The National TV Schedule of classic Christmas movies, holiday specials, tree lightings and parades. Programs are listed in order by air date.
NETWORK TV SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
8:30am on NBC – 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – The world famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade continues to bring the magic of the parade to New York City spectators and a national television audience with its exciting array of balloons, floats, marching bands, celebrities and more.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1
7pm on ABC – AFV’s Wreck the Halls: 35 Years of Holiday Hijinks
8pm on ABC – The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2
8pm on ABC – Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: Holiday Episode
9pm on ABC – Press Your Luck: Holiday Extravaganza III
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3
8pm on ABC – CMA Country Christmas. Filmed in Nashville in front of a live audience, the 15th annual “CMA Country Christmas” will feature one-of-a-kind musical performances of festive classics from country music’s biggest stars.
9pm on ABC – Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town: In the perennial favorite created in 1970 by Rankin-Bass Productions, Fred Astaire narrates this timeless tale of Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), a young boy with an immense desire to do good things for others.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
8pm on NBC – Christmas in Rockefeller Center. Hosted by Kelly Clarkson, the dazzling display of musical talents, star-studded surprises and the lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree remains one of the holiday season’s most anticipated events.
9pm on ABC – Celebrity Family Feud – Hosted by Steve Harvey, this special holiday episode filled with holiday cheer, features teams led by Shaquille O’Neal and Sherri Shepherd as they battle it out to see who will win the grand prize for their selected charities.
10pm on NBC – Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular. Jimmy Fallon searches for the holiday spirit in New York, exploring a surreal and magical apartment building where behind every door a different celebrity joins him for a comedic holiday musical performance.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
8pm on ABC – The Great Christmas Light Fight
8pm on NBC – How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The 1966 cartoon version. The classic tale of the curmudgeonly Grinch who’s hoping to remove the joy from Christmas but, ultimately, has a change of heart.
8:30pm on NBC – Frosty The Snowman. The cherished original holiday special about how Frosty, everyone’s favorite snowman, came to life one day.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
8pm on NBC – Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. The classic animated special offers the perspective of Rudolph, who’s told he couldn’t play in any Reindeer Games due to his glowing nose. Rudolph sets out on a fantastic journey where he meets Hermey the elf, prospector Yukon Cornelius and a host of Misfit Toys, all while trying to hide from the Abominable Snow Monster.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
8pm on CBS – Byron Allen Presents A Merry Soulful Christmas
8:30pm on NBC – Trolls: Holiday in Harmony. When Queen Poppy plans the first annual Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap, things take an unexpected turn when she and Branch draw each other’s name.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10
8pm on ABC – Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
8:30pm on ABC – Toy Story That Time Forgot
9pm on ABC – Disney Prep & Landing
9:30pm on ABC – Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11
8pm on NBC – Frosty The Snowman
8:30pm on NBC – Shrek the Halls. This half-hour animated special debuted in 2007 and features a Christmas twist on the original Shrek characters.
9pm on NBC – A Motown Christmas. Hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey, this special will feature performances by Motown legends and today’s hottest stars celebrating iconic Hitsville U.S.A classics and their favorite holiday songs.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
8pm on ABC – The Great Christmas Light Fight
8pm on NBC – Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
8pm on ABC – Shark Tank Christmas Special – The Tank is transformed into a winter wonderland, and entrepreneurs present Sharks with business opportunities that celebrate the magic of the holiday season.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
7pm on ABC – The Sound of Music – Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the heartwarming film features fan-favorite songs including “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “The Lonely Goatherd” and “The Sound of Music.”
8pm on CBS – An Evening with Dua Lipa
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16
8pm on NBC – Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry. A star-studded music special featuring a dazzling array of country’s biggest names and hosted by Grammy Award-winning superstars Little Big Town. The celebration will feature a variety of Christmas favorites and holiday classics in front of a live audience at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
8pm on ABC – iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2024 – Jingle Ball returns to heat up the holiday season with exclusive performances from the year’s top artists playing their hit songs for fans from across the country.
9pm on NBC – A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special. The iconic late-night program will highlight memorable Christmas-themed sketches from its 50 seasons.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19
8pm on ABC – The Great Christmas Light Fight
9pm on CBS – Nate Bargatze’s Nashville Christmas
10pm on NBC – Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas. With a Vegas-sized backdrop and a renowned band, the evening will feature the best of Manilow’s greatest hits, including “Copacabana,” “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs” and “Looks Like We Made It” along with several holiday favorites.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
8pm on CBS – National Christmas Tree Lighting
9pm on CBS – Josh Groban & Friends Go Home for the Holidays
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
8pm on ABC – The Santa Clause. Scott Calvin is a divorced father whose strained relationship with his son, Charlie, begins to mend only after a bizarre twist of fate transforms him into the new Santa.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23
8pm on NBC – A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special (encore). The iconic late-night program will highlight memorable Christmas-themed sketches from its 50 seasons.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24
8pm on ABC – Home Alone – Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, 8-year-old Kevin McCallister gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he’s not decking the halls with tinsel and holly.
8pm on CBS – The Price Is Right At Night Christmas Week: Holiday Heroes
8pm on NBC – It’s a Wonderful Life. NBC presents the Frank Capra classic once more. An angel sent from heaven tries to help a desperately frustrated businessman (Jimmy Stewart), showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
8pm on TBS – A Christmas Story: 24-hour marathon through 8pm on Christmas Day.
9pm on TNT – A Christmas Story: 24-hour marathon through 9pm on Christmas Day.
11:30pm on NBC – Christmas Eve Mass. Viewers will be able to watch the Pope Francis-led mass from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25
10am on ABC – Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
8pm on NBC – How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The 1966 cartoon version. The classic tale of the curmudgeonly Grinch who’s hoping to remove the joy from Christmas but, ultimately, has a change of heart.
8:30pm on NBC – How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 2000 version starring Jim Carrey. The classic tale of the curmudgeonly Grinch who’s hoping to remove the joy from Christmas but, ultimately, has a change of heart.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26
9pm on NBC – Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas. Join Dolly Parton and friends as she draws on holidays past, guided by her personal Three Wise Mountain Men, to find the unique “mountain magic” of Christmas. Musical performances by Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and more.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29
7pm on ABC – The Wonderful World of Disney Presents “Frozen” – Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer, Sven—to find her sister Elsa whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.
9pm on ABC – The Wonderful World of Disney Presents “Frozen 2” – follows Elsa, together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, on a remarkable and inspiring journey into the unknown to discover the source of her magical powers and save the kingdom of Arendelle.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31
8pm on ABC – Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest
8pm on CBS – New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1
11am on NBC – 135th Annual Rose Parade Presented by Honda. The streets of Pasadena, Calif., are lined with thousands of parade fans as gorgeous rose-covered floats and marching bands partake in their annual New Year’s holiday festivities.
