Season of holiday specials grows bigger

TV loves Christmas, and no wonder. In the holiday season, reruns aren't just tolerated - they're demanded. If the Grinch, Frosty, Charlie Brown and George Bailey don't show up, it wouldn't really be Christmas.

Plus, Christmas specials are as easy to turn out as popcorn balls. Singer with a new holiday CD? Check. Christmas tree, Rockettes? We're in the spirit.

Christmas movies, too, almost seem to write themselves, demanding only a couple of adorable yet lovelorn characters and some mistletoe. Maybe Santa. We're not picky. We'll watch.

No wonder TV loves Christmas so much that it starts the season earlier and earlier every year. Thanksgiving Day used to be the Christmas kickoff, but this year, the Hallmark Channel premiered "Love's Christmas Journey" on Nov. 5. ABC Family stretched its "25 Days of Christmas" to 36 days, running "Once (and Twice) Upon a Christmas" Sunday, before Thanksgiving turkeys were even thawed.

(Too soon? Don't get me started on the brilliant minds that decided to start playing Christmas carols in stores before Halloween or installed Santa Claus at the mall on Veterans Day.)

Between Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas," ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas," plus specials and movies on the broadcast networks and most cable channels, there are too many Christmas offerings to list them all. But here are highlights, including what's new this year and where to find some old favorites.

(Note that many programs have multiple airings, with only the first listed here.)

New this season

* "Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas," 8 p.m. today on Hallmark

Faith Ford and Tom Cavanagh swap houses (Boston for Washington state) for the holiday, but confusion ensues. Gil Bellows plays Cavanagh's brother, with Emma Lahana as Ford's college-student daughter. "Will Christmas travel calamities lead to cross-country romances? Or have there been one too many surprises already?" What do you think?

* "Holiday Engagement," 8 p.m. Nov. 27 on Hallmark

Jilted Bonnie Somerville hires an unemployed artist (Jordan Bridges) to pose as her fiance during a holiday with mom Shelley Long - but will fake love turn out to be the real thing? Haylie Duff also stars.

* "CMA Country Christmas," 9 p.m. Dec. 1 on ABC

The second annual special, produced by the Country Music Association, features country artists performing holiday songs and sharing Christmas traditions. Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland is host.

* "A Princess for Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 3 on Hallmark

Katie McGrath becomes an overnight parent to a young niece and nephew, but her out-of-control life takes an unexpected turn when an English butler turns up to invite her to spend Christmas with her long-lost grandfather (Roger Moore).

* "A Michael Buble Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 6 on NBC

Buble performs songs from his new Christmas album, including "White Christmas," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Feliz Navidad" and "Jingle Bells," and he's joined by guests including Justin Bieber and Kellie Pickler.

* "Annie Claus Is Coming to Town," 8 p.m. Dec. 10 on Hallmark

Santa's daughter (Maria Thayer) leaves the North Pole for Christmas in Southern California, where she goes to work at Wonderland Toys (owned by Sam Page) and befriends the owner of the Candy Cane Inn (Vivica A. Fox). Peter Jason and Vicki Lawrence are Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

* "12 Dates of Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 11 on ABC Family

Amy Smart goes on the same first Christmas Eve date over and over until "she learns to open up her world to new things and stop living in the past." Mark-Paul Gosselaar also stars.

* "The Christmas Pageant," 8 p.m. Dec. 11 on Hallmark

Mark Valenti ("Like Father, Like Santa") wrote this new movie with Melissa Gilbert as a Broadway director who gets fired and winds up directing a small-town Christmas pageant. Robert Mailhouse plays her former fiance, with Edward Herrmann as the owner of the town's B&B.

* "Christmas Magic," 8 p.m. Dec. 18 on Hallmark

A young woman (Lindy Booth) is assigned by an angel to help a young widower (Paul McGillion) turn his failing restaurant around.

