Ah, the winter holidays! What better time for getting together with friends, parties, and presents, and for thinking about your investments?

"Wait a minute!" you say. "I was with you right up to that bit about investments."

That's right, Fool. The year's winding down, and we're all looking forward to starting the new one afresh. In fact, many of us will be making resolutions tonight to improve things for next year. So why not start a little early and spend some time with us at The Motley Fool and our investor-intelligence community, Motley Fool CAPS? You can think about your investments and ponder what stocks might be the best ones to invest in during 2008 and beyond.

To help, we've gathered a whole slew of ideas for you to consider and then rate as an "outperform" or "underperform" in CAPS. And who knows? You may even decide to invest in one or two of these ideas for real -- after doing your due diligence, of course.

Well-known companies such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and General Electric (NYSE:GE) make up part of our list of candidates. But we're also presenting you with some stocks you might not have considered, such as Marvel (NYSE:MVL) and IMAX (NASDAQ:IMAX).

IMAX? Well, why not? According to longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz, 2008 could very well be IMAX's year. The company just inked a deal to put 100 of its supersized screens into AMC's theaters. Consider that these new screens will be using the latest digital delivery system, and IMAX could be at the start of something big.

As for Marvel, Anders Bylund reminds us that it's coming out with self-produced movies featuring the Hulk and Iron Man. If either of those films performs as well as its co-produced movies featuring Spider-Man and the X-Men did, Marvel will be in the green in a major way.

Then there's that old standby, GE. Dan Caplinger points out that although the price hasn't budged much over the past three years, net income has continued to grow. Add in a decent dividend yield, and this venerable giant could end up outperforming many other stocks in the coming years.

You could also do well by investing in all-things-medical company Johnson & Johnson, argues Brian Orelli. Although J&J is experiencing some temporary difficulties with its stent business, there is enough going on at this company to make it a stable grower for some time to come.

There you have it: a brief look at some of the companies our Foolish writers think will be the best for 2008. And I didn't even mention the bank in our list (a bank?), Lloyds TSB (NYSE:LYG), or that ever-popular seller of eggnog lattes, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX).

Spend an hour or so with us reviewing the various companies. Then head on over to CAPS and cast your vote by calling "outperform" or "underperform" on as many of these stocks as you like. Finally, come back in a few days, when we'll announce the company that you, our readership, think will be best for 2008.

CAPS: If you haven't tried it out yet, it's free, it's fun, and it might give you some good investing ideas.

The Fools have spoken and chosen the best stock for 2008. Click here to see the winner. Here's a hint: It's shiny, red, and delicious.