Christmas: the one movie genre that Hollywood seems to know how to do right.

Year after year, decade after decade, Hollywood churns out its annual batch of Christmas films – and astonishingly, they seem to do a pretty good job of getting at least one good Christmas film to audiences each year. Sure, there are clunkers out there like Christmas With The Kranks, but even it must have done something right to warrant a sequel. One thing that has jumped out at me recently is that only five years into the new millennium, Hollywood is still cranking out wonderful Christmas movies. We may have seen much of it before, yet it never fails to warm out hearts. It seems that for this genre the tried and true still works. Some may have their critics, but each of the following show why clichéd plots still ring true, especially at Christmas.

The Polar Express
While it has its critics, the heart of this movie still rings true. Christmas exists as long as you have faith that it exists. At the core of this movie is a boy's struggle with the concept of Santa Claus and the misgiving that shroud the season. This movie truly is a story of redemption of faith in the unknown/unexplainable. If you believe in your heart, then the magic of Christmas will never fade. By using state of the art CGI (which is admittedly distracting at times), this movie speaks to the magic we all remember from our youth.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A story of redemption does not have to rely on state of the art CGI; it can rely on state of the art makeup! The characters here utilize the makeup as an extension of their own self, rather than being constrained by digital facial limitations. While the beloved cartoon shows the development of the Grinch in less than 30 minutes, the movie expands upon the story, showing the care and unqualified love that should exist in all of us. Cindy Lou Who knows what Christmas should really be about and helps the Grinch – as well as her fellow Whos – remember. Will the Grinch and the Whos be able to redeem themselves and make Christmas magical? Come on, this isn’t a suspense movie.

The Santa Clause 2
Rarely are sequels able to capture the same awe and magic as the original, but The Santa Clause 2 comes close. Following the format of the original, Scott Calvin must rekindle his relationship with his son. Not only that, he must seek to find a woman who likes fat, jolly men This harkens to another theme strong within the Christmas movie format: relationship building. Through this tried and true heartwarming plot, we learn how difficult it must be to be a legendary figure. But, relationships between characters are what makes any genre spectacular (see out Best baseball Movies for more examples). Santa Clause 2 excels by not straying far from what made the original so wonderful. It borders on the cheesy, but just enough to make us laugh.

Elf
Taking cheesy to another level is Will Ferrell’s modern Christmas comedy, Elf. With an aware tongue-in-cheek motif, complete with a cameo, this comedy captures your heart. An overgrown elf must rekindle his relationship with his father; why, what better way than to refresh an entire city’s Christmas spirit! It seems if you can make people believe in Santa Claus, then any estranged father will love his bastard child. Plus, Christmas spirit can help capture the love of a girl you weren’t even interested in. Perhaps there’s a little of an Elf in all of us. With the comedic genius of Ferrell at the top of his game, combined with the movie’s self-mockery, this movie is destined to become a Christmas classic.

Love Actually
If it seems relationships are the key to Christmas movies, then this one capitalizes. A hodge-podge of romantic stories, each pretty simple in and of themselves, mixed together just enough to keep you entertained. Combine that with some wonderful eye candy - because let’s face it Keira’s storyline is wrapped up pretty quickly – to create a perfect romantic comedy. Christmas is used as more of a backdrop for the intermingling of relationships. But without Christmas it might not be possible for the relationships to work. After all, during Christmas people are seeking companionship and want to find love. Love Actually uses the Christmas spirit to propel people to take a chance on a relationship that they might not typically take.

Five strong candidates for future Christmas classics? A mere five years into the new millenium, that's really not a bad record at all. Maybe it's been a lucky streak. Maybe Hollywood has this formula down pat. But maybe, just maybe, it has more to do with that Christmas spirit we all share. Even heartless Hollywood execs can't ignore that.