Melinda Dillon

The best Christmas movies Melinda Dillon bring back the memories- And television will supply the fare for a long sentimental journey, if you’re inclined.

***”A Christmas Story,” the saga of Ralphie and that Red Ryder BB Gun, gets its 24-hour marathon. The fun starts at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve on TBS. The 1983 classic stars Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon and Peter Billingsley.

***“It’s a Wonderful Life” gives us James Stewart, Donna Reed and the marvelously mean Lionel Barrymore. Frank Capra’s 1946 fantasy plays at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve on NBC.

***”The Man Who Came to Dinner” is the highly enjoyable 1941 version of the play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. TCM screens it at 2 p.m. Christmas Eve. Monty Woolley repeated his Broadway role as the critic who upsets a household with his extended stay. Warner Bros. added Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan.

***How about a singing “Scrooge”? Albert Finney fills the role in a colorful 1970 version of “A Christmas Carol.” TCM delivers the movie at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve.

***”The Bishop’s Wife” presents Cary Grant as an angel.  How do you like that concept? The 1947 fantasy was a best-picture Oscar nominee for that year. Loretta Young and David Niven co-star. TCM presents the movie at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve.

***”Make Way for Tomorrow” is the movie for people who need a good cry. Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi play an elderly couple in this heartbreaking 1937 drama from director Leo McCarey. TCM presents the movie at 10 p.m. Christmas Eve. McCarey won the best director Oscar for that year for “The Awful Truth,” a first-rate comedy. In his acceptance speech, McCarey said he won for the wrong movie; he was more proud of “Make Way for Tomorrow.” You’ll see why.

***”Remember the Night” is a movie to remember for its warmth, charm and romantic chemistry. Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray are the well-matched stars. TCM presents the 1940 comedy at midnight Friday night — yes, it’s the perfect way to start Christmas. These two performers are a long way from “Double Indemnity.” Beulah Bondi co-stars in this one; Preston Sturges wrote the delightful script.

*** Judy Garland sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in “Meet Me in St. Louis.” TCM offers that splendid 1944 musical at 2 a.m. Christmas Day.

***”Miracle on 34th Street” is the beloved 1947 fantasy with an Oscar-winning Santa in Edmund Gwenn. AMC presents this charmer at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve. Natalie Wood and Maureen O’Hara co-star. This, too, was a best-picture Oscar nominee for 1947. (“Gentleman’s Agreement” won for that year.)

***”White Christmas”is a splashy 1954 musical that brings together Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen and the music of Irving Berlin. Michael Curtiz directed. AMC offers it at 10:15 p.m. Christmas Eve.

***”Love Actually” is a 2003 comedy-drama about Brits in love. Lifetime presents the movie at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve. The excellent cast includes Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant and Keira Knightley.

How do you like those enduring gifts from Hollywood?

And there are more:

***”Scrooged,” the 1988 comedy with Bill Murray and Karen Allen, gets the marathon treatment from AMC. The showsings start at 10 a.m. Christmas Day and continue until 6 a.m. the next day.

***If you’re up early Christmas Day, TCM will offer the 1933 version of “Little Women” at 6 a.m. Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett are exceptional in the film. George Cukor directed.

***”The Shop Around the Corner” is a 1940 comedy whose reputation continues to climb. And for good reason. Check it out at 8 a.m. Christmas Day to see the wonderful stars Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan. The main reason it’s a classic: director Ernst Lubitsch, who was famous for his filmmaking touch.

***Need more Scrooge? TCM presents the 1938 version of “A Christmas Carol” at 11:45 a.m. Christmas Day.

***”Ben-Hur” opens with the Nativity and presents a thrilling adventure about a wronged man (Charlton Heston) whose encounters with Jesus change his life. TCM presents the 1959 epic at 1 p.m. Christmas Day. The winner of 11 Oscars, including best picture, contains the classic chariot race and a memorably nasty villain played by Stephen Boyd. He received no Oscar recognition, but Boyd keeps this movie fresh.

***”King of Kings,” the 1961 epic version of the story of Jesus, airs at 5 p.m. Christmas Day on TCM. Jeffrey Hunter played the title role. The director was Nicholas Ray.