Best Christmas Ever Programming Returns to AMC Networks
AMC Networks is inviting viewers to celebrate the most wonderful time of year with the return of the annual Best Christmas Ever programming event beginning November 29 and running through December 26.
With over 600 hours of holiday films, AMC’s jolly lineup has something for everyone. It remains the exclusive cable home for popular modern-day favorites, including Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Polar Express, Four Christmases, and Fred Claus this December.
The month-long Best Christmas Ever programming event also features beloved classics, including White Christmas and the Rankin/Bass holiday stop-motion collection, as well as the family-favorite film The Wizard of Oz, available for the first time on AMC this year.
Viewers are also invited to settle in for holiday-themed nights on AMC with the merriest movie lineups (times are ET/PT):
Murray Christmas Marathon: “Scrooged,” “Groundhog Day,” “Ghostbusters,” “Ghostbusters II,” and “Caddyshack” on November 29 at 12 pm.
Christmas with the Kranks: Back-to-back airings of this holiday favorite on November 30, beginning at 5 pm.
Christmas All The Way Marathon: “The Polar Express,” “Elf,” and “The Wizard of Oz” on December 6 at 5 pm.
Holiday Hijinks Marathon on December 7, beginning at 4 pm, featuring “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Elf,” “The Great Outdoors,” and “Trading Places.“
Christmas Candy Marathon on December 9, beginning at 4 pm, celebrating some of John Candy’s greatest films, including “The Great Outdoors,” “Spaceballs,” “Planes, Trains & Automobiles,” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
December the TwELFth on December 12, beginning at 6 pm, a back-to-back 8-hour marathon of the modern-day classic.
Merry ‘80s Marathon goes back in time on December 13, beginning at 11:00 am and featuring “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Scrooged,” “Planes, Trains & Automobiles,” “The Great Outdoors,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Ghostbusters II.”
Best Elf Marathon on December 14, beginning at 4:30 pm, features “Elf,” “Fred Claus,” and “The Polar Express.”
That’s Not Santa! Marathon on December 19 beginning at 6:30 pm and featuring “Elf,” “Trading Places,” and “Fred Claus.”
Naughty or Nice Weekend on December 20, beginning at 9:45 am through December 21, features films on Santa’s lists, including “Elf,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Scrooged,” “The Polar Express,” “Four Christmases,” and more.
Best Christmas Marathon from December 24 through December 25 with holiday favorites including “Elf,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Scrooged,” “Four Christmases,” “The Polar Express,” “Fred Claus,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and more.
Holiday Hangover recovery begins on December 26 at 12 pm, including “Elf,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Four Christmases,” and “Scrooged.”
Viewers can also stream a new holiday favorite, Jay Duplass’ charming feature The Baltimorons, on Sundance Now and AMC+.
ALLBLK will feature the new film A Heart for Christmas, starring Nikiva Dionne, and for horror fans, Shudder (and AMC+) has all-new specials, including Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Holiday of Horrors, as well as new holiday episodes of The Creep Tapes and The Haunted Season.
BEST CHRISTMAS EVER HIGHLIGHTS
A Heart for Christmas – Film Debuts November 27 on ALLBLK
A young girl’s Christmas wish comes true when the mom she never knew comes home for the holidays, but the family reunion gets complicated now that her father’s heart belongs to someone else.
Starring Nikiva Dionne (“S.W.A.T.,” “Insecure,” “A Million Little Things”), Taja V. Simpson (“The Oval,” “A House Divided”), and Maurice Hall (“General Hospital”).
The Baltimorons – Film Debuts November 28 on Sundance Now and AMC+
Fresh off its Audience Award at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, director Jay Duplass’ “The Baltimorons” follows the newly sober Cliff (Michael Strassner) on an unexpected May/December adventure through Baltimore with Didi (Liz Larsen), his emergency dentist, after he cracks a tooth on Christmas Eve.
While they can’t seem to solve their own problems, Cliff and Didi are uniquely equipped to help each other; Cliff longs to get back on stage with his improv troupe for the first time since becoming sober, and Didi would love the confidence to attend Christmas dinner with her daughter and intolerable ex-husband.
The Haunted Season – The Occupant of the Room – Film Debuts December 1 on Shudder and AMC+
From renowned author and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse (“Woodlands Dark” and “Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror”), “The Haunted Season” is a series of chilling horror tales following the classic tradition of telling ghost stories for Christmas.
The festive new film in the horror anthology series, “The Occupant of the Room” is based on the classic chiller of the same name by Algernon Blackwood about a schoolteacher whose late-night arrival at a hotel in the Alps without a reservation leaves him with no option but to accept the room of a missing hotel guest – leading to a sleepless night full of strange and uncanny occurrences.
The Creep Tapes – Christmas Episode Premieres Friday, December 12 on Shudder and AMC+
Nick is confronted by his therapist’s odd behavior during an emergency therapy session on Christmas Eve.
From writers and executive producers Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice, “The Creep Tapes” season two will continue to expose a collection of videotapes from the secret vault of the world’s deadliest and most socially uncomfortable serial killer (Duplass).
The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas – Special Debuts LIVE on Friday, December 12 on Shudder TV and AMC+ TV
Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl are once again possessed by the Christmas spirit, hosting a double-feature of snowy slashers for “Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas” – an unholy night full of frozen fear, cold-blooded kills, and the return of their annual charity drive. Available on demand beginning December 14.
