(listicle article)

I would like to recommend old but high quality 5 Christmas films. If you are already bored watching new products of modern holiday movies, then this list is for you.

The first film is ‘The Santa Claus’ (1994). Allen’s Scott Calvin accidentally kills Santa Claus (a nice, light-hearted beginning to a family film) he is expected to take his place. He refuses at first – but when his hair turns white, a beard and belly grow overnight, and children start approaching him with their wish lists, he reluctantly takes the mantle. It’s weirder and darker than having any right to be, but it’s enjoyable to watch.

The second tip is about ‘The Apartment’ (1960). This film has its fancy farcical but well-wrought premise and career-best performances from Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. So it never puts a foot wrong.

The third movie for you is ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1994). Whether you consider this film, a heart-warming gem or an insult to the 1947 original might depend on which version person grew up with – but it’s hard to argue with the performances of Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle and Mara Wilson as the precociously cynical Dorey.

Next is ‘Die Hard’ (1988). Whatever side you’re on in the infernal debate over, whether it’s actually a Christmas movie or not, it is hard to deny that ‘Die Hard’ is a perfect action movie. That it takes place on Christmas Eve, and features lines like, “Now I have a machine gun, ho-ho-ho”, succeeds ideal holiday viewing too – particularly if you’re a little sick of festive slush.

And last but not the least is ‘A Christmas Carol’ (1999). There have been about a hundred screen adaptations of Charles Dickens’s iconic novella, which sees a penny-pinching miser change his ways after encountering the ghosts of his Christmas past, present and future. Though this made-for-television film is far from the most famous reimagining, it is one of the best.