Christmas TV History

Where to Watch Annual Christmas Specials on TV

2013-06-17T17:20:00.000-04:00

During the months of November and December each year, television networks fill their schedules with plenty of holiday programming. It's very easy to lose track of what is airing--even when you're waiting for a specific program. So I'd like to help you plan your upcoming TV viewing by reminding you of a few noteworthy TV specials to look for. This list will consist of annual TV specials--the TV specials (not episodes in a series, nor movies) that are created new each year. To clarify, I'm limiting my discussion to TV specials for which a new one is created annually. Though this is not an exhaustive list, my intention is to cover the most significant and popular annual programming.

One of my favorite annual Christmas TV specials is Christmas in Rockefeller Center. This NBC prime time holiday music special is a live, celebrity-filled concert that is a part of the annual tree lighting ceremony in Rockefeller Center, in New York City. For many years, Al Roker has been its host, introducing some of the most popular musical acts and recording stars performing holiday music. In 2012, Christmas in Rockefeller Center included musical guests Mariah Carey, CeeLo Green, Rod Stewart, Scotty McCreery, Tony Bennett, Trace Adkins, Chris Mann, the Muppets, teen sensation Victoria Justice, and Italian tenors Il Volo. 2011's Christmas in Rockefeller Center included musical guests Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Usher, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Carole King, Katherine MacPhee, Big Time Rush, and Javier Colon. Some of the excitement of this unique annual event is seeing your favorite musical guests performing live and outdoors in the unpredictable and often cold, winter weather. You don't want to miss this annual TV special which usually airs the week after Thanksgiving. The annual concert event may be broadcast a second time in the NBC prime time holiday schedule but it has never been released on DVD.

Though Ryan Seacrest has replaced Dick Clark, the annual New Year's Eve broadcast on ABC is a must-see for many holiday revelers. So far Clark's name remains attached to the annual TV special though for how long, we'll have to wait and see. Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve has been an annual event for decades though other networks broadcast the December 31st celebrations in New York's Times Square as well. Likewise, NBC's Thanksgiving morning broadcast of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is not the only television coverage. However, NBC's annual TV special is the most popular. When Santa Claus arrives in his parade float at Macy's store, it is the official start of the holiday season. What would Thanksgiving be without watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? I don't want to know. Both of these annual TV specials are broadcast only once--so if you snooze, you lose. Neither the New Year's special nor the Thanksgiving day parade have ever been released on DVD.

A fairly new annual tradition has become the CMA Country Christmas TV special airing on ABC. This prime time music concert special just began in 2010 but it is quickly becoming one of the best, most anticipated events of the holiday season. The most popular country music recording artists take the stage in front of a live audience to perform holiday music. Singer Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland has been this concert's host for all three years of its existence. In 2012, the musical guests included country music's own The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Scotty McCreery, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, and even host Jennifer Nettles sings. Proof of CMA Country Christmas' popularity is that they were able to include musical guests beyond country music, including John Legend, Colbie Caillat, and mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins. But again, you won't find this annual holiday TV special released on DVD.

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on PBS in 2012.

PBS is another wonderful source for holiday TV programming. PBS is known for broadcasting the annual Christmas concerts of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The 360 member choir has an excellent reputation for its holiday performances which usually include two special guests. Last year, the PBS broadcast Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir included special guest actress Jane Seymour who narrated a medieval tale with a message about age-old Christmas stories. The second special guest was celebrated baritone Nathan Gunn. The year before, PBS broadcast the Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and special musical guests American Idol competitor David Archuleta and actor Michael York who narrated a story about the Choir's first director John Parry.

My favorite of these annual concerts aired in 2001 with special guest Angela Lansbury. She not only sang her trademark holiday song "We Need a Little Christmas" from the Broadway musical Mame, but she also sang "Not While I’m Around" from Sweeney Todd and "Beauty and the Beast" from the Walt Disney animated movie.

PBS does release the annual Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert on DVD however, it is released under a separate title--not Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir the title under which it airs on TV. The 2012 broadcast with Jane Seymour has been released under the title Once Upon a Christmas, and the 2001 concert with Lansbury has been released as The Joy of Christmas with Angela Lansbury. I know, it confuses me too.

Another annual Christmas TV special on PBS is the National Tree Lighting. The annual outdoor ceremony and musical concert are presented by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation broadcast from President’s Park in Washington, D.C. The President and his family are usually in attendance and eventually push the button that illuminates the grand, outdoor National Tree near the White House.

