The holidays are upon us. Everyone is getting ready to put up decorations and get into the holiday mood. Entertain your kids this holiday season with television programs geared towards getting them (and us) into the Christmas spirit.

Who says that there is nothing valuable on television anymore? During the holidays some of the best programs air on regular stations and cable. Consult your local guide for show days and times. Here are the programs to highlight for viewing by your kids.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – Poor old Chuck. He’s feeling left out again. No one has invited him to any Christmas parties. But, his luck seems to be changing when he is chosen director of the Christmas play. That is, until Lucy decides to offer him her expert advice.
2. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) – This is the story of the Who’s down in Whoville and their nemesis high above them, the Grinch. For some reason he hates Christmas and dislikes anyone who enjoys it, namely the Who’s! The story is narrated by Boris Karloff, a legendary horror movie icon in Hollywood’s heyday.
3. ‘Twas the Night before Christmas (1974) – The cartoon is based on the poem by Clement C. Moore. In this story, the children in a small town end up on Santa’s naughty list when someone begins sending hate mail to Santa. It is up to the town’s clockmaker, Joshua Trundle to fix the situation with a rousing Christmas song.
4. Mickey’s Once upon a Christmas (1999) – The Disney gang is all accounted for in a program that encompasses several small vignettes about the Christmas holiday. See Mickey and Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and their three pesky nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and Goofy.
5. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) –The classic Christmas favorite by Charles Dickens is animated and acted by the Disney characters. Mickey plays Bob Cratchit to Scrooge McDuck’s Ebenezer Scrooge. The characters bring the story of greed and redemption to a kid’s level of understanding.
6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) – Our favorite reindeer is back again with his friends Yukon Cornelius and Hermie, the elf. Rudolph proves that being different is not a curse, but a blessing. Along the way they sing a lot of great songs and everyone learns acceptance.
7. Frosty the Snowman (1969) – Who is the fastest belly flopper in the world? It’s Frosty of course. A group of school children bring their snowman to life with the help of a magician’s hat.

So, pull up a chair and a bowl of popcorn to watch these fun family favorites with your kids. Many air more than once during the month of December so if you miss it the first go round there will be other chances.