How to watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ free this weekend

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The beloved Peanuts holiday special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a favorite holiday tradition for many.

In the 1965 animated program, Charlie Brown is discouraged when he believes that the holiday has become too commercialized, so Lucy invites him to take part in the school play, where he learns the true meaning of Christmas.

But special, based on the “Peanuts” cartoon strip by Charles M. Schulz, is now owned by Apple TV+ — along with all the other “Peanuts” specials.

That means it’s available to stream there all year round. For a price:

▪ Apple TV+ is a pay service and it recently upped its cost to $9.99 per month (with a 7-day free trial). But if you watch a lot of Charlie Brown content, it might be worth it (at least for the month of December).

If you don’t subscribe to Apple TV+ and don’t want to, there’s still a way to watch it free of charge:

▪ Apple TV+ will stream “A Charlie Brown Christmas” free on its platform Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 16-17).

Here’s more holiday programming for this weekend (which includes a rare network airing of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on CBS).

What to Watch on Saturday

“Elf” (7 & 9 p.m., AMC) - Adopted as a baby by one of Santa’s elves (Bob Newhart), a man (Will Ferrell) leaves the workshop to search for his family in New York. Also stars James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Ed Asner and Mary Steenburgen.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (8 p.m., CBS) - In this beloved 1964 stop-motion classic, the reindeer with the shiny nose guides Santa’s sleigh through a bad storm on Christmas Eve. Narrated by Burl Ives. Track all the “Rudolph” airings here.

“The Holiday Proposal Plan” (8 p.m., Lifetime) - In this new Lifetime movie, sparks fly when travel columnist Sonny Kravitz and her ex-boyfriend team up to help their best friends get engaged during Christmastime.

“Sealed with a List” (8 p.m., Hallmark) - In this new movie, festive Carley sets out to conquer her list of abandoned resolutions from last year. Aided by co-worker Wyatt, she finds love and the confidence to chase her dreams.

“Frosty the Snowman” (9 p.m., CBS) - The 1969 animated adaptation of Romeo Muller’s story of a snowman who comes to life, narrated by Jimmy Durante.

“Frosty Returns” (9:30 p.m., CBS) - John Goodman is the voice of Frosty in this sequel in which Frosty is threatened by a snow-removal spray. Narrated by Jonathan Winters.

“A Christmas Intern” (10 p.m., Lifetime) - In this new movie, Cecilia discovers that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and visits her daughter Alexis, who runs an online gift giving business. Cecilia becomes an intern at the startup and the two learn the importance of family.

What to Watch on Sunday

“The Sound of Music” (7 p.m., ABC) - The viewing of this 1965 musical is a holiday tradition for many. A novitiate (Julie Andrews) leaves her convent and becomes governess to Capt. Von Trapp’s (Christopher Plummer) seven children in Austria before World War II.

“Merry Magic Christmas” (8 p.m., Lifetime) - In this new movie, a financial advisor starts seeing a recurring number: 624. She’s told it’s from a Christmas angel to make her wish come true. She calls it a statistical coincidence. But when she discovers the meaning, she finds love.

“Friends & Family Christmas” (8 p.m., Hallmark) - Daniella and Amelia agree to pretend they’re dating to appease their respective parents during the holidays. However, as they spend more time together, they start to build a connection that’s deeper than either of them could have hoped for.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (8 & 10:15 p.m., AMC) - The Griswolds spend the holiday with relatives in this 1999 holiday comedy, including a country cousin who arrives in an RV. It stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid and Diane Ladd.

“A Christmas Story Christmas” (8 p.m., TNT) - In this sequel to “A Christmas Story,” Ralphie reconnects with old friends when he returns to his childhood home in Cleveland to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had growing up.

”Office Christmas Party” (9:48 p.m., TNT) - In this 2016 comedy, two co-workers (Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller) hoping to close a sale and save their jobs must rally their colleagues to throw an epic Christmas party.

Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.