ABC Spreads Cheer the December with Holiday Programming

Jennifer Nettles, of reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Sugarland, hosts "CMA Country Christmas" with music, memories and stories of the season from some of the format's biggest stars. Artists who perform in the special and share with fans their favorite holiday traditions include Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Reba, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker and Sugarland.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) -- Based on the classic children's book by the legendary Dr. Seuss, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" takes viewers inside a snowflake to Whoville, the magical land of the Whos. But high above this holiday-loving town resides the Grinch, a hateful creature with a heart three sizes too small, who despises Christmas and plots to steal it from the Whos.

"Shrek the Halls" (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) -- An instant classic, Dreamworks Animation's "Shrek the Halls" stars America's favorite ogre and his friends and features the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- In the perennial favorite created in 1970 by Rankin-Bass Productions ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman,") Fred Astaire narrates this timeless tale of Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), a young boy with an immense desire to do good things for others.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- Celebrate the joy of the holidays with the classic animated Christmas-themed PEANUTS special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The hour will also include the premiere of "Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa," the seven-minute animated short featuring the voice of Betty White as Mrs. Claus.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8

"THE MIDDLE: A Simple Christmas" (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - The Hecks count down the 12 days of Christmas with Frankie's parents, Pat (Marsha Mason) and Tag (Jerry Van Dyke), when they come to town to spend the holiday with the family - much to Mike's dismay. But when Frankie decides that she wants to take the focus off of the gifts and make it a simple Christmas, Pat and Tag have other ideas.

"BETTER WITH YOU: Better with Christmas Crap" (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - Mia and Maddie know their parents will give them an avalanche of guilt if they don't uphold the Putney family Christmas tradition and spend the holiday together at their lake house. When Maddie finds out Mia and Casey are using their pregnancy as an excuse, she tells Vicky and Joel a tall tale to keep her and Ben from having to go.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9

"Shrek the Halls" (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) -- See November 30.

"Disney Prep & Landing" (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET) -- ABC's first TV special produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios tells the story of the elite unit of elves who prepare homes for a Christmas Eve visit from Santa Claus. The voices of the Elves include Dave Foley, Sarah Chalke and Derek Richardson. Academy Award-Winning John Lasseter is executive producer.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12

"EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION: Gaston Family" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - The holidays get into full swing when international superstar Mariah Carey helps the "EM: HE" team create a Winter Wonderland in Pensacola, Florida for Finis Gaston and his niece and two nephews. The spirit of giving is all around, from the moment Mariah Carey steps off the "EM: HE" bus to give this deserving family the surprise of a lifetime to the snowy reveal as Christmas parade revelers dance to her new holiday hit, "Oh Santa!," and volunteers and the community welcome the family to their festively-decorated new home.

"BROTHERS & SISTERS: Cold Turkey" (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) -- With the holiday season comes panic and discord among the Walker family when Nora takes a last minute holiday getaway with Karl. Saul has a chance encounter with a past love, guest starring Richard Chamberlain as Jonathan, who he believes had a lasting and very permanent effect on his life.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13

"Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You" (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) -- From the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, the special will feature international superstar Mariah Carey performing songs from her new holiday album, Merry Christmas II You. Viewers are in for a special treat as Carey sings unforgettable renditions of yuletide classics and original tunes, including her new holiday hit, "Oh, Santa!" In the spirit of giving, the program will also feature Carey surprising some very special fans and helping to make their wishes come true.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14

"I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- This holiday season ABC will again air the "PEANUTS" Christmas special produced and animated by the same team that has gave us the other, now classic cartoon specials based on Charles M. Schulz's famed comic strip.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- See December 7.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18

"I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- See December 14.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19

"ABC SUNDAY MOVIES OF THE WEEK: The Santa Clause 2" & "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (7:00-9:00 p.m., ET, 9:00-11:00 p.m., ET, respectively ) -- In "The Santa Clause 2," Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), a.k.a. Santa Claus, has two issues on his mind -- first, his mischievous son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), finds himself on the naughty list due to bad behavior; and second, it appears -- according to the regulations -- that Santa Claus has to be married. Now Scott has to travel back home not only to help out his son but to find himself a wife. In "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," Scott Calvin, a.k.a. Santa Clause, finds himself working to keep his new family happy and to keep the dreaded Jack Frost (Martin Short) from taking over Christmas.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22

"THE MIDDLE: A Simple Christmas" (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) - See December 8.

"BETTER WITH YOU: Better with Christmas Crap" (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET) - See December 8.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) -- See November 30.

"ABC THURSDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8:30-11:00 p.m., ET) The contemporary classic holiday comedy starring Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski and Molly Shannon.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24

"ABC FRIDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK: The Santa Clause 2" (9:00-11:00.m, ET) -- See December 19.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25

"Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade" ( 12:00-2:00 p.m. ET , check local listings for airtimes in your market) -- ?Tis the season to be merry at Disney Parks, when the 27th annual special featuring award-winning musical talent and iconic stars perform from Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Celebrate the season with Disney favorites and a special appearance by Santa Claus himself.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26

"ABC SUNDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK: The Sound of Music" (7:00-11:00 p.m., ET) -- The original classic, starring Julie Andrews, brings its special magic to the holiday season.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27

"ABC MONDAY MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) -- Tim Burton brings his unique screen style to the children's story starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly and Helena Bonham Carter.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28

"Rudolph's Shiny New Year" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- It's Rudolph to the rescue when Happy, the Baby New Year, goes missing in "Rudolph's Shiny New Year," the classic Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated holiday special. Red Skelton narrates and voices Father Time, while Frank Gorshin and Morey Amsterdam also provide voices for characters.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30

"Happy New Year, Charlie Brown" and "She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown" (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- The ABC Television Network and the PEANUTS gang will ring in the new year with the half-hour animated PEANUTS special, "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown," and the bonus cartoon "She's A Good Skate, Charlie Brown," created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31

"Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011" (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET) - Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will host from Times Square in New York City and singer/ songwriter Fergie of The Black-Eyed Peas returns to host the Los Angeles-based party portions of the specials. The bi-coastal celebration will include three and one-half hours of special performances and reports on New Year's celebrations from around the globe, as well as the American tradition of Dick Clark counting down to midnight from Times Square in New York city. The festivities will kick off with performances live from New York's Times Square and from LA.

"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011, Part 1" (11:30 p.m. - 1:08 a.m., ET)- In addition to reporting on the final minutes of 2010 and the traditional Times Square countdown to midnight, the show will feature music performances from both Los Angeles and Times Square in New York featuring some of today's biggest stars.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1

"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011, Part 2" (1:08 a.m..-2:11 a.m.). Wrapping the night's activities musical acts will continue the party into the early hours of the New Year with additional performances from Los Angeles.

 

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