Our daughter is coming home for her Thanksgiving vacation on Tuesday, so I have spent the last week getting all of our Christmas decorations up as well as getting all of the food I’ll need to prepare our Thanksgiving meal. (It’s been rather hectic!) Since I just finished getting the last of the Christmas things up, I decided that this would be a great time to finally finish my list of Christmas movies that will be airing on television during the month of December (2014).
(I am only listing the Christmas movie premier dates for the Hallmark, Lifetime, and ION channels’ movies.)
***** ***** ***** *****
December’s TCM Christmas Movies
Thursday – December 4, 2014
7:00 PM
Remember the Night (1940)
An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi.
BW-94 mins, CC
*****I think this movie is one of the best classic Christmas movies!*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 7, 2014
11:30 AM
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley.
BW-113 mins, CC
*****How can you go wrong with Bette Davis? This is another one of my favorite classic Christmas movies.*****
1:30 PM
It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast: Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charlie Ruggles.
BW-115 mins, CC
3:30 PM
Scrooge (1970)
A miser faces the ghosts of his past on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Ronald Neame Cast: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans.
C-114 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – December 11, 2014
7:00 PM
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Feuding co-workers don’t realize they’re secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan.
BW-99 mins, CC
*****OK, I guess my secret is out. I have a whole lot of classic Christmas favorites!*****
8:45 PM
Holiday Affair (1949)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey.
BW-87 mins, CC
10:30 PM
It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast: Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charlie Ruggles.
BW-115 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 14, 2014
1:00 PM
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Feuding co-workers don’t realize they’re secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan.
BW-99 mins, CC
*****If you didn’t get a chance to watch this movie a few days ago, make sure you do now!*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – December 18, 2014
7:00 PM
A Christmas Carol (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart.
BW-69 mins, CC
8:15 PM
Scrooge (1970)
A miser faces the ghosts of his past on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Ronald Neame Cast: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans.
C-114 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
10:15 PM
Scrooge (1935)
The legendary miser searches his past, present and future to discover the true meaning of Christmas.
Cast: Maurice Evans
BW-78 mins
11:45 PM
A Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
Three ghosts teach an industrialist the importance of international peacekeeping.
Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Cast: Robert Shaw, Sterling Hayden, Peter Sellers.
BW-86 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 21, 2014
1:00 AM
Santa Claus (1959)
Santa Claus enlists Merlin to help him save Christmas from the devil.
Dir: Rene Cardona
C-95 mins
2:45 AM
A Visit to Santa (1963)
Two children dreaming of Christmas visit Santa at the North Pole in this short film.
C-12 mins
11:30 AM
I’ll Be Seeing You (1944)
A soldier meets a woman on Christmas furlough from prison and they fall in love.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple.
BW-85 mins, CC
1:00 PM
Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
A homemaking specialist who can’t boil water is forced to provide a family holiday for a war hero.
Dir: Peter Godfrey Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet.
BW-102 mins, CC
*****I love, love, love this classic, black & white Christmas movie!*****
3:00 PM
Holiday Affair (1949)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey.
BW-87 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – December 24, 2014
What a day for classic Christmas movies!
5:00 AM
Scrooge (1935)
The legendary miser searches his past, present and future to discover the true meaning of Christmas.
Cast: Maurice Evans
BW-78 mins
11:15 AM
It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast: Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charlie Ruggles.
BW-115 mins, CC
1:15 PM
I’ll Be Seeing You (1944)
A soldier meets a woman on Christmas furlough from prison and they fall in love.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple.
BW-85 mins, CC
*****If you missed this a few days ago, make sure you catch it today. I think this is a very over-looked classic Christmas movie.*****
3:00 PM
The Shop Around the Corner(1940)
Feuding co-workers don’t realize they’re secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan.
BW-99 mins, CC
7:00 PM
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley.
BW-113 mins, CC
9:00 PM
Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
A homemaking specialist who can’t boil water is forced to provide a family holiday for a war hero.
Dir: Peter Godfrey Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet.
BW-102 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – December 25, 2014
10:00 AM
A Christmas Carol (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart.
BW-69 mins, CC
11:15 AM
Holiday Affair (1949)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey.
BW-87 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
(All of the above TCM descriptions were copied from the TCM site.)
