Pop in one of these sure-to-please DVDs. Bonus: Adults will like them too!
The fastest way to occupy a rowdy crowd of youngsters is to switch on a fave DVD, but the holidays are a time of vacation -- and parents don't necessarily want to hear the movie their kids have been for the gazillionth time in a row. Instead, put together a repertoire of DVDs that are not only new to the wee ones, but also fave classics for the rest of us. Also, if the adults are gathering around the TV too, it will keep the kids from thinking it's a "baby" activity, thus keeping them in front of the tube -- and out of the land of the whining fit-throwers.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
That little guy from outer space has been warming hearts for more than 25 years, which means that the kids who loved it when it first came out are now the adults who will be hitting your holiday soiree.
March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)
Around since the thirties, this Laurel and Hardy classic has the amazing power to entertain decades worth of kiddies. No one in the house can resist this old-school movie -- and maybe that's why it's on TVs every holiday season.
Home Alone (1990)
It's hard to belive that this holiday fave is 18 years old, but it's still just as funny today. With comedic giants like Joe Pesci and the late, great John Candy, adults can laugh right along with the kiddos.
Mary Poppins (1964)
No matter how old it gets, Mary Poppins had the ability to keep kids supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-ing for years. The fact that it's now a Broadway play makes the content familiar -- and kids will recognize "'the Grandma from the 'Princess Diaries' "!
The Secret Garden (1993)
Based on a book that many kids are familiar with, this movie is one of our fave classics. And it doesn't hurt that this gorgeously shot 1993 film stars Dame Maggie Smith, Professor MacGonagall herself.
