Greetings to all! Well, folks, it’s that time of year…a time to look back on all our trials and successes, our accomplishments and our tribulations…all the lessons that we learned…and the final exams that we passed (or didn’t completely fail).

To commemorate 2009 coming to a close, I’ve put together a list of my top favorite Christmas specials. Whether they be corny, cheesy, silly, emotional, or even funny, all of these capture the essence of my favorite holiday of them all. So, without further ado, here are the top 12 Christmas Specials.

12. Every single original Christmas classic ever made – I had to put these on here…it was simply unavoidable. And yes, I’m talking about all of the classics: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman”, and of course “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. We remember them from our childhood…mainly because they have songs that will stick in your brain and you cannot get them out for weeks. But I digress. These movies were and probably always will be classics…simply because they were the original tales of our childhood Christmas tunes.

11. “It’s a Wonderful Life” – The 1947 movie about a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman suddenly visited by an angel after a suicide attempt, who shows him what life would be like if he’d never existed. While this isn’t one of my top favorites, I will give this movie credit where it’s due. Like some others on this list, it is, above all else, a classic. There were no major, over-the-top special effects or anything of the like…just plain and simple acting and a plot that captured the essence of the holiday spirit.

10. “The Christmas Shoes” – Here we go…another Christmas classic. I’m sure most of us have heard the song by the same title at least once in our lives (it’s very hard not to; most radio channels play it every hour on the hour during this season). It’s a movie about an overworked and self-absorbed lawyer who, while out doing some last minute shopping on Christmas Eve, encounters a person who will change his life forever: a young boy trying desperately to buy his dying mother a pair of shoes. As the song says, the boy wants his mother “to look beautiful, if Momma meets Jesus tonight”. While this could be considered one of those cheesy, sappy holiday movies that our mothers record, sob over, and then we never watch them again, the movie actually had its merits. Mainly, it captured the true spirit of Christmas, showing us that it’s not about the quality or quantity of the gifts we receive during this season, but really just the thought that counts.

9. “The Nativity Story” – This is what I consider an overlooked and definitely underappreciated movie. I know a lot of people weren’t interested in seeing it after “The Passion of the Christ”, but this movie wasn’t nearly as graphic or incredibly depressing. It actually went back and looked at parts of the first Christmas story that most people overlook—such as Joseph’s reaction to Mary’s pregnancy (in the movie, he was actually about to have her stoned when the angel interfered), and the journey of the 3 Wise Men (how they set out on their journey, following the star, and so on). I might not be the good church-going girl of my youth, but I will give this film credit for being original and at least enjoyable.

8. “Miracle on 34th Street” – As some of you know, I do not like remakes. There have been very few exceptions, and this one is not one of them. The version that made this list is the 1947 version with Maureen O’Hara in a brilliant role, and of course, Edmund Gwenn as Mr. Kris Kringle himself. For those who don’t know the story, it’s about a man (Gwenn) who believes he is really Santa Claus, and after he winds up in a sanatorium for it, a young lawyer (aided by a mother and her young daughter) takes Mr. Kringle’s case to prove him sane and rational. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but as they say, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”.

7. “A Christmas Carol” – Which version? ALL of them! Black and white, the Muppets, or even the Disney version—all of them stay true to the original story, and all of them are enjoyable, no matter what! The tale of Scrooge is one of those classics that you simply can’t forget. We’ve all met someone like Scrooge…someone who just couldn’t get in the holiday spirit and said “Humbug!” to everything that reminded them of Christmas. I think, by far, my favorite version is the Disney one. Growing up with characters like Mickey, Scrooge McDuck and the rest of the cast just makes it all the more memorable. Not to mention, they captured the whole story in 30 minutes.

6. “Garfield Christmas Special” – I was raised on Garfield comics (I own 12 of Jim Davis’ books with our favorite fat cat) and I have seen every single special that was ever produced. Yes, I’ve even seen those ridiculous live-action movies, just because I love that cat so darn much. This special is my favorite, by far. The animation was simple, the plot straight-forward, if not a bit cheesy, but it was just a cartoon classic. If you’ve grown up on a farm, or know anyone who has, you know Jon’s family—the quiet, no-nonsense father, the stay-at-home, cook-ridiculous-amounts-of-food-on-the-holidays mother, the shy (if not dimwitted) brother…and by far the coolest grandmother you’ll ever meet in your life. Who else can say their grandmother can play “O Christmas Tree” on the piano and still turn it into a rock number?

5. “A Pinky and the Brain Christmas Special” – It’s Pinky and the Brain + Christmas. How do you possibly go wrong with this? For those who haven’t seen it, I’m not going to give away the ending…only tell you that it’s a touching, heartfelt moment…and yes, those two words can be used in relation to Pinky and the Brain. In short, go and see this special. If you love the television show, I can guarantee you’ll appreciate this little number.

4. “Disney’s The Little Match Girl” – Okay…so I’m kind of cheating with this one. It doesn’t specifically deal with Christmas…but there’s a Christmas tree in it!! Anyway…this is one of those childhood specials that knew how to capture the Christmas spirit in a grand total of 30 minutes…and I will admit…it is one of the few movies that actually managed to make me cry. Unfortunately, most of you have probably never heard of it; you can only find it on the two-disc DVD release of “The Little Mermaid”. If you have a chance, pick it up and take a look. It’s quite a lovely little piece and it’s only thirty minutes of your time.

3. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” – How can this one not make the list? We’ve all watched it at least once in our childhood, and probably at least once since then, just because it was on TV during this season. This one is short and truly sweet, with our favorite childhood characters, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang. We all remember the little tree that barely had four branches and a trunk to its name, as well as the touching ending that will stay with us forever.

2. “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” – No, I am not talking about the Ron Howard atrocity that demolished this holiday classic. How you can make a 1 ½ hour movie (with scenes that should have made that thing PG-13) out of a 25 page Dr. Seuss book is beyond me. No….I am talking about the 1966 movie that was barely half an hour and cast the Frankenstein monster himself as the narrator and voice of our favorite old curmudgeon, the Grinch. How do you not love this movie? It was short, simple, and filled with those holiday tunes that stick in your head quicker than “Frosty the Snowman”. All you need is the smallest spurt of music, and you’re humming “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” all day long. But more than that, this movie really did capture that old holiday spirit, reminding us that “maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…means a little bit more”.

And the number one Christmas special is…

1. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” – Tim Burton’s ultimate classic tale of the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town who decided to spread ghoulish cheer to children far and wide…and ends up with a disaster of yuletide. I know I put this on the Halloween Top 30, but it really is a Christmas movie too. It has everything that a good, classic and true Christmas movie should have—a developed plot, freaking awesome visuals, memorable tunes, and of course, a romance that gives us the happy ending we all want in a Christmas movie. What else can be said? Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is the greatest Christmas movie of all time.

And that’s all I have for you! To all my fellow deviants, far and wide, I say these last words:

“Welcome Christmas, while we stand heart to heart and hand in hand!”

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year!