TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Elf" (2003), 7-9 p.m., CBS. New Christmas movies keep pouring in (including three tonight), but only a few are worth bringing back each year. This is a worthy one. It starts with a full-sized human (the 6-foot-3 Will Ferrell) stunned to learn he's not a real elf. That notion (sort of a variation on Steve Martin's "The Jerk") is a good start, but the real fun comes when this innocent leaves the North Pole and enters the real world at Christmas time. "Elf" has great supporting actors, some of them in throw-away roles. The cast includes Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen, James Caan and more. Some of the best moments, however, come from Zooey Deschanel as the department store elf who matches this sweet soul.

TODAY'S MIGHT-SEE

Christmas movie marathon, 7 a.m. to midnight, ABC Family. Things start slowly, including the truly awful "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (2002) at 11 a.m., then get better in a hurry. "Snow 2 Brain Freeze," which debuted Sunday, is at 1 p.m., Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Jingle All the Way" (1996) at 3 p.m. and Nicolas Cage's excellent "The Family Man" (2000) at 5. Then comes the debut of "Christmas in Wonderland," at 8 and 10 p.m. Short on cash and having just moved, a dad (Patrick Swayze) takes his kids to the mall. There, they find a bag of money and a lot of trouble from two clumsy crooks, their mean boss (Carmen Electra) and an inept cop (Tim Curry). Chris Kattan also co-stars.

OF NOTE

"Crusoe," 7 p.m., NBC. We see flashbacks to the boyhood of Friday, who faced tribal tests. Crusoe decides to try those same tests now.

"I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown," 7 p.m., ABC. This 2003 cartoon was created after Charles Schulz's death, from gags in his "Peanuts" comic strip.

"Our First Christmas," 7 p.m., Hallmark. Widowed parents (Julie Warner and Steven Eckholt) face their first Christmas as a married couple. But which tradition should they follow? Her daughter wants to ski with grandma (Dixie Carter); his kids want to be in the Christmas pageant with grandpa (John Ratzenberger).

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 9 p.m., NBC. Stabler and Benson both go undercover, as an animal-smuggler and a prostitute.

"Saturday Night Live," 10:29 p.m., NBC. The best moments in this rerun come early, with a flurry of guest stars — Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, then the real Palin and Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg as themselves. Josh Brolin hosts, with music from Adele.