The Snowman – (1982)

Directors: Dianne Jackson Starring: David Bowie, Raymond Briggs

The Snowman is a beautiful, sentimental look at children’s relationship with innocence and Christmas. This 26 minutes long animated tale was nominated for the Best Animated Short in 1982. It’s wordless and probably best known for the soundtrack (which features “Walking in the Air” sung by Aled Jones). On midnight one Christmas Eve, a young boy finds that the snowman he built that day has magically come to life. The Snowman takes him on a magical journey to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas. This pencil-drawn animation is gorgeous, the music unforgettable. It’s likely to move children and grown men to tears.

The Nightmare Before Christmas – (1993)

Director: Henry Selick Starring: (voice) Catherine O’Hara, Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman

Henry Selick’s wonderful stop-motion classic is based on Tim Burton’s story. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from “Halloween Town” who opens a portal to “Christmas Town”. It’s a movie about how to be truly happy in a tough world, saying that all you need to do is just be exactly who you are, without compromise. What better message is there for Christmas?

The Polar Express – (2004)

Director: Robert Zemeckis Starring: (voice) Tom Hanks, Nona Gaye, Leslie Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen

In this magical tale Tom Hanks lends his voice to more than five characters. The story follows a boy who begins to suspect that Father Christmas doesn’t exist and ends up boarding a magical train bound to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. The Polar Express is superlative in 3D. One of the more inventive and visually captivating holiday films made in many years.