The holidays are rapidly approaching, and the movie theaters are getting ready. Whether it is a sequel or a brand new movie, the holiday films are beginning to hit the big screen.

"The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" has already hit theaters. Tim Allen returns as St. Nick, who must deal with his in-laws visiting and fight to stop Jack Frost from taking over his toy operation at the North Pole. According to Yahoo movies, this movie has only a C- as its average critic review grade. Most reviewers came to the consensus it was just another holiday sequel with an overdose of hokey holiday cheer.

"Deck the Halls" took the stage Nov. 22 and is in theaters now with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick in a family comedy about a man who’s obsessed with putting enough Christmas lights on his house to make it visible from outer space. The movie is full of caroling, decorating and other Yuletide traditions.

While "Deck the Halls" might be full of humor, critics generally said the movie lacked a developed plotline. According to Walter Addiego, a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, "’Deck the Halls’ is a holiday version of the neighbor-from-hell comedy, by now an established refuge for Tinseltown hacks," said Addiego.

"The Nativity Story" breaks ground Dec. 1 with Keisha Castle-Hughes in a religious tale about the birth of Jesus. This film chronicles the perceived-to-be, historically defined journey of Mary and Joseph and the birth of their son Jesus.

According to an Associated Press (AP) news release, "In their silken robes, the wise men - like everyone else in ’The Nativity Story’ - feel like participants in an elaborate high school production, one that looks authentic but has no soul," said Christy Lemire, an AP Movie Critic.

However, according to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, "In New Line Cinema’s ’The Nativity Story’ we have the first smart, artistically and spiritually satisfying film to emerge from this trend," said Kirk Honeycutt.

On Dec. 8, "The Holiday," with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black star in this romantic comedy about two women from different sides of the world who meet on the Internet, talk about their desire for something different and new in their lives and then decide to swap houses for the Christmas season.

Coming out on Christmas Day is "Black Christmas." Michelle Trachtenberg stars in a remake of the 1974 thriller about members of a sorority house terrorized by threatening phone calls from a killer during the winter holiday break. One by one, the sorority sisters begin to die.

These holiday movies are beginning to take over the big screens. Don’t just leave it up to the critics, go see for yourself.