Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade (10am, ABC) - Scotty McCreery, Justin Bieber, Cee Lo Green, Jennifer Hudson, and Christina Aguilera headline this holiday extravaganza at Disney's Florida and California theme parks.

The Polar Express (8pm, ABC Family) - The animated story of an 8-year-old boy who's whisked to the North Pole by a mysterious train conductor. Features the voices of Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (8pm, ABC) - The animated Dr. Seuss tale abut the Whos and the evil Grinch with a plan to steal their beloved Christmas holiday. Boris Karloff narrates.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (8:30pm, ABC) - The live-action version of the original classic, starring Jim Carrey as the coldhearted Grinch trying to thwart Whoville's Christmas celebration.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (9pm, Disney) - Don't get excited, it's the 2005 remake with Johnny Depp, not the 1971 Gene Wilder classic. But it's still not bad.

Downton Abbey (9pm, UNC-TV) - In part 3 of 4 parts, the rivalry between Mary and Edith reaches a fever pitch, and Thomas and O'Brien plot against Mr. Bates while Anna's fondness for him grows.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (10pm, ABC Family) - Family man Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) tries for a fun-filled family Christmas at home, but things don't work out quite the way he hopes.

The Sound of Music (7pm, ABC) - This Oscar-winning adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical stage hit has been restored to its original length -- so settle in for a good four hours of singing children and Nazi scoundrels. Stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

Miracle on 34th Street (8pm, TCM) - Edmund Gwenn (left) won an Oscar for his portrayal of the department store Santa who goes on trial to prove he's the real Kris Kringle. Also stars Natalie Wood (left), Maureen O'Hara, and John Payne. This is my pick!

It's a Wonderful Life (8pm, NBC) - No holiday season is complete without at least one viewing of this wildly dark and yet wildly uplifting tale of a man who is faced with the failure of his family-owned bank, tries to commit suicide, and is shown the value of his life by a bumbling angel named Clarence. Stars Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Henry Travers.

Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! (8pm, BBC America) - For the first time, the popular NPR news quiz radio show hits television with a panel of American and British guests. Guests include Paula Poundstone, Alonzo Bodden and Phill Jupitus. Neil Gaiman participates in the "Not My Job" segment. Hosted by Peter Sagal and judged by Carl Kasell.

Shrek the Halls (8pm, ABC) - Shrek, Fiona and the kids try to celebrate the holidays as a family, but visits by Donkey, Puss in Boots, and the Gingerbread Man make their cozy gathering chaotic. Voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and Antonio Banderas. "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation" airs after this at 8:30, "Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice" airs at 9, and "Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special" is on at 9:30.

Olive the Other Reindeer (8pm, CW) - In this 1999 animated tale, a dog sets out for the North Pole believing she's the reindeer Santa needs to sub for an injured Blitzen. Features voices of Drew Barrymore and Ed Asner.

Chuck (8pm, NBC) - The holiday season turns frosty when past secrets and old threats haunt Chuck and Sarah while they hunt for an evil schemer who is trying to destroy Carmichael Industries. Comic book creator Stan Lee guest stars.

Gold Rush (9pm, Discovery) - A behind the scenes look at the series following folks in search of treasure. Followed by a new episode of "Flying Wild Alaska." If you like these shows, check out today's dvd giveaway!

20/20 (10pm, ABC) - Barbara Walters makes a Christmas visit to the White House.

The X-Factor (8pm, Fox) - The winner is crowned in the first season finale.

Disney Prep & Landing (8pm, ABC) - A veteran elf (voice of Dave Foley) is passed over for a promotion and instead gets paired with an eager rookie. The two encounter a violent snowstorm on Christmas Eve, making their job more challenging. "Prep & Landing 2" follows at 8:30, and "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown" airs at 9.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (9pm, ABC Family) - A classic. Family man Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is determined to stay home and provide a warm, fun-filled Christmas for his family. But things don't go exactly as planned.

Braxton Family Values (9pm, We) - Toni needs surgery, so the family gathers around her.

Prime Suspect (10pm, NBC) - NBC is burning off another new episode while they think no one is watching. While, I'm watching. Tonight Jane and Evrard investigate a murder in Chinatown that occurred during a game of mahjongg. Also, Reg shares a secret about Jane with Matt.

The League (10pm, FX) - Two new episodes close out Season 3 tonight. In the first episode, Kevin and Jenny bet on the playoffs and Taco wants Ruxin to get more invovled with Taco Corp. In the second, Taco teams up with the Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte for the Shiva and Sacko Bowls.

