Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas returns Tuesday, Dec. 1, with four premieres, 18 airings of the 2000 Grinch and 17 of Home Alone. Elf and The Polar Express are missing again.
Clear the couch. Freeform just dropped the full schedule.
Freeform revealed its 25 Days of Christmas lineup on Monday, Nov. 2, with People getting the exclusive. The holiday takeover starts Tuesday, Dec. 1, and runs through Christmas Day, which falls on a Friday this year.
People’s write-up calls it a “full month of festive films, family classics and a few fresh surprises under the tree.“ Freeform’s own schedule page has every day listed, from 7 a.m. to the midnight movie.
When does Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas 2026 start?
It kicks off Tuesday, Dec. 1. All times are Eastern and Pacific, per Freeform. Here’s the opening day:
7 a.m.: Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish
10:30 a.m.: The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
11:05 a.m.: Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
1:45 p.m.: Disney’s A Christmas Carol
3:50 p.m.: The Grinch (2018)
5:50 p.m.: Home Alone
8:20 p.m.: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Midnight: I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
That’s a pretty strong Tuesday. Two Home Alone movies before bed is basically a holiday tradition at this point.
What’s new on 25 Days of Christmas this year?
Four titles are making their Freeform debut, according to the network’s schedule:
Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m.: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Dec. 3, 10 p.m.: That Thrifting Show with Lara Spencer: Holiday Edition, the “Sleigh the Family Room!” special
Dec. 7, 9 p.m.: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Dec. 19, 2 p.m.: Mickey’s Home Alone
The Jonas Brothers movie gets a second airing on Dec. 16 at 4:10 p.m. Mickey’s Home Alone comes back Dec. 23 at 1 p.m., so you get two shots at that one.
Disney fans also get this year’s Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular on Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. On Christmas Day, Freeform carries the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade at noon.
How many times does Home Alone air on Freeform?
Plenty. We counted every listing on Freeform’s day-by-day schedule, and here’s how the big ones shake out:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000): 18 airings
Home Alone: 17
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: 17
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause: 13
Disney’s A Christmas Carol: 13
The Santa Clause: 12
The Santa Clause 2: 11
The Grinch (2018) and The Nightmare Before Christmas: 5 each
Yes, the third Santa Clause movie airs more often than the first. Make of that what you will.
There are theme days too, per MickeyBlog’s breakdown of the schedule. Dec. 4 is all Grinch, Dec. 11 is all Santa Clause and Dec. 18 is all Home Alone.
Is Elf on Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas in 2026?
No. Elf isn’t on the schedule, and neither is The Polar Express.
This isn’t new. Elf wasn’t in the 2025 lineup either. It left the event after 2017, when AMC picked up the rights, as The Hollywood Reporter reported at the time. If you need Buddy, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
What’s on Freeform on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, leans on Disney and the classics. The day opens with Disney’s A Christmas Carol at 7 a.m., followed by Toy Story That Time Forgot and all three Santa Clause movies. The 2000 Grinch airs at 5:40 p.m., then the Rankin/Bass run kicks in: Frosty the Snowman at 8:15 p.m., Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at 8:50 p.m. and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town at 9:55 p.m.
Christmas Day starts with Arthur Christmas at 7 a.m. The parade airs at noon. Home Alone and Home Alone 2 close out the night at 5:50 and 8:20 p.m., per MickeyBlog’s listing.
Freeform notes that all programming is subject to change, so check your guide before you plan a whole night around it.
How long has 25 Days of Christmas been around?
The event goes back to 1996, when it launched on The Family Channel. It carried on through the Fox Family and ABC Family years. ABC Family became Freeform in 2016, and the tradition came along for the ride.
That’s 30 years of holiday movies on one channel. Plenty of us grew up on it.
So set the DVR, or at least pick your Grinch. The 2000 Jim Carrey version gets 18 airings. The animated 2018 one gets five. The network has made its choice.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Freeform (Nov. 2, 2026), full 2026 schedule, premiere dates and times; we counted the airings
People (Nov. 2, 2026), exclusive schedule reveal and quotes
MickeyBlog (Nov. 2, 2026), day-by-day listing and theme days
The Hollywood Reporter (Dec. 13, 2018), Elf’s move to AMC
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