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Guide to December 2012 TV premieres, movies and holiday specials

December is all about the holiday specials on TV, but you’ll find other interesting viewing as well.

On Dec. 7 Sundance debuts “Restless,” a gripping two-night miniseries about a former WW II spy. Nat Geo Wild kicks off its annual Big Cat Week Dec. 9 with “Snow Leopard of Afghanistan,” which follows big cat tracker Boone Smith attempts to track and tag the elusive snow leopard. And WGN-TV presents an early episode of “Bozo’s Circus” that was long thought lost through the month.

If reality TV is your thing, A&E premieres its new reality competition series, “Be the Boss,” on Dec. 2, while a new season of “Hotel Impossible” begins Dec. 3 on the Travel Channel. You can even find holiday reality specials, like “My Crazy Obsession: Christmas Collection” airing Dec. 1 on TLC.

But back to the holiday fare. ABC Family, Hallmark Channel and Lifetime combined are showing more old and new holiday specials and movies than Santa Claus has whiskers. Other networks get into the spirit as well, so check your local listings. I tried to stick to new movies, specials and concerts, or the classics. Or the ones I remember loving. But I might have missed something. Let me know. And happy holidays.

Saturday, Dec. 1
8 a.m. | “Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa,” WGN (special; Gummibar and his misfit friends search for missin Santa.)
7 | “A Bride for Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; serial runaway bride is wooed by man who makes a bet he’ll get married by Christmas)
7 | “It’s a Wonderful Life,” NBC (1956 holiday classic)
7 | “Elf,” ABC Family (2003 movie)
8 | “My Crazy Obsession: Christmas Collection,” TLC (special; extreme collectors of holiday crap)
8 | “All I Want for Christmas,” Hallmark Channel (1991 movie)
8 | “Love at the Christmas Table,” Lifetime (movie; Sam and Kat have been friends since sitting at the Christmas table as children; now they’re in love)

Sunday, Dec. 2
6 | “A Star for Christmas,” ION (movie; Cassie’s Christmas Cupcakery is a huge success, but her love life is a mess.)
7 | “The Christmas Heart,” Hallmark (movie; boy needs heart transplant at Christmas)
7 | “Finding Mrs. Claus,” Lifetime (movie; Mrs. Claus answers a Christmas letter in person)
7 | “All Star Holiday Special: A Taste of Home,” Cooking Channel (special)
7 | “Little Women,” TCM (1949 movie)
8 | “A Christmas Wedding Date,” ION (movie; Rebecca visits parents, sees former beau.)
8 | “Evacuate Earth,” Nat Geo (special; how humankind could cope if we had to start over again)
8 | “Andre Rieu: Home for the Holidays,” WGN (special; World famous violinist-conductor and the Johann Strauss Orchestra perform holiday classics.)
8:30 | “Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABC Family (2000 movie)
9 | “Be the Boss,” A&E (series premiere; employees of franchise-based companies compete)
9:15 | “All Mine to Give,” TCM (1957 movie)

Monday, Dec. 3
7 | “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation,” ABC Family (1989 movie)
8 | “The Cast of In Living Color: Where Are They Now?” TV Guide Channel (special)
8 | “The Mayan Apocalypse 2012,” Nat Geo (special; how the Mayan prophecy has spawned survival communities)
9 | “Mayan Underworld: The Real Doomsday,” Nat Geo (special; searching underwater Maya tombs)
9 | “Blake Shelton’s Not-So-Family Christmas,” NBC (special)
9 | “Hotel Impossible,” Travel (season 2 premiere)

Tuesday, Dec. 4
5:30 | “Jack Frost,” ABC Family (1979 animated special)
6:30 | “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” ABC Family (1976 animated special)
7 | “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” CBS (1964 animated classic)
7 | “Period of Adjustment,” TCM (1962 movie)
7 | “The Dog Who Saved Christmas,” Hallmark (2009 movie; “Home Alone,” but with a dog named Zeus)
8 | “Storage Wars,” A&E (new episodes)
9 | “Sons of Anarchy,” FX (season finale)
9 | “NFL Road Tested: The Cleveland Browns,” Travel (series premiere; traveling with the team)
9 | “In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman,” OWN (series premiere)
10 | “Still Standing: The Earl Campbell Story,” NBC Sports Network (doc; life of football Hall of Famer)

