Merry viewing!

'Tis the season to be jolly... especially if you're in the mood for a festive TV favourite or a new Yule-tube offering.

December is, as always, a great big wrapped-up package of seasonal specials and holiday-themed episodes, from timeless classics like It's a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, to more modern fare like A Christmas Story, Prep & Landing and Shrek the Halls, to brand-new arrivals such as the CTV movie The Horses of McBride and NBC's country-flavoured Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas.

Keeping up with the festive schedule requires a lot of sorting, choosing and DVR-setting; in an effort to help you locate the shows on your must-see list, we present our annual clip-and-save guide to holiday TV viewing (as always, check the latest listings to ensure that schedules haven't changed).

Grinch? Got it. Bublé? You betcha. White Christmas? Why, we wouldn't dare miss it.

Grab the remote, round up your best TV-watching pals, and settle in for some frenzied festive flipping.

Enjoy!

SATURDAY, DEC. 1:

It's a Wonderful Life (NBC, 7 p.m./CTV, 8 p.m.)

Extreme Christmas Trees (TLC, 7 p.m.)

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas (Treehouse, 7 p.m.)

Ernest Saves Christmas (ABC Spark, 7 p.m.)

SUNDAY, DEC. 2:

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (Showcase, 3:30 p.m.)

The Ultimate Christmas Present (Family, 8 p.m.)

Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe (CMT, 8 p.m.)

Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows (PPTV, 10:30 p.m.)

MONDAY, DEC. 3:

Lucky Christmas (W, 6 p.m.)

Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas (NBC, 9 p.m.)

Desperately Seeking Santa (ABC Spark, 9 p.m.)

TUESDAY, DEC. 4:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 7 p.m.)

Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure (Treehouse, 7 p.m.)

Jamie Christmas With Bells On, Parts 1 & 2 (Food, 8 p.m./9 p.m.)

Love For Christmas (Bravo, 8 p.m.)

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas (W, 8 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5:

Dragons' Den Holiday Special (CBC, 8 p.m.)

A Fairly Odd Christmas (YTV, 8 p.m.)

Black Christmas (Space, 8 p.m.)

A Michael Bublé Christmas (CTV, 9 p.m.)

Ice Pilots NWT: A Very Buffalo Christmas (History, 9 p.m.)

Duck Dynasty: I'm Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas (A&E, 9 p.m.)

THURSDAY, DEC. 6:

An Avonlea Christmas (JoyTV, 8 p.m.)

Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special (YTV, 8 p.m.)

Four Weddings: Holiday Showdown (TLC, 8 p.m.)

12 Dates of Christmas (ABC Spark, 8 p.m.)

Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Christmas (Food, 9 p.m.)

FRIDAY, DEC. 7:

Christmas Miracle (Showcase, 6 p.m.)

Saturday Night Live: SNL Christmas (NBC, 7 p.m.)

Holiday High-School Reunion (W, 8 p.m.)

It's a SpongeBob Christmas! (YTV, 8 p.m.)

SATURDAY, DEC. 8:

Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns (CBS, 7 p.m.)

The March Sisters at Christmas (Lifetime, 7 p.m.)

Come Dance With Me (CTV, 8 p.m.)

The Flight Before Christmas (CBS, 8 p.m.)

Christmas With the Kranks (W, 8 p.m.)

SUNDAY, DEC. 9:

A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! (TCM, 11 a.m.)

The Polar Express (Showcase, 3:30 p.m.)

Disney Prep & Landing (ABC, 7 p.m.)

Hallmark Hall of Fame: Christmas With Holly (ABC, 8 p.m.)

Miracle on 34th Street (AMC, 7 p.m.)

MONDAY, DEC. 10:

Frosty the Snowman (CBC, 8:30 p.m.)

Michael Bublé: Home for the Holidays ( NBC/Citytv, 9 p.m.)

Chopped: Chopping in a Winter Wonderland (Food, 9 p.m.)

TUESDAY, DEC. 11:

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (ABC, 7 p.m.)

New Girl: Santa (Fox/Citytv, 8 p.m.)

A Christmas Kiss (Bravo, 8 p.m.)

The Next Star Christmas Special: Not On the Naughty List (YTV, 8:30 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12:

Holiday Festival on Ice (CBC, 8 p.m.)

MuchMusic Presents: The Big Jingle (MuchMusic, 8 p.m.)

Sweet Genius: Holiday Genius (Food, 9 p.m.)

THURSDAY, DEC. 13:

Iron Chef America: Holiday Battle -- Food Network vs. Cooking Channel (Food, 8 p.m.)

Mickey's Christmas Carol (CBC, 8 p.m.)

The Magic Hockey Skates (CBC, 8:30 p.m.)

Season of Song: Canadian Tenors and Friends (CBC, 9 p.m.)

FRIDAY, DEC. 14:

White Christmas (AMC, 6 p.m. & 8:45 p.m.)

Baby's First Christmas (CTV, 8 p.m.)

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: A North Pole Christmas (Food, 9 p.m.)

SATURDAY, DEC. 15:

Santa Buddies (Disney Junior, 10 a.m.)

The Real St. Nick (Lifetime, 7 p.m.)

Elf (Bravo, 8 p.m.)

SUNDAY, DEC. 16:

The Horses of McBride (CTV, 7 p.m.)

Wipeout: Deck the Balls! (ABC, 7 p.m.)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (CBC, 8 p.m.)

A Christmas Carol (TCM, 8:30 p.m.)

MONDAY, DEC. 17:

The Ricardo Christmas Special (Food, 6 p.m.)

Dreamworks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury (7 p.m., Fox)

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (7:30 p.m., Fox)

TUESDAY, DEC. 18:

Bitchin' Kitchen Christmas (Food, 6 p.m.)

Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa (ABC, 7 p.m.)

Cupcake Wars: Cupcakes on Parade (Food, 9 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19:

Tradition of the Christmas Log (Treehouse, 4 p.m.)

Royal Pains: Off-Season Greetings (Showcase, midnight; concludes Dec. 20 at midnight)

THURSDAY, DEC. 20:

A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 7 p.m.)

CMA Country Christmas (ABC, 8 p.m.)

CCMA Holiday Special: I'll Be Home... (CBC, 9 p.m.)

FRIDAY, DEC. 21:

I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (ABC, 7 p.m.)

Holiday Spin (CTV, 8 p.m.)

A Christmas Story (CBC, 8 p.m.)

SATURDAY, DEC. 22:

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (NBC, 7 p.m.)

Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (MuchMusic, 7 p.m.)

A Chipmunk Christmas (ABC, 7:30 p.m.)

SUNDAY, DEC. 23:

The Sound of Music (ABC, 6 p.m.)

The Bishop's Wife (TCM, 7 p.m.)

Andrea Bocelli & David Foster: My Christmas (Telelatino, 8 p.m.)

MONDAY, DEC. 24:

Nature: Christmas in Yellowstone (PPTV, 3 p.m.)

Shrek the Halls (ABC, 7:30 p.m.)

Today's Top 10: Holiday Videos (MuchMusic, 9 p.m.)

A Christmas Carol (CTV, 11:30 p.m.)

TUESDAY, DEC. 25:

Take the batteries out of the remote and put 'em in a shiny new toy. No TV today, just eggnog, shortbread, turkey and hugs.

Merry Christmas TV to all, and to all a good couchbound night!

brad.oswald@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @BradOswald

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 1, 2012 ??65535