If you can't find a holiday TV special you like, you must be related to Ebenezer Scrooge. Once again this year, there are Christmas specials and movies of all shapes, sizes and descriptions.
And, actually, if you are related to Scrooge, there should be plenty of programming you'll enjoy - everything from "A Christmas Carol" to "An American Christmas Carol" to "Flintstones Christmas Carol" to "A Jetsons Christmas Carol" to "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" to "Ebbie" to "Scrooge" to "Scrooged."There's even a new version, with Cicely Tyson playing "Ms. Scrooge" in a new TV movie set to air on USA.
"As a child I never could understand how anybody could be as mean as Ebenezer Scrooge - never, ever dreaming that someday I'd be playing the character myself," said Tyson with a laugh. "I think that I was very attracted to the idea simply because it was a woman instead (of a man). And I agreed to do it only if I could have fun doing it.
"And I thought that this was an eternally appealing piece of material."
Which would seem to be the case, given the number of times it has been updated and adapted. (Is there a sitcom that hasn't done a take-off on "A Christmas Carol?")
Michael Beach ("ER"), who co-stars in "Ms. Scrooge," said he decided to do the movie for four reasons - his four children.
"I wanted to be able to sit down with my children come Christmastime and watch something that I'm involved in that is about the human spirit and the importance of how we should treat each other," he said.
Which is the nice part about TV Christmas shows - it gives families a chance to sit down and watch something together. And, in many cases, it gives parents a chance to share some of their childhood memories with their youngsters.
There's something comforting about the old favorites, and many of them will reappear. "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" will be making its 34th consecutive appearance on network television, which adds up to several generations of children hiding their eyes when that mean ol' abominable snowman starts growling.
Other favorites making return appearances include "Frosty the Snowman," "A Charlie Brown Christmas" "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Little Drummer Boy."
Once again this year, "It's a Wonderful Life" will make but one appearance, as NBC holds exclusive rights to the classic film.
And there are newer "classics," like last year's TV movie musical "Mrs. Santa Claus" (with Angela Lansbury in the title role) and the TV adaptation of "The Christmas Box."
In addition to Tyson, the stars lining up for new made-for-TV holiday movies include Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") and Hector Elizondo ("Chicago Hope") in "Borrowed Hearts; Gerald McRaney ("Promised Land") and Richard Thomas in "A Thousand Men and a Baby"; Patty Duke in "Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory"; Mimi Rogers in "The Christmas List"; and Mary Stuart Masterson in "On the Second Day of Christmas.'
There's even a local tie-in to one special. "Holiday Festival on Ice," which features big-name figure skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi, Kurt Browning and Peggy Fleming and will air on TBS, was taped at West Valley City's E Center.
Elsewhere on the ice, Ekaterina Goordeeva (and her young daughter), Scott Hamilton and Kurt Browning star in "Snowden on Ice," a musical spectacular that features performances by Amy Grant, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Lou Rawls and Kenny Rogers.
There are new music/variety specials headlined by Eddy Arnold, Judy Collins, Kathie Lee Gifford and Anne Murray as well as old favorites featuring Perry Como, Ed Sullivan and Lawrence Welk.
There are a few scheduling stunts. Like over at TNT, where they are planning 24 straight hours of the 1983 film "A Christmas Story" on Dec. 24 and 25. (It's a great movie, but airing it a dozen times in a row is . . . unique.)
And the holiday fare runs the gamut from the very traditional "Handel's Messiah" on KBYU-Ch. 11, to the very untraditional VH1's "Ho! Ho! Ho! A RuPaul Christmas" - which features the female impersonator in still another updating of "A Christmas Carol." This one is titled "Viva Scrooge."
Are you listening, Ebenezer?