The 12 days of Christmas are wrapping up soon, so that means another 12 things you didn't know about some of your favorite Christmas movies! That's right, it's a trilogy. And don't worry, we're not going to make the mistake of doing prequels next year that screw up the whole franchise.

*All trivia via IMDb.

  • 'Ernest Saves Christmas'

    1. The character of Ernest was made famous in a series of local and national commercials in the early '80s for various products, with Ernest talking about the product to his unseen friend, Vern (the camera). Though Vern was a staple of the Ernest character in the commercials and early television shows, ‘Ernest Saves Christmas’ is the only major Ernest film to feature Vern.

    2. The production ran into trouble with the live reindeer on set when the reindeer started shedding their antlers, causing the crew to have to scramble to get replacements.

    (Image via Buena Vista Pictures)
    (Image via Buena Vista Pictures)
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  • 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'

    3. ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ is one of several films written by Shane Black to take place at Christmas.  Others include ‘Lethal Weapon,’ ‘The Last Boy Scout,’ ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ and ‘Iron Man 3.’

    4. Val Kilmer as “Gay Perry” is considered to be the first openly gay lead character in a major Hollywood action film.

    (Image via Warner Bros)
    (Image via Warner Bros)
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  • 'It's a Wonderful Life'

    5.  A rarity for movies with a happy ending, 'It's a Wonderful Life' ends with the villain getting away with his crime. By the end of the movie, Mr. Potter doesn't return the $8,000 nor does George know who took it.  However, in the original script, Clarence confronted Mr. Potter for what he did to George.

    6. For the rock-throwing scene at the old Granville House, director Frank Capra hired a marksman to shoot out the window on cue when Donna Reed threw her rock. However, Reed was an experienced ballplayer and was able to hit and break the window without the assistance of the marksman.

    (Image via RKO Radio Pictures)
    (Image via RKO Radio Pictures)
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  • 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'

    7. The swimming-pool scene in ‘Home Alone 2,’ where Kevin practices his cannonballs, was filmed at a Four Seasons hotel in Chicago instead of the Plaza Hotel in New York, as the Plaza didn’t have an indoor pool.

    8. All of the children who participated in the Duncan’s Toy Chest scene were allowed to keep a toy from the store as part of their pay. Though it didn’t actually work, Macaulay Culkin chose to keep his TalkBoy prop anyway.

    (Image via 20th Century Fox)
    (Image via 20th Century Fox)
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  • 'Bad Santa'

    9. Billy Bob Thornton has admitted that he was genuinely drunk during the filming of ‘Bad Santa.’

    10. Bill Murray signed on for the role of Willie but eventually dropped out to go to Japan to film ‘Lost in Translation,’ for which he received an Oscar nomination.

    (Image via Dimension Films)
    (Image via Dimension Films)
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  • 'The Polar Express'

    11. The motion capture for the lonely boy in ‘The Polar Express’ was done by Peter Scolari, whose first claim to fame was the television series ‘Bosom Buddies’ playing opposite Tom Hanks.

    12. It has been said that Hanks’ three performances as the Conductor, the Hobo, and Santa Claus are meant to symbolize the Holy Trinity, with Santa being God, whom the main boy doubts exists; the Conductor as Jesus, keeping the children and the train on the correct path; and the Hobo as the holy spirit testing the boy’s faith and giving him options.

    (Image via Warner Bros)
    (Image via Warner Bros)
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