Scary Santas! Toy Thieves! 12 Holiday Movie Clichés Unavoidable as Fruitcake

The prototypical Yuletide toy thief is Dr. Seuss’ Grinch, of course. He pilfered Christmas stockings out of pure spite. But the more recent template of profit-driven toy thieves was established by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern’s Wet Bandits in 'Home Alone,' who pioneered the idea that robbing a home (and, later, a toy store) filled with Christmas presents could get them a ho-ho-ho lot of money. Dean Cain has taken up this criminal mantle with his petty thief in Hallmark’s 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas' movies. [Image Credit: FOX]

Christmas spirit is measured in pure wattage, it seems. At least according to Danny DeVito in 'Deck the Halls,' the Griswolds of 'National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,' and Chris Elliott in 'Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage.' None of those guys are having fun until their outdoor Christmas lights can be seen from space. [Image Credit: FOX]

However, seared retinas aren’t the only injuries that are likely to occur when putting up gigajoules of colored lights. Electrocutions are also common, as Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold can attest in 'Christmas Vacation.' And be very careful when climbing up on your roof to position your light-up Frosty or you could find yourself dangling off the ledge like Luther Krank in 'Christmas With the Kranks.' [Image Credit: Columbia Pictures]

We all know the original misunderstood senior is Ebenezer Scrooge. All he needed was to reminisce on his youthful Christmas parties and hear a few God Bless Us, Everyones to melt his heart. Still, he was a grouch by any standard. Others like Roberts Blossom’s Old Man Marley in 'Home Alone' or Cloris Leachman’s Mrs. McFarland in 'Prancer' look scary but are really pretty nice. All they need to get them out of their shell is to bond with a cute youngster. [Image Credit: Orion Pictures]

New York is a very close second here (see: 'Miracle on 34th Street,' 'Going My Way,' and 'Home Alone 2'), but Chicago pops up again and again as the setting for Christmas movies. 'Nothing Like the Holidays,' 'Christmas With the Kranks,' the first 'Home Alone,' and 'Christmas Vacation,' are all set in the Windy City. Is it really that much more festive of a town? Or are the tax breaks to film productions just that much better? [Image Credit: Warner Bros Pictures]

We know, we know. This photo is a cheat, since Mark Darcy wore this reindeer jumper to the turkey curry buffet on New Year’s Day in 'Bridget Jones's Diary.' But still, it’s the most famous entry in a long line of bad Christmas sweaters worn by everyone from Danny Kaye in 'White Christmas' to Tim Allen and Judge Reinhold in 'The Santa Clause.' [Image Credit: Miramax Films]

Charles Dickens’ classic redemption fable has been made over by Disney (with Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer), the 'Jetsons' (with Cosmo Spacely as Ebenezer), the Muppets (with an admirably straight-faced Michael Caine as Ebenezer), and even Bill Murray, who transformed 'A Christmas Carol' into a critique of Reagan Era commercialism in 'Scrooged.' But though tweaks on the Dickens formula may be old hat, these are all still really fun. And if you want a particular treat, check out a proto-Wilhelmina Slater Vanessa Williams as Ebony Scrooge in the 2000 VH1 movie 'A Diva’s Christmas Carol.'  [Image Credit: Hallmark Channel]

The unexpected Christmas romance is the stuff Lifetime holiday movies are made of, preferably starring Mimi Rogers or Meredith Baxter. But it’s a favorite theme in big-screen Christmas movies too. See 'The Holiday,' in which Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz swap homes (and continents) only to find love—Winslet with movie composer Jack Black and Diaz with a neckerchief-wearing Jude Law. Oh, yeah, and then there's holiday juggernaut 'Love Actually.' [Image Credit: Columbia Pictures]

Any kid whose parents forced him or her to sit on Santa’s lap can tell you that it can be a pretty scary experience. But even more so in the movies, like when Kris Kringle pushes Ralphie down a slide with his foot in 'A Christmas Story.' (Those pointy hats the elves wear are pretty scary too.) Sometimes, they’re just downright incompetent, though, like the Santa who gives Tic Tacs to Kevin McCallister in 'Home Alone' or the drunk Santa who almost ruined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 'Miracle on 34th Street.' [Image Credit: MGM]

What’s a Christmas movie without a life lesson? The wealth of friendship is more important than material wealth ('It’s a Wonderful Life'). Don’t neglect your family at the expense of your career ('Jingle All the Way'). Don’t over-commercialize the holiday ('A Charlie Brown Christmas'). To give is better than to receive ('A Christmas Carol'). Hire better security at your skyscraper to protect against Eurotrash terrorists who want to crash your Christmas party ('Die Hard'). [Image Credit: RKO Radio Pictures]

On some level, this is the theme that underlies almost every Christmas movie. It can be dramatic and life-affirming ('The Bishop’s Wife'), warm and fizzy ('A Christmas Story'), or downright silly ('Elf'), but no matter what it’s almost always poignant. [Image Credit: NewLine Cinema]