The TV Zone

It’s not too late to celebrate. Vintage TV holidays are streaming online at TV4U, reaching way back to Red Skelton’s variety show, Jack Benny’s shopping excursion [photo at left], Burns and Allen at home, and the Clampetts’ hillbilly Christmas. Just click on TV4U’s Holiday TV icon.

They’ve even got old-time Christmas cartoons, the Yule Log, holiday music with Liberace, and period fun with “Annie Oakley” and “Long John Silver.”

And if Christmas isn’t your thing, you can watch shows for Valentine’s Day, Halloween or Thanksgiving, too.

But for me, for now -- Merry Christmas!

You want a late burst of Christmas tube? We got your late burst o' Christmas tube.

Among the last-minute additions to our ginormous listings lineup (click the holiday categories at the right side of this page to be gobsmacked) --

"The Simpsons" celebrate all week at 7 p.m. on WNYW/5, starting tonight with the series pilot, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," and continuing through "Marge Be Not Proud" (Tuesday), "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" (Wednesday), "Skinner's Sense of Snow" (Thursday) and "Simpsons Christmas Stories" (Friday).

"Scrubs" [John C. McGinley in photo at right] has two yule outings: Turk's loss of faith (Christmas night at 12:30 a.m. on WNYW/5) and the gang's decidedly unfestive living accommodations (Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. on Comedy Central and 12:30 a.m. on WNYW/5; Christmas Day at 3 p.m. on Comedy Central).

"Matlock" has not one, not two, but three holiday episodes, at 1 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday on WLNY/55.

WLNY also has a Christmas night airing of Frank Capra's "Meet John Doe" (8 p.m. Tuesday).

And Angela Lansbury tracks down a Christmas secret today on "Murder, She Wrote" (11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on BIO channel).

Lots more under the holiday listings at the right, so look for all your faves there.

David Letterman's Christmas tradition lives!

Yes, it's an "encore" CBS will be airing Tuesday night with Darlene Love's traditional singing of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," a repeat of the Dec. 22, 2006 "Late Show With David Letterman." But considering the ongoing writers' strike, it's better than no Love at all.

Other Christmas Tube additions:

TV One is going nearly wall-to-wall with holiday shows this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 21-22, and again Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, featuring such series as “Boston Public” and “Wanda at Large.”

Discovery's HD Theater offers up high-def holiday decorations and “American Chopper” yule bikes [above]. See listings for DISC HD.

And Gospel Music Channel begins airing Christmas music 24 hours a day at 8 p.m. Friday.

Look for your faves under the Christmas Tube holiday categories at the right of this page.

More holiday episodes and movies have joined our massive Christmas Tube listings, including Fran’s first Christmas on “The Nanny,” the “real” Santa on “Reba” [photo at right], and outings of “Frasier,” “According to Jim,” “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

Plus “Bad Santa” and “Eight Crazy Nights.”

Check out all the upcoming airings at the Christmas Tube holiday categories on the right side of this page.

Now something like this almost makes the writers’ strike worthwhile. “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” is taking advantage of this week of repeats by spotlighting its host’s holiday duets.

Regis Philbin kicks things off with “Winter Wonderland” tonight (late Tuesday-early Wednesday 12:35 a.m.). Then it’s the Muppets’ Pepe the Prawn on “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and Dennis Quaid on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (late Wednesday night), Dwight Yoakam’s "Jingle Bells" (late Thursday), and "Deck the Halls" with RZA and “Christmas Time is Here” with Brian McKnight (late Friday).

Also just added to our voluminous Christmas Tube category listings: a "Frosty the Snowman" repeat this Wednesday on CBS; two "Live With Regis & Kelly" holiday shows; a post-Christmas "Holiday Celebration With Clay Aiken," and many more.

Keep checking back under the holiday categories at the right side of this page. More Christmas shows added daily!

It’s even beginning to look a lot like Christmas on “The Price Is Right” [generic CBS photo above]. Network TV’s sole surviving daytime game show gets festive this week with Christmas-themed showcases Tuesday-Friday, Dec. 18-21, as well as on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Holiday episodes of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Frasier” are coming up on WPIX/11. Also in syndication, WNYW/5 celebrates Christmas with “The Simpsons” and “M*A*S*H.”

Look for 2007 airings of these and hundreds more holiday faves under the Christmas Tube listings categories at the right of this page. And keep checking back for more updates, added frequently till The Big Day.

