Our 25 Favorite Gifts In Movie History

Whether you're giving or receiving, there are few things better than a gift. It feels great to get one, it feels wonderful to give one, it's just a nice thing. Gifts in movies are kind of the same. They represent a bond between characters that can be layered with meaning. The person getting the gift can be either appreciative or disappointed, the person giving it either sincere or malicious. There's just so many ways you can go with it.

Being as it's the holiday season, we decided to pick out our favorite gifts in movie history. Not necessarily the best ever, just our favorites. That means not all of these are "good" gifts. Some, in fact, are awful. But it's the act of giving them, whether in the context of an overall film or series, that makes them awesome and memorable. So, below, we count down our 25 favorite gifts in movie history.

Okay, first up here's the criteria I placed on this. The gift-giving can't be implied. You either have to see the gift given on screen or hear someone talking about giving a gift. It can't be something purchased by a character for themselves. It doesn't have to be for the holidays and, it doesn't have to be good, just memorable. You're limited to one gift per movie or franchise. Also, it doesn't have to be a traditional gift. Just something passed from one other to the other with nice intentions. And finally, I couldn't find good clips for all of these so, some are just images.

So, without further ado, the list:

Frank Cross is the ultimate holiday a-hole. And what's better than the scene when he and his secretary decide which gifts he's giving to which people. The VCR, especially in 1988, was a good gift, so it's the terrible but hilarious bath towels that get the nod here.

I know what you're thinking. "What about the Talkboy?" Well, we assume the Talkboy was a gift but we don't see Kevin get it, so it's out. Plus, the Turtle Doves are given not once, but twice. In the scene above – when Mr. Duncan gives them to Kevin – and in the scene linked here when Kevin gives them to the bird lady.

There are a few good gifts in Napoleon Dynamite, but we'll go with Trisha's portrait. It's so much more uncomfortable and so much funnier than the cake Pedro gives to Summer. Plus, this one actually works. Napoleon gets a date out of it.

"It's got three speeds!" I still laugh thinking about the ultimate re-gift, originally given from Mitch to Frank, then almost given back to Mitch from Frank, then almost given from Frank to Beanie's son. Just hilarious.

A lifelong friendship is officially formed when Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez gives Scotty Smalls not only his old baseball mitt, but his old hat too. It's just so sweet and off the cuff and important to both characters.

The whole point of Good Will Hunting is that the group of friends in it are blue collar guys. They aren't well off. They're hard-workers just barely surviving. So when three friends do everything in their power to give their friend Will a car for his birthday, even if it's terrible, it's a touching moment.

Daniel's birthday in The Karate Kid is, overall, a pretty great day. He gets his license, he gets his girl back, and in between he gets two pretty great gifts from Mr. Miyagi. I chose the car over the gi simply because it was the bigger surprise. The gi was enough, but Mr. Miyagi went overboard with this ride.

Here's our first bad gift. Diane Cort can't express her love for Lloyd Dobbler so she gives him a pen. That pen becomes a symbol of their odd relationship, illustrated perfectly in the above scene with that iconic line. Cameron Crowe at his finest.

Claire's diamond earrings are the symbol of her superiority. Her popularity. So when she hands one to the low-down, no-good rebel John Bender at the end of John Hughes' teen classic, she's finally giving herself to a whole new world. A beautiful, poetic moment.

In 1995, the Toy Story saga began with a gift: Buzz Lightyear to Andy. As great and important as that gift was, it's trumped by the end of the third film when that same boy gives not only Buzz, but Woody and all his toys to Bonnie. Even thinking about it makes me tear up.

Few movies in recent memory use the gift in a better way. Little Peter is given a gift by his mom, literally from her death bed. He waits almost thirty years to open it. When he does, it provides a perfect, emotional moment to cap to this sci-fi action opera.

Aladdin has one wish left. He can wish for anything in the world. And he uses that wish to give the Genie his freedom. Really, this is the biggest and most important gift on this list, but it just gets trumped by material objects that (in the worlds of the movies) are cooler.

