10 options from Santa's big bag of Christmas TV programming

Hollywood cranks out holiday programming as fast as toys are made in Santa's workshop with broadcast networks, cable channels and streaming services offering seasonal specials.

This year's options include three sequels to the 2023 Hallmark Channel hit “Christmas on Cherry Lane,” a docuseries following what happens when a letter to Santa is dropped in the mail, and the stop-motion classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Below are 10 options to get you in the Christmas spirit:

— Lindsay Lohan stars in a new holiday rom-com for Netflix called “Our Little Secret," out Wednesday. Lohan and Ian Harding ("Pretty Little Liars"), play exes who find themselves spending Christmas together after discovering they're now dating siblings. “It has a lot of heart and it’s very funny and I think that's what we need in film these days,” Lohan told The Associated Press in an interview. Kristin Chenoweth is in it too.

— “Dear Santa, The Series” will warm the soul like a cup of hot chocolate. Now in its second season, the show highlights the United States Postal Service's Operation Santa program where children write letters to Santa and a team of Elves help to grant their holiday wishes. The new season streams on Hulu beginning Friday.

— Candace Cameron Bure and Cameron Mathison star in “Home Sweet Christmas” as former childhood friends who reunite after the death of a family member who leaves his maple sugar farm to them both. It premieres Sunday on Great American Family.

— Remember the 1985 film “Brewster's Millions” starring Richard Pryor and John Candy? The comedy classic has been updated with a holiday twist. “Brewster's Millions: Christmas” stars China Anne McClain as Morgan Brewster, a wealthy heiress who will lose her family's fortune unless she completes a series of tasks in time for Christmas. It premieres Dec. 5 on BET+. The film also stars Romeo Miller and two of Pryor’s children, Richard Pryor Jr. and Rain Pryor.

— The 2023 Hallmark movie “Christmas on Cherry Lane” was a big hit for the network. It followed three families on Christmas Eve who live in the same home in different time periods. Three sequels will stream on Hallmark+, spanning from 1951 to present day. Jonathan Bennett, Vincent Rodriguez III star in the first sequel, “Season's Greetings from Cherry Lane,” debuting Dec. 5. “Happy Holidays from Cherry Lane” premieres Dec. 12 starring Catherine Bell and James Denton. The third film, 'Deck the Halls on Cherry Lane" arrives Dec. 19 with Erin Cahill and Brooke D’Orsay.

— An original holiday romance movie called “A Season to Remember” airs Dec. 7 on OWN. Michele Weaver plays a sports reporter who works hard to prove herself in a male-dominated industry but still sometimes gets overlooked for opportunities. The pressure is on to find a compelling story the week before Christmas. Weaver teams up with a freelance photographer (Nathan Owens) who helps her find romance, confidence and the right path.

— Freeform has designated its December programming, “25 Days of Christmas” with holiday fare airing from morning to midnight. Dec. 8 is a highlight with Tim Allen’s ”The Santa Clause” franchise and the 1964 stop motion classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and 1969’s “Frosty the Snowman.”

— Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey host NBC “A Motown Christmas Special” on Dec. 11 (streaming next day on Peacock). Motown legends including Robinson, Gladys Knight and the Temptations sing some of their best-known songs as well as Christmas tunes. Bailey will perform a medley of music by Diana Ross and the Supremes, while Jamie Foxx will lead a Stevie Wonder tribute featuring Andra Day, Bebe Winans and Jordin Sparks. An 11-piece live band will accompany the performances.

—- A new double-episode Christmas edition of “The Simpsons” called “O C’mon All Ye Faithful" streams on Disney+ on Dec. 17. A famous mentalist arrives in Springfield and uses his mind tricks to boost holiday spirits. When Homer gets hypnotized and believes he's Santa Clause, it causes the rest of the town to question their own Christmas beliefs and the meaning of the word miracle. The special also has music from Patti LaBelle and Pentatonix.

— Netflix will stream two NFL games on Christmas Day. First, Super Bowl LVII champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers followed by the Baltimore Ravens facing the Houston Texans. The streamer is gifting the beyhive with Beyoncé this holiday season — as the superstar will perform at halftime during the game featuring her hometown team, the Texans. The Netflix Christmas Day games will also be available on broadcast TV in the competing team cities.