We’re not the only wackos wallowing in yule tube this time of year. The pop culturists over at the YesbutNobutYes blog have posted their Top Ten Christmas TV Villains, in countdown form.

Without saying where they fall numerically, the list includes Ebenezer Magoo [right], the Heat and Snow Misers, and even Santa Claus.

Check it out here.

Yet more shows join our Christmas listings:

“An All Dogs Christmas Carol” [pictured right] should keep the kids happy this Thursday night, Dec. 13.

For the tweens, there’s Jonathan Taylor Thomas in several added screenings of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” And the “Hogfather” fantasy miniseries repeats in one piece Dec. 23.

Matt Groening’s “Olive the Other Reindeer” runs next Monday, Dec. 17, and WPIX has some late-night “South Park” holidays.

TV One presents another Christmas-episode marathon all afternoon Saturday, Dec. 15, including “Good Times,” “227” and such rarities as “Roc” and “The Parent ’Hood.”

Keep checking back for updated additions to our holiday category listings, under the Christmas Tube category at this page.

I’ll be talking yule tube tonight in one of those modern multimedia convergences -- a radio show over the internet.

At 11 p.m. ET (Tuesday, Dec. 11), “Talking Television With Dave White” at KSAV.org chats me up for an hour about holiday TV shows and my book “Christmas on Television.” It’s a call-in show, too, so holiday TV questions are welcome.

Listen tonight here (click “Listen Live”). Or go here to hear archive “Talking Television” programs about “The Brady Bunch,” “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” “Diagnosis Murder,” and many other tube memories.

Two more I missed before:

"October Road" has a Christmas episode on ABC tonight at 10, and CBS' "Without a Trace" seeks a missing Santa this Thursday, Dec. 13 at 10.

Check the ever-growing holiday TV shows list at the Christmas Tube links on the right of this page.

[Above: "October Road's" Bryan Greenberg in ABC photo.]

Cable is crammed to the gills with holiday programs, but network and local channels tend not to be as festive.

This week is an exception. Tonight, The CW has wall-to-wall holiday episodes, including the culture-clash comedy “Aliens in America.” (See my review in Monday’s paper.) That network also has a yule “Supernatural” Thursday night. NBC offers a time-tripping new “Journeyman” tonight and a Benihana Christmas on “The Office” Thursday, leading into a holiday “30 Rock.” [Above in NBC photo: Anita Gillette, Buck Henry, Andy Richter, Tina Fey.]

The ION network (ex-PAX) is re-airing its “Hogfather” miniseries, from Terry Pratchett’s fantasy tale of a Santa-like character subverted by an Assasins Guild, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 9. WLNY/55 has Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ movie “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Friday night, when CBS presents a holiday “Ghost Whisperer.”

Keep an eye on ION for series episodes, too (WPXN/31), with Christmas outings of “Alice,” “Amen” and “Mama’s Family” on the schedule.

Get the details under the Christmas Tube categories at the right of this page. And check back for more updates, added all the time.

The holiday shows just keep coming.

Latest additions to our mushrooming Christmas Tube listings include multiple episodes of “South Park” and lots of “MADtv” holiday spoofs (including those classic warped animated satires “Raging Rudolph” and “The Reinfather”).

Also festive: a Saturday marathon of black-cast comedies on TV One.

Check the Christmas Tube categories at the right to find your faves -- and bookmark this page to check back for our frequent updates.

[Photo above: "Raging Rudolph," courtesy animator Corky Quakenbush.]

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Denny Crane incident, would it? So ABC provides a new “Boston Legal” episode [ABC photo above], one of the many additions newly posted to our ultra-extensive Christmas Tube listings.

Also newly added: MTV’s “Newport Harbor” holidays, an MSG repeat of “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” and two holiday outings of “Are You Being Served?”

Bookmark this page for the category listings at right (Holiday Episodes, Holiday Music, Holiday Movies, etc.), and check back frequently for continuing updates.

And yet more holiday releases are hitting video shelves.

The Family Holiday (PorchLight, $15) – Kids, dogs and good clean fun: “Full House” costar Dave Coulier strives to become a family man to claim an inheritance.

A Perfect Day (Sony, $25, out Dec. 11) – Rob Lowe stars in last year’s TV movie as an ambitious author who needs to relearn the importance of family. With Christopher Lloyd.

