Are these the best Christmas-themed military films and TV specials ever?
Ho ho ho!
It's the most wonderful time of the year... to relax and watch TV.
So put your feet up and enjoy our round-up of the best Christmas war films and military programmes.
These yuletide classics are guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit.
- Dad's Army (1968-1977)
"Don't panic!" ... Join Captain Mainwaring and pals for the BBC comedy series, which featured 80 episodes over nine series about the Home Guard during the Second World War.
Over the years, an impressive three Christmas specials were aired – Battle of the Giants, My Brother and I, and The Love of Three Oranges.
- Joyeux Noel (2005)
Set in December 1914, the film follows an unofficial Christmas truce on the Western Front, which allowed soldiers from opposing sides to get a glimpse into each other's lives.
The fictionalised account of actual events was nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars.
- Band of Brothers (2001)
The much-loved American war mini-series, based on interviews with former soldiers, as well as journals and letters, tells the story of Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, US Army and their mission in World War Two.
Although not technically an official festive special, Bastogne (episode 6, series 1), sees Easy Company spend Christmas in the trenches while trying to hold the forest outside Bastogne, Belgium.
- I'll Be Home for Christmas (1988)
Set at Christmas time in 1944 while the Second World War rages in Europe, the film (which also happens to feature a very young Courteney Cox) follows the Bundy family in New England, USA, as they prepare for Christmas.
Spoiler alert, wartime tragedy shatters their holiday plans and they must prepare for an uncertain future.
- Mash (1972-1983)
The classic and much-exclaimed US comedy-drama follows the staff at an Army hospital during the Korean War, where a healthy dose of humour is prescribed to counter the horror of their situation.
The hit series stood the test of time, picking up 14 Emmy Awards during its epic run, and featured three Christmas specials, which were Dear Dad (Season 1), Dear Sis (Season 7) and Death Takes a Holiday (Season 9).
- Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
Based on the stage show of the same name, this film sees the First World War get the musical treatment in a series of jolly song-and-dance vignettes before revealing the grim reality of trench warfare and the ensuing fight for survival.
The film features the stand-out and highly moving scene of the unofficial Christmas day truce. It's a tear-jerker.
- Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Set during the Second World War, British soldier Jack Celliers (David Bowie) is captured by Japanese forces and held in a Prisoner of War camp, where he attempts to bridge cultural divides to avoid further bloodshed.
For a film with Christmas in the title, it has little to do with the festive period, although the holiday features towards the end and carries an important sentiment.
- A Midnight Clear (1992)
This American war film features an all-star cast (Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise, Kevin Dillion and Peter Berg), tells the story of six US infantrymen in the Ardennes Forest, in December 1944, as they attempt to capture a small squad of German soldiers.
War-weary and tired they attempt a plan to avoid further violence.
- Sound of Music (1965)
The much-loved musical, set against the backdrop of the Second World War in 1938, sees Julie Andrews play the governess who wins the hearts of the Van Trapp family and helps them escape the Nazis by crossing the Alps to their freedom.
Despite no mention of Christmas, the film has become a holiday classic, synonymous with the festive period for its catchy tunes, universal themes of love and family, and somehow appears every year at this time in TV schedules.
- The Great Escape (1963)
Arguably one of the greatest military-themed films of all time, Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough star as Allied prisoners of war, planning a large-scale escape from a German camp during the Second World War.
This family favourite is another 'Christmas film' that doesn't actually feature Christmas, and while it probably hasn't had much of a frequent airing on terrestrial TV since the 1980s, the 1963 film has featured in a BBC list of the most repeated festive films of the last 50 years.
What is not festive about sitting with your family watching Steve McQueen riding a motorbike around German-occupied Poland?
Some other classics that have tended to feature on our screens in recent TV history around the Christmas season, such as on Boxing Day, include: the 1964 epic war film Zulu, depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift and starring Sir Michael Caine in his first major role; A Bridge Too Far, starring Dirk Bogarde and depicting Operation Market Garden; The Dam Busters which recreates the story of Operation Chastise and the role of the legendary 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command; The Eagle Has Landed, also starring Michael Caine, which tells a fictional story of a German plot to kidnap Winston Churchill during the end of the Second World War; and the 1968 war film Where Eagles Dare, starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure, which tells the story of British and American paratroopers on a WWII raid on a Nazi-held castle in the German Alps.
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