Well, TVaholic is back up and running after a week without power up here in the Seattle area. I just happened to live in one of the hardest hit areas of the windstorm that came through. We had hurricane force winds the night of December 14th. We got power back on the 21st. Those were some cold days in the dark without TV or Internet. While I sit here and type this at my own computer in an electrified house with heat, I have yet to have my cable connection restored. Comcast couldn’t start working in the area until the power company got the power restored. That meant they started on Friday and say they are working hard to get the connection restored by Christmas day. For the rest of you who have TV access there is plenty of stuff on this Christmas Eve. We have NFL and college football games, Christmas movie classics and many a TV marathon including TBS kicking off their 24 hours of A Christmas Story. Merry Christmas Eve!

Prime Picks

It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC): Released 1946. James Stewart as the down on his luck family man who gets a chance to see what life would be like if he was not around anymore. Runs three hours.

Solid Selections

Cold Case (CBS): Repeat. A ball player was found dead in 1945 after being bludgeoned. Lily and the rest of the squad investigate but must start over during the investigation to find what they missed and catch the doer.

Desperate Housewives (ABC): Repeat. Susan and Ian have headed off for the country while Nora is trying to get between Tom and Lynette. Runs 61 minutes.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC): Repeat. Kitty ends up proposing the idea of a double date that ends up being quite awkward while Nora has an awkward date of her own.

Sports Notes

• ABC has the final nine holes of the Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge golf event.
• CBS has NFL games including the one I will be watching as the San Diego Chargers visit Qwest Field to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
• ESPN has the RE/MAX Long Drive Championship early and later on has the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl with Arizona State vs. Hawaii.
• FOX has NFL games with the game of the day being the New Orleans Saints at the New York Giants.

Christmas Eve TV Marathons

ABC Family has animated holiday classics including ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town most of the day.
AMC plays Miracle on 34th Street nine times.
Bravo has seven episodes of Real Housewives of Orange County followed by eight episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Cartoon Network has Christmas themed cartoons most of the day including Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.
Court TV has 17 episodes of Cops late.
Discovery Channel has 18 episodes of Dirty Jobs.
Discovery Health has six episodes of Plastic Surgery: Before and After.
Discovery Times has 17 episodes of Everest: Beyond the Limit.
Disney Channel has Christmas themed episodes of their shows all day.
ESPN2 has 10 hours of their coverage of the 2006 World Series of Poker.
G4 has 14 episodes of Icons.
Hallmark Channel has Christmas themed TV movies most of the day.
MTV has the nine episodes of season two of Beauty and the Geek.
National Geographic has six episodes of Explorer.
Science Channel has 36 episodes of How It’s Made.
Speed has 32 episodes of NASCAR Beyond the Wheel.
TBS begins its 24-hour A Christmas Story marathon tonight.
TLC has six episodes of Little People, Big World.
TNT has six Julia Roberts movies in a row today.
VH1 has eight episodes of World Series of Pop Culture.

Need some last minute Christmas gift ideas? Then check out the TVaholic Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide.

After 466 straight days of Tonight on the Tube posts the streak comes to an end. I live up here in the Great Northwest where we just had one of the worst windstorms the area has seen since Inauguration Day, 1993. Seattle is the Emerald City in the Evergreen State because of all the greenery and trees. Many of these trees fell and took out the power lines in the local area and all the way out to the transmission lines that bring power to the Seattle Metro Area. This left over a million people in the area without power.

The storm arrived in the area the night of Thursday, December 14th as I was watching the Seattle Seahawks blow the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Qwest Field on the NFL Network. We lost cable service for a bit but it came back on just in time to watch the 49ers score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This was also just in time for my Beyond TV DVR setup to record The Office Christmas episode. I haven’t been able to watch it yet but I look forward to doing so.

The local FOX station had bought the rights to show the Seahawks game in the local market. This threw off their showing of The O.C. here. It was going to be on after the 10 O’clock News. My computer was set to record it as well but the power went out before the show came on and has yet to come back on. So sadly, I was unable to celebrate Christmakkuh in The O.C., as it looked like it was going to be good.

The storm knocked out power in such a wide area that it wasn’t until today that I was able to get Internet access across town at a friend’s house, which is where I sit as I type this. It is warm and cozy and the highspeed Internet access is being sucked up as fast as I can use it. I also got to watch the Saturday Night Football game on the NFL Network.

Regular nightly picks for what is worth watching each night on TV will return as soon as I get power and regular Internet access again. Hopefully this should be soon.

Tonight is Festivus on TBS. Well at least they are playing the Festivus episode along with three other holiday themed Seinfeld episodes. The Office doubles the Christmas fun with a one hour show tonight while it is Christmukkah over in The O.C. TLC has a show about Holiday Blunders while HGTV has a show about home owners who go overboard with their holiday light displays. Cartoon Network is bringing Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas to a new generation or all those who remember it fondly, that will watch it again. All in all it is shaping up to be a quite the night for holiday themed TV. Where will you be spending your holiday on the tube tonight?

Prime Picks

The Office (NBC): New. The party planning committee has trouble and the office ends up with two competing parties. Last season’s Christmas episode was one of the all time best. Will this one measure up? Runs 60 minutes.

Scrubs (NBC): New. J.D. and Kim find that they have a lot in common while Carla thinks about returning to work after the birth.
30 Rock (NBC): New. Liz finally dumps the Beeper King and heads out into the singles seen with Jenna by her side.

Men in Trees (ABC): Repeat. This is the episode where Jack and Marin first got together in the midst of a heat wave in Elmo.

Solid Selections

Ugly Betty (ABC): Repeat. “The Box and the Bunny” episode replays where Betty loses the proof and comedy ensues.

The O.C. (FOX): New. It is Chrismukkah in the O.C. and Ryan has a little accident while putting up some lights on the house.

Shark (CBS): Repeat. Shark goes after a surgeon who killed his wife. At least that is what Shark believes is the case.

Cable Choices

Essence of Emeril (Food Network): Repeat. Get some tips and ideas for a great Christmas morning breakfast.
Paula’s Home Cooking (Food Network): Repeat. Get some tips and ideas for throwing a down home holiday party.

Sleeper Cell: American Terror (Showtime): New. Part 5 of 6 plays tonight.

Holiday Blunders (TLC): New. See some outrageous and funny holiday bloopers.

Other Options

• Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): Repeat. The “What Am I” episode replays where Addison doubts what she can do and Meredith ends up needing surgery.
• The Lost Room (Sci Fi): Repeat. Part 3 of 3 plays again tonight.
• Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas (Cartoon Network): Repeat. Pee-Wee is joined by many a celebrity to celebrate the holiday season including Oprah, Joan Rivers, Magic Johnson, Frankie Avalon and Whoopi Goldberg.
• Seinfeld (TBS): Repeats. A two-hour Festivus block of episodes tonight which kicks off with “The Strike” or the Festivus episode followed by “The Pick” where Elaine sends out more than just a holiday greeting, “The Mom and Pop Store” and then “The Red Dot.”

Sports Notes

• TNT has an NBA doubleheader with the Orlando Magic at the Charlotte Bobcats followed by San Antonio Spurs at the New Orleans Hornets.