25 Days of Christmas

25 Days of Christmas (also known as Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas, previously known as Fox Family's 25 Days of Christmas, and as ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas) is an annual programming block that has been shown on Freeform (formerly ABC Family) and its predecessors since 1996. As the title implies, the special programming is shown every year from December 1 to December 25, showing classic holiday programming (such as Rankin/Bass' classic TV specials), as well as new Christmas-themed television movies each year; generally few of the network's original series air during the time period, outside of Christmas special episodes. In 2006, the channel aired fewer seasonal films and added general-interest family movies such as Harry Potter, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as Disney films including Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Starting in 2007, ABC Family extended the "25" days into November with a Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas block. List of original specials: = 1996 – Home and Family Christmas Special = 2001 – Donner = 2008 – A Miser Brothers' Christmas = 2009 – Gotta Catch Santa Claus, Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure = 2010 – The Gruffalo = 2011 – A Very Pink Christmas = 2013 – Melissa & Joey, Baby Daddy = 2014 - The Fosters, Switched At Birth, Chasing Life, Pretty Little Liars, Baby Daddy, Melissa and Joey = 2015 - Young & Hungry, Pretty Little Liars: 5 Years Forward, Behind the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters List of original movies: Every year since the block started in 1996, at least one new holiday-related TV film has been produced (except in 2002). Starting in 2005, two TV films have been produced. In 2007, three films were created for the block, due to the popularity of the previous year's films. The Family Channel era- The Family Channel's 25 Days of Christmas: = 1996 – Christmas Every Day = 1997 – The Christmas List Fox Family era- Fox Family's 25 Days of Christmas: = 1998 – Like Father, Like Santa = 1999 – The Ghosts of Christmas Eve = 2000 – Special Delivery = 2001 – Three Days ABC Family era- ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas: = 2003 – Picking Up & Dropping Off = 2004 – Snow = 2005 – Chasing Christmas; Christmas in Boston = 2006 – Christmas Do-Over; Santa Baby = 2007 – Christmas Caper; Holiday in Handcuffs; Snowglobe = 2008 – Christmas in Wonderland; Snow 2: Brain Freeze = 2009 – The Dog Who Saved Christmas; Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe = 2010 – The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation; Christmas Cupid = 2011 – Desperately Seeking Santa; 12 Dates of Christmas = 2012 – The Mistle-Tones; Home Alone: The Holiday Heist = 2013 – Holidaze, Christmas Bounty = 2014 – Toy Story That Time Forgot = 2015 – None Listed Freeform era: Christmas specials: The following non-original (originally premiered direct to video, or on some other TV network or cable channel, or as a theatrical featurette) Christmas specials, or Christmas-themed episodes of television programs are presently being featured during 25 Days of Christmas (including Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas): - The Bells of Fraggle Rock - The Cat in the Hat - A Chipmunk Christmas - The Christmas Toy - Cranberry Christmas - Dr. Seuss on the Loose - Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury - Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas - Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas - A Flintstone Christmas - Frosty's Winter Wonderland - A Garfield Christmas - The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat - How Murray Saved Christmas - Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas - Jack Frost - Jingle All the Way - Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special - The Little Drummer Boy - The Little Drummer Boy, Book II - The Lorax - Merry Madagascar - Mickey's Christmas Carol - Mickey's Christmas Special - Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey - Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation - Pinocchio's Christmas - Prep & Landing - Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice - Puff the Magic Dragon - Rudolph's Shiny New Year - Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town - Twas the Night Before Christmas - Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too - The Year Without a Santa Claus - Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper Christmas movies: The following non-original (originally premiered theatrically, or direct to video, or on some other TV network or cable channel) Christmas movies are presently being featured during 25 Days of Christmas (including Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas): - A Christmas Carol - Arthur Christmas - Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas - Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas - Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night - Deck the Halls - Ernest Saves Christmas - Elf - Eloise at Christmastime (only in 2009) - The Family Man - A Flintstones Christmas Carol - Four Christmases - Fred Claus - Home Alone - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York - How the Grinch Stole Christmas - I'll Be Home for Christmas - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jack Frost - Jingle All the Way - The Little Mermaid - Mary Poppins - Meet the Santas - Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas - Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas - Miracle on 34th Street - The Muppet Christmas Carol - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - The Nightmare Before Christmas - Once Upon a Christmas - The Polar Express - Richie Rich's Christmas Wish - Rise of the Guardians - Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys - Scrooged - Santa Buddies - Santa Claus: The Movie - The Santa Clause - The Santa Clause 2 - The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause - Santa Who? - Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups - The Search for Santa Paws - This Christmas - Twice Upon a Christmas - Unaccompanied Minors - Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas: In 2007, due to popular ratings from the previous year, ABC Family launched the first official countdown to the programming block, which began on November 21. Although this was the first official early start, in previous years holiday programming had unofficially begun during the last week of November, showing mostly older original films, some of which pertained to Christmas and some that did not. "Countdown to the '25 Days of Christmas'" returned in 2008 on November 16. 