The Christmas Blessing (Living Arts, $15) – Lowe shows up again in this “Christmas Shoes” sequel, starring Neil Patrick Harris as a doctor rethinking his life after losing a patient.

A new Christmas episode of “The Simpsons” has been added to our ever-more-ginormous listing of holiday show airings. (Thanks to Fox for the photo above.)

Also new: “Ghost Whisperer,” “American Dad,” the Rexcorp Plaza tree lighting, and many more.

Click the Christmas Tube categories on the right side of this page (Holiday Episodes, Holiday Animation, etc.) for all the details.

Can't find your yuletide faves on TV? Try the web.

AOL's in2tv streaming video site has festive flashbacks of holiday episodes from “Alice,” “Perfect Strangers,” “The Smurfs,” and such rareties as “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” and “The FBI.” Even Gumby and Mr. Bill! And they're free.

iTunes downloads include “The O.C.’s” Chrismukkah, the seasonal insanity of “South Park,” and even “The Jetsons” and “American Chopper.” But you pay for those ($1.99 each). Click on "Holiday Episodes" inside the iTunes application.

Don't forget to check back frequently at our Christmas Tube categories listed on the right side of this page, for constantly added listings for TV airings of new and vintage holiday episodes, movies, music, specials and more.

Dozens of Christmas show listings have just been added to the five Christmas Tube categories on the right side of this page (Holiday Episodes, Animation, Movies, etc.).

Both MyNetwork TV (WWOR/9 in New York) and the ION broadcast network (WPXN/31) are loading up on holiday films, cartoons and specials, including this week’s airing of the Shelley Long-Robert Hays movie “The Santa Trap” and next week’s “Christmas Glory” concert with Al Jarreau and Brian McKnight.

Other additions on both broadcast and cable include holiday episodes of “Alice,” “Amen,” “Beverly Hills 90210” and “That’s So Raven,” plus the “Holidaze” animation special and that wild Christmas-Hanukkah movie satire “The Hebrew Hammer” [Adam Goldberg in photo above].

Happy clicking!

You want a handmade holiday present? Here's a biggie – hundreds of Christmas episodes, cartoon specials, music, comedy, cooking shows, seasonal cinema, holiday history.

You name it – for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa – and it's likely listed chronologically here at The TV Zone by date and time within handy genres, collected under the Christmas Tube category on the right side of this page (scroll down below Recent Posts). Some of the season's most popular highlights got the spotlight in Newsday's Monday print edition (like "A Charlie Brown Christmas," pictured above and airing Nov. 27 on ABC), but this online repository is where the real riches reside.

This annual list gets put together the old-fashioned way – literally by hand, typing everything in after scouring TV channel press releases and advance schedules, not to mention personally pestering all my tube info contacts. (Thanks, guys and gals, for putting up with my incessant nudging.)

It's a humongous effort, getting more intense every year. But it's worth it, both for my own Christmas viewing/recording and for the hundreds of readers who annually tell me how much they love being able to find their faves.

Enjoy the listings already posted, and don't forget – this list is updated continually through the end of December, so check back frequently for added shows.

And click the "Comments" link right below this paragraph to let us know what you think. Happy holidays!

The real world celebrates the season in documentaries, reality programs, cooking and decorating shows, holiday history and, of course, The Yule Log.

To find specific titles or types, use your browser's "find" function.

Click on "Continue reading" to see shows scheduled through the end of December. And check back frequently for updates by bookmarking this page for its Christmas Tube link.

NOTE -- Listings are organized by broadcast day (5 a.m. one day to 5 a.m. next day). All program schedules are subject to change.

Here’s where the holidays get animated.

Cartoon, computer-generated and stop-motion animation programs are listed by the dozens below. (So are some Muppets specials.) This is where you'll find such faves as "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Use your browser's "find" function to quickly locate specific titles.

(Please be aware -- not all animated shows are intended for children’s viewing!)

Click on "Continue reading" to see animated shows scheduled through the end of December. And check back frequently for updates by bookmarking this page for its Christmas Tube link.

NOTE -- Listings are organized by broadcast day (5 a.m. one day to 5 a.m. next day). All program schedules are subject to change.

Holiday music, dance and comedy hits the tube from around the world, from the Rockettes, rockers, soap stars, country singers, classical chorales, and many more.

