TV This Weekend: E4 Kicks Off Christmas Movie Season TWO HUGE FESTIVE HITS

E4 is getting into the Christmas spirit early, with festive favourites Christmas with the Kranks and Jingle All the Way arriving on Sunday as the channel begins lining up a season of Christmas movies. From a couple attempting to escape the holiday chaos to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desperate search for the must-have toy of the year, viewers can enjoy an afternoon and evening of festive comedy this weekend.

The seasonal double bill begins on Sunday with Christmas with the Kranks at 3.55pm, followed by Jingle All the Way at 6pm. And with Home Alone among the other Christmas films coming up on Sundays, E4 looks set to offer plenty of festive viewing in the weeks ahead.

What to watch on E4 this Sunday:

• 3.55pm – Christmas with the Kranks: Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen star as a couple who decide to skip Christmas, only for their plans to unravel when their daughter announces she is coming home.
• 6pm – Jingle All the Way: Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a busy dad racing against time to find his son’s dream Christmas present on Christmas Eve.
• Coming up: E4 is lining up more festive favourites for Sundays, including the much-loved Christmas comedy Home Alone.

Christmas with the Kranks – Sunday at 3.55pm

Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Tim Allen and Dan Aykroyd

E4’s festive movie afternoon begins with Christmas with the Kranks, the 2004 comedy directed by Chris Columbus and based on John Grisham’s 2001 novel Skipping Christmas.

Luther and Nora Krank usually love Christmas, embracing the decorations, traditions and neighbourhood festivities that make the season special. But when their only daughter, Blair, announces that she will not be home for the holidays, the couple decide to do something unexpected: skip Christmas altogether.

With no family visit to prepare for, Luther and Nora plan to spend the money they would normally devote to the festivities on a Caribbean cruise instead. They are ready to leave the Christmas chaos behind and enjoy a holiday without the usual preparations.

There is just one obstacle. Their neighbours in suburban Chicago are determined to ensure that the Kranks take part in the community’s Christmas celebrations, whether they want to or not.

As the pressure mounts, Luther and Nora find themselves increasingly at odds with the festive spirit surrounding them. Their plans to avoid the holidays become harder to maintain as the neighbours refuse to accept their decision.

Then comes the twist: Blair announces that she will, after all, be coming home for Christmas.

Suddenly, the couple must reconsider their plans and find a way to create a festive welcome at very short notice. What began as an attempt to escape Christmas becomes a frantic effort to bring the celebrations back together.

With Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen leading the cast, Christmas with the Kranks offers a comedy about family expectations, neighbourhood traditions and the difficulty of avoiding Christmas when everyone around you is determined to celebrate.

Jingle All the Way – Sunday at 6pm

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman and Rita Wilson.

The festive fun continues at 6pm with Jingle All the Way, the 1996 family comedy directed by Brian Levant.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Howard Langston, a workaholic father who has spent so much time at work that he has left his Christmas shopping dangerously late. His son Jamie, played by Jake Lloyd, has only one thing on his wish list: Turbo Man, the must-have action figure of the season.

There is a problem, however. It is Christmas Eve, and Turbo Man has sold out everywhere.

Determined not to disappoint his son, Howard launches into a frantic search for the elusive toy. But he soon discovers that he is not the only parent desperate to secure one. Myron Larabee, played by Sinbad, is also on a mission to find Turbo Man, and the two fathers become rivals in an increasingly chaotic race against time.

As Howard searches high and low, his quest takes him through a series of increasingly ridiculous situations. The closer he gets to finding the toy, the more complicated his mission becomes.

Meanwhile, back at home, Howard’s neighbour Ted, played by Phil Hartman, is taking an interest in Howard’s increasingly disillusioned wife, Liz, played by Rita Wilson.

The result is a fast-paced festive comedy about the pressure to find the perfect present and the lengths a parent might go to in order to make Christmas special.

Schwarzenegger brings his action-star persona to a family comedy that turns the familiar last-minute Christmas shopping panic into an all-out adventure. With a sold-out toy, competing fathers and a ticking clock, Jingle All the Way delivers plenty of seasonal chaos.

More Christmas movies coming to E4

Sunday’s double bill is just the beginning of E4’s festive movie line-up. The channel is preparing to show more Christmas favourites on Sundays, including Home Alone, the classic comedy about a young boy accidentally left behind when his family heads away for the holidays.

For viewers who enjoy revisiting familiar festive films, the early start to E4’s Christmas schedule offers a chance to settle in with seasonal comedies before December arrives.

From the Kranks’ attempt to escape the festivities to Howard Langston’s desperate hunt for Turbo Man, this weekend’s films explore two very different versions of Christmas chaos — and both deliver the kind of family comedy that has become a seasonal tradition.

Christmas with the Kranks airs on Sunday at 3.55pm on E4, followed by Jingle All the Way at 6pm.

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