25 Days Of Christmas
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Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas is an American annual seasonal event of
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
programming broadcast during the month of December by the U.S. cable network Freeform. The event was first held in 1996, and has been an annual fixture of the channel through its various incarnations, including The Family Channel, Fox Family, ABC Family, and Freeform. The brand covers airings of classic holiday specials as well as new Christmas-themed
television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
s each year; generally few of the network's original series air during the time period, outside of Christmas-themed episodes. In 2006, the lineup has also included airings of general, family films that Freeform holds rights to, which included the ''Harry Potter'' films until January 2017, and other
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It ha ...
films. In 2007, the block was extended to November with a ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' block. ''25 Days of Christmas'' programming often attracts major surges in viewership for Freeform, with higher-profile film airings often attracting 3-4 million viewers or more. For 2017, Disney extended the 25 Days of Christmas branding to holiday programming shown by Freeform's sister properties in the
Disney-ABC Television Group This is a list of assets currently or formerly owned by the Walt Disney Company, unless otherwise indicated. Corporate Walt Disney Studios Live-action production Animated production Disney Studio Services Disney Theatrica ...
, including
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
,
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
,
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
, and
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven yea ...
. For most of the block's run, fourteen specials from the
Rankin/Bass Productions Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
library of Christmas specials (excluding the original ''
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
'' and ''
Frosty the Snowman "Frosty the Snowman" is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante. It was written after the success o ...
'' specials, both of which have aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
since 1972 and 1969 respectively) served as the centerpiece of the 25 Days of Christmas. Freeform lost the rights to twelve of those specials (which included ''
The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...
'') to
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
in 2017 to serve as the linchpin of its new " Best Christmas Ever" schedule; Freeform still airs ''
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was the ...
'' and ''
The Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 19 ...
''. In May 2019, Freeform announced it had acquired the cable rerun rights to the Rudolph and Frosty specials, reuniting the four pre-1974 Rankin/Bass programs on the same network. CBS will continue to hold the
free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...
rerun rights to both specials. Freeform and ABC also held rights to the Charlie Brown holiday specials until
Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
acquired the exclusive rights to the franchise in 2020 (later sublicensing some of the specials to
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
for one-time airings that year).


Programming


Original specials

* 1996 – ''Home and Family Christmas Special'' * 2001 – ''Donner'' * 2008 – ''
A Miser Brothers' Christmas ''A Miser Brothers’ Christmas'' is a stop motion spin-off special based on some of the characters from the 1974 Rankin-Bass special ''The Year Without a Santa Claus''. Distributed by Warner Bros. Animation under their Warner Premiere label (the ...
'' * 2009 – ''Gotta Catch Santa Claus'', ''Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure'' * 2011 – ''A Very Pink Christmas'' *2017 – ''Disney Parks Presents a Disney Channel Holiday Celebration''


Original films

Nearly every year since ''25 Days of Christmas'' debuted in 1996, at least one new holiday-related TV film has been produced (excluding 2002, 2014, and 2015). Starting in 2005, two TV films have been produced. In 2007, three films were created for the block, due to the popularity of the previous year's films.


The Family Channel era: ''The Family Channel's 25 Days of Christmas''

*1996 – ''
Christmas Every Day ''Christmas Every Day'' is a 1996 American made-for-television fantasy-comedy film based on the 1892 short story "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells. It was directed by Larry Peerce, starred Erik von Detten, and originally broadcast on ...
'' *1997 – ''
The Christmas List ''The Christmas List'' is a 1997 TV movie, shown first on The Family Channel, thereafter on ABC Family during its ''25 Days of Christmas'' programming block. It stars Mimi Rogers. Synopsis The story follows the life of the 35-year-old Melody Par ...
''


Fox Family era: ''Fox Family's 25 Days of Christmas''

*1998 – ''
Like Father, Like Santa ''Like Father, Like Santa '' (also known as ''The Christmas Takeover'') is a TV movie starring Harry Hamlin and William Hootkins. It premiered on Fox Family in 1998 on their 25 Days of Christmas programming block.The Ghosts of Christmas Eve ''The Ghosts of Christmas Eve'' is a 1999 made-for-television film showcasing a Christmas music performance by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, starring Ossie Davis and Allie Sheridan. Guest performers included Michael Crawford and Jewel. Other perf ...
'' *2000 – '' Special Delivery'' *2001 - '' Three Days''


ABC Family era: ''ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas''

