Deadline’s Christmas & New Year’s Eve TV Programming Guide, From Classic Movies To Specials & More

• Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas 2025

  

  As is tradition for Disney-owned Freeform, the first 25 days of December will be chock-full of Christmas movies leading up to the holiday with The Santa Clause and Home Alone films kicking off the stretch of festive films on Dec. 1. Such films will repeat multiple times throughought the month of December alongside Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Love Actually will air at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 2. Frozen and Frozen 2 will also prompt viewers to be cozy or build snowmen.

• Christmas Movies On NBC

  The animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman will air back to back on Thursday, December 4 starting at 8 and ending at 9 p.m. with encores Dec. 25 at 8 p.m. for How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. for Frosty the Snowman.

  Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer will air Friday, December 5 from 8 to 9:15 p.m. with an encore on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. It’s A Wonderful Life will air on NBC Christmas Eve from 8 to 11 p.m. How the Grinch Stole Christmas will air Christmas Day from 8:30 to 11 p.m.

• Christmas Eve Mass – NBC

  On Christmas Eve, viewers can tune into the Pope Leo-led mass from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 24.

• Hallelujah! It’s Christmas! with Phil Wickham & Friends

  Starting December 24 at 8 p.m. ET, Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free, ad-supported streaming service, will debut a holiday special captured live at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. The special features Christmas classics, powerful worship, and brand-new moments created exclusively for the event, with appearances from special guests.

• Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Alternative Christmas Message’

  

• Christmas Movies on ABC

  

  Starting on the last day of November, ABC will transition to the Christmas spirit airing many classic films and some newer ones. Half-hour entries include Disney’s Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure and Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town. The Santa Clause will air at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 on ABC, and Home Alone will air Christmas Eve at 8 p.m.

• Jonas Brothers New Years Eve Celebration

  

  First they had a new Christmas movie this year, and now they will help ring in the new year. The Jonas Brothers have a New Year’s Eve special airing on Samsung TV Plus starting at 10 p.m. ET, or 7 p.m. PT. The special will stream live from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Fort Lauderdale, Forida. The event will be hosted by comedian Jack McBrayer.

• Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve – ABC

  Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will ring in 2026 Dec. 31 starting at 8 p.m. ET from New York. New this year, the program will mark a historic first with a live central time  countdown in Chicago starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. central.

  This year’s show boasts the largest lineup in its over 50 years of programming with 4 Non Blondes, 50 Cent, 6Lack, Chance The Rapper, Chappell Roan, Charlie Puth, Ciara, Demi Lovato, Busta Rhymes, Leon Thomas, The Goo Goo Dolls, Jess Glynne, Post Malone, Jessie Murph, Lil Jon, Little Big Town, Madison beer, Maren Morris, New Kids on the Block, Mariah Carey, Pitbull, One Republic and many more set to perform and appear.

• ‘2024 Back That Year Up With Kevin Hart And Kenan Thompson’

  2024 Back That Year Up with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson returns Dec. 23 only on Peacock for a third annual special following their Paris 2024 summer Olympics series, Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson. The comedic duo will close out the year with their unfiltered humor as they recap pop culture, sports, social media and politics. The special will feature guest appearances from the year’s most talked about celebrities, including Nate Bargatze, Mookie Betts, Kenny G, Blake Griffin, Jon Hamm, Jonquel Jones, Seth Meyers, mgk, and Rashida ‘Sheedz’ Olayiwola.  

  Hosted and executive produced by Kenan Thompson and Kevin Hart, the special is directed by Leslie Hall. Other executive producers include eff Clanagan, Bryan Smiley, Luke Kelly-Clyne and David Nickoll, who also serves as the program’s showrunner. 

• 137th Rose Parade – NBC

  

  The annual Rose Parade will air Thursday, Jan. 1 at 11 a.m. ET and 8 a.m. PT. The two-hour event will be simulcast on Peacock.

• A ‘Saturday Night Live’ Christmas – NBC

  Saturday Night Live’s Christmas-themed sketches will play Thursday, Dec. 18 from 9 to 11 p.m. with an encore on Dec. 22 at 9 p.m.

• iHeart Radio Jingle Ball 2025 – ABC

  ABC will air the 2025 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

• “Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas” – ABC

  Kevin Costner will host the special that highlights Mary and Joseph’s journey to Jesus’ birth, airing at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

• CMA Country Christmas – ABC

  The 16^th annual  CMA Country Christmas filmed in Nashville in front of a live audience will are at 9 p.m. on ABC on Tuesday, Dec. 2, hosted by Lauren Daigle and Jordan Davis, who will perform along with Riley Green, Lady A, Little Big Town, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney and more.

• Christmas in Rockefeller Center – NBC

  Reba McEntire will host Christmas in Rockefeller Center on Wednesday, December 3 from 8 to 10 p.m. with a simulcast on Peacock.

• Dancing with the Stars – Dancing with the Holidays – ABC

  Dancing with the Stars will be getting in the Christmas spirit Tuesday, Dec. 2 with festive routines and more. The show will air at 8 p.m. and be available to stream on Disney+.

• ‘The Nutcracker’ – PBS

  Great Performances: Nutcracker from English National Ballet, featuring more than 100 dancers and musicians in a performance captured at the London Coliseum, will premiere Tuesday, December 16 at 9p.m./8 p.m. central on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS app.

• NBC Specials – ‘Wicked: One Wonderful Night,’ ‘Shrek The Halls’

  

  NBC released its holiday programming slate and anticipated specials two days before Halloween 2025. Wicked: One Wonderful Night aired Nov. 6 from 8 to 10 p.m. For those who may have missed the window, the special is also streaming on Peacock. Wicked: For Good arrives in theaters Nov. 21, 2025.

  The network will also air a countdown to the 99^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Nov. 26 — which Cynthia Erivo will kick off — from 8 to 9 p.m. with a simulcast from Peacock. The countdown will take place the eve of the big event before floats, balloons, bands and more grace the streets of New York.

  Other specials airing in December include the “Password” Holiday Special hosted by Keke Palmer and starring Jimmy Fallon Monday Dec. 8 from 10 to 11 p.m. (encore Dec. 18 at 8 p.m.) with Jonathan Groff as celebrity guest, the half-hour animated Shrek the Halls special Tuesday Dec. 9 (encore Dec. 17 at 8 p.m.), A Motown Christmas hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey Tuesday December 9 from 9 to 11 p.m. (encore Dec. 17), the NBC 2025 Year in Review first airing Thursday Dec. 11 at 9:15 p.m. with a one-hour extended version airing Dec. 17 at 10 p.m., Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular Wednesday Dec. 17 from 9 to 10 p.m. and more.

• Christmas in Nashville – NBC

  Music City’s televised Christmas celebration will take place Dec. 3 from 10-11 p.m.

• A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving – NBC

  On Wednesday, November 26, from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday Night Live will showcase Thanksgiving-themed sketches.

• 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – NBC

  

  The 99^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will air on NBC Nov. 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. with an encore at 2 p.m. and a simulcast on Peacock.

  For those mourning the end of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked film duology, they can tune into this celebration to get another glimpse of the magic with Cynthia Erivo opening the parade.

• National Dog Show – NBC

  Hosted by John O’Hurley and David Frei, the National Dog Show will air from 12-2 p.m. with a simulcast on Peacock.

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