Holiday classics Rudolph and Frosty airing on TV tonight

(Image credit: CBS)

Baby, it's cold outside, so why not stay in tonight for a double feature of two of the most beloved and best Christmas movies of all time? Joining the Christmas TV this weekend is a pair of Christmas animated classics: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

Both animated films have become time-honored parts of viewers' yuletide traditions over the decades, so it's high-time to reunite with our favorite snowman and red-nosed reindeer. Both specials will be airing on CBS on Saturday, December 16, with Rudolph scheduled for 8pm ET and Frosty to follow at 9pm ET.

That means it's readily available for anyone with a traditional pay-TV subscription or TV antenna that receives local station signals, as well as live TV streaming subscribers to Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. If you're not able to watch the animated movies live on December 16, don't fret: they will be available to stream whenever you want on Paramount Plus.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Rankin/Bass TV movie that first aired on December 6, 1964 on NBC as part of The General Electric Fantasy Hour, following the spirited adventures of the titular reindeer with a glowing nose as he encounters a misfit elf who wants to be a dentist (hi Hermey!), an arctic prospector with a madcap dogsled (poodles and dachshunds and all) and, of course, the Abominable Snow Monster.

Telecast every year since '64, the stop-motion classic is the longest continuously running Christmas TV special in the United States. CBS has been airing Rudolph since 1972 and unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the film in 2005.

Frosty the Snowman is another Rankin/Bass wonder, which debuted on CBS on December 7, 1969. The story follows a group of schoolchildren who build a snowman and bring him to life. However, once their new friend Frosty starts to melt, the kiddos have to rush him to the extremely cold temperatures of the North Pole so he can survive.

Following an airing of the original Frosty special, CBS will continue the holiday fun on December 16 with Frosty Returns at 9:30pm ET. The 1993 animated sequel features the voices of Jonathan Winters as the narrator and John Goodman as Frosty the Snowman.

And if you need even more holiday specials to round out the festive season, see our Christmas TV highlights guide!

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York.

When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.