America's Most Wanted: U.S. Marshals Special Edition (8pm, Fox) - Regular series episodes of this show are now on Lifetime, but Fox will have a few specials each season. This is one of them. U.S. Marshals Service's 15 most-wanted suspects are spotlighted, along with the work of federal marshals.

WWE Tribute to the Troops (9pm, NBC) - Pro wrestlers and other entertainers gathered at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville on December 13 for the WWE's annual tribute to the armed forces. Featured performers were Nickelback (pictured),  Mary J. Blige, and George Wallace. And of course, there was wrestling.

The Story of Santa Claus (9pm, CBS) - An animated musical from 1996 that explains how a toymaker named Nicholaus Claus (voice of Ed Asner) started the tradition of delivering toys to every child on Christmas. I haven't seen this so I'm not sure how it varies from the official story of Santa Claus ("Santa Claus is Comin' to Town") but they better not take too many liberties here! Betty White provides the voice of Mrs. Claus.

Earth's Final Hours (9pm, Syfy) - A doomsday scenario unfolds after a super-dense fragment of interstellar mass pierces the earth's core and slows down the planet's rotation.

CMA Country Christmas (9pm, ABC) - This is a repeat but it's another chance to see Scotty McCreery sing "The First Noel." Other performers include Darius Rucker, Vince Gill, and Faith Hill.

Pit Bulls and Parolees (10pm, Animal Planet) - A pit bull and her puppies must be rescued from an abandoned home, and Tia's daughter has a difficult choice to make when her dog's health worsens.

Saturday Night Live (11:29pm, NBC) - SNL alum Jimmy Fallon returns to host, and Michael Bublé is the music guest.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (8pm, ABC) - I've said this before. I consider "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" to be a documentary on the origin of Santa Claus. Required watching if you haven't already seen it.

Community (8pm, NBC) - Jeff and Shirley join forces to take on arrogant classmates in a game of foosball. Elsewhere, Annie doesn't come clean after she accidentally breaks Abed's new DVD, and the lie quickly snowballs when Abed launches a search to find the culprit.

CMA Country Christmas (9pm, ABC) - Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles returns as host of this special featuring traditional songs and memories of holiday experiences. Scheduled performances include Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, Darius Rucker  and . . .  Scotty McCreery! Scotty will sing "The First Noel."

Keep a Child Alive with Alicia Keys (9pm, Showtime) - Alicia Keys guides five American contest winners on a tour of South Africa, where they visit Keep a Child Alive-funded sites in Johannesburg and Durban.

Bones (9pm, Fox) - Human remains found in mail at a dead-letter office are linked to a local retail center, where a group of employees are recent lottery winners. Also, Booth gets surprising news from his grandfather (Ralph Waite).

Whitney (9:30pm, NBC) - Lily prepares for her wedding and enlists maid-of-honor Whitney to plan an engagement bash. But all the party-planning stress causes sleepless nights for a frazzled Whitney, so she visits a therapist (Chelsea Handler) for advice.

Prime Suspect (10pm, NBC) - Duffy attempts to give a hit-and-run case to Jane when he thinks it can't be solved, and the clues in a murder case lead Jane and Evrard to a porn king.

Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas (8pm, Hallmark) - A widow (Faith Ford) and a writer (Tom Cavenaugh) swap homes for the holidays, but neither getaway goes as planned. Despite the complications, they each meet potential love interests in their temporary new digs. Also stars Gil Bellows ("Ally McBeal") and Gabrielle Miller. Based on a book by Debbie Macomber.

Dear Santa (8pm, Lifetime) - A lonely 24-year-old woman (Amy Acker) discovers a letter from a little girl asking Santa to send her daddy (David Haydn-Jones) a new wife for Christmas, so she decides to seek them out in hopes of making herself their gift from Santa.

Storm Wars  (9pm, Syfy) - A deranged scientist uses weather weapons against his enemies and the city of Washington, D.C., spurring his two estranged sons to unite against him.

48 Hours Mystery (10pm, CBS) - A Cajun millionaire turned English gentleman becomes a suspect in a murder investigation.

Pit Bulls and Parolees (10pm, Animal Planet) - A recent hire wastes little time jeopardizing his shot at redemption, and the center gets bad news concerning one dog's chance of being adopted.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (9am, NBC and CBS) - Matt Lauer, Ann Curry and Al Roker anchor NBC's coverage of the 85th annual procession in Manhattan, while CBS has anchors Kevin Frazier and Christina McLarty. Look for appearances by Scotty McCreery, Cee Lo Green, Neil Diamond, Mary J. Blige, Daniel Radcliffe, and others.

