Gobble up some Thanksgiving Fun

You’ve got A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on ABC on Nov. 18 at 8 and again at the same time on Thanksgiving Day. If you have to wake up early on Nov. 25 to stuff your bird, turn on National Geographic channel at 3 am to catch Thanksgiving Unstuffed, which explores the myths and science behind the holiday. 

Keep the Tradition Going or Start A New One with Classic Movies

Already visit Macy’s to do your holiday shopping? Kick back and watch Miracle on 34th Street. Catch it a few times (Nov. 25, Dec. 21 and Dec. 25) on NBC and ABC Family.   It’s A Wonderful Life gets kicked off Nov. 30 on NBC at 9 pm and is aired quite a lot throughout December (Dec. 12 and again on Dec. 24).  The Polar Express has become a classic in our house – pop some popcorn and snuggle up Dec. 3 for a back-to-back airing of the animated fantasy starting at 6 pm on ABC Family (also catch it on Dec. 21 and Dec. 23). 

Remember Your Childhood with These Classic Shows

What is the holiday season without Charlie Brown or the Grinch? Catch A Charlie Brown Christmas (with a special Prep & Landing short, with none other than Betty White as the voice of Mrs. Claus) on Dec. 7 at 8:00 on ABC (it is rerun on Dec. 16 and the original Prep & Landing is airing Dec.15 at 6 pm and Dec. 20 at 7 pm on ABC Family). How the Grinch Stole Christmas airs twice – Nov. 19 at 8 and Nov. 21 at 7 on TBS (DVR it and keep it to watch throughout December). Over on CBS on Dec. 11, catch an hour of Frosty -- Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns start at 8 pm.

All Things Claymation

We’ve got Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer on Nov. 30 on CBS at 8 pm, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town on Dec. 2 on ABC at 8 pm, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys on Dec. 6 on ABC Family at 7pm. ABC Family has a marathon of claymation fun on Dec. 9 with Rudolph's Shiny New Year at 6 pm, The Year Without a Santa Claus at 9 pm and A Miser Brothers' Christmas at 10 pm. ABC Family is rerunning these often, so check the listings for more times to catch them.

New and Festive Holiday Cheer

Three new holiday shows caught my eye. On Nov. 24, keep the kids busy while you prep the thanksgiving feast with Merry Madagascar at 8:00 pm and Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special at 8:30 pm airing on NBC. ABC Family has The Gruffalo, a new animated special based on the book by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.  Robbie Coltrane (yes, Hagrid himself) voices The Gruffalo and Helena Bonham Carter lends her voice as the narrator -- our DVR is already set for 6 pm on Dec. 9.

Holiday TV Central #1

Hallmark Channel has movies and specials coming out the whazoo with 24 hours of holiday fun every day. New ones include The Night Before The Night Before Christmas with Jennifer Beals debuting on Nov. 20 at 8 pm, Debbie Macomer’s Call me Mrs. Miracle starring Doris Roberts airing Nov. 27 at 8 pm, and The Santa Incident with Ione Skye and Greg Germann kicking off at Dec. 9 at 8 pm. For the kids, you’ve got Eloise at Christmastime is Dec. 4 at 4 pm. All of these run a few times, so check out their site for full rundown and listings.

Holiday TV Central #2

ABC Family and their 25 Days of Christmas will have more than 200 hours of holiday family fun. They have movies galore: new ones like Christmas Cupid with Christina Milan and The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation, with Zeus, the dog voiced by Mario Lopez; animated hits from Pixar like Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and WALL-E; the Santa Clause movies 1-3; and all of the Home Alone movies. Specials include festive fun with Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Dr. Seuss, and Phineas & Ferb. Check their web site and this main program guide for more details.

A Merry Mega Listing

I found this awesome and thorough listing of holiday shows, specials and movies--everything playing on almost every station, every hour of the day. And I mean everything – he’s included Cougar Town’s Thanksgiving episode (Nov. 24 at 930 on ABC) to my personal favorite, the OC Christmas episode with the introduction of Chrismukkah (Nov. 21 at 6 am on the Soap network).

And don’t forget to catch local fun with the Christmas in Rockefeller and the lighting of the Rockefeller tree on Nov. 30 at 7 pm on NBC.