I’m ready for your close-up, Mr. Grinch.

A few weeks ago in this blog I noted an early — very early — showing of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the beloved 1966 animated special adapting the holiday tale by Dr. Seuss.

While I’m not a stickler for “no Christmas before Thanksgiving,” it seemed a little early.

Well, what a difference a few weeks makes.

The classic, animated by Chuck Jones, has at least a couple of airings before Christmas. TV Guide says the special will air Dec. 7 on Cartoon Network, followed by a repeat showing on Dec. 10, also on CN.

I think three weeks before Christmas is about right for watching the Grinch.

Now there is something you should keep in mind. It’s possible both these airings are in half-hour time slots. Since the special is about 26 minutes long, beware the possibility that the show might be edited or even time-compressed, which allows an entire show to air in a shorter period of time by speeding it up. Unfortunately, this might mean that the show would sound more like “How Alvin and the Chipmunks Stole Christmas.” Seriously, I can’t watch episodes of “Friends” on cable TV because they’ve sped up the show so much.

Of course, the reason modern-day airings of classic TV shows are sped up (or edited) is because TV shows are routinely stuffed with more commercials now than in decades past.

Sometimes networks or cable channels air these once-half-hour shows uncut in hour-long slots and add some extras.

And of course, there’s an easy way to watch the Grinch or Charlie Brown learn the true meaning of Christmas without benefits of modern-day tampering: Watch them on DVD.

But there’s something about the communal experience of watching Christmas specials when they’re airing. Facebook was dotted with people commenting on an airing of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” the other night.

Oh, and in case I forget: If you want to watch a modern-day Christmas classic, catch “Olive the Other Reindeer,” airing Dec. 10 on Cartoon Network. It’s a great show, based on a sweet book. I’ll try to come back to the subject of “Olive” sometime before that airing.