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A Planet Earth cameraman films emperor penguins in Antarctica. (Discovery Channel / BBC)

I always try and pick a DVD or two to stick into the stockings each year.  This year, there's a great selection of new movies recently released to pick from.

For the Kids:
Ratatouille, which came out this week (November 6th) - Disney's latest about a rat from the country who finds himself in Paris restaurant helping a human chef cook.  It's cute and fun - appropriate for all ages.

Pixar's Short Films Collection - Volume 1 - finally, all those little "mini movies" that we've been seeing at the beginning of each Pixar Film are available in one movie.  Mater & the Ghostlight from Cars and more.  Definitely entertaining and fun for the kids.

Meet the Robinsons - which came out in late October - another Disney movie about a boy who time travels and must save the fate of his future.  Appropriate for all ages.

Shrek 3 - coming out November 13th.  Get a copy next week when it releases - new movies are almost always on sale release week.

Enchanted Tales - this one's for the girls, two short stories about Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty

For the Family:
Planet Earth (see photo) - we love this show and I save it on DVR any chance I get.  For those of you unfamiliar, this is a series that was taped through the BBC (the version on Discovery in the States has Sigourney Weaver narrating but the DVD series has the original British narrator).  Each show is beautiful - it shows various regions of the world and shows natural wonders you've only dreamed of seeing.  The show definitely emphasizes the urgency to conserve and preserve, a nice message to give our children.

I personally think it's age appropriate for all. We haven't seen every episode and there are definitely some shots that show nature at work (a predator killing a prey) and some of them are not fun to see but it's nature.  If you don't feel that sort of thing is appropriate for your child, screen it first.  But truly, this is a series that is great and it's certainly enjoyable for parents as well.

For Your Funny Friend/Dad/Sister:
Flight of the Conchords - this hysterical duo from New Zealand documents their move to New York City. They're funny.  So very funny - I can't explain it but everything they do just makes you laugh.  I'm getting this one for my sister.


Find more stories and tips for the holidays at Family.com's Yule Blog