’Tis the season to sit back and enjoy some TV holiday programming. From Hallmark Christmas films to new variety specials to old favourites, TV Week delivers our annual yuletide roundup
Matt Rife: Unwrapped – A Christmas Crowd Work Special
The controversial comedian celebrates the season with his first-ever holiday-themed standup special, exploring Christmas gifts and traditions while interacting with members of the audience to determine which are nice — and which are naughty.
Netflix
My Secret Santa
Single mom Taylor (Alexandra Breckenridge) needs a job in order to pay for her daughter’s pricey ski lessons. Meanwhile, a ski resort is in need of a Santa. Disguised as a St. Nick lookalike, can Taylor fool a charming hotel heir (Ryan Eggold) into ho-ho-hiring her?
Netflix
The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2
This sequel to the 2023 Spanish holiday comedy reintroduces viewers to Salva, a reformed thief striving to be a better father to his teenage son. When Santa is captured by a rogue toy, it’s up to father and son to rescue him, confronting unexpected adversaries as they embark on an adventure that rekindles the spirit of Christmas.
Netflix
Reindeer in Here
Based on the award-winning book, this animated special tells the heartwarming story of how Blizzard (voiced by Adam DeVine)— a young reindeer with one antler significantly smaller than the other — bands together with a group of pals to save the future of Christmas. In the process, they unknowingly create a magical holiday tradition like none other. The voice cast also includes Melissa Villaseñor, Henry Winkler, Candace Cameron Bure, Donald Faison, Jo Koy and Jim Gaffigan as Santa.
December 6, CBS
Trolls: Holiday in Harmony
With the holidays right around the corner, Queen Poppy prepares to host the first annual Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap — which takes an unexpected turn when she and Branch draw each other’s name. Meanwhile, Tiny Diamond is struck with writers’ block while trying to cook up a special holiday rap for his dad.
December 6, Crave1
The Christmas Bookshop
Melissa Melottey stars as Adeline “Adie” Wilson, a meticulous Christmas expert and bestselling author. During her final stop on a lacklustre holiday book tour, she winds up clashing with laid-back bookstore owner Garth Bowman (Chris Connell), who prefers to take things as they come. They make a bet: her structured holiday traditions against his spontaneous festive spirit, and Adie decides to stay in town to prove that her methods are better than his. “As their rivalry unfolds,” the synopsis declares, “unexpected sparks fly, transforming their competition into a heartwarming journey of love, self-discovery, and the true magic of Christmas.”
December 6, Super Channel Heart & Home
She’s Making a List
Frequent Hallmark Channel couple Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker reunite for yet another Christmastime rom-com. Santa (Dax Belanger) has outsourced determining which kids get gifts and which get chunks of coal in their stockings to the Naughty or Nice Group, a consulting firm that has developed an airtight formula to determine naughtiness. Chabert plays Isabel, the firm’s top inspector, who thinks she’s entering a routine case when tasked with evaluating mischievous 11-year-old Charlie Duncan. However, things get complicated when she unexpectedly falls for Charlie’s widowed dad (Walker), and begins to question the rigid rules of her job. As Christmas approaches, Isabel must decide whether she’ll follow the strict holiday algorithm — or follow her heart.
December 6, W Network
The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday Christmas Special
Hallmark Channel favourite Benjamin Ayres hosts this one-hour special, filmed at the Hallmark Christmas Experience, a live event held at Kansas City’s Crown Center, headquarters of the Hallmark empire. In addition to appearances by Hallmark stalwarts Lacey Chabert, Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes and Kimberley Sustad, Brad Paisley and Mickey Guyton will perform during the tree-lighting ceremony. “Christmas is a special time of year for all of us at Hallmark and we can’t wait to celebrate with an all-new holiday special hosted at Hallmark’s Global Headquarters and the home of the Hallmark Christmas Experience,” says Darren Abbott, Hallmark’s chief brand officer. “Fan-favourite actors, special musical performances, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks will make this a special event you won’t want to miss.”
December 6, W Network
Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas
This stop motion-animated musical special based upon the beloved Will Ferrell flick follows Buddy the elf (voiced by Big Bang Theory alum Jim Parsons) as he journeys from his home in the North Pole to meet his human family, experiencing an array of adventures along the way.
