For those that need some quick and easy last minute Christmas gift ideas, check out these suggestions for the TVaholic, or pretty much anybody else, on your list.
Prime Pick
It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC): Released 1946. The holiday classic with James Stewart as a suicidal man who gets a chance to see what life would have been like if he had never been around. Runs three hours.
Solid Selections
How I Met Your Mother (CBS): Repeat. The Christmas episode from season two, “How Lily Stole Christmas,” replays.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS): Repeat. The Halloween episode, “The Middle Earth Paradigm,” replays, which is actually kind of weird on the day before Christmas.
Two and a Half Men (CBS): Repeat. The episode from last season where Rose tells Charlie she is leaving for London, actually the short-lived action series Drive on FOX, replays. Allison Janney (The West Wing) guest-stars as a woman Alan meets online, but both of them have exaggerated their profiles a bit.
The Rules of Engagement (CBS): Repeat. Audrey makes Jeff a quilt out of some of his favorite T-shirts and it ends up being a bigger hit than she had anticipated.
CSI: Miami (CBS): Repeat. The episode where Natalia gets accused of her ex-husband’s murder replays.
Cable Choices
A Christmas Story (TBS): Released 1983. The classic tale of a little boy who just wants to get his hands on a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas and all the other wacky things that happen around him during the holiday season. Runs two hours. This is the first showing of TBS’ annual 24-hour marathon, as it will play 11 more times after this.
Christmas to the Extreme (Travel Channel): New. See how people go overboard this time of year.
Other Options
- Aliens in America (The CW): Repeat. The episode where Justin tells us of his fake rocket club and how when Raja wanted to join things got out of control.
- Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC): Repeat. The classic animated tale narrated by Boris Karloff replays, where the Grinch tries to stop Christmas in Whoville.
Sports Notes
- ESPN has Monday Night Football with the Denver Broncos at the San Diego Chargers.
Late Night
- The Closer (TNT): Repeat. Episode three of season three, “Saving Face,” replays, where the squad finds a dead body hidden in a casket while attending a funeral.
Christmas Eve TV Marathons
A&E has 10 episodes of Cold Case Files early.
ABC Family has animated holiday specials and ends the night with two showings of The Polar Express.
AMC has the movies Christmas Eve, Santa Claus: The Movie and A Christmas Carol playing multiple times.
Bravo has seven episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County that is preceded and followed by the Top Chef Holiday Special.
Cartoon Network has Christmas and holiday themed episodes and specials all day and all night and into tomorrow.
Court TV has 18 episodes of Forensic Files early.
Discovery Channel has eight episodes of Everest: Beyond the Limit early.
E! has 12 episodes of Sunset Tan.
ESPN2 has 12½ hours of past boxing matches starting with Ali/Frazer III from 1975.
FX plays the animated feature Robots four times tonight.
G4 has six episodes of Star Trek early followed by 14 episodes of X-Play.
GSN has 22 episodes of Card Sharks.
Hallmark Channel has seven Christmas and holiday themed two-hour made-for-TV movies.
MTV has five episodes of My Super Sweet Celebration.
Sci Fi has the last nine episodes of season one of Stargate Atlantis early followed by the three-part six hour Tin Man miniseries that is followed by five more Stargate Atlantis episodes.
Spike TV has five episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation tonight.
TBS begins its 24 hours of A Christmas Story tonight.
TLC has 14 hours of Kids by the Dozen episodes.
TNT has nine Christmas episodes of ER today followed by five episodes of Law & Order tonight.
Travel Channel has 10 episodes of Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern.
VH1 has the 10-part I Love the ‘80s: 3D early followed by the 10-part I Love the ‘90s: Part Deux.
WE has eight episodes of Bridezillas.
