A look at some of this week's noteworthy television:
Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (Sunday, 7:00 p.m., WABC 7) It is a brand new Sesame Street Christmas special complete with an all star guest list providing music and voices like ABC News anchor Charles Gibson voicing a news reading reindeer and Ben Stiller voicing an elf. From the sound of it doesn’t seem like it will wind up being an enduring classic like A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Secrets of New York - New York Connections: The Bridges of New York (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., WNYE 25) Kelly Choi takes a look at the bridges of the city.

In God's Name (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WCBS 2) The French filmmaking Naudet brothers, best know for their 9-11 documentary about the FDNY, talk with twelve religious leaders from faiths ranging from Buddhism to the Shiite branch of Islam. They ask questions about faith and how it can lead some to extremes. Both the Pope and Dalai Lama are featured.

NewsChannel 4 (Monday, 6:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m., WNBC 4) Hopefully WNBC will air the classic reading by Gabe Pressman's of Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus this year. When they have done it in the past they show it at 6 and 11.

A Christmas Story (Monday, 8:00 p.m., TBS) It is the classic 1980s film about Christmas in the 1950s which TBS will air for 24 hours straight. "You'll shoot your eye out!"

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Monday, 8:00 p.m., WABC 7) Accept no substitutes! This is the classic Boris Karloff narrated version of the Dr. Seuss story.

Yule Log (Tuesday, 8:00 a.m., WPIX 11) A New York Christmas Day tradition returns for yet another year with the classic Yule Log on channel 11. The station even offers a version of the Yule Log for your iPod in case you aren't at home.

Holiday Train Show with David Hartman (Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., WNET 13) David Hartman takes a look at the annual train show at the Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden which features miniature replicas of some of the city’s most famous buildings.

Kennedy Center Honors (Wednesday, 9:00 p.m., WCBS 2) Caroline Kennedy hosts the
30th annual ceremony from Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center to honor those in the performing arts. This year’s winners are Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, and Brian Wilson.

Great Performances - Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (Wednesday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13) Samuel L. Jackson narrates this look at the legendary soul music record label that launched the careers from Otis Redding to Isaac Hayes.

The 9th Annual Family Television Awards (Thursday, 9:00 p.m., WPIX 11) This awards show sounds like it would be sponsored by some neoconservative pressure group, but it is actually the spawn of an advertising trade group, the Association of National Advertisers

Dateline NBC (Friday, 9:00 p.m., WNBC 4) We can only recommend half of this two hour Dateline NBC, since the final hour is one of Chris Hansen’s foray into bad questionable journalistic practices known as “To Catch a Predator”. The first hour looks like it is some real journalism – the results of a two year a hidden camera investigation on the worldwide black market in passports.

Funniest Commercials of the Year: 2007 (Friday, 10:00 p.m., TBS) SNL alum Kevin Nealon hosts this look at the years best commercials from around the world.

Child Warriors (Saturday, 6:00 p.m., History Channel) This new two hour documentary looks into the growing rise in children being turned into soldiers.