CREDIT: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
The holidays wouldn't be the same without The Muppet Christmas Carol for Alison McGee.

What I remember most about Christmas Eve as a child was getting into my favourite snowflakepatterned pajamas after dinner, curling up on the couch beside my parents under a warm blanket and watching, in order, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and, saving the best for last, The Muppet Christmas Carol. I did this every year, without fail, until I was old enough to move out into my own place, but ever since then I have kept the tradition alive.

Now it's Roots sweatpants, a tumbler full of Baileys and my dog sitting next to me on the couch, and it's A Christmas Story, Love Actually and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Even though I'm older, on my own and the movies have changed, the way that watching holiday movies on Christmas Eve makes me feel hasn't changed one bit.

It's the magic of the holiday season right there on the screen, filling my living room with the hopeful dreams of one young boy's longing for a Red Ryder BB Gun; the redemption of one angry, rich old man; and of course the all-around happy endings of one group of Brits at Christmas.

The great thing about holiday movies is that they can be about any holiday that you choose to celebrate and still have the same effect. You might be watching Eight Crazy Nights on the third night of Hanukkah instead of Elf on Boxing Day. You might be watching movies that I've never heard of before on the eve of holidays that mean the world to you and your family.

It's not the particular movie that makes it special — it's not even the particular holiday that you celebrate — it's having a day to celebrate, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or something completely different, and getting swept away by the magic of it. The sights, the sounds, the entertainment; the atmosphere. It's getting lost in the magic of the movies as well as the magic of the holidays. It's watching a flick and relating so strongly to one of the characters, or it's realizing that you have so much to be thankful for because you're not in Tiny Tim's shoes. It's magical, pure and simple.

Holiday movie traditions are a big deal in my house. They let the Christmas spirit come alive just that extra little bit. So this year, on your holiday, grab a movie, a piping hot cup of tea and let the magic of the season take over for a little bit.

Happy Holidays.