—-

Video journalist Gina Abdy contributed to this report.

This image released by BET+ shows Romeo Miller, left, and China Anne McClain in a scene from “Brewster's Millions: Christmas." (BET+ via AP)

This mage released by OWN shows Nathan Owens, left, and Michele Weaver in a scene from "A Season To Remember." (OWN via AP)

This image released by NBCUniversal shows a scene from the 1964 stop motion classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” (NBCUniversal via AP)

This promotional image released by NBC shows Smokey Robinson, left, and Halle Bailey, who will host the holiday special "A Motown Christmas." (NBCUniversal via AP)

This image released by Disney shows a boy mailing a letter to Santa in a scene from “Dear Santa, The Series." (Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows a postal worker, right, delivering gifts to a home in a scene from "Dear Santa, The Series." (Disney via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Ian Harding, from left, Lindsay Lohan and Jon Rudnitsky in a scene from "Our Little Secret." (Bob Mahoney/Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Lindsay Lohan in a scene from "Our Little Secret." (Chuck Zlotnick/Netflix via AP)

This combination of images shows promotional art for holiday films "Our Little Secret," left, "Seasons Greetings from Cherry Lans," center, and "A Season To Remember." (Netflix/Hallmark+/OWN via AP)

Airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end with another record day for air travel in the United States.

AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday, most of them by car. However, travelers could be impacted by ongoing weather challenges and those flying to their destinations could be grounded by delays brought on by airline staffing shortages and an airport service workers strike.

Here's the latest:

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures at some facilities to deal with an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers.

In the past, those facilities have included airports in New York City and Florida.

“If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said.

The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency’s lofty hiring goals.

▶ Read more about Thanksgiving travel across the U.S.

Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport, one of the nation’s busiest, went on strike Monday to demand higher wages.

The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.” The strike was expected to last 24 hours, said union spokesperson Sean Keady.

Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a hub for American Airlines. The two companies contract with American, one of the world’s biggest carriers, to provide services such as cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs.

▶ Read more about the Charlotte airport workers’ strike

Parts of the Midwest and East Coast can expect to see heavy rain into Thanksgiving, and there’s potential for snow in Northeastern states.

A storm last week brought rain to New York and New Jersey, where wildfires have raged in recent weeks, and heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania. The precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions after an exceptionally dry fall.

Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Around 35,000 customers in 10 counties were still without power, down from 80,000 a day ago.

In the Catskills region of New York, nearly 10,000 people remained without power Sunday morning, two days after a storm dumped heavy snow on parts of the region.

Precipitation in West Virginia helped put a dent in the state’s worst drought in at least two decades and boosted ski resorts as they prepare to open in the weeks ahead.

▶ Read more about Thanksgiving week weather forecasts

Two people died in the Pacific Northwest after a rapidly intensifying “ bomb cyclone ” hit the West Coast last Tuesday, bringing fierce winds that toppled trees and power lines and damaged homes and cars. Hundreds of thousands lost electricity in Washington state before powerful gusts and record rains moved into Northern California.

Forecasters said the risk of flooding and mudslides remained as the region will get more rain starting Sunday. But the latest storm won’t be as intense as last week’s atmospheric river, a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land.

“However, there’s still threats, smaller threats, and not as significant in terms of magnitude, that are still going to exist across the West Coast for the next two or three days,” weather service forecaster Rich Otto said.

As the rain moves east throughout the week, Otto said, there’s a potential for heavy snowfall at higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, as well as portions of Utah and Colorado.

California’s Mammoth Mountain, which received 2 feet (0.6 meters) of fresh snow in the recent storm, could get another 4 feet (1.2 meters) before the newest system clears out Wednesday, the resort said.

Another round of wintry weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, according to forecasts across the U.S., while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages.

In California, where two people were found dead in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more rain while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm.

Here’s a look at some of the regional forecasts:

▶ Read more about Thanksgiving week weather forecasts

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is seen, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

FILE - As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, travelers walk through Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Travelers wait at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Atlanta, as the Thanksgiving travel season kicks off. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)