The 12 Films of Christmas: Jingle All the Way (1996)

By Thomas Broome-Jones

Yes, I'm actually recommending this. Jingle All the Way stars dear old Arnie as a father who must scour Minnesota to find a sold-out "Turbo Man" toy for his son, who is played by Jake Lloyd, otherwise known as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, what a great start we're off to.

"Hands up if you just do it for the money nowadays."

I'd place this film in the "so bad it's good" category. It's a really poor film, hammy acting, stiff dialog, cliches, unfunny jokes, it doesn't really have much going for it. However the pure level of how stupid this film is makes it enjoyable, much like a personal favourite of mine, The Room, you'll laugh at how truly awful it is.

I don't want to spoil it for you because you just need to see the progression of how bad it really does get, but the highlight for me is Arnie knocking out a reindeer. You read that correctly, Arnie punches a reindeer in the face, if that doesn't sell the film to you then I don't know what will.

A poor film that has acquired a cult following from its unintentional hilarity, this will remind you how lucky we really are to have brilliant Christmas films to fall back on, and will undoubtedly find a place in your heart, maybe just not the right place. 

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

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.

The 12 Films of Christmas: Trading Places (1983)

By Thomas Broome-Jones

Good ol' John Landis is one of the greatest comedy directors of all-time and he has two real classics under his belt, Animal House and Trading Places, the latter of which is a Christmas film, so I'm happy to recommend it.

This short sequence is better than the entire film of Bad Santa.

One of the best comedy films ever made, it tells the story of two men on opposite ends of the social scale, who, thanks to a wager made by two socialites, unwittingly trade places, swapping every aspect of their lives. Dan Aykroyd  is a wealthy elitist and Eddie Murphy a down-and-out tramp.

The real comedy gold in this film lies in Murphy and Aykroyd's chemistry, they're electric and the film really kicks in when they become aware of the wager and team up. But it's all just as funny when they're not the best of friends. There is a particularly brilliant and famous one-liner which involves Aykroyd dropping the N-bomb without realizing Murphy's presence, making for one of the most awkward moments in cinematic history.

If you haven't watched this film yet then you should, it's side-splittingly funny with charm and heart. Murphy and Aykroyd turn in career-best performances here as this was when they were both very much in their primes. The Blues Brothers had established Aykroyd as a force to be reckoned with and 1983 served as the real break-out year for Murphy, with his stand-up video Delirious coming out within months of Trading Places, this is an example of two comic actors at the top of their game doing what they do best, making you laugh.

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

The 12 Films of Christmas: Scrooged (1988)

By Thomas Broome-Jones

This Christmas film is actually pretty scary but is ultimately hilarious and heart-warming. It's essentially a modern-retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, something that's been done a thousand times I know, but this is one of the best adaptations in my mind.

Who you gonna call? Yourself, actually.

Scrooged follows TV executive Frank Cross, played by the legendary Bill Murray. He's Scrooge in ecery way, grumpy, miserable, cruel, despised, stingy and hates Christmas. You all know the rest of the story, 3 spirits, life lessons, bad guy turns himself around, yada, yada, yada.

Bill Murray is one of my favourite actors of all-time, I'd have to rank him as the greatest comic actor ever, even above giants such as Robin Williams and Jerry Lewis. He carries this film and his comic timing is perfect as ever. He creates a memorable character in a film which is basically Groundhog Day if it were written by Charles Dickens.

A funny heart warmer that's pretty lewd in places but is on the whole a real riot, especially when Murray meets Death, but you'll have to watch it to find out. Scrooged is worth a slot in your Christmas films list.

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

The 12 Films of Christmas: Batman Returns (1992)

By Thomas Broome-Jones

I love the fact that Batman has a Christmas film, primarily because I get to recommend it. This is definitely the darkest entry in the live-action Batman film franchise and is actually a pretty depressing film.

Neither of them are happy at the casting of Ben Affleck, it seems.

So why recommend it? Well, BECAUSE IT'S BATMAN! I'm a tad biased when it comes to The Caped Crusader and this is one of the better Batman films for me. Bruce Wayne locks up with The Penguin, played by Danny De Vito who is perfectly cast and was seriously overlooked in the awards department, it's hard to tell it even is dear old Danny as he's underneath so many prosthetics and so much make-up. Michelle Pfeiffer also portrays Selina Kyle, or Catwoman as she's better known and totally makes the role her own, it's a real shame the planned spin-off featuring her character never came to fruition.

This is a dark and sometimes pretty disturbing Batman film but still, it's Batman and it's set at Christmas, so watch it, enjoy it and admire what is one of my favourite Tim Burton and Batman films.

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

The 12 Films of Christmas: Lethal Weapon (1987)

By Thomas Broome-Jones

In case you haven't quite worked it out yet, I'm a fan of unconventional Christmas films. Lethal Weapon is an all-time action classic and one that I think holds up very well.

The set-up is simple and effective, and old cop (Danny Glover) is paired with a new young hotshot (Mel Gibson) and they have to beat the bad guy together, it's easy to understand and is executed perfectly.

I think Glover only just realized that Gibson's a racist.

I'm a big fan of Danny Glover, I think he's a good actor with real charm and charisma, I mean he pretty much carried Predator 2 and has demonstrated both comic and straight acting abilities. He can be funny when he wants to and he can be serious when he wants to, an invaluable talent for any actor.

This film was also made before Mel Gibson went absolutely bonkers and is one of his best performances, him and Glover have wicked chemistry and both portray likable characters that can more than handle themselves.

The action is just the right kind of testosterone-fueled action junkie gun porn fare for all to enjoy. Although this most definitely isn't fun for all the family, that is unless your family enjoys electric shock torture.

If you're looking for an unconventional Christmas film to watch this year and have just done Die Hard far too many times, then this is the one for you.

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

The 12 Films of Christmas: Elf (2003)

By Chloe Burrell

This is a feel-good film that brings unheeded Christmas cheer no matter what mood you find yourself in at the beginning. Completely silly and truly heartwarming, I don’t think I’d be able to go a year without watching this cracker. From the extremely genius actor/director/producer, Jon Favreau, this is a film about a misfit human/elf who is sent to New York to re-discover his 'inner human’, stumbling upon a few hiccups (or should I say burps) along his merry way. 

This probably isn't too far removed from what school was actually like for Will Ferrell.

Buddy is a character that everyone, even Scrooge and the Grinch no doubt, could find a soft spot for in their heart. Excitable, loving and completely sociably inept, you’ll spend the whole film in fits of laughter and totally cringing, but never ever falling out of love with this elf-ified BFG. It’s no surprise either, with the god of American comedy, Will Ferrell, bringing the character to life, and the adorable Zooey Deschanel making an appearance beside him too. It’s a wholly charming, sat-in-a-blanket-with-the-family Christmas must-see film that won’t be coming off my festive film list for many years to come. I think it’s fair to say, good things do occasionally come in big packages.