Christmas Countdown and Quick Thought – Thursday, December 24, 2020 (Christmas Eve)

1 Day Until Christmas!

Song: “Silent Night,” by Mahalia Jackson
Christmas Album: “New Young Messiah,” by Various Artists
Christmas DVD: “The Nativity Story”
Netflix Movie: “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
Amazon Prime Movie: “The Christmas Lodge”
Disney+ Movie: “The Santa Clause”
Hulu Movie: “Naughty and Nice”
Hallmark Movie: “Mr. St. Nick”
On TV:
• “Fred Claus,” 11:30 a.m., AMC
• “Elf,” 11:40 a.m., 1:20 p.m., 4:40 p.m., 6:20 p.m., 9:40 p.m. and 11:20 p.m., Encore
• “It Happened on Fifth Avenue,” 11:45 a.m., TCM
• “Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation,” noon, DisneyXD
• “Saving Santa,” noon, FX
• “Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy,” noon, Hallmark
• “A Christmas Exchange,” noon, Lifetime
• “Home Alone,” 12:30 p.m., Freeform
• “The Andy Griffith Show: The Christmas Story,” 12:30 p.m., Sundance
• “Christmas Crush,” 1 p.m., ION
• “Elf: Buddy’s Christmas Musical,” 1 p.m., Cartoon Network
• “Scrooged,” 2 p.m., AMC
• “The Star,” 2 p.m., FX
• “Miss Christmas,” 2 p.m., Hallmark
• “People Presents: Once Upon a Main Street,” 2 p.m., Lifetime
• “White Christmas,” 2 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 10:15 p.m., Sundance
• “In the Good Old Summertime,” 2 p.m., TCM
• “A Christmas Carol,” (1951) 2:30 p.m., FXM
• “Beaus of Holly,” 3 p.m., ION
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 3 p.m., Freeform
• “Disney Holiday Magic Quest,” 3:05 p.m., Disney
• College Football: New Mexico Bowl, BYU at Hawai’i, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
• “The Polar Express,” 4 p.m., AMC
• “Once Upon a Christmas Miracle,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “A Date By Christmas Eve,” 4 p.m., Lifetime
• “Cooking Up Christmas,” 4 p.m., OWN
• “Meet Me in St. Louis,” 4 p.m., TCM
• “FX’s A Christmas Carol,” 4:20 p.m., FX
• “A Royal Christmas Engagement,” 5 p.m., ION
• “The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story,” 5 p.m., Cartoon Network
• “Elf Pets: Santa’s St. Bernard’s Save Christmas,” 5:30 p.m., Cartoon Network
• “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 5:35 p.m., Freeform
• “Elf,” 6 p.m., AMC
• “Last Holiday,” 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., Bravo
• “Elf: Buddy’s Christmas Musical,” 6 p.m., Cartoon Network
• “A Christmas Carousel,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “Merry Liddle Christmas,” 6 p.m., Lifetime
• “An En Vogue Christmas,” 6 p.m., OWN
• “Christmas in Connecticut,” 6 p.m., TCM
• “A Christmas Princess,” 7 p.m., ION
• “The Greatest Showman,” 8 p.m., ABC
• “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 8 p.m., NBC
• “iHeart Radio Jingle Ball 2020,” 8 p.m., CW
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” 8 p.m., AMC
• “The Grinch,” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., FX
• “On the 12th Date of Christmas,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding,” 8 p.m., Lifetime
• “Last Christmas,” 8 p.m., HBO
• “A Christmas Story,” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., TBS
• “The Bishop’s Wife,” 8 p.m., TCM
• “Frosty the Snowman,” 8:15 p.m., Freeform
• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 8:50 p.m., Freeform
• “A Christmas Carol,” (1951) 8:50 p.m., FXM
• “Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir,” 9 p.m., PBS
• “A Prince for Christmas,” 9 p.m., ION
• “The Snowy Day,” 9 p.m., Disney XD
• “This Christmas,” 9 p.m., OWN
• “A Christmas Story,” 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., TNT
• “Chateau Christmas,” 9:30 p.m., Hallmark
• “FX’s A Christmas Carol,” 9:40 p.m., FX
• “Disney Prep & Landing” 10 p.m., ABC
• “Twas the Night,” 10 p.m., Disney
• “The Shop Around the Corner,” 10 p.m., TCM
• “Let’s Meet Again Before Christmas,” 10:03 p.m., Lifetime
• “Four Christmases,” 10:15 p.m., AMC
• “Disney Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” 10:30 p.m., ABC
• “A Royal Christmas Ball,” 11 p.m., ION
• “Christmas With the Darlings,” 11 p.m., Hallmark
Recipe: Cider-Brined Turkey with Maple-Cider Glaze

Quick Thought for Christmas

Read

Matthew 2:1-12

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
Matthew 2:10

Reflect

I grew up in the church, the son of an Episcopal priest and a worship musician. When the doors were open, I was in church. And yet, when I was 17 years old, I still had not made a personal decision to follow Christ.

The summer before my senior year, my Mom took me to a Christian youth conference where a speaker named Billy Mayo was preaching. That night, everything seemed to click for me. It all made sense. And I had a choice to make – to dismiss what God was putting on my heart or to believe and follow Him.

That night, June 17, 1984, I made my choice – to place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And ever since then, so much changed. The music was the same. The scriptures were the same. The preaching was the same. But it all meant so much more. For the first time in my life, I truly worshiped God, “in spirit and in truth,” as they say.

For me, I first saw the Christmas star in June 1984, and my heart was filled with joy like I’d never know. We’re told that the shepherds and wise men also saw that star when it was in the sky over Bethlehem, and when they saw it – knowing what it truly meant – they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

If you’re a follower of Christ, you know what that joy is like. But if you aren’t, you’ll never understand how truly wonderful Christmas can be. A Christmas spent following Christ is the most rewarding experience you can possibly have. And for believers, that goes on not just for one day, but every day throughout the year, every year.

This Christmas, give yourself the best Christmas present possible. Seek the star of Christ and let His joy live on in your heart.