2012 San Diego Artwalk, http://www.missionfederalartwalk.org/

Balboa Park Museums, http://www.balboapark.org/

Pacific Beach Farmers' Market, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/events/ongoing/27705/

Golden Hill Farmers' Market, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/events/ongoing/31291/

Audubon Society Bird Walk, http://www.sandiegoreader.com/events/2012/apr/28/309/

With so much to do outdoors, the only question that remains, is why are you not already here?

Enjoy your weekend!

Surf Film Fest Basics

The San Diego Surf Film Festival is slated to run from May 11 through May 13, 2012 at Bird's Surf Shed in San Diego, California. The event is designed to pay homage to independent surf films and serve as a communal meeting place for all those who love to surf. Surf films are currently being accepted for consideration and as such the list of films to be screened will not be revealed until April 15, 2012. Tickets to the festival are expected to be available for purchase after that date and prices are tentatively set at $10 for adults and $5 for groms.

Submissions

Those interested in submitting a film have until March 31, 2012 to get their entries in. The cost of entering a film ranges from $25 to $50, depending on the film's length. Full details on what films will be accepted and how to go about submitting one are available on the event's website.

About the Panel

The film festival's screening panel is comprised of an amazing group of folks including Liquid Salt magazine's Glenn Sakamoto, Spy Optic's Mark Marovich, GroPro's Adam Instone and renowned shaper/artist Ashley Lloyd. Llyod's surfboards are a thing of beauty as is the photography and artwork of Cher Pendarvis, another member of the festival's screening panel. Personally, I find Llyod's use of color inspiring and Pendarvis's surf photos intriguing. Her use of lighting gives some of her surf photos an almost mystical quality. But don't just take my word for it. Those that have never scoped out their work really owe it to themselves to do so. Photos are available on their respective websites.

About the Venue

Bird's Surf Shed is located on West Morena Boulevard. It affords visitors 4,000 square feet of surfboard eye candy for as far as the eye can travel. Nearly every inch of the Quonset Hut's curved walls and ceilings are awash in surfboards of all shapes and sizes. There is no doubt that surf fans will enjoy looking at all the surfboards on display not to mention the surf films. In my opinion, it is the perfect venue to hold such an event. The business typically opens daily and additional details may be found online.

Killeen Gonzalez enjoys water sports with her family and has traveled extensively.

GEORGE WASHINGTON created a national bank that helped stabilize the U.S. economy. He also put down the Whiskey Rebellion, a rebellion of farmers against a whiskey tax and, despite a great deal of public pressure, refused to support either Great Britain or France, who were engaged in a war with each other.

JOHN ADAMS was a member of the Federalist Party which favored a strong central government. Adams differed from most other Federalists in that he disliked Alexander Hamilton, making his political base shaky. Despite continuing the policy of neutrality advocated by Washington, Adams is best remembered for the XYZ Affair, in which a French foreign minister attempted to extract bribes from American diplomats, and the Alien and Sedition Acts, which allowed Adams to jail those that criticized him.

THOMAS JEFFERSON was the founder of the Democratic Republican Party which favored a weaker central government, especially a weak president. Despite this, Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase from France, more than doubling the size of the country despite the fact that it was unconstitutional in the strictest sense.

JAMES MADISON was known as the 'Father of the Constitution'. Madison agreed with Jefferson's decision to have a small national army, but was bullied into a war with Great Britain called the War of 1812 or Mr. Madison's War. Madison let the national bank disappear in the middle of the crisis and then tried to conquer Canada. Washington, D.C. was set ablaze by an invading British contingent and the war ended in a stalemate.

JAMES MONROE presided over a time known as the Era of Good Feelings for its lack of strife, political or otherwise. He is best known for having released the Monroe Doctrine, declaring that the Western Hemisphere was off limits to colonization.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS was the son of John Adams. He inherited both his father's intelligence and vanity. A poor political leader, Adams suffered at the hands of a charismatic political rival named Andrew Jackson who was successful at blocking Adams' attempts at using tax dollars to fund internal improvements (Jackson believed the issue was up to individual states).

