Holiday TV guide: Movies, cartoons, music and 'Christmas Story' marathons

If some people have their way, our schedule for the next month is clear.

There's no time for sledding or sleighing or roasting chestnuts at an open fire; we'll be watching TV.

It will be Christmas movies, Christmas cartoons, Christmas music. It will start Thanksgiving morning with a parade, end Dec. 25 with a “Christmas Story” marathon. We may need extra TV sets.

Yes, this trend started long ago. The classic specials for the Grinch, Charlie Brown and Rudolph are 51, 52 and 53 years old.

But it hit overdrive when The Family Channel created “25 Days of Christmas” in 1996. That channel kept changing identities – Fox Family, then ABC Family, now Freeform – but the idea stayed and was widely copied and expanded.

More: Turn your Christmas TV movie binge-watching into a bingo game

More: 5 things to binge-watch this Thanksgiving weekend

More: Things to do in Cincy this weekend: Nov. 24-26

We've included everything new that's been scheduled so far – there will be more, plus changes – and the perennials that people might consider can't-miss. But that's just the start, with lots of other reruns, plus Christmas episodes of regular series. You'd better cancel those sledding/sleighing/roasting plans.

Parades

- “Hollywood Christmas Parade,” 8-10 p.m. Dec. 15, CW.

“A Christmas Story”

- The Broadway musical will be done live, from 7-11 p.m. Dec. 17 on Fox.

- A week later, TBS has its annual marathon of the delightful 1983 movie. That starts at 8 p.m. Dec. 24 and repeats every two hours, until 8 p.m. Dec. 25.

New cartoon

- “Trolls Holiday,” 7 p.m. Dec. 24, NBC. It's a musical with Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake and Zooey Deschanel.

The cartoon classics

- “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 8 p.m. Dec. 25, NBC. It's a 30-minute masterpiece.

- “Frosty the Snowman,” 9 p.m. Dec. 9, CBS. Its non-classic sequel is at 9 p.m.

- “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” one of TV's greatest moments, 8 p.m. Nov. 30 on ABC. The hour is rounded out with briefs in “Charlie Brown Christmas Tales.”

- “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 8-9 p.m. Nov. 28, CBS; also, 8 p.m. Dec. 9.

- “Mickey's Christmas Carol” is a half-hour gem; shown in theaters in 1983, it has few laughs, but exquisite craftsmanship. It's on Freeform at 9 a.m. Dec. 2; 11 a.m. Dec. 14; 9:35 a.m. Dec. 16; 7 a.m. Dec. 20. On the first two days, it's followed by the 90-minute “Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas.”

More key cartoon reruns

- “Santa Claus is Comin' to Town,” plays often on Freeform.

- “Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire” and its sequel, 8 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 25, CBS.

- “The Story of Santa Claus,” 9-10 p.m. Nov. 25, CBS.

- “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” 8-9 p.m. Dec. 1, CW; reruns at 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on CW, also, 7 a.m. Dec. 21 and 22 on Freeform.

- “Shrek the Halls” and “Toy Story That Time Forgot,” 8 and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 7, ABC.

- “Disney's Prep & Landing” is a slick, fast-paced look at Santa's advance team. ABC has it at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 14, with its sequel at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 19; Freeform has them together, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Dec. 17 and 7:30-8:30 a.m. Dec. 25.

- “I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown,” 8-9 p.m. Dec. 16, ABC.

- “How Murray Saved Christmas,” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 24, NBC. The 60-minute original rippled with clever songs; this is a 30-minute version.

- Also: PBS Kids plans Christmas specials for its “family movie night” (check local listings) on Fridays through Sundays. (That's on the PBS Kids App and, locally, on the channel formerly called Think 14.) That starts this weekend with “Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas.” Coming are “The Gruffalo,” Dec. 1-3; “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas,” Dec. 8-10; “Splash and Bubbles” and “Peg and Cat,” Dec. 15-17; and “Ready, Jet, Go” and “Wild Kratts,” Dec. 22-24.

