Between Christmas shopping, Christmas decorating, and Christmas baking, there’s hardly any time to sit down and enjoy holiday-themed TV programming, especially if you have no idea what’s on. Instead of giving up and turning to Real Housewives, read this guide to know which stations will be the best to keep an eye on and which special TV shows and movies you don’t want to miss!
STATIONS
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When you’re wildly flipping through the channels hoping to catch even a glimpse of any Christmas movie, remember that certain stations are more likely to have what you’re looking for. Here’s a breakdown of which stations will have some of the best programming this Christmas season so you can get a better idea of what to expect.
ABC Family
ABC Family dominates the Christmas programming sphere with its 25 Days of Christmas campaign, which features movies every day in December leading up to Christmas Day. Sure, Finding Nemo and Toy Story 2 might make for unexpected Christmas programming, but by and large the 25 Days of Christmas keeps true to its spirit, complete with timeless classics and ABC Family original movies.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Day-long Holiday Classics Marathon – Dec. 17 and Christmas Eve
- The Polar Express – Dec. 20 at 9 p.m. and Christmas Day at 8 p.m.
- The Santa Clause – Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.
- Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.
- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – Christmas Eve at 7 p.m.
To get a glimpse of what movies might be playing during the classics marathons, you can look at last year’s schedule, which included movies like The Little Drummer Boy, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, and Mickey’s Christmas Special. If you’re looking for great Christmas movies — or even just great movies — ABC Family is a great place to start.
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TBS
TBS holds a very important movie responsibility during the Christmas season — it runs the ultimate movie marathon of A Christmas Story. If this is your all-time favorite Christmas movie or even one you hope to watch for the first time, all you have to do is turn on TBS on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; the movie will be playing on a loop from 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 25.
A Christmas Story tells the tale of Ralphie, a young boy who wants nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun and sets out on a quest to convince everyone else that the BB gun would be the ultimate gift. However, the classic response he always receives is, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” If you want to include this holiday necessity in your Christmas routine, make sure to turn the channel to TBS.
NBC
While a lot of NBC’s major programming specials were at the beginning December, it still has a lot in store for the end of the month. From the WWE Tribute to the Troops holiday special to the Christmas-themed episode of The Office, the station’s providing a wide range of holiday shows. However, there’s one specific reason why NBC is important to the holiday season.
NBC shows one of the greatest holiday movies ever made: It’s a Wonderful Life. The touching film is played annually on Christmas Eve. If you’re planning on including this movie in your essential Christmas TV viewing, tune into NBC on Dec. 24 at 8 p.m.!
SPECIALS
The classics are always shown each year, but different stations also broadcast specials to liven up the season. Here are a few television events you might be interested in seeing.
- Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas – Dec. 20 on NBC
- A Home for the Holidays with Martina McBride – Dec. 21 on CBS
- The IMAX Nutcracker in 3D – Dec. 22 on DIRECTV® 3net
- Disney Christmas Parade – Dec. 25 on ABC
Whether you’re interested in a good dose of Christmas humor from a comedic sketch show, a more emotional, inspirational special about adoption from foster care, or a dose of Disney family fun (respectively), there’s a special for you. The Christmas season evokes feelings of happiness, giving, and gratitude, and the specials reflect the very same sentiments.
CONCLUSION
When you turn the TV on in December, it’s hard not to run into Christmas shows. However, because there are so many on a range of different stations, it might be hard to find what you want. If you’re looking for an in-depth breakdown of what’ll be on this Christmas season, check out guides like It’s a Wonderful Movie to find what you want to watch. Regardless of what you want to see, make sure you don’t miss it!
