Christmas in the Eyes of Children

The holiday television season gets into full swing this week with encores of such yuletide cartoon favorites as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” as well as the premiere of several new animated specials, including the WB’s “A Scooby-Doo Christmas” and ABC’s “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales.”

“A Scooby-Doo Christmas,” coming on the heels of last summer’s hit “Scooby-Doo” feature film, marks the first prime-time holiday special starring the easily spooked Great Dane and his pals Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma. Producer and story editor Chuck Sheetz says it wasn’t hard to marry the mystery-adventure plot of a “Scooby-Doo” episode with a holiday story. “The show has a wide range. There is the mystery and there are always the comedy bits between Shaggy and Scooby, and then there is a certain level of action and adventure and chase stuff; putting a holiday spin on top of that isn’t as difficult as it would seem.”

In this outing, Scooby and the gang are planning to spend the holidays at the condo of Daphne’s uncle. “But on the way, they get caught in a snowstorm and the bridge is out, and they wind up staying in this small town called Christmas Hollow, and that is where the mystery starts,” Sheetz says.

“A Scooby-Doo Christmas” can be seen Friday at 8:30 p.m on the WB.

Here’s a peek at other holiday shows this week:

“A Charlie Brown Christmas”: The classic 1965 tale based on Charles M. Schulz’s beloved “Peanuts” comic strip. 8 p.m. Sunday and 9 p.m. Friday on ABC.

“Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales”: A new “Peanuts” special featuring a series of Christmas-themed tales -- each “Peanuts” character headlines a vignette -- based on Schulz’s stories. 8:30 p.m. Sunday and 9:30 p.m. Friday on ABC.

“Barney’s Christmas Star”: The Purple One and his friends travel to his grandmother’s attic to search for a gold star for the top of the Christmas tree. 3 p.m. Monday on KCET.

“Rugrats: Babies in Toyland”: The tots headline this special holiday edition of the series in which Angelica finds the true joy of giving after she drives Santa (the voice of Jim Belushi) to quit. 8 p.m. Monday on Nickelodeon.

“Arthur’s Perfect Christmas”: Arthur and his friends and family learn that creating the perfect holiday is difficult. 3 p.m. Tuesday on KCET.

“Elmo’s World: Happy Holidays”: Kelly Ripa helps Elmo celebrate the holidays. The red furry creature’s biggest concern? What to get his beloved goldfish, Dorothy, for Christmas. 3 p.m. Wednesday on KCET.

“Dora the Explorer: A Present for Santa”: The bilingual Dora climbs snow-capped mountains and crosses an icy river to bring her gift to St. Nick at the North Pole. 8 p.m. Wednesday on Nickelodeon.

“The Show Must Go On: Christmas in Mouseland”: Angelina Ballerina auditions for the town’s Christmas show but loses the title role to rival, Priscilla Pinkpaws. 3 p.m. Thursday on KCET.

“Adventures From the Book of Virtues: A Christmas Carol”: Zach and Annie and the gang at “Plato’s Peak” headline their adaptation of Dickens’ story. 3 p.m. Friday on KCET.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”: The beloved Chuck Jones’ animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ holiday tale features the voice of Boris Karloff as the Green Meanie. 8 p.m. Friday on the WB.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Burl Ives narrates this animated favorite based on the song by Johnny Marks. 8 p.m. Friday on CBS.

“Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire”: The British animated special about a reindeer who wants to be a member of Santa’s team arrives Stateside. Ben and Jerry Stiller, Hugh Grant and Britney Spears supply the voices. 9 p.m. Friday on CBS.

“Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe”: In this outing, Robbie locks antlers with his nemesis, Blitzen, and with the help of some Vikings, stops him from opening up a reindeer theme park. 9:30 p.m. Friday on CBS.

Cover art courtesy of Warner Bros.