Wednesday, Dec. 5
6 | “Home Alone,” ABC Family (1990 movie)
7 | “Naughty or Nice,” Hallmark Channel (movie; With Santa’s magical “Naughty or Nice” book, Krissy Kringle sets out to expose naughty people.)
8 | “Grammy Nominations Concert Live Countdown to Music’s Night,” CBS (special)
8 | “Final Cut,” Investigation Discovery (6-part series premiere; shocking Hollywood crime stories)
8 | “The Polar Express,” ABC Family (2004 movie)
9 | “I’m Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas,” A&E (special; holiday with folks from “Duck Dynasty”)
9 | “Neat Freaks,” TLC (special; 4 folks obsessed with cleaning)

Thursday, Dec. 6
5:30 | “Selling New York,” HGTV (season premiere)
7 | “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” ABC Family (2009 movie)
8 | “In Vogue: Editor’s Eye,” HBO (doc; Vogue’s 120th anniversary)
9 | “Mary Mary,” WEtv (season 2 premiere)
11:15 p.m. | “NTSF: SD: SUV:: Christmas Activity,” Adult Swim (special; The team is attacked by the evil Alaskan Santa Claus.)

Friday, Dec. 7
7 | “Celebrity Holiday Homes,” HGTV (designers decorate celeb homes for holidays; concludes 8 p.m. Dec. 15)
8 | “VGA Ten,” Spike TV (special; Video Game Awards hosted by Samuel L. Jackson)
9 | “Hunted,” Cinemax (season 1 finale)
8 | “Restless,” Sundance (2-night miniseries premiere; daughter discovers mother was WWII spy; concludes 8 p.m. Dec. 14)
9 | “Pearl Harbor Declassified,” Military Channel (documentary)
9 | “Funny Or Die’s Billy on the Street,” Fuse (season premiere)

Saturday, Dec. 8
11 a.m. | “Flipping Vegas,” A&E (season 2 premiere)
6 p.m. | “White House Christmas Through The Years,” HGTV (special)
7 | “Come Dance with Me,” Hallmark (movie; man dates boss’s daughter but falls for dance instructor)
7 | “Holly’s Holiday,” Lifetime (movie; a mannequin comes to life at Christmas)
7 | “The Borrowers,” ABC (1997 movie)
8 | “25 Years of A Very Special Christmas: Bringing Joy to the World,” GMC (special)
8 | “12 Disasters of Christmas,” Syfy (movie; Mayan 2012 disaster prophecy comes true)
8 | “The Flight Before Christmas,” CBS (2008 animated special)
9 | “It’s Christmas Carol!” Hallmark Channel (movie; heartless exec Carol is visited by ghosts on Christmas eve)
9 | “Gary Gulman: In This Economy,” Comedy Central (special; standup)