*2003 – ''
Picking Up & Dropping Off ''Picking Up & Dropping Off'' is a television film starring Scott Wolf and Amanda Detmer. It premiered on ABC Family in 2003 on their 25 Days of Christmas programming block. Premise A divorced father and a divorced mother start to meet at Den ...
'' *2004 – ''
Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' *2005 – ''
Chasing Christmas ''Chasing Christmas'' is a 2005 contemporary re-telling of the 1843 Charles Dickens classic novella ''A Christmas Carol''. This ABC Family film, written by Todd Berger and directed by Ron Oliver, stars Tom Arnold as Jack Cameron, who is a man with ...
''; ''Christmas in Boston'' *2006 – '' Christmas Do-Over''; ''
Santa Baby "Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René, Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer i ...
'' *2007 – ''
Christmas Caper ''Christmas Caper'' is an ABC Family Original Movie. It aired on November 25, 2007 on ABC Family as part of their 25 Days of Christmas. The film stars Shannen Doherty, Ty Olsson, Sonya Salomaa and Stefanie von Pfetten. Plot A Grinch-like thief r ...
''; ''
Holiday in Handcuffs ''Holiday in Handcuffs'' is a 2007 American crime comedy television film that originally aired on ABC Family on December 9 as a part of the network's 25 Days of Christmas programming block. The film stars Melissa Joan Hart, Mario Lopez, Marki ...
''; ''
Snowglobe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sphe ...
'' *2008 – ''
Christmas in Wonderland Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
''; '' Snow 2: Brain Freeze'' *2009 – ''
The Dog Who Saved Christmas ''The Dog Who Saved Christmas'' is a 2009 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film starring Dean Cain, Gary Valentine and the voice of Mario Lopez. It was written by childhood friends Michael Ciminera and Richard Gnolfo. It premiered on ...
''; '' Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe'' *2010 – ''
The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation ''The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation'' is a 2010 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film and a sequel to the ABC Family 2009 movie '' The Dog Who Saved Christmas''. The movie stars Paris Hilton in her first voice role, as the poodle ...
''; '' Christmas Cupid''; ''
The Gruffalo ''The Gruffalo'' is a British children's picture book by author Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Its tells the story of a mouse taking a walk in the woods and deceiving different predators, including the Gruffalo. ''The Gruf ...
'' *2011 – ''
Desperately Seeking Santa ''Desperately Seeking Santa'' is a television movie starring Laura Vandervoort and Nick Zano. It premiered on ABC Family on November 27, 2011 in their Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It is directed by Craig Pryce. It was fil ...
''; ''
12 Dates of Christmas ''12 Dates of Christmas'' is a television film starring Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. It premiered on ABC Family on December 11, 2011 in their 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It is directed by James Hayman. The movie depicts Smart ...
'' *2012 – ''
The Mistle-Tones ''The Mistle-Tones'' is a made-for-TV movie musical that premiered on December 9, 2012 as part of ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. Plot Holly is excited to audition for the Snow Belles, a Christmas-themed pop group founded by her late mother. ...
''; '' Home Alone: The Holiday Heist'' *2013 – ''Holidaze'', ''
Christmas Bounty ''Christmas Bounty'' is a 2013 American television film directed by Gil Junger. It was produced by WWE Studios and stars Francia Raisa, Mike "The Miz" Mizanin and Will Greenberg. It premiered on ABC Family during their 25 Days of Christmas bloc ...
''


Freeform era: ''Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas''

*2016 – ''Holiday Joy'' *2017 – ''Angry Angel'' *2018 – ''
Life-Size 2 ''Life-Size 2'', also known as ''Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve'', is a 2018 American fantasy-comedy television film directed by Steven Tsuchida and starring Tyra Banks and Francia Raisa. It is the sequel to ''Life-Size'' starring Banks and Lindsa ...
'', ''No Sleep 'Til Christmas'', ''The Truth About Christmas'' *2019 – '' Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas'', ''Same Time, Next Christmas''


Current Christmas specials

The following non-original (originally premiered direct to video, or on some other TV network or cable channel, or as a theatrical featurette) Christmas specials (including Kickoff to Christmas and airings on other networks that share the "25 Days..." brand) (): *''
A Charlie Brown Christmas ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'', by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez, the program made its debut on C ...
'' *''
Frosty the Snowman "Frosty the Snowman" is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante. It was written after the success o ...
'' (rights shared with
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
) *''
How the Grinch Stole Christmas ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...
'' (1966 version) (rights shared with
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
, TBS, and
TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
) *'' Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas'' *'' Kung Fu Panda Holiday'' *''
The Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 19 ...
'' *''
Olaf's Frozen Adventure ''Olaf's Frozen Adventure'' is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated featurette produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers. The screenplay was written by Jac Schaeffer, with Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, ...
'' (rights shared with
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
) *''
Prep & Landing ''Prep & Landing'' is a computer animated television special, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired Decembe ...
'' series (rights shared with
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
) **''
Prep & Landing ''Prep & Landing'' is a computer animated television special, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired Decembe ...
'' **'' Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice'' *''
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
'' (rights shared with
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
) *''
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was the ...
'' (rights shared with
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
) *'' Toy Story That Time Forgot'' *''
The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...
'' (rights shared with
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
, TBS, and
TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
) As of 2019, the only Christmas episodes of a regular series that are featured in the block are from ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', which Freeform acquired as part of the
acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company included the 20th Century Fox film and ...
in 2019.


