“I’m back, baby! I’m back!”

— George Costanza, from “Seinfeld” episode “The Mango”

That opening quote seems appropriate in several ways when it comes to my life these days.

Most important, after a long sabbatical from writing a regular column for this newspaper, I’m back in the proverbial saddle again.

It’s a bit different this time. In the past, my column almost always appeared in the Lifestyle pages, covering mostly entertainment-type themes. And there was the occasional sports column.

But this incarnation, it will cover a variety of topics and could turn up in a variety of places. If I write about local/national news issues, it will appear on the Opinion page. If I’m offering my take on the local music scene or a particular TV show or movies, it will land on the Lifestyle page. And when the Seahawks and my 49ers renew their rivalry, which seems alive and well again, that column will be in Sports.

And the format may vary. I might pontificate about one particular topic. I might reintroduce my once-somewhat-infamous Dave’s Top Five lists, or it might be be a variety of opinionated anecdotes — something I like to call a visit to the “Three-Dot Lounge.”

But enough of that. As you might recall, I have something of a penchant for “Seinfeld,” arguably the greatest TV show ever produced. One key reason is I can watch it over and over and over and still find a laugh or several in just about any episode. It’s my go-to show at the end of each work night, knowing that no matter how craptastic my day was, I’ll end the day with a chuckle and usually a smile on my face.

I use that same reasoning when it comes to Christmas movies. Can I watch them every year and still get that warm-and-fuzzy feeling of Christmas cheer?

So, with that in mind, here are Dave’s Top Five Favorite Christmas movies of all time — and five others that just missed the cut.

5. “Die Hard” (1988) — As the T-shirt being advertised all over my Facebook page says: “It’s not Christmas until I see Hans Gruber fall from Nakatomi Plaza.”

There’s an ongoing argument on the internet as to whether this is a Christmas movie. The vote in my family is unanimous, and it’s No. 1 on at least one of my sons’ list. There are Christmas references spread throughout the film and the whole thing takes place during a terrorist-targeted corporate Christmas party in Los Angeles.

Starring up-and-coming Hollywood star Bruce Willis as protagonist John McClane, this movie was the feature film (and Hollywood) debut of Alan Rickman, who plays the wonderfully villainous Hans Gruber.

Trivia alert: The fictional Nakatomi Plaza setting is now the actual headquarters of Twentieth Century Fox. The company charged itself rent for the use of the then-unfinished building.

4. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989) — I never miss at least one annual visit with the Griswold family. It features an outstanding comedic cast headed by Chevy Chase as family patriarch Clark Griswold and Beverly D’Angelo as his wife. In this film, their daughter is played by the delightful Juliette Lewis and son, Rusty, by a very young Johnny Galecki, who would later rocket to fame on the hit TV show “The Big Bang Theory.” But the best performance may be by Randy Quaid as trailer-trashy Cousin Eddy, who hilariously reminds me of too many people I know.

“Seinfeld” trivia alert: John Randolph, who plays Clark Griswold Sr., was originally cast as Frank Costanza — George’s dad — on “Seinfeld” in a 1993 episode called “The Handicap Spot.” That lasted for all of one episode before the producers replaced him with Jerry Stiller for the remainder of the show’s nine-season run. In 1995, the scenes with Randolph were deleted and replaced with Stiller as Frank for the syndicated reruns we see today.

3. “Elf” (2003) — Other than as “Hank the Tank” in “Old School,” Buddy the Elf is my favorite Will Ferrell character. This is such a sweet-hearted and silly movie, and Farrell is simply delightful as Buddy. Another amazing ensemble cast with the likes of Bob Newhart, Ed Asner (as Santa), Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen and later-on “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage.

Trivia alert: The animated characters of Leon the Snowman and the Polar Bear Cub featured early in the film are voiced, respectively, by the late musician Leon Redbone and the late stop-action animation guru Ray Harryhausen.

By the way, you can see this movie on the big screen tonight at the 7th Street Theatre in Hoquiam and at the D&R Theatre in Aberdeen.

2. “Home Alone” (1990) — The more times I watch this movie, the more I like it. Featuring an absolutely stunning performance by a then-10-year-old Macaulay Culkin, it is both quite funny and heartwarming.

The performances of Joe Pesci (Harry) and Daniel Stern (Marv) as the bumbling bad guys always bust my gut. I wish Pesci would do more comedy. And back in the day the late John Candy, who improvised all of his lines in this movie, could simply open his mouth and I would laugh.

But my favorite scene in the movie comes late as Kevin (Culkin) and his elderly neighbor Marley (an masterful, understated performance by Roberts Blossom) are sitting in a church discussing their family issues as a choir performs Christmas carols in the background. In a movie that’s billed as a comedy, this beautifully filmed scene always makes me well up with emotion.

Trivia alert: Daniel Stern wore rubber feet for his barefoot broken-glass scenes, as did Bruce Willis as John McClane in “Die Hard.”

1. “A Christmas Story” (1983) — This classic is always on my TV on Christmas Day, when TBS runs its annual 24-hour marathon. A relative failure at the box office but a darling of film critics, it has become a cult favorite since it began airing on television.

It’s a positively amusing tale of a bygone and simpler era and a boy’s quest for the perfect Christmas gift: a Red Ryder BB gun. It stars Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, Darren McGavin as his father and Melinda Dillon (who’s also well known for Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) as his mother.

Trivia alert: Billingsley later had an uncredited voice role as one of the animated characters in “Elf.”

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Five others that just missed the cut

“About A Boy” (2002) — One of the most underrated British films ever, it uses two sequential Christmases to highlight character development. The cast features Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz and a young Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max,” “X-Men”).

“Scrooge” (1970) — My favorite rendition of “A Christmas Carol,” with some catchy tunes (it’s a musical) and sterling performances by Albert Finney as Ebenezer Scrooge and Sir Alec Guinness as Marley’s ghost.

“Batman Returns” (1992) — Set during Christmas in Gotham City, it’s well worth watching for Michelle Pfeiffer’s turn as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Her Catwoman outfit is well worth the price of admission. (Meow!) In my opinion, she was robbed of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress that year.

“Edward Scissorhands” (1990) — With the final third of the movie taking place at Christmastime, this quirky Tim Burton entry centers around the themes of family, love and compassion for the less fortunate.

“Gremlins” (1984) — A fusion of comedy and horror, this Spielberg film features creatures wreaking havoc on a small town at Christmastime, when a father’s attempt to please his son with an exceptional gift backfires — “bigly.”

David Haerle is city editor of The Daily World. Reach him at dhaerle@thedailyworld.com.

Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci in a scene from “Home Alone,” which was the highest-grossing movie domestically in 1990. (Twentieth Century Fox)

Will Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf and Faizon Love as the Gimbel’s toy department manager in a scene from “Elf.” The movie is one of the earliest directed by John Favreau, who also has a small part in the film. (New Line Cinema)

Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie drink eggnog out of Walley World cups in a scene from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Warner Bros.)

Hans Gruber, portrayed by Alan Rickman, free-falls from Nakatomi Plaza in a scene from “Die Hard.” It was the British actor’s first cinematic role. (Twentieth Century Fox)