TV’s Christmas avalanche begins

Ready or not, TV is starting its Christmastime avalanche.
That begins with the Thanksgiving Day parade and ends witha Christmas Day movie marathons. Over a four-week stretch (see the separate story, with a full list), it will range from the classics – Rudolph and Frosty, Scrooge and the Grinch (shown here) and more – to the new.
Well, a few new things, anyway.
On the music-or-variety side, there are new specials hosted by Smokey Robinson, Jimmy Fallon, Nate Bergatze and (on Netflix) Sabrina Carpenter. There are the annual events – Disney parks, Rockefeller Center, Tabernacle Choir, etc. — that restock with new singers each year. And there’s the “Gospel Messiah.”
There are no new cartoons, but (as usual) a flood of new cable movies. On some nights, people have five to choose from.
The biggest addition this year is Hallmark’s streaming service. Christmas mini-series have been rare; now Hallmark+ has three of them. Other streamers have already packed their libraries with choices.
Alongside the new, there are the perennials. This list has some limits.
We won’t list a holiday episode of a regular show – unless it’s an extra-length one. For TV movies, we’ll only list debuts. For other movies and cartoons, we’ll include the key ones that draw strong interest. In each category, we list broadcast-networks first, then cable. Poke around by category and find what you like.