2019 Holiday Specials Schedule

(PBS Kids specials at the bottom of the page.)

WTVP-HD 47.1 | WTVP-KD 47.2| WTVP-WC 47.3

Call The Midwife Holiday Special

Mother Mildred and the Nonnatus House team go to the Outer Hebrides in response to a nursing shortage. Navigating the terrain, they strive to keep up with the needs of the locals.

Chef's Life Holiday Special

Join Vivian Howard as she serves up the best of her Southern cooking heritage and the Chanukah traditions of her husband Ben. From humble Hoppin' John to elegant red velvet cake, sample a charming and delicious holiday celebration.

Christmas at Belmont

Christmas at Belmont 2019 features Belmont University students along with Michael W. Smith, CeCe Winans and the Nashville Children’s Choir. Taped in Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the show includes classic holiday songs and festive tunes.

Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir Featuring Kristin Chenoweth

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are joined by Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy® and Tony® award-winning actress and singer, for this beloved Christmas tradition featuring favorite holiday music, dancing and storytelling.

Crane Candlelight Concert - Go Tell it on The Mountain

In a concert tradition that began in the 1930's, the Crane Chorus and the Crane Symphony Orchestra come together each year to present a very special holiday concert. The 2018 concert was conducted by Jeffrey Francom and Joel Schut and featured the Broadway and opera star Lisa Vroman '79, soprano. The concert includes orchestral performances of the music of Georges Bizet and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; Holiday favorites "O Holy Night," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."; and arrangements of "The Secret of Christmas" (from "Say One for Me"), "Wexford Carol" and "Go, Tell It on the Mountain," by Ms. Vroman.

Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

The irreverent documentary DREAMING OF A JEWISH CHRISTMAS tells the story of the unlikely Jewish immigrants who, enamored with Broadway and Hollywood, wrote some of the most popular songs in America: Christmas music. The documentary features rarely seen archival footage, musical performances and interviews.

Festival of Lights Parade

Marking 35 years of holiday cheer, the East Peoria Festival of Lights Parade continues to delight parade goers of every age. This amazing parade features floats shaped entirely from lights, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the chopper motorcycle float illuminated with LED lights, a 70-foot long float of the famous Clydesdale horse team pulling a delivery wagon, Frosty the Snowman, the starship Enterprise illuminated with 48,000 LED light bulbs, and the 95-foot-long smoke-spewing China dragon.

Handel's Messiah

Handel's Messiah is a 90-minute docudrama - narrated by Jane Seymour - that tells the story of George Frideric Handel, how he was discovered in Halle, Germany at age nine, and his meteoric rise to celebrity composer at age 18. With more than 42 operas on three continents, Handel was a prodigious musical genius. And while many of his musical works have endured, his most notable composition, and one that's investigated with most detail, is his oratorio Messiah. The debut performance of Messiah in Dublin, Ireland in 1742 was a turning point for George Handel. It was also a turning point for Charles Jennens, the man who wrote the libretto for the oratorio, and Susannah Cibber, a formerly-scorned actress/singer who regained her standing within the theater after performing her solo. Handel's Messiah is an inspiring story of redemption. The message and the music is pertinent to all generations, regardless of personal beliefs.

Hanukkah: A Festival Of Delights

Explore the evolution of Hanukkah from its origin as a small holiday within Judaism to one of major prominence in assimilated Americans Jewish life. Interviews include actors William Shatner and Lainie Kazan, author Abigail Pogrebin, rabbis, historians, artists and more sharing historical background and personal memories of a unique holiday that connects generations of Jewish families.

Hope College Christmas Vespers

Hope College Christmas Vespers is a holiday tradition for many families from West Michigan and around the country. This program is a celebration of the true spirit of Christmas and features some of the most beautiful choral and instrumental music of the season. A tradition at Hope College since 1941, Christmas Vespers is the perfect way to ring in your holiday season.

Lucy Worsley's 12 Days of Tudor Christmas

Join Lucy Worsley on a 12-day extravaganza as she discovers that much of what we enjoy in contemporary Christmas - from carols to turkey, gift-giving to mistletoe and mulled wine - has surprising Tudor origins, rooted in devotion and charity.

Magic of Christmas in Alsace

Christmas in the Alsace region of France is best experienced in the small towns and villages where each community has its own unique holiday traditions, celebrations, food, and of course wine. The Alsatian landscape is covered with medieval towns, castle ruins and vineyards that overflow with charm and history. And at Christmas, the townspeople go all out in decorating each of their towns to outdo the next in celebration of the season, and their Christmas markets are a truly magical take on this uniquely French celebration of Christmas. With Christmas being a magical time for children, the music accompaniment to this show are French carols sung by a The Maine Girls Chorus, which will delight the child in all of us.

