1) Grammy trilogy, CBS. Three new specials – all from the Grammy people – offer music greats At 8 p.m. Tuesday, an Andrea Bocelli Christmas special has Jennifer Hudson (shown here with Bocelli), Dua Lipa, Josh Groban and Sofia Carson. From 9-11 p.m. Friday, we meet songwriters – Alicia Keys, Sting, Billie Eilish, etc. Then Grammy’s “Most Memorable Moments” is 9-11 p.m. Sunday.
2) Christmas Eve traditions, Tuesday. “A Christmas Story” (1983) gets two 24-hour marathons. The film – a nostalgic-yet-droll view of a childhood holiday in the 1940s – starts at 8 p.m. on TBS and 9 on TNT, repeating every two hours. TNT also has “The Wizard of Oz” at 6:45 p.m. At 8, ABC has “Home Alone” and NBC has “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
3) Christmas morning parade, 10 a.m. to noon ET (but 5-7 a,m. PT, before “Good Morning, America), ABC. It’s a super-early start, with a parade in the Disney parks, plus music by Elton John, Carly Pearce, John Legend, Andy Grammer, Seventeen and Pentatonix. That still leaves room for a basketball blitz. ABC has five pro games; that starts at noon and continues at 2:35, 5, 8 and 10:30 p.m.
4) “Call the Midwife” Christmas special, 8-10 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. The new season is months away, but here’s a terrific, stand-alone movie. There’s holiday warmth, including a pageant and a charming romance. But there’s also solid drama, with stories about a homeless family, an escaped prisoner and a young man with Down syndrome, trying to get home.
5) “A Saturday Night Live Christmas,” 9-11 p.m. today, NBC. Stretching across 50 years, “SNL” offers holiday sketches. In a night of reruns, that’s preceded by “Christmas at Graceland.” It debuted last year, with stars from country (Dolly Parton, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson) and beyond (Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Alanis Morissette, more,)
6) “The Year: 2024,” 9-11 p.m. Thursday, ABC. The year started with war in Gaza and ended with an overthrow in Syria (after 13 years of civil war). In between was plenty of time for pop culture and a presidential race. This ABC News special includes interviews with Olympians, politicians, Elton John, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey, Neil deGrasse Tyson and more.
7) “Ghosts,” 8-10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Two years of Christmas specials are bunched together. First is a two-parter that has Jay’s sister visit; she brings a guy, sparking efforts to nudge them into a romance. Then is this year’s two-parter: Jay’s sister is back, this time with their hard-to-please parents. At 10, a “Matlock” rerun involves a sexual harassment case.
8) James Bond or Indiana Jones, Saturday. Choose an action hero and watch his first three films. Indy? Out of order, the Paramount Network has “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) at 5:30 p.m., “Last Crusade” (1989) at 8 and “Temple of Doom” (1984) at 11. Bond? BBC America has “Dr. No” (1962) at 2:30, “From Russia With Love” (1963) at 5, “Goldfinger” (1964) at 7:30.
9) Football, Saturday. It’s overload time, with eight bowl games crunched into one day. ESPN has games at 11 a.m. ET and 2:15 a.m.. 5:45 and 9:15 p.m.; ABC has ones at noon, 3:30 and 7:30. Even CW has a 4:30 p.m. bowl. ESPN also has bowls at 11 a.m. and 2:30 today and 8 p.m. Tuesday, plus three Thursday and four Friday … when Fox has an 8 p.m. bowl.
10) “Frozen” (2013) and “Frozen II” (2019). 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday, ABC. It’s a family-friendly end to a busy week. These films have lush animation and passionate music, sung by Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and more. The first film won Oscars for best animated feature and the song “Let It Go”; combined, they’ve made $2.7 billion worldwide.