For most, Christmas is a happy time rife with warm family memories, selfless gift giving, gentle snowfalls, and the sharing of the season's goodwill tidings. For others, it is the worst example of American consumerism, as exemplified most glaringly by the recent Black Friday mishaps at Wal-Mart and Toys"R"Us.

For the latter group, Christmas is a time when broken families are forced to mend fences for a single day of forced holiday bliss. A time when you can't step into an elevator without being subject to the Muzak version of "O Holy Night." When going to your local pharmacy means being guilted into giving up your spare change by a guy with a bell who looks like he just got released from prison.

The following recommendations are for those with a more cynical perspective of the season. These movies offer the chance to enjoy some seasonal cinematic joys with more edge and less good cheer. From German terrorists to singing skeletons, little green monsters to an alcoholic St. Nick, we've got all the bases covered.

	Die Hard (1988) What could possibly better symbolize Christmas than a dead terrorist with a Santa hat and the words "Now I have a machine gun. Ho, Ho, Ho" written across his shirt in blood? One of the greatest action movies of all time, with John McClane's (Bruce Willis) debut, Die Hard also has its moments of good holiday tidings, even if they are slightly clouded in the smokey haze of automatic gunfire and evil German terrorist threats.
	The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Personally, I'm a Halloween man. Burton and Selick's visually dazzling stop-motion masterpiece qualifies perfectly for both holidays, and doesn't hold such a heavy dose of the usual sickly sweet Yuletide joys. As much as this is a Disney flick, it's also wonderfully dark and more than a little demented.
	National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) Tired of seeing all those warm and fuzzy Christmas memories on the movie screen that your family can never measure up to? Thankfully, the Griswalds offer up some seasonal family dysfunction that could make even the most disastrous Christmas look like a Norman Rockwell painting in comparison. Christmas Vacation also stands as proof that Chevy Chase was, indeed, once funny.
	Gremlins (1984) I'm not quite sure if there has ever been a more downtrodden Christmas moment on-screen than Kate's (Phoebe Cates) recollection of her father's horrific death while trying to surprise the family on Christmas day by coming down the chimney dressed as Santa. And if that weren't enough to destroy Christmas for everyone, how about a bunch of sociopathic little green monsters offing the townsfolk, one bloody holiday memory at a time?
	Lethal Weapon (1987) Like Die Hard, the first Lethal Weapon mixes hard-core action in with the holiday cheer. Okay, to be fair, there really isn't much cheer here. After opening with "Jingle Bell Rock," a young woman jumps from a balcony to her death. Weapon won't likely be confused with a Jimmy Stewart flick. But it's also a movie about redemption in the face of incredible loneliness. Riggs (Mel Gibson) is at the end of his rope when he meets Murtaugh (Danny Glover), but their friendship helps him turn a corner. By the end, he and his dog Sam are able to share Christmas with the Murtaugh family...just after Riggs has finished kicking the bejesus out of Gary Busey.
	Bad Santa (2003) The absolute, ultimate anti-Christmas movie, bar none. Billy Bob Thornton gives the performance of a lifetime as foul-mouthed, hopeless drunk Willie, who drowns his holiday sorrows in fountains of whiskey while cooking up his yearly department store robbery scheme. When you peel away all the boozing, language, and sex, Bad Santa actually does have a pretty sweet message of family and friendship. Either way, it sure is fun to watch the appalled reactions of family members when you pop in this DVD just after the gift exchange on Christmas morning.