Riverside, California (NAPSI) - Feeling spent during the holiday season? It’s no wonder. According to a Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, Americans spend about 42 hours buying, wrapping and returning gifts, as well as partying and traveling to visit family and friends.

So while you’re searching for batteries that aren’t included with that must-have toy, make plans to recharge your own batteries with Movies on Demand® on cable—the affordable and easily accessible entertainment that digital cable customers already have in their homes. With just a click of the remote control, an exhausted parent can search the Movies on Demand menu and instantly access an array of films for the whole family. In fact, many movies are available the same day as the DVD and years before legal subscription streaming services.

Customers can even jump-start the decision making for the evening’s entertainment while standing in line by browsing the latest On Demand movies at www.rentmoviesondemand.com or www.facebook.com/movieson demand. Some of the holiday highlights include:

Kiddie Capers—Youngsters will enjoy the escapades of Rex, a bachelor King Penguin, on his journey from awkward adolescent to accomplished adult in this family tale of love, adventure and triumph, in “The Penguin King.”

Family Favorites—Like po_tato chips, one is never enough when it comes to family favorites. Catch up with your most beloved characters and their latest antics with popular sequels, including “The Smurfs 2,” “Despicable Me 2” and “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.”

Action-Packed—Older kids can get their thrills from iconic characters such as Hugh Jackman’s The Wolverine and The Lone Ranger featuring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. Lily Collins and Jonathan Rhys Meyers bring star power to the fantasy action-adventure “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.”

Parental Escapes—After the kids are tucked in, parents can escape with an On Demand movie night and save the cost of a sitter. A variety of movie genres are available, such as an award-winning documentary by Charles de Lauzirika, whose dramatic debut “Crave” examines the price to be paid when a dark imagination starts to leak into reality. Penelope Cruz stars as a mother who finds her memories of a tragic romance stirred during a trip to Sarajevo in the romantic drama “Twice Born,” and an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones in “The Family,” where a notorious Mafia clan is relocated to France under the Witness Protection Program and fitting in becomes a challenge.

Perhaps 42 hours of shopping will be less daunting when moms, dads and kids know they can relax and re-energize with great movies throughout the holidays-right at home On Demand.