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Holly jolly, jingle jangle. Turkey Day is over and programming to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and the holiday spirit is well under way. Here’s a look at some of the highlights. (Days and times are subject to change.)
Documentaries
Biography: “Charles Dickens,” Dec. 22; “Charles Schulz: A Charlie Brown Life,” Dec. 25; “Santa Claus,” Dec. 25. All at 5 and 9 p.m. A&E.;
Trumpet of Conscience: A tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Christmas Eve sermon he made in 1967. Dec. 25, 3:35 a.m. TBS.
Family
A Charlie Brown Christmas: The 30th anniversary of the classic tale. Dec. 6, 8 p.m. CBS.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Grinch tries to eradicate the holiday from the wholesome Whos. Dec. 15, 5:05 p.m. TBS. (A “Special Edition” version includes interviews with Chuck Jones, “Mrs. Seuss” Audrey Geisel and others. Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. on TNT.)
Kwanzaa: A Cultural Celebration: A look at the unique holiday. Dec. 24, 4 p.m. KOCE.
Lamb Chop’s Special Chanukah: The gang’s joined by Alan Thicke, Noriyuki (Pat) Morita and Lloyd Bochner. Dec. 11, 8 p.m. KCET.
Lighting the Way: Young People Celebrate: Four young people, ages 11 to 16, celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, La Posada and Kwanzaa. Dec. 8, 4 p.m. KOCE.
Martha Stewart’s Home for the Holidays: Julia Child and Miss Piggy help her. Dec. 12, 8 p.m. CBS.
Mole’s Christmas: New animated tale featuring Kenneth Grahame’s “Wind In The Willows” characters. Dec. 3, 3:30 p.m. Disney Channel.
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree: Humans and Muppets search for the perfect Christmas tree. Leslie Neilsen, Robert Downey, Jr. and Stockard Channing. Dec. 6, 8:30 p.m. CBS.
Not in Our Town: Political humorist Will Durst visits Billings Mont., a town whose residents responded to a hate crime--the destruction of a local temple--by putting menorahs in their windows. Dec. 29, 9:30 p.m. KCET.
Peter and the Wolf: Animation combines with live action to bring Sergei Prokofiev’s tale to life. Kirstie Alley, Ross Malinger, Lloyd Bridges star. Dec. 8, 8:30 p.m. ABC.
A Pinky and the Brain Christmas: The Brain uses Santa’s workshop for evil but the Christmas spirit overtakes him. Dec. 13, 8:30 p.m.; Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. WB.
Puzzle Place Holiday Special: Various cultural traditions are examined. Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. KCET.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The classic tale of triumph over ridicule. Tuesday, 8 p.m. CBS.
Storytime: The bilingual “Para Ti (For You)” features Ruben Blades. Dec. 10, 9:30 a.m. KCET.
Weinerville Chanukah Special: Puppets and their master plus lots of guest stars put the “Ha” in Hanukkah. Dec. 14, 8 p.m. Nickelodeon.
Movies
The Christmas Box: A family that moves in and cares for an elderly woman learns the true meaning of Christmas. Maureen O’Hara, Richard Thomas, Annette O’Toole and Kelsey Mulrooney star. Dec. 17, 9 p.m. CBS.
A Christmas Carol: A colorized version of the Charles Dickens story. With Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart. Dec. 15, 7:05 p.m. TBS.
A Christmas Reunion: James Coburn and Edward Woodward star in the classic children’s story about a boy who wishes Christmas would just go away. Dec. 21, 6 and 10 p.m. A&E.;
Ebbie: Susan Lucci stars as a new Ebenezer Scrooge. Dec. 4, 8 p.m. Lifetime.
It’s a Wonderful Life: The classic James Stewart movie about the vast significance of one life. Dec. 16, 8 p.m. NBC.
Music
Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters Christmas Show: Bobby Vinton and Andrae Crouch join the sibs. Dec. 4, 5 p.m. TNN.
Carols From King’s: A Celebration of Christmas: From the Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England. Dec. 14, 6 and 10 p.m. A&E.;
Christmas in Dixie: Alabama, Tracy Byrd and Lari White sing holiday songs. Dec. 12, 5 p.m. TNN.
Christmas With Vince Gill: Gill goes home to Oklahoma. Amy Grant’s there. Dec. 4, 6 p.m. TNN.
Holiday at Pops: Live From Boston’s Symphony Hall. Dec. 17, 5 and 9 p.m. A&E.;
Kiri’s Coventry Carols: Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa joins choirs of Britain’s Coventry and Lichfield Cathedrals and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Dec. 7, 6 and 10 p.m. A&E.;
Sam’s Place Christmas: Celebrate with Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Hal Ketchum and Alison Krauss. Dec. 6, 5 p.m. TNN.
Swing Into Christmas: Two new shows with standards by Grover Washington Jr., Marcus Roberts, Terence Blanchard, and Wynton Marsalis on Dec. 7; Washington and Blanchard, Roberts, Marsalis and Tramaine Hawkins on Dec. 14. Both shows at 7:30 and 11:30 p.m. A&E.;
Variety
Christmas in Washington: The President and the First Lady catch the spirit in public; the cast from “Frasier” are their guests. Dec. 13, 10 p.m. NBC.
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