Tis the season for Sony hacks and threats of Seth Rogen-inspired terrorism. Even without "The Interview" available to moviegoers this Christmas season, theaters will be filled with the joy of CGI battles ("Hobbit"), prisoners of war ("Unbroken"), twisted fairy tale singing ("Into the Woods") and Mark Wahlberg playing a literature professor (the ultra-realistic remake of "The Gambler").

While some of those might be decent movies, Christmas is the time for entertainment that works for all ages. When I think of such a thing, my go-to is "The Muppets." Their felt appearance and goofy voices appeal to the "Sesame Street" crowd while offering (mostly) appropriate humor for all ages.

It's also a safe bet even the worst "Muppets" entry is more entertaining than another "Night at the Museum" or unnecessary "Annie" remake.

"The Muppets" have a long history of holiday-themed programming, and streaming subscribers have more than a few options this week.

"The Muppet Christmas Carol" and other Muppet features

Considered requisite viewing this time of year for many adults my age, the 1992 adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" is a sincere and faithful telling of the story. The movie is actually pretty light on the major Muppet characters, as Kermit, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear take supporting roles to Michael Caine's Scrooge. Only Gonzo the Great gets major screentime as narrator "Charles Dickens." Everybody knows Gonzo is the best, so his prominence bothers NOBODY.

My only complaint? The songs are mostly bland, minus the peppy opening number.

"The Muppet Christmas Carol" is currently available on Netflix streaming, as are the other early films, including 1979's classic "The Muppet Movie," 1981's "Great Muppet Caper" and 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan." Netflix likes to hide a lot of their titles for some reason, and most expire and reappear throughout the year, so an exact title search might be needed.

The 1996 "Muppet Treasure Island" is also available for streaming, and, well, it's better than "Muppets from Space."

"Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular"

This bizarre concert/skit hybrid aired on Thanksgiving last year and features songs from Lady Gaga's sexually charged album, "Artpop." That may not sound like kid-friendly fun, but the included songs are tame enough for older kids. The Muppet skits and duets work well enough too, and the guest list includes Elton John, Kristen Bell and, um, RuPaul. Not surprisingly, this special tanked in the ratings. Still, it's way more entertaining than "Peter Pan Live!"

"John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together"

You can buy a DVD of the 1982 Denver-Muppets special "Rocky Mountain Holiday" on Amazon for $35. The 1979 "A Christmas Together" special has never had a formal release. Luckily, Amazon Prime subscribers can stream for free the more-popular soundtrack album of "A Christmas Together," featuring maybe the best version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" ever. The CD, re-released in 2012 is also $4.99 at Target. Saw it with my own eyes.

Buried Specials

DVD subscribers to Netflix can easily obtain the recent "Muppet" theatrical films, including this year's solid but underappreciated "Muppets Most Wanted." Netflix doesn't offer recent holiday specials though, including 2002's "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" and 2008's "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa." Both are available to purchase on Amazon for reasonable prices.

"Very Merry Muppet" works well enough, minus some dated pop culture references (Look! The cast of "Scrubs!"). Even the best musical number is an homage to the hyperactive opening minutes of "Moulin Rouge!" David Arquette and Joan Cusack lead the celebrity cast, and the movie leans heavily on "It's a Wonderful Life."

I remember seeing parts of "Letters to Santa" on television when it first aired but can't remember a thing about it. I already blind-purchased one "Muppet" movie this week ("Very Merry Muppet Christmas"), so I didn't want to pay more money for subpar "Muppet" material. You can rent it digitally on Amazon for $2.99.

Amazon also lists 1987's "Muppet Family Christmas" on an out-of-print DVD. In addition to the Muppets, it includes appearances from "Sesame Street," "Fraggle Rock" and "Muppet Babies" characters. The cheapest used copy is $144.99. Feel free to send me that one for Christmas.

Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].