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies in Central time zone
Saturday – December 6, 2014
7:00 PM
Debbie Macomber’s Mr. Miracle
Starring: Rob Morrow, Michelle Harrison, Britt Irvin, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Andrew Francis
Heavenly angel Harry Mills is sent to Earth on a trial assignment to intervene in the life of a woman who needs help getting her life on track after the death of her father. With a deadline of Christmas day, he attempts to help her heal in order to embrace a new future, and an unexpected love, just in time to celebrate the miracle of the holiday season.
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 7, 2014
7:00 PM
Christmas at Cartwright’s
Starring: Alicia Witt, Wallace Shawn
With Christmas approaching, a struggling single mom finds herself working as a department store Santa Claus, as a real-life angel delivers good fortune and the possibility of holiday romance.
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – December 13, 2014
7:00 PM
Best Christmas Party Ever
Starring: Torrey DeVitto, Steve Lund, Linda Thorson, Harmon Walsh
With the holidays approaching, a young party planner arranges a special Christmas party for a New York toy store. When a powerful corporation threatens to shut her down, she decides to follow her heart, moving forward with the party plans and finding true love in time for Christmas.
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 14, 2014
7:00 PM
The Christmas Parade
Starring: AnnaLynne McCord, Jefferson Brown, Drew Scott
A popular network morning host finds herself humiliated on the air by her fiancé and disappears to a small town. While there, she helps a budding artist save a community art center for the town’s kids, by helping them with their float for the annual Christmas Parade.
***** ***** ***** *****
I copied and pasted the descriptions from the Hallmark channel Christmas movies from the Hallmark channel’s television schedule online.
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
Lifetime Channel Christmas Movies in Central time zone
Saturday – December 6, 2014
7:00 PM
Wally Lamb’s Wishin’ and Hopin’
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Chevy Chase, Annabella Sciorra, Cheri Oteri, Wyatt Ralff, Danny Nucci, Conchata Ferrell, Michael Lee Aday (aka Meat Loaf), Camila Banus, Blanche Baker, Sosie Bacon, Krysta Rodriguez
Based on the New York Times best-selling Christmas novel by Wally Lamb comes the new Christmas classic, starring Molly Ringwald and featuring Chevy Chase as the narrator. Set in the 1960s, “Wishin’ and Hopin’” is the story of 10-year-old Felix Funicello (Wyatt Ralff, “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby”), who is doing his best to navigate fifth grade at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School. His father (Danny Nucci, “The Fosters”) runs the local diner, and their family’s claim to fame is their cousin, Annette Funicello (Krysta Rodriguez, “Smash”), the famous teen star and Mouseketeer. With the dreaded Christmas pageant on the horizon, the holiday season gets even more exciting with the sudden arrivals of a substitute teacher (Ringwald) and a feisty Russian student, Zhenya, and promises to be one Christmas Felix will never forget. Also stars Meat Loaf (“Fight Club”), Annabella Sciorra (“CSI”), Cheri Oteri (“Saturday Night Live”), Conchata Ferrell (“Two and a Half Men”) and Camila Banus (“Days of Our Lives”).
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – December 13, 2014
7:00 PM
The Santa Con
Starring: Barry Watson, Melissa Joan Hart, Jaleel White, John Ratzenberger, Wendy Williams
Small-time con man Nick DeMarco (Barry Watson, “Hart of Dixie”) is ordered by his parole officer to take a minimum-wage job as a department store Santa during the holidays…and he hates it. Near the end of his first shift, he hastily promises a young boy, Billy (“Tucker Meek”), that Santa will bring his estranged parents back together by Christmas. When his sister Rosemary (Melissa Joan Hart, “Melissa and Joey”) hears this, she is livid and can’t believe he would break a little boy’s heart with an empty promise. After a long night of soul searching – and with the help of an insightful female pastor (Wendy Williams) – Nick decides to make good on his promise to the child, somehow. But after meeting the boy’s mother Carol (Melissa Sagemiller, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), will Nick ultimately choose to put the happiness of others ahead of his own? Jaleel White (“Family Matters”), Scott Grimes (“Party of Five”) and John Ratzenberger (“Cheers”) also star. Hart also directs this film.
***** ***** ***** *****
I copied and pasted the descriptions of the Lifetime channel Christmas movies from the Lifetime channel television schedule online.
