TVSquad

• At 8, PBS has a new Wired Science, followed by the American Masters tribute to Bob Newhart.
• The CW has a new Crowned at 8.
• G4 has a new X-Play at 8.
• Lifetime Movie Network has the movie Under the Misletoe at 8.
• At 9, CBS has The 30th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, with honorees Steve Martin, Martin Scorcese, Diana Ross, Brian Wilson, and Leon Fleischer.
• TBS has the Funniest Commercials of the Year: 2007 at 9, followed by new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• Also at 9: HBO has Real Sports with Bryant Gumbal, then a new Inside the NFL.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• Nickelodeon and TV Land have Christmas episodes all night.
• Fox Movie Channel continues to show Miracle on 34th Street all night.
• At 8, NBC has a new, two hour Deal Or No Deal.
• TBS has a mini marathon of Family Guy starting at 8, then two episodes of The Office.
• AMC has the movie Rio Bravo at 8.
• At 9, Lifetime has the movie The Christmas Shoes.
• Food Network has a marathon of Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie The Christmas Card at 9.
• At 10, Sci-Fi has a Best of ECW special.
• At 11, Lifetime has two Christmas eps of Will and Grace, then two Christmas eps each of Frasier and The Golden Girls.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• TV Land is showing Christmas episodes of various shows all night.
• At 8, ABC has Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
• NBC has It's A Wonderful Life at 8.
• CNN has What Would Jesus Do? Holiday Edition at 8.
• AMC has 1984's A Christmas Carol at 8.
• Also at 8: Great American Country has a Holiday Wrapping Party.
• At 8:30, Nickelodeon has a Christmas episode of Full House, then two Christmas episodes of Home Improvement.
• At 9, Lifetime has the movie Deck the Halls.
• Food Network has the All-Star Holiday Party special at 9, followed by All-Star Holiday Dishes.
• Comedy Central has Bad Santa at 9.
• At 11, Lifetime has two holiday episodes of Will & Grace, then two holiday episodes of Frasier.
• At 11:35, CBS and NBC have Christmas Eve Mass.
• At midnight, TCM has The Bells of St. Mary.
• At 12:15, AMC has the 1947 movie Christmas Eve.

Check your local TV listings for more.

As we approach Christmas Eve, and visions of new episodes of Heroes dance in your head, it's time to give thanks for everything you have in your life. I know I'm thankful for family, friends, and this delicious chai I'm drinking right now, but I'm also thankful for hysterical web sites like LateShowWritersOnStrike.com, the blog that Letterman's staff has been keeping since the strike started. And a few days ago they posted a strike-related crafts project you can make at home.

It's the Gingerbread Network Headquarters!

In 2004, the Venture Bros. gang pumped up our holiday spirit with a cover of Bing Crosby and David Bowie's "Little Drummer Boy" duet; in 2005, Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas"; and in 2006, a little thing called "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (part of Venture-Aid 2006). This year, the Christmas love continues with yet another Dr. Girlfriend and Monarch duet, in the form of The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York".

I quite like this song, but I don't think anything will be able to top the Monarch/Henchmen love that was "Hard Candy Christmas". And what's up with the Monarch doing every single song? Jackson Publick must have a little too much fun with that voice.

• At 7, ABC has Elmo's Christmas Countdown, followed by a new Duel and The Santa Clause 2.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, then the Redskins/Vikings game.
• The CW has a new CW Now at 7.
• At 8, CBS has a new episode of The Amazing Race, then the special In God's Name.
• The CW has The Story of Santa Claus at 8.
• ESPN has the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has Christmas in Connecticut, followed by Holiday Affair.
• At 9, Lifetime has the movie A Very Married Christmas.
• HGTV has Decorating Cents Home for the Holidays at 9.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Xavier: Renegade Angel, followed by Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Ah, Christmas music. A lot of people hate it. Those people are called "Scrooges."

I love Christmas music. The classic stuff, that is. Sinatra, Clooney, Como, instrumental music. If I hear Bruce Spingsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" or anything by Mariah Carey or U2 or McCartney or any rock band (though I love "Jingle Bell Rock," "Christmas Wrapping," and Darlene Love, which are all great), I'll strangle an elf, I swear.

After the jump I've posted many classic moments from TV specials and Christmas episodes of shows. You'll find everything from Dean Martin to a classic soda commercial and even a part of the male anatomy, placed in a square receptacle.

Here are a few things that I'd like to see happen for television in the coming new year:

A satisfying end to Battlestar Galactica
At first I'd say that we have little to worry about, since this series has been so incredible thus far. However, there's still that tinge of fear that, once this show's finale airs, fans are left disappointed or left hanging. I believe Ron Moore indicated that there would be no big unresolved issues once the show finished, but you just never know. At the last minute they might decide they want to continue this after all, leaving a big gaping hole for a new series. Not that a new series would necessarily suck, but let's see this one off properly ... please?