Once Upon A Christmas Cheery, in the Lab Of Shakh

Renowned science communicator and University of Wisconsin Madison Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri presents the 50th annual "Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri." The show includes many colorful, captivating, and rousing science experiments. To mark this 50th anniversary, tin, the chemical element with atomic number 50, is highlighted. Prof. Shakhashiri is joined by special guests in this fun-filled show, packed with action, music, and the sights and sounds of science.

Purdue 85th Anniversary Christmas Show

This one-hour condensed version of the 85th Anniversary Purdue Christmas Show features musical highlights from the full two-hour show. The first act of this fast-paced high-energy production features holiday favorites from Purdue Musical Organizations ensembles including University Choir, Purdue Bells, Heart & Soul, the Purduettes and the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. The second half features sacred music performed by the massed choirs of Purdue Musical Organizations.

St. Thomas Christmas: Comfort & Joy

The University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota proudly presents the fifth national broadcast of its annual Christmas concert.The festive holiday performance A ST. THOMAS CHRISTMAS: COMFORT & JOY showcases the university's world-class vocal and instrumental ensembles in concert. The one-hour holiday special celebrates the Advent and Christmas season, drawing from both familiar traditional carols and innovative contemporary selections. This year, the program premieres a new commissioned original work entitled "Comfort & Joy," composed by Jocelyn Hagen. The piece features the entire tour de force of ensembles from the University of St. Thomas, including the chamber singers, concert choir, liturgical choir, Donne unite, symphonic wind ensemble, string orchestra, and brass choir. The program will be filmed before a live audience of 2,500 choral and instrumental music enthusiasts at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on December 8, 2019. Orchestra Hall is home to the acclaimed Minnesota Orchestra and widely known for its acoustic design in the honored tradition of renowned European concert halls.

The Ornament of the World

Filmed in Cordoba, Granada, Seville, and Toledo, this is the story of a remarkable 800-year period when Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Spain forged a common cultural identity that often transcended their religious differences.

Violins Of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust

Narrated by Adrien Brody ("The Pianist" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel"), VIOLINS OF HOPE: STRINGS OF THE HOLOCAUST follows the journey of Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein in his efforts to restore violins recovered from the Holocaust, and captures the lessons and highlights the music the instruments now bring to others. The documentary culminates in a concert by The Cleveland Orchestra featuring the violins of hope at the opening of Silver Hall in the Milton and Tamar Maltz Perform- ing Arts Center, a former Jewish temple that was lovingly restored and given a new life—just like the violins.

Children's Specials

Let's Go Luna!: Luna's Christmas Around The World

When the Circo gets stuck at the South Pole on Christmas eve, Leo, Andy, and Carmen are convinced that Santa will never find them. With the help of their friend Luna, the kids endeavor to save Christmas, learning about holiday traditions from around the world along the way.

Nature Cat: A Nature Carol

In the tradition of the Dickens holiday classic, Nature Cat is visited by the spirits of Nature Past (Daisy), Present (Squeeks) and Future (Hal) on Christmas Eve.

Peg + Cat + Holidays

This is a special holiday episode of Peg + Cat featuring "The Christmas Problem," "The Hanukkah Problem," and "The Penguin Problem. " This series is designed to engage preschool children and teach them how to solve math-based problems with Peg, a chatty and tenacious five year-old, her feline pal, Cat, and her smart, handsome, cool friend Ramone.

The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas!

This adventure finds the Cat in the Hat, Nick and Sally on a journey around the world to help a lost reindeer find his way home to Freeze your knees Snowland in time for Christmas. On the way, the Thingamajigger breaks down and they depend on a variety of animals --from African bush elephants to bottle nose dolphins to red crabs --and their remarkable abilities to help them make an amazing journey home.

Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas

In this one-hour special, it's Christmas time and the Wild Kratts are taking a break from creature adventuring to celebrate. But when the Wild Kratts receive an alert that their favorite creatures are suddenly disappearing around the globe, their holiday party quickly turns into a rescue mission. Our heroes must race against time to thwart their greedy archrivals' most miserly scheme yet! Will they be able to travel to the ends of the earth and return their baby animal friends to their homes in time for the holidays? Find out on Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas.

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas

Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat are having a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas. There's only one dilemma - neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present! In the end, both gift-giving predicaments are simply and beautifully resolved, revealing the true spirit of the holiday season.