Happy Holidays — Special Programming Dec. 24-30
Published on
• Last modified on
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023
4 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Holidays at Murray State
The Murray State University concert choir, wind ensemble, jazz orchestra and a cappella group EQ Blu, plus featured faculty soloists, bring you this annual seasonal special.
5 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
America’s Test Kitchen Special: Home for the Holidays
The entire cast is home for the holidays, and they are sharing their tips and tricks for planning a stress-free gathering, while also recounting personal holiday memories and revealing their all-time favorite holiday recipes from the program’s archives.
7 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
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.
2 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir: Christmas Day
Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara and renowned actor Richard Thomas join The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells at Temple Square for an Americana-themed Christmas special that exudes the warmth and peace of the season.
5 PM Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2)
Hope College Christmas Vespers, 2019
Over 250 student musicians participate in Christmas Vespers in ensembles that include the Hope College orchestra, chapel choir and college chorus. A tradition at Hope College since 1941, Christmas Vespers is the perfect way to ring in your holiday season.
6 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
A Polka Christmas with The Chardon Polka Band
PBS Western Reserve is the presenting station for this unique holiday show from The Chardon Polka Band. It is jam-packed with “polka-fied” Christmas carols, delivering hometown holiday charm and the band’s signature wit and humor.
6 PM Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2)
20 Years of Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir
Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell joins The Tabernacle Choir for this two-hour 20th anniversary retrospective with performances from Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Gladys Knight, Angela Lansbury, Hugh Bonneville, Renée Fleming and more.
6:30 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2019)
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.
8 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2020)
Everyone at Nonnatus House looks forward to a traditional holiday, but nothing goes quite to plan. Meanwhile, the circus arrives in Poplar, bringing new friendships, new experiences and an exciting adventure for Nurse Crane.
9:30 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2021)
Christmas 1966 promises to be a memorable one. The members of the Nonnatus House team are faced with their busiest Christmas Day ever as the maternity home is filled with expectant moms and challenging cases. Luckily, Mother Mildred is on hand to support the team.
11 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
George Perris: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Join George Perris and his big band as they celebrate the holiday season with a special performance filmed from his home country of Greece. In addition to Christmas carols, George and the band perform spiritual and uplifting songs every family loves to hear with a Greek flair.
Monday, Dec. 25, 2023
Midnight PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Christmas at Belmont
This annual Belmont University tradition celebrates the holiday season and the musical diversity and rich talent of the university's School of Music. The concert features a collage of familiar carols, classical masterworks, world music and lighthearted seasonal favorites. More than 400 student voices join with School of Music faculty to present the annual holiday production.
1 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
A Polka Christmas with The Chardon Polka Band
PBS Western Reserve is the presenting station for this unique holiday show from The Chardon Polka Band. It is jam-packed with “polka-fied” Christmas carols, delivering hometown holiday charm and the band’s signature wit and humor.
1:30 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2019)
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.
3 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2020)
Everyone at Nonnatus House looks forward to a traditional holiday, but nothing goes quite to plan. Meanwhile, the circus arrives in Poplar, bringing new friendships, new experiences and an exciting adventure for Nurse Crane.
4:30 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2021)
Christmas 1966 promises to be a memorable one. The members of the Nonnatus House team are faced with their busiest Christmas Day ever as the maternity home is filled with expectant moms and challenging cases. Luckily, Mother Mildred is on hand to support the team.
6 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Hope College Christmas Vespers, 2021
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 Christmas spirit featuring some of the season’s most beautiful choral and instrumental music.
7 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Repeat the Sounding Joy: A Concordia Christmas
The musical ensembles of Concordia University Irvine and friends invite you to this festive collection of music that repeats the sounding joy heard at the first Christmas. Songs include the Latvian folk song “The Christmas Season,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Alabanzas al Rey,” “Joy to the World,” “Carol of the Bells” and many more.
8 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Crane Candlelight Concert: Let It Shine!