Love or hate Caledon Hockley in James Cameron's Titanic, but this massive blue diamond is a baller gift. Seriously, how rich are you that you gift your girl a diamond this size? Plus, the diamond is the object that sets the entire film in motion.

Normally, if you got a doll that was actually living, that would be pretty great. When he's possessed with the soul of a deranged serial killer, not so much. But Chucky is still one of the most memorable, iconic and, OK, deadly gifts ever given.

There are so many gifts given in the Harry Potter franchise it's ridiculous. There are flying broomsticks, enchanted items, and ugly sweaters. The best one of all is one of the first. In the first film, Harry Potter gets what will end up being one of the three most important objects in the entire wizarding world. It's also incredibly important in pretty much every single movie. Still, it doesn't make my top ten.

Okay, so The Bride definitely forced Hatori Hanzo to make her a sword so this is kind of a cheat. In the end though, he did give it to her, and anything that can cut God and look so beautiful doing it is pretty special.

Henry Jones didn't have the best intentions when he sent his son his grail diary, but it was definitely a gift. And it paid off. Not only did the diary lead Indiana Jones to the Holy Grail, it brought his father back to life.

Every gift has a price. And when Bilbo Baggins leaves Bag End, along with all of his possessions, to Frodo Baggins, it set in motion a war unlike Middle Earth had ever seen. On its own, the Ring of Power (which of course, is part of the package) would be a powerful and memorable gift, but add some real estate and dishes into the mix? Perfect. (Galadriel's gifts to the Hobbits are good, too, but somewhat overshadowed.)

Why psycho hose beast Stacey decided to give her ex-boyfriend Wayne a gun rack we'll never know. What we do know is the exchange is arguably one of the funniest moments in an already hilarious movie. I mean, he didn't own "A" gun, let alone "many" guns that would necessitate an entire rack.

I admit this one is a bit of a stretch. Basically John Connor in the future sends himself an outdated T-800 Terminator to 1991 to help protect him. That's a gift, right? Even if you gave it to yourself? John calls it "my very own Terminator" so I classify it a gift and, really, your own Terminator is pretty much one of the coolest things ever. If only it was lava-proof.

After three movies of travellng through time, Marty McFly isn't left with much other than some memories. Enter Doc Brown and his time traveling train, who gives his good friend a photo they took together 100 years prior. That, my friends, is what I call an awesome memento.

Billy's dad wants to get his son something great. Something memorable. He finds that in a small little shop. The Mogwai, Gizmo, might have a few checks in the minus column — the feeding routine is a pain — but when he's on his own, he's your best friend while also being as cute as a button. Just be sure to follow the rules.

The fact the Red Ryder BB Gun is given in one of the most beloved holiday movies of all time definitely helps give it more weight. But on its own it means so much more. It's that toy you wanted forever as a child. That one thing you desired more than anything. Then, on Christmas morning, you got the object in your hands. Ralphie's Red Ryder BB Gun represents one of the best feelings in the world. Side note: The pink Bunny Costume almost won out, but we decided to go sentimental.

Maybe Luke's father really didn't want him to have this when he was old enough. Maybe his uncle really would allow it. With the knowledge of what happens in the prequels, Obi-Wan's words in this scene feel a little strange. Nevertheless, Anakin's lightsaber passed to his son is the moment where not only does the new hope, Luke Skywalker, learn about his destiny as a Jedi, it's the moment the world learned about them too. The moment we learned about the force. Plus, on a purely visual scale, the lightsaber is just gorgeous and as iconic as props come. One of the all time best gifts ever, period. But, you know, it's kind of small compared to...

There have been a lot of great gifts on this list. Gifts of all shapes and sizes. But none of them are as big, none of them are as important, and none of them are literally the subject of an entire movie like the Wonka Chocolate Factory. Think about it. The whole movie is basically the audience going along for the ride as Willy Wonka's grand scheme to give the gift. Then it's not until the final moments seen above that we know he's giving Charlie everything. It's the ultimate gift, wrapping up so many wonderful things in one: security, safety, chocolate, wealth, fame, you name it, and Charlie Bucket gets it.