By Charly SHELTON

The holiday season is always a time for family, food, fun and films. The studios release their tent pole holiday pictures that usually are met with high acclaim – and this year will be no different.

Starting Dec. 4:

Everybody’s Fine – Robert DeNiro stars as a father who has all three children cancel their visits with him. So if they won’t come to him, he decides to go to them.

Up in the Air – George Clooney stars as a corporate downsizer with a penchant for frequent flyer miles.

Dec. 11:

Invictus – Morgan Freeman is Nelson Mandela in the story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup game that unified the country. Matt Damon joins him.

The Lovely Bones – Peter Jackson moves away from giant apes and tiny hobbits to direct this story of a teenager who tries to bring justice for her murder from beyond the grave. This is one of those films you will be happy you have seen come Oscar time.

And the excitement kicks into high gear on Dec. 18 with:

Avatar – This long awaited (almost a decade in the making) special effects masterpiece has almost photorealistic digital characters. How far we have come from Jar Jar Binks… Directed by James Cameron.

Dec. 25 sees many films all competing for those coveted gift certificates you found in your stocking:

Alvin and the Chip-munks: The Squea-kuel – The popular animated turned CG characters from 2007’s hit film are back with some new friends – the Chipettes.

It’s Complicated – Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and Meryl Streep star in this romantic comedy about a middle-aged love triangle.

Sherlock Holmes – Iron Man, uh I mean Robert Downey Jr., is back to turn another childhood classic into a blockbuster. Iron Man was fantastic; let’s hope this film about the master detective and his sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) will do the same.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – I could give a plot synopsis so we can all see if we’re interested, but let’s be honest – the main reason we will all go see this film is because Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all stepped in to finish Heath Ledger’s role after his untimely and tragic demise.

So here is what we have to look forward to this season: super sleuthing, digital creations, political thrillers, dead celebrities, and rodents in sweaters.

It is going to be a lot of fun, any which way you slice it.