Holiday specials: Where are they?

Maybe I'm showing my age, but when I was a kid (and even up through the 1970s) it seemed that rather than showing rerun after rerun the various networks were putting on holiday specials. These were often hosted by stars already appearing in variety shows on the networks, but just as often by performers who were seldom on TV.

Off the top of our heads the other night, Donna and I could recall specials with Perry Como, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews & John Denver among others. The only similar event I've seen advertised this year is one which promotes adoption (not in itself bad, but this isn't a typical Christmas special as we used to expect) featuring some contemporary musical talent.

I have a feeling that we were watching some of the Country music networks we might actually encounter something along the lines of what we used to see. It appears that it's only on PBS that we see such shows, and these tend to be rebroadcasts of those shows from the '60s with Williams & his brothers.

Then again, there aren't many musical stars who would likely be willing to chance something along these lines. I can't imagine a Snoop Dogg Christ-diddly-mas Special.

I'm turning into my father more and more each year.