CHARLESTON, W.Va. --  There's no getting around it -- the holidays are upon us. We were already being hit with Christmas movies and cartoon specials before Thanksgiving even rolled around, but once Turkey Day came, the floodgate of holiday programming opened.

You'll see evidence of that in the holiday specials listings below, but that's not the only thing that changes when the calendar flips to December.

Like many of nature's wiser animals, network shows go on hiatus briefly in the winter. In general, they're gone for about a month, from early or mid December to early or mid January. While some may not disappear from the airwaves all together, they won't have new episodes until after the New Year.

Here's a look at what is already on holiday hiatus (the majority of which just went on it last week) and what's signing off for Christmas this week. In most cases, unlisted shows have their last new episode until 2012 next week.

NBC

Already on hiatus: "Harry's Law," "Law & Order: SVU," "Parenthood" and "Up All Night."

This week: "Community," "Parks & Recreation," "The Office" and "Whitney," today.

ABC

Already on hiatus: "Body of Proof," "Castle," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Happy Endings," "The Middle," "Modern Family," "Pan Am," "Private Practice," "Revenge" and "Suburgatory"

This week: "Once Upon a Time," Sunday; "Last Man Standing" and "Man Up!,"Tuesday.

CBS

Already on hiatus: "Blue Bloods," "CSI: NY," "A Gifted Man" and "How I Met Your Mother."

This week: "The Big Bang Theory," today; "The Good Wife" and "CSI: Miami," Sunday;"2 Broke Girls" (at 8 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m.), "Two and a Half Men," "Mike & Molly" and "Hawaii Five-0," Monday; "NCIS," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Unforgettable," Tuesday; "Criminal Minds" and"CSI," Wednesday.

Fox

Already on hiatus: "Fringe,""House" and "Kitchen Nightmares."

This week: "Bones," today; "The Simpsons,""The Cleveland Show," "Family Guy" and "American Dad," Sunday; "Glee," "New Girl" and "Raising Hope," Tuesday.

The CW

All CW shows are already on hiatus.

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Holiday specials: "America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular," 9 p.m. today, ABC; "Beethoven's Christmas Adventure," 6:50 p.m. Friday, Disney; "The Muppets Christmas Carol," 7 p.m. Friday, The Hub; "Extreme Christmas Trees," 9 p.m. Saturday, TLC.

Holiday cartoons: "Frosty the Snowman," 8 p.m., "Frosty Returns," 8:30 p.m., "Yes, Virginia," 9 p.m. and "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story," 9:30 p.m. Friday, CBS; "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 8 p.m. and "The Flight Before Christmas," 9 p.m. Saturday, CBS; "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown," 8 p.m. Monday, ABC.

Holiday music: "Straight No Chaser: Songs of the Decade (Holiday Edition)," 7 p.m. Sunday, PBS (the group performs at the Clay Center in April); "A Very BET Christmas," 8 p.m. Sunday, BET (includes performances by Monica, Mindless Behavior, Robin Thicke and more).

• • •

If holiday specials aren't your thing, there are plenty of non-holiday specials to check out. Most notable is A&E's two-part adaptation of Stephen King's "Bag of Bones" at 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday. It stars Pierce Brosnan as an author haunted by women (including his wife) who have died at the lake house where he's staying.

General: "The Great Big American Auction," 10 p.m. today, ABC (hosted by Ty Pennington); "ESPN Bowl Mania," 8:30 p.m. Sunday, ESPN; "William & Kate: Inside the Royal Marriage," 8 p.m. Tuesday, NBC; "Best of Conan," 10 p.m. Tuesday, TBS; "Lucille Ball -- Finding Lucy" (an "American Masters" special), 8 p.m. and "Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," 10 p.m. Wednesday, PBS.

Year-end: "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011," 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, ABC; "Funniest Commercials of the Year," 10 p.m. Wednesday, TBS.

Awards shows: "College Football Awards," 9 p.m. today, ESPN; "The American Giving Awards," 8 p.m. Saturday, NBC (celebrating charities); "The Heisman Trophy Presentation," 8 p.m. Saturday, ESPN; "Video Game Awards 2011," 8 p.m. Saturday, Spike TV.

Music: "Top 40 Videos of 2011," 8 p.m. today, Fuse or 7 p.m. Wednesday, VH1 (same concept, different countdowns); "My Music: '60s Pop, Rock & Soul," 9 p.m. Friday, PBS (live performances by Peter Noone, Davy Jones and more); "Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar," 7 p.m. and "Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio," 8:30 p.m. Saturday, PBS2; "He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley," 8:30 p.m. and "Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert," 9:30 p.m. Saturday, PBS; "Paul Simon: Live at Webster Hall, New York," 8:30 p.m. Sunday, PBS; "Celtic Woman: Believe," 8 p.m. Monday, PBS; "CMT Artists of the Year," 9 p.m. Tuesday, CMT.

Political: "The Curious Case of Citizen Cain," 9 p.m. today, BET (interview with Herman Cain); "Republican Presidential Candidate Debate in Iowa," 9 p.m. Saturday, ABC.

• • •

Series premieres: "Invention USA," 10 p.m. Friday, History Channel (amateur inventors); "Fear Factor," 8 p.m. Monday, NBC (game show, returning five years after cancellation); "Rollin' with Zach," 8 p.m. Monday, OWN (travel series); "Don't Tell the Bride," 10 p.m. Tuesday, TLC (grooms plan surprise weddings in three weeks).

Season premiere: "Beyond Scared Straight," 10 p.m. today, A&E.

Season finales: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," 10 p.m. today, FX (part 1 of 2); "Sweet Home Alabama," 9 p.m. and "Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team," 10 p.m. Friday, CMT; "The Amazing Race," 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS; "The Biggest Loser," 9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC; "The Real World: San Diego," 10 p.m. Wednesday, MTV.

Of note: a holiday-themed "Wipeout" introduces new co-host Vanessa Lachey, 8 p.m. tonight, ABC; star Zachary Levi directs Friday's episode of "Chuck," 8 p.m. NBC.

W.Va. alert: "American Pickers" visits the Huntington Farm Museum, 9 p.m. Monday, History Channel.

Reach Amy Robinson at flips...@wvgazette.com.