Sunday, Dec. 1 2013
The best of televsion for the holiday season.
A Plethora of Holiday Programming Ahead By Candace Havens FYI Television It’s that time of year again when the networks do their best to bring a bit of cheer to viewers. We’ve gathered a selected list of fun holiday programming for the family. Some of it’s new and others are favorites from years gone by. We’ve grouped them by network to make them easy to find.
CBS Narrated by Jimmy Durante, it isn’t the holidays until we’ve seen “Frosty the Snowman,” airing Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. on CBS. And if that doesn’t provide your talking-snowman fix, “Frosty Returns,” narrated by Jonathan Winters, airs on the network Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8:30 p.m. There is no happier snowman than Frosty. But the little girl Virginia is not so cheerful when a playground bully tells her there is no such thing as Santa Claus. She sets out in search of the truth on “Yes, Virginia,” airing Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and featuring the voices of Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Alfred Molina. A young reindeer wants to be a famous flyer like this father on “The Flight Before Christmas,” airing Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. The special features the voices of Norm MacDonald and Emma Roberts. And it isn’t animated, but there is an “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” on CBS, featuring two new colorized episodes from the 1950s series, airing Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. Lucy and the gang are always good for a laugh.
NBC NBC heralds the arrival of the holidays with a dazzling display of musical talent and the lighting of the world’s most
famous Christmas tree during the 16th annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” broadcast, airing Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. The starstudded 81st annual tree-lighting extravaganza will feature an array of musical guests performing current hits and holiday classics from Rockefeller Center in New York City. The Peacock Network follows up this time-honored tradition with a newer one – culling the archives of “Saturday Night Live” sketches for a compilation of those related to the holiday at hand, this one being an “SNL Christmas,” airing at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The humor may not be for the whole family, but this collection of holiday skits from the 38-year span of the variety series is one way of revisiting Christmases past. Nothing says Christmas like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which has its annual NBC screening on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. Jimmy Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man down on his luck who learns what the world would be like without him. Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore also star. If you miss it the first time, there is an encore presentation on Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 7 p.m.
ABC The Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation “Christmas in Conway” debuts Sunday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. on ABC. Andy Garcia plays a man who wants to relive a special memory with his sick wife (Mary-Louise Parker). There is also love in the air with the ailing woman’s
Jennifer Nettles is the host of “CMA Country Christmas,” airing Monday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. on ABC.
home-care nurse (Mandy Moore) and the landscape designer (Riley Smith) working next door. In the mood for some holiday tunes? “CMA Country Christmas,” airing Monday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m., is a two-hour special hosted by Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and featuring performances by Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Lucy Hale, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Michael W. Smith. Even Willie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” is stopping by. And on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., ABC brings back a perennial favorite from 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which is still adorable and poignant. It never gets old watching Charlie Brown decorating that sad little tree.