In 2012's Christmas in Washington concert, Obama and his daughters join the entertainers on stage (Diana Ross behind podium and host Conan O'Brien on the extreme right) to sing "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing."

Another annual Christmas concert is Christmas in Washington, a prime time special on TNT. Much like Christmas in Rockefeller Center, this annual holiday concert features the biggest and brightest stars in the recording industry. However, this more dignified event takes place in Washington DC's National Building Museum for a very special live audience that includes the President and his family. In 2012, the musical guests included Diana Ross, South Korean pop star Psy, Demi Lovato, Broadway star Megan Hilty, Chris Mann, and country music's Scotty McCreery. In 2011, the entertainers were CeeLo Green, Justin Bieber, The Band Perry, Victoria Justice, and Jennifer Hudson. Each year, other musical performances are provided by The Washington Youth Choir, The American Family Choir, the United States Naval Academy Glee Club, the United States Army Herald Trumpets, and the Christmas in Washington Orchestra. It's quite an event. And, this is another annual TV special that has never been released on DVD.

Find out what all goes into decorating and preparing for the holidays in Washington on HGTV's The White House Christmas.

Another significant annual Christmas TV special is HGTV's The White House Christmas. This yearly special details the decorations and preparations for the White House holiday, the home of the First Family which also serves as a showcase for many parties and guests throughout the season. Every year this TV special reveals the First Lady's decorating theme and it's application, the design of the annual gingerbread house, the installation of the Christmas tree in the Blue Room, the various decorations for the rooms and hallways throughout the building, and the many designers and volunteers who transform the White House into the holiday showcase. This annual TV special has never been released on DVD either.

Maybe you've also watched A Home for the Holidays on CBS, an annual Christmas special that raises awareness on the importance and need for adoption sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. There is also Holiday Notes from Home, an annual music concert for families of our military's soldiers and taped to entertain the troops around the world. This annual special is usually broadcast on an upper tier cable network. Neither A Home for the Holidays nor Holiday Notes from Home has ever been released on DVD.

Is there another annual holiday TV special that you like to watch? Do you make it a point to catch any of these annual special events? Which of these from the above list is your favorite to watch?

Where to Watch Christmas Movies on TV

2013-06-12T13:57:00.002-04:00

Many of you already follow my regular tweets (@TisTheSeasonTV) and daily postings on my Facebook page Tis The Season TV. Though I post year-round daily Christmas broadcasts on TV, in November and December each year it gets a little overwhelming. There are literally hundreds of options for watching Christmas programming. In an attempt to help you narrow your options so you can make the best decisions for your own taste preferences, I'll share with you what I know. If you're looking to enjoy a feature-length Christmas movie on TV, the vast majority of movies that air, do so in just a few places.

On TCM, host Ben Mankiewicz often delivers a great introduction to the Joseph L. Mankiewicz-produced 1938 movie A Christmas Carol.

If you like the older Hollywood theatrical-release classics, you will stay close to Turner Classic Movies (TCM) network. Here you will usually find the holiday standards such as Christmas in Connecticut, 3 Godfathers, The Man Who Came to Dinner, 1938's A Christmas Carol, Bachelor Mother, Bundle of Joy, Come to the Stable, Holiday Affair, Remember the Night, King of Kings, and more. In 2012, they pulled from a very deep vault to air the TV movie Carol for Another Christmas (1964). They have a very good website which makes it easy to check their programming schedule.

ABC Family Channel provides a convenient downloadable schedule of their holiday programming.

Another network that provides an easy-to-read schedule is ABC Family Channel. The network makes it's very own downloadable schedule for their December holiday programming they call The 25 Days of Christmas. This schedule is dominated by animated holiday specials but they usually include several new family-friendly Christmas TV movies as well as a few older holiday movies--both theatrical release and made for TV. However, ABC Family Channel airs more Christmas movies than the downloadable schedule covers. Also check their November programming schedule which they often call The Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas and their late night and early morning schedules all through November and December which they often fill with movies and holiday programming from their archives.

You can also watch the December listings for the Disney Channel to find prime time broadcasts of older family-friendly movies they pull from the Disney Channel archives.

Starting the first week in November the Hallmark Channel begins airing their holiday programming!

Another network known for their family-friendly holiday programming is the Hallmark Channel. For the past several years, they have introduced approx. fourteen new, original Christmas TV movies each year! This network is clearly producing the bulk of new Christmas TV movies. Most of them feature a prominent romance story but remain family-friendly. The quality of the TV movies varies from some of the best contemporary Christmas TV movies to some of the worst. If you're like me, you like to see familiar actors in your Christmas TV movies and the Hallmark Channel productions are the best to offer this. Hallmark Channel also has an excellent website which makes it easy to check their holiday programming schedule. They begin airing Christmas TV movies from their archives usually the first week in November. They've even been known to host a Christmas in July marathon of their favorite holiday TV movies during the month of July.

