Season's Screenings: TV decks the halls with specials and movies

By Chuck Barney
Contra Costa Times

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The creative forces behind "Yes, Virginia" know they face daunting odds.

At this time every year, TV programmers serve up shiny, new holiday-themed fare, only to have viewers discard most of it like crumpled wads of gift wrap. When it comes to seasonal fare, the stuff that's new rarely generates the same interest as the tried-and-true.

"It's tough to break through the crowd," says Matt MacDonald, a producer for "Yes, Virginia," which debuts Dec. 11 on CBS. "A lot of specials in recent years have failed to stick around. Everyone seems to love the classics from the 1960s."

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He's referring to holiday hall-of-famers such as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" — timeless favorites that still cast a powerful yuletide spell.

"Yes, Virginia," featuring the voice talents of Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Alfred Molina, is one of this season's "rookies" trying to seize some attention. It's a computer-animated offering that revisits the late 1800s tale of little Virginia O'Hanlon, who wonders if Santa Claus really exists. She eventually writes a letter to the New York Sun newspaper, which responded with an editorial that has become part of Christmas lore.

The story received TV treatment for a 1974 special, but MacDonald and his collaborators thought it was worth telling again.

"We anchored it in reality, but we didn't try to make it too hip or too modern," he says. "We don't want it to be something that has its day and is gone. Twenty years down the road, we'd love to be right there with Charlie Brown and Rudolph."

Here's a rundown of some of television's prime-time holiday highlights. Take note that many of the cable programs will receive multiple airings. (For dates and times, consult your listings).

THE HOLIDAY HALL OF FAME

• "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas": Quick, put Whoville on lockdown. The greedy grouch is lurking once again. (8 p.m. Monday and Dec. 23, ABC).

• "A Charlie Brown Christmas": A pathetic little tree gets some love and the Peanuts gang learns the true meaning of Christmas. (8 p.m. Tuesday and Dec. 8 and 24, ABC).

• "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer": It's a celebration of nonconformity as North Pole outcasts rise and shine. (8 p.m. Wednesday and Dec. 12, CBS)

• "The Year Without a Santa Claus": Say it isn't so: The big guy goes on strike. (8 p.m. Dec. 8, ABC Family).

• "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town": Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle melts the heart of the Burgermeister Meisterburger. (8 p.m., Dec. 7, ABC)

• "Frosty the Snowman": It's time to chill out with the jolly, happy soul. (8 p.m. Dec. 18, CBS).

NEW FOR THE KIDDIES

• "Merry Madagascar": An animated special starring the zoo animals from the movies. (8 p.m. today, NBC).

• "Disney's Prep & Landing": An elite unit of Santa's elves readies homes for the big night. (8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Dec. 16, ABC).

• "Yes, Virginia": Neil Patrick Harris and Jennifer Love Hewitt lend their voices to the familiar tale of girl who questions the existence of Santa. (8 p.m. Dec. 11, CBS).

BIG-SCREEN EVERGREENS

• "A Christmas Carol": The 1938 version with Reginald Owen as Scrooge. (8 p.m. Thursday, TCM).

• "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation": Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) becomes a walking disaster zone around the holiday. (8 p.m. Monday, AMC).

• "The Polar Express": Tom Hanks is the conductor on a magical train en route to the North Pole. (8:30 p.m. Thursday, ABC Family).