Sunday, Dec. 9
1 | “The Santa Clause 2,” WGN (2002 holiday movie)
5 | “Bozo, Gar & Ray: WGN TV Classics,” WGN (2005 special about 3 beloved series: “Bozo’s Circus,” “Garfield Goose and Friends” and “Ray Rayner and His Friends.”)
6 | “Anything But Christmas,” ION (movie; Chaos with exes, misunderstandings, parents and in-laws all imperil John and Grace’s relationship.)
7 | “Bozo’s Circus: The Lost Tape,” WGN (special; rare 1971 footage from the WGN classic)
7 | “Snow Leopard of Afghanistan,” Nat Geo Wild (Big Cat Week premiere; big cat tracker Boone Smith tracks a snow leopard)
7 | “Dragon Wars: Fire and Fury,” Nat Geo (special; legends of dragons)
7 | “Help for the Holidays,” Hallmark (movie; Santa sends elf Christine on special mission.)
7 | “The Mistle-Tones,” ABC Family (movie; after losing out on spot in Christmas vocal group, Holly creates her own)
7 | “We’re No Angels,” TCM (1955 movie)
7 | “Disney Prep & Landing,” ABC (animated special; adventures of Christmas elves Lanny and Wayne; reairs 7 p.m. Dec. 24)
7:30 | “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice,” ABC (animated special; more Lanny and Wayne; reairs 7 p.m. Dec. 22)
8 | “Christmas with Holly,” ABC (movie; newcomer helps single dad with traumatized daughter)
8 | “Christmas Twister,” ION (movie; Texas tornadoes level Ethan Walker’s home on Christmas Eve, leading him back to family.)
8 | “All About Christmas Eve,” Lifetime (movie; Party planner must choose between romantic Christmas vacation or work planning big client’s Christmas Eve party.)
8 | “Ax Men,” History (season 6 premiere)
9 | “Sin City Rules,” TLC (series premiere; sort of a Real Housewives of Las Vegas)
9 | “Matchmaker Santa,” Hallmark Channel (movie; Melanie finds prince charming, but it might not be her boyfriend.)
9 | “Bamazon,” History (series premiere; 8 Alabama construction workers search for gold in South America.)
9 | “Lady in the Lake,” TCM (1947 movie)
11 p.m. | “Robot Chicken’s ATM Christmas Special,” Adult Swim (special; Santa nearly misses Christmas; Kano from Mortal Kombat shares holidays with Mrs. Cage; Justin Bieber’s new song is bound to be a Christmas hit; G.I. Joe’s very special Christmas.)

Monday, Dec. 10
5 | “The Hollywood Christmas Parade,” Hallmark (special)
7 | “American Country Awards,” Fox (special)
7 | “Michael Buble: Home for the Holidays,” NBC (special)
7 | “25 Most Heartwarming Holiday TV Moments,” TV Guide Channel (special)
7 | “The March Sisters at Christmas,” Lifetime (movie; to save family home, sisters tackle home improvement on their own)
8 | “Syfy 20th Anniversary Special,” Syfy (special; celebrating two decades of the network)
8 | “Mel Brooks Strikes back!” HBO (special; entertainer reviews his career)
9 | “Attack of Big Cats,” Nat Geo Wild (special; a look at the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar)

Tuesday, Dec. 11
7 | “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” ABC (classic animated special)
8 | “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa,” CW (special)
9 | “Tiger Dynasty,” Nat Geo Wild (special; the tigers in India’s Ranthambhore National Park)
9:30 | “Amish Mafia,” Discovery (sneak peek; men who protect and maintain peace and order within the Amish community in Lancaster County, PA.)

Wednesday, Dec. 12
6:30 | “12-12-12,” IFC (special; concert to aid Hurricane Sandy victims)
8 | “Toy Hunter,” Travel (season finale; holiday special)
8 | “Amish Mafia,” Discovery (series premiere)
8 | “Storage Wars: Texas,” A&E (new episodes)
8:30 | “Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012,” ABC (special)
9 | “Shipping Wars,” A&E (season 3 premiere)
9 | “Jersey on Ice,” TLC (series premiere; figure skating coaches get mean)
9 | “Born Predator,” Nat Geo Wild (special; a prideless lioness and her cub fight to survive)

Thursday, Dec. 13
7 | “Christmas in the White House,” NBC (special)
9 | “Secrets of the Royal Nursery,” Lifetime (special; behind-the-scenes as the royal family is expecting)
9 | “Fatal Instinct,” Nat Geo Wild (special; cheetah mom trains her cubs)
9 | “Nightmare Christmas,” Investigation Discovery (special; holiday crimes and capers)
9 | “Impractical Jokers,” TruTV (series premiere; hidden camera hijinks)
9 | “The Town Christmas Forgot,” Hallmark Channel (2010 movie)