- And much more: There are plenty of Christmas cartoon reruns, as evidenced on Freeform. We counted 73 hours of animation, between 7 a.m. and midnight on Dec. 1-25. On 16 of those days, there's 7 a.m. animation.

Comedy

- ”Greatest Holiday Commercials,” 8 p.m. Dec. 12, CW.

- “I Love Lucy Christmas Special,” 8-9 p.m. Dec. 22, CBS. This again has colorized versions of two episodes. One (a Christmas episode) is repeated annually; the other has Lucy in a fashion show with movie stars' wives. It's followed at 9 by colorized “Dick Van Dyke Show” episodes.

Mostly music

- “CMA Country Christmas,” 8-10 p.m. Nov. 27, ABC. Reba McEntire hosted at the Grand Old Opry. Performers included Luke Bryan, Kelsea Ballerini, Alan Jackson, Brett Eldredge, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Young, Dustin Lynch and gospel's CeCe Winans, plus Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, CB30 and Dan and Shay.

- “A Very Pentatonix Christmas,” 10 p.m. Nov. 27, NBC, rerunning Dec. 6. Jennifer Hudson links with the group; others range from “Voice” winner Darci Lynne Farmer, 13, to Jay Leno, 67.

- “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” 8 p.m. Nov. 29, NBC. There's music by Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Nettles, Brett Eldredge, Leslie Odom J., Pentatonix and the Tenors.

- “Magical Holiday Celebration,” 9-11 p.m. Nov. 30, ABC. Cincinnati's Nick Lachey hosts in the Disney parks with Julianne Hough and Jesse Palmer. Performers include Ciara, Darius Rucker, Jason Derulo and Lea Michele, plus Hanson, Fitz and the Tantrums and In Real Life, which was assembled from ABC's failed “Boy Band” show.

- “Disney Channel Holiday Celebration,” 8:30 p.m. Dec. 1 on (duh) the Disney Channel. It has music by Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Asher Angel, Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, plus a look at Disney World's “Toy Story Land” opening next summer and at three philanthropic families.

- “A Nashville Christmas” is 8 p.m. Dec. 7 on getTV, available locally on digital Channel 25.3, on Cincinnati Bell Fioptics Channel 292 or on Dish channel 373. It has Wynonna Ryder, Pam Tillis, Emmylou Harris and Vincent & Dailey. It reruns at 10 p.m. Dec. 10; 10 p.m. Dec. 12; 9 p.m. Dec. 14; 10 p.m. Dec. 18; 8 p.m. Dec. 20; 8 p.m. Dec. 23; 8 p.m. Dec. 25.

- “Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” 9 p.m. Dec. 12, NBC. It mixes music (Blake Shelton, Ne-Yo) and comedy, with Chelsea Handler, Ken Jeong and Seth MacFarlane.

- “iHeart Radio Jingle Ball,” 8-9:30 p.m. Dec. 14, rerunning 8-9:30 p.m. Dec. 25. It includes Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Camila Cabello, Fifth Harmony and the Chainsmokers.

- “Taraji's White Hot Holidays,” 8 p.m. Dec. 14, Fox. Taraji Henson has her “Empire” co-star Jussie Smollett, plus Ciara, Chaka Khan, Fergie, Leslie Odom Jr., Salt-N-Pepa and the Ying Yang Twins. There's also humor, with Jay Pharoah, Titus Burgess and Niecy Nash.

- “Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas,” 9 p.m. Dec. 14, Fox. Steve Harvey hosts, in an hour that has newcomers plus Snoop Dogg, Boyz II Men, Fifth Harmony and DMS.

- “Magical Christmas Celebration,” 10 a.m. to noon, Dec. 25, ABC. Here are the same people who perform in the Nov. 30 special, this time adding Cincinnati's 98 degrees, plus Telly Leung and Arielle Jacobs from Broadway's “Aladdin.”

Music memories

- “Christmas With the King Family” has its 50th-anniversary rerun, 10 p.m. Nov. 29, getTV, locally digital Channel 25.3, Cincinnati Bell Fioptics Channel 292 or Dish 373.

