Small screen’s big holiday offerings

It’s time to prepare for the annual onslaught of holiday visitors. They should be arriving at your house anytime now.

You remember little Ralphie Parker. He’s making the trip, his sights set on a certain Red Ryder BB gun.

George Bailey is on his way from Bedford Falls, and he’s bringing the entire family. The Grinch is coming, with his dog, Max. Charlie Brown will be there, carrying a little Christmas tree picked for the occasion.

There will be new faces making the holiday scene, as well – everyone from John Goodman as Santa Claus to Jenny McCarthy as Santa’s daughter.

Each year, television’s parade of holiday fare grows longer. So we’ve made a list of the season’s small-screen offerings (by no means complete) and checked it more than twice, starting with what’s new:

Fresh arrivals

•”The Great American Christmas” (Tuesday, 9 p.m., NBC) – Howie Mandel hosts a special that examines the holiday through the eyes of six families.

•”Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (Wednesday, 8 p.m., NBC) – Al Roker and Ann Curry host the annual special.

•”Ugly Betty” (Thursday, 8 p.m., ABC) – It’s time for Mode magazine’s annual holiday party.

•”Tyler’s Ultimate: Ultimate Holiday Table” (Dec. 2, 9:30 a.m., Food Network) – Tyler Florence works his magic for the holidays in this special, which will be followed by an entire morning of holiday-themed episodes.

•”The Christmas Card” (Dec. 2, 9 p.m., Hallmark Channel) – Ed Asner (“Lou Grant”) stars in a cable movie about a career soldier who takes a leave of absence to search for the young woman who has written him an anonymous Christmas card.

•”A Dad for Christmas” (Dec. 3, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – Kristopher Turner has the lead role in this cable movie about a young man who wants to be a real father to his girlfriend’s baby.

•”Under the Mistletoe” (Dec. 4, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – Jamie Ray Newman plays a devoted single mother who complains about the superficial aspects of dating while on a radio show.

•”Tim Janis: The American Christmas Carol” (Dec. 3, 4:30 p.m., KSPS-7) – Guests Paul Baloche, Jadon Lavik, Shannon Wexelberg and Lynn Witty join the composer for a musical special narrated by James Earl Jones.

•”Go, Diego, Go!” (Dec. 8, noon, Nickelodeon) – The children’s series’ first holiday special, “Diego Saves Christmas,” follows little Diego as he tries to help Santa.

•”Rick Steves’ European Christmas” (Dec. 8, 8:30 p.m., KSPS-7) – This special looks at how seven diverse cultures celebrate Christmas.

•”Essence of Emeril: Christmas Holiday” (Dec. 9, 8 a.m., Food Network) – Baked ham and rum glaze are on the menu for the colorful chef’s special.

•”A Christmas Mikey” (Dec. 9, 7 p.m., Nickelodeon) – The anime comedy series draws on several classic stories in this Christmas episode.

•”What I Did for Love” (Dec. 9, 9 p.m., Hallmark Channel) – Jeremy London has the lead role in this cable movie about a hotshot Los Angeles lawyer who visits his girlfriend’s family ranch for Christmas.

•”Santa Baby” (Dec. 10, 8 p.m., ABC Family) – This cable movie stars Jenny McCarthy as Santa’s daughter, Mary, a New York business executive who returns to the North Pole. George Wendt plays Santa.

•”Christmas on Chestnut Street” (Dec. 10, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – Kristen Dalton stars in the cable movie about a holiday lights contest that puts the entire town at odds.

•”Everybody Hates Chris” (Dec. 11, 8 p.m., CW) – Young Chris lands in the hospital in the Christmas episode of comedian Chris Rock’s series based on his Brooklyn childhood.

•”The Year Without a Santa Claus” (Dec. 11, 9 p.m., NBC) – John Goodman is Santa Claus in this TV movie based on the book by Phyllis McGinley.

•”A Christmas Wedding” (Dec. 11, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – A young couple plans a glamorous yuletide union in this cable movie starring Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”), Sarah Paulson (“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”) and Dean Cain (“Las Vegas”).

