The best Children's programmes over Christmas

Culabula (TnaG, Christmas Eve from 1.30 p.m.) Lots of snowy tales, with various attempts to ruin the festivities being foiled by Hiudai, and a new animation about the Christmas when Santa's reindeers were stolen.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Network 2, 3.55 p.m., Christmas Eve; ITV, 3.10 p.m., Christmas Day) This delightful version of the Dickens story has become something of a staple in the Christmas schedules, undoubtedly because it manages that difficult trick of being fun for both children and adults.

The Snowman (Channel 4, 5.15 p.m., Christmas Eve) Another regular Christmas item, Raymond Briggs's animated classic is about a little boy who makes a snowman which come to life and takes him for an adventure at the North Pole.

Spice Girls On Top Of The Pops (BBC 1, 5.30 p.m., Christmas Eve) Grumpy, Dumpy, Silly, Ditzy and Oik offer an insight into the Life of Spice with interviews, and footage of their previous performances on the chart show.

The Simpsons Big Night Out (Sky 1, Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.) Danny Baker provides the introduction for a two-hour Simpsony, with the family straying away from Springfield to far-flung spots like India, Australia and Outer Space.

Den TV (Network 2, Christmas Day from 7 a.m.) Ray, Dustin and co. step into the breach for beleagured parents with more than five hours of cartoons, the Morbegs, and Christ- mas Crisis II: Double Trouble, with guest stars Zig and Zag and OTT.

Teletubbies Christmas Carols (BBC 1, 9.40 a.m., Christmas Day) Things are looking good for the Teletubbies, but rumours of creative differences are bound to start appearing in the New Year, so enjoy them at their peak as they do a bit of carol-singing and contrive to slip in that song as well.

Nappy Christmas (RTE 1, 3.10 p.m., Christmas Day)

The inhabitants of the Den hardly have enough time for their ham (no turkey, obviously) before they launch their special Christmas day presentation, in which Ray, Dustin and Socky's festivities are interrupted by an unexpected guest.

The Canterville Ghost (ITV, 4.10 p.m., St Stephen's Day) New version of Oscar Wilde's ghost story, specifically aimed at a family audience, with Ian Richardson as the ghost and appearances from the likes of Pauline Quirke, Rik Mayall and Donald Sinden.

A Prokofiev Fantasy - Peter and the Wolf (Network 2, 5.15 p.m., St Stephen's Day) Human performers and life-size puppets created by the Spitting Image workshop combine for this visual and musical treatment of some of Prokofiev's best-loved compositions.