Current Christmas films

The following non-original (originally premiered theatrically, or direct to video, or on some other TV network or cable channel) Christmas films are presently being featured during 25 Days of Christmas (): *''
12 Dates of Christmas ''12 Dates of Christmas'' is a television film starring Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. It premiered on ABC Family on December 11, 2011 in their 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It is directed by James Hayman. The movie depicts Smart ...
'' *''
A Bad Moms Christmas ''A Bad Moms Christmas'' is a 2017 American Christmas comedy film written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is a sequel to the 2016 film ''Bad Moms''. The plot follows the three moms from the first film (Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and ...
'' *''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
'' (2009 version) *'' Almost Christmas'' *''
Arthur Christmas ''Arthur Christmas'' is a 2011 computer-animated Christmas science fantasy comedy film directed by Sarah Smith and co-directed by Barry Cook. Featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, an ...
'' (Shared with TBS, and TNT as of 2022.) *'' Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas'' *''
Black Nativity ''Black Nativity '' is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes, performed by an entirely black cast. Hughes was the author of the book, with the lyrics and music being derived from traditional Christmas carols, sung in gospel sty ...
'' *''
Call Me Claus ''Call Me Claus'' is a 2001 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film directed by Peter Werner and starring Whoopi Goldberg and Nigel Hawthorne. The movie involves Santa Claus (Hawthorne) who needs a replacement Santa after serving his 2 ...
'' *''
Christmas with the Kranks ''Christmas with the Kranks'' is a 2004 American Christmas comedy film based on the 2001 novel ''Skipping Christmas'' by John Grisham. It was directed by Joe Roth, written and produced by Chris Columbus, and starring Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Da ...
'' (Shared with AMC.) *''
Daddy's Home 2 ''Daddy's Home 2'' (titled on screen as ''Daddy's Home Two'') is a 2017 American Christmas buddy comedy film directed by Sean Anders and written by Anders and John Morris. A sequel to '' Daddy's Home'' (2015), it stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahl ...
'' *''
Deck the Halls "Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...
'' (Shared with AMC.) *''
The First Snow of Winter ''The First Snow of Winter'' is a British animated television film produced by Hibbert Ralph Entertainment and Link Entertainment and first aired on the BBC on 25 December 1998. The film features the voices of Miriam Margolyes, Dermot Morgan, ...
'' (US version) *''
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
'' (Shared with AMC, and TBS, and TNT as of 2022.) *''
Four Christmases ''Four Christmases'' is a 2008 American Christmas comedy film about a couple visiting all four of their divorced parents' homes on Christmas Day. It stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon with Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight ...
'' (Shared with AMC, TBS and TNT as of 2021) *''
Fred Claus ''Fred Claus'' is a 2007 American Christmas comedy film directed by David Dobkin, screenplay by Dan Fogelman and a story by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, John Michael Higgins, Eliz ...
'' (Shared with AMC, TBS and TNT as of 2021.) *''
The Grinch The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' He has been portrayed and voiced by many different actors, including Boris Karloff, ...
'' (2018 version) *''
The Holiday ''The Holiday'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Coproduced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and England and stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as Iris and Amanda, two lovelorn ...
'' *''
Holiday in Handcuffs ''Holiday in Handcuffs'' is a 2007 American crime comedy television film that originally aired on ABC Family on December 9 as a part of the network's 25 Days of Christmas programming block. The film stars Melissa Joan Hart, Mario Lopez, Marki ...
'' *''
Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hear ...
'' (Shared with AMC) *'' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (Shared with AMC) *''
Home Alone 3 ''Home Alone 3'' is a 1997 American family comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell in his directorial debut, produced by John Hughes, and starring Alex D. Linz and Haviland Morris. The film tells the story of an 8-year-old boy who defends his hom ...
'' *'' Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House'' *'' Home Alone: The Holiday Heist'' *'' Home for the Holidays'' *''
How the Grinch Stole Christmas ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...
'' (2000 version) (shared with
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
and
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
) *''
I'll Be Home for Christmas "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed ...
'' *''
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie ''It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' is a 2002 American musical fantasy comedy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher and written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis. The film premiered November 29, 2002 on NBC and the first film to be m ...
'' *''
Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larab ...
'' (Shared with AMC) *''
Jingle All the Way 2 ''Jingle All the Way 2'' is a 2014 American direct-to-video Christmas comedy film, and a sequel to the 1996 film '' Jingle All the Way'' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Alex Zamm, ''Jingle All the Way 2'' stars Larry the Cable Guy and ...
'' *''
Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side on Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in the UK. Described as a "high watermark of mid-80s Br ...
'' *''
Life-Size 2 ''Life-Size 2'', also known as ''Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve'', is a 2018 American fantasy-comedy television film directed by Steven Tsuchida and starring Tyra Banks and Francia Raisa. It is the sequel to ''Life-Size'' starring Banks and Lindsa ...
'' *''
Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television proje ...
'' (shared with
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
) *''
Love the Coopers ''Love the Coopers'' (titled ''Christmas with the Coopers'' in the UK and Ireland) is a 2015 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Jessie Nelson and written by Steven Rogers. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Alan Arkin, Jo ...
