In the UK, Christmas isn’t a dumping ground for reruns and basketball the way it is here. There, they actually craft special Christmas episodes as a gift to their fans. On in which Americans get to indulge is the “Call the Midwife Holiday Special” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings), which takes the nurses out to the Outer Hebrides, where there is a nursing shortage. Like the holiday on which it falls, it involves the birth of babies.
An attempt at a U.S. Christmas episode comes that’s aired dozens of holiday romances since October. It’s a movie-length “When Calls the Heart: Home for Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.).
There’s NBA action all day including prime time with the all-L.A. Clippers at Lakers (ABC, 8 p.m.). Action begins early with Boston at Toronto (ESPN, noon). Then: Milwaukee at Philadelphia (ABC, 2:30 p.m.) and Houston at Golden State (ABC, 5 p.m.). The day ends back on cable with New Orleans at Denver (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.).
They’ll catch him and put a Santa hat on him: “Yuletide Yeti” (Travel, 9 p.m.).
And what kind of scary things can the Travel channel conjure up for the evening? “Tidings of Terror” (Travel, 10 p.m.).
What can beat 24 hours of “A Christmas Story” (TBS, 6, 8 and 10 a.m., noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m.; TNT, 7, 9 and 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.)? How about “The Wizard of Oz” (TNT, 9 p.m.)?
Also repeating today: “Die Hard” (Paramount, noon, 2, 6 and 9 p.m.) with a dash of “Die Hard 2” (WGN America, 4 and 9:30 p.m.).
The 1951 “A Christmas Carol” (FX Movies, 8:30 and 10:20 p.m.) is played a couple of times as well.
This morning, the usual characters wave — and there are performances from Sting, Shaggy, Portugal the Man, Pentatonix, Andy Grammar, Ingrid Michelson, Ally Brooke, Meg Donnelly, Grace VanderWaal and Lindsey Stirling — in the “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” (ABC, 10 a.m.). Matthew Morrison, Emma Bunton and Jesse Palmer co-host.
Public television is lining up its kids’ Christmas specials today with “Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas” (PBS, 8 a.m., check local listings), “Let’s Go Luna!: Luna’s Christmas Around the World” (PBS, 9 a.m., check local listings), “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!” (PBS, 10 a.m., check local listings), “Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas” (PBS, 11 a.m., check local listings) and “Peg + Cat + Holidays” (PBS, noon, check local listings).
Dogs are the featured creature on Turner Classic Movies tonight, in “The Thin Man” (8 p.m.), “Topper Takes a Trip” (9:45 p.m.), “Best in Show” (11:15 p.m.), “Good-Bye, My Lady” (1 a.m.), “Sounder” (2:45 a.m.) and “Umberto D.” (4:45 a.m.).
Earlier are some more Christmas movies that don’t sound like Christmas movies from their titles: “Babes in Toyland” (7 a.m.), “Tenth Avenue Angel” (8:30 a.m.), “Little Women” (10 a.m.), “O. Henry’s Full House” (noon), “Love Finds Andy Hardy” (2:15 p.m.), “The Shop Around the Corner” (4 p.m.) and “Susan Slept Here” (6 p.m.).
College basketball has Portland vs. Ball State (ESPNU, 1:30 p.m.), Boise State vs. UTEP (ESPNU, 4 p.m.), Georgia Tech at Hawaii (ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.) and Houston vs. Washington (ESPN2, 9 p.m.),
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest: Seth MacFarlane, Martina McBride, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (rerun). The Talk: Garth Brooks (rerun). Ellen DeGeneres: Renée Zellweger, Katy Perry, Peter Weber (rerun). Kelly Clarkson: Dwane Johnson (rerun). Tamron Hall: Meagan Good, Devon Franklin. Wendy Williams: Chris Witherspoon, Laurie Schacht (rerun). The Real: Cyn Santana, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Egypt Crisis, Rachel Lindsay (rerun).
Late Talk
All reruns. Stephen Colbert: LL Cool J, José Andrés. Jimmy Kimmel: Martin Scorsese, Jharrel Jerome, the Black Keys. Jimmy Fallon: Daisy Ridley, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Eric Dyson, Noah Cyrus, Leon Bridges. Seth Meyers: Josh Meyers, Hilary and Larry Meyers. James Corden: Jane Krakowski, Paul Feig, Chvrches. Lilly Singh: Charlize Theron. Conan O’Brien: Gary Gulman.