•”Christmas in Washington” (Dec. 13, 10 p.m., TNT) – Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw return as hosts.

•”Christmas With the Dickinsons” (Dec. 13, 10 p.m., Oxygen) – With the merry mayhem of over-the-top model-turned-mogul Janice Dickinson, it’s anything but a traditional Christmas special.

•”Christmas Do-Over” (Dec. 16, 8 p.m., ABC Family) – Jay Mohr and Daphne Zuniga team up for this Christmas comedy about second chances.

•”The Road to Christmas” (Dec. 17, 8 p.m., Lifetime) – Jennifer Grey plays a fashion photographer whose plans for a storybook Rocky Mountain wedding hits the rocks.

•”A Perfect Day” (Dec. 18, 8 p.m., TNT) – Rob Lowe stars in this holiday cable movie about a man who, after being fired from his job, pursues his dream of writing a book.

•”All She Wants for Christmas” (Dec. 18, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – Monica Keena plays a graduate student trying to save a small-town Christmas ornament company in danger of being closed.

•”Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir” (Dec. 20, 8 p.m., KSPS-7) – Two-time Grammy winner Renee Fleming and British actress Claire Bloom are the guests for the annual holiday concert in Temple Square.

•”Great Performances” (Dec. 20, 9 p.m., KSPS-7) – Renee Fleming presents sacred songs and carols in a concert recorded in Germany’s Mainz Cathedral.

•”Home for the Holidays” (Dec. 22, 8 p.m., CBS) – A blend of performances and stories about adoption features Five for Fighting, John Legend, Katharine McPhee, Cedric the Entertainer, Miley Cyrus, Laura Dern, Angie Harmon, Melina Kanakaredes and Jeri Ryan.

•”Holiday Wishes” (Dec. 24, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – Amber Benson is a party planner who helps a spoiled rich girl magically discover the meaning of Christmas.

•”Home for Christmas” (Dec. 24, 9 p.m., Lifetime) – Linda Hamilton stars in this cable movie about a divorced woman trying to patch her life back together during the Christmas season.

•”Live from Lincoln Center: New Year’s Eve with Audra McDonald and the New York Philharmonic” (Dec. 31, 8 p.m., KSPS-7) – The Tony-winning actress presents an evening of Broadway tunes.

•”Great Performances: Garrison Keillor’s New Year’s Eve Special” (Dec. 31, 10 p.m., KSPS-7) – Keillor hosts the live “Prairie Home Companion” special from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Old favorites

•”White Christmas” (Saturday, noon and 7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.; Dec. 1, 5 p.m., TCM) – Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye sing and joke their way through this seasonal favorite packed with Irving Berlin tunes.

•”The Bishop’s Wife” (Sunday, 7 a.m., TCM) – Cary Grant is an angel helping a bishop (David Niven) in this Christmas classic.

•”A Charlie Brown Christmas” (Tuesday, 8 p.m., ABC) – Charlie Brown learns what Christmas is all about in the 1965 animated special.

•”Frosty’s Winter Wonderland” (Dec. 1, 7 p.m., ABC Family) – Andy Griffith and Shelley Winters provide voices for this special.

•”The Polar Express” (Dec. 1, 8 p.m., ABC) – Tom Hanks plays several roles, including Santa, in the film directed by Robert Zemeckis.

•”Santa Claus: The Movie” (Dec. 2, 11:30 a.m., ABC Family) – Dudley Moore and John Lithgow star in this movie about a ruthless businessman threatening Santa.

•”SpongeBob SquarePants: Patchy the Pirate Presents the SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas Special” (Dec. 4, 7 p.m., Nickelodeon) – SpongeBob and Sandy bring Christmas to Bikini Bottom.

•”The Story of the First Christmas” (Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m., ABC Family) – Angela Lansbury narrates the story of a young shepherd named Lucas.

•”Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (Dec. 6, 7 p.m., ABC Family) – Fred Astaire narrates the story of Kris Kringle (voiced by Mickey Rooney).