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
ION Channel Christmas Movies in Central time zone
Sunday – December 7, 2014
8:00 PM
Merry Ex-Mas
Cast: Dean Cain, Kristy Swanson, Lochlyn Munro, Shannon Kummer, Sharon Thomas Cain, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Ernie Hudson, Rebecca Grant
When misleading photos are published of security company chief Jessie Rogers purportedly caught in a love nest with his rock star client, his humiliated wife, Noëlle, throws him out of the house and swiftly files for divorce. Unable to convince her of his innocence, Jessie fights in vain to win Noëlle back. A year later at the family ski cabin, a Christmastime blizzard snowbounds Jessie, his daughter, ex-mother-in-law, Noëlle and her wealthy suitor, Flynn, who is plotting a surprise wedding.
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – December 13, 2014
8:00 PM
A Christmas Kiss II
Cast: Elisabeth Harnois, Adam Mayfield, Elisabeth Röhm, Lola Glaudini, Jonathan Bennett, Celesta Hodge, Ray Laska
At a Christmastime event, Jenna shares an impromptu, unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe with the dashing Cooper Montgomery, a billionaire playboy who recently returned to the city. Although she doesn’t know him, Cooper learns that Jenna works for Cooper’s sister at the designer fashion house founded by their dad. Fearful of getting hurt in another relationship, Jenna vows to resist Cooper’s charms and feigns a romance with her heartbroken next door neighbor. As the two begin spending more time together, Jenna realizes that Cooper’s affection is real, but still worries that he won’t be able to shed his former ways.
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 14, 2014
8:00 PM
A Perfect Christmas List
Cast: Ellen Hollman, Marion Ross, Aaron Hill, Beth Broderick, Richard Karn
Just two weeks before Christmas, Sara Smith gets a call from home about her grandmother Evie, who has been sent to the hospital. Having always been close, the health scare is enough to get Sara to do the unthinkable… come home for Christmas. While Sara plans to get a hotel room for her stay, her mother won’t allow it. Sara eventually relents, but it’s clear that time has not repaired their relationship, and her mother returns to her overbearing ways. With her handsome doctor’s approval, the convalescing Evie conjures up a curious challenge. As a “last wish,” she tasks her daughter and granddaughter with list of festive accomplishments to do together before Christmas, hoping that the adventure of the experience will repair their relationship. Along the way, Sara discovers an unlisted Christmas adventure with Evie’s physician.
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – December 20, 2014
8:00 PM
Back to Christmas
Cast: Kelly Overton, Michael Muhney, Jonathan Patrick Moore, Jennifer Elise Cox, Moses Jacob Storm, Gloria Loring, Mark Hutter
Saddened about spending another Christmas alone, Ali meets Ginny, a quirky and spunky woman, at a diner on Christmas Eve. Ali tells Ginny that she was to be married on New Year’s Eve last year, but over the course of the holidays she and her fiancé unexpectedly split. When Ali explains that she would do everything differently if she could go back in time, Ginny tells her that “sometimes people do get second chances.” The following morning, Ali wakes up to find herself transported back to that Christmas before her planned wedding. While she sets out to avoid the mistakes of her past, she learns that changing the course of history is no easy task.
***** ***** ***** *****
I copied and pasted the description of the ION channel Christmas movies from a September 22, 2014 article titled “ION Television Invites Viewers to ‘Get Wrapped Up in the Holidays!’ with Five Original Holiday Movies” found on the Broadcasting and Cable site.
***** ***** ***** *****
If you know of any other Mystery theme movies that are going to be aired on television during December 2014, please post a comment. Please only tell us about the Christmas movies that will be premiering. I know that Hallmark and its sister network, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, will be showing a lot of Christmas movies, but I will not be able to list all of the movies from past years.
Here are two entries that I wrote about favorite Christmas movies:
Christmas: Favorite Classic Holiday Movies : Old, Black & White
Christmas: Favorite Holiday Movies – More Recent, In Color
As many of you know, one of my favorite mystery series is the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series written by Spencer Quinn. Well, Spencer Quinn, or I should say 
The Outlaws of Sherwood Street Mystery Series, Abrahams’ second mystery series aimed at middle schoolers, the Robbie is a modern-day Robin Hood. We first meet her in 
