By Andie Hagemann
The holiday season is upon and there’s plenty of festive content sure to make you feel merry and bright. Enjoy the films Love Actually and Disney’s A Christmas Carol, or a holiday-themed episode of The Simpsons with A Christmas Carol twist, all airing on Freeform. Or, watch Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, available to stream on Disney+. Are you in the mood to sing about your favorite things? Watch The Sound of Music airing Sunday evening on ABC.
The Simpsons—Friday, December 17, at 12 a.m. ET on Freeform
Dust off your holiday sweaters and watch a few of our favorite holiday episodes. Among them is “‘Tis the Fifteenth Season,” which features a Simpsons twist on a holiday classic. In this version of A Christmas Carol, Homer is inspired to become giving after coming into a large sum of money, which surprisingly prompts jealousy in his neighbor Flanders.
Love Actually—Friday, December 17, at 9 a.m. ET, on Freeform
Whether it’s the first viewing or thousandth, the 2003 Christmas-themed romantic comedy is sure to cue up the holiday cheer. Nine intertwined stories and an all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, and more examine the complexities of love for the young and young at heart. Get your cue cards ready for the holiday classic.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol—Friday, December 17, at 11:55 p.m. ET, on Freeform
Keep the A Christmas Carol spirit going with the 2009 computer-animated movie, starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Seven years after the passing of his business partner Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman), Scrooge refuses to participate in Christmas festivities, declining an invitation to his nephew’s home for Christmas Dinner. After reluctantly granting his loyal employee Bob Cratchit (Oldman) Christmas Day off, three ghosts take him on a journey that reveals long-buried truths. Scrooge must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—Saturday, December 19, at 12:20 a.m. ET on Freeform
What’s this? What’s this? Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon) stumbles upon Christmas Town and soon becomes obsessed with the unfamiliar holiday. Jack longs to spread the joy of Christmas with the residents of Halloween Town, but his mission puts Santa Claus (voiced by Ed Ivory) in peril in this stop-motion animated musical full of spooky holiday fun.
The Sound of Music—Sunday, December 19, at 7 p.m. ET, on ABC
Gather the family for a screening of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical inspired story The Sound of Music. The musical follows the story of Maria (Disney Legend Julie Andrews), who takes a job as a governess for the von Trapp family while she contemplates becoming a nun. She eventually falls in love with the children and later their widowed father Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). After he refuses to accept a position with the Germany Navy, the family devises a plan to flee Austria.