Friday, Dec. 14
Check local listings | “Clifford’s Really Big Movie,” PBS KIDS (animated movie)
7 | “Prancer Returns,” CW (movie; boy thinks deer is Prancer)
8 | “Joy Behar’s Comics With Benefits,” Current TV (special; Hurricane Sandy relief benefit)
8 | “Ghost Adventures,” Travel (It’s a “special episode,” although I’m not sure why.)
8 | “Yes, Virginia,” CBS (2009 animated special)
8:30 | “The Elf on the Shelf,” CBS (2011 animated special)
9:30 | “Winter in Portlandia,” IFC (holiday special episode)

Saturday, Dec. 15
7 | “Baby’s First Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; rivals need miracle to save Chirstmas for families)
8 | “Spike Saves Christmas,” WGN (special’ Elf Spike volunteers for a very important.)
9 | “Six Little McGhees,” OWN (series premiere; inspirational lives of Mia and Rozonno McGhee; regular time period at 8 p.m. beginning Dec. 22)

Sunday, Dec. 16
7 | “Wipeout: Deck the Balls,” ABC (special)
7 | “A Carol for Another Christmas,” TCM (1964 movie)
8 | “The Merry In-Laws,” Lifetime (movie; Alex has no idea her future in-laws are Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus)
8| “Royal Pains Off-Season Greetings,” USA (special; Evan and Paige get married.)
8:30 | “A Christmas Carol,” TCM (1951 movie)

Monday, Dec. 17
7 | “Antiques Roadshow: Greatest Gifts,” PBS (season 16 finale)
7 | “Dreamworks Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury,” Fox (animated special)
7 | “Destination Tokyo,” TCM (1943 movie once titled “Christmas in Uniform”)
7:30 | “Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas,” Fox (2011 animated special)
8 | “Picture Paris,” HBO (short film starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a suburban mom whose youngest child is about to go off to college.)
8 | “Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown,” Fox (2011 animated special)
8 | “Count It Down: Oh Yeah, That Happened 2012,” TV Guide Channel (special)
9 | “Meet Me in St. Louis,” TCM (1944 movie)

Tuesday, Dec. 18
7 | “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABC (1966 animated holiday classic)
7 | “A Christmas Song,” Hallmark Channel (movie; music teachers compete in televised Christmas Carol competition)
7 | “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas,” CW (movie; the old chestnut)
7 | “Zombie Apocalypse,” Discovery Channel (special; people believe zombies will come)
7:30 | “Shrek the Halls,” ABC (animated special; reairs 7:30 p.m. Dec. 24)
8 | “Ramsay’s Christmas Cookalong,” BBC America (special)
8:30 | “Hardcore Pawn: Chicago,” TruTV (series premiere; Royal Pawn Shop owners and brothers Randy and Wayne Cohen deal at their S. Clark St. store.)
8:30 | “The Iranian Americans,” PBS (doc)

Wednesday, Dec. 19
7 | “Noel,” CW (movie; 5 New Yorkers seek miracle on Christmas Eve)
8 | “Full Throttle Saloon,” TruTV (season premiere)
8 | “Toddlers & Tiaras,” TLC (season 5 premiere)
9 | “Cheer Perfection,” TLC (series premiere; competitive cheerleading)

Thursday, Dec. 20
7 | “A Charlie Brown Christmas” & “Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa,” ABC (animated specials)
7 | “Hook, Line, & Dinner,” Cooking Channel (season premiere)
7 | “A Home for the Holidays with Rascal Flatts,” CBS (special)
7 | “Holiday Affair TCM (1949 movie)
7:30 | “La Buche,” TV5Monde (movie; sisters facing moments of truth at Christmas time)
8 | “CMA Country Christmas,” ABC (special; reairs 8 p.m. Dec. 22)
8 | “Project Nim,” HBO (doc; one chimp’s journey)
8:30 | “The Lemon Drop Kid,” TCM (1951 movie)
9 | “Beyond Scared Straight,” A&E (eight new episodes)