2010: In 2010, it started later in the month, on November 20. In 2012 the countdown began at an earlier date of November 18. 2014: The Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas ran again in 2014. In 2014 the countdown event which started on Sunday, November 23 was even with previous years. The highest rated programs of the eight-day event were Finding Nemo at 1.8 million viewers, Despicable Me at 2 million, and an airing of The Hunger Games at 1.7 million. Other highlights included Ratatouille on Thanksgiving night which garnered 1 million, Cars 2 gained 1 million, and Brave which had 1.8 million tune in. 2015: The Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas schedule was released on October 29. The 2015 lineup includes family classics such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Jingle All the Way, Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and the cable premiere of Disney's Planes. A Monday, November 30 airing of The Polar Express was watched by 1.5 million viewers, the highest rating of this year's Countdown. A Saturday, November 28 airing of Wreck-It Ralph was also watched by 1.5 million viewers. The network premiere of Planes on Thanksgiving night garnered only 0.699 million viewers. 2016: Ratings- 2006: The network premiere of The Polar Express was watched by more than 4 million viewers. An encore airing on December 9 was watched by a record 5 million viewers. It became the most watched programming to ever air on ABC Family. The debut airing of the film, Santa Baby, was watched by 4.7 million viewers. 2007: The first week of programming averaged 2.3 million viewers. 2008: In 2008, the first week of programming attracted 2.7 million total viewers. The entire lineup had an average 2.5 million viewers. 2009: The third annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" was watched by 1.2 million viewers. The network premiere of The Santa Clause 3 was watched by 1.6 million viewers, while an airing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was watched by 1.5 million viewers. The premiere of Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe was watched by 3.8 million total viewers. 2010: The fourth annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" was watched by 2.1 million viewers. The lineup began its first week with record breaking 3 million average viewers. The December 12 premiere of Christmas Cupid was watched by a total of 3.4 million viewers. Total viewers for 2010 broke records, averaging 2.8 million viewers. An airing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas drew 1.3 million viewers. 2011: The first week of the 25 Days of Christmas was watched by an average of 2.2 million viewers, down 27% from last year. During the second week, viewers increased to 2.4 million, thanks to the premiere of 12 Dates of Christmas. However, this was still down 30% from the previous year. Overall viewers for the 2011 lineup averaged 2.3 million viewers. 2012: In 2012, the programming block had its most ever total viewers in its debut week, with 2.9 million. An airing of the film Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas on December 2 became the lineup's most watched program ever, with 5.4 million viewers. Other notable airings included, the network premiere of Despicable Me, watched by over 4.3 million viewers, and a Christmas Eve airing of The Santa Clause 2, watched by 3.9 million viewers. The programming block averaged 2.8 million viewers for 2012, on pace with 2010. 2014: In its 17th year, '25 Days of Christmas' powered ABC Family as the top cable network in primetime among women 18-34. The entire line-up averaged 2.5 million viewers. A Friday, December 5 airing of Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas was watched by 3.7 million. The network premiere of Toy Story That Time Forgot gained 3.4 million while an airing of the classic Toy Story 3 gained 2.7 million viewers. The highest rated airing of Elf gained 3.5 million viewers while the highest rated airing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation gained 3.2 million. An Airing of the Tim Allen classic The Santa Clause with limited commercials gained 2.9 million viewers. Christmas Eve ratings on the network saw ratings of "The Polar Express" at 2.2 million, Home Alone at 2.7 million, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Elf each at more than 4 million each. The holiday airings of Pretty Little Liars gained 2 million viewers while Chasing life gained 1.2 million. The comedies of Melissa and Joey and Baby Daddy gained 1 million and 800,000 viewers respectively. 2015: In 2015 the highest rated event was an airing of Elf on December 5 at 3.7mil, and another airing on December 24 at 3.1mil. Ratings on Christmas Eve were down on the network due to increased competition from other networks. Elf proved once again to draw large audiences. On December 1 The Polar Express gained 2.4mil, an airing of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas gained 2.4mil, 2.7mil, and 2.9mil on multiple dates. The highest airing of The Santa Clause was December 2 gaining 2.6mil. An airing of the Toy Story trilogy on December 13–14 gained 2mil, 2.5mil, and 1.4mil. Christmas Eve on the network was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation at 2.4mil, and Elf at 3.1mil. Christmas Day was weak, averaging less than 2mil per airing.