The Hallmark Channel also re-broadcasts everyone's favorite holiday Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, some of the highest quality productions the medium has to offer. Don't overlook the Hallmark Movie Channel because they broadcast holiday TV movies too.

As Lifetime focuses on their new original series programming, I'm not sure of their future commitment to Christmas movies.

Lifetime network has undergone significant changes in recent years. In years past, they have debuted many made-for-TV Christmas movies and created Christmas marathons throughout the month of December to air their archives. They even used to broadcast a Christmas in July marathon of their holiday TV movies during the summer. However, the recent corporate changes to the network have affected the holiday programming and each year they seem to do something different. In 2011, they aired very little Christmas programming during December. In 2012, they introduced several new Christmas TV movies. I have no idea what to expect for 2013. Making matters worse, as of this writing, their website is horrible and not very user-friendly for checking their programming schedule. So even if they are broadcasting Christmas TV movies, it's nearly impossible to anticipate. I would love to see them broadcast many of their older Christmas TV movies again--hopefully they will rise to the occasion. If you're so inclined, don't forget the Lifetime Movie Network--they may broadcast older Christmas movies too--but it's kind of hard to predict.

A network that has risen to the occasion is ION. The past several years they have debuted Christmas TV movies--usually on Sunday nights during the month of December. I feel like this is an overlooked resource for those searching for holiday programming.

Another network that continues to grow it's Christmas TV movie programming is Gospel Music Channel (GMC). For the past several years they have debuted 1-2 brand new TV holiday movies as well as broadcast several older Christmas TV movie classics. Looking to watch an older Christmas TV movie you haven't seen in a while? Check GMC's schedule during December.

Did you know the Inspiration network (INSP) also broadcasts older Christmas TV movies during December? Their holiday programming too continues to grow each year and I'm looking forward to seeing what they have on their schedule in 2013. INSP asked me to write about their Christmas TV movies for their website in 2012--click HERE to see what they aired and what I had to say about it.

Not to be overlooked is Comedy Central who regularly broadcasts the movies Christmas Vacation and Bad Santa, as well as other theatrical release classics. If you haven't noticed, Comedy Central airs these Christmas movies year round--so you don't even have to wait until December!

I also want to encourage you to check your local TV listings--especially Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon, evening, and late night schedules. You may very well find a lost or forgotten classic from year's past, cheaply broadcast by a local TV station.

Do you look forward to watching Christmas TV movies at holiday time? To what channel(s) do you turn for your favorite holiday movie programming?

Christmas in July 2013 is COMING: Part 3

2013-06-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

1982's The Snowman

By now, you've heard the news that I'm hosting guest bloggers next month. Everyone is writing an essay about their favorite ANIMATED Christmas entertainment. Click HERE for the original introduction and instructions. Click HERE for Part 2: more images to jog your memory about animated episodes, specials and movies.

1979's Bug Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales

Here in Part 3, I want to let you know what titles have already been reserved. If you'd like to participate, please also send a 2nd choice just in case your 1st choice has already been selected by someone else. The following lists titles already taken:

--Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
--Batman: The Brave & the Bold episode "Invasion of the Secret Santas!"
--Cosmic Christmas
--Twas the Night Before Christmas
--Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
--The Simpsons episode "Marge Be Not Proud"
--A Charlie Brown Christmas
--Polar Express
--The Small One
--A Garfield Christmas
--Santa & the Three Bears
--Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
--Yogi's First Christmas
--Mickey's Christmas Carol

What would YOU like to write about? As you can see, there are still plenty of titles both classic and contemporary still available. Email me according to the instructions with your selection. Let me give you a few more images to inspire you. Come and join the party!

Family Guy's 2010 Christmas episode "Road to the North Pole."

1974's "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus" or this 2009 re-make.

1936 cartoon "Christmas Comes But Once a Year."

Any one of the several Prep & Landing specials.

1976's Rudolph's Shiny New Year

Squidbillies 2006 Christmas episode "Rebel With A Claus"--or any of the many Adult Swim Christmas installments.

The original 1966 Grinch special is still up for grabs!

Maybe the contemporary film Arthur Christmas touched your heart? Tell us all about it in July.

Disney's Christmas Carol is currently streaming on Netflix.