ANDREW JACKSON fought his way to the top and entered the national scene after a stunning victory at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Jackson had a hatred for the rich and banks (he was born poor and as a young man went bankrupt) and was one of the most racist presidents. Jackson lashed out at all he hated, destroying the Second Bank of the United States, causing an economic depression, and forced Native Americans to move out of Georgia. Jackson, to his credit, also stopped South Carolina from seceding after the state attempted to nullify a federal law.

MARTIN VAN BUREN had the misfortune to come to the presidency just as the economic depression caused by Jackson was underway. Van Buren, believing in the power of the states, did little to help the poor and was quickly voted out.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON was the first president to die in office. He died a month into his presidency and did absolutely nothing (Congress wasn't in session).

JOHN TYLER was a supporter of all things that Jackson believed in except for Jackson himself, whom he quarreled with. Tyler left the Democratic Party, founded by Jackson, to join the Whig Party. Upon Harrison's death, Tyler declared that he was president, not just acting president, alienating people on both sides of the political spectrum. He refused to support many Whig policies and, like John Quincy Adams, his administration was largely ineffectual. His legacy has permanently suffered for joining the Confederacy.

JAMES K. POLK was hand-picked by Jackson to be the Democratic president despite the fact that Polk was a dark horse or a politician not known on the national level. Polk gained the southern half of the Oregon Territory from Great Britain and annexed Texas form Mexico. Angry that Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna refused to sell Alto California, Polk started the Mexican War by ordering American troops to cross the Nueces River into Mexico. When Santa Anna attacked, Polk declared war (claiming the troops were on American soil) but left the White House an unpopular man.

ZACHARY TAYLOR was a hero of the Mexican War. Despite being a slave owner from Louisiana, Taylor did not support the Compromise of 1850 which would have allowed southerners to re-capture slaves that had fled north. Taylor tried to put slavery on the road to extinction but died suddenly of an intestinal disease.

MILLARD FILLMORE signed the Compromise of 1850, further dividing the country on the slavery issue.

FRANKLIN PIERCE knew that most of his support came from the South and did everything to please southerners including enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act (part of the Compromise of 1850) even when impractical. He is also remembered for signing the Kansas-Nebraska Act which declared the Kansas and Nebraska Territories could become states and vote whether to be slave states or not (the argument led to multiple deaths when voters on both sides took to killing each other) and the Ostend Manifesto which declared that Cuba was a U.S. territory whether Spain liked it or not (Pierce was widely ridiculed for this).

JAMES BUCHANAN wanted Kansas to enter as a slave state and used the controversial Dred Scott Decision, which stated that slavery was legal in all territories, to support his decision. When South Carolina seceded rather than let Abraham Lincoln be president, Buchanan did nothing.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN did everything to stop secession. When this failed, Lincoln formed a coalition of politicians to help destroy the Confederacy. He released the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in rebellious states and advocated the Thirteenth Amendment ending slavery. Tragically, he was assassinated by an actor named John Wilkes Booth who had Confederate sympathies.

ANDREW JOHNSON was a senator from Tennessee and the only representative of a Confederate state that did not leave the Union with his state. Johnson was selected by Lincoln as the vice president in hopes of proving that the Civil War was not solely a Republican cause. Upon Lincoln's death, Johnson did everything to return the whites to power. Johnson tried to prevent the Fifteenth Amendment from passing and was the first president to be impeached because his racist views clashed with a more liberal Congress.

ULYSSES S. GRANT did everything to reverse Johnson's policies and broke the back of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group. Grant is however largely remembered for attacks that his administration was corrupt (mostly exaggerations).

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES stopped protecting blacks in the South and largely turned a blind eye to the horrific racial violence.

JAMES A. GARFIELD was killed by an insane man named Charles Guiteau barely a month into his presidency. No major accomplishments.

CHESTER ALAN ARTHUR signed the Pendleton Act which broke the back of corrupt political machines. Today, Arthur is brushed off as little more than a dandy, though.

GROVER CLEVELAND is the only president to have served two non-consecutive terms. Cleveland backed the gold standard in economics dividing the Democratic Party (some backed silver) and used violent force against striking labor unions.

