WETA Television
All programs listed below will be airing on WETA PBS. Check the schedule for additional information.
Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas
Sunday, December 1 at 7:30 PM
Culinary arts icon Mary Berry spends Christmas in her mother’s homeland of Scotland enjoying traditional festive delights and cooking up some of her own dishes.
Repeats Sun 12/29, 11pm
Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas Special: Star of The Orient
Thursday, December 5 at 8:00 PM
It’s Christmas and Britain is in the grips of the worst winter on record; crime-solving nun Sister Boniface and fellow travelers are stranded when a coupling snaps on their train. When a precious jewel is stolen from one of the snowbound railcars, Boniface must investigate murder, ancient curses and dark family secrets while trying to stay warm.
Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
Thursday, December 5 at 9:30 PM
The great Belgian detective, portrayed by David Suchet, is asked to spend Christmas with wealthy patriarch Simeon Lee at his Gorston Hall home after Lee receives six diamonds from his museum in South Africa and believes that his life may be in danger. As a guest, Poirot is on hand when a killer strikes.
WETA Arts: Songs of the Season
Monday, December 9 at 9:30 PM
Celebrate the holidays with the 5th annual WETA Arts presentation of Songs of the Season. A WETA holiday tradition, this hour-long program offers beautiful vocal performances from 15 area choral groups.
Repeats Sun 12/15, 11pm; Wed 12/18, 4pm; Sun 12/22, 4pm; Mon 12/23, 9pm; Tue 12/24, 1pm; Wed 12/25, 8am
WETA Cinema Classics: Scrooge
Saturday, December 14 at 8:00 PM
In Henry Edwards’ 1935 drama, Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale of greed, ghosts, redemption and the Christmas spirit is brought to the screen with Seymour Hicks as the miser Ebenezer Scrooge.
Get Out of Town Holiday Special
Monday, December 16 at 9:00 PM
WETA’s local travel series presents a special seasonal episode, expanding on the series’ original visit to Williamsburg, Virginia. Mother-daughter hosts Laurita and Lauren Portee experience Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens at the height of the holiday season.
Repeats Wed 12/18, 3pm; Sun 12/22, 5pm; Mon 12/30, 9pm; Tue 12/31, 3pm
American Masters: Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around
Monday, December 16 at 10:00 PM
Discover the story of singer Brenda Lee’s life and explore how her early fame and experience of poverty shaped her music, including the classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and other hits spanning genres and decades. The film features interviews with Keith Urban, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo and others.
Repeats Sun 12/22, 2pm
Joy: Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Tuesday, December 17 at 8:00 PM
Broadway star Michael Maliakel and actress Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) join the iconic Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in this holiday special that weaves French carols and Christmas classics with a story of author Victor Hugo.
Repeats Tue 12/24, 2pm, 9:30pm; Wed 12/25, 9am, 2pm; Mon 12/30, 3:30pm
Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah
Tuesday, December 17 at 9:30 PM
Handel’s 18th-century masterpiece, Messiah, has been reimagined and infused with Gospel, Jazz and R&B. The result is an uplifting reinterpretation of this seasonal favorite, captured at its European premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Marin Alsop conducts.
Repeats Tue 12/24, 8pm; Wed 12/25, 3:30pm; Sat 12/28, 12:30am; Sun 12/29, 4:30pm
A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
Saturday, December 21 at 7:00 PM
In this 2017 comedy-drama, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, blacklisted by the BBC, gets back on the air by hijacking the jewel of the Christmas schedule, a live production of A Christmas Carol. The ensemble tries to make the show work but falters, and guest star Sir Derek Jacobi endeavors to keep up. Dame Diana Rigg co-stars.
Repeats Wed 12/25, 1pm
Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas
Monday, December 23 at 10:00 PM
Join the beloved British home cook and special friends as they prepare her ultimate Christmas feast with all the trimmings, from the traditional turkey to her classic Christmas pudding.
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas
Tuesday, December 24 at 8:00 AM
Christmas songs of the twentieth century written by Jewish songwriters.
20 Years Of Christmas With The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Tuesday, December 24 at 9:00 AM
Brian Stokes Mitchell reflects on 20 years of Christmas specials of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square; featuring appearances and performances by Kristen Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, Hugh Bonneville, the Sesame Street Muppets, and more.
A Thrill Of Hope: A Concordia Christmas
Tuesday, December 24 at 11:00 AM
The vocal and instrumental musical ensembles of Concordia University Irvine and friends invite you to a festive collection of music that celebrates, rejoices, and finds hope in the gifts of Christmas. Featuring the songs "Silent Night", "Wexford Carol" (a traditional Irish Carol), "Angels We Have Heard on High", "Ríu, Ríu Chíu" (a traditional Spanish Carol), "Hope Has an Answer (Psalm 65)" featuring performer Kip Fox, and more!
Christmas with John Rutter at Preston Hollow
Tuesday, December 24 at 12 N
Sir John Rutter conducts the famous Preston Hollow Sanctuary Choir, the Boys Choir of St. Mark’s School of Texas, soloists Josefina Maldonado and Erin Hannigan, and a professional orchestra in a selection of his most popular works. The performance includes Rutter favorites "Star Carol," "I Saw Three Ships," "Away in a Manger," "Go Tell it on the Mountain," and "Silent Night."
Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2024
Wednesday, December 25 at 8:00 PM
It’s Christmas 1969, and the funfair and carol concert add color to frosty Poplar, but the festive spirit at Nonnatus House is dampened by the spread of influenza alongside growing fears of an escaped prisoner after a spate of break-ins.
Repeats Thur 12/26, 3pm
WETA Cinema Classics: Holmes for the Holidays
Saturday, December 28 at 8:00 PM
WETA presents four