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Thanksgiving Day Marks The Beginning Of Annual Feast Of Holiday Favorites

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 22, 2007

Nothing says holiday cheer like Shannen Doherty, Ernest Borgnine or Shrek. They've all got new Christmas specials this year, along with Mario Lopez and Elmo.

There are new additions every season to the number of holiday movies and specials.

And the old favorites such as "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street" (which airs at 2 p.m. today on WFLA, Channel 8) and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will be back, too.

This annual feast of viewing gets under way today with NBC's coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It continues all the way through to ABC's coverage of the Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade on Dec. 25.

There is not enough room to detail every program here, so we've made a list and we've checked it twice. You can find what's naughty and nice at TBO.com.

Well, nothing is really naughty except perhaps "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," which airs at 8 p.m. Dec. 22 on TBS.

Other returning classics include "A Christmas Story" at 8 p.m. Sunday on TNT and 8 p.m. Dec. 24 on TBS and "It's a Wonderful Life" at 8 p.m. Dec. 15 on NBC.

To find this kind of information go to TBO.com, keyword: Holiday. Then, click on "Holiday TV Finder." Programs can be found by name or star, or you can peruse through all the titles in the database.

Here's a short roundup of some of the newcomers and golden oldies.

"A Grandpa for Christmas" stars Borgnine, who recently turned 90, in an old-fashioned, heartwarming movie about a former actor who has been estranged from his grown daughter (Tracy Nelson) and 9-year-old granddaughter (Juliette Goglia). Old wounds are healed when the family reconnects at Christmas. Jamie Farr and Katherine Helmond are in the cast. It airs at 9 p.m. Saturday on the Hallmark Channel.

"Christmas Caper" stars Doherty as a petty thief and hustler who returns to her Connecticut hometown after a con goes awry. She gets stuck babysitting her niece and nephew until the holiday spirit kicks in and she goes from Grinch to good aunt. It debuts at 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC Family.

"Shrek the Halls" stars the big green ogre in his first holiday special. Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) is the star, but Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) steal every scene. It airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.

"Holiday in Handcuffs" stars Melissa Joan Hart ("Sabrina, the Teenage Witch") as a desperate waitress who kidnaps a customer (Lopez) and drags him to her family's Christmas gathering. It airs at 8 p.m. Dec. 9 on ABC Family.

"Elmo's Christmas Countdown" features the cute little Muppet with the squeaky voice. Elmo helps an elf find his magical Christmas Counter-Downer. It airs at 7 p.m. Dec. 23 on ABC.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" returns for umpteenth time to fight the commercialism of Christmas. It airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ABC.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is the classic original animated special based on the popular children's song. It airs 8 p.m. Dec. 4 on CBS. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys" is a more recent sequel that airs at 9 p.m. Dec. 3 on ABC Family.

LIFETIME BONANZA: The Lifetime network has five new holiday films beginning at 9 p.m. Dec. 1 with "Holiday Switch," which stars Nicole Eggert ("Gilmore Girls") as a struggling homemaker wondering whether she married the wrong man.

Jami Gertz ("Still Standing") and Dylan Walsh ("Nip/Tuck") are an estranged couple caught in a snowstorm in "Lost Holiday: The Jim and Suzanne Shemwell Story," which debuts at 9 p.m. Dec. 8. It was inspired by a true story.

At 9 p.m. Dec. 9, "An Accidental Christmas," starring Cynthia Gibb, is about an estranged couple who are manipulated by their children into spending Christmas vacation together.

"Christmas in Paradise," at 9 p.m. Dec. 15, is about romantic mishaps on a cruise with Charlotte Ross and Colin Ferguson heading the cast.

At 9 p.m. Dec. 22, Dave Coulier ("Full House") stars in a romantic comedy, "The Family Holiday," about a pool hustler who inherits $10 million.

Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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