BENJAMIN HARRISON is barely remembered for anything beyond being William Henry Harrison's grandson. The second Harrison bungled the econimic issues on silver or gold.

WILLIAM McKINLEY supported Cuban rebels against their Spanish overlords. When an American naval ship exploded in Havana Harbor, a suspicious McKinley declared war on Spain. He acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Guantanamo Bay. The only reason McKinley is not ranked among the great presidents is because he was overshadowed by his successor, Theodore Roosevelt, who took office when McKinley was killed by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz (Zol-goz).

THEODORE ROOSEVELT was the youngest president at 42. Roosevelt created the Food and Drug Administration to investigate unhealthy business practices, arbitrated several labor strikes, set aside land for national parks, built the Panama Canal, and increased the size of the American military.

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT was appointed to the Supreme Court later in life, the post of his dreams. He never wanted to be president, but was convinced by Theodore Roosevelt. He destroyed several trusts but was an unpopular leader.

WOODOROW WILSON was a racist on par with Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson. He segregated multiple federal departments and, despite declaring he was a pacifist, invaded Mexico after a Mexican rebel named Pancho Villa attacked a town in New Mexico. He attempted to avoid the First World War (and failed) then tried to create a treaty based on the Fourteen Points, but found British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and French President Georges Clemenceau unwilling to listen. He created the League of Nations but his refusal to compromise resulted in Congress blocking attempts of Wilson to get the U.S. to join the League.

WARREN G. HARDING was placed in the White House by his power-hungry wife, Florence, and several corrupt cronies who promptly committed many crimes. Harding admitted he had no idea what the hell he was doing before dying in San Francisco from a heart attack.

CALVIN COOLIDGE cleaned up the scandalous mess that Harding had left him. He is ranked low because many of his economic policies are blamed for causing the Great Depression.

HERBERT HOOVER was in a situation similar to Van Buren. He stumbled into an economic mess and had no idea how to extricate himself. Toward the end of his presidency he attempted to help the poor but it was too late.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT was the fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt and was elected more than any other president (four times!). He was also the only paraplegic. Roosevelt did everything to alleviate the plight of the disenfranchised (the majority of the country) despite claims that his policies, known as the New Deal, were socialist in nature. F.D.R. also advocating the destruction of Nazism and did everything to help Great Britain. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, F.D.R. turned the U.S. into an efficient war machine before dying shortly after his fourth election.

HARRY S TRUMAN dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the Second World War. He also helped rebuild Europe, utilizing the Marshall Plan and released the Truman Doctrine, declaring that communism would be contained. After China fell to communists, Truman took a firmer stance; he airlifted supplies into West Berlin and started the Korean War to avoid the Korean Peninsula falling into communist hands.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER de-segregated the school system, setting apartheid on the road to extinction, and also ended the Korean War in a stalemate (better than losing).

JOHN F. KENNEDY gave the all-go for the Bay of Pigs Invasion but lost his resolve at the last moment and decided not to provide physical support for the plan to overthrow the communist regime in Cuba. When it was discovered that the Soviet Union had nuclear missiles in Cuba, Kennedy showed uncharacteristic decisiveness and stood his ground, resulting in the missiles removal. He was assassinated in Dallas. The case has never been convincingly solved.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON launched his Great Society policies with plans to improve the lot of all Americans. Despite ending segregation, his legacy has been tempered by his poor handling of the Vietnam War.

RICHARD NIXON negotiated the end to the Vietnam War, opened relations with the People's Republic of China, and eased tensions with the Soviet Union. Nixon was not as successful in the domestic arena and has been overshadowed by the Watergate Scandal and his resignation.

GERALD FORD is most remembered for pardoning Nixon, tripping while coming down the ramp of Air Force One, and saying that there was no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe.

JIMMY CARTER advocated human rights but looked the other way when it came to the shah of Iran. Carter offered asylum to the shah when he was deposed; the result was Iranian revolutionaries taking Americans hostage. Carter also found himself unable to solve the Energy Crisis. Out of office, Carter has served as a diplomat.

