20 non-traditional Christmas movies to watch this year

5. When Harry Met Sally…

Watch if: The side dishes are your favorite part of Christmas dinner.

What it’s about: Probably the most famous romantic comedy ever, When Harry Met Sally… centers on two college acquaintances (Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan) who become close friends and eventually fall in love. The much-missed Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby play Sally and Harry’s respective best friends, who become a couple themselves.

Connection to Christmas: Small, but pivotal. Harry helps Sally pick out her Christmas tree. A year later, after they have slept together and fallen out, Sally drags her pine tree home by herself in a fit of frustration any single person will know well. Also, Harry and Sally first realize they are attracted to each other on one New Year’s Eve and eventually reconcile and get together for good on another.

Why it makes for good holiday entertainment: For one thing, the classic lines (written by the brilliant Nora Ephron): “I’ll have what she’s having,” “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible,” “They don’t make Sunday … Because of God.”

Also, When Harry Met Sally… has everything people love about holiday movies — warmth, humor, a happy ending — without shoving a “Christmas is MAGIC” message down your throat. When you watch it, you feel like you’re settling in for a long chat with your closest, funniest friend. All in all, it’s definitely not the worst way to spend the holidays.