A Christmas Story 6 p.m. (TBS) Jean Shepherd’s nostalgic charmer about a boy (Peter Billingsley) craving a BB gun. PG (1983)
Die Hard 6 p.m. (G4) Thrilling action as a cop (Bruce Willis) matches firepower with terrorists in a skyscraper. R (1988)
Shrek 6 p.m. (TOON) A delightful animated spoof about an ogre and a princess. Voices include Mike Myers. PG (2001)
Forrest Gump 6:15 p.m. (TNT) Best picture winner about a simple man (Tom Hanks) who is swept up in key historical moments. PG-13 (1994)
Annie Get Your Gun 7 p.m. (44) Betty Hutton scores a bull’s-eye in Irving Berlin’s stage hit. NR (1950)
Big 7 p.m. (WAM) Tom Hanks as a kid who’s magically transformed into an adult. PG (1988)
Serendipity 7 p.m. (E) A man and woman let fate determine their relationship. John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale. PG-13 (2001)
Bad Santa 7:57 p.m. (COM) Crudely funny comedy about a felonious department-store St. Nick (Billy Bob Thornton). R (2003)
Elf 8 p.m., 9:28 p.m. (USA) A human (Will Ferrell) raised by elves searches for his birth father. Charming holiday fantasy. PG (2003)
Going My Way 8 p.m. (TCM) Oscar winner about a priest (Bing Crosby) and a youth gang. NR (1944)
The Karate Kid 8 p.m. (STARZ) A young boy (Jaden Smith) learns kung fu from a kindly maintenance man (Jackie Chan). PG (2010)
The Perfect Holiday 8 p.m. (BET) A young girl asks Santa (Morris Chestnut) for a husband for her divorced mother. PG (2007)
The Polar Express 8 p.m. (FAM) Fun fable about a boy who is sent to the North Pole to meet Santa. Voices include Tom Hanks. G (2004)
Rio Bravo 8 p.m. (AMC) Strong Howard Hawks tale of a sheriff vs. bad guys, with John Wayne. NR (1959)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 9 p.m. (DISN) Five children win a fun tour of a candy factory owned by an eccentric chocolatier (Johnny Depp). PG (2005)
The Music Man 9 p.m. (44) Robert Preston as a fast-talking salesman in 1912 Iowa. NR (1962)
The Company Men 9:30 p.m. (SHO2) A businessman (Ben Affleck) must take a job working for his brother-in-law, a carpenter. R (2010)
The Wiz 9:30 p.m. (TV1) From the Broadway hit based on “The Wizard of Oz.’’ Diana Ross, Michael Jackson. G (1978)
A Good Year 10 p.m. (SUND) A London investment broker inherits a vineyard in France. Russell Crowe. PG-13 (2006)
A Season for Miracles 10 p.m. (HALMRK) A tender tale of two desperate kids in a town where wondrous things occur. Carla Gugino. NR (1999)
Sophie’s Choice 10 p.m. (FLIX) Meryl Streep as a Polish refugee with a horrible secret. R (1982)
Make Way for Tomorrow 10:15 p.m. (TCM) An elderly couple is left homeless during the Depression. Victor Moore. NR (1937)