Times Colonist

Holidays filled with seasonal TV fare

- LYNN ELBER

LOS ANGELES — In need of a jolt of holiday joy? Or a comforting spot of romance or silliness or spirituali­ty?

Television has you covered. There are classic old movies (It’s a Wonderful Life) and a sleigh full of new wannabes; Christmas carols galore; the majesty of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; and, for New Year’s Eve homebodies, Manhattan’s Times Square ball drop among the possibilit­ies.

Here are some of the highlights to consider: MOVIES

• The Christmas Chronicles, streaming now on Netflix. A scheme by a sister and brother (Darby Camp, Judah Lewis) to get videotape of Santa (Kurt Russell) in action turns into a wild Christmas Eve. Oliver Hudson and Kimberly Williams-Paisley also star.

• It’s a Wonderful Life, 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, NBC. Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed star in Frank Capra’s 1947 fable about appreciati­ng one’s life, whatever path it takes. Lionel Barrymore’s Mr. Potter and Henry Travers’ Clarence the angel are part of the journey. STOCKING STUFFERS

• Ken Jeong Cracks Christmas, Wednesday, Dec. 12, BuzzFeed’s YouTube channel. The selflabell­ed holiday fanatic explores holiday pop-culture myths and more with guests Angela Kinsey, Joel McHale and Harry Schum Jr.

• A Heartland Holiday Feast, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, PBS. Renowned chef Lidia Bastianich hits the road to seek holiday inspiratio­n from different cultures and regions.

• A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversar­y, 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 21, CBS. The spotlight is again on adoptions of children in foster care, with families sharing their stories and music stars providing the soundtrack.

• A Christmas Story Live! 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, Fox. Maya Rudolph, Matthew Broderick and Jane Krakowski star in this repeat airing of the 2017 TV musical inspired by the 1983 movie and a Broadway production. Andy Walken plays BB-gun loving Ralphie. SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

• Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas, tonight, 9 p.m. NBC. Singer-ventriloqu­ist Darci Lynne Farmer, an America’s Got Talent champion, celebrates the holiday with guests including Kristin Chenoweth, Toby Keith, Hunter Hayes and electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling.

• Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Monday, Dec. 17, PBS (check local listings). Actor-singer Sutton Foster is the guest artist and Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) is the narrator for an evening including carols and a reading of the Christmas story from the Book of Luke.

• Great Performanc­es from Vienna: The New Year’s Celebratio­n 2019, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1, PBS. Bonneville is back as host of this Vienna Philharmon­ic concert with conductor Christian Thielemann, featuring Strauss family waltzes and the Vienna City Ballet. AULD LANG SYNE

• That’s Entertainm­ent! marathon, 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, TCM. Hosts Ben Mankiewicz, Eddie Muller, Alicia Malone and Dave Karger present the trio of films that revisit the MGM studio’s glory days.

• Live from Lincoln Center: New York Philharmon­ic New Year’s Eve with Renee Fleming,9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31. The orchestra and opera great Fleming join in a celebratio­n of classical music and dance.

• NBC’s New Year’s Eve, 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, NBC. Hosts Carson Daly and Chrissy Teigen will be joined by Leslie Jones in New York City, with Keith Urban hosting and performing from Nashville’s Bicentenni­al State Park. More artists were to be announced.

• Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019, 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, ABC. The special hosted by Seacrest promises five-plus hours of performanc­es and updates on celebratio­ns around the world. Jenny McCarthy will be on hand to share her observatio­ns.

 ??  ?? Kurt Russell stars in The Christmas Chronicles, currently streaming on Netflix.
Kurt Russell stars in The Christmas Chronicles, currently streaming on Netflix.

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