If your holiday plans do not involve mistletoe-induced love affairs fueled by a return to your hometown, you might enjoy these less-than-traditional holiday shows:
“A Very Quentin X-mas” (Wednesday, Dec. 25, 11:30 a.m., ENCORE)
Release your homicidal holiday frustrations with a Quentin Tarantino marathon on Christmas Day. Start off with “Reservoir Dogs” and make your way through “Jackie Brown” and both “Kill Bill” films.
“Robot Chicken: Born Again Virgin Christmas Special” (Monday, Dec. 16, midnight, Adult Swim)
Although the stop-action Claymation series mostly pokes fun at traditions, you can still feel the love this show’s 30-something creators feel for all the pop-culture icons they grew up with. So enjoy their take on the origins of the Heat and Snow Misers, a retooling of “A Christmas Carol” and a riff on the perils of working at the North Pole.
“Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” marathons (Friday, Dec. 27 and Tuesday, Dec. 31, respectively, AMC)
There are a lot of series out there that would make heart-warming marathons for the whole family to enjoy. Neither of these shows fall into that category. In fact, both series’ marathons — “Dead” is a two-day killfest and “Bad” is a monster four-day event — should probably require a note from your therapist assuring the network that you can handle this level of depressing, but excellent drama during the holiday season.
“Christmas with the Aquabats!” (Saturday, Dec. 21, 1 p.m., The Hub)
The punk-rock band that fights evil costumed characters in ridiculously obvious special effects — if you haven’t seen it, imagine “The Monkees” meeting “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” — is saving Christmas. Matt Walsh (“Veep”) and Robert Smigel (“Saturday Night Live”) guest star.
“My Cat from Hell: Hell-iday Special” (Friday, Dec. 27, 9 p.m., Animal Planet)
With five seasons of cat-whispering under his belt, it seems only fitting that feline tamer Jackson Galaxy should host a holiday special. Or not. Whether you’re a cat lover or hater, this reality series can be hilariously entertaining, so one can only hope that the special will deliver shredded holiday-gift packages, shattered Christmas ornaments and maybe even a trip to the emergency room after a New Year’s nip. Extra points to this show for creating a pun by placing the word “Hell” within a theoretically religious term.