‘Tis the season to escape the heat in a heavily air-conditioned room and watch movies about people in ugly jumpers learn the real meaning of true love/family/community against a backdrop of snowy landscapes and crackling fires.

Love them or loathe them, if you can get through December without watching a single Christmas movie you’re probably as close as is possible to a real-life Grinch (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

To pay tribute to the time-honoured tradition of gathering your loved ones and forcing them to feel the festive spirit, we’ve compiled Region Illawarra staff’s favourite Christmas movies, complete with sappiness ratings.

We’ve also included the banned list – movies that are Christmas-themed but shouldn’t be.

We hope you enjoy – and Merry Christmas.

Editor – Jen White

Sappiness rating: 7/10

*Please note these are Christmas movies. No one is getting a sappiness rating below five.

Jen reckons words like mean, horror, killing and violent should never go with Christmas.

She’s also smacked down her husband’s attempts to have Top Gun II count as a Christmas movie.

He says there are fairy lights in one scene – she says it’s not happening.

Favourites

Love Actually
Home Alone
Die Hard
Miracle on 34th Street (the 1994 version)
The Grinch

Really bad movies

El Camino Christmas
The Mean One
The Killing Tree
A Christmas Horror Story
Violent Night

Journalist – Keeli Royle

Sappiness rating: 9/10

Keeli admits she’s blinded to quality by Christmas vibes – she couldn’t even give the Hallmark Christmas movies a bad rating.

“They are low-key amazing and I would watch them forever,” was Keeli’s review.

‘Christmas vibes’ is an elastic term and has led to the inclusion of several unorthodox favourites.

Good

Love Actually (every year, always)
The Santa Clause (and II and III)
The Grinch (original cartoon)
Apparently Gremlins is a Christmas movie? In that case – brilliant.
Die Hard (not sold that it’s a Christmas movie but if I’m claiming Gremlins is a Christmas movie then I don’t have much to stand on)

Bad

Last Christmas (Wham & George Michael … amazing. Movie… not amazing)

Sales rep – Shaneqwa Lee-Edwards.

Sappiness rating: 8/10

Shaneqwa sticks with the classics and for that we have to respect her.

She’s also too pure to list bad Christmas movies, and again, for that we have to respect her.

Favourites

Home Alone I and II
The Grinch (Jim Carey and Benedict Cumberbatch versions)
Elf
The Polar Express
Barbie The Nutcracker (2001 version)

Business writer – Dione David

Sappiness rating: 6/10

A dark horse, Dione firmly established herself as the least sappy member of Region Illawarra staff.

She also carried the flag for the controversial inclusion of Gremlins as a Christmas movie.

Much like Jen, her shit list is also the subject of marital strife. Bold, brave, compelling. No notes.

Favourites

The Muppets Christmas Carol
Home Alone I and II
Gremlins
Stickman

Bad movies

Jingle All The Way (it must be noted her husband strongly protests)

Journalist – Zoe Cartwright

Sappiness rating: 7/10

It seems a little unfair to rate myself, but here we are. The Christmas movie hills I’m dying on – number one, Die Hard counts.

It’s set on Christmas Eve. There’s snow, Christmas lights, Christmas carols and at the end Bruce Willis learns the true meaning of family. It’s basically the Santa Clause for grownups, minus Tim ‘the toolman’ Taylor.

Number two, any movie that gives Santa any kind of romance rated beyond G is banned.

Number three, Love Actually is a terrible, horrible, no-good movie. I will not explain further. Please direct all hate mail via the editor’s inbox.

Favourites

Die Hard – compulsory
The Santa Clause I and II
Elf
Whatever this year’s new release is (good or bad it must be watched with the family)

Bad

Love Actually
Happiest Season
The entire Christmas Prince series and anything that could be mistaken for same.

Journalist – Kellie O’Brien

Sappiness rating: 10/10

Kellie takes out the hotly contended title of sappiest Region Illawarra employee.

This is not because of her favourites, which include two versions of Elf – even if she tries to blame that on her daughter who “makes” her watch both each year.

“I secretly love them too,” Kellie said.

The reason Kellie has been named sappiest in all the land is her firm belief there is no such thing as a bad Christmas movie.

“Truth is, I’ll watch and love just about any Christmas movie,” she said.

“Maybe I become blind to bad Christmas movies during the festive period?”

Spoken like a true sap. All hail our beloved Queen of Christmas.

Favourites

Love Actually (I have to watch it at least once EVERY year)
Home Alone
The Grinch
Elf (live action with Will Ferrell) and Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (animated with Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory)
The Santa Clause