Friday, Dec. 21
5 | “Bowling for Columbine,” Current TV (doc, followed by encore airing)
7 | “Christmas in Washington,” TBS (special; Conan O’Brien hosts performers Diana Ross, Megan Hilty, Demi Lovato, Chris Mann, Scotty McCreery and PSY)
7 | “Country Stars at Home,” HGTV (special; “Cribs” with country singers)
7 | “Holiday Spin,” Lifetime (movie; former dance champion preps for ballroom dance contest on Christmas Eve)
7 | “The Happy Elf,” CW (special; Eubie the Elf is tested)
7 | “I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown,” ABC (2003 animated special)
8 | “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” CW (special)
9 | “The Brit List: The Doctor Who Ultimate List of Lists,” BBC America (special)
11 | “Eugene Mirman: An Evening of Comedy in a Fake Underground Laboratory,” Comedy Central (special; standup)

Saturday, Dec. 22
8 a.m. | “Spike’s Reindeer Rescue,” WGN (special; Santa’s reindeer have been kidnapped; Spike looks for them.)
1:30 p.m. | “The Andy Griffith Show: The Christmas Story,” WGN (1960 holiday special)
7 | “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol,” NBC (special; musical adaptation)
7:30 | “A Chipmunk Christmas,” ABC (animated special)
8 | “WWE Tribute to the Troops,” NBC (special)
10:30 | “StandUp in Stilettos,” TV Guide Channel (season finale)

Sunday, Dec. 23
6 | “The Sound of Music,” ABC (movie; the classic is back)
7 | “The Bishop’s Wife,” TCM (1947 movie)
8 | “Next Iron Chef: Redemption,” Food Network (season finale)
9 | “It Happened on 5th Avenue,” TCM (1947 movie)

Monday, Dec. 24
7 | “Christmas is Here Again,” CW (special)
7 | “The Shop Around the Corner,” TCM (1940 movie)
8:30 | “Second Star to the Left,” CW (special)

Tuesday, Dec. 25
Midnight | “Christmas Midnight Mass,” WGN (live special; Catholic Christmas mass from Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.)
2 a.m. | “The Yule Log,” WGN (burning Yule Log hearth with holiday music.)
7 a.m. | “The Story of the First Noel,” WGN (2004 reenactment of the Holy Family’s journey before the birth of Christ.)
7 p.m. | “Love Finds Andy Hardy,” TCM (1938 movie; kicks off Christmas with the Hardys marathon through Dec. 26)
7:30 | “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” ABC (Jim Carrey movie)
8 | “Doctor Who: The Snowmen,” BBC America (annual Christmas special)

Wednesday, Dec. 26
8 | “The 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS (special)

Thursday, Dec. 27
7 | “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown,” ABC (1986 animated special)
7:30 | “She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown,” ABC (1980 animated special)
9:10 | “French Roast,” TV5Monde (animated comedy set in 1960s Parisian Café)

Saturday, Dec. 28
9 | “Teen Trouble,” Lifetime (series premiere; teen behavior specialist Josh Shipp tries to help)
Saturday, Dec. 29
7 | “She Made Them Do It,” Lifetime (movie; fact-based story of convicted murderer/prison escapee Sarah Pender)
11 | “Rove LA,” TV Guide Channel (season finale)

Sunday, Dec. 30
6:30 | “Call the Midwife Holiday Special,” PBS (special; check local listings)
9 | “United States of Bacon,” Destination America (series premiere; Chef Todd Fisher road trips to bacon)

Monday, Dec. 31
7 | “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Celebrates Dick Clark,” ABC (special; two-hour tribute to Clark)
7 | “After the Thin Man,” TCM (1936 movie)
9 | “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” ABC (special)
10 | “New Year’s Eve Live ’12,” Fox (special)
10:30 | “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” ABC (special)

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