The Best Holiday TV Shows to Watch Every Year
It is the most wonderful time of the year for holiday TV shows! Whether you like your holiday shows served up classic style or would rather catch the more recent offerings, there is something here for everyone.
And, while your idea of the best holiday TV shows to watch every year might be different than mine, there are a lot of tried and true classics on this list. If you haven’t seen any of these yet, this year could be the one to do so and introduce a new tradition.
Classic Holiday TV Shows
As far as classic holiday TV shows, Charles Schulz’s Charlie Brown series is the leader bar none.
We loved it when we were kids and our kids do too. I’m sure someday our grandchildren will love it as well as it is that timeless.
All three listed below have incredible illustrations, a Vince Guaraldi jazz soundtrack, and always a message of hope for the main character Charlie Brown. We have raised three girls on these shows and still love to watch them on repeat every year.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
Snoopy imagines himself as the Flying Ace in WWI France, Charlie Brown has his own problems with his Halloween haul, and Lionel spends the night in a pumpkin patch.
“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”
Peppermint Patty decides to invite herself to Thanksgiving dinner and Snoopy and Woodstock are happy to make it a reality. From the snapping chairs, popcorn and toast for dinner, this along with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, make it feel like Thanksgiving at our house.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Charlie Brown gets advice from Lucy on how to feel more in the Christmas spirit and ends up directing their Christmas play. With the world’s straggliest tree and the Peanuts gang singing at the end, the song “Christmas Time is Here” will be playing in your head on repeat all through Christmas.
“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”
Another classic to watch every year, even when you probably know the whole thing by heart. Sometimes the familiarity of knowing what to expect is what makes it special. Made in 1964 with stop motion animation, it is a nice way to introduce the kids to Santa’s favorite reindeer.
“A Muppet Family Christmas”
If you have really little ones, this is a good one to look up. The Muppets meet up with the Sesame Street gang, what could be better!
“The Little Drummer Boy”
This is a nice retelling of the Christmas story from the little drummer boy’s perspective.
“The Year without a Santa Claus”
This is a good one for when your kids start to ask about Santa Claus.
Recent Favorites and Holiday TV Shows
“Shrek the Halls”
While the Shrek movies have been out for a while, his holiday show came out in 2007 which makes it recent compared to the classics above. In this TV special, Shrek and his family celebrate the holidays like only they can with a little help from all of their friends.
“Prep and Landing” and the sequel “Naughty and Nice”
Our kids loved this one for the special “effects” and it is actually an exciting show. Done as only Disney can do, this was an almost instant classic.
And, there you have it, a season’s worth of the best holiday TV shows for the whole family. If you would like to know the exact times they will appear on TV in your area, please see the TV Guide site for more details.
So, what are your favorite holiday TV shows? Let me know in the comments below. Enjoy!
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