More specials

* "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," 8 p.m. Nov. 30 on NBC

* "The Sing-Off Holiday Special," 8 p.m. Dec. 5 on NBC

* "A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 6 on TCM

* "Live From Lincoln Center: George Balanchine's The Nutcracker," 9 p.m. Dec. 14 on PBS

* "Christmas in Washington," 8 p.m. Dec. 16 on TNT

Returning favorites

* "Miracle on 34th Street," 8 p.m. Dec. 24 on TCM

* "Bad Santa," 1:07 a.m. Saturday (late Friday) and 4:30 p.m. Sunday on Comedy Central

* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 8 p.m. Nov. 29 on CBS

* "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000), 8 and 10:30 p.m. Dec. 2 on ABC Family

* "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too," 6 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 on ABC Family

* "The Santa Clause," 7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 1 on ABC Family

* "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," 8 p.m. Dec. 1 on ABC

* "It's a Wonderful Life," 8 p.m. Dec. 3 (also 8 p.m. Dec. 24) on NBC

* "The Bishop's Wife," 10 a.m. Dec. 4 on TCM

* "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Prep and Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice," 8 and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 5 on ABC

* "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1966), 8:30 p.m. Dec. 7 on Cartoon Network

* "The Polar Express," 8:30 p.m. Dec. 5 on ABC Family

* "A Christmas Carol" (1938), 9:45 p.m. Dec. 5 on TCM

* "A Christmas Story," 9 p.m. Dec. 6 on TCM

* "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," 9 p.m. Dec. 7 on ABC Family

* "Rudolph's Shiny New Year," 6 p.m. Dec. 5 on ABC Family

* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys," 7 p.m. Dec. 5 on ABC Family

* "Frosty's Winter Wonderland," 7 p.m. Dec. 8 on ABC Family

* "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town," 8 p.m. Dec. 8 on ABC Family

* "The Year Without a Santa Claus," 9 p.m. Dec. 8 on ABC Family

* "Frosty," "Frosty Returns" and "Yes, Virginia," 8, 8:30 and 9 p.m. Dec. 9 on CBS

* "Olive, the Other Reindeer," 12 p.m. Dec. 10 on Cartoon Network

* "The Flight Before Christmas," 9 p.m. Dec. 10 on CBS

* "Christmas in Connecticut," 10 a.m. Dec. 11 and 10 p.m. Dec. 16 on TCM

* "White Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 12 on AMC

* "A Christmas Carol" (1951), 8 p.m. Dec. 12 on TCM

* "The Lemon Drop Kid," 8 p.m. Dec. 13 on TCM

* "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey" and "The Little Drummer Boy," 7 and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 17 on ABC Family

* "The Story of Santa Claus," 9 p.m. Dec. 17 on CBS

* "Scrooge," 10:15 p.m. Dec. 19 on TCM

* "Disney's Prep & Landing," 7 p.m. Dec. 21 on ABC Family

* "Christmas in Connecticut," 10 a.m. Dec. 11 on TCM

* "Holiday Affair," 11 p.m. Dec. 20 on TCM

* "Meet Me in St. Louis," 6 p.m. Dec. 24 on TCM

* "A Christmas Story," marathon begins 8 p.m. Dec. 24 on TBS

Food and home

* "Radio City Holiday," 9 p.m. Thursday on HGTV

* "Holiday Inc.," 10 p.m. Thursday on HGTV

* "Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies," 10 p.m. Saturday on the Cooking Channel

* "Holiday Block Party 2011," 8 p.m. Saturday on HGTV

* "Celebrity Holiday Homes," 9 p.m. Saturday on HGTV

* "Invasion of the Christmas Lights 3: Europe," 9 p.m. Dec. 3 on TLC

* "Extreme Christmas Trees," 9 p.m. Dec. 10 on TLC

* "Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables and Traditions," 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on PBS

* "Lights: Celebrate Hanukkah Live in Concert," 9 p.m. Dec. 20 on PBS

* "Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir," 5 p.m. Dec. 25 on PBS

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Gail Pennington: gpennington@post-dispatch.com

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