'' (shared with AMC) *''
The Magic Snowflake ''The Magic Snowflake'' (original French title ''L'Apprenti Père Noël et le flocon magique'') is a 2013 animated Christmas adventure comedy film made by Gaumont Animation. This full-length animated feature film was co-produced with Snipple Anima ...
'' *''
Mickey's Christmas Carol ''Mickey's Christmas Carol'' is a 1983 American Animation, animated family comedy-drama featurette directed and produced by Burny Mattinson. The cartoon is an adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', and stars Scrooge ...
'' *''
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas ''Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas'' is a 1999 American Traditional animation, animated Christmas film, Christmas anthology comedy fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The film includes three features: ''Donald Duck: Stuck on ...
'' *''
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas ''Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas'' is a 2004 American Christmas package film directed by Matthew O'Callaghan. Segments of the anthology film were directed by Peggy Holmes, O'Callaghan, Theresa Cullen, and Carole Holliday. It was produced by ...
'' *''
Miracle on 34th Street ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (initially released as ''The Big Heart'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1947 American List of Christmas films, Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on ...
'' (1994 version) *''
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol ''Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol'' is a 1962 animated musical holiday television special produced by UPA. It is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'', and it features UPA's character Mr. Magoo as Ebenezer Scro ...
'' *''
The Muppet Christmas Carol ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' is a 1992 American Christmas musical comedy drama film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dic ...
'' *'' My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Sleuth Christmas Movie'' (Shared with
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven yea ...
) *''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'' (Shared with AMC, TBS, and TNT as of 2021.) *'' The Night Before'' *''
The Nightmare Before Christmas ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (also known as ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas'') is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick (in his feature directorial debut) and produced and ...
'' *''
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ''The Nutcracker and the Four Realms'' is a 2018 American fantasy adventure film directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston based on a screenplay by Ashleigh Powell. It is a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann's 1816 short story "The Nutcracker and t ...
'' *''
Office Christmas Party ''Office Christmas Party'' is a 2016 American Christmas comedy film directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon and written by Justin Malen and Laura Solon, based on a story by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Jas ...
'' *''
The Perfect Holiday ''The Perfect Holiday'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Lance Rivera, starring Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Charlie Murphy (actor), Charlie Murphy, and Terrence Howard, and is produced by Academy Award-nominated actress Queen Latifah, who al ...
'' *''
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
'' (Shared with AMC, TBS, and TNT as of 2021.) *'' Prancer'' *'' Prancer Returns'' *''
The Preacher's Wife ''The Preacher's Wife'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of the 1947 film ''The Bishop's Wife'', which in turn was based on the 1 ...
'' *''
Rise of the Guardians ''Rise of the Guardians'' is a 2012 American 3D computer-animated fantasy action-adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Peter Ramsey (in his feature directorial debut ...
'' *''
Santa's Apprentice ''Santa's Apprentice'' (original French title ''L'Apprenti Père Noel'') is a 2010 animated Christmas film produced and animated by Gaumont-Alphanim (now Gaumont Animation). Avril Stark Entertainment and Cartoon Saloon provided additional animati ...
'' *''
The Santa Clause ''The Santa Clause'' is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and directed by John Pasquin. The first installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordi ...
'' *''
The Santa Clause 2 ''The Santa Clause 2'' is a 2002 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to ''The Santa Clause'' (1994) and the second installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise. All of the principal ...
'' *'' The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'' *''Santa Paws:'' **''
Santa Buddies ''Santa Buddies'', also known as ''Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws'', is a 2009 American Christmas comedy film. It is the fourth installment of the ''Air Buddies'' spin-off series as well as the ninth film in the ''Air Bud'' franchise. It ...
'' **''
The Search for Santa Paws ''The Search for Santa Paws'' is a 2010 Christmas Adventure film, adventure fantasy film released on November 23, 2010. The film is the tenth film in the ''Air Bud (series), Air Bud'' franchise and is also a prequel to ''Santa Buddies'', as well a ...
'' **'' Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups'' *''
Scrooged ''Scrooged'' is a 1988 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Richard Donner and written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. Based on the 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens, ''Scrooged'' is a modern retelling ...
'' (shared with Amc) *''
Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' *'' Snow 2: Brain Freeze'' *'' Snow Day'' *''
Snowglobe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sphe ...
'' *''
The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' *''
Stealing Christmas ''Stealing Christmas'' is an American made for television comedy-drama film directed by Gregg Champion and starring Tony Danza, Lea Thompson and Angela Goethals. It premiered on USA Network in 2003. It was later broadcast in the 25 Days of Chri ...
'' *''
Unaccompanied Minors ''Unaccompanied Minors'' (also known as ''Grounded'' in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) is a 2006 Christmas film, Christmas comedy film directed by Paul Feig and starring Lewis Black, Wilmer Valderrama, Tyler James Williams, Dyllan ...
'' *’’
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and the island of misfit toys Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788 ...
’’


