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Finally, the poll you’ve all been waiting for! (Um, haven’t you?) The old-school classic-classics! Which are your favorites? And if we get enough votes, we’ll have a major run-off Friday with the top finishers from the whole week’s worth of holiday movie polls.

So if you haven’t already, get out the vote: New Classics, Christmas Carol Adaptations, and TV Specials

And for our final bit of holiday video cheer, it’s one of our most beloved Christmas songs, from a film that is not a holiday movie at all. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" always gets me, primarily because of its original context. Performed in 1942′s Meet Me in St. Louis, its heartbreaking melancholy was embraced by a nation for which the lyrics "someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow" held special poignancy. (The filmmakers originally thought it was too depressing for a Christmas song.)

The next line, "until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow" is what makes me love the song so much, but of course, thanks to Frank Sinatra (who didn’t think muddling through was "jolly" enough), since 1957 that sadly beautiful line has been changed to "hang a shining star upon the highest bough." Ugh. James Taylor returned to the original lyrics in a recording shortly after 9/11.

2008 has definitely been a "muddling through" kinda year in many ways, but hey, it’s the holidays, so maybe it won’t hurt to take a more "shining star" approach to 2009. Either way, enjoy, and I wish you all the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of Holidays.

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