Click "continue" to see our listings of tuneful shows running through the end of December. Check back for continuous updates by bookmarking this page for its Christmas Tube link.

NOTE -- Listings are organized by broadcast day (5 a.m. one day to 5 a.m. next day). All program schedules are subject to change.

Share the holidays with your favorite TV characters. Hundreds of series celebrate Christmas (and Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and other seasonal holidays) in episodes old and new -- from “Andy Griffith” to “30 Rock,” from “Gunsmoke” to “Monk.”

Browse upcoming airings listed below, or use your browser's "find" function to quickly locate specific titles.

Click "Continue" to see episodes running through the end of December. Check back for updates by bookmarking this page for its Christmas Tube link.

NOTE -- Listings are organized by broadcast day (5 a.m. one day to 5 a.m. next day). All program schedules are subject to change.

This year’s holiday films run the gamut from classics like James Stewart's "It's a Wonderful Life" to premieres like ABC Family’s “Holiday in Handcuffs” romance comedy with Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez.

Browse hundreds of airings detailed below, or use your browser's "find" function to quickly locate specific titles.

Click "Continue" to see our listings of films airing through the end of December. Check back for our continuous updates by bookmarking this page for its Christmas Tube link.

NOTE -- Listings are organized by broadcast day (5 a.m. one day to 5 a.m. next day). All program schedules are subject to change.

Get ready. Newsday’s print edition runs my big holiday TV kickoff column on Monday, Nov. 19.

By then, you’ll find hundreds of Christmas shows (and Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) in the Christmas Tube section listed in our categories.

In the meantime:

How It’s Made (Friday, Nov. 16 at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Discovery) - Learn about not the tube’s virtual version but the real traditional wood yule log.

Roseanne (Friday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m., Oxygen) – The Conners celebrate “White Trash Christmas.”

The Silent Partner (Saturday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m., FLIX) – Santa Claus (Christopher Plummer) robs a bank -- but then the teller (Elliott Gould) robs him in this nifty 1978 cult-fave suspenser.

The holiday discs just keep on comin' --

The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1976 and The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1977 (Shout, list price $15 each; out Nov. 13) – Three-quarters of Sun Records’ legendary “million dollar quartet” reunite on the ’77 disc: Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. (Elvis Presley had died that summer.) Roy Orbison, Roy Clark and The Statler Brothers are other guests with Johnny and wife June in an hour where only 10 of the 17 songs are holiday tunes. On the 1976 special, less than a quarter are Christmas-y, and the guests include Clark again, Barbara Mandrell, Merle Travis and Tony Orlando, plus the Rev. Billy Graham with “A Story of Christmas.”

Christmas Time in South Park (Comedy Central, list price $20; out Nov. 13) -- All seven faves, spanning 1997-2004, include "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo," "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson," "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" (original holiday song videos!), "A Very Creepy Christmas," "Red Sleigh Down," "It's Christmas in Canada" and "Woodland Critter Christmas."

Get ready, people. The big-time Christmas onslaught starts next week! (Keep your eyes on Newsday’s print edition for the big kickoff.)

In the meantime:

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Tuesday at 5:30 a.m., Starz Comedy; Wednesday at 10:10 a.m., 4:30 and 11:45 p.m., Starz Kids) – Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ 1998 feature costars Jessica Biel.

Home Improvement (Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 11:30 a.m., TBS) – Tim goes gonzo with the holiday decorations.

Black Christmas (Friday, Nov. 16 at 5 a.m., MOJO) – Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder in the 1975 thriller, in HD.

This Christmas (Wednesday, Nov. 14 and Friday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m., BET) – Chris Brown and the movie’s cast perform in this new special.

The X-Files (Friday, Nov. 16 at noon, Sci Fi) – Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner guest as ghosts haunting Mulder and Scully.

It’s either a huge money-saving opportunity for viewers, or one big fat commercial.

"The Radio City Christmas Spectacular" comes to TV for the first time, airing on NBC Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. in a one-hour special hosted by “Today’s” Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, the network just announced.

This 75th anniversary show is promised to be the most “dynamic and re-imagined” ever, with “glamorous new costumes and eye-popping new numbers performed by the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, as well as traditional fan favorites including the famed ‘Parade of the Wooden Soldiers’ and ‘The Living Nativity.’ The stage itself will be brought alive with state-of-the art special effects, including fireworks, delicate snowfall and Santa flying over Radio City's great stage.”