Current non-Christmas specials

*''
The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow ...
'' *''
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ''A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'' is the tenth prime-time animated television special based upon the popular comic strip ''Peanuts,'' by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on November 20, 1973, and won an Emmy Award the ...
'' *''
Dr. Seuss on the Loose ''Dr. Seuss on the Loose'' is an American animated musical television special, first airing on CBS on October 15, 1973, and was sponsored by Nestlé. The special is hosted by The Cat in the Hat, who introduces animated adaptations of the Dr. Seus ...
'' *''
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat ''The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat'' (also known as ''The Cat in the Hat Gets Grinched'') is a 1982 American Emmy Award-winning animated musical television special and crossover starring ''The Cat in the Hat'' and The Grinch. It premiered o ...
'' *''
The Hoober-Bloob Highway ''The Hoober-Bloob Highway'' is an animated musical special written by Theodor Geisel (the real name of Dr. Seuss) and produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. The special first aired February 19, 1975 on CBS, and was the last Dr. Seuss special ...
'' *''
The Lorax ''The Lorax'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the titular character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who cause ...
'' *''
Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? ''Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?'' (renamed ''Pontoffel Pock & His Magic Piano'' for the sing-a-long videocassette release) is an animated musical television special written by Dr. Seuss, directed by Gerard Baldwin, produced by DePatie–Freleng E ...
''


Current non-Christmas films

The following non-original (originally premiered theatrically, or direct to video, or on some other TV network or cable channel) Non-Christmas films are currently or used to be being featured during 25 Days of Christmas (including Kickoff to Christmas) (): *''
A Bug's Life ''A Bug's Life'' is a 1998 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the second feature-length film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stant ...
'' *''
Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
'' *''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'' *''Beauty and the Beast (1991 film), Beauty and the Beast'' *''Big Hero 6 (film), Big Hero 6'' *''Bolt (2008 film), Bolt'' *''Cars (film), Cars'' *''Cars 2'' *''Cars 3'' *''Chicken Little (2005 film), Chicken Little'' *''Cinderella (1950 film), Cinderella'' *''Despicable Me (film), Despicable Me'' *''The Emperor's New Groove'' *''Epic (2013 film), Epic'' *''Finding Dory'' *''Finding Nemo'' *''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'' *''Frozen II'' *''Hercules (1997 film), Hercules'' *''The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film), The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' *''Ice Age (2002 film), Ice Age'' *''Ice Age: The Meltdown'' *''Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' *''Ice Age: Continental Drift'' *''Lady and the Tramp'' *''Lilo & Stitch'' *''The Lion King'' *''The Little Mermaid (1989 film), The Little Mermaid'' *''Madagascar (2005 film), Madagascar'' *''Matilda (1996 film), Matilda'' *''Meet the Robinsons'' *''Mulan (1998 film), Mulan'' *''Oliver & Company'' *''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' *''The Peanuts Movie'' *''Peter Pan (1953 film), Peter Pan'' *''Pocahontas (1995 film), Pocahontas'' *''The Princess and the Frog'' *''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' *''Ratatouille (film), Ratatouille'' *''Rio (2011 film), Rio'' *''Rio 2'' *''Robots (2005 film), Robots'' *''Shrek'' *''Shrek 2'' *''Tangled'' *''Tarzan (1999 film), Tarzan'' *''Toy Story'' *''Toy Story 2'' *''Toy Story 3'' *''Toy Story 4'' *''WALL-E'' *''Wreck-It Ralph'' *''Zootopia''


Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas, Kickoff to Christmas and FUNDAY

In 2007, due to popular ratings from the previous year, ABC Family launched the first official countdown to the programming block, which began on November 21. Although this was the first official early start, in previous years holiday programming had unofficially begun during the last week of November, showing mostly older original films, some of which pertained to Christmas and some that did not. ''Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas'' returned in 2008 on November 16. In 2018, Freeform announced that the block would be renamed to ''Kickoff to Christmas'', and would last throughout the whole month of November. This was reprised in 2019.


2011

In 2011, it started later in the month, on November 20. In 2012 the countdown began at an earlier date of November 18.


2014

The ''Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas'' ran again in 2014. In 2014 the countdown event which started on Sunday, November 23 was even with previous years. The highest rated programs of the eight-day event were ''Finding Nemo'' at 1.8 million viewers, ''Despicable Me'' at 2 million, and an airing of ''The Hunger Games (film), The Hunger Games'' at 1.7 million. Other highlights included Ratatouille (film), ''Ratatouille'' on Thanksgiving night which garnered 1 million, ''Cars 2'' gained 1 million, and Brave (2012 film), ''Brave'' which had 1.8 million tune in.


2015

The ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' schedule was released on October 29, 2015. The 2015 lineup included family classics such as ''Toy Story'', ''Finding Nemo'', ''
Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larab ...
'', ''Monsters, Inc.'', Ratatouille (film), ''Ratatouille'', ''The Incredibles'', ''Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'', and the cable premiere of Planes (film), ''Planes''. A Monday, November 30 airing of The Polar Express (film), ''The Polar Express'' was watched by 1.5 million viewers, the highest rating of this year's ''Countdown''. A Saturday, November 28 airing of ''Wreck-It Ralph'' was also watched by 1.5 million viewers. The network premiere of ''Planes'' on Thanksgiving night garnered only 0.699 million viewers.


