Every holiday season, a slew of new and beloved TV specials make their way to the little screen from classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas to new offerings like this year’s Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas. While I enjoy the plethora of holiday themed TV specials that come my way each year, there are a select few that are on my must-see TV list. Those listed below represent my personal TV favorites that get me in the holiday spirit leading up to Santa’s big day. We kick it off with Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Thursday, November 23 beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBC and available to stream on Peacock
This annual Thanksgiving NYC tradition is sponsored by the U.S. department store chain Macy’s and first took place in 1924. It is tied for the 2nd oldest parade in the U.S. behind Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which started four years earlier in 1920.
Did you know that all the volunteers working the parade are Macy’s employees and their friends and family?
See all the 2023 highlights below and then watch this iconic parade as you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. And by the way, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is featured prominently in the 1947 film classic Miracle on 34th Street, which included actual footage from the 1946 parade!
See the 2023 stars in attendance!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Monday, November 27 at 8 pm ET on CBS and on Freeform on December 3, 4, 20, 21, 24, and 25
This one-hour animated Rankin and Bass classic is my very favorite Christmas TV special and always jump starts the holidays for me. Maybe it’s the nostalgic baby boomer in me, but Rudolph was, and remains, the go to special for me from its catchy little tunes to Burl Ives wise snowman to the wonderfully retro animation, I love everything about it. I’ve even got the soundtrack from the show so I can mix in these classic tunes in my holiday playlists.
Originally airing in 1964, it has also spawned a series of other sequels, including Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976), Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979), and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001), which was the only one featuring computer animation.
Did you know the version of the special airing on Freeform includes a scene called the “Peppermint Mine” that was only included in the originally airing by CBS in 1964 having been deleted prior to the 1965 airing. The CBS version you see today still does not include this scene.
Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center
Wednesday, November 29 at 10 p.m. ET and repeated on December 21 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and streamed on Peacock
The Rockefeller Christmas Tree, as reported right here on Christmas Every Minute, has arrived from its origin in Vestal, NY to Rockefeller Center in New York City. It will be officially lit for the first time this year on November 29 and broadcast live on NBC with host Kelly Clarkson and her friends.
Did you know the first Christmas tree to stand in Rockefeller Center was a 20-foot Balsam Fir? This year’s street stands 80 feet tall, weighs 12 tons and will include more than 50,000 multi-colored lights with a Swarovski star topper. And if you’re lucky enough to be in Rockefeller Center during the actual tree lighting, you can grab a hot cup of coffee before the ceremony at Cafe Grumpy’s, located at Rink Level, until 7 p.m. ET.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Thursday, November 30 at 8 p.m. ET and repeated on Christmas day at 8 p.m. as well as streaming on the Peacock, TBS and TruTv
Our favorite green curmudgeon returns once again to attempt to ruin the Whoville’s Christmas only to discover … well, you know the rest 🙂 This 1966 animated classic directed by Loony Tunes legend Chuck Jones is based, of course, on the classic 1957 Dr. Seuss book.
Did you know the special took 14 months to make, which included 15,000 drawings and cels, 250 background layout drawings, and 60 musicians working for eight hours to finish?
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Free for non-subscribers on Apple TV on December 16 and 17
Earlier this year Apple TV announced that A Charlie Brown Christmas will be offered to non-subscribers for free during a limited window. Of course, if you are a a subscriber to Apple TV’s streaming service, you can watch it at any time.
This iconic Christmas special, which first appeared on CBS on December 9, 1965, will be available for free viewing to Apple TV non-subscribers on Saturday, December 16, and Sunday, December 17 through the Apple TV app.
If you are an Apple TV subscriber, you get access to this iconic show plus all the Peanuts animated Christmas specials, including Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales, It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown, I Want a Dog for Christmas, and Charlie Brown and the Snoopy Show, Happiness if the Gift of Giving.
Did you know that after viewing the show for the first time, network executives predicted it would be a complete disaster given its non-traditional slower pacing, lack of a laugh track, jazzy soundtrack, and because of the use of child actors. Not only was the show critically acclaimed after airing, but it was viewed by 45% of those watching television that evening. It eventually won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program in 1966 and the soundtrack has gone on to sell more than five million copies in the U.S. And, of course, it is now regarded as one of the greatest animated specials ever produced. I guess the network executives were wrong 🙂
Frosty the SnowmanÂ
Saturday, December 16 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, followed by Frosty Returns at 9:30 p.m. and Freeform on December 3,4,20,21,24, and 25.
The original Frosty the Snowman TV special first aired in 1969 by Rankin and Bass, the same outfit that created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on CBS. It has aired every year since on CBS becoming one of the network’s holiday staples.
Did you know that Frosty the Snowman’s creators wanted to give the show the look of a Christmas card so they hired Paul Coker, who designed greeting cards, to handle character and background drawings for the special with the final animation handled by a company in Japan.
For a complete listing of Christmas TV shows and specials to get you in the holiday spirit, click here.
