in.

Watching 32 movies was quite the undertaking, and I did it over the course of two months, so it’s nearly impossible to catch them all in the few days leading up to Christmas. Thankfully, I kept detailed notes of my thoughts and have rounded up the top 5 Hallmark holiday movies I think are worth checking out.

With Jack Black, Danny DeVito, Dwayne Johnson, Lindsay Lohan and other big names featured in the holiday fare, there are enough stars to top a ton of Christmas trees. If you plan to spend time in front of the TV this season,

No one needs to remind you about the obvious holiday movies playing on repeat on cable, but perhaps you’re looking to go beyond the obvious this year.

December 25th is also a holiday at the multiplex—the last big movie-release day of the year. We’ve ranked the 20 best movies released on Christmas this century.