Monday, Dec 18, 1961
Monday's sole holiday offering was “Christmas Memory”, from the Robert Young led, single season, dramedy series Window on Main Street.
Tuesday, Dec 19, 1961
Tuesday the 19th was a tremendous night for holiday fare.
Things actually started off in the afternoon as Art Linkletter presented highlights of his “Trip tho the Holy Land”.
At 8:00 PM (Eastern) Bachelor Father presented “Deck the Halls”
A quick flick of the channel at 8:30 PM for the (now) classic “Have Reindeer, Will Travel” episode of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
At 9:00 PM Red Skelton brought his comedic touch to holiday with his annual Christmas show. "Freddie and the Yuletide Doll” featuring, you guessed it, Freddie the Freeloader.
There was no need to change the channel after Red because the evenings high point was coming right up. The Garry Moore Show went all festive with guests Julie Andrews and Gwen Verdon joining regulars Durwood Kirby and Carol Burnett.
Wednesday, Dec 20th, 1961
The New Steve Allen Show held it’s Christmas Open House with a plethora of guests including The Smothers Brothers, Tim Conway (back when he was still Tom Conway), and Buck Henry.
Next up was a rerun of the classic 1956 Father Knows Best episode “The Angel’s Sweater”
(More info at Christmas Specials Wiki)
NBC offered another classic rerun - Project 20’s “The Coming of Christ” which The New York Times hailed as
“ a work of permanence, a program of exceptional beauty and reverence that will rank as one of television's lasting accomplishments.”
Perry Como celebrated the season with Tom Tichenor’s Marionettes.
Finally, Bob Newhart, in the first of his many eponymous series, gave his buttoned-down take on the Christmas
Over in the UK the afternoon weekly Wednesday Magazine offered
"Carols in Salisbury Cathedral, Lights in London Music of the Masters family.Three Homeless Animals in search of new owners.and Harry Dickens on past and present Dickensian Christmases"
The Sky at Night offered advice on what to do with any telescopes that might find their way under the Christmas tree.
Thursday, December 21st, 1961
In Philadelphia, the annual tradition of airing The Mabel Beaton Marionette’s “The Spirit of Christmas” continued.
“The Girl in the Emporium”, Ozzie and Harriet’s holiday episode from the previous year was rerun.
The Real McCoys and Doctor Kildare squared off with dueling Christmas episodes.
An hour later “Hazel’s Christmas Shopping" had the genre all to its self.
After Hazel, it was time to Sing Along with Mitch
In England the BBC aired Perspective on Toys and Toymakers in the morning
"Some aspects of the toy world surveyed.Including Film of Sam Smith, toymaker for grown-ups, and Yootha Rose, toymaker for children.and A discussion on the present and future trends of toys."
and the film Choirboys Unite! (Of which there was an appeal to reunite the original cast members a couple of years ago)
(Sources include The BBC Genome / Radio Times, YouTube, Daily Motion, The News Leader, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Press and Sunday Bulletin, The Honolulu Star, The Bristol Daily Courier, The Sacramento Bee, The Standard Speaker, The South Bend Tribune, Christmas Specials Wiki)