December 7, CBC
Single on the 25th
Singleton Nell Duke (Lyndsy Fonseca) hates Christmas — but only because everywhere she looks, couples are kissing under the mistletoe, a constant reminder of her own miserable loneliness. When her family cancels their holiday plans at the last minute, she decides to spend the holidays alone — and then discovers her neighbour Cooper (Daniel Lissing), a financial analyst who prides himself on being happily unattached, is doing the same thing. A veteran at spending the holidays alone, he shares his tips, inspiring Nell to challenge her insecurities and find happiness in being on her own. Meanwhile, Nell helps Cooper realize he’s missing out on real connection, and the friendly singles’ Christmas together begins to blossom into love — until a misunderstanding threatens to ruin everything.
December 7, W Network
Elmo & Mark Rober’s Merry Giftmas
Everybody’s favourite red, fuzzy Muppet is joined by his Sesame Street pals and former NASA engineer turned YouTube star Mark Rober to make special presents for a Merry Giftmas exchange.
December 8, Netflix
Frosty the Snowman
Narrated by Jimmy Durante, this animated 1969 special continues to charm by recounting the story of an ordinary snowman (voiced by comedian Jackie Vernon) who comes to life when a magical hat is placed upon his big ol’ snowball of a head.
December 9, NBC
Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas
Former Yellowstone star Kevin Costner hosts this special that focuses on the extraordinary journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the hardships, trials and triumphs surrounding the birth of Jesus. “It’s a story I think we all think we know,” says Costner. “I think maybe some of us know a lot, maybe you know just a little, maybe you’re a believer, maybe you’re a cynic or maybe — hopefully — you’re just curious to find out the real story that’s behind the tradition.”
December 9, ABC
Shrek the Halls
The grouchy green ogre (voiced, as always, by Mike Myers) has promised Fiona and their kids they’ll enjoy a wonderful Christmas celebration. The problem, however, is that he knows nothing about the holiday, and takes a crash course by reading a book, Christmas for Village Idiots. All goes according to plan until Donkey, Puss in Boots and the rest of the Far Far Away gang show up uninvited.
December 9, NBC
A Motown Christmas
Smokey Robinson teams up with Halle Bailey to host this musical special, featuring performances by Motown legends and today’s hottest stars celebrating iconic classics from Hitsville U.S.A., along with their favourite holiday songs. Performers include Colson “Machine Gun Kelly” Baker, Ashanti, Gladys Knight, Pentatonic, The Temptations and Martha & The Vandellas.
December 9, NBC
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
Based on the hit novelty song, this animated special follows young Jake Spankenheimer, who must save the day when his grandmother is the victim of an unfortunate hit-and-run involving Santa’s sleigh.
December 10, KTLA
Bryan Adams and Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam
Vancouver’s own Bryan Adams headlines this new, one-hour special featuring festive hits and special guests Alessia Cara, Alan Doyle, Barenaked Ladies, Lights, The Sheepdogs and more — with all the fun taking place in Adams’ intimate in-the-round Warehouse studio in Gastown. Boasting the warmth, spontaneity and front-row energy of a live jam session, viewers are invited to share the music, memories and holiday magic. “The holidays have always been a special time for me and I’m thrilled to be joined by some of Canada’s most talented artists,” says the “Run to You” singer. “The Great Big Holiday Jam is going to be joyful and unforgettable — the perfect soundtrack to the season.”
December 11, City
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
First broadcast back in 1964, this beloved special continues to enchant new generations of viewers with the story of an outcast reindeer, mocked by his peers because of his glowing red nose. When a catastrophe strikes on Christmas Eve, guess who Santa calls on to save Christmas?
December 11, NBC
The 93rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade
A Hollywood tradition since the days of silent movies, this year’s parade coverage is hosted by Erik Estrada, Elizabeth Stanton and Laura McKenzie, with Luke Wilson serving as the parade’s grand Marshall.
December 12, KTLA
Timeless Tidings of Joy
Ally (Candace Cameron Bure) inherits Timeless Tidings, a shop that her grandmother has operated since the 1940s to sell her handmade letter-press tidings. When Ally prepares to sell the shop, she meets Bennett (Paul Green), who wants to preserve her grandmother’s legacy. As Ally and Bennett navigate the next steps, divine intervention forces them both to take a new — or, rather old — look at the fate of the shop and themselves. “In a world of technology, Timeless Tidings of Joy harkens back to a simpler time and the core values passed to us by our parents and grandparents,” says Cameron Bure. “It reminds us that the best gifts we receive, are the ones we freely give away.”
