Christmas TV Schedule, Countdown and Quick Thought – Saturday, December 20, 2025

5 Days Until Christmas!

Song: “The First Noel,” by Bryan Duncan
Christmas Album: “The Christmas Song,” by Nat King Cole
Christmas DVD: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966, animated)
Netflix Movie: “Jingle Jangle”
Amazon Prime Movie: “Dear Santa”
Disney+ Movie: “A Christmas Carol (2009)”
Hulu Movie: “A Christmas Carol (1984)”
HBO Max Movie: “The Polar Express”
Hallmark Movie: “One Royal Holiday”

On TV:
New programming in bold
• “Arthur Christmas,” 8 a.m., Freeform
• “Meet Me Under the Mistletoe,” 8 a.m., GAC
• “Christmas At Castle Heart,” 8 a.m., Hallmark
• “Two Turtle Doves,” 8 a.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas,” 8:25 a.m., Disney Jr.
• “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” 8:30 a.m., AMC
• “Fred Claus,” 9:45 a.m., AMC
• “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” 10 a.m., Freeform
• “Christmas On Windmill Way,” 10 a.m., GAC
• “Merry Christmas Ted Cooper,” 10 a.m., Hallmark
• “A Fabled Holiday,” 10 a.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “A Christmas Story,” 10:30 a.m., TNT
• “Sound of Christmas,” 11 a.m., Hallmark Drama
• “Snowed Inn Christmas,” 11 a.m., Lifetime
• “Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas,” noon, Disney Jr.
• “A Merry Christmas Wish,” noon, GAC
• “We Met in December,” noon, Hallmark
• “Naughty or Nice,” noon, Hallmark Mystery
• “Prancer,” noon, TCM
• “The Santa Clause,” 12:05 p.m., Freeform
• College Football Playoff: Miami, Fla. at Texas A&M, 12:10 p.m., ABC/ ESPN
• “Trading Places,” 12:15 p.m., AMC
• “Toying With the Holidays,” 12:30 p.m., Lifetime
• “Mickey Saves Christmas,” 12:45 p.m., Disney Jr.
• “Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing,” 1 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “Jingle Bell Princess,” 2 p.m., GAC
• “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” 2 p.m., Hallmark
• “My Family Christmas Tree,” 2 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “The Christmas Contract,” 2 p.m., Lifetime
• “The Santa Clause 2,” 2:10 p.m., Freeform
• “A Christmas Carol (1984),” 3 p.m., FXM
• “A Holiday Spectacular,” 3 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• College Football Playoff: Tulane at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m., TBS/ TNT/ TruTV
• “Scrooged,” 3:45 p.m., AMC
• “Timeless Tidings of Joy,” 4 p.m., GAC
• “Christmas at the Catnip Café,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “This Time Each Year,” 4 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Poinsettias For Christmas,” 4 p.m., Lifetime
• “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” 4:40 p.m., Freeform
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” 4:45 p.m., AMC
• “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” 4:45 p.m., BBCA
• NFL Football: Philadelphia at Washington, 5 p.m., FOX
• “A World Record Christmas,” 5 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” 5:45 p.m., BBCA
• “Have We Met This Christmas,” 6 p.m., GAC
• “Christmas Above the Clouds,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “Romance At Reindeer Lodge,” 6 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Too Close For Christmas,” 6 p.m., Lifetime
• “Disney’s Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol,” 6:30 p.m., Disney
• “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” 6:45 p.m., Freeform
• “Elf,” 7 p.m., AMC
• “The Polar Express,” 7 p.m., BBCA
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 7 p.m., Disney
• College Football Playoff: James Madison at Oregon, 7 p.m., TBS/ TNT/ TruTV
• “The Preacher’s Wife,” 7:50 p.m., FXM
• “Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas,” 8 p.m., ABC
• “28th Annual Family Film and TV Awards,” 8 p.m., CBS
• NFL Football: Green Bay at Chicago, 8 p.m., FOX
• “Hope of the Season: Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir,” 8 p.m., Lifetime
• “Another Sweet Christmas,” 8 p.m., GAC
• “A Make Or Break Holiday,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “Private Princess Christmas,” 8 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “A Pickleball Christmas,” 8 p.m., Lifetime
• “Remember the Night,” 8 p.m., TCM
• “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000),” 8:45 p.m., Freeform
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” 9 p.m., AMC
• “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” 9 p.m., BBCA
• “A Christmas Prayer,” 10 p.m., GAC
• “Finding Mr. Christmas,” 10:01 p.m., Hallmark
• “A Timeless Christmas,” 10 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “We’re No Angels,” 10 p.m., TCM
• “Dancing Through the Snow,” 10:03 p.m., Lifetime
• “The Polar Express,” 10:15 p.m., BBCA
Recipe: Classic Holiday Baked Ham

Quick Thought for Christmas

Read

Luke 2:1-11

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:6-7

Reflect

Every year, one of the most beloved images of Christmas is the manger scene. Tender shepherds admiring from afar. Wise men kneeling to present their gifts. Watchful Joseph keeping an eye on his family. Adoring Mary loving and caring for her new child. And sweet baby Jesus, lying in a manger of fresh hay, while peaceful animals lie nearby.

It’s really quite serene and wonderful. And completely inaccurate.

The truth is that this scene isn’t nearly as romantic as we’ve made it out to be. Yes, I have a manger scene, too, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. But we really should be mindful of the way things really were that first Christmas.

Remember that Bethlehem was a destination for probably thousands of people coming to register for the Roman census. Except that Bethlehem isn’t all that large. It’s no wonder there were no rooms at any of the inns, because there likely weren’t even very many inns. Enterprising innkeepers were probably charging for steps on their staircases. And one such innkeeper remembered he had a stable out back where the Joseph family could stay.

Also remember that a record number of people would have brought with them a record number of animals, a large number of whom would have been lodged in that same stable. And animals are known for two prime functions: eating, and going to the bathroom, but not in a bathroom. This stable would have been overrun by animal waste, which is almost certainly why they chose a manger for baby Jesus’ first bed – it might have been the only clean spot in the place.

So instead of a warm room in a house or a hotel, with a comfortable bed cozy blankets, Jesus got to sleep his first night in a crowded, smelly, waste-ridden stable, surrounded by noisy animals, while sleeping on itchy, scratchy hay. At least they had some extra clothes to wrap him in and keep him warm.

Tonight, as you sleep comfortably in your bed, wrapped in your warm covers, remember what our Lord and Savior had to endure on His first night in the world. He left a throne room of glory to come to the lowest place in the world, simply because He loved you and me, and He wanted to make a way to save us and set us free from sin. And the next time you look at a manger scene, recall the way it really would have been, and say a prayer of thanksgiving for all the Lord gave up for each of us.