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Once upon a time, holiday kids circled dates on the calendar for the one-and-only time each December they could see Rudolph or the Grinch. But we don't live in the 20th century anymore. We can order a DVD online or run down to the store and watch anytime we want.

The advantage is DVDs don't have commercial breaks, and haven't been shortened to accommodate even more commercials.

Here are the top 25 Christmas special or holiday movies to watch between now and Dec. 25, all available on DVD (many also available on Blu-ray):

1. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965) • This classic animated special featuring your favorite Peanuts characters is all about the true meaning of Christmas — including verses out of the Bible. And it won both an Emmy and a Peabody Award.

2. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964) • This charming stop-action animation features not only the title tune but great songs such as "Jingle Jingle Jingle," "We Are Santa's Elves," "There's Always Tomorrow," "We're A Couple Of Misfits," "Silver And Gold," "The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year"and "A Holly Jolly Christmas."

3. "A Christmas Story" (1983) • All you need is two lines: "I want an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle." And: "You'll shoot your eye out." Now you don't have to wait for TBS' 24-hour marathon — just watch the DVD a dozen times in a row.

4. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1966) • Animation legend Chuck Jones directed this adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book, with horror-film legend Boris Karloff providing the narration (and the voice of the Grinch).

5. "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947) • Make sure you watch the original Oscar-winning film with the incredible cast (Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwynn, Natalie Wood). Avoid the inferior 1994 remake at all costs.

6. "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) • The first time you see this movie, you might wonder what the big deal is. Until you watch that euphoric ending: "Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old building and loan!"

7. "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (1970) • Like "Rudolph," this is stop-action animation based on a Christmas song. Featuring the voices of Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney, it also has some great tunes, like "The First Toymakers to the King" and "One Foot In Front of the Other."

8. "Elf" (2003) • In this charmer, Will Ferrell is a child-man raised at the North Pole who finds his father (James Caan) and a girl (Zooey Deschanel) in New York City.

9. "Olive, the Other Reindeer" (1999) • In this animated special from the creator of "The Simpsons," a dog (voiced by Drew Barrymore) wants to replace the injured Blitzen. It's great fun.

10. "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" (1962) • This under-rated musical casts Magoo as Ebenezer Scrooge, and features some great original songs by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, whose next project was "Funny Girl."

11. "Frosty the Snowman" (1969) • Yet another animated special based on a song, this one has a lot of charm. And Jimmy Durante as the narrator. (The 1992 sequel "Frosty Returns" is far inferior.)

12. "White Christmas" (1954) • Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (with help from Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) put on a show to save their old Army general's ski lodge. That's entertainment!

13. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" (1992) • Bean plays with a nativity set, conducts a Salvation Army band, steals a Christmas tree, cooks and serves dinner — and it's all hilarious.

14. "A Christmas Carol" • There are umpteen versions of this movie, but three to take note of are the 1951 movie with Alistair Sim; the 1984 TV movie with George C. Scott; the 1999 TV movie with Patrick Stewart.

15. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) • OK, OK. It's probably really a Halloween special. But Jack Skellington does find the Christmas spirit in this weird dreamscape of Tim Burton wonderfulness.

16. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989) • This movie is so farcically funny it even makes Chevy Chase look good.

17. "The Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special" (1988) • Pee-wee is joined by Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Magic Johnson, Dinah Shore, Joan Rivers, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg , Little Richard, Charo, k.d. lang, the Del Rubio triplets, Grace Jones and Santa Claus. It's insanely entertaining.

18. "Opus n' Bill in: A Wish for Wings That Work" (1991) • Characters from the late, lamented comic strip "Bloom County" populate this special, in which Opus the penguin wants Santa to bring him wings that work.

19. "A Muppet Family Christmas" (1987) • This is just loaded with Muppet-y goodness, and characters from all four Muppet franchises — "The Muppet Show," "Sesame Street," "Fraggle Rock" and "Muppet Babies."

20. "The Santa Clause" (1994) • Tim Allen accidentally kills Santa and takes his place — and it's a comedy! Actually, it's funny stuff. Just avoid the sequels.

21. "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too" (1991) • The Pooh bear tries to save Christmas for his friends in this adorable animation.

22. "Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas" (1977) • This Muppet special features almost all-unique characters (with the exception of a guest appearance by Kermit the Frog). And darned if Emmet isn't the cutest otter you'll ever see.

23. "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All" (2008) • Hilarious and unhinged, this special puts Stephen Colbert in a cabin with Toby Keith, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart. And there are lots of songs.

24. "Scrooged" (1988) • Bill Murray is a Scrooge-like network executive (what network executive isn't Scrooge-like?) in this farce.

25. The Little Drummer Boy (1968) • More stop-action animation inspired by a Christmas song, this one has a religious feel. The story also includes a boy whose family is killed, and then he's pressed into slavery. Kind of weird. —

Holiday arts preview

Put away that last piece of pumpkin pie: It's time to plan your holiday outings. Consider choral concerts and rock shows. Consider the seven rotating casts of "The Nutcracker." Think about symphonies and stage shows colorful enough for kids, classic holiday TV shows, and Hollywood's seasonal offerings. Consider Dickens' classic "Christmas Carol," and another round of Scrooge's bad dreams and holiday-themed regrets. To help you plan your December calendar, check out the links here for previews, features, photographs and ticket information, and TV and holiday movie outings. Read on! —

'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

This special is 46 years old, yet the theme — an over-commercialized Christmas crowding out the holiday's true meaning — remains relevant. —

'The Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special'

If you're looking for something offbeat, this 1988 show is weirdly wonderful.