Christmas movies, holiday specials, and winter sports are all in season right now! Thanksgiving NFL games (usually featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions) and other TV traditions like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have long been as fundamental to the holiday as turkey and pumpkin pie. And when the holiday is over? Clear the area for Hallmark movies and A Charlie Brown Christmas!
Holiday material has increased significantly since the introduction of streaming. There is a cottage industry of hilariously corny films about a small-town girl returning from the big city, but they are also available on Lifetime, BET, ION, Netflix, and Great American Family. Christmas-themed cooking competitions may be found on The Food Network, HBO has thoughtful Santa documentaries, and Disney Plus features holiday specials from Pentatonix and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In 2022, there will be a ton of fantastic holiday stuff available to stream, whether you’re a Scrooge or a sucker for Santa (plus a little tournament called The World Cup thrown in just for kicks).
Here are our top favourites to watch this holiday season. Enjoy!
Festive TV Shows
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays
The coziest program in Britain consistently outdoes itself with holiday-themed challenges that include bakers from previous seasons. Bake Off runner-up Kim-Joy and her castmate Jon are among this year’s crop.
Interrupting Chicken Holiday Special
In this animated holiday special, Ebenezer Wolf, who resembles Scrooge, tries to call off the holidays with the help of the Three Little Pigs and a few ghostly pals. The story is based on another acclaimed children’s book series.
Reindeer in Here
The story of a juvenile reindeer with a noticeably smaller left antler than right is the subject of this brand-new hour-long animated spectacular by Adam Reed. Adam Devine, Jim Gaffigan, Henry Winkler, and self-described Christmas movie guru Candace Cameron Bure all lend their voices to the cast.
LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular
Celebrities will collaborate with prior fan favorites builders on this three-night holiday special (airing December 19–21) to build extravagant holiday-themed buildings for charity. Will Arnett and the late Leslie Jordan were supposed to co-host; it’s unknown if another host will take her place.
Holiday Sports
The FIFA World Cup begins on November 20 and lasts until December 18, in case you somehow missed it.
Early January sees the end of the regular season, with the Playoffs (which will now include an additional Wild Card club) beginning on January 14, 2023.
The Bahamas Bowl will kick off the 2023 college bowl season on December 16, while the College Football Playoff will take place from December 31 through January 9 of that year.
On Christmas Day, NBA fans can look forward to five games, with the Warriors vs. the Grizzlies and the Celtics vs. the Bucks having playoff rematches. This is a great day to watch sports games with competitive family members as you can have a friendly competition amongst yourself and place a wager while making use of some of the best bonus bets offers out there!
The NHL Winter Classic, which will take place on January 2, 2023, at Boston’s storied Fenway Park between the first-place Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins, is always a festive treat that celebrates the enjoyment of hockey.
Holiday Movies
Falling for Christmas
Alongside Glee’s Chord Overstreet, who plays an almost likely irritable ski resort owner, Lindsay Lohan stars as a spoiled heiress with amnesia (and her soon-to-be love interest).
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
This cartoon classic is nothing new and is currently available to stream for Apple TV+ subscribers, but from November 23 to November 27, it will be free for everyone (with additional Peanuts holiday classics streaming for free during the month of December).
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The whole Marvel cast, including Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper, travels to Earth in this one-off special that James Gunn scripted and directed to send Peter Quill/Star Lord the best Christmas present ever. As well, Kevin Bacon will show up.
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas
Look for special appearances by Willie Nelson, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus, among many others, in this two-hour movie starring the most recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. The movie follows her quest to “uplift an exhausted world’s spirits by sharing unique “mountain magic” on a journey guided by “Three Wise Mountain Men.”
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