For immediate release
Chicago, IL - November 9, 2023
WTTW will present a variety of holiday specials and concerts throughout December that explore the background and celebrate the traditions of holidays all over the world. New holiday programming this year includes performances from ensembles around the globe and specials that examine traditional and contemporary customs of Christmas and Kwanzaa.
Watch on television on WTTW (ch. 11.1), and stream on the PBS app and at wttw.com/watch.
All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales [REPEAT FROM NOVEMBER]
Celebrate the heartwarming series with clips and behind-the-scenes memories of its charming Christmas finales. Experience the kindness, empathy, and love in the magical village of Darrowby and the stunning Yorkshire Dales during the holiday season.
Saturday, December 2 • 8:00 pm
Season of Light: Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square join with award-winning artists Lea Salonga and Sir David Suchet for this festive and uplifting Christmas special. This concert will illuminate your holiday experience with timeless carols, treasured songs, and a story of heroic service.
Tuesday, December 12 • 7:00 pm
Christmas Carol: The Remix by the Q Brothers [REPEAT]
Chicago hip hop sensations the Q Brothers Collective heat up the holiday season with this wildly entertaining take on Charles Dickens classic that mashes up hip hop, reggae, dancehall music, dubstep, and epic rock ballads. Recorded live at The Yard At Chicago Shakespeare Theater, this special leads Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of rhythm, rhyme, and redemption.
Friday, December 15 • 10:00 pm
A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
Blacklisted by the BBC after ruining Peter Pan, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are not taking their ban lying down and force themselves back on the BBC by hijacking the jewel of the Christmas schedule, a “live” stage production of A Christmas Carol.
Saturday, December 16 • 6:00 pm
Death in Paradise: Christmas Special (in 2 parts) [REPEAT]
As the inhabitants of Saint Marie prepare for the festive season, true-crime podcaster Jennifer Langan is found shot dead. Langan had been investigating the strange disappearance of a nine-year-old boy on Christmas Eve in 1977. Are supernatural forces at work? And will Neville find love just in time for Christmas?
Saturday, December 16 and 23 • 10:00 pm
Holiday Cooking Marathon [REPEATS]
To help you gear up for successful and succulent holiday gatherings, WTTW brings you this timely marathon of cooking programs throughout the afternoon. Let A Chef’s Life, New Scandinavian Cooking, America’s Test Kitchen, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Cook’s Country, and the Great British Baking Show’s Mary Berry assist with the very best recipes, cooking and baking techniques, and all else to make your holiday the most delicious ever.
Sunday, December 17 • 12:00 pm
Lucy Worsley's 12 Days of Tudor Christmas [REPEAT]
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.
Sunday, December 17 • 6:00 pm
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 cooking up some of her own indulgent dishes.
Monday, December 18 • 8:00 pm
Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams [REPEAT]
Enjoy an evening celebrating Ella Fitzgerald's entire iconic album of holiday classics presented by the American Pops Orchestra. Featuring appearances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Norm Lewis, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Nova Payton, Dave Detwiler, and Morgan James.
Friday, December 22 • 9:30 pm
Christmas at DePaul
Join Chicago's DePaul University as the story of the birth of Christ is retold in word and song, utilizing the talents of DePaul faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The concert includes song performances of "Mary Did You Know," "O Holy Night," "The Angel Gabriel," "Silent Night," "The First Noel," and more.
Sunday, December 24 • 5:00 am
Holiday Handbells: The Raleigh Ringers
The Raleigh Ringers, an internationally acclaimed community handbell choir based in Raleigh, North Carolina, presents the sequel to their critically acclaimed holiday special, One Winter Evening at Meymandi. The performance runs the gamut of old yuletide favorites to the score of Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Sunday, December 24 • 6:00 am
Call the Midwife Holiday Special Marathon [REPEATS]
Enjoy a marathon of the four previous Call the Midwife Holiday Specials – from 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 – in advance of the premiere of the all-new 2023 edition.
Sunday, December 24 • 12:30 pm
St. Olaf Christmas Festival: Love Divine
First held in 1912, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is one of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States. Featuring familiar carols, beloved choral works, and exciting new compositions, the theme "Love Divine" is explored through words and music in this cherished, annual tradition.
Sunday, December 24 • 11:30 pm
Christmas at Belmont
Belmont University students perform holiday favorites in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville. This celebration of the season includes holiday favorites and classic songs.
Monday, December 25 • 12:30 am
St. Thomas Christmas: Reflections of Gratitude
The program celebrates the Advent and Christmas season by drawing from both familiar traditional carols and innovative contemporary selections at St. Thomas University.
Monday, December 25 • 1:30 am
Thrill of Hope: A Concordia Christmas
The vocal and instrumental musical ensembles of Concordia University Irvine and friends present a festive collection of music that celebrates, rejoices, and finds hope in the gifts of Christmas.
Monday, December 25 • 2:30 am
Christmas at Westminster: An Evening of Readings and Carols
Westminster College Choir presents their yearly holiday music concert, recorded in the Princeton University Chapel and featuring more than 400 musicians in five different choirs.
Monday, December 25 • 3:30 am
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.
Monday, December 25 • 4:30 am
Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2023
Monday, December 25 • 7:00 and 8:30 pm
Karamu: Feast for the 7th Day
Lifestyle expert Sira Williams explores the history, principles, and symbols of Kwanzaa and celebrates the culinary traditions of West Africa, featuring dishes from Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Tuesday, December 26 • 5:30 am
Cultural Expressions: Kwanzaa
This documentary explores the seven principles that are the foundation of Kwanzaa by sharing seven real-life stories of impact, revealing how each principle plays a role in the Black community, enhanced by cultural elements of dance, storytelling, music, and spoken word.
Saturday, December 30 • 8:30 am
NEXT at the Kennedy Center: A New Year’s Eve Celebration
Ring in the New Year with a star-studded musical celebration on stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
Sunday, December 31 • 7:00 pm
WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create, WTTW World, WTTW PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com, and the PBS/WTTW video app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions – such as Chicago Tonight, Black Voices, Latino Voices, Chicago Stories, Firsthand, The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago, and Chicago By ‘L’ – WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content. Connect with WTTW on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
