That infernal clock keeps ticking as the days speed by till Christmas. While the kiddies may have visions of sugar plums dancing in their craniums, it’s another question for harried parents. But there is help on the way. Television promises sleighs full of colorful programming to keep the tykes occupied while parents wrestle with last-minute toy assembling, gift wrapping and catching up on their own Yuletide specials.
Paramount+ is streaming a new take on the misfit reindeer theme (no red-nose here) with “Reindeer in Here.” This unfortunate reindeer sports one antler much smaller than the other. The animated special is based on the award-winning Christmas book by author Adam Reed.
PBS KIDS rings in the season with a one-hour special, “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!” This tale finds the Cat in the Hat, Nick and Sally on a journey around the world to help a lost reindeer find his way home. Airing Dec. 23 and 25, this feature boasts lyrical musical numbers as well as Dr. Seuss’ famous fumbling feline.
Learn how to prepare the perfect three-course Christmas dinner with her “Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas” premiering on PBS next Monday. And you’ll find grumpy Gordon Ramsay preparing Christmas cuisine on “Festive Home Cooking” Friday via BritBox.
Homer will surprise Marge with an unusual gift: a concert from the famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli along with his son and daughter in “The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in ‘Feliz Navidad,’” a special short streaming on Disney+ tonight.
The Great American Family network is offering queues of feel-good Christmas films over the holiday. “The Art of Christmas,” premiering Sunday, is about a struggling artist who discovers a new sense of purpose in life.
The Turner Triplets, TNT, TBS and truTV, are airing favorite movie marathons all month long, including selections from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as “Star Wars,” “Rocky,” and more.
Of course, Christmas would not be Christmas without the 24-hour marathon of that evergreen winner, “A Christmas Story.” TBS and TNT reinstitute Ralphie’s perpetual quest for a Red Ryder BB gun beginning Dec. 24 and continuing till 8 p.m. Christmas day.
Over at the CW the sad saga of a young man’s search for his grandma gets underway with “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” airing Wednesday and Dec. 23. If you long to see how the other half celebrates, the CW is premiering a festive special, “Christmas Around the USA” on Thursday with an encore Dec. 25. The show features a variety of different yuletide traditions and all kinds of decorative displays.
Charlie Brown and his little pals from the “Peanuts” gallery will gather once again for the special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and Apple TV+ is gifting nonsubscribers with a free viewing from Dec. 22 through 25.
For the devout, the film, “The Chosen” — the largest crowdfunded TV production of all time about the life of Jesus Christ — is streaming FREE on the BYUtv app and BYUtv.org with a new episode rising each Sunday.
Kids can imagine that they are attending the Hollywood Bowl in person when Disney+ begins streaming “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl” on Dec. 28. This concert, that was filmed live, features an 80-piece orchestra, 50 dancers, and eye-spoofing special effects. The music spectacle celebrates the Disney Animation movie “Encanto” and features its original cast.
With a unique kind of GPS, Hulu and ABC will be tracking Santa across the skies as he makes his way through the Milky Way on Dec. 24, starting with WABC in New York and hurtling from station to station as reporters, meteorologists and anchors trace any “atmospheric disturbance” that Santa may leave in his wake. Meanwhile, Mariah Carey may give her heart to someone special on “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!” Dec. 20 via CBS.
CBS is giving Hallmark, Lifetime and GAC a run for their money with its own noel-inspired movies. “When Christmas was Young,” sports original music and is executive produced by none other than Sheryl Crow. This celebratory drama premieres on Sunday.
“Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” proves another inspirational track about a little girl with a superpower brain and the courage to exercise it. The show, based on the book by Roald Dahl and the Broadway musical, premieres on Netflix Dec. 25. Starring Alisha Weir as spunky Matilda, the feature boasts a hilarious performance by Emma Thompson as the loathsome Miss Trunchbull.
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