RONALD REAGAN is one of the most polarizing presidents. His supporters point to the fact that he started an arms race against the Soviet Union, hastening its demise. His detractors point the Iran-contra scandal, in which the administration illegally sold weapons.

GEORGE BUSH admitted to having trouble with 'the vision thing'. Bush successfully prosecuted the Persian Gulf War, but a bungling of the economic issue and his lack of assertiveness following the fall of the Soviet Union has hurt his reputation.

BILL CLINTON was a vacillating leader. Despite improving the economy and stopping ethnic genocide in Bosnia, Clinton is overshadowed by the Lewinsky Scandal for which he was impeached and his refusal to combat al Qaeda.

GEORGE W. BUSH rallied the nation following the 9/11 attacks and successfully overthrew the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Bush also overthrew Saddam Hussein in Iraq but lacked the foresight to have anything more than this goal in mind. His willingness to bend the Constitution has also hurt his reputation. His approval rating is one of the lowest ever recorded.

BARACK OBAMA is our first black President and has pushed for change in medical and other programs that are designed aid all American but you could argue this is also his greatest dificulty.

During a pre-screening interview for homeowners insurance, Michael Richbourg of Atlanta was asked if he owned any dogs. He said he had two mixed breeds. He wasn't sure what kind, but one appeared to be mostly schipperke (pronounced, skipper-kee).

Hearing the breed, the agent quietly replied that he was unable to process Richbourg's application further.

The American Kennel Club describes a schipperke as an agile, active watchdog, curious and reserved with strangers. But Yourpurebredpuppy.com, a dog-breed information Web site, says they can become bored and express themselves by barking and destructive chewing.

Whichever description is correct, Richbourg appeared to be rejected because the insurer had blacklisted the small schipperke as a liability.

Where are insurance companies getting their lists of what they perceive to be "aggressive" dogs? Without knowing, it's difficult for home- and dog owners to discern which breeds are acceptable and which aren't.

As it turns out, there's no standard list insurance companies follow, but dogs can factor in when an insurer is reviewing your new customer application. And it's not just the breeds typically thought of as aggressive, such as pit bulls, Rottweilers, chow chows, Doberman pinschers and German shepherds.

"Insurance companies go by the average number of bites reported by a certain breed," says Ashley Hunter, owner and president of HM Risk Group, an insurance and risk management brokerage in Austin, Texas.

The Humane Society of the United States reports that the bite list changes from year to year and from one area of the country to another, depending on the popularity of the breed. Just a few years ago, the Doberman was the breed to fear. Now, pit bulls and Rottweilers rule.

"In Lewis and Clark's day, it was the Newfoundland because that was the popular breed," says Ledy Van Kavage, senior legislative analyst for Best Friends Animal Society, a pet sanctuary and adoption network in Kanab, Utah. "Dogs, like people, are individuals and should be judged that way."

PEMCO Insurance, based in Seattle, underwrites each risk individually. Breed is only one factor. It also considers socialization and gender, whether the dog has been spayed or neutered, how the dog is confined and the owner's claims history.

The Journal of Applied Animal Behavior says that dachshunds, Chihuahuas and Jack Russell terriers are the most likely to bite. Another study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society puts Labradors and golden retrievers in the high-risk category.

"The real problem is that there is so much conflicting information (about aggressive breeds), that you don't know what to believe," says Donna Popow, senior director of knowledge resources for the Insurance Institute of America, a nonprofit offering insurance education in Malvern, Pa. "Any dog will bite, given the right set of circumstances."

But that doesn't mean homeowners with dogs should be denied insurance. "This is a knee-jerk reaction caused by public hysteria," Van Kavage says.

The Insurance Information Institute, an industry association in New York, recently released statistics showing that dog-bite claims nationwide grew 10.5 percent from 2006 to 2007, the latest data available. In 2007, dog-bite claims paid by insurance averaged $24,511 each. In addition, dog bites currently account for one-third of all homeowner's claims.

Fortune magazine's annual list of the 100 best companies to work for has put San Diego based Qualcomm and Scripps Health on that list.

Scripps Health which as been on the list four times previously, ranked 56th overall.  Scripps is known for giving out millions of dollars in bonuses to their employees, according to 10 news.  