A Christmas Carol: Behind the Magic (7pm, News 14 Carolina) - News 14 photojournalist Mark Olexik's documentary on the making of Ira David Wood's annual Raleigh tradition, "A Christmas Carol." The half-hour program goes behind the scenes to see initial casting, rehearsals, and final production. This airs again on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Ice Age: Mammoth Christmas (8pm, Fox) - A new holiday special from the "Ice Age" gang. Sid (voice of John Leguizamo) fears he's on Santa's naughty list after ruining decorations belonging to Manny (voice of Ray Romano), so he and his pals go to the North Pole to clear his name, but they wind up accidentally damaging Santa's workshop. Scrat (voiced by Chris Wedge) is pictured at right.

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (9pm, Fox) - Actually, we all know that Happiness is a Warm TV, but we'll let Linus have his moment. In this new Peanuts installment, the gang try to persuade Linus to give up his trusty blanket.

A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (10pm, ABC) - Lady Gaga performs eight songs, including "Marry the Night," "You and I, "The Edge of Glory," and "White Christmas." Gaga also performs "The Lady is a Tramp" with Tony Bennett.

85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (10pm, NBC) - Matt Lauer takes a look back at 85 years of Macy's iconic Christmas parade.

Fireworks

A Capital Fourth (8pm, UNC-TV) - Jimmy Smits hosts a celebration and fireworks display in honor of America's 235th birthday. The special features Josh Groban, Steve Martin and the Deep Canyon Rangers, Little Richard, Jordin Sparks, Matthew Morrison, Broadway's Kelli O'Hara, and the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Jack Everly. Live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capital. Repeats at 9:30.

Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular (9pm, NBC) - Nick Lachey anchors live coverage of Manhattan's celebration and fireworks display with performances by Beyonce and Brad Paisley. Repeats at 10pm.

Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (10pm, CBS) - Lionel Richie performs live with the Boston Pops under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart at the Charles River Esplanade. The show's finale includes an explosive fireworks display accompanied by the "1812 Overture." Michael Chiklis hosts.

News 14 Carolina will also broadcast local fireworks live this evening. Raleigh's fireworks show will begin around 9:45 p.m. News 14 will also show the Charlotte fireworks, which start around 9:30.

Other stuff

Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip (9pm, HBO) - Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi's patriotic travelogue crisscrosses the country to attend naturalization ceremonies in all 50 states and listens to recent immigrants from around the world explain their decision to become American citizens. The film was inspired by the naturalization process experienced by Pelosi's Dutch-born husband, Michael Vos, and includes remarks from former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger, commentator Arianna Huffington, and rock star Gene Simmons.

Hoarders (9pm, A&E) - Tonight's episode is a follow-up show that looks at the progress of people who were profiled during the show's second season. Cary organization specialist Geralin Thomas appears with some of her clients.

Single Ladies (9pm, VH1) - A trainer pushes Keisha to the limit in more ways than one, and Val is tired of bad first dates and decides to swear off men for awhile. Also, newscaster Sharon Love (Queen Latifah) lets a secret about Val slip.

Teen Wolf (10pm, MTV) - Scott tries to control his transformations so he can spend more (safe) time with Allison. Also, Derek continues trying to make Scott his ally.

Weeds (10pm, Showtime) - Nancy tries to adjust to live in New York City and gets a surprise when Andy and Shane unexpectedly show up, fresh from Copenhagen.

The Big C (10:30pm, Showtime) - Cathy tries dabbling in the supernatural after she's unsuccessful at scoring a spot in a clinical trial for a new cancer treatment overseen by a renowned oncologist, played by Alan Alda.

If your town has canceled their fireworks, either to save money or because of dangerous drought conditions, you can still catch the pyrotechnic action -- and stay cool!

Time Warner Cable has fireworks on their Carolina On Demand channels 199 and 1047 (check the ‘All New’ tab under ‘Seasonal’). The fireworks display has a beach scene backdrop and you can choose from patriotic music or the popping, exploding sounds.

It should be popular since the channel's top viewed program in 2010 was the On Demand Holiday Yule Log.

And you can watch the On Demand fireworks anytime.

Other fireworks and 4th of July televised celebrations taking place on Monday: