The 12 Films of Christmas: The Snowman (1982)

By Thomas Broome-Jones

I don't think you can claim to love Christmas unless it has been accompanied at least once with The Snowman in your household.

Superman's stand-in when Clark is on his Christmas break.

A film that can reduce me to tears if I'm suffering from a combination of loneliness and Pepsi withdrawal, this short animated film is a classic and a staple of British culture. There is no dialogue, only music and gorgeous hand-drawn animation, almost as if the pages from the book have been put in motion on screen, which is of course the real benefit of such animation.

It goes without saying that this is a recommendation, it's less than half an hour long so it won't disrupt your day terribly. Anyway, it's Christmas, why are you worried about getting stuff done? It's the one day of the year when you have an excuse to spend your evening doing whatever you want.

I recommend watching this with your family, crack out some chocolate and whatever you choose to quench your thirst with and be lost in the wonder and amazement of the simple story of a snowman that comes to life. Simply put, this film IS Christmas. I love it so much that instead of a trailer, here, here's the whole gosh darn thing, enjoy!

Thomas Broome-Jones is on Twitter, you can follow him @TBroomey.