10 Holiday TV Shows and Events You Can Enjoy All Season Long

You can feel the spirit of the season in any form. Why not curl up on the sofa with a warm mug of cocoa and watch the season’s holiday programmes?

DEFEAT BOBBY FLAY: HOLIDAY CHALLENGE Celebrity Chef Fly reveals his personal meaning of Christmas: food and competition. The second season of Flay’s holiday reality show begins with Thanksgiving treats and continues through six episodes through New Year’s Eve. Will any of these celebrity chefs be able to challenge their master’s supreme culinary skills? Ina Garten, Eric Adjepong, Sunny Anderson, Gabriele Bertaccini, Maneet Chauhan, Adrienne Cheatham and Scott Conant, among many others, will try to make Fly’s soufflé fall. Food Network, November 12

HOT FROZEN Love is love is love. When lonely widow Katie (Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert) sets her eyes on a cute snowman, magic begins. The Iceman (Dustin Milligan from “Schitt’s Creek) comes to life—and his naivety and six-pack abs melt away and heal her broken heart. Complications? Snowmen aren’t meant to be long-term commitments, and Katie will have to learn love lessons on the fly before the thaw hits in this warm rom-com. The name would also make a great cocktail, right? Netflix, November 13

TRANSMICVA It’s time to celebrate with an LGBTQ+ Jewish twist. Gather the whole family and pay attention to pronouns in this quirky, feel-good TV movie about a transgender woman who shocked her Argentine family long ago by rejecting her bar mitzvah. Years later, the now famous Yiddish singer returns to her home in Buenos Aires to discover and harmonize family music. Netflix, November 22

GIFANS: THE WHITE GUY’S GIFT Baby Stewie struggles to cross his name off the naughty list in this Christmas episode of Family Guy. Meanwhile, the stupid Patriarch Peter is also in a difficult situation. He gave his wife Lois’s brooch in exchange for the White Elephant. In O. Henry’s version of The Gift of the Magi, he must return the jewel or bring hell upon himself from his better half. Supported by vocal style Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borsteinand Arif Zahir. Hulu, November 25.

COUNTDOWN TO MACY’S SPECIAL THANKSGIVING PARADE Take a deep breath and get ready to blow up those nostalgic parade balloons. This year there will be seventeen of them, including new characters Minnie Mouse and Spider-Man. The 98th iteration of the ever-shrinking department store marks the start of the holiday shopping season. NBC, November 27

JIMMY FALLON’S EXCITING HOLIDAY SEASONING Talk show’s Mansch Fallon is going all out to prepare for the holidays. His primetime special will premiere following the televised tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. Musical guests Justin Timberlake, Dolly Parton and “Weird Al” Yankovic join the late-night host for family-friendly holiday fun and decorating the venue. This October, Fallon released her self-titled album, which features some of the same artists. NBC, December 4, streaming on Peacock, December 5.

BLACK DOVES Keira Knightley as a sleeper cell agent, married mother of twins? Ben Whishaw as a gay killer trying to patch up the differences in his monogamous relationship? Set in the run-up to Christmas, this delightfully dark thriller is the spy Love Actually you never knew existed, with murder and dirty tricks from the gutters of South London to 10 Downing Street. Netflix, December 5

THE SIMPSONS: ALL FAITHFUL! Bart is on the naughty list. Lisa reigns in a good way. What could possibly go wrong with this original double Christmas episode that marks the series’ transition from unruly Fox to relatively good Disney+? Octogenarian Patti LaBelle adds her voice to the celebration in this season’s episode of The Simpsons. Disney+, December 9

CHRISTMAS QUEENS BET+ has become the go-to destination for holiday TV movies. This new comedy tests sisterhood as feuding neighbors and sometimes best friends, Doris (Terry J. Vaughn) and Julia (Vanessa Bell Calloway), compete for the annual crown of Queen of Christmas. Whose home will be decorated with the most exquisite decor and who will learn the most important life lesson about the primacy of peaceful coexistence over shiny tinsel? Friendship is the best gift, no ribbon required. STAVKA+, December 19

2024 NFL CHRISTMAS DAY GAME Feeling fuller than a holiday turkey? Unbuckle your belt, loosen your collar, and watch other, better-trained individuals battle for dominance on the gridiron. On this sacred day, the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens take on the Houston Texans. Does running give spectators the opportunity to appreciate athletes’ cardio? Unlikely. Netflix, December 25