CITY Screen, York, will be showing a series of favourite festive films over Christmastide, beginning with Home Alone (PG) on Friday at 8.30pm.

The Kids' Club screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol (U) will be on Saturday at 11.15am; Die Hard (15) lets its snow on Saturday at 8.30pm and It's A Wonderful Life (U) has in its familiar Christmas Eve slot on Sunday at 12.20pm.

New Year's Eve is a perfectly good excuse to bring back one of the cult hits of the year, Sally Potter's acerbic comedy The Party (15), on December 31 at 6.30pm.

Meanwhile, the Coney Street Picturehouse cinema is promoting its membership package as a Christmas gift for the film lover. As marketing manager Dave Taylor says: "It's the gift that keeps on giving all year round, and as much as Star Wars is sweeping everything before it, we still have some Christmas favourites and the return of The Party on New Year's Eve."

Tickets are on sale at picturehouses.com/cinema/York_Picturehouse/ and on 0871 902 5726.