The Seven Essential Holiday Programs
TIME's James Poniewozik takes a look back at yuletides past, and crafts his list of the seven greatest holiday TV moments
People praise TV for entertaining, for informing, for enlightening. But sometimes the most important thing TV does is just being there: shedding heat, light and noise in the background, watching us as much as we watch it. The Yule Log is the epitome of TV's being-thereness. The brainchild of a manager at local New York City station WPIX, the Log is just what it says: a continuous loop of a log burning in a fireplace to the tune of Christmas carols, for families without a fireplace of their own. It offers no story, no cartoon characters, just companionship and comfort. The phrase "electronic hearth" was never more true.
— James Poniewozik
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