Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown

For those of us who love the old Christmas TV classics, here’s a partial list of what’s coming when. You’ll still need to scan your local channels for the actual channel numbers. These are the sittin’ around the fire (real or virtual), eggnog (or hot chocolate or hot cider), snow on the outside, warm (hopefully) on the inside shows and movies I grew up with. Hope you find ‘em and enjoy ‘em.

One cautionary note. Times may change depending on which time zone you’re in. 8 o’clock here might be 7 elsewhere, so check your times carefully.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) (8 PM, CBS, Tuesday, December 4^th, ) – one of my favorites of the Rankin/Bass productions. Gotta love Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable Snow Monster (Bumble).

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962) – if you’ve never seen this one, it’s a must-watch. For years they never aired it, and even if you’ve never seen the old Mr. Magoo cartoon, this is a sentimental favorite. And, they did their homework pretty well. Abe Levitow directed a batch of cartoons from 1959 to 1996, including this one. Some great voices went into Magoo, including Jim Backus, Morey Amsterdam, and Jack Cassidy.

Looks like we have to wait 'til December 20th for A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) on ABC, theoretically at 8 PM. This is my all-time favorite. I even have my very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree at work.

Gotta move fast on this one. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) is on tomorrow night, November 27th, at 8 PM on ABC. Featuring Boris Karloff as both the Grinch and the narrator, and the wonderful June Foray as the voice of Cindy Lou Who. Ms. Foray is an icon among icons, giving life through her voice to a minimum of 277 cartoon characters, including Rocky J. Squirrel and Natasha of The Bullwinkle Show. And, she's still working.

Supposedly, if I can trust one of my Internet sources, The Grinch will reappear on Monday, December 17th, at 7 PM, if you miss tomorrow night's showing.

For all the Winnie the Pooh fans out there, of which I am one, Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too (1991) airs on Tuesday, December 4, at 6 PM on ABC Family. Another great voice actor, Jim Cummings, breathes life into the lovable bear.

That's about all the time I have for now. I'll list more classic Christmas classics soon.

'til next time... Adios.