December 12, Super Channel Heart & Home
A Suite Holiday Romance
During the week before Christmas, writer Sabrina Post (Jessy Schram) arrives at a swanky hotel in New York City, ready to start a job ghostwriting the memoir of a famed art dealer. Sabrina can’t believe her luck — a hefty paycheque and a stay in her own suite at the hotel — but what was supposed to be a perfect week turns complicated when she meets handsome British visitor Ian (Dominic Sherwood) at the hotel bar. When Ian assumes Sabrina is a wealthy hotel guest, she doesn’t correct him — and then learns that Ian is a member of the British aristocracy. As it turns out, though, neither is who the other thinks they are.
December 13, W Network
A Cowboy Christmas
Ambitious marketing exec Ella Wade (Teagan Vincze) is sent on an assignment to a remote Canadian ranch. Hoping to pitch her marketing plan to a high-profile CEO who’s vacationing there, she arrives fully prepared for business but ill-equipped for the countryside’s grit and rustic charm. When she meets Cole Reesor (Brennan Martin), the handsome, small-town, country-loving ranch owner, her ambitions slowly shift to the peace and love she wasn’t expecting to find.
December 13, Super Channel Heart & Home
Oy to the World!
When water lines break at Temple Beth Am, it leaves its members in need of a place to celebrate Hanukkah. Across the street, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church is quick to open its doors and offer shared space for the holidays. With the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve falling on the same day this year — something that rarely happens — the reverend and rabbi choose to offer a joint service for their congregations. But that means Nikki Roberts (Brooke D’Orsay), St. Joseph’s youth choir director, and Jake Cohen (Jake Epstein), the substitute youth choir director from Temple Beth Am, must team up and set aside their differences and put on a single musical performance encompassing both holidays.
December 14, W Network
Madame Blanc Mysteries: The Christmas Special
Jean (Sally Lindsay) and Dom (Steve Edge) once again lead the charge alongside Judith (Sue Holderness) and Jeremy (Robin Askwith) as they “attend an exclusive Christmas Eve event at the Musée de Sainte Victoire,” where Jean is invited to authenticate a box purportedly owned by Marie Antoinette. The festive cheer quickly evaporates, however, when she discovers a ticking bomb is concealed inside. “With just 90 minutes until detonation, the museum is sealed shut, the security guard is dead, and the race is on,” reads the synopsis. “Jean and the gang must crack the code and defuse the bomb before time runs out. This is Jean’s most perilous challenge yet – can she save the day?”
December 15, Acorn TV
Great Performances: Nutcracker from English National Ballet
’Tis the season for another visit with the Sugarplum Fairy and the Mouse King, and this special holiday edition of PBS’ Great Performances features a production of this classic holiday ballet, featuring more than 100 dancers and musicians in a performance captured at the London Coliseum.
December 16, WTVS & KCTS
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2025
This year’s edition of the annual holiday pop concert features a star-studded lineup that includes Audrey Hobert, Jackson Wang, Jessie Murph, Nelly, Ravyn Lenae, Reneé Rapp, Teddy Swims, Zara Larsson and a special sing-along moment featuring KPop Demon Hunters.
December 17, ABC
Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
Jimmy Fallon searches for the holiday spirit in New York, exploring a surreal and magical apartment building where behind every door is a different celebrity, ready to join him for a performance from his festive holiday album, Holiday Seasoning. The star-studded lineup includes Meghan Trainor, Cara Delevingne, Dolly Parton, JB Smoove, Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J, The Roots, “Weird Al” Yankovic and more.
December 17, NBC
A Saturday Night Live Christmas
Expect to see Alec Baldwin’s “Schweddy Balls,” Debbie Downer bumming out Santa and other classic holiday highlights culled from SNL’s five decades of late-night laughs.
December 18, GLOBAL & NBC
Yogi’s First Christmas
Yogi, Boo Boo and the Jellystone gang celebrate the season after being awakened from hibernation, only to discover they need to foil the efforts of two villains trying to ruin Christmas.
