1) “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebreation,” 10 a.m. to noon, ABC (but 9-11 a.m. PT). Christmas Day will wrap up (8 p.m., NBC) with one more chance to see the great Grinch cartoon (shown here). It starts, however, with cheery young faces singing perky songs. Performers include hosts Julianne Hough and Tituss Burgess, plus more. There’s Tori Kelly, Becky G, Jon Batiste, Trevor Jackson, Keedron Bryant, Maddie & Tae and even a gospel choir.
2) “Call the Midwife Holiday Special,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. This show’s Christmas specials manage to find joy amid deep pain. This year, there’s an extra reason for the joy: A circus is coming. It’s a small, tattered one … the owner has severe lung problems … and his daughter has a difficult pregnancy. Still, that allows deep warmth, alongside wrenching stories of agomy for the staff and the maternity patients.
3) Movies, streaming. Christmas Day is usually when people flock to movie theaters. But this year, many of the top films are simply streaming … or combine streaming and theaters. The two biggest arrive today — “Wonder Woman 1984” on HBO Max and Pixar’s “Soul” on Disney+. And Netflix – which debuted George Clooney’s “Midnight Sky” on Wednesday? It launches “Bridgerton,” a series from Shonda Rhimes, the “Grey’s Anatomy” producer; it’s set in 19th-century London society.
4) Sports overload. Pro basketball has its annual Christmas Day marathon. Games are at noon and 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and at 2:30, 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. That collides with football, in a rare case of college competing with the pros. At 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN has a bowl game, with Buffalo and Marshall; at 4:30, Fox has the New Orleans Saints hosting the Minnesota Vikings..
5) “25 Days of Christmas” finale, Freeform. The final day peaks with “Frosty the Snowman” at 4:30 p.m. and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” at 5. That’s surrounded by two movie series – the “Santa Clause” films at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., then “Home Alone films at 6 and 8:30 p.m.. But try to switch to NBC at 8, to catch the original, half-hour version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.: