Brad Stine stars alongside Daniel Baldwin and Ted McGinley in the gmc World Premiere Christmas Movie: Christmas with a Capital C.

By Christa A. Banister, senior music editor, gmclife.com

In the seemingly never-ending hustle-bustle of the holiday season, sometimes there’s nothing better than kicking back with a cup of hot cocoa and a movie that makes you forget all about those presents you haven’t bought yet. And since we’re guessing you’d prefer to avoid anything that’s the cinematic equivalent of fruitcake, well, we’ve got a few surefire winners – one for every day of Christmas, in fact.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, Christmas in Connecticut...
Remember you heard it here first: you’ve got to see the original starring Barbara Stanwyck; it’s an absolute joy to watch. By the way, Christmas in Connecticut (the 1992 remake) premieres on gmc Sunday, December 19 at 7 PM ET. Posing as the perfect wife, mother and chef and making a living off that deception for years now, a food writer named Elizabeth Lane gets the shock of her life when her boss and a famed war hero invite themselves over to her house for the “perfect” family Christmas. And if you haven’t guessed already, Liz is no Martha Stewart. Cue: kitchen inevitable kitchen hi-jinx and then some...

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, Will Ferrell donning green tights...
No matter how many times you’ve seen certain movies, the best ones absolutely, positively never cease to be funny. And I’ll be the first to admit, when I first saw the trailer for Elf back in 2003, I didn’t exactly have high hopes. But in what’s become a must-watch every Christmas, Elf is such a fun and heartwarming fish-out-of-water story, that 'smiling will definitely be your favorite,' too.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, three journeys to Narnia...
Before the highly anticipated third adventure in Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader arrives in a Cineplex near you on December 10, this is the perfect time for a quick refresher course by returning to the place where it’s always winter, never Christmas in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a movie starring a girl with really, really long hair...
You’ll have to head to the multiplex to see Tangled, but it’s absolutely worth the trip, especially in 3D. Recalling the Disney era of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King but with far better animation, Tangled is a humorous, action-packed adventure with a particularly catchy soundtrack that’ll get stuck in your head for days.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a movie with real style and heart...
Recently awarded the PTC seal of approval by the Parents Television Council, Christmas With a Capital C, airing exclusively on gmc, proves that holiday entertainment can have style and substance. In a charming small town nestled in the snowy terrain of Alaska, holiday traditions are under attack when the community finds itself entangled in a legal battle with a former resident. So what will it take for there to be peace in Trapper Falls yet again? We’ll never tell...

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a funny date with Kermit the Frog...
Unlike last year’s remake of the oft-told Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey, The Muppet Christmas gets the time-honored classic right without being downright scary and maniacal. Just the pairing alone of Michael Caine as the miserly Ebernezer Scrooge with Kermit the Frog by his side makes it absolutely worth the rental. And if you need added incentive, there’s plenty of goofy humor, too.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, Tim Allen in a great big Santa suit...
Truth be told, the filmmakers behind The Santa Clause should’ve forgotten all about the dollar signs and been content with  making one good movie. But if you’re willing to look past its horrible sequels, The Santa Clause itself is actually worth revisiting. Not only are there plenty of entertaining shenanigans once Tim Allen’s character makes his big ol’ transformation into Kris Kringle, but there’s a great underlying message about the importance of spending quality time with family.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, an enchanting must-see with Jimmy Stewart...
And no, I’m not talking about It’s a Wonderful Life, which you’ve probably got scheduled in already. Also set on Christmas Eve, there’s plenty of unexpected holiday romance, rather than life reflection, in The Shop Around the Corner, the classic that inspired the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan pairing in You’ve Got Mail. No onstage couple probably meets more awkwardly than the would-be lovebirds portrayed by the aforementioned Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. But seeing them fight and flirt definitely has its rewards and keeps you guessing right ‘til the end.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, lots of singing and dancing in Vermont...
If you haven’t already seen White Christmas with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney, it’s an absolute must – even if musicals aren’t really your thing. Not only is the choreography simply divine (especially the impossible-to-forget “Sisters”), but the songs are really the perfect holiday soundtrack.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a kid who probably still hates aftershave...
Home Alone is still one of John Hughes’ best, and that’s because humor, not to mention a kid giving Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, an old-fashioned beatdown, never goes out of style. Plus, I dare you not to laugh when the pizza guy is running away from the bullets in the movie that Macaulay Culkin’s character is watching while enjoying that nice cheese pizza just for him.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, the joys of puppy dugs without the mess to clean up...
As a prequel to Disney’s 2009 flick Santa Buddies, The Search for Santa Paws, now available for rental, is the super cute story of how Santa and one loyal puppy eventually save Christmas in the holiday spirit-challenged Big Apple.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a meaningful life with a side of veggies...
A riff off the story we already know so well, but with a clever Veggie Tales spin and an asparagus in the starring role, It’s a Meaningful Life investigates what’s really important in life, even if we’ve messed up in the past. But before things can grow too heavy for the kiddos and their parents, there’s plenty of silly songs to keep the story moving to boot.

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About the Writer

After graduating with a B.S. in Journalism from North Central University in 1998, Christa Banister moved from Minneapolis to Nashville, Tenn. and eventually started working at CCM Magazine/Salem Publishing in various editorial capacities as an editor, columnist and website guru for five and a half years. After that, she launched her own Dallas-based freelance writing company and writes for numerous clients including Salem Publishing, Crosswalk.com (she review movies for them each week), Christian Single, Christianity Today, Threads Media, Songs4Worship.com, PassAlong.com and also helped kickstart the first Christian music blog for MTV. In addition, she also writes bios for professional recording artists and authors and penned her first two novels, Around the World in 80 Dates and Blessed Are the Meddlers for NavPress.