It’s now officially December, and since we’ve started our advent calendars, it means it’s officially OK to start watching Christmas films (and, yes, playing festive tunes on the office stereo).

Everyone has their own favourite yuletide flick, no doubt eternally tied to some fuzzy childhood memory, but if you’re aiming for a Chrimbo classic, there are a few simple rules you can follow to make sure you’re on the right track…

And is there anything more essential to a good Christmas film than mounds and mounds of the white stuff? Forget the fact that snow on 25 December is about as likely as a Paul WS Anderson Oscar campaign, a good smattering of frozen precipitation is enough to make the most unseasonal movie (The Empire Strikes Back, The Thing, Inception) fair game for your December viewing schedule.

And movie snow comes with all the tranquil beauty and nostalgic underfoot crunch you could ask for, without requiring thermal underpants, three pairs of socks and a guaranteed cold.