2016

The ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' schedule was released on October 22, 2016. In 2016, Freeform's first ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' ran from Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016, to December 25, 2016. The 2016 lineup includes family movies such as ''Toy Story'', ''Toy Story 2'', ''Toy Story of Terror'', ''Brave (2012 film), Brave'', ''Tangled'', ''Happy Feet Two'', ''Tooth Fairy (2010 film), Tooth Fairy'', ''Another Cinderella Story'', ''Mulan (1998 film), Mulan'', ''Wreck-It Ralph'', ''Matilda (1996 film), Matilda'', ''The Little Rascals (film), Little Rascals'', ''Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'', and ''Despicable Me''. Freeform also announced the network premiere of ''The Odd Life of Timothy Green'', ''The Boxtrolls'', and ''A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits''. The holiday movies in the 2016 Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas included: ''
Fred Claus ''Fred Claus'' is a 2007 American Christmas comedy film directed by David Dobkin, screenplay by Dan Fogelman and a story by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, John Michael Higgins, Eliz ...
'', ''
The Holiday ''The Holiday'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Coproduced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and England and stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as Iris and Amanda, two lovelorn ...
'' (Freeform network premiere), ''
Scrooged ''Scrooged'' is a 1988 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Richard Donner and written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. Based on the 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens, ''Scrooged'' is a modern retelling ...
'', ''
Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larab ...
'', ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'', and ''
Deck the Halls "Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...
''. The 2016 ratings where on par with previous years. The highest airing of the countdown was the November 26th airing of ''Tangled'', gaining 1.461M viewers. ''Despicable Me'' gained 1.2M on November 25.


2017

The ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' schedule was released on October 12, 2017. In 2017, Freeform's ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' ran from November 18, 2017, to November 30, 2017. The 2017 lineup included family movies such as ''The Incredibles'', ''Despicable Me'', ''Harry Potter (film series), Harry Potter'', ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'', ''Hook (film), Hook'', ''Dennis the Menace (1993 film), Dennis the Menace'', ''Matilda (1996 film), Matilda'', ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', and ''The Boxtrolls''. Freeform also announced the network premiere of ''Inside Out (2015 film), Inside Out'' and '' Snow Day''. The holiday movies in the 2017 Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas included: ''Home Alone (film), Home Alone'', ''
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
'', ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'', ''
Four Christmases ''Four Christmases'' is a 2008 American Christmas comedy film about a couple visiting all four of their divorced parents' homes on Christmas Day. It stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon with Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight ...
'' (Freeform network premiere), '''Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974 TV special), 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'', '' Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups'', ''Frosty's Winter Wonderland'', ''Jack Frost (1998 film), Jack Frost'', ''
The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...
'', ''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
'', ''A Dennis the Menace Christmas'', ''Richie Rich's Christmas Wish'', ''Jack Frost (TV special), Jack Frost'', ''Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July'', ''
Arthur Christmas ''Arthur Christmas'' is a 2011 computer-animated Christmas science fantasy comedy film directed by Sarah Smith and co-directed by Barry Cook. Featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, an ...
'', ''Rudolph's Shiny New Year'', ''Eloise at Christmastime'', and ''
The Nightmare Before Christmas ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (also known as ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas'') is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick (in his feature directorial debut) and produced and ...
''.


2018

On May 15, 2018, Freeform announced that the ''Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas'' would be renamed ''Kickoff to Christmas'' for November 2018. The 2017 ''Kickoff to Christmas'' schedule was released on October 10, 2018. The 2018 ''Kickoff to Christmas'' lineup runs from November 1 to November 30, 2018, and includes films such as ''Jumanji'', ''The Good Dinosaur'', ''Inside Out (2015 film), Inside Out'', ''Norm of the North'', ''Ratatouille (film), Ratatouille'', ''Yogi Bear (film), Yogi Bear'', ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', ''Babe (film), Babe'', ''Meet the Robinsons'', ''The Incredibles'', ''Toy Story'', ''Storks (film), Storks'', ''Paddington (film), Paddington'', ''Zootopia'', and others.


2019

As aforementioned, this year marked the first time that the original ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special), Rudolph'' and ''Frosty the Snowman (film), Frosty'' specials aired on an American cable television network. Premieres of ''Fantastic Mr. Fox (film), Fantastic Mr. Fox'', ''Despicable Me 2'' and ''The BFG (2016 film), The BFG'' aired during the month of November.


2020


Ratings


2006

The network premiere of ''
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
'' was watched by more than 4 million viewers. An encore airing on December 9 was watched by a record 5 million viewers. It became the most watched programming to ever air on ABC Family. The debut airing of the film, ''
Santa Baby "Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René, Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer i ...
'', was watched by 4.7 million viewers.


2007

The first week of programming averaged 2.3 million viewers.


2008

In 2008, the first week of programming attracted 2.7 million total viewers. The entire lineup had an average 2.5 million viewers.


