Patrick Stewart's one-man production of Dickens's A Christmas Carol played to sold-out audiences in New York and Los Angeles. In this studio recording based on those performances, Stewart is in rare form, using his considerable range of voices to play all roles, from the Ghost of Christmas past to Tiny Tim. It must be said that Stewart clearly enjoys playing Scrooge best of all--but isn't the villain always the most compelling character? Even if you feel that "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart," this rendition of Dickens's classic will get you in a Yuletide mood. (Running time: 2 hours, 2 cassettes) --C.B. Delaney

Destined to become a holiday perennial, The Polar Express also heralded a brave new world of all-digital filmmaking. Critics and audiences were divided between those who hailed it as an instant classic that captures the visual splendor and evocative innocence of Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, and those who felt that the innovative use of "performance capture"--to accurately translate live performances into all-digital characters--was an eerie and not-quite-lifelike distraction from the story's epic-scale North Pole adventure. In any case it's a benign, kind-hearted celebration of the yuletide spirit, especially for kids who have almost grown out of their need to believe in Santa Claus. Tom Hanks is the nominal "star" who performs five different computer-generated characters, but it's the visuals that steal this show, as director Robert Zemeckis indulges his tireless pursuit of technological innovation. No matter how you respond to the many wonders on display, it's clear that The Polar Express represents a significant milestone in the digital revolution of cinema. If it also fills you with the joy of Christmas (in spite of its Nuremberg-like rally of frantic elves), so much the better. --Jeff Shannon

You know exactly what you're getting in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: another goofball, slapstick comedy of chaos and catastrophe with Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and family. This time, there's no traveling involved: Clark and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) prepare for a nice Christmas with the kids (played by none other than Juliette Lewis and Roseanne star Johnny Galecki), when their home is invaded by backwoods cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his brood, along with assorted other crazy and/or stuffy relatives. Complications, of course, are inevitable. The film is preceded by National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) and followed by National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation (1997). Directed by Jeremiah Chechik, who went on to do Benny & Joon and the Sharon Stone remake of Diabolique. --Jim Emerson

Samantha Stephens, the grooviest witch on TV, is up to some good-natured holiday mischief in these classic Bewitched Christmas episodes. In "Humbug Not to Be Spoken Here," a grouchy client of Darrin's stops by to talk business on Christmas Eve and threatens to ruin everyone's fun. In "A Vision of Sugarplums," Sam and Darrin adopt an orphan for the holiday--but it just so happens the boy thinks Christmas is "a lot of bunk." Fortunately Samantha is chummy with Santa Claus, and a couple of quick trips to the North Pole restore the Christmas spirit to both nonbelievers. Best of all, Sam's daughter Tabitha gets a one-of-a-kind Susie Bruisie doll out of the deal! Both episodes are full of good clean holiday fun--for maximum enjoyment, bake cookies while you watch. --Claire Campbell