You think it’s too early for Christmas shows? Tell that to the folks at TBS who scheduled “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” this weekend. And it’s not the only show jumping the yuletide gun.

Fay’s Twelve Days of Christmas (Thursday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 4:50 a.m.; Friday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m., HBO Family) – William Wegman’s Weimaraners ramp up their holiday festivities in this kid-friendly half-hour.

Everybody Loves Raymond (Friday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m., TBS) – Ray’s parents exchange his personalized Christmas gift without looking at it.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Saturday, Nov. 10 at 9:10 a.m., Encore; also anytime with Starz On Demand, through Nov. 14) – Tim Burton’s animated feature film.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Saturday, Nov. 10 and Sunday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m., TBS) – The classic 1960s Dr. Seuss cartoon, narrated by Boris Karloff.

The King of Queens (Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., WWOR/9) – Carrie takes a holiday job at Doug’s workplace, while Arthur crafts his own greeting card.

M*A*S*H (Saturday, Nov. 10 at 9 p.m., TV Land) – The series’ beloved first-season “Dear Dad” holiday letter from Hawkeye is followed by “Dear Sis” from Father Mulcahy (Saturday night at 12:20 a.m., TV Land) and “Death Takes a Holiday” (Monday at 5 p.m., Hallmark).

The Santa Clause (Sunday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m., Disney) – Tim Allen’s hit 1994 movie comedy.

The O.C. (Monday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m., SOAPnet) – “The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkka.”

More tube holidays hit DVD shelves this week.

A Wish for Wings That Work (Universal, $15; out Nov. 6) – Berkeley Breathed’s beloved 1991 Opus n’ Bill animated special finally comes to DVD. But the 24-minute special is all there is. No extras. No booklet. Nada. Wouldn’t it be nice if video distributors cherished a show like this as much as we do?

The Munsters Scary Little Christmas (Universal, $15; out Nov. 6) - Don't get too excited. This isn't the original '60s cast. It's a 1996 TV movie with "Tracey Ullman Show" stalwart Sam McMurray as Herman and Ann Magnuson as Lily. Not bad, though.

The Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas (MGM, $15; out Nov. 6) - The cool cat celebrates the holiday in a very cold New York City in 1978's half-hour special. (Disc also has "Olym-Pinks" and "Pink at First Sight.")

More holiday releases are hitting shelves this week, including two sentimental TV movies, recent and vintage. Plus ’70s musical mayhem.

The Christmas Card (Genius, list price $15, out Tuesday, Oct. 23) – Last year’s Hallmark TV movie with the backdrop of the current war comes to disc for all the readers who’ve been writing in asking if this sentimental hit was available on DVD. Finally it is, telling of an American soldier (John Newton) touched by a holiday card from a stranger (Alice Evans), whom he then becomes determined to meet. Extras include a featurette about a real-life “card” story.

A Christmas Memory (Genius, $13, out Tuesday) – Truman Capote’s perennial holiday story of a lonely boy was remade into a 1997 CBS TV movie with Patty Duke. It’s less treasured than ABC’s 1966 Geraldine Page version (narrated by Capote himself), but that version is almost impossible to find on disc.

Captain & Tennille: The Christmas Show (Retroactive, $15) – Don Knotts and Tom Bosley join the “Love Will Keep Us Together” couple and musical guests The Pointer Sisters in the color-crazed 1976 yule hour of their ABC variety series. Songs range from “Little Saint Nick” to “O Holy Night.” Optional C&T; commentary!

So, I hear you thinking, isn’t it a little early in the fall to be hot for Christmas episodes? Hardly. TV series’ seasonal stories reveal so much about our culture and our psychology, and looking back through television’s 60-year history, they’re even a revelatory history of the way we were and the ways in which we’ve changed.

Also, of course, they’re just fun.

And they’re already airing. Sure, it’s only the middle of October, but QVC’s been running its Christmas Shoppe selling sprees for weeks already. (BTW, the next one comes Monday, Oct. 15, 7-9 a.m.)

While it isn’t quite time for my annual massive comprehensive awe-inspiring list of hundreds of Christmas episode airings (you’re not the only one wondering where it is already), the seasonal goodies are indeed starting to trickle to the tube. And this week holds a couple we can’t let pass without highlighting.

