Holiday TV preview

How do you like your holiday TV specials -- brand new, or just like the ones you used to know? Whatever your druthers, look closely before you settle in for a show. Besides the chronic quandary of which Grinch is which (a cartoon or Jim Carrey?) and whether "Miracle on 34th Street" will be in color, this year offers both the original stop-motion "Year Without a Santa Claus" and a new live-action remake on NBC.

"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," 9 a.m., WMAQ-Channel 5 and WSNS-Channel 44: Julie Andrews, Ciara and Barry Manilow sing on Manhattan's moving stages. "McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade," 9 a.m., WLS-Channel 7: Bands and balloons make their way up State Street. "An American Thanksgiving," 4 p.m., WGN-Channel 9: Bryant Gumbel hosts a special on the holiday's meaning.

"The Christmas List," 7 p.m., ABC Family: A store clerk gets everything she wants. Mimi Rogers. 1997

"White Christmas," 2 p.m., WGN-Channel 9: Entertainers stage a show to save an inn. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye. 1954. (Repeats at 9 p.m. on TCM.)

"White Christmas," 11 a.m., TCM: See Nov. 25. "Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows," 5:30 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Clips from the singer's specials.

"A Town Without Christmas," 8 p.m., Hallmark: A reporter tries to find a boy who wrote a suicide note to Santa. Patricia Heaton. 2001

"A Charlie Brown Christmas," 7 p.m., WLS-Channel 7: The blockhead takes charge of the school pageant. "The Great American Christmas," 8 p.m., USA: Six families celebrate in a reality-TV movie hosted by Howie Mandel.

"Christmas in Rockefeller Center," 7 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5: Christina Aguilera, Sting and Bette Midler sing at the New York tree lighting.

"Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus," 8 p.m., Hallmark: Santa's son needs to find a bride. Steve Guttenberg. 2004

"Frosty's Winter Wonderland," 6 p.m., ABC Family: The magic hat brings a snowbride to life. "Bah Humduck: A Looney Tunes Christmas," 6 p.m., Cartoon: The gang tries to warm up Daffy's cold heart. "White Christmas," 7 p.m., TCM: See Nov. 25.

SATURDAY, DEC. 2

"To Grandmother's House We Go," 8:30 a.m., ABC Family: Twins run into kidnappers on the way to Granny's. Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen. 1992 "Santa Claus: The Movie," 10:30 a.m., ABC Family: A wayward elf threatens to tarnish St. Nick's legend. Dudley Moore. 1985 "Samantha: An American Girl Holiday," 6 p.m., Hallmark: An upper-class girl befriends a young servant. AnnaSophia Robb. 2004 "The Christmas Card," 8 p.m., Hallmark: A soldier decides to visit the stranger who sent holiday greetings. John Newton, Alice Evans. 2006

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," 5 p.m., WGN-Channel 9: A boy must find his missing granny on Christmas Eve. "Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Ghosts of Christmas Eve," 5:30 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Ossie Davis and Jewel appear in a musical fairy tale. 2001

"Rudolph's Shiny New Year," 6 p.m., ABC Family: It takes a glowing nose to find the lost Baby New Year. "The Year Without a Santa Claus," 7 p.m., ABC Family: The Heat Miser, the Snow Miser and St. Nick's exhaustion imperil the holiday. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys," 8 p.m., ABC Family: In this computer-animated sequel, a thief swipes Santa's presents. "The Christmas Box," 8 p.m., Hallmark: A family moves in to care for an elderly woman. Maureen O'Hara. 1997

" 'Twas the Night Before Christmas," 6 p.m., ABC Family: Mice and men learn Santa may bypass their town. "The Legend of Frosty the Snowman," 6 p.m., Cartoon: Frosty cheers up a town where fun is against the rules. "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," 7 p.m., WLS-Channel 7: Kris Kringle defies the Burgermeister's ban on toys. "Call Me Claus," 8 p.m., Lifetime: A TV producer is in the running to succeed Santa. Whoopi Goldberg. 2001

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 6:30 p.m., Cartoon: A mean one tries to ruin the Whoville holiday. 1966

"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," 6 p.m., ABC Family: See Dec. 5.

"Jack Frost," 6 p.m., ABC Family: Jack begs Father Winter to make him human. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 7 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2: The glowing snout and dental dreams of a couple of misfits. "The Polar Express," 7 p.m., ABC Family: A boy is invited along on a rail journey to the North Pole. 2004 "Holiday Affair," 7 p.m. TCM: Torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne'er-do-well. Janet Leigh. 1950 "Frosty the Snowman," 8 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2: A button-nosed snowman puts on a hat and begins to dance around. "Frosty Returns," 8:30 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2: Snow-removal spray isn't good for this jolly, happy soul.

"Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen," 7 p.m., WLS-Channel 7: Rusty Reindeer leaves the North Pole to explore the big city. "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 8 p.m., WLS-Channel 7: Live-action version of the Whoville tale. Jim Carrey. 2000 "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July," 8 a.m., ABC Family: A wizard threatens to dim Rudolph and melt Frosty. (A marathon of specials continues through 11 p.m.) "What I Did for Love," 8 p.m., Hallmark: At Christmas, a woman brings her boyfriend home to a disapproving aunt. Sally Struthers. 2006

"Scrooged," 1 p.m., ABC Family: Ghosts visit a grumpy TV executive. Bill Murray. 1988 "Santa Baby," 7 p.m., ABC Family: When Santa falls ill, his efficiency-expert daughter takes over. Jenny McCarthy, George Wendt. 2006 "Prancer," 7 p.m., AMC: A girl hides an injured reindeer she thinks belongs to Santa. Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman. 1989

"The Year Without a Santa Claus," 8 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5: Commercialism exasperates St. Nick in a new version of the kiddie favorite. John Goodman, Chris Kattan. 2006 "A Christmas Wedding," 8 p.m., Lifetime: Snow strands a couple 24 hours before they're to walk the aisle. Eric Mabius, Sarah Paulson. 2006

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 7 p.m., WLS-Channel 7: See Dec. 6. "Borrowed Hearts," 8 p.m., Lifetime: A single mom pretends to be her boss' wife. Roma Downey. 1997

"Christmas in Washington," 9 p.m., TNT: Phil and Robin McGraw host the musical event with Gretchen Wilson and Il Divo. THURSDAY, DEC. 14 "The Little Drummer Boy," 6 p.m., ABC Family: An orphan delivers a gift to the baby Jesus.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 6 p.m., Cartoon: See Dec. 6. "A Christmas Story," 7 p.m., TCM: A boy wonders whether a Red Ryder air rifle could shoot his eye out. Peter Billingsley. 1983 "Mr. St. Nick," 8 p.m., Lifetime: Santa's prodigal son isn't ready to inherit Dad's duties. Kelsey Grammer. 2002

"Elf," 7 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2: A man brought up at Santa's workshop searches for his identity in New York. Will Ferrell. 2003 < "It's a Wonderful Life," 7 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5: No man is a failure who has friends. James Stewart. 1946 "Christmas Do-Over," 7 p.m., ABC Family: A divorced dad has to relive the same Christmas till he gets it right. Jay Mohr, Daphne Zuniga. 2006

"A Chanukah Celebration," 12:30 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Fran Drescher hosts an hour of stories and lessons. "Olive, the Other Reindeer," 2 p.m., Cartoon: A dog sets out for the North Pole to pull Santa's sleigh. "Home Alone," 3 p.m., TBS: A boy left on his own takes on bumbling burglars. Macaulay Culkin. 1990 "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," 4 p.m., WGN-Channel 9: See Dec. 3. "Chanukah Stories," 6 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Jami Gertz and Bob Saget tell tales of the Festival of Lights. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," 7 p.m., TBS: Relatives gather at the Griswold home, and chaos ensues. Chevy Chase. 1989 (Repeats at 9 p.m.) "A Christmas Story," 7 p.m., TCM: See Dec. 15. "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 4:30 p.m., ABC Family: See Dec. 9.

MONDAY, DEC. 18

"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," 6 p.m., ABC Family: See Dec. 7.

"Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," 6 p.m., Cartoon: The myopic miser plays Scrooge on Broadway.

"A Christmas Carol," 7 p.m., TNT: A Dickens adaptation fizzing with special effects. Patrick Stewart. 1999 "Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir," 8 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Renee Fleming sings with the renowned choir. "Great Performances: Sacred Songs and Carols," 9 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: A concert in Germany with Renee g. "St. Olaf Christmas in Norway," 10 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: The St. Olaf Choir from Minnesota sings overseas.

"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," 9 p.m., TBS: See Dec. 17. "The Marshall Field's Christmas Windows," 9:30 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: A "Chicago Stories" report on the State Street tradition. 2003

"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," 10 a.m., TBS: See Dec. 17. "A Home for the Holidays," 7 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2: Stories and songs from the stars to promote adoption awareness. "Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas," 10:40 p.m., TBS: The Halloween king tries to take over another holiday.

"A Christmas Carol," 4 a.m., TNT: See Dec. 20. "A Christmas Carol," 1 p.m., TCM: A holiday-hating curmudgeon finally gets the spirit. Reginald Owen. 1938 "Eloise at Christmastime," 7 p.m., ABC Family: Eloise plays matchmaker as a Plaza Hotel wedding nears. Sofia Vassileva, Julie Andrews. 2003 "Mr. Christmas," 8 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: A young father can't afford the bicycle his 5-year-old daughter craves. "Christmas at the Hollywood Palace," 9 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Bing Crosby, Perry Como and Bob Newhart are seen in variety-show clips. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," 9:30 p.m., TBS: See Dec. 17. "Tonic Sol-fa Christmas," 10 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: An a cappella quartet sings traditional and original songs.

"Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas," 10 a.m., TBS: See Dec. 22. "The Little Drummer Boy," 11 a.m., ABC Family: See Dec. 14. (A marathon of specials continues until 11 p.m.) "Miracle on 34th Street," 11 a.m., AMC: A Macy's Santa goes to court to prove he's the real thing. Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood. 1947 (Repeats at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 p.m.) "Christmas at Belmont," 4 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: Choral and instrumental ensembles perform at the university in Nashville. "Frosty the Snowman," 4 p.m., Cartoon: See Dec. 8. "O Christmas Tree," 6 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11: A special recounts the tradition's history from its pagan origins. "Miracle on 34th Street," 6 p.m., WPWR-Channel 50: A girl's skepticism about Santa is put to the test. Elizabeth Perkins. 1994 (Repeats at 9 p.m.) "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," 6:30 p.m., TBS: See Dec. 6. "The 2006 Hollywood Christmas Parade," 7 p.m., WGN-Channel 9: George Lopez and Regis Philbin are grand marshals of a California celebration.