• At 8, CBS has A Home for the Holidays, a special about adoption.
• ABC has a new Duel at 8.
• NBC has two new episodes of Singing Bee at 8, then a new Dateline.
• PBS has a new NOW at 8, followed by new episodes of Washington Week and Bill Moyers Journal.
• There's a new Smackdown! on The CW at 8.
• Alton Brown makes eggnog at 8 on Food Network's Good Eats.
• Also at 8: TCM has Bette Davis in Dark Victory.
• At 9, FOX has a new Next Great American Band.
• Larry King has holiday music on CNN at 9.
• Discovery has a new Man vs. Wild at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie Under The Misletoe at 9.
• Food Network has a new Paula's Party at 9, then a new Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has another new installment of Duel.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? at 8, followed by a new Don't Forget The Lyrics.
• NBC has a new Clash of the Choirs at 8.
• Also at 8: if you've never seen the original Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, there are two episodes on BBC America starting at 8.
• AT 9, HGTV has a new Divine Design.
• Lifetime has the movie The Christmas Shoes at 9.
• There's a Christmas episode of Home Improvement on Nickelodeon at 9.
• The History Channel has the movie The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Passion For Life, which I believe is a repackaged movie version of the series? It's on at 9.
• It seems to be "Christmas Angel Night" on Hallmark, with the movie When Angels Come To Town at 9, then the movie Papa's Angels.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Duel.
• NBC has a new Clash of the Choirs and a new Biggest Loser.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Independent Lens.
• AMC has the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has Al Roker's Christmas in New York.
• At 9, CBS has a new episode of The Unit, then a new Cane.
• Lifetime has the movie On the 2nd Day of Christmas.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• FX has a new Nip/Tuck at 10.
• Bravo has a new The Real Housewives of Orange County.
• There's a new ECW on Sci-Fi at 10.
• The Travel Channel has Christmas to the Extreme at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S02E09) "That's not a Christmas tree. It's a way to lure tourists into the basement for $20 salads." - Kenneth, about the Rockefeller Center tree

I'm a sucker for Christmas episodes. The plots, the lessons learned, the music. And it doesn't matter if it's a corny, traditional type of holiday episode or a modern, irreverent look at the holiday. This 30 Rock episode is more the latter, but it doesn't mean that there isn't some crazy traditional aspects to it too. These characters - even the ones who get on each others nerves - care about each other in their own way. When Jenna sings "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and you see a montage of people arguing and Guatemalan kids destroying their Christmas gifts, that's a nice mix of the old and the odd, and the capper of having Jack and his pain in the ass mom wish each other a Merry Christmas just fits so perfectly.

• At 8, CBS has a new Survivor, then new episodes of CSI and Without A Trace.
• The CW has new episodes of Smallville and Supernatural.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? at 8, then a new Don't Forget The Lyrics.
• CMTV has A Smoky Mountain Christmas at 8, then A Toby Keith Christmas.
• At 8:30, HGTV has a new Carter Can.
• Also at 8:30: Cartoon Network has A Johnny Bravo Christmas.
• At 9, NBC has a new 30 Rock, followed by a Saturday Night Live Christmas.
• Lifetime has the movie Christmas Child at 9.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Ace of Cakes.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has the season finale of Kid Nation, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• ABC has a new Pushing Daisies at 8.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Deal Or No Deal at 8 (with cast members from The Office), followed by a new Dateline.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, then the series premiere of Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants.
• At 9, FOX has a new Kitchen Nightmares.
• TBS has three new episodes of House of Payne starting at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie Holiday Switch at 9.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9.
• HGTV has a new Christmas episode of Deserving Design at 9, then a new Christmas episode of Design on a Dime.
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Tyler's Ultimate.
• At 10, TNT has Christmas in Washington, with Andrea Bocelli, Vanessa Hudgens, Ne-Yo, Alan Jackson, and others.
• Bravo has a new Project Runway at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has I Want A Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown!, then new episodes of Samantha Who?, Notes from the Underbelly, and October Road.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother at 8.
• The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris, then new episodes of Aliens in America, Girlfriends, and The Game.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Deal or No Deal at 8, followed by a new Journeyman.
• PBS has a holiday jazz concert on a new Live From Lincoln Center at 8.
• Also at 8: Alton Brown tries to bake a good fruitcake on Food Network's Good Eats.
• At 9, FOX has a new K-Ville.
• Lifetime has the movie The Road To Christmas at 9.
• Food Network has Wintertime Treats Unwrapped at 9.
• At 10, CBS has a new CSI: Miami.
• TNT has a new Saving Grace at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.