Ho, ho no! On TV, it's Christmas already
Not yet Christmastime? Bah humbug! In some folks' hearts, it's Christmas every day. On shopping channels, the tree's been up for weeks already.
But it's really tube yuletide once Halloween has passed, when millions of holiday lovers dive into the seasonal spirit. What with TV's usual diet of shouting heads, daddy DNA tests and creepy criminals, many viewers are more than ready to see some family and friends, romance and reconnection, jollity and joy.
So here they come -- yes, this first week of November -- with new holiday movies already premiering, and faves now running around the clock.
Christmas 2013 early birds are the usual suspects:
But Hallmark Channel's real push comes with this weekend's three TV movie premieres. Next Friday's family film "Pete's Christmas" (Nov. 8, 8 p.m.) follows an overshadowed middle kid ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid's" Zachary Gordon) and his grumpy grandpa (Bruce Dern) through a sort of yuletide "Groundhog Day." Patricia Richardson of "Home Improvement" headlines "Snow Bride" (Nov. 9, 8 p.m.), in which a reporter infiltrates a political family's festivities. Next Sunday's "A Very Merry Mix-Up" (Nov. 10, 8 p.m.) has Alicia Witt paired with Scott Gibson. Or will it be Mark Wiebe?
Hallmark's round-the-clock countdown includes 13 new movies among "over 1,200 hours of holiday programming." Check the lineup at bit.ly/17xuwZf
Interested in holiday-themed series episodes, animated perennials and music specials? (Hanukkah on "Hart of Dixie"! Lady Gaga with The Muppets! A "Duck Dynasty" Christmas!) You'll find those and much more in Newsday's wide-ranging holiday TV preview running Sunday, Nov. 17.
