Season's streamings: How to digitally watch America's Top 10 favorite holiday films

In this 1946 file photo originally provided by RKO Pictures Inc., legendary actor James Stewart as George Bailey, center, is reunited with his wife played by actress Donna Reed, third from left, and family during the last scene of Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life." (File photo/The Associated Press)

A Christmas Story (1983) MGM

Uncle Jim and Aunt Susan better scooch on over, because here come George Bailey and Cindy Lou Who.

Jumping-the-gun department stores notwithstanding, the official start of the holiday season is just a couple of days away. And while the chimney might get all the attention the night before Christmas, many families also have built strong traditions out of gathering around the TV to enjoy beloved holiday films.

For years, that meant tuning in midway through the annual 24-hour marathon of "A Christmas Story" on TBS or digging around to find that DVD - or videocassette - of "It's a Wonderful Life." Thanks to streaming and on-demand services, however, families now can choose when to invite the Grinch into their living rooms. They can watch Clark Griswold tempt fate and his insurance company's patience on their own schedule.

Here's a handy guide to which digital services carry the 10 most popular holiday films, according to a Harris Interactive survey released last December.

1. "A Christmas Story" (1983)

• Director: Bob Clark

• Starring: Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon.

• Rating: PG

• Did you know: In 2012, "A Christmas Story" was selected for historical preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, which honors films that are deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($10 purchase), Comcast XFinity On Demand ($3 rental), Flixster ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $2 rental), Vudu ($10 purchase, $4 rental) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: TBS (Comcast 7/421, EPB 45/345) typically airs a 24-hour marathon on Christmas Eve.

2. "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)

• Director: Frank Capra

• Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers.

• Rating: Not rated

• Did you know: Among its seven Oscar nominations, "It's a Wonderful Life" was in the running for Best Picture but lost to "The Best Years of Our Lives." The movie did earn Frank Capra a Golden Globe for Best Director that year, though.

• Buy or rent: Flixster ($10 purchase), iTunes ($10 purchase), Paramount Movies ($10 purchase), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase), Target Ticket ($10 purchase), Vudu ($10 purchase) and Xbox Video ($9 purchase)

• On TV: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, and Wednesday, Dec. 24 on NBC (Comcast 4/432, EPB 3/303).

3. "White Christmas" (1954)

• Director: Michael Curtiz

• Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger

• Rating: Not rated

• Did you know: The original concept of "White Christmas" was to get Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby back together after their turn together in 1942's successful "Holiday Inn" (which actually introduced the song "White Christmas"), but Astaire refused because he was retired at the time. Danny Kaye landed his role only after a second actor, Donald O'Connor, pulled out.

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($15 purchase), Comcast XFinity On Demand ($3 rental), Flixster ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Netflix (free to subscribers), Paramount Movies ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $4 rental) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: No scheduled showings at this point.

4. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989)

• Director: Jeremiah Cherchik

• Starring: Chevy Case, Beverly D'Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, Randy Quaid.

• Rating: PG-13

• Did you know: "Christmas Vacation" was the final project for actress Mae Questel, whose career was launched 58 years earlier as the voice of cartoon flapper bombshell Betty Boop.

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($4 rental), Comcast XFinity On Demand ($3 rental), Flixster ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $2 rental), Vudu ($3 rental) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: 10 p.m. Sunday on ABC Family (Comcast 31/444; EPB 25/325)

The Ghost of Christmas Present, left, and Ebenezer Scrooge, voiced by Jim Carrey, in "A Christmas Carol."

5. "Disney's A Christmas Carol" (2009)

• Director: Robert Zemeckis

• Starring: Jim Carrey, Amber Gainey Mead, Steve Valentine, Daryl Sabara and Sage Ryan

• Rating: PG

• Did you know: This movie marks the third time Disney has adapted Charles Dickens' classic novel following 1983's "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $4 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($15 purchase, $3 rental) Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Vudu ($10 purchase, $3 rental) and Xbox Video ($10 purchase, $3 rental),

• On TV: No scheduled showings at this point.

6. "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)

• Director: George Seaton

• Starring: Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, Edmund Gwenn, John Payne and Gene Lockhart

• Rating: Not rated

• Did you know: Two Christmas films were nominated for Best Motion Picture at the 1947 Oscars: "Miracle on 34th Street" and Henry Koster's "The Bishop's Wife." Neither film won, but both were later remade. "Miracle on 34th Street" reappeared in 1994, starring Richard Attenborough and Elizabeth Perkins. "The Bishop's Wife" hit theaters in 1996, retitled as "The Preacher's Wife" and starred Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($10 purchase), Flixster ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Vudu ($3 rental) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: No scheduled showings at this point.

7. "Home Alone" (1990)

• Director: Chris Columbus

• Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard

• Rating: PG

• Did you know: The Spanish-language version of "Home Alone" was titled "Mi Pobre Angelito," which translates as "My Poor Little Angel." Three years later, MacCaulay Kulkin appeared in the thriller "The Good Son," which received a similarly questionably translated title of "El Angel Malvado," or "The Wicked Angel."

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($13 purchase), Flixster ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Vudu ($3 rental) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: 1 p.m. Friday and 1:45 p.m. Sunday on TBS (Comcast 7/421; EPB 45/345)

8. "Elf" (2003)

• Director: Jon Favreau

• Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Edward Asner, Mary Steenburgen and Zooey Deschanel

• Rating: PG

• Did you know: The design of the uniforms worn by the workers in Santa's toy shop in "Elf" mirror those worn in the classic 1964 stop-motion animated TV special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

• Buy or rent: Amazon Instant ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Flixster ($10 purchase), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase), Vudu ($10 purchase, $3 rental) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: 8 p.m. Monday on ABC Family (Comcast 31/444; EPB 25/325)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) MGM Television

9. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1966)

• Director: Chuck Jones and Ben Washam

• Starring: Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft and June Foray

• Rating: Not rated

• Did you know: Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) initially was reluctant to cast Boris Karloff in the role of the narrator/The Grinch. He was concerned children might be frightened by the voice of the actor, who famously portrayed the monster in the 1931 film "Frankenstein."

• Buy or rent: Unavailable to buy or rent, but the PG-rated 2000 remake starring Jim Carrey is available via Amazon Instant ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Flixster ($10 purchase, $3 rental), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase) and Xbox Video ($10 purchase, $3 rental)

• On TV: No scheduled showings at this point.

10. "The Santa Clause" (1994)

• Director: John Pasquin

• Starring: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Eric Lloyd and David Krumholtz

• Rating: PG

• Did you know: In an original release of the film, Tim Allen's character references a phone number, 1-800-SPANK-ME, that turned out to be a functioning phone-sex line. Disney removed the reference from future releases, but not before parents reported their children calling it and racking up phone bills. The studio reportedly planned to purchase the number to disconnect it, but it's still in operation for phone sex.

• Buy it or rent: Amazon Instant ($10 purchase), iTunes ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Sony Playstation Store ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Target Ticket ($10 purchase, $3 rental), Vudu ($10 purchase) and Xbox Video ($3 rental)

• On TV: 10 p.m. Monday on ABC Family (Comcast 31/444; EPB 25/325)

• Note: Rental and purchase prices reflect standard-definition quality. Higher-definition editions will carry a surcharge of $1-$5, depending on the service being used.

Also, while some of these movies aren't currently scheduled for broadcast/cable TV, most network schedules only show programming for the next two to three weeks, so they may show up sometime in December (and many do at some point every year).

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.