Mama’s Family (Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m., ION/31) -- Vicki Lawrence’s cranky old lady fills in for a mall Santa.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Friday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 and 11 p.m., HBO Comedy) -- Larry David’s hilariously inappropriate attitudes extend to gobbling his wife’s family’s nativity-shaped cookies and starting a fight over a church group’s manger scene. You don't even want to know what's stuck in his throat.

Family Guy (Friday at 11 p.m., WPIX/11) -- Another badly behaved classic. Stewie [right] worms his way into playing the baby Jesus in the town-square nativity as his quest for plutonium continues. Meanwhile, Peter watches “KISS Saves Santa” on TV.

Next week holds some unusual outings, too, including the 1975 yule from the soap “Ryan’s Hope” (Friday, Oct. 19 at 5 a.m., SOAPnet) and the Christmas party on “The Complete Tales of the City” (Friday, Oct. 19 at 10 p.m., LOGO).

May your viewings be merry and bright!

Anyone who knows anything about me knows what a happy camper I am when the Christmas TV DVDs start coming in.

And it’s already a cool yule at the mailbox!

Among the new holiday releases hitting my desk:

The Flintstones Christmas Carol (Warner, list price $15, out Oct. 2) – This doesn’t come from the ABC series’ 1960s heyday. It’s a 1994 animated feature. But Flintstones fans have taken it to heart anyway, loving how Fred goes all method actor playing Scrooge in a local staging. Big bonus feature -- the 1965 “Flintstones” series episode where Fred subs for an ailing Santa.

Christmas Television Favorites (Warner, $40, Oct. 2) – This blue 4-disc hardcase package (similar to last year’s red “Original Television Christmas Classics” box with "Rudolph" and "Frosty") collects previous releases of eight animated specials. Topping the list -- the ’60s Dr. Seuss cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and the Rankin-Bass stop-motion favorite “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (with Mickey Rooney). The latter fave is also available in a new single-disc Deluxe Edition ($20) with bonus specials “Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey” (Roger Miller) and “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” (Red Skelton), which also appear in the hardcase collection. Other specials there are “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” “Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July,” “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” and Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who.” Extras include two animation how-to featurettes and all the interviews/other goodies from last year’s “Grinch” 50th anniversary edition.

The House Without a Christmas Tree (CBS, $13, out Oct. 16) – The beloved 1972 TV movie stars Jason Robards as the widowed dad who’s still holding his wife’s death against his daughter, and thus denies her a Christmas tree. There is, however -- spoiler! -- a warm and fuzzy ending.

More Christmas TV DVD reports to come . . .

Get set to tape some seasonal sounds:

Blind Boys of Alabama (Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 10 p.m., WNET/13) – Gospel group’s 2004 performance with Aaron Neville, Chrissie Hynde, Mavis Staples.

Aaron Neville (Wednesday night at 1 a.m., Thursday night/Friday morning at 3 a.m., TBN) – Soulful crooner’s 2000 concert.

Andy Williams (Thursday, Dec. 21 at 9:45 p.m., WNET/13) – Vintage clips from family specials of the 1960s and ’70s. Dig the Williams Brothers’ matching sweaters! [File photo at right.]

Kenny Rogers (Thursday night/Friday morning at 2 a.m., Friday at 8 p.m., TBN) – Holiday production “Christmas From the Heart.”

A Home for the Holidays (Friday at 8 p.m., CBS/2) – Rod Stewart headlines annual adoption concert, with Kat McPhee, John Legend, Mary Mary, Miley Cyrus, Five for Fighting.

Hundreds more listings in Christmas Tube categories at the right!

(But how come nobody’s airing “A Bing Crosby Christmas”?)

The countdown is on in earnest now, and stations have added some goodies to the holiday menu.

The Simpsons (7 p.m. on WNYW/5) – Yuletide yuks all week. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Bart gets caught shoplifting. On Wednesday, Gary Coleman shows up. On Thursday, the Christmas tree burns down. On Friday, the school gets snowed in.

The Christmas Box (late Tuesday night at 3:30 a.m., Thursday at 10 p.m., TBN) – Richard Thomas stars in TV movie from the 1990s bestseller.

The Office (Thursday, Dec. 21 at 9 p.m., NBC/4) – Instant-rerun of last week’s “Benihana Christmas” classic. One hour. [NBC photo, right.]

