Christmas movies on free to air TV: What’s playing when?
EVERYONE’S got their favourite Christmas movie, but when will yours be shown on free to air TV this festive season? Here’s the answer.
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CHRISTMAS movies are undoubtedly one of the highlights of the festive season.
They build the anticipation for Christmas Day, they remind us of what’s truly important in life and sometimes they just provide a great excuse to head inside for a few hours when your drunk uncle gets a bit grabby after lunch.
This year there’s no shortage of Christmas movies on free to air TV.
Here’s a guide of what’s on when this holiday season:
Movie: Home Alone
When: Sunday, December 18 at 7pm on Network Ten
Plot: An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his home from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas holiday.
Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
Movie: Love Actually
When: Monday, December 19 at 8.30pm on Seven
Plot: Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
Stars: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson
Movie: Die Hard
When: Monday, December 19 at 8.30pm on Network Ten
Plot: NYPD officer John McClane tries to save his wife Holly Gennaro and several others that were taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Movie: Die Hard 2
When: Sunday, December 25 at 8.30pm on Network Ten
Plot: John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
Stars: Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia
Movie: Elf
When: Sunday, December 18 at 7.30pm on 9GO!
Plot: A modern day Christmas tale ... Clumsy Buddy, a human raised as an elf is sent to the US in search of his true identity after nearly bringing Santa’s operation to a catastrophic standstill due to his size.
Stars: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart
Movie: Christmas With the Kranks
When: Friday, December 23 at 9.30pm on 9GO!
Plot: Empty nesters Luther and Nora Krank decide to book an island cruise to beat the Christmas blues and just skip the holidays. But their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighbourhood in an uproar.
Stars: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis
Movie: Jingle All The Way
When: Friday, December 23 at 7.40pm on 9GO!
Plot: After promising his young son that Santa will get him the number one item on the boy’s wish list, a well-meaning workaholic father’s Christmas Eve turns into a hilariously nightmarish, madcap scramble across the city to find the much sought-after and therefore virtually impossible-to-find toy.
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman
Movie: The Santa Clause
When: Friday, December 23 at 7pm on 7flix
Plot: When a man inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.
Stars: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson
Movie: The Santa Clause 2
When: Friday December 16 at 8.30pm on Seven and Saturday, December 24 at 7pm on 7flix
Plot: Scott Calvin has been a humble Santa Claus for nearly 10 years, but it might come to an end if he doesn’t find a Mrs Claus.
Stars: Tim Allen, Spencer Breslin, Elizabeth Mitchell
Movie: Polar Express
When: Saturday, December 17 at 7.30pm on 9GO!
Plot: When a boy who begins to doubt the existence of Santa Claus takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
Stars: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter
Movie: Reindeer Games
When: Tuesday, December 20 at 8.30pm on 9GO!
Plot: An ex-con’s plan to pose as his late cellmate backfires when he is roped into a casino heist on Christmas Eve.
Stars: Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron and Gary Sinise
Movie: Jack Frost
When: Friday, December 16 at 8.00pm on 9GO!
Plot: Michael Keaton stars in this fantasy adventure about a man who becomes a real father to his son after returning to life. A year after his father’s death on Christmas Day, a young boy builds a snowman and dresses it with his father’s hat, scarf and gloves. That night, the boy’s wish comes true — his father returns to life ... as the snowman.
Stars: Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, Joseph Cross
Movie: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
When: Wednesday, December 21 at 9.30pm on 9GO!
Plot: Six years after their Guantánamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold’s father-in-law’s prize Christmas tree.
Stars: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris
Movie: Deck the Halls
When: Thursday December 22 at 8.30pm on ELEVEN
Plot: Two neighbours have it out after one of them decorates his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space.
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Danny DeVito, Kristen Chenoweth
Movie: Surviving Christmas
When: Friday December 23 at 8.30pm ELEVEN
Plot: A lonely, obnoxious young millionaire pays a family to spend Christmas with him.
Stars: Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate, James Gandolfini
Movie: Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
When: Saturday, December 24 at 7pm on Seven
Plot: On the outskirts of Whoville, there lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans on ruining the Christmas holiday for all of the citizens of the town.
Stars: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen
Movie: A Christmas Carol
When: Saturday, December 24 at 3pm on Seven
Plot: An animated retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
Stars: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth
FYI - For those of you that have Foxtel, you’ll be delighted to know that Foxtel Movies has set up a 12 Days of Christmas pop up channel which runs right through to Christmas Day.
The lineup includes:
December 16: Four Holidays
December 17: Elf
December 18: Home Alone
December 19: Jack Frost
December 20: Angels Sing
December 21: A Christmas Melody
December 22: Jingle All the Way
December 23: Love the Coopers
December 24: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
December 25: Miracle on 34th Street
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