For many people, watching movies is a fun, integral part of the holiday season. For some, this means watching the same holiday classics year after year. Others are drawn to newer films, heading to the local theater in droves to see the latest festive Hollywood offering.

This is more than enough motivation for studios to continue to release new holiday films. A well-received holiday movie cannot only do big business upon initial release, but also bring in revenue over the years if it reaches that “classic” status.

Disney’s most recent contribution to the holiday film genre, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” – an updated retelling of the 19th-century German story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” – is scheduled to be released this Friday, Nov. 2. As the holiday season draws near, 24/7 Wall St. has identified the 40 best holiday movies ever made. We based our rank on critic and audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and Internet Movie Database.

The 40 films illustrate that there is a type of holiday film for everyone. Numerous genres are represented, ranging from action to comedy and horror to animation. Movie fans of any genre can enjoy the warm, familiar feeling of a holiday-based setting in the film of their choice.

There is also an almost perfect split between older and newer films. Nineteen of the best holiday movies were released prior to 1990, with six released before 1950. These now classic films can often be found on television throughout the holiday season.

Of the more recent releases, six have come out since only 2010, proving that there is always a place at the table for new favorites around the holidays.

Click here to see the best holiday movies ever made.
Click here to see our methodology.