- Each night, Dec. 17-24, AXS reruns a special at 8 p.m., introduced by Nancy Wilson of Heart. They're led by Rod Stewart, Dec. 17 (followed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at 9 p.m.); Faith Hill, Dec. 18; Jessica Simpson, Dec. 19; Michael McDonald, Dec. 20; Jennifer Nettles, Dec. 21; Chris Isaak, Dec. 22.; the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Dec. 23; and Twisted Sister (really), Dec. 24. Then they'll all rerun, starting at 11 a.m. Dec. 25.

- Also, GetTV loads up on past Christmas specials. They're led by Johnny Cash (9 p.m. Dec. 7, 10 p.m. Dec. 17, 9 and 10 p.m. Dec. 23); Sonny & Cher (10 p.m. Nov. 26, 9 p.m. Dec. 21); Vanessa Williams (8 p.m. Nov. 28, 8 p.m. Dec. 21); Andy Williams (8 p.m. Nov. 30); Cher (10 p.m. Dec. 3, 10 p.m. Dec. 21); Perry Como (8 p.m. Dec. 5); Mac Davis (10 p.m. Dec. 7, 10 p.m. Dec. 24).

Some variety

- “Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic,” 8 p.m. Dec . 1, CW.

- “Great Christmas Lights Fight,” 8 and 9 p.m., Dec. 4, 11 and 18, ABC. We meet families that have awesome holiday displays; each hour, the hosts (Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak) pick a winner.

- Each weekday morning, Dec. 11-15, Ovation will have a different international “Nutcracker” ballet. That's at 7 a.m.; viewers will pick a favorite, to rerun at 7 a.m. Dec. 18.

- “The Great American Baking Show,” 9-11 p.m. Dec. 7, 14 and 21 on ABC; returns, putting some of its focus on holiday goodies.

- “Decorating Disney,” 8 p.m. Dec. 18, Freeform, views work at the parks and resorts. Also: 12:20 p.m. Dec. 19; 9:30 a.m. Dec. 20; 10:05 a.m. Dec. 22.

- “Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time,” 9 p.m. Dec. 20, CW; Turner Classic Movies covers similar ground with “A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas” (2011), 6:45 p.m. Dec. 11 and 8:45 a.m. Dec. 17.

- “Christmas Cribs,” 10 p.m. Dec. 20, ABC, is a “20/20” special, visiting celebrities' homes.

The movie classics

- “It's a Wonderful Life,” 8-11 p.m. Dec. 3, NBC, rerunning Dec. 24.

- “Mary Poppins” (1964), 8-11 p.m. Dec. 10, ABC.

- “Frozen” (2013), 8-10 p.m. Dec. 11, ABC; then on Freeform, at 8:15 p.m. Dec. 17 and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 18.

- “The Sound of Music” (1965), 7-11 p.m. Dec. 17, ABC.

- Judy Garland's “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944), 6 p.m. Dec. 24, Turner Classic Movies; surrounded by “Christmas in Connecticut” (1945) at 4 p.m. and “The Bishop's Wife” (1947) at 8.

“Miracle on 34th Street”

- This film (with a 9-year-old Natalie Wood) turned 70 this year. It has a marathon Dec. 10 on Sundance (3, 5:15, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.) and Dec. 16 on AMC (8 and 10:15 p.m.)

- Also, AMC has it at 8 a.m. Dec. 23 and 12:30 p.m. Dec. 24; Sundance has it at 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Dec. 25. Those three days are part of Christmas movie marathons.

- The 1994 remake – brighter and briefer, with Richard Attenborough – is 1 p.m. Dec. 23 and 5 a.m. Dec. 24 on AMC.

“A Christmas Carol”

- The Jim Carrey version (2008) is 11:25 p.m. Dec. 1 on Freeform. Also: 1:05 p.m. Dec. 2; 4:45 p.m. Dec. 7; 2:45 p.m. Dec. 8; 2:15 p.m. Dec. 10; 11:30 a.m. Dec. 11; 12:10 p.m. Dec. 25.

- A blistering Patrick Stewart version (1999) is 8 p.m. Dec. 3 on GetTV. Also, 8 p.m. Dec. 12; 8 p.m. Dec. 22.

