19 Days Until Christmas!
Song: “The Little Drummer Boy,” by Pentatonix
Christmas Album: “Peace on Earth,” by Casting Crowns
Christmas DVD: “The Shop Around the Corner”
Netflix Movie: “The Holiday Calendar”
Amazon Prime Movie: “The Christmas Cabin”
Disney+ Movie: “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”
Hulu Movie: “A Christmas Frequency”
HBO Max Movie: “A Christmas Dream”
Hallmark Movie: “The Christmas Train”
On TV:
New Programming in Bold
• “A Very Vermont Christmas,” 8 a.m., GAC
• “Christmas Getaway,” 8 a.m., Hallmark
• “A Gift to Remember,” 8 a.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus,” 8:30 a.m., AMC
• “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You,” 8:35 a.m., Freeform
• “Disney’s Prep & Landing,” 9:35 a.m., Disney Jr.
• “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” 9:45 a.m., AMC
• “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas,” 10 a.m., Disney
• “Pencil Me In For Christmas,” 10 a.m., GAC
• “A Very Merry Mixup,” 10 a.m., Hallmark
• “Heaven Down Here,” 10 a.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July,” 10:15 a.m., AMC
• “Arthur Christmas,” 10:40 a.m., Freeform
• “Christmas Camp,” 11 a.m., Hallmark Drama
• “A Very Vintage Christmas,” 11 a.m., Lifetime
• Big 12 Championship Game, BYU vs. Texas Tech (at Arlington, Texas), noon, ABC
• MAC Championship Game, Miami (Ohio) vs. Western Michigan (at Detroit), noon, ESPN
• “A Christmas Less Traveled,” noon, GAC
• “Royal Christmas,” noon, Hallmark
• “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” noon, Hallmark Mystery
• “Christmas Hotel,” 12:30 p.m., Lifetime
• “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” 12:45 p.m., AMC
• “Miracle on 34th Street (1994),” 12:40 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas Connection,” 1 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “The Preacher’s Wife,” 1:15 p.m., TBS
• SWAC Championship Game, Prairie View A&M at Jackson State, 2 p.m., ESPN2
• “Jack Frost,” 2 p.m., AMC
• “Christmas Keepsake,” 2 p.m., GAC
• “The Sweetest Christmas,” 2 p.m., Hallmark
• “’Northpole: Open For Christmas,” 2 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Christmas Everyday,” 2 p.m., Lifetime
• “Nantucket Noel,” 3 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” 3:15 p.m., AMC
• “Home Alone,” 3:25 p.m., Freeform
• “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” 3:45 p.m., AMC
• “Let It Snow,” 4 p.m., GAC
• “Christmas By Starlight,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “’Coming Home for Christmas,” 4 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “A Christmas Cookbook,” 4 p.m., Lifetime
• SEC Championship Game, Alabama vs. Georgia (at Atlanta), 4:10 p.m., ABC/ ESPN
• “The Polar Express,” 5 p.m., AMC
• “Marry Me at Christmas,” 5 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “The Best Man Holiday,” 5:30 p.m., OWN
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 5:55 p.m., Freeform
• “There’s No Place Like Christmas,” 6 p.m., GAC
• “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “A Timeless Christmas,” 6 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Jingle All the Way to Love,” 6 p.m., Lifetime
• “The Wizard of Oz,” 7 p.m., AMC
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” 7 p.m., BBC
• “An Almost Christmas Story,” 7 p.m., Disney
• “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” 7:30 p.m., Disney
• “Reindeer in Here,” 8 p.m., CBS
• Big Ten Championship Game, Indiana vs. Ohio State (at Indianapolis), 8 p.m., FOX
• “Christmas at the Inn,” 8 p.m., GAC
• “She’s Making a List,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “Mystery on Mistletoe Lane,” 8 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Deck the Hallways,” 8 p.m., Lifetime
• ACC Championship Game, Duke vs. Virginia (at Charlotte, N.C.), 8:07 p.m., ABC
• “Frosty the Snowman,” 8:35 p.m., Freeform
• “The Christmas Showdown,” 9 p.m., OWN
• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 9:10 p.m., Freeform
• “Elf,” 9:30 p.m., AMC
• “Timeless Tidings of Joy,” 10 p.m., GAC
• “Christmas in Toyland,” 10 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday,” 10:01 p.m., Hallmark
• “Merry Missed Connection,” 10:03 p.m., Lifetime
• “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 10:15 p.m., Freeform
Recipe: Sweet Potato Souffle
Quick Thought for Christmas
Read
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.“
John 1:14
Reflect
How long do you think Jesus has existed? Did His story start in the manger? Did it start when the angel gave Mary the good news nine months before that?
The Bible actually tells us that Jesus has been with God the Father since the very beginning. Follow this train of thought:
• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) So God’s Word has always been there, but what is that Word?
• “He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:2) So this Word isn’t a what, but a who? Who is this Word?
• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) This Word is Jesus! He’s been there with God the entire time!
Knowing that Jesus has been around since “in the beginning,” you have to wonder how long He’s known about the sacrifice He would have to make. Once again, the answer is, “the beginning.” God, being the loving, all-knowing Creator He is, has always known the choices we would make as frail, sinful humans. So He has always known that He would have to make a way for us to spend eternity with Him.
And that choice, that option, has always been Jesus.
Since the beginning of time, Jesus has known that He’d have to give up perfection in Heaven in order to live a few decades in poverty on Earth, followed by a brutal death on the cross. His sacrifice, life and death has always been the plan. For Jesus, Christmas wasn’t a holiday – it was his eternal destiny.
Today, think about the journey Jesus took from the throne room to the manger. Thank Him for being willing to take that journey. And think about what it means to you, and what you can do in response to what He’s done for you.
Reflection copyright © 2025 by Doug DeBolt.
