SEASONS OF LIGHT: CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR
Tuesday, December 12th 8pm
Friday, December 22nd 9pm
Monday, December 25th 3pm
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square join with award winning artists Lea Salonga and Sir David Suchet for Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, a festive and uplifting Christmas special. This concert will illuminate your holiday experience with timeless carols, treasured songs, and a story of heroic service.
CLOWN BY QUENTIN BLAKE
Tuesday, December 12th 9:30pm
Friday, December 22nd 10:30pm
Tuesday, December 26th 10:30pm
Quentin Blake's Clown is a half-hour animation that brings to life the adventures of a little toy clown, who has been thrown away. On Christmas Eve he goes on an exciting journey to find a new home for himself and his toy friends. After a series of unhappy incidents, he finds a poor but loving family (two children and a single mother) happy to welcome them in their humble home and love them. It's the story of an unusual outcast that talks about resilience and hope, which will resonate with many viewers in the difficult times we live. At the end of the film, we learn that toys only come alive when children love them.
MARY BERRY'S HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS
Monday, December 18th 9pm
Sunday, December 24th 10am & 7pm
Tuesday, December 26th 8pm
Mary Berry spends Christmas in her mother's homeland of Scotland to enjoy a winter break soaking up her Scottish heritage and enjoying traditional festive delights with familiar faces, as well cooking up some of her own indulgent dishes.
CHRISTMAS AT SUSQUEHANNA: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
Tuesday, December 19th 7pm
Wednesday, December 20th 4pm
Monday, December 25th 1pm
Experience the beauty of Weber Chapel bathed in the glow of 1,500 candles in CHRISTMAS AT SUSQUEHANNA: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CANDLELIGHT SERVICE. Recorded in December 2016, the program captures the voices of students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and community members joining together on the campus of Susquehanna University in historic Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania to celebrate 50 years of a cherished tradition: Susquehanna University's annual Christmas candlelight service, which was first held on December 15, 1966. The hour-long music special is a wondrous spectacle of candle lighting and carols, as well as traditional readings and songs in celebration of the season. The service also features numerous student musical ensembles, including the University Choir, University Chorale, Chamber Singers, Handbell Choir and Brass Ensemble. Musical highlights include: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "We Three Kings," "Silent Night" and more.
SWINGIN' JAZZ NUTCRACKER SUITE
Thursday, December 21st 9pm
Friday, December 22nd 2pm
Sunday, December 24th 1pm & 11pm
The Swingin' Jazz Nutcracker Suite, performed by the 17 piece Scranton Jazz Festival Big Band under the direction of Marko Marcinko.Music by Peter Tchaikovsky and arrangements by Shorty Rogers. Never done before in NEPA, this unique special concert will highlight 17 incredible musicians and narrator/ vocalist The musicians are regular members of the Scranton Jazz Festival Big Band with the addition of some special guests. Playing the historically familiar melodies from the Nutcracker Ballet, this jazz big band takes a more modern approach to the familiar. This Nutcracker production tells the classic story through the power of the music and spoken word.
LAWRENCE WELK SHOW - CHRISTMAS
Saturday, December 23rd 7pm
Sunday, December 24th 4pm
Sandi Griffiths hosts this Christmas favorite that opens with the classic "Jingle Bells". Bobby and Elaine dance to "The Carol of the Bells", Joe Feeney's family celebrated "Christmas in Killarney", and Myron Floren, Bobby Burgess and his daughter, Becki dance to "Here Comes Santa Claus". "The Hallelujah Chorus" is the perfect highlight of the show right before the arrival of Santa Claus.
PENNSYLVANIA POLKA -2003 CHRISTMAS SHOW
Saturday, December 23rd 8pm
Sunday, December 24th 3pm
This Pennsylvania Polka Christmas classic features John Stanky and the Coalminers.
CHRISTMAS AT WESTMINSTER: AN EVENING OF READINGS AND CAROLS
Sunday, December 24th 11am
Westminster Choir College, part of the Rider University College of Arts and Sciences in New Jersey, established its “Evening of Readings and Carols” in 1992 based on a King’s College Cambridge tradition begun in England in 1918, with modern alterations to reflect Westminster’s diverse student body. The 30th anniversary concert was performed at the Princeton University Chapel, the second largest collegiate chapel in the world (fittingly, behind only King’s College Chapel in England in its dimensions), with choir stalls hewn from English oak and its design set in the Gothic tradition of medieval English architecture. The performance features more than 400 musicians performing in five different choirs, and includes singers, soloists, handbells, brass, and organ. Musical numbers encompass a wide variety of styles, including traditional Christmas carols with audience participation, light classical selections, contemporary gospel songs, and new arrangements of favorite tunes. A Nigerian Christmas carol performed by the Westminster Jubilee Singers continues a choir college repertoire tradition. A modern arrangement of “Silent Night” with saxophone, keyboard, bass and snare accompanying a soprano soloist brings a jazzy twist to this holiday favorite. And the bell choir nearly steals the show with their seemingly effortless takes on the “Trepak” variation from The Nutcracker and “Ringing in the Season.” These and more make the concert a unique new holiday tradition for public television viewers. The concert is presented by WHYY.
TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA: GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS EVE
Sunday, December 24th 12pm
Narrated by the late Ossie Davis, this a fantasy trip through the magic of Christmas. A runaway little girl decides to return to her family after she enters a rundown theater for shelter and encounters an old caretaker (Davis), who guides her on her journey. The caretaker brings the theater to life through musical performances by singers Jewel, Michael Crawford and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
CRANE CANDLELIGHT CONCERT: LET IT SHINE!
Sunday, December 24th 2pmA long-time tradition returns for another year as hundreds of student musicians from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music take to the stage in celebration of the holiday season. The 2022 Crane Candlelight Concert includes the Crane Jazz Ensemble joining the Crane Orchestra and Crane Chorus for the performance, and features a guest conductor, Dr. Raymond Wise, who is a Gospel Music Composer and the Director of the Indiana University African American Choir.
CHRISTMAS IN NEW ENGLAND
Sunday, December 24th 5pm
From the coast of Maine to the hills of the Berkshires, New England is a uniquely magical place to celebrate the holidays. Join host Lindsay Paris as she visits eight regional destinations to take a look at the traditions and events that make Christmas in New England so special.
EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Sunday, December 24th 5:30pm
Join us on our discovery of Europe's Christmas Markets, where the town center, market square or just the narrow, cobblestone streets of the cities and towns of Europe come alive in winter with festively decorated wooden stalls offering all sorts of treats and delights. As we travel through Germany, France and Switzerland we visit cities and towns and learn of their history, see their major sights, and visit their charming markets. Besides being a visual treat, the show is also a musical treat, as T the Kingston Trio provides special folk arrangements of traditional Christmas carols to add to the magic and enchantment of the medieval and castle towns we visit. In our visit to Bernkastel-Kues we see the town hall decorated as an advent calendar, and learn of the traditional beverage of the markets, the Gluhwein. In Nuremberg we visit the imposing castle, and one of the most famous of all the Christmas markets. You can almost smell the roasting sausages and gingerbread sold in the stalls. In Rothenburg we learn of the traditional wooden Christmas decorations from the son of the founder of the Kathe Wolfhart Christmas store, and wander along the ramparts the the fairy tale village. Then we have a quick stop in the wine town of Rudesheim. A unique visit is made to the ancient town of Michelstadt and its Christmas market. And then into France, to see how the French celebrate the season in Strasbourg. We conclude our travels in Switzerland, with the sights and sounds of the holidays in Basel and and the alpine city of Lucerne. This show is a true Christmas treat, as we experience Europe at a time of community, conviviality and color. It will fill your senses with the warmth and the fun of the holiday season, with some geography and history lessons to boot!
HOLIDAYS AT MURRAY STATE
Monday, December 25th 2pm
The Murray State University Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, a cappella group "EQ Blu," and featured faculty soloists highlight this annual seasonal special.
DEBBIE GIBSON HOLIDAY: A SOUNDCHECK SPECIAL
Monday, December 25th 4:30pm
In DEBBIE GIBSON HOLIDAY: A SOUNDCHECK SPECIAL, singer-songwriter, producer and actress Debbie Gibson shares insight and inspiration about recording her first holiday album, Winterlicious, and performs some classic and new holiday hits. The half-hour concert, filmed at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey, includes performances of "The Gift," "Let it Snow," the "Christmas Dreams Medley" and "White Christmas," which Gibson performs as a duet with her father. In between songs, Gibson talks with host Jen Eckert about her creative process, writing original songs, her own holiday memories, and recording the new album. Singer Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block also discusses what it's like working and touring with Gibson.
CAROLS AT THE CATHEDRAL
Monday, December 25th 7:30pm
Enjoy the stunning gothic architecture of Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. The Cathedral Choir sings beloved Christmas carols including R. Nathaniel Dett’s setting of “Ave Maria” and Carl Rutti’s “I wonder as I wander.” Dean of the cathedral, the Very Reverend Richard Lawson, offers a brief message of hope for our divided world. He reminds us that when we are in community, we are not alone even when we are in the midst of chaos.
CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023
Monday, December 25th 8pm & 9:30pm
The midwives of London's Nonnatus House deliver more babies and drama during the festive period, in this Christmas special.
NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
Tuesday, December 26th 9pm
Join Alan Cumming for the real story of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King with the beloved music of Tchaikovsky. Featuring the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri, this new version is a rare holiday treat.