Masters of Illusion Christmas (Thursday, Dec. 21 at 10 p.m., WNBC-DT 4.4) – You’ve gotta have the digital subchannel to catch this seasonal magic special with disappearing trees and more. (On NYC-area digital cable: Cablevision Ch. 110, Time Warner Ch. 732, Comcast Ch. 249.)

These shows and dozens more have joined the massive listings at the Christmas Tube category links to the right. Keep checking back!

Too many holiday shows this weekend to even choose highlights, so check the Christmas Tube links at the right to find your faves!

Two premieres of note:

The Simpsons (Sunday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m., Fox/5) - Olympic skater Elvis Stojko takes part in an ice show Homer manages to decimate.

American Dad (Sunday, Dec. 17 at 8:30 p.m., Fox/5) - Lisa Kudrow voices the ghost of Christmas past when Stan loses his holiday spirit [below].

Bloom County comic master Berke Breathed was behind the 1991 Opus the Penguin special “A Wish for Wings That Work,” which never seems to show up on holiday TV schedules. But this year, the i network (formerly PAX) has made it a late addition to a Friday night lineup of holiday shows for Dec. 15 that also includes the 1986 Loretta Young TV movie “Christmas Eve.”

Here’s the lineup (airing in New York on WPXN/31):
6 p.m. – “Boo! Christmas Special”
6:30 p.m. – “A Wish for Wings that Work”
7 p.m. – “Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn’t Happen”
8-9 p.m. – “Mama’s Family” (two yule episodes)
9 p.m. – “Christmas Eve” movie

Classics one and all . . .

The Office (Thursday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m., NBC/4) – Brand new and super cool: A one-hour extravaganza involving Benihana.

Seinfeld (Thursday at 9 and 9:30 p.m., TBS) – Festivus fun, followed by Elaine’s revealing Christmas card.

Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (Thursday 10:30-11:30 p.m., Cartoon) – Cher! Charo! Frankie! Annette! Oprah! Little Richard, Magic Johnson and more!

Roseanne (Friday, Dec. 15 at 5:30 p.m., Oxygen) – The Conners go wild decorating in “White Trash Christmas.”

A Christmas Story (Friday at 8 p.m., Turner Classic Movies) – You’ll shoot your eye out!

New Christmas episode bonanza!

How I Met Your Mother (Monday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., CBS/2) – “How Lily Stole Christmas” has Marshall’s fiance upsetting holiday plans.

Everybody Hates Chris (Monday at 8 p.m., CW/11) – Julius and Chris [Terry Crews and Tyler James Williams, above in CW photo] take Christmas jobs at a department store.

House (Tuesday at 9 p.m., Fox/5) – Our favorite grouch’s holiday is not so merry: Somebody finally spilled to the cops on his Vicodin scores.

Browse hundreds more Christmas listings through the links at the right . . .

Some new arrivals looming:

Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn’t Happen (Saturday at 8 p.m., ABC/7) – Rusty Reindeer finds himself joining a support group for holiday icons in this new animated special, voiced by Fred Savage, Paul Rodriguez, John O’Hurley.

Santa Baby (Sunday at 8 p.m., ABC Family) – Jenny McCarthy plays a hotshot executive who finds herself back in the family business. Hint: George Wendt plays daddy in a red suit.

A Year Without a Santa Claus (Monday at 9 p.m., NBC/4) – John Goodman, Delta Burke, Chris Kattan and Harvey Fierstein star in a lavish new live-action production of the animated fave.

Be sure to check complete listings at the Christmas Tube link! (Find your faves among the hundreds there by using your browser's "find" function.)

Some imminent Christmas faves:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Friday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m., CBS/2) – Burl Ives sings us through 1964’s animated classic. Following are “Frosty the Snowman” and “Frosty Returns” at 9 and 9:30 p.m.

Black Christmas (Friday night at 12:05 a.m., HDNet Movies) – Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea star in 1974 fright flick.

Christmas in Connecticut (Saturday, Dec. 9 at noon, Turner Classic Movies) – Who cares if Barbara Stanwyck can cook? She’s cool! Which Dennis Morgan discovers in this World War II-era treat about a hardboiled reporter who plays homey for a soldier.

Check out the Christmas Tube links at right for hundreds more holiday TV listings!

Imminent holiday highlights:

Miracle on 34th Street (Wednesday and Thursday at 8 and 10 p.m., AMC) – Several chances to catch the 1947 perennial with Edmund Gwenn as a Macy’s Santa and Natalie Wood as the skeptical kid he impresses.