Top Movies to Show Kids on a Holiday Road Trip

When going on a road trip with your kids during the holidays, you do what you can to keep them busy. Children's restlessness during a long ride in the car can spell the difference between nasty and smooth as well as noisy and peaceful. If the toys become a bore or the snacks get munched to the last crunch, it's best to have prepared (ahead of time) some of the best holiday movies made for kids. These movies are great for kids and adults of all ages, but, as always, use your best judgment as to which movies are age-appropriate for your children.

1. "Home Alone" - Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister's family is on vacation in France and accidentally leaves him alone in the house. He has the whole house to himself until two bumbling burglars, Harry and Marv, show up on the doorstep. The pair is planning to rob every house in the neighborhood. Kevin, a resourceful and determined kid, sets up clever (and painful) traps to keep the 'bad guys' out. It's one of the best holiday movies of all time - great plot, great comedy and great lesson. It runs for one hour and three minutes.

2. "Elf" - Buddy was raised as an elf in the North Pole. When Buddy discovers that he's actually a human being, he heads to New York City to reunite with his biological father. The trouble is that his dad, Walter, is a publishing executive who doesn't have time for anything other than work. Buddy moves in with Walter and his family and proceeds to teach them a lesson or two about what being a family really means.

3. "The Polar Express" - a beautiful story about the magic of Christmas. This beautifully animated film is the story of a young boy who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, he is surprised to hear a steam engine roaring outside his window. The conductor invites him on board to take him on an amazing journey to the North Pole. There, he receives a gift that is only given to those who believe in Santa.

4. "Scrooged" - Frank Cross, a self-centered television executive who has no holiday spirit whatsoever, gets visited (unwillingly, of course) by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future who each give him a glimpse of himself and what his future holds if he continues to alienate everyone around him. He actually dislikes anyone who enjoys Christmas. Frank eventually transforms into a life-loving man after learning his lessons through each visit.

5. "Miracle on 34^th Street" (1947) - Edmund Gwenn plays a mysterious Macy's Santa who might be crazy (or senile), but he might also be for real. Maureen O'Hara plays the annoying career woman in charge of the Macy's parade who raised her daughter to believe that magic is childish. In the course of the film, everyone recovers their belief in miracles.

6. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" - Jack Skellington is the mayor of Halloweentown. He has grown tired of doing the same thing every year for Halloween. When he discovers Christmas Town, he becomes excited by what he sees. He tries getting the ghouls and goblins to help him put on Christmas. While he is at it, he kidnaps Santa Claus and then delivers creepy gifts to horrified kids. In the end, he learns a few lessons and realizes that what he did was not in accordance with the holiday spirit. It is a ghoulish tale with wicked humor, stunning animation and a great moral in the end. It runs for a total of one hour and sixteen minutes.

7. "The Muppet Christmas Carol" - a timeless Christmas tale about a bitter old man called Scrooge who is bent on being miserable no matter what the cost. The story begins with Scrooge's faithful employee asking for Christmas Day off so he can spend it with his family. It ends with Mr. Scrooge realizing that he has been bitter far too long and must change his evil and wicked ways. Jim Henson brings his special magic to the traditional tale and presents a masterpiece that both the young and the old can enjoy again and again.

8. "The Santa Clause" - divorced dad Scott Calvin (played by Tim Allen) accidentally kills Santa Claus. Scott's young son, Charlie, convinces him to try on the Santa suit and then they're surprised to discover that it comes with major responsibilities, such as taking over all of Santa's duties. They discover the secrets of the North Pole and Scott undergoes a shocking physical transformation and eventually pulls off Christmas Eve without a hitch.

9. "It's a Wonderful Life" - George is overwhelmed by a big problem because he has misplaced a large sum of money and is terrified by what will happen when the hard-hearted lender of the cash, Mr. Potter, finds out. Life seems so bleak that George is about to throw himself off a bridge when, instead, he rescues his guardian angel-in-training, a fellow named Clarence. True to his job title, Clarence shows George what the town of Bedford Falls would have been like if it weren't for all of George's good deeds over the years, convincing him that it might just be a wonderful life after all.

10. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - Charlie Brown, disappointed by the commercialism of the holiday season, searches for the true meaning of the holiday. Encouraged by his friend Lucy, he directs a Christmas pageant starring his friends, but it doesn't work out as well as he had hoped. In an attempt to salvage the season, Charlie Brown buys the world's saddest Christmas tree. In the end, he learns that the holiday spirit means more than just presents and that nothing is better than having friends around you.