With so many streaming services and traditional broadcasting methods, it is super-impossible to miss holiday entertainment if you want to wholeheartedly revel in a festive mood.
With many of the traditional in-person celebrations canceled or scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic, turning on those ever-present screens and firing up the TV are perhaps that much more important as a way to catch the spirit of the season's storytelling.
The winter holidays are plentiful, from Christmas to Hanukkah, Yule to Kwanzaa, and for all their traditions they sustain those essential stories we tell ourselves to capture that spirit of communal and family togetherness we hold dear this time of year.
Here's a quick rundown of some of what you can find:
On Netflix, catch Jim Carrey's spin as the sourpuss Grinch who attempts to rob Whoville of Christmas generosity in the Ron Howard-directed, Anthony Hopkins-narrated, live-action "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
"Holidate" adds to the platform's plentifully saccharine, holiday-themed, romantic comedy repertoire with Luke Bracey as Jackson and Emma Roberts as Sloane, who just want to be friend-dates for the parties but start kindling more sparks in the process. It's been deemed a cruder entry in the genre.
"Operation Christmas Drop" is another new entry in Netflix's rom-com holiday buffet, inspired by the humanitarian project of the same name run by the U.S. Air Force. This interracial romance is set in Guam, where local residents receive presents from American servicemembers stationed there. Kat Graham ("The Vampire Diaries") and Alexander Ludwig ("The Hunger Games") star.
Meanwhile, another popular entry in Netflix's original holiday fare is "The Christmas Chronicles 2," starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. How in the world can a teenager (Darby Camp as Kate Pierce) foil a dastardly plot to stop Christmas? Chris Columbus directs.
Over at Disney+, Star Wars fans take note. Good cheers exists even beyond the cuteness of Baby Yoda on "The Mandalorian." There's a "LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special," a short film that sees Rey and her pal BB-8 set out for adventure and more smarts about the Force and all things Star Wars before they celebrate Life Day, a Wookiee holiday.
At Disney+, newcomers like "Godmothered" (a fairy-godmother-in-training tale set during the Christmas holiday and starring Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher) appear alongside older standbys like the 1994 Tim Allen vehicle "The Santa Clause." Another classic ready for your adoring eyes this Christmas season? "Home Alone," of course. Catch Carrey in a different Christmas spectacle, Disney's "A Christmas Carol."
Public Broadcasting Service is also getting into the holiday spirit this month.
For example, Louisiana Public Broadcasting kicks off a three-day holiday special run with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" this Sunday (6:30 p.m.), marking the first time Charlie and his Christmas cohorts will make a PBS appearance.
Then Monday (8 p.m.) "Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir" marks the 17th annual holiday special for the famous vocalists, although the organization canceled its live show. For this holiday event, Emmy Award-winning Richard Thomas and Tony Award-winning Kelli O'Hara join. The concert is recorded over three nights to be broadcast the following year.
On Tuesday (7 p.m.), "Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams" continues the musical theme, this time with the unparalleled voice of Ella Fitzgerald. Ella can sure sing the blues, but she also knew how to belt out holiday classics like no other.
That same night, only an hour later on LPB, Belmont University students sing for "Christmas at Belmont." The Nashville, Tenn., university special also includes singers CeCe Winans and Michael W. Smith.