- Older versions are on Turner Classic Movies. They're from 1951 (Alistair Cook) at 8 p.m. ET Dec. 8; 1935 (Seymour Hicks) at 9:45 p.m. Dec. 8; and 1938 (Reginald Owen), at 12:15 p.m. Dec. 16.

- A lush 1984 version with George C. Scott airs at 10 p.m. Dec. 23 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 24 on AMC, then at 10:45 a.m. and 8:15 p.m. Dec. 25 on Sundance.

- Then there's “Scrooged,” the 1988 Bill Murray take-off. AMC has it at 8 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Dec. 23 and at 10 p.m. Dec. 24; Sundance has it at 6:15 and 10:45 p.m. Dec. 25.

More key movies

There are plenty of ones that started out in movie theaters: some of the highlights:

- “Love Actually” (2003), noon Nov. 24, CMT.

- Tim Burton's animated “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” 2 p.m. Dec. 1, Freeform. Also: 3:10 p.m. Dec. 2; 2:15 p.m. Dec . 3; 1 p.m. Dec. 7; 11 a.m. Dec. 8; 2:20 p.m. Dec. 12; 12:10 p.m. Dec. 13; 1:05 p.m. Dec. 16; 10:40 a.m. Dec. 17; 11:15 a.m. Dec. 23; 11 a.m. Dec. 25.

- Chevy Chase's “Christmas Vacation” (1989), 4:15 p.m. Nov. 26; 7:05 p.m. Dec. 1; 4:50 p.m. Dec. 2; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 4; 6:45 p.m. Dec. 5; 2:35 pm. Dec. 7; 10:45 p.m. Dec. 9; 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10; 12:10 p.m. Dec. 12; 7:30 a.m. Dec. 13; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 14; 7:10 p.m. Dec. 15; 10:45 p.m. Dec. 17; 10:40 a.m. Dec. 18; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 19; 6:40 p.m. Dec. 20; 11:05 a.m. Dec. 22; 7 a.m. and 7:10 p.m. Dec. 23; 4:25 p.m. Dec. 24; 2:35 and 8:50 p.m. Dec. 25.

- Will Ferrell's “Elf” (2003), Freeform. 9:15 p.m. Dec. 1; 7 p.m. Dec. 2; 6::40 p.m. Dec. 4; 4:35 p.m. Dec. 5; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 6; 6:50 p.m. Dec. 7; 8:40 p.m. Dec. 10; 5:50 p.m. Dec. 11; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 13; 1:30 p.m. Dec. 14; 9:20 p.m. Dec. 15; 7:05 p.m. Dec. 16; 9 p.m. Dec. 18; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 19; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 20; 6:40 p.m. Dec. 21; 11:50 p.m. Dec. 22; 12:50 p.m. Dec. 23; 9:15 p.m. Dec. 24; 6:45 p.m. Dec. 25.

- Jim Carrey's “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000), 9:10 p.m. Dec. 2, Freeform. Also: 6:05 p.m. Dec. 3; 9:15 p.m. Dec. 16; 5:35 p.m. Dec. 17; 9:20 p.m. Dec. 23; 6:05 p.m. Dec. 24.

- Tom Hanks' “Polar Express” has a so-so story, but splendid visuals. Freeform has it at 11:50 p.m. Dec. 2; 3:55 p.m. Dec. 3; 8:55 p.m. Dec. 5; 6:45 p.m. Dec. 6; 9 p.m. Dec. 11; 6:40 p.m. Dec. 12; 2:45 p.m. Dec. 16; 12:20 p.m. Dec. 17; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 21; 5:25 p.m. Dec. 22; 2:15 p.m. Dec. 24; 12:35 p.m. Dec. 25.

- Tim Allen's “The Santa Clause” (1994) is 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4 on Freeform. Also: 6:25 p.m. Dec. 9; 4:20 p.m. Dec. 10; 8:50 p.m. Dec. 12; 6:40 p.m. Dec. 13; 4:55 p.m. Dec. 16; 3:30 p.m. Dec. 17; 3 p.m. Dec. 23; 11:25 p.m. Dec. 24; 4:45 p.m. Dec. 25. In several cases, the lesser “Santa Clause 3” follows.