2009

The third annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" was watched by 1.2 million viewers. The network premiere of ''The Santa Clause 3'' was watched by 1.6 million viewers, while an airing of ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' was watched by 1.5 million viewers. The premiere of ''Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe'' was watched by 3.8 million total viewers.


2010

The fourth annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" was watched by 2.1 million viewers. The lineup began its first week with record breaking 3 million average viewers. The December 12 premiere of '' Christmas Cupid'' was watched by a total of 3.4 million viewers. Total viewers for 2010 broke records, averaging 2.8 million viewers. An airing of ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film), How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' drew 1.3 million viewers.


2011

The first week of the 25 Days of Christmas was watched by an average of 2.2 million viewers, down 27% from last year. During the second week, viewers increased to 2.4 million, thanks to the premiere of ''
12 Dates of Christmas ''12 Dates of Christmas'' is a television film starring Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. It premiered on ABC Family on December 11, 2011 in their 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It is directed by James Hayman. The movie depicts Smart ...
''. However, this was still down 30% from the previous year. Overall viewers for the 2011 lineup averaged 2.3 million viewers.


2012

In 2012, the programming block had its most ever total viewers in its debut week, with 2.9 million. An airing of the film ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film), Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' on December 2 became the lineup's most watched program ever, with 5.4 million viewers. Other notable airings included, the network premiere of ''Despicable Me'', watched by over 4.3 million viewers, and a Christmas Eve airing of ''
The Santa Clause 2 ''The Santa Clause 2'' is a 2002 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to ''The Santa Clause'' (1994) and the second installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise. All of the principal ...
'', watched by 3.9 million viewers. The programming block averaged 2.8 million viewers for 2012, on pace with 2010.


2014

In its 17th year, 25 Days of Christmas powered ABC Family as the top cable network in primetime among women 18–34. The entire line-up averaged 2.5 million viewers. A Friday, December 5 airing of ''Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas'' was watched by 3.7 million. The network premiere of '' Toy Story That Time Forgot'' gained 3.4 million while an airing of the classic ''Toy Story 3'' gained 2.7 million viewers. The highest rated airing of ''
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
'' gained 3.5 million viewers while the highest rated airing of ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'' gained 3.2 million. An airing of the Tim Allen classic ''
The Santa Clause ''The Santa Clause'' is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and directed by John Pasquin. The first installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordi ...
'' with limited commercials gained 2.9 million viewers. Christmas Eve ratings on the network saw ratings of ''
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
'' at 2.2 million, ''
Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hear ...
'' at 2.7 million, and ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' and ''Elf'' each at more than 4 million each. The holiday airings of ''Pretty Little Liars'' gained 2 million viewers while ''Chasing Life'' gained 1.2 million. The comedies of ''Melissa and Joey'' and ''Baby Daddy'' gained 1 million and 800,000 viewers respectively.


2015

In 2015 the highest rated event was an airing of ''
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
'' on December 5 at 3.7mil, and another airing on December 24 at 3.1mil. Ratings on Christmas Eve were down on the network due to increased competition from other networks. ''Elf'' proved once again to draw large audiences. On December 1 ''
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
'' gained 2.4mil, an airing of ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film), Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' gained 2.4mil, 2.7mil, and 2.9mil on multiple dates. The highest airing of ''
The Santa Clause ''The Santa Clause'' is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and directed by John Pasquin. The first installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordi ...
'' was December 2 gaining 2.6mil. An airing of the Toy Story trilogy, ''Toy Story'' trilogy on December 13–14 gained 2mil, 2.5mil, and 1.4mil. Christmas Eve on the network was ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'' at 2.4mil, and Elf at 3.1mil. Christmas Day was weak, averaging less than 2mil per airing.


2016

The 25 Days of Christmas schedule was released in late October by Freeform. While notable absences include Jim Carrey's ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film), How the Grinch Stole Christmas'', ''
Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hear ...
'', and the second and third The Santa Clause (franchise), ''The Santa Clause'' films, the schedule still includes many classics. The schedule includes 25 days of classics like, ''Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory'', ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'', ''
The Santa Clause ''The Santa Clause'' is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and directed by John Pasquin. The first installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordi ...
'', Tim Burton's ''
The Nightmare Before Christmas ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (also known as ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas'') is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick (in his feature directorial debut) and produced and ...
'', ''Jack Frost (1998 film), Jack Frost'', Disney's ''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
'', ''
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
'', ''
The Holiday ''The Holiday'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Coproduced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and England and stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as Iris and Amanda, two lovelorn ...
'', ''
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
'', ''Jingle All The Way'', ''
Scrooged ''Scrooged'' is a 1988 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Richard Donner and written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. Based on the 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens, ''Scrooged'' is a modern retelling ...
'', ''
Deck the Halls "Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...
'', ''Toy Story'', Frozen (2013 film), ''Frozen'', and ''Happy Feet''. 2016 ratings of 25 Days of Christmas were down from previous years. The highest rated airing was December 4, when ''Elf'' gained 2.5M viewers. Other airings of
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
gained 2.1M, 1.8M, and 2.0M. A Toy Story marathon on December 10 gained 1.3M, 1.5m, and 1.4m. An airing of ''Frozen'' gained 2.3M on December 17. Christmas Eve on the network saw
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
at 1.4M, ''
The Santa Clause ''The Santa Clause'' is a 1994 American Christmas fantasy comedy film written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, and directed by John Pasquin. The first installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise, it stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, an ordi ...
'' at 1.7M, Elf at 2.7M, and ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...
'' at 2.8M viewers.


