The Santa Awards: Ranking the best (and most ridculous) Father Christmases ever to grace our screens

A look at some of the best film and TV Santas.

Ah, Christmas. The gift giving, the carol singing, the food eating. Presiding over it all is the most perennial of holiday figures, the one and only Santa Claus, who, unsurprisingly, has been portrayed by countless actors over the years (and will soon even be tackled by Arnold Schwarzenegger). Behold, for your festive perusal, some of the most beloved, cherished and out-there onscreen renditions of dear old Saint Nick. When it comes to classic Santa, no one did it better than gentlemanly and upstanding Kris Kringle in the original “Miracle on 34th Street,” which netted actor Gwenn the best supporting Oscar for his celebrated performance. (Shoutout to “Jurassic Park” star Richard Attenborough, who played the character in the charming 1994 remake.) Talk about problem-solving on the fly - Santa has a tall order each year in the best of circumstances, and in this old-school childhood confection, he thinks to depend on dear Rudolph’s glowing nose to help guide his sleigh through a stormy Christmas Eve night. Bit of a niche category, sure, but this imaginative rendition of the big man in red – voiced by an actor named Ed Ivory, who sounds like he could be pals with Jack Skellington – reminds us that Santa is a very busy guy who has absolutely no time to get kidnapped by the ghouls of Halloweentown.