Thursday 9
“The Wall: Berlin 90” (KNME-5 7 p.m.) Doesn't seem very Christmassy, but this live performance of Pink Floyd's rock opera beats Mannheim Steamroller any day of the week.
Friday 10
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (KWBQ-19 7) Easy. It's not that Jim Carrey abomination from a couple years back. This is the real deal, Boris Karloff-narrated cartoon from 1966. (It's older than I am!) You've gotta watch it at least once this season. Heck, I bet you could recite the whole thing at this point.
Saturday 11
Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (Hallmark Channel 7 p.m.) Ever wonder what the holy hell ever happened to Steve Guttenberg? Now we have an answer. Here, Guttenberg stars as an heir of Santa Claus, who woos a recently widowed advertising executive (Crystal Bernard of “Wings”). Hang in there, Steve, we're all rooting for a Police Academy 8.
3: The Dale Earnhardt Story (ESPN 7 p.m.) ESPN races into the movie biz with this biopic of deceased NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. Barry Pepper (Battlefield Earth) stars. Somewhere, rednecks are rejoicing.
Sunday 12
Snow (ABC Family 6 p.m.) Nick Snowden, a North Pole-based toy distributor, goes to California to rescue his family's magical reindeer from a zoo. The ever-reliable Tom Cavanagh (“Ed,” “Scrubs”) stars.
“The Last Laugh 2004” (Comedy Central 10 p.m.) The comic wags of Comedy Central and “The Daily Show” look back in laughter at the year that was.
Monday 13
“The Legend of Earthsea” (Sci-Fi 7 p.m.) Well, there's no new Lord of the Rings film this Christmas, so fantasy fans must be jonesing. Here's a two-night adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's dragon-and-wizard-filled fantasy series starring Shawn Ashmore (X-Men 2) Kristen Kruek (“Smallville”), Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon). It may tide you over until the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King–Special Extended Edition gets released at midnight tonight.
Tuesday 14
Karrol's Christmas (A&E 6 p.m.) In this “hip” remake of A Christmas Carol, a frustrated greeting card writer (Tom Everett Scott) is mistaken for his grumpy neighbor and taken on a tour of somebody else's life by some bungling ghosts.
Wednesday 15
“Big Man on Campus” (KWBQ-19 8 p.m.) “The Bachelor” producer Mike Fleiss is the “brains” behind this new WB reality series set on a college campus. He promises that it's “not just a younger version of ’The Bachelor.'” But we're pretty sure that it's just a younger version of “The Bachelor.” It's got 15 hot girls competing for the affections of one college boy. Instead of handing out roses, however, our BMOC will hand out fraternity-type pins. … Yeah, you're right, Mike, that's not at all like “The Bachelor.”
“Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2004” (KOAT-7 7 p.m.) I'm sorry, but if you're including Paris Hilton in your list of the 10 Most Fascinating People, you are guilty of false advertising in the highest degree.