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Holiday of Horrors – Special Debuts December 16 on Shudder and AMC+
From The Boulet Brothers (“The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula”) and David Dastmalchian (“The Suicide Squad,” “Late Night with the Devil”) comes “The Boulet Brothers’ Holiday of Horrors,” a chilling holiday-themed horror special produced by Boulet Brothers’ Productions and Good Fiend Productions.
The film features four original shorts, each written and directed by a different genre powerhouse: The Boulet Brothers, Dastmalchian, Akeela Cooper (“Malignant,” “M3GAN”), and Kate Siegel (“The Haunting of Hill House”). Starring Bonnie Aarons (“The Nun”), Steve Agee (“Peacemaker“), and Tracie Thoms (“Death Proof”), the anthology blends atmospheric horror, practical gore, and haunting holiday imagery into a new seasonal classic.
PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 29
Murray Christmas Marathon
12 pm: Caddyshack
2pm: Groundhog Day
4:30 pm: Ghostbusters (1984)
7 pm: Ghostbusters II
9:30 pm: Scrooged
Sunday, November 30
5 pm: Christmas with the Kranks
7 pm: Christmas with the Kranks
9 pm: Christmas with the Kranks
11 pm: Scrooged
Monday, December 1
6 pm: Scrooged
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Tuesday, December 2
5:45 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8 pm: Elf
10 pm: Fred Claus
Wednesday, December 3
6 pm: Elf
8 pm: Polar Express
10 pm: Jumanji
Thursday, December 4
6 pm: Polar Express
8 pm: Four Christmases
10 pm: The Holiday
Friday, December 5
6 pm: Four Christmases
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Saturday, December 6
Christmas All The Way Marathon
6 pm: Four Christmases
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Sunday, December 7
Holiday Hijinks Marathon
4 pm: The Great Outdoors
6 pm: Elf
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: Trading Places
Monday, December 8
7 pm: Elf
9 pm: Four Christmases
11 pm: Elf
Tuesday, December 9
Christmas Candy Marathon
4 pm: Spaceballs
6 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8 pm: Planes, Trains & Automobiles
10 pm: The Great Outdoors
12 am: Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Wednesday, December 10
6 pm: The Great Outdoors
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: Scrooged
12:15 am: Trading Places
Thursday, December 11
5:45 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8 pm: Fred Claus
10:30 pm: Four Christmases
12:30 am: Liar Liar
Friday, December 12
December the TwELFth Marathon
6 pm: Elf
8 pm: Elf
10 pm: Elf
12 am: Elf
Saturday, December 13
Merry 80s Marathon
11 am: Ghostbusters (1984)
1:30 pm: Ghostbusters II
4 pm: The Great Outdoors
6 pm: Planes, Trains & Automobiles
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
12:30 am: Scrooged
Sunday, December 14
Best Elf Marathon
4:30 pm: Fred Claus
7 pm: The Polar Express
9 pm: Elf
11 pm: Elf
Monday, December 15
7:30 pm: The Wizard of Oz
10 pm: The Holiday
Tuesday, December 16
6 pm: The Polar Express
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: Elf
12:15 am: The Polar Express
Wednesday, December 17
5:45 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8 pm: Elf
10 pm: Four Christmases
12 am: Fred Claus
Thursday, December 18
5:45 pm: Deck the Halls
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
12:30 am: Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Friday, December 19
That’s Not Santa!
6:30 pm: Trading Places
9 pm: Elf
11 pm: Fred Claus
Saturday, December 20
Naughty or Nice Weekend
9:45 am: Fred Claus
12:15 pm: Trading Places
2:45 pm: Scrooged
4:45 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
7 pm: Elf
9 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
11:15 pm: Elf
1:15 am: Scrooged
3:15 am: The Polar Express
5:15 am: A Christmas Story
Sunday, December 21
Naughty or Nice Weekend continued
7:15 am: Love the Coopers
9:45 am: Deck the Halls
12 pm: The Great Outdoors
2 pm: The Polar Express
4 pm: Four Christmases
6 pm: Elf
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: Elf
12:15 am: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
2:30 am: Four Christmases
4:30 am: The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus
Monday, December 22
6 pm: Elf
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: Four Christmases
Tuesday, December 23
5:45 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8 pm: Elf
10 pm: Scrooged
Wednesday, December 24
Best Christmas Marathon
9 am: Fred Claus
11:30 am: Four Christmases
1:30 pm: The Polar Express
3:30 pm: The Wizard of Oz
6 pm: Elf
8 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:15 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
12:30 am: The Polar Express
2:30 am: Deck the Halls
4:45 am: Four Christmases
Thursday, December 25
Best Christmas Marathon continued
6:45 am: White Christmas
9:30 am: The Wizard of Oz
12 pm: The Polar Express
2 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
4:15 pm: Elf
6:15 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8:30 pm: Elf
10:30 pm: Four Christmases
12:30 am: Scrooged
2:30 am: Fred Claus
Friday, December 26
Holiday Hangover
12 pm: Scrooged
2 pm: Four Christmases
4 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
6:15 pm: Elf
8:15 pm: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
10:30 pm: Elf
