Freeform Launches 25 Days of Christmas with Over 100 Holiday Movies and Specials

Freeform kicks off its annual 25 Days of Christmas programming on December 1, delivering a marathon of festive films and animations tailored for family viewing. The lineup assembles over 100 titles, spanning classic comedies and modern Disney tales to fill the holiday season. Viewers can expect daily rotations emphasizing themes of redemption, adventure, and seasonal magic through December 25.

The schedule opens on December 1 with ‘Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish’ at 7:00 a.m. ET, followed by ‘Cricket on the Hearth’ at 10:30 a.m. The day escalates to the full ‘The Santa Clause’ trilogy, starring Tim Allen as the reluctant Santa, airing in sequence during prime hours. Evening slots reserve for the ‘Home Alone’ duo, with Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister thwarting burglars in the original and its New York sequel, closing with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Jingle All the Way’.

December 2 shifts to romantic and animated fare, including the 1998 ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ with Jonathan Taylor Thomas navigating college chaos for a family reunion. ‘Love Actually’ follows, weaving ensemble stories of holiday romance across London, directed by Richard Curtis. Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ animates Jack Skellington’s Yuletide takeover at 8:00 p.m., paired with the 2000 live-action ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,’ featuring Jim Carrey’s green-furred antihero.

On December 3, ‘Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve’ reunites Tyra Banks as a doll-turned-entrepreneur solving corporate woes. The ‘Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular’ airs at 8:00 p.m., showcasing 2025 performances from Walt Disney World Resort, including the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights with 5 million LED bulbs. ‘The Legend of Frosty the Snowman’ and Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Disney’s A Christmas Carol’ round out the slate, the latter employing motion-capture animation for Charles Dickens’ ghosts.

December 4 revives the 1947 ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ where Natalie Wood’s Susan tests Kris Kringle’s identity in Macy’s department store, earning Edmund Gwenn an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. ‘Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas’ compiles three Mickey Mouse shorts from 1999, totaling 66 minutes of vignettes like ‘A Very Merry Christmas.’ Repeats of ‘Jingle All the Way’ and the 2018 Illumination ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’ follow, with Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the titular curmudgeon in a 90-minute origin tale.

The programming sustains momentum through mid-month with thematic clusters. December 5 spotlights ‘The Family Stone,’ a 2005 dramedy directed by Thomas Bezucha about clashing holiday in-laws, grossing $92 million worldwide. Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ concert special streams at 9:00 p.m., featuring the singer’s 1994 hit that has amassed 1.5 billion Spotify streams. ‘Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas’ adds four CGI stories from 2004, extending the Mouse House tradition.

Later days integrate broader animations. December 6 airs ‘The Legend of Frosty the Snowman,’ a 2005 CGI sequel expanding the 1969 Rankin/Bass classic with 45 minutes of narration by Lawrence Welk. ‘Arthur Christmas’ depicts Santa’s high-tech operation in a 2011 Aardman feature voiced by James McAvoy. Classics like the 1964 ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ stop-motion special, viewed by 18 million annually, anchor the evening.

Freeform’s marathon peaks on December 25 with the ‘Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade’ at noon ET, broadcast from Magic Kingdom with floats spanning 300 feet. Accompanying airings include ‘Toy Story That Time Forgot,’ Pixar’s 2014 holiday short introducing Reptillus Maximus. The ‘Home Alone’ series returns for a finale binge, ensuring the franchise’s $1 billion global haul gets holiday redux.

The event draws from Freeform’s cable roots, evolving from ABC Family’s 2004 inception with 12 titles to this expansive roster. Programming blocks average 18 hours daily, optimized for DVR capture. Titles like the ‘Frozen’ duology on December 11, with Idina Menzel’s Elsa belting ‘Let It Go’ in the 2013 original that earned $1.28 billion, underscore Disney synergies. This iteration prioritizes accessibility, blending nostalgia with fresh rotations for multigenerational audiences.