2017

Alongside its traditional lineup of acquired and Disney films, the lineup for 2017 included the new original film ''Angry Angel'', starring Jason Biggs and Brenda Song, and the new special ''Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic'', which documented how Disney's theme parks are prepared for the holiday season. On October 31, 2017, it was announced that the ''25 Days of Christmas'' branding would also be used for holiday programming on sister properties
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
(including new seasons of the seasonal miniseries ''The Great Christmas Light Fight'' and ''The Great American Baking Show'', as well as its other traditional specials),
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
(including ''Disney Parks Presents a Disney Channel Holiday Celebration''),
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven yea ...
(including ''The Lion Guard'' special "Timon and Pumbaa's Christmas"), and
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
(''Milo Murphy's Law'': "A Christmas Peril", and ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'': "Stump Day"/"Holiday Spellcial"). Nielsen estimated that at least 150 million viewers watched part of a program on Freeform during the event.


2018

Over the first two weeks after Thanksgiving, average viewership of feature films on Freeform fell by 36% over 2017, due primarily to its loss of several major mainstays of the ''25 Days'' lineup, such as the ''Harry Potter'' film series (whose cable rights moved to Syfy and USA Network earlier in the year) as well as various Warner Bros.-owned films and specials (including ''Elf'' and ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'', and 12 Rankin/Bass specials) that were acquired by
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
for a competing holiday lineup. The original movie ''
Life-Size 2 ''Life-Size 2'', also known as ''Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve'', is a 2018 American fantasy-comedy television film directed by Steven Tsuchida and starring Tyra Banks and Francia Raisa. It is the sequel to ''Life-Size'' starring Banks and Lindsa ...
'' (a sequel to a Life-Size, 2000 ABC made-for-TV film, starring Tyra Banks) was seen by 1.26 million viewers.


2019

This year's airing includes ''
The Muppet Christmas Carol ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' is a 1992 American Christmas musical comedy drama film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dic ...
'' as well as the premiere of '' Prancer Returns'', '' Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas'', ''Perfect Holiday'', ''
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
'', ''
Frosty the Snowman "Frosty the Snowman" is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante. It was written after the success o ...
'' and ''Same Time, Next Christmas''.


2020

This seasonal airing includes ''
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie ''It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' is a 2002 American musical fantasy comedy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher and written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis. The film premiered November 29, 2002 on NBC and the first film to be m ...
'', ''
Christmas with the Kranks ''Christmas with the Kranks'' is a 2004 American Christmas comedy film based on the 2001 novel ''Skipping Christmas'' by John Grisham. It was directed by Joe Roth, written and produced by Chris Columbus, and starring Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Da ...
'', ''Deck the Halls (2006 film)'', ''Snow (2004 film)'', '' Snow 2: Brain Freeze'', ''
Jingle All the Way 2 ''Jingle All the Way 2'' is a 2014 American direct-to-video Christmas comedy film, and a sequel to the 1996 film '' Jingle All the Way'' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Alex Zamm, ''Jingle All the Way 2'' stars Larry the Cable Guy and ...
'', and ''
The Preacher's Wife ''The Preacher's Wife'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of the 1947 film ''The Bishop's Wife'', which in turn was based on the 1 ...
'' as well as the network's premieres of ''
The Grinch The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' He has been portrayed and voiced by many different actors, including Boris Karloff, ...
'', '' The Night Before'', '' Almost Christmas'', ''
The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' and ''
Black Nativity ''Black Nativity '' is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes, performed by an entirely black cast. Hughes was the author of the book, with the lyrics and music being derived from traditional Christmas carols, sung in gospel sty ...
''.


2021


2022

This year's airing includes '' Kung Fu Panda Holiday'' and ''
Home Alone 3 ''Home Alone 3'' is a 1997 American family comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell in his directorial debut, produced by John Hughes, and starring Alex D. Linz and Haviland Morris. The film tells the story of an 8-year-old boy who defends his hom ...
'' as well as the network's premiere of ''Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol'', Walt Disney Animation Studios' ''Frozen II'' and a short film, ''
Olaf's Frozen Adventure ''Olaf's Frozen Adventure'' is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated featurette produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers. The screenplay was written by Jac Schaeffer, with Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, ...
''.


See also

*31 Nights of Halloween *Best Christmas Ever (program block)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:25 Days Of Christmas, The Freeform (TV channel) Christmas television specials Annual television shows Television programming blocks in the United States Recurring events established in 1996 1996 American television series debuts