ABC preps for a busy Christmas season

ABC will again go into holiday overdrive. The four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas will be stuffed with music, movies and more.
Some things, of course will simply be re-re-reruns. We’ll get double Julie Andrews (“Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music”), plus “Home Alone,” “The Santa Clause” and some familiar cartoons.
But alongside that are:
— New specials. A third “Prep & Landing” (shown here) arrives, filling out a three-hour animation block. Also, the “Dancing With the Stars” people will have a holiday hour.
— New editions of perennials. That includes two music specials at the Disney parks, plus “CMA Country Christmas,” “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball” and the six-hour “Great Christmas Lights Fight.”
— And a detour from the usual shows. Kevin Costner will narrate a movie-length “The First Christmas.”
Details include:
NEW CARTOON: The “Prep & Landing” shows focus on the guys who prepare each of Santa’s stops. Now things go wrong in “Prep & Lansing: The Snowball Protocol.” That will follow be 9 p.m. Nov. 30, after reruns of the first two. More cartoons follow, with “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” and the 1970 “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”
MUSIC SPECIALS: Two annual events tape stars at the Disney parks. It will be the 10th “Holiday Spectacular” at 8 p.m. Dec. 1 and the 40th “Magical Christmas Parade.” The latter starts at 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. CT) on Christmas Day, but will begin at 5 a.m. in the other time zones, to make room for the annual burst of five straight pro basketball games.
The performers haven’t been announced for those two — or for the “iHeart Radio Jingle Ball” (8-10 p.m. Dec. 17). But “CMA Christmas” (9:01 p.m. Dec. 2) will be hosted by Lauren Daigle and Jordan Davis. They’ll perform, along with Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Riley Green, Derek Trucks, Bebe Winans, Susan Tedeschi, Lady A, Little Big Town and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
DANCE SPECIAL: “Dancing With the Holidays” will be 8 p.m. Dec. 2, leading into the CMA Hour.
FRONT-YARD SPECTACULARS: Each “Lights Fight” hour has four mega-displays from ordinary (well, sort of ordinary) families. The judge, Carter Oosterhouse or Taniya Nayak, picks a winner. That’s 9-11 p.m. on Thursdays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18.
CLASSIC MOVIES: It will be “Mary Poppins” at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and “The Sound of Music” at 7 p.m. Dec. 21. In addition, “The Santa Clause” is 9 p.m. Dec. 7 and “Home Alone” is 8 p.m. Christmas Eve. Those two are often on Freeform, which (like ABC) is owned by Disney.
NEW MOVIE: Costner narrates “The First Christmas,” at 8 p.m. Dec. 9.