LINK As television wraps up its 25-day Christmas avalanche, it still has one new special.
That's the "Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade," this morning on ABC.
Others will be at the live parade. For "American Idol" alumnus Ace Young that requires a shift in tradition.
"My brothers and I go caroling at The Children's Hospital (in Denver) every Christmas," Young says. "This will be the first time I've missed it in eight years."
He's the youngest of three brothers and has been singing for most of his 26 years. By 9, he was singing in shopping malls and recreation centers and such.
"My brother, Ryan, and I are very similar," Young says, "except that he's 6-foot-7 and I'm 6-1."
Their lives were changed a decade ago when Ryan was in a near-fatal car accident. He broke his back in several places.
Ryan was hospitalized for a few weeks and was bedridden at home for a year.
"Every day, I would come home after school and we would talk about life and goals and all the things we wanted to do," Young says. "He's supported me tremendously."
It was Young's family that nudged him toward the "Idol" auditions in Denver. He made it to the show and finished No. 7.
And it was a family tradition for the brothers to go caroling. Each Christmas Day, Ace and Ryan and Marc have gone from room to room, singing at the hospital
The "Idol" fame has let them raise money for the hospital's Family Amenities Area. So far, they've raised more than $63,000.
This year's caroling will be delayed because Young will be in Disney World. And this year, he says, kids might react differently. "It will be the first year when they know exactly who I am."
That's part of a busy time. Young has put a single ("Scattered") online (www.myspace.com/aceyoung) and has raced between gigs, including a chilly (31-degree) parade in Philadelphia.
"I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun," Young says. "I'm doing everything I've ever hoped for."