December 19, KTLA
Another Sweet Christmas
In this sequel to last year’s Home Sweet Christmas, the picture-perfect love story of Sophie (Candace Cameron Bure — yes, her again) and Sam (Cameron Mathison) is being made into a Christmas movie, recounting how their joint inheritance of a maple forest brought them together. As their small hometown transforms into a dazzling holiday film set, their relationship becomes strained when Sam’s dream job working on the movie takes up all his focus.
December 19, Super Channel Heart & Home
A Make or Break Holiday
Liv (Hunter King) and Daniel (Evan Roderick) are hosting their families together for the first time this Christmas, and their stress level is understandably through the roof. When unspoken irritations within their relationship finally reach a boiling point, they find themselves at odds and decide they need to take a break from each other. The timing, however, is terrible; realizing that breaking the news of their separation to their families will ruin Christmas for everyone, they decide to move forward with their original plans, pretending to be a happy couple. As they navigate the complexities of their respective families and work together to create a holiday celebration they’ll all remember while faking romance, Liv and Daniel begin to rediscover what made them love each other in the first place.
December 20, W Network
Christmas in the Ballroom
Dancing With the Stars alum Kym Johnson Herjavec stars as Bella Fox, whose dramatic exit from a hit TV dance competition show went viral and stirred up scandal. Her best friend whisks her away from the chaos to a cozy community ballroom studio in upstate New York, where Bella expects peace and quiet — but instead finds herself intrigued by Will (Gilles Marini), the charming, down-to-earth property manager who’s secretly a gifted (if untrained) dancer. With a holiday showcase fast approaching, Bella and Will step into rehearsals and begin to rediscover their love for dance, life — and maybe even each other. As Bella adjusts to life off-camera and faces a crossroads about her future, she learns that sometimes the right partner makes all the difference. OG Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley also stars.
December 20, Super Channel Heart & Home
The Christmas Baby
When a baby boy shows up on their doorstep days before Christmas, accompanied with a note written specially for them, Erin (Ali Liebert) and Kelly (Katherine Barrell) must learn how to navigate their new relationship and career dynamics while unexpectedly caring for a newborn. As the couple spends more time with the baby as a temporary solution until he can be placed permanently or they can find his mother, they come to the realization that they want to adopt him themselves, and go about navigating the complicated world of fostering to adopt — all while their business is booming at the busiest time of the year.
December 21, W Network
The Christmas Mixer
After losing her dream TV job before Christmas, Daria (Leah Kirkup) starts a holiday baking show from her loft. With help from her friend Sam (Jonathan Stoddard) and a magical family mixer, she whips up viral joy, second chances — and maybe even a little love.
December 22, Super Channel Heart & Home
Once Upon a Christmas Crown
Princess Charlotte of Marovia (Ellise Roth) is soon to be crowned queen, but escapes the royal confines of the palace to pursue her passion for cooking. Hiding out in a charming New England town, she enters a Christmas baking contest under an alias, where she finds love — and the courage to embrace her true self.
December 23, Super Channel Heart & Home
It’s a Wonderful Life
Frank Capra’s 1946 classic remains a Christmas Eve staple, telling the timeless story of a downtrodden bank employee (James Stewart) at the end of his rope when he meets a trainee angel who shows him how different the lives of his friends and family would be without him.
December 24, NBC
Crossroad Springs Christmas
In this new holiday special, Crossroad Springs stars Jonathan Stoddard and Jillian Cardarelli (who penned and performed the series’ theme song) share new holiday performances inspired by the heart and hope of the heartwarming TV drama, blending music, classic carols and behind-the-scenes storytelling that offers fans an intimate celebration of faith, family and the joy of the Christmas season.
December 24, Super Channel Heart & Home
Christmas Roses
A young girl struggling with grief and a lonely woman who has shut herself off from the world, find their lives intertwined. On their shared journey, they discover that love, forgiveness and second chances are gifts.
December 25, Super Channel Heart & Home
Christmas Eve Mass
For the first time since his election as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV presides over Christmas Eve Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
December 24, NBC
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Disney’s annual Christmas parade, promising “magical star-studded performances” from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the Disneyland Resort in California and Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaiʻi.
December 25, Disney+
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
First airing way back in 1966, this Dr. Seuss classic has become a holiday favourite, recounting how the nasty Grinch (voiced by Boris Karloff) rips off the citizens of Whoville on Christmas Eve before experiencing a change of heart.
December 25, NBC