"Scripps is honored to be acknowledged for the fifth time by Fortune as one of America's top employers," said Chris Van Gorder, President and CEO.

Qualcomm, ranked 23rd overall, and was praised for their health care benefits and high pay.

Along with these two San Diego companies were three other companies with ties to San Diego; DPR, a construction firm, which were praised for encouraging employee input, Turbo Tax-maker Intuit, was 19th, and was praised for fostering innovation, and Hitachi Data Systems, who were ranked 86 and praised for their fairness and trust, according to the magazine.

In 2011 we found many savvy group/event managers that would wait until closer to their events to book their rooms and meetings, because they could.  But now due to demand picking up they are forced to book those same events/rooms further out to ensure they get the rooms without splitting up their groups.  This gives the hotels a greater chance to predict and KNOW exactly how bad or well a given week and/or day will book.  Even now groups are booking 6-9 months out with just our small hotel so you can imagine what this trend is looking like with the much larger hotels.

Now I’m not saying that the individual traveler in 2012 won’t be able to book last minute rooms similarly to what they were able to book over the last two or three years but I would say that the lower prices they were getting at some of these 3 star and above hotels will not be there as often in 2012.  And that is due to those groups booking so far in advance so they get the aggressively lower prices which takes that stockpile of lower priced rooms from the last minute traveler.

I find it interesting that so early in the year I am already able to see this trend but I guess I’m happy that I can see it and pass this on to our San Diego Readers so they can stay “ahead” of the game!!  See you in SUNNY CALIFORNIA!!

Also with a longer length of stay our guests typically get to take in more activities in our area than the shorter in and out crowd.  With this in mind I took a virtual “walk” through our Facebook neighborhood to find some extracurricular activities that our extended stay guests’ can take advantage of. 

The San Diego Scuba Diving is a site that not only puts skilled scuba divers in contact with multiple reputable vendors that can take care of your every scuba need but they also have information for the beginner that would like to take classes.  It is really a great site for researching the quality sites that can help you get into the water as quickly and safely as possible!!

San Diego Surf School is an advanced surf school in Pacific Beach San Diego (Family Owned). We offer Private Surf Lessons, Summer Surf Camps, Group Lessons and Stand up Paddle Boarding. We provide a unique way of coaching that helps build the confidence and strength in catching waves and learning how to surf the correct way. Our instructors are CPR and Title 22 certified, experienced, trained, safe, friendly and will help you reach your surfing goals.

San Diego Surf School introduces surfers of all ages and levels to the sport and spirit of surfing in an energetic and positive environment. With top instructors and bountiful surf lessons and surf camps options. We also offer a unique curriculum surf program for summer surf camps and private surf lessons that is both educational and fun. Our surf instructors are: CPR & Title22 Certified, experienced, safe, friendly will teach you the correct way to learn how to surf.

Skydive San Diego hosts the newest, safest, and largest jumpships in the skydiving industry. Our flagship Twin Otter holds 23 jumpers, and our Cessna Caravan holds 12 jumpers, allowing you the opportunity to jump with your friends. No other parachute center in the world has newer planes than Skydive San Diego!

Get solo-certified in as few as 7 skydives in our USPA-certified program!   Individuals who are highly motivated, and ready to commit to a serious freefall training program, may enroll in the Solo ground school and make an AFF Level 1 skydive on the same day.

Solo classes for new students are scheduled primarily on weekends, although special arrangements are available daily. Please call for available dates as advance registration is required. Private classes can be arranged for an additional fee.

Couple that with a five-year growth plan in Europe, a global pipeline that includes 135 properties and the roll out of a new room design called “Possibilities,” and Residence Inn is doing anything but remaining stationary, said Diane Mayer, VP and global brand manager for the brand.

“From a consumer perspective, as a brand we have to deliver a consistent experience,” Mayer said. “We have to make sure we are keeping the product fresh so even an older hotel has the same offerings as a new one.”

The company is on a major push to expand around the globe. It has five hotels open outside of the United States: two in Munich; one in Edinburgh Scotland; one in San Jose, Costa Rica; and one that opened this month in Bahrain. All the hotels were new-build properties with the exception of Edinburgh.

