cold turkey
Forget Thanksgiving: It’s now Christmas in prime time
THANKSGIVING might still be days away, but that hasn’t stopped networks from rolling out numerous Christmas specials and original movies before you’ve even had a chance to get through your turkey dinner leftovers.
And it’s not just the Christmas-happy Hallmark Channel in a rush to deck the halls this year. Here’s a look at the various programming set to get you in the holiday spirit this week — whether you’re ready or not.
TUESDAY, NOV. 24 “Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown”
8 p.m. on The CW
TV personalities Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight count down the 12 best commercials from around the world that best capture the spirit of the holiday season, from the heartfelt to the hilarious.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25 “Christmas Through the Decades”
10 p.m. on History
This four-week series explores what Christmas and the holiday season were like in America from the 1960s to the 1990s, with the first week looking back at the live Christmas Eve broadcast from the Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968 and the debut of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in 1965.
“Once Upon a Holiday” 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel
A princess (Briana Evigan) runs away for a couple of days around Christmas and winds up falling for a good Samaritan (Paul Campbell) unaware of her royal identity.
THURSDAY, NOV. 26 “The 12 Gifts of Christmas” 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel
An unemployed painter (Katrina Law) gets a job as a personal Christmas shopper for an uptight corporate exec (Aaron O’Connell) in order to make ends meet.
SATURDAY, NOV. 28 “All-Star Gingerbread Build” 8 p.m. on HGTV and Food Network
Food Network/HGTV stars Ron Ben-Israel (“Cake Wars”) and Jonathan Scott (“Property Brothers”) go up against Duff Goldman (“Ace of Cakes”) and Drew Scott (“Property Brothers”) to see who can create the best life-sized, edible gingerbread house in 72 hours.
“A Gift Wrapped Christmas”
8 p.m. on Lifetime
A personal shopper (Meredith Hagner ) becomes determined to get her high-rolling, workaholic, single father client (Travis Milne) to appreciate his 8-year-old son by getting him into the festive spirit.
SUNDAY, NOV. 29
“The Christmas Gift”
9 p.m. on Lifetime
A young journalist (Michelle Trachtenburg) goes on a search for the perfect Christmas story and finally discovers the mystery person who gave her a meaningful Secret Santa gift 10 years before.
MONDAY, NOV. 30 “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown”
9 p.m. on ABC
Kristen Bell hosts this retrospective celebrating the Peanuts’ special’s golden anniversary featuring the music of Vince Guaraldi.