Celebrate the 2020 Holiday Season with KCET and PBS SoCal
This December, PBS SoCal and KCET will celebrate the 2020 holiday season with a festive array of special programming! Enjoy lively musical and theatrical performances and seasonal specials, all set to provide viewers an opportunity to come together over the holiday season.
Headlining the lineup is “The 61th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration,” offering viewers a vibrant new format this year. A local tradition presented in conjunction with The Music Center since 1959, this year’s three-hour music and dance spectacular will offer a new take on a holiday classic, with more than 22 L.A.-based artists who showcase the diverse talents of L.A. County.
Find the full holiday program lineup below.
Great Performances: Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn
Friday, November 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Enjoy the hit Broadway adaptation of the 1942 movie musical, showcasing an Irving Berlin score with big dance numbers, comedy and a hit parade of the great songwriter’s famous tunes. Watch Preview.
Nature: Santa’s Wild Home
Wednesday, November 25 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Explore the Lapland, a region in northern Finland, the fabled home of Santa Claus and actual home of reindeer, great gray owls, wolverines, eagles, wolves, musk oxen, brown bears and more. Watch Now.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Sunday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Feeling down about the commercialism of Christmas, Charlie Brown becomes the director of the gang’s holiday play. Can he overcome his friends’ preference for dancing over acting, find the “perfect” tree, and discover the true meaning of Christmas? Watch Preview.
Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir
Monday, December 14 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Tony Award®–winning star Kelli O’Hara and renowned actor Richard Thomas join the Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells at Temple Square for a visual and musical spectacle with vocalists, instrumentalists, bell ringers, dancers, the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble, and the Cold Creek bluegrass band. Watch Preview.
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams
Tuesday, December 15 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Wednesday, December 16 at 10 p.m. on KCET
Join the American Pops Orchestra for an evening celebrating the entire iconic album of holiday classics. Starring host and vocalist Vanessa Williams with the performance includes appearances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Norm Lewis, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Nova Payton, Dave Detwiler and Morgan James. Watch Preview.
Christmas at Belmont 2019
Tuesday, December 15 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Join Belmont University students along with Michael W. Smith, CeCe Winans and the Nashville Children’s Choir for classic holiday songs and festive tunes. Watch Preview.
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival: A New Song of Joy and Hope
Friday, December 18 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Friday, December 25 at 7 p.m. on KCET
Led by five conductors, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival features more than 500 student musicians who are members of the college’s world-renowned choirs and orchestra. Enjoy a rich repertoire of classic Advent and Christmas compositions, familiar carols, hymns from around the world, and contemporary pieces offering music that both celebrates the Norwegian American history of the college while also highlighting beautiful works from around the globe.
All is Bright: A Concordia Christmas
Tuesday, December 22 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Friday, December 25 at 11 a.m. on KCET
The vocal and instrumental musical ensembles of Concordia University Irvine and friends present a festive collection of music of the season. Watch Preview.
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
Tuesday, December 22 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal
The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land singing “Stille Nacht.” Thus, begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, peace. Watch Preview.
European Christmas Markets
Tuesday, December 22 at 11:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Friday, December 25 at 6:30 p.m. on KCET
Visit charming markets in festively decorated cities and towns in Germany, France and Switzerland. Watch Preview.
The 61st Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration
Thursday, December 24 at 3 & 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Friday, December 25 at 12 p.m. on KCET
Experience the dynamic, rich cultures of the county and enjoy a diverse lineup of music ensembles, choirs and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of Los Angeles County. Filmed on location around the county, the holiday tradition continues with a vibrant new format. Watch Preview.
Holiday Handbells: The Raleigh Ringers
Friday, December 25 at 9 a.m. on KCET
The acclaimed community handbell choir based in Raleigh, North Carolina perform holiday favorites. Watch Now.
Purdue 86th Anniversary Christmas Show
Friday, December 25 at 10 a.m. on KCET
Holiday favorites and sacred music are performed by Purdue Musical Organizations ensembles.
Call the Midwife Holiday Special
Friday, December 25 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal
It is December 1965. Everyone at Nonnatus House is looking forward to traditional celebrations with all the trimmings, but nothing goes quite to plan.
United in Song: A Celebration of America’s Resilience
Thursday, December 31 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Filmed at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon as well as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, these performances encourage our nation to come together and celebrate our irrepressible strength as Americans. Watch Preview.