“That speaks to the power of the Marriott brand, the power of the Residence Inn brand and the power of extended stay,” Mayer said. “There is extended-stay demand all over the world and not enough product to serve it.”

Mayer said there’s no ceiling on the potential for the brand around the globe.

“I can’t say we have an ultimate goal as for a number of properties,” she said. “Between 30 and 40% of all business travel roomnights are part of extended stay. That’s a lot of roomnights, and when you get out of the United States, there’s no product to serve that. Even in the U.S. there’s little purpose-built product to fill the demand.”

The brand’s system-wide average daily rate is about US$5 higher than its competitive set in upper extended-stay segment, according to Mayer.

“It’s a great value proposition,” she said. “We have continued to grow our brand with the most consumer-focused product in the market. Our pipeline will grow as fast as the capital markets will enable it.”

Experience counts in extended-stay segment
Mayer said the typical Residence Inn franchisee is not a newbie to the hotel industry. The footprint for an extended-stay hotel often costs more to build than a traditional transient hotel. Mayer declined to reveal the average cost to build a Residence Inn property, but she said she expects the costs to build its prototype to be cut about one-half of one percent as the company continues to tweak it.

Mayer said developers are attracted to Residence Inn, and the extended-stay segment in general, because of the healthy profit margins they produce. She declined to talk specifically about Marriott’s return.

“Margins are high because it’s a really efficient business model,” she said. “It’s particularly efficient when it comes to labor, and we all know how tough that is to find. … There’s a lot more to it than margins. It means associates on property are able to deliver even better guest service.”

The brand focuses on its EXOCC—extended-stay occupancy rate for guests staying five or more nights—as a key indicator for success. Mayer declined to reveal the brand’s EXOCC, but when asked if it was in the 70% range that many extended-stay operators shoot for, she said “it was in that range. But we have hotels that run 90%—it varies by market. We have seen our EXOCC grow significantly in the last year.”

Rooms with a new look
Residence Inn also is rolling out its new room design to enhance its efforts for consistency. Being unveiled during the first quarter of 2012, the new room design, “Possibilities,” will be implemented over the next five years. Three hundred of the brand’s properties already are scheduled to complete the room upgrade. A sample room currently is under construction at Marriott’s Bethesda headquarters in Maryland.

The renovation package is an extension of the brand’s focus on the guestroom work space and bathroom that it rolled out about a month ago, according to Mayer.

“Having a good cadence of renovation packages is essential for consistency,” Mayer said. “A lot of what we learned and developed while doing renovations was applied to the new guest suite package.”

The key to the “Possibilities” room design will be flexible wall placement, she said. “The layout with the suite will change somewhat significantly,” Mayer said. “It raises the bar, and it is more reflective of consumer lifestyles and more responsive to what customers have told us they want.”

New leader knows the brand well
Mayer might be new to the position of leading Residence Inn, but she is no stranger to the brand. With a background in consumer research, she has worked with the Residence Inn team on and off during the past dozen years.

“I’ve been working on the entire Marriott select-service portfolio for 12 years, and Residence Inn was the first one I worked with,” Mayer said. “None more exemplifies the category than Residence Inn. It’s fun to work on a brand that’s so clearly positioned.”

Leading a large legacy brand has its challenges, but Mayer said “that’s part of the fun.”

Mayer’s specialties include analyzing guest demographics and behavior, and extended-stay gives her plenty of fodder for analysis.

“From a consumer perspective, that length of stay really changes customers’ needs,” she said. “Any good brand is trying to find out what the consumer needs and do the best it can to fulfill those needs.”

Mayer added that the long-term extended-stay guest is Residence Inn’s bread and butter.

That’s why having amenities such as a full kitchen in a home environment is essential to the segment’s success. Year-to-date data through October showed an overall occupancy rate of 74% for the extended-stay segment and a year-over-year revenue-per-available-room increase of 7.8%, according to STR, the parent company of HotelNewsNow.com.