A long-time tradition returns for another year as hundreds of student musicians from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music take to the stage to celebrate the holiday season.
9 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Thrill of Hope: A Concordia Christmas
The vocal and instrumental musical ensembles of Concordia University Irvine and friends invite you to join us for a festive collection of music that celebrates, rejoices, and finds hope in the gifts of Christmas.
10 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Celebrate & Sing! Glory to the Newborn King!
This spectacular Christmas concert of secular and sacred music is under the direction of Steven R. Jobman and performed by the Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church’s renowned 150-voice Sanctuary Choir, orchestra, and Organist/Artist-in-Residence, Bradley Hunter Welch. The program also features handbells, bagpipes, jazz ensembles, and soloists. Traditional favorites included in the program include “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Carol of the Bells.”
11 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Holidays at Murray State
The Murray State University concert choir, wind ensemble, jazz orchestra and a cappella group EQ Blu, plus featured faculty soloists, bring you this annual seasonal special.
8 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2023)
Premiering on Christmas Day, the new CALL THE MIDWIFE special features the midwives of London’s Nonnatus House delivering more babies and dramas during the festive period. Expect heartwarming storylines centered around laughter, joy and family.
8 PM Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2)
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, with Vanessa Williams
Enjoy an evening celebrating Ella Fitzgerald’s entire iconic album of holiday classics presented by Vanessa Williams and the American Pops Orchestra. It features appearances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Norm Lewis, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Nova Y. Payton, David Detwiler and Morgan James.
9 PM Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2)
George Perris: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Join George Perris and his big band as they celebrate the holiday season with a special performance filmed from his home country of Greece. In addition to Christmas carols, George and the band perform spiritual and uplifting songs every family loves to hear with a Greek flair.
9:30 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2022)
With Christmas approaching, the midwives move to their maternity clinic and are delighted when their first patient is a familiar face. Life in Poplar returns to normal after the tragic train crash, and everyone unites for a festive talent show.
Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023
1 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2023)
Premiering on Christmas Day, the new CALL THE MIDWIFE special features the midwives of London’s Nonnatus House delivering more babies and dramas during the festive period. Expect heartwarming storylines centered around laughter, joy and family.
2:30 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (2022)
With Christmas approaching, the midwives move to their maternity clinic and are delighted when their first patient is a familiar face. Life in Poplar returns to normal after the tragic train crash, and everyone unites for a festive talent show.
7 PM Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2)
The Lawrence Welk Show, Christmas
Sandi Griffiths hosts this Christmas episode that brings you performances of Christmas classics including “Jingle Bells, “The Carol of the Bells” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” “The Hallelujah Chorus” is the perfect highlight of the show, marking the arrival of Santa Claus.
8 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas
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 as cooking up some of her indulgent dishes.
9 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
Conceived by John Mauceri, this modern work is a reimagination of Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker.” Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 book, the production features Alan Cumming recounting the original story of how a prince got put inside a nutcracker. Unlike the ballet, we also learn what happens when the young girl grows up — having saved the prince — and what they both are doing today.
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023
1 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas
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 as cooking up some of her indulgent dishes.
2 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
Conceived by John Mauceri, this modern work is a reimagination of Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker.” Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 book, the production features Alan Cumming recounting the original story of how a prince got put inside a nutcracker. Unlike the ballet, we also learn what happens when the young girl grows up — having saved the prince — and what they both are doing today.
10 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Sesame Street: The Nutcracker, Starring Elmo & Tango
Elmo and his puppy Tango take a fantastical adventure through magical lands to retrieve a nutcracker toy.
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023
8 AM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas
It’s Christmas time and the Wild Kratts are taking a break from creature adventuring to celebrate. However, when they 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?
Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023
2 PM PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1)
Cultural Expressions: Kwanzaa
This one-hour documentary explores the seven principles that are the foundation of Kwanzaa by sharing seven real-life stories of impact. These stories reveal how each principle plays a role in the Black community, enhanced by cultural elements of dance, storytelling, music, and spoken word.
