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Courtesy CBS

We’ve got two traditional holiday specials up tonight, both at the same times, so you’ll either have to record one and watch the other later or make a tough choice.

One thing I do love about holiday programming is that it’s generally pretty family-friendly, and these two specials are, although Christmas in Rockefeller Center might be more appropriate for families with older children.  And, yeah, I’ll be recording and watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  It’s just not Christmas without it.

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Airs tonight on CBS at 8 p.m., stop-action animated classic about the guy with the nose that glowed.  Fun message on the value of misfits coupled with some great tunes and some really sappy ones.  Scenes with the Abominable Snowman could be scary for really younger viewers, but you might want to help them gut this one out.  Remember, the Bumble ain’t so bad after all and seeing that might help little ones with fear issues learn how to master some of that fear.

CHRISTMAS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER

Airs tonight on NBC at 8 p.m. – Live special featuring the lighting of the big tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City, not so co-incidentally the HQ for NBC.  Music, stars, etc. with lots of fun performances and a chance to see who’s hot this year.  And watch your kids’ reaction to said hot person.  Most teens, especially, aren’t going to tell you out right who they and their friends really like, especially if said idol is someone on the skanky side.  But they usually will let something drop when they see Charice on the screen.

I suppose we do need a respite from endless holiday cheer and all.

But you can always try an alternative activity.

Maybe work on the family holiday cards.  Make cookies or latkes for the start of Hannukah this Thursday.

The holidays are supposed to be all about family and connecting, and too often, we get swept up in the whole commercialized craziness part of it.  So you have yet another excuse to turn the tube off and just relax with a good book.

Have fun!  And feel free to share what you did with your time in the comments.

Cast of November Christmas, courtesy Hallmark Hall of Fame

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Personally, I’m thankful for you, all my great readers.

I’m trying to be nice, here, but as I’m facing the annual onslaught of gooey Christmas specials, I’m already niced out.  You might decide one or more of the below options are worth checking out and since you probably don’t have the stress on your insulin levels that I do, I thought I’d mention them.

This is by no means a complete listing of holiday specials and marathons this weekend.  And don’t forget the replay of the Kung Fu Panda Holiday on NBC, Saturday, Nov. 27 at 8:30 p.m.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 25, 9 a.m. ET (other time zones, check your local listings).  This is the big one from New York City with the huge balloons.

Young Justice – Cartoon Network, Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.  Teen super-heroes (such as Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and SuperBoy), have to beat up the bad guys and still prove to the grown ups they’re ready to go to work saving the world.  Lots of super-hero violence and more gender issues.  But at least there’s no sappy soundtrack.

The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation, ABC Family, Sunday 8 p.m.  Sequel to The Dog Who Save Christmas, which wasn’t that bad.  This one doesn’t look much better.  Expect lots of slapstick violence and some sexy stuff – there’s a pretty white standard poodle involved.  Oh, and the crooks from the first movie are back, too.  Shades of Home Alone.  Yick.

November Christmas, CBS 9 p.m., a town pulls together when a young girl gets sick.  I tried getting past the uber-sweet narration segment at the beginning and couldn’t do it.  It’s probably heart-warming as all get out, but the gooey soundtrack and opening scene gave me too much heartburn.

I am now off to relax before the annual chaos in my kitchen happens.  Can’t wait to start cooking.

Courtesy NBC

KUNG FU PANDA HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Friendly Rating: All ages.

Safety Rating: Some butt-kicking and one suicidal rabbit, but no one gets really hurt.

Quality Rating: Really funny and just sweet enough.

Special airs tonight on NBC at 8:30 p.m., after a repeat of last year’s DreamWorks special Merry Madagascar at 8 p.m.  Also repeats on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 8:30 p.m.

I’m making an exception here, since I vowed last week not to feature anything Christmas-related until after Thanksgiving.  But tonight is the night before Thanksgiving and you might want some easy way to keep the kids out of your face while you figure out how to safely thaw your turkey-sicle in time for dinner tomorrow.  Problem is, this is one you’ll want to watch because it’s so much fun.

Besides, while Kung Fu Panda may have made a small hash of Chinese culture, at least in this special, they’re not imposing a Western Christian holiday on the Chinese.  Instead, it’s Winter Festival time and while Po (Jack Black) is all set to spend the holiday, cooking up a storm and partying with his dad, Mr. Ping (James Hong), Master Shih Fu (Dustin Hoffman) shows up to inform Po that as Dragon Warrior, he is expected to host a formal banquet for the Kung Fu masters.

There is much of the same kung fu butt-kicking that was in the movie, and Wo Hop (Jack McBrayer), a rabbit chef whom Po accidentally dishonors, tries to get his honor back by fighting the Dragon Warrior and dying at his hands.  But his efforts to get Po to kill him are just utterly silly and part of the fun.

That is ultimately the glory of this special – that it manages to walk the edge of the inappropriate without going over.  It pokes fun at some nasty stuff, but doesn’t make you wince.  Po is still a fish out of water, but the reason the movie worked is that Po ultimately plays true to who and what he is while stretching himself to be all that he can be.  And the same thing happens here, with some delicious farce along the way.

Courtesy Cartoon Network

FIREBREATHER

Friendly Rating: All but the youngest viewers.

Safety Rating: Lots of super hero/anti-monster violence and scary monsters.

Quality Rating: Surprisingly thoughtful and lots of fun.

Movie special airs tonight on Cartoon Network at 7 p.m. (and probably re-runs, as well).

So, my kid comes home for a visit (she no longer being a – a kid and b – resident at the old homestead), and after the usual greetings, hugs, missed you, and such stuff, her first question was, “Hey, Mom, did you get a DVD for Firebreather by any chance?”

And this is a young woman who does not watch much TV, or pays much attention to popular media beyond manga, films and video games.  So if she’s asking, chances are, your kids are, too.

The movie special is about Duncan, an angst-ridden teen who’s the product of the union between a human mom and a 27-foot fire-breathing monster, aka the King of the Kaiju (as such monsters are known in this particular fantasy world).  Not surprisingly, Duncan looks a little weird and has a few powers that he’s not really aware of yet.  He’s also got daddy-issues big time and when daddy comes back for him, let’s just say things start getting sticky on so many levels, including a Kaiju coup in the making, where the bad guys come back to take over the earth.

Safety-wise, there’s lots of guns shooting at monsters, lots of monster mayhem, but no bodies or blood.  Lots of butt-kicking, including a nasty game of dodge ball.  Oh, and Duncan can shoot flames out of his mouth.  Finally, the question of Duncan’s conception does come up (and, yeah, I was wondering about that), but I gotta love the way it was handled – and probably won’t be a big deal for most kids.

The interesting part is that Duncan not only chooses not to kill, but only fights as far as he has to in order to save his mom and the cute chick.  And, yes, there are a few gender stereotypes going on, but they’re not consistent.

I have to say, I really liked this, and Duncan’s solution to the whole how do I defeat murderous giant monsters without killing problem is pretty ingenious.  There’s a lot of the usual teen-angst/bully nonsense going on, but we see why the lead bully is such a mean jerk, which is pretty cool.  It’s not Philosophy 101 by any stretch, but there is some meat to chew over with your kids here – way more than you normally find in this genre.