5. The Smurfs 'Tis The Season To Be Smurfy (1987)
What do tiny blue communists and Christmas cheer have in common you ask? Well I may not have a definitive answer but instead I can recommend 'Tis the Season to be Smurfy' as essential holiday viewing. It's Wild Smurf's first Christmas and it falls to Smurfette to show him what it's all about leading to a kiss under the mistletoe. As this is happening, Papa Smurf instructs the other Smurfs not to open there presents until he returns from delivering his gift to Homnibus the wizard. His reasoning is that Grandpa Smurf and Sasette the Smurfling have yet to arrive. It turns out that the reason for their tardiness stems from the misfortune of a puppeteer named Gustav. He is treated badly and has found himself in hard times which earns the sympathy of the two Smurfs. Aside from financial troubles his wife Elise is very ill, an all round stinker of a Christmas for ol' Gus. Of course, the Smurfs cannot allow this injustice so they all band together to ensure that the couple's home is decorated to beautifully festive perfection which in turn magically cures Elise through the power of Christmas spirit. There's also a side plot about the Smurfs catching a thief but at the heart of it the story is a classic tale of helping those less fortunate than you during the holidays. Is it a bit schmaltzy? Yes it is, but what do you expect from the Smurfs. Set your cynicism aside and you're in for a treat.