“It’s all about having a home environment—places to bake lasagna if they want or to store leftovers from dinner out,” she said. “It’s about really unpacking their suitcase and having the proper drawers and storage help them do that.”

12. Bad Santa (2003)

There are two types of movie fans: those who expect their Santa noble and god-fearing, with perhaps a hint of safe Tim Allen-esque humor, and those who'll allow him the occasional slip into vulgarity, promiscuity and armed burglary. To the latter group, this black comedy's a classic. To the former, we're sorry.

11. Die Hard (1988)

There's no better way to get in the Christmas spirit than watching a wife-beater-clad Bruce Willis single-handedly decimate a skyscraperful of terrorists on Christmas Eve. The classic one liners, the genre-redefining action, the genius use of a Run-DMC holiday tune -- it's like a gift from Jesus himself.

10. The Santa Clause (1994)

Tim Allen is actually, uh, jolly in this fun family tale about a guy who accidentally kills Kris Kringle -- whoops! -- then has to take his job, unwillingly at first but then growing to love it (not coincidentally, how many grown-ups feel about the movie). We will not comment on the two sequels.

9. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Despite laboring under about three feet of latex, Jim Carrey still comes across loud and clear in this adaptation of the Dr Seuss poem. While it takes a few more liberties with the story than the 1966 animated version, that’s compensated for by the stunning design and make-up (which won Rick Baker a well-deserved Oscar). And it’s also rather funny – Carrey improvising away despite all the big-budget shenanigans going on around him. Fun fact: adorable moppet Cindy Loo Hoo grew up to be Gossip Girl rock chick Taylor Momsen. Guess she got used to wearing lots of make-up on set.

8. 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (1989)

Chevy Chase is at the top of his game in this sight-gag-and-one-liner-laden homage to the love/hate event that is the family Christmas. Where, besides this list, is there a place big enough for a movie with Yule laughs this huge? As Clark Griswold would say, "Bend over and I'll show you."

7. 'Babes in Toyland' (1934)

Mother Goose rhymes come to life in this '34 classic (reissued in '52 as 'March of the Wooden Soldiers') starring comedy legends Laurel and Hardy as gut-bustingly bumbling toymakers out to save Toyland from the nefarious Barnaby. And if tricking him into a same-sex wedding is what it takes, so much the better.

6. 'Elf' (2003)

Frank Ricard. Ron Burgundy. Ricky Bobby. They're all unforgettable Will Ferrell personas, but the role he might be remembered for most in 50 years is Buddy the Elf (what's your favorite color?) from '03's instant holiday classic. This non-stop laugher exemplifies all-ages entertainment.

5. 'Scrooged' (1988)

Only Bill Murray could so expertly walk the fine line between pathos and hilarity, as he does playing miserly TV exec Frank Cross. Complete with a taxi-driving Ghost of Christmas Past and a (literally) ball-busting Ghost of Christmas Present, this Dickens send-up is so offbeat and fun, Yule love it!

4. 'Miracle on 34th Street' (1947)

If this '47 classic doesn't make you a Santa believer, nothing (especially the '94 remake) will. It's dark stuff for a Christmas flick -- Kris Kringle is put on trail to determine if he's legally insane -- but the endgame (in which the US Postal Service saves the day!) is utterly heartwarming.

3. 'A Christmas Story' (1983)

There's nary a scene to forget in this near-perfect nostalgic look at where Americana and Christmastime meet. The story of a young boy's epic quest to get his hands on a Red Ryder BB gun provides the hilarious backdrop for a timeless tale rife with family hijinks, frozen tongues and, of course, sex-oozing leg lamps.

2. 'White Christmas' (1954)

Aren't we all dreaming of a 'White Christmas'? The movie starring Bing "Mr. Christmas" Crosby and Danny Kaye is as charming as the tune, with all the elements to warm the heart: Two GIs come home from WWII, fall in love with singing-and-dancing sisters and help their general with his failing Vermont inn. Awww

1. 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)

A tale of depression and almost-suicide doesn't exactly scream "Christmas classic" -- which is probably why Frank Capra's flick flopped at the box office. But more than 30 years later, it endures as a beloved testament to everything Christmas embodies: family, friends and the joy of life.