Holiday Entertainment - TV Style
We may be confined for an unusual amount of time in our homes and unable to celebrate the winter holiday season as we would like, but we can definitely be entertained, via television and the internet. Some of the festive offerings have already been shown, of course. Wednesday evening I watched the live broadcast of the Grinch musical from Broadway. I intended to only partly watch, while stamping Christmas cards. Well, I just loved it. The actors looked exactly like the characters in the book, and the songs were pleasant, and Dr. Seuss’s rhymes never fail to charm. Adults and children and adults-as-dogs were all delightful. The following night brought the Best of Broadway show. I skipped that but I’m sure it was super.
On Friday evening there was a competition I’d not heard of before, “The Christmas Caroler Challenge.” I caught this and I’m so glad: all those elegantly arranged and beautifully sung Christmas songs lifted my spirits. After some searching, I believe I can tell you that the challenge will continue next Friday and Christmas night. However, this information was only found in and on TV Guide’s website—it wasn’t even on the CW’s own official site!
This season always brings what seem like a dozen baking competitions, but using fewer calories and more kilowatts is “The Great Christmas Light Fight”, which began on the 9th. This contest is always fun: seeing how profligate of electricity and plastic people can be!
TV Guide listed four romantic holiday movies under the heading “Movies That Make the Yuletide Gay” (yes, that’s what they mean). Kristen Stewart (who gets good reviews for everything she does) stars in “The Happiest Season” on Hulu. “The Christmas Setup” is on Lifetime on Saturday the 12th. On Sunday, there’s “Dashing in December” on TV Land and Paramount. And Hallmark has already aired “The Christmas House”, but I’m sure it will be on again.
Speaking of Hallmark, here’s a quiz: When do you watch Hallmark’s Christmas movies? 1) In July, in October, anytime and every time they are on! 2) Not until after Thanksgiving. 3) Occasionally—they all seem the same, though. 4) Never.
Analysis: If you said (1), you are over 80 and female. If (2) you are romantic but a purist. If (3) you are discerning—like me--LOL. If (4) -- Hello, Mr. Grinch!
In addition to the ground-breaking films listed in paragraph 3 above, Lifetime breaks some ground of its own by producing its first movie about a Chinese-American family. “A Sugar and Spice Holiday” premieres Sunday the 13th at 8 p.m.
The “i Heart Radio Jingle Ball” will take place on the 14th on the CW. Then there’s be another competition, the “Tiny Houses Christmas Décor Showdown” on HGTV on the 18th.
Turner Classic Movies will show Christmas movies for a week starting the evening on the 18th. Even the Syfy channel has something to offer: a spoof called “Letters to Satan Claus” on the 19th.
For nostalgia, MeTV will show three hours of Andy Griffith Christmas episodes on the 20th (5 to 8 p.m.). After that, you can tune in to CBS for a special with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood at 8 p.m.
PBS is showing lots of repeats of recent documentaries, such as Inside the Ritz Hotel on Dec. 22nd and Secrets of Royal Travel on the 14th and 21st. There’s a show celebrating Ella Fitzgerald’s Christmas Album on the 15th, and “Holiday Cheers” from the Kingston Trio the same night. “Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas” will tell about Jewish immigrants who wrote many of our popular holiday songs, on the 22nd.
In the U.K., they have a custom of having Christmas Day special episodes of popular shows. Last year the “Call the Midwife” gang was in Scotland—a wonderful episode. This year that episode will be re-shown an 7:30 and there’ll be a new special at 9:00. This is the show I look forward to the most! (Note: you may need to “check your local listings, especially with PBS.)
Wait! Did you think I would forget Peanuts? As if! “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be on PBS this Sunday at 7:30. As you know, Apple+ bought the rights to all the Charlie Brown/Peanuts specials in October, but by November Apple realized that it did not want to be recast as The Grinch That Stole Christmas and made a deal with PBS…. after more than 100,000 fans signed a petition of protest.
Happy Holiday Viewing!
No comments:
Post a Comment