MUNCIE, Ind. -- While most holiday get-togethers include family traditions such as tree-trimming, gift exchanges and a slice of pumpkin pie, one Ball State University professor says many families are restoring an entertainment tradition.

"For years family tradition centered around music and entertaining each other at home," said Wes Gehring, professor of telecommunications and the author of 13 books on comedy and films. "It’s a tradition we’ve gotten away from---not many families these days get together and jam. But there’s a carry-over to people who still want to be entertained together, and the last vestiges may be during Christmas."

While even most grocery stores are closed Christmas day, movie theaters and video stores are open and even crowded on holiday afternoons. Films that open in theaters very close to Christmas or on December 25 target that crowd.

Gehring said that one genre covers most holiday films.

"A lot of holiday releases fall under the genre of populism, which is a celebration of traditional family and human values," he said. "The theme of populism is that if you do the right thing, the right thing will happen to you. Classic populist films fulfill our need to believe in other people."

Populist classics include holiday favorites such as "It’s a Wonderful Life" and "The Bishop’s Wife." Gehring said these films often have a touch of magic in them.

"During the holidays people are more likely to step away from reality and suspend belief for a bit," he said. "So there’s the second-class angel Clarence in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and

Cary Grant in ‘Bishop’s Wife.’ For a short time of the year, you want to hook into these values."

Not all populist films are Christmas-themed, but many include a holiday scene. And not all Christmas movies are populist, Gehring said.

"‘A Christmas Story,’ where the father is always cursing and kids are sticking their tongues to frozen flag poles, is not populist," he said. "But, bottom line, it still comes across as a fond memory."

Gehring admitted films that show perfect family holidays are popular for escapist reasons.

"Very few real families are how films portray them," he said. "We love our holiday movies, but at the same time they probably make our real-life holidays a let-down. Things get skewed. Families are divorced. The teenagers don’t want to spend time with grandma. You have to rearrange the traditions, and things don’t always work out the way you want them to. This is probably heightened by the films we see."

The film industry may be adjusting for reality checks or holiday burn-out by releasing other types of films in December, said Gehring.

"Some perversely inappropriate films are released around the holidays," he said, citing the original release of the hit slasher "Scream." "It may be a knee-jerk reaction to the saccharine, holier-than-thou attitudes around the holiday season. I think it’s for the people who are sick of love-thy-neighbor, the people who get tired of Christmas even before the actual day."

Sugar-coated or not, there are plenty of choices each year for every family film festival---and bless them, every one.

GEHRING’S HOLIDAY HITS

• "It’s a Wonderful Life"--- It’s not a wonderful Christmas without this Frank Capra gem.

• "Bishop’s Wife"--- "Cary Grant can do no wrong in my eyes, and Cary Grant as an angel isn’t that much of a stretch," Gehring said. The remake, with Denzel Washington as the angel, is called "The Preacher’s Wife."

• "Hero"--- A non-holiday movie that makes us "re-evaluate what we see as heroic."

• "A Christmas Story"--- Sarcasm and all, this film still qualifies as a fond memory as well as a cautionary tale.

• "Going My Way"--- Christmas is a supporting character instead of a star in this classic.

• "Miracle on 34th Street"--- A loose remake of "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," this film flirts with the fantasy realm, Gehring said.

• "The Gold Rush"--- Charlie Chaplin celebrates Thanksgiving by cooking his boot and New Year’s with a solo party.

• "Home for the Holidays"--- Jodie Foster’s debut as a director shows a dysfunctional standard any family can hope to avoid.

• "Scrooged"--- Bill Murray vehicle which gives "an interesting take on an old story," Gehring said.

• "Holiday Inn"--- Pure saccharine-dripping Bing Crosby classic and the origin of the holiday standard "White Christmas."