TV Holidays Are Festive Again: Letterman Is Back with His Annual Christmas Show

Last year, the writers' strike put a Scrooge-like end to David Letterman's annual late-night Christmas show. Tuesday night at 11:35 ET, on a fresh edition of Late Show with David Letterman, it's back. Darlene Love will sing, Jay Thomas will tell his Lone Ranger story, and Jay and Dave will toss footballs at the giant meatball atop the tree.

And I'll be watching, and grinning...

This is one TV tradition we shouldn't take for granted. I made the case a year ago, a month into the writers' strike, with a column that recounted the entire glorious history of the Letterman Christmas show. I begged for the Powers That Be to grant special dispensation to allow Letterman's streak to continue. You can read the story, and find out all about the Lone Ranger and Jay Thomas, by clicking HERE.

The Powers That Were, of course, ignored me. The strike continued, and despite the adage that the show must go on, it didn't. But for 2008, the gang is back: Darlene Love singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," as she did for Letterman 22 years ago, and every year but one since. Thomas back to spin a yarn and toss a football. And, as this year's special guest, another veteran performer: Mickey Rourke, hot on the comeback trail thanks to The Wrestler.

Who knows? He may even stick around to take aim at the giant meatball. This show, every season, has become more obviously, and more delightfully, a celebration not only of Christmas, but of tradition, and friendship, and life itself.

As The Lone Ranger might say: Believe ME, citizen.