Christmas in Connecticut is my favorite holiday movie. Every time I see it, I love it more.

From 1945, Barbara Stanwyck plays that generation’s Martha Stewart, a famous magazine writer who’s always describing her farmhouse, her delicious gourmet meals, and her loving husband and baby.

Problem is, she has none of those things. She’s a working woman who can’t cook but buys herself a mink because she’s always wanted one. When a war hero writes her publisher saying all he wants is to spend Christmas with her, she has to arrange to make all her perfect things come true. Thankfully, a great cook owes her a favor, her boring boyfriend has a farm, and she manages to borrow a baby.

Of course, she and the hero are instantly attracted to each other, even though he thinks she’s married and she thinks he’s engaged. It’s a refreshing take on a non-stereotypical woman’s role with plenty of comedy, romance, and heart-warming holiday cheer.