6 p.m. Christmas Kiss (2011, Holiday) Elisabeth Röhm. Priscilla Hall’s socialite boyfriend, Adam Hughes, causes quite the battle between Priscilla and her assistant, Wendy, as the battle for his attention. NR. ION 6:30 p.m. SpongeBob SquarePants It’s a Spongebob Christmas! SpongeBob accidentally puts all the residents of Bikini Bottom on Santa’s “naughty” list as part of one of Plankton’s plots to get the Krabby Patty formula. NICK 7 p.m. The Christmas Spirit (2013, Holiday) Nicollette Sheridan. After a small town journalist arrives home for the holiday season, she discovers a real estate developer is attempting to purchase small local businesses. (HD) HALLMARK 7 p.m. Dear Secret Santa (2013, Holiday) Tatyana Ali. When a woman named Jennifer moves back into her childhood home, she begins to receive curious Christmas cards that remind her of an old friend. NR. (HD) LIFETIME 8 p.m. Christmas In Conway (2013, Romance) Mary-Louise Parker. The tale of a husband searching for the perfect gift for his ailing wife for Christmas and figuring out that he wants to give her a ride on a real ferris wheel. NR. (HD) ABC 8 p.m. Holiday Road Trip (2013, Romance) Shelley Long. A woman finds herself on a road trip across the country with her boss’ son to deliver her company’s mascot dog to the Beverly Hills Christmas Parade. ION 9 p.m. A Princess for Christmas (2011, Holiday) Katie McGrath. After her sister is killed in an auto accident, a young woman and her niece and nephew she is watching are invited to Europe for the Christmas holiday. HALLMARK 10 p.m. My Santa (2013, Family) Matthew Lawrence. A young mother is beginning to lose her faith in the magic of Christmas, but when she takes her son to the local mall Santa she feels an immediate attraction. NR. ION 11 p.m. Catch a Christmas Star (2013, Holiday) Shannon Elizabeth. After a renowned pop icon gets back together with her high school sweetheart, she soon encounters resistance from her record label and the media. NR. (HD) HALLMARK
Monday, Dec. 2 2013 6 p.m. Jack Frost A groundhog relates a unique tale of a winter sprite-like character who relinquishes his malicious image, becomes human and helps a knight win his love. (HD) FAMILY 7 p.m. It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002, Holiday) Steve Whitmire. Kermit and the Muppets have to scramble to save the Muppet Theater when the bank owner who holds their mortgage wants to turn the theater into a casino. PG. (HD) CW 7 p.m. Farewell Mr. Kringle (2010, Comedy) Christine Taylor. When a magazine writer is assigned to find out what make’s Mistletoe’s Santa Claus tick, she quickly discovers how much Kris Kringle means to the small town. NR. (HD) HALLMARK 7 p.m. The Dog Who Saved the Holidays (2012, Holiday) Dean Cain. A dog’s family gets a new puppy, and while he quickly
grows tired of his devious sister, he must learn to work with her when thieves threaten the family. PG. (HD) HUB 7 p.m. The Twelve Trees of Christmas (2013, Holiday) Lindy Booth. A New York woman attempts to stop the demolition of a local library but soon finds herself up against a determined urban developer and his unexpected charms. NR. (HD) LIFETIME 8 p.m. CMA Country Christmas Host Jennifer Nettles and a live audience help celebrate the season with some of the most powerful musicians in the country music scene such as Trace Adkins. (HD) (N) ABC 9 p.m. Call Me Claus (2001, Holiday) Whoopi Goldberg. A producer at a home shopping network hires a Santa Claus for the network, but he’s seeking out a yuletide replacement and hopes to groom her for the job. NR. (HD) LIFETIME 9 p.m. The Christmas Card (2006, Holiday) John Newton. A young American soldier in the Middle East sets out to find the sender of a Christmas card and discovers more than he anticipated. NR. (HD) HALLMARK 11 p.m. The Dog Who Saved the Holidays (2012, Holiday) Dean Cain. A dog’s family gets a new puppy, and while he quickly grows tired of his devious sister, he must learn to work with her when thieves threaten the family. PG. (HD) HUB 11 p.m. Gift of the Magi (2010, Holiday) Marla Sokoloff. After a newlywed couple agrees not to exchange Christmas presents in order to save money over the holidays, they both make sacrifices to buy the other a gift. NR. (HD) HALLMARK
Tuesday, Dec. 3 2013 7 p.m. Scrooged (1988, Comedy) Bill Murray. A TV network executive fires an aide, exploits his secretary and trashes a holiday show on Christmas Eve but ghostly visitations show him the error of his ways. PG-13. FAMILY 7 p.m. Help for the Holidays (2012, Family) Summer Glau. When one of Santa Claus’s elves becomes curious about life outside of the North Pole, the jolly man sends her on a special mission to Los Angeles. NR. (HD) HALLMARK 7 p.m. Christmas Angel (2009, Holiday) K.C. Clyde. A woman searches for a job, but when her neighbor offers her a job helping him bring cheer to the less fortunate, things begin to turn around. PG. (HD) LIFETIME 9 p.m. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989, Comedy) Doug Llewelyn. Members of an eccentric family try to create the perfect holiday by inviting all their relatives over for a long visit, but the plan turns into a disaster. PG-13. (HD) FAMILY 9 p.m. A Christmas Wedding (2006, Holiday) Sarah Paulson. A couple who met on Christmas day plans a special wedding to be married on Christmas day as well, but a snow storm threatens their wedding. NR. (HD) LIFETIME 9 p.m. Hitched for the Holidays (2012, Romance) Joey Lawrence. A man and woman agree to pose as each other’s dates for the holiday season to please their families, who are pressuring them to be in a relationship. NR. (HD) HALLMARK