On ABC Family they have a Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas. This is essentially a countdown to a countdown.

The 25 Days of Christmas is something that ABC Family has been doing since 1996, and they do it every year from December 1 to December 25 in which they show classical holiday programming as well as new Christmas-themed television movies. In 2006, the channel aired fewer seasonal films and added general-interest family movies such as Harry Potter, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Beauty and the Beast.

In 2007, due to popular ratings from the previous year, ABC Family launched the official countdown to the countdown which began on November 21.  The first week it had an average of 2.3 million viewers. Even though that was the first official early start, previous years holiday programming had unofficially begun during the last week of November, showing mostly older original films, in which some were Christmas based, some not.

In 2008, the countdown to the “25 days of Christmas” returned on November 16. It attracted about 2.7 million viewers. In 2009 it returned again with an even earlier start date then before, November 10. When they played the movie The Santa Clause 3 it was watched by 1.6 million viewers, while an airing of Harry Potter and the Goblet Fire was watched by 1.5 million viewers.

In 2010, it started later in the month on November 20. That was also the start date in 2011 and 2013. In 2011 it had an average of 2.2 million viewers, down 27% from the last year. In 2012 the countdown began at an earlier date on November 18^th. It had about a total of 2.9 million viewers. On December 2^nd they had 5.4 million viewers, the most they’ve ever had. The movie that played that day was The Grinch.

My opinion on the countdown to the countdown to 25 days of Christmas is that it is not necessary. People can countdown till December 1^st if they really wanted to know, ABC Family doesn’t need to inform us that Christmas is in December.  What do you think? Do you like the countdown to the countdown?