Many episodic servings of Christmas past

FAMILY FAVORITES Tonight's animation feast includes "Frosty the Snowman," "Frosty Returns" and "The Flight Before Christmas" (Saturday night at 8, 8:30 and 9, CBS/2). The networks also offer encores of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (Thursday at 8 p.m., ABC/7), "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!" (Tuesday at 8 p.m., ABC/7), and the delightful true-life CGI special "Yes, Virginia" (Friday at 8 p.m., CBS/2). On cable: "Olive the Other Reindeer" (Sunday at 3 p.m., Cartoon), and "A Flintstone Christmas" (Monday at 6 p.m., ABC Family), "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Cartoon).

MERRY MOVIES It's time for this year's first airing of "It's a Wonderful Life" (Saturday night at 8, NBC/4; airs again Christmas Eve). Other films: "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (Saturday night at 6, TV Land), "White Christmas" (Saturday-Sunday-Thursday at 8 and 10:45 p.m., AMC), and 1947's original "Miracle on 34th Street" (Friday at 8 and 10:15 p.m., AMC). Also see Scrooges in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (Saturday night at 9, Sunday at 5 p.m., The Hub), George C. Scott's Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" (Monday night at 8 p.m. and 12:15 a.m., Fox Movie Channel), and Bill Murray's "Scrooged" (Tuesday at 8 and 10 p.m., AMC).

MOVIE PREMIERES Jacqueline Bisset returns in "An Old-Fashioned Christmas" (Saturday night at 8, Hallmark). Victor Garber and Brendan Fehr fight for life in "Ice Quake" (Saturday night at 9, Syfy). Christina Millan, Ashley Benson and Chad Michael Murray star in "Christmas Cupid" (Sunday at 8 p.m., ABC Family). Fionnula Flanagan headlines "Three Wise Women" (Tuesday at 8 p.m., Hallmark), while it's Marla Sokoloff in "Gift of the Magi" (Thursday at 8 p.m., Hallmark).

MERRYTHON TV Land's annual festival of holiday episodes airs from 8 to 6 a.m. Sunday. Look for Christmas fun from "Everybody Loves Raymond" (Saturday 8-11:30 p.m.), "Roseanne" (Saturday 11:30 p.m.-2 a.m., Sunday 6-7 a.m.), "Home Improvement" ( 3-4:30 a.m.), "M*A*S*H" ( 4:30-6 a.m.) and other vintage series.

FESTIVE EPISODES. New ones include "Leverage" (Sunday at 9 p.m., TNT), "Psych" (Wednesday at 9 p.m., USA), and the TV debut of the straight-to-disc Christmas hour of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (Thursday at 10 p.m., FX).

MARIAH CAREY EVERYWHERE To go with her new seasonal CD, there's the hour special "Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You" (Monday at 9 p.m., ABC/7). Ellen DeGeneres hosts "Christmas in Washington" (Friday at 8 p.m., TNT), with Mariah again, Maxwell, Annie Lennox and others. Carey even helps out on this week's

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (Sunday at 8 p.m., ABC/7).