IT is Christmas once again, and throughout the Christmas seasons over the years, Hollywood has come up with lots of exciting movies that talk about everyone's "year-end holiday" through diverse genres such as action, comedy, animation and fantasy.
This year is no different, with a high-technology Santa Claus who does push-ups and weight-lifts in Red One, besides teaming up with Hollywood superheroes Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.
Over the years, Christmas stories have gradually evolved from heart-warming family dramas to stories of brave police officers making Christmas safe for their loved ones, stingy businessmen being haunted in modern retellings of Charles Dickens' famous novel, and gothic ghost stories with a
romantic theme.
Below are the top five Christmas movies we have had over the last four decades.
DIE HARD
This 1988 action film directed by John McTiernan catapaulted Bruce Willis to fame on the big screen and also made the late Alan Rickman a household name.
Willis plays New York City police detective John McClaine (Willis) who arrives in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, at a party held by her employer.
The company building is soon seized by a German terrorist Hans Gruber (Rickman) and his armed and dangerous team, and it is up to McClaine to rescue the hostages who include his wife, and take down the deadly terrorists.
SCROOGED
A modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, this 1988 film directed by Richard Donner sees Bill Murray of Ghostbusters fame play Frank Cross, a modern day version of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge.
Cross is a ruthless television station chairman who treats his staff poorly, and is soon visited by his former business partner Lew Heyward (John Forsythe). Heyward tells Cross that he will be visited by three ghosts (David Johansen, Carol Kane and Chaz Conner).
The film's star-studded cast included notable cameos by Lee Majors, John Houseman, Miles Davis, Paul Shaffer, David Sanborn, Mary Lou Retton and Buddy Hackett.
THE SANTA CLAUSE
Directed by John Pasquin, this 1994 fantasy comedy sees Tim Allen play Scott Calvin, a marketing director for a toy company in Lakeside, Illinois, who prepares to spend Christmas Eve with his 8-year-old son Charles (Eric Lloyd).
Scott wants Charles to maintain his belief in Santa Claus, despite not believing himself.
One evening, Scott and Charles are awakened by a noise on the roof. When Scott investigates, he discovers the real Santa Claus who falls off the roof and dies.
Santa's body vanishes and he leaves behind a red suit and business card which states that if he dies someone should wear his suit and become the new Santa.
Scott gradually transforms into the real Santa, getting fat and growing a beard.
He eventually reaffirms his son's faith in Father Christmas, as Charles begins to tell his friends that his father is the real deal.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
In this 1993 stop-frame animated movie produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington leads his town in organising the annual Halloween celebrations in Halloween Town.
Jack however grows tired and longs for something new.
He discovers trees containing doors to other holiday-themed worlds, and stumbles through the one leading to Christmas Town.
Once he gets home, Jack shares his discovery with his friends but they struggle to grasp the concept of Christmas.
Jack announces that Halloween Town will take over Christmas this year and assigns Christmas-themed jobs to various residents.
Mad scientist Dr Finkelstein's female monster creation Sally secretly loves Jack, and tries unsuccessfully to prevent the scientist from kidnapping Santa.
Once Santa is kidnapped and brought to Halloween Town, Jack assures him that he will take care of Christmas and keep him safe.
Jack and Sally eventually rescue Santa from the villainous monster Oogie.
Featuring the voices of Chris Sarandon (Jack), Catherine O'Hara (Sally), William Hickey (Finkelstein), Ken Page (Oogie) and Ed Ivory (Santa).
RED ONE
Directed by Jake Kasdan, this fantasy action adventure is about MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), a clandestine, multilateral military organisation that oversees and protects a secret peace treaty between mythological creatures and humanity.
Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) the commander of ELF (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification) and head of Santa Claus' (JK Simmons) security, requests to retire after one last Christmas run.
On Christmas Eve, a black operations team breaks into the North Pole complex and kidnaps Santa.
Callum notifies MORA director Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu) about the kidnapping, and her team discovers that the North Pole's secret location was compromised by Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans), a mercenary hacker who claims to be able to find anything in the world.
Zoe makes Jack and Callum work together to find and rescue Santa, and soon learn that the kidnapper is the ruthless winter witch Gryla (Kiernan Shipka).
With a little help from Santa's estranged brother Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), they fight their way into Gryla's lair and to rescue Father Christmas.