•”Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (Dec. 8, 8 p.m., CBS) – Burl Ives narrates this musical special first aired in 1964.

•”Frosty the Snowman” (Dec. 8, 9 p.m., CBS) – Jimmy Durante narrates this 1969 special about the “jolly happy soul.”

•”Frosty Returns” (Dec. 8, 9:30 p.m., CBS) – John Goodman is the voice of Frosty in this 1995 sequel.

•”Holiday Christmas Classic Marathon” (9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 9, ABC Family) – The Rankin Bass specials include “Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” ” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

•”Christmas in Connecticut” (Dec. 9, 9 a.m., TCM) – Columnist Barbara Stanwyck poses as the perfect cook and host in this 1945 film.

•”Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Dec. 9, 8 p.m., ABC) – Jim Carrey is the Grinch in director Ron Howard’s film version of the tale.

•”Scrooged” (Dec. 10, 2 p.m., ABC Family) – Bill Murray is a Scroogelike network television executive in this clever modern retelling of “A Christmas Carol.”

•”Rugrats Chanukah Special” (Dec. 12, 7 p.m., Nickelodeon) – The Rugrats gang attends an annual Hanukkah festival.

•”The Little Drummer Boy” (Dec. 14, 7 p.m., ABC Family) – The Rankin Bass special follows an orphan drummer boy who meets three wise men on their way to Bethlehem.

•”It’s a Wonderful Life” (Dec. 16, 8 p.m. and Dec. 24, 7 p.m., NBC) – Jimmy Stewart is George Bailey, who gets some Christmas Eve help from Clarence the angel in director Frank Capra’s beloved film.

•”Elf” (Dec. 16, 8 p.m., CBS) – Will Ferrell is the tall fellow raised as an elf in this film also starring James Caan, Mary Steenburgen and Bob Newhart.

•”Nutcracker With Mikhail Baryshnikov” (Dec. 17, 7 p.m., KSPS-7) – Baryshnikov teams with Gelsey Kirkland in this 1977 studio rendition of the holiday ballet.

•”The Santa Clause 2” (Dec. 17, 8 p.m., The Disney Channel) – Tim Allen stars in the 2002 sequel to the 1994 hit about a self-absorbed businessman who discovers that Santa’s suit is a perfect fit.

•”National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (Dec. 17, 8 and 10 p.m., TBS) – Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) seeks the ideal Christmas holiday.

•”A Chanukah Celebration” (Dec. 18, 10:30 p.m., KWSU) – Fran Drescher hosts this Hanukkah special.

•”A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 20, 8 p.m., TNT) – This is the cable movie version with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge.

•”Meet John Doe” (Dec. 21, 5 p.m., TCM) – Gary Cooper becomes the voice of the common man in director Frank Capra’s film.

•”Eloise at Christmastime” (Dec. 23, 8 p.m., ABC Family) – It’s Christmas at the Plaza Hotel in this TV movie based on the children’s books by Kay Thompson. Julie Andrews stars.

•”Christmas Marathon” (Dec. 24, 6 a.m., The Disney Channel) – The 24-hour marathon includes encore showings of holiday-themed episodes and Christmas movies.

•”34th on the 24th” (Dec. 24, noon, AMC) – “Miracle on 34th Street” will be shown eight times, alternating between the black-and-white and colorized versions.

•”Christmas Marathon” (Dec. 24, noon, ABC Family) – The 12-hour marathon includes 15 Rankin/Bass holiday favorites.

•”How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Dec. 24, 7:30 p.m., TBS) – Boris Karloff narrates the original animated special.

•”A Christmas Story” (Dec. 24, 8 p.m., TBS) – This annual 24-hour marathon of the holiday gem is the first since Darren McGavin’s death.

•”A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 25, 3:15 a.m., TCM) – This is the 1938 version with Reginald Owen.

•”Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (Dec. 31, 10 p.m., ABC) – Ryan Seacrest joins Clark for the annual festivities.

•”NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly” (Dec. 31, 11:30 p.m., NBC) – Daly is back for a third year of ringing in the new year.