THE TV COLUMN

Freeform cable offering '25 Days of Christmas'

Toy Story 3 is one of the family-friendly classics airing this Christmas season on Freeform. The fi lm stars (from left) Woody, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Bullseye, Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, Hamm, Jessie, Aliens and Buzz Lightyear.
Toy Story 3 is one of the family-friendly classics airing this Christmas season on Freeform. The fi lm stars (from left) Woody, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Bullseye, Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, Hamm, Jessie, Aliens and Buzz Lightyear.

It's OK. You can safely go ahead and get in the Christmas spirit now.

Every neighborhood has that one guy who swaps out his giant inflatable spider and jack-o'-lantern for a giant inflatable Santa on Nov. 1. Before a week has passed, his house is festooned with blinking lights and the cloying "A Holly Jolly Christmas" is being piped from a speaker.

For the record, that's the most annoying Christmas song ever written, but it has rendered Burl Ives immortal.

There's no better place to indulge your Christmas cravings than on Freeform, the cable outlet formerly known as ABC Family. Every year, the channel has "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas," then the nightly "25 Days of Christmas" programming.

The first "25 Days of Christmas" aired in 1996 on what was then The Family Channel. This year there will be a wide range of family favorites.

The festivities began three days ago and return at 6 a.m. today with Christmas cartoons. Weekend programming runs all day, and weekday offerings will kick in during the afternoon and frequently run late into the night.

There will also be a number of multiple showings for some films. Here are my picks for can't-miss stuff until Christmas. Have the DVR warmed up just in case.

Today: Elf, 5:40 p.m.; National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 7:45 p.m.

Monday: Jingle All the Way, 4 p.m.; Scrooged, 8 p.m.

Tuesday: The Polar Express, 6 p.m.; The Santa Clause, 8 p.m.

Wednesday: Repeats of Polar Express, The Santa Clause and Elf begin at 4 p.m.

Thursday: Holiday Joy (premiere), 2 p.m. The Good Witch starlet Bailee Madison stars as a teen who has been trying to help her dad hold the family together since her mom's death. There's a freak accident and weird stuff happens.

Disney's A Christmas Carol, 8 p.m. This is the computer-animated 2009 version with Jim Carrey as Scrooge.

Friday: The three Disney Santa Paws films begin at 2:35 p.m.

Saturday: The three fan favorite Toy Story movies and the 2014 TV special air today. Toy Story, 2:45 p.m.; Toy Story 2, 4:45; Toy Story 3, 6:50; Toy Story That Time Forgot, 9:20.

If you haven't seen the movies, here's your chance to binge to your heart's delight. Or record them to watch over and over. You can't go wrong at Christmas with a dose of Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen).

Note: Toy Story 4 is in production for 2019.

Dec. 11: The Toy Story offerings repeat, beginning at 1:50 p.m.

Dec. 12: The Nightmare Before Christmas, 4:20 p.m.

Dec. 13: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: Arthur Christmas, 6 p.m.

Dec. 15: A Dennis the Menace Christmas, 2 p.m. Another version of A Christmas Carol.

Dec. 16: Jingle All the Way, 4:30 p.m. Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to find a special toy.

Dec. 17: Frozen, 8 p.m. Yes, that Frozen. Again.

Dec. 18: Frozen encores at 6:20 p.m.; Elf at 8:50.

Dec. 19: Repeats from the list above.

Dec. 20: The Year Without a Santa Claus, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 21: Prep & Landing, 4:20-5:20 p.m.

Dec. 22: Happy Feet, 6 a.m.; Happy Feet 2, 8:30 a.m.

Dec. 23: Repeats from previous days.

Dec. 24: More repeats for Christmas Eve.

Dec. 25: Even more repeats for Christmas.

MEANWHILE ...

Glitch. What some are touting as "the next Stranger Things" is now streaming on Netflix.

Glitch is a fascinating six-episode paranormal mystery with elements of Resurrection (that was the short-lived ABC series with Omar Epps) and The Returned.

The latter was the even shorter-lived 2015 A&E supernatural drama developed by Carlton Cuse (Lost) as an adaptation of the 2012 French series Les Revenants.

Glitch is a 2015 Australian series in which the dead also come back to life. Six people literally claw their way from their graves in the fictional small town of Yoorana, Victoria. They have no idea who they are, where they have been or why they are back.

The six are also from various time periods, yet must be linked somehow.

Trying to sort this all out is local police sergeant James Hayes, played by Patrick Brammall. There's one major complication. Hayes is stunned to recognize one of the risen. That will give the series a sense of irony as well as potential tragedy.

Hayes and the local doctor, Elishia McKellar (Genevieve O'Reilly), also need to keep this a secret in order to prevent government officials from swooping in and taking everyone away. That's easier said than done.

The first season ends with a number of cliffhangers, so it's good that a second season has the green light.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 12/04/2016

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