Dish Network offers a wide variety of holiday programming
by
Frank R. Bilotta
Having grown up in New England, my favorite time of year is undoubtedly the fall. Unless you live in the area, its a feeling that is hard to explain. Theres something in the air a crispness, almost that signals something is coming. The treetops become an amazing palate of oranges, reds and yellows, and the smell of burning fireplaces rides the breeze.
And another good thing that comes with the fall Halloween. As a kid of course I looked forward to trick or treating and gathering as much candy as I possibly could, but when I grew out of that stage I didnt appreciate Halloween again until I was old enough to start throwing parties. Suddenly, dressing up in costumes was fun again (albeit the alcohol is a factor in that enjoyment.) Honestly, I cant imagine living anywhere else during this time of year.
Being a fan of horror movies and all the things that go bump, this is the time of year when I can really appreciate all there is to offer. American Movie Classics usually runs a block of programming called Fearfest (formerly Monster Fest) where they show marathons of horror movies, including the Friday the 13th saga, some movies from the Halloween series, and other gems from the 80s. Theres something silly and addicting about these movies when they come on TV.
As terrible as most of them are, I just cant help but watch. Back when this was called Monster Fest, they used to skew towards the older movies; now they tend to show a lot of crappy B-movies from the last few years. Still, theres something comforting about coming home and flipping on AMC and wondering what theyll show next. For those of you still young at heart (like me) ABC Family shows the 13 Days of Halloween, almost a full two weeks of Halloween programming geared towards kids and families.
They have been running this marathon for over 10 years now and Im sure this year will be no exception. They usually show such family favorites as Hocus Pocus, Casper, Beetlejuice, The Addams Family, Tim Burtons Corpse Bride, Poltergeist, and The Haunted Mansion, plus the fan-favorite haunted house exploration series Scariest Places on Earth. These are great to watch with your kids (though they do sometimes show movies such as The Sixth Sense that might be a little too spooky for the little ones.) Sometimes Ill put on ABC Family in the background just for the sheer atmosphere that all these Halloween movies bring.
Now, I dont get scared of horror movies like I used to when I was a kid, but I do enjoy the nostalgia. And as sad as I am to see summer go (seriously, it feels like it just started), I am definitely looking forward to the change in the weather and the foliage. I hope to also make a trip to Salem, MA this year. Nothing else sums up fall in New England quite like Salem at Halloween time. ABC Family is also responsible for another holiday marathon 25 Days of Christmas. Now Ill admit, I am not a fan of the snow and ice, but I do love the weeks in December leading up to my favorite holiday. Yes it does seem to be a lot of buildup for ONE day, but the buildup is the fun part. Shopping for gifts, holiday music on the radio all of these things that remind us that its a special time of the year that only comes around once.
And despite the commercialism and occasional stress, Christmas is the one holiday that really makes me reflect on simpler times, when I could believe in things that werent humanly possible. As someone who wanted to hold on to my childhood for as long as possible, it always makes me a little warm and fuzzy inside to see all the Christmas specials on TV, especially the ones that I used to watch when I was a kid (namely Garfield’s Christmas Special and Mickey’s Christmas Carol, two of my favorites).
They start the programming on the first week of December and continue up through Christmas Day. The last few years they have started showing programming that is arguably NOT Christmas themed (for example Harry Potter, Cars, The Incredibles, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) when they should really be focusing on the Christmas specials that we havent seen since our childhood. I understand Harry Potter is popular, but they can show that any time of the year.
Christmas comes only once! And just a note I dont know why I watch the Jim Carrey version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas every time its on. What is wrong with me? Tis the season, I suppose. Now about that redhead stepchild called Easter.ehhh, never mind. Its not even worth it. ABC Family can be found on channel 180 on Dish Network. AMC is channel 130. Some other channels of note for both Halloween and Christmas programming would be SyFy (channel 122), the Hallmark Channel (channel 185), and the Disney Channel (channel 172).
By: Frank Bilotta
Frank helps people learn about Dish Network Satellite TV, and how they can save money every month with popular Dish Network Packages. Frank and his team also help people determine if satellite internet is right for them.
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Dish Network offers a wide variety of holiday programming}