The TV Zone

The countdown is on in earnest now, and stations have added some goodies to the holiday menu.

The Simpsons (7 p.m. on WNYW/5) – Yuletide yuks all week. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Bart gets caught shoplifting. On Wednesday, Gary Coleman shows up. On Thursday, the Christmas tree burns down. On Friday, the school gets snowed in.

The Christmas Box (late Tuesday night at 3:30 a.m., Thursday at 10 p.m., TBN) – Richard Thomas stars in TV movie from the 1990s bestseller.

The Office (Thursday, Dec. 21 at 9 p.m., NBC/4) – Instant-rerun of last week’s “Benihana Christmas” classic. One hour. [NBC photo, right.]

Masters of Illusion Christmas (Thursday, Dec. 21 at 10 p.m., WNBC-DT 4.4) – You’ve gotta have the digital subchannel to catch this seasonal magic special with disappearing trees and more. (On NYC-area digital cable: Cablevision Ch. 110, Time Warner Ch. 732, Comcast Ch. 249.)

These shows and dozens more have joined the massive listings at the Christmas Tube category links to the right. Keep checking back!