- Bing Crosby's “White Christmas” (1954) is on AMC at 10:15 a.m. Dec. 23 and 2:45 p.m. Dec. 24, then it's on Sundance Dec. 25, at 1:15 p.m. and 12:45 a.m.

New movies

-- “Finding Santa,” 8 p.m. Nov. 24, Hallmark; Jodie Sweetin.

- “The Christmas Train,” 8 p.m. Nov. 25, Hallmark. This is under the “Hallmark Hall of Fame” banner, a tradition that spans 66 years and 81 Emmys. Desperate to be home for Christmas, Dermot Mulroney is aboard with Danny Glover, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Joan Cusack.

- “Wrapped Up in Christmas,” 8 p.m. Nov. 25, Lifetime; Tatyana Ali. (Each of the Lifetime films is followed by a Christmas “mini-movie” at 10.)

- “A Very Merry Toy Store,” 8 p.m. Nov. 26, Lifetime; Mario Lopez and Melissa Joan Hart.

- “Switched for Christmas,” 8 p.m. Nov. 26, Hallmark; Candace Cameron Bure.

- “A Joyous Christmas,” 9 p.m. Nov. 26, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

- “Snowmance,” 9 p.m. Nov. 26, Ion. Also, 11 a.m. Dec. 9, 5 p.m. Dec. 23.

- “Angry Angel,” 9 p.m. Nov. 27, Freeform. Also: 4:40 p.m. Nov. 28; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 5; noon Dec. 6; 3 p.m. Dec. 15; 10:30 a.m. Dec. 20. Brenda Song plays a young woman who has suddenly become an angel; she can't get it right, especially when a romantic triangle intervenes.

- “Four Christmases and a Wedding,” 8 p.m. Dec. 2, Lifetime.

- “Christmas in Angel Falls,” 9 p.m. Dec. 2, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries; Rachel Boston stars.

- “My Christmas Prince,” 8 p.m. Dec. 3, Lifetime.

- “Miss Me This Christmas (Dec. 3) and “You Can't Fight Christmas” (Dec. 10), both 7 p.m., TV One. They're romances set in a small-town hotel. The first stars Erica Ash, the second has Brely Evans, with supporting roles for Persia White and Marla Gibbs. They rerun in a Dec. 24-25 movie marathon.

- “The Magical Christmas Ornaments,” 9 p.m. Dec. 3, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

- “The Spruce & The Pines,” 9 p.m. Dec. 3, Ion. Also, 11 a.m. Dec. 24.

- “Christmas in Mississippi,” 8 p.m. Dec. 9, Lifetime; Jana Kramer and Wes Brown.

- “The Christmas Cottage,” 9 p.m. Dec. 9, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

- “Runaway Christmas Bride,” 9 p.m. Dec. 9, Ion. Also, 1 p.m. Dec. 17.

- “A Royal Christmas,” 9 p.m. Dec. 10, Ion. Also, 3 p.m. Dec. 23.

- “Snowed-in Christmas,” 8 p.m. Dec. 16, Lifetime.

- “A Christmas Cruise,” 9 p.m. Dec. 16, Ion.

- Also: In December, Hallmark has a new movie at 8 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday, most with a female star who's fairly familiar: Dec. 2, “Christmas in Evergreen,” Ashley Williams; Dec. 3, “Christmas at Holly Lodge.” Alison Sweeney; Dec. 9, “Christmas Encore,” Maggie Lawson; Dec. 10, “The Christmas Shop,” Ellen Hollman; Dec. 16, “Father Christmas” (with a male lead, Jesse Metcalfe); Dec. 17, “Christmas Connection,” Brooke Burns; Dec. 23, “Christmas Getaway,” Bridget Regan. Skipping Dec. 24, there's a movie-length “When Calls the Heart” on Christmas Day.

- And more: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries also has tentatively scheduled new films for 9 p.m. Dec. 10 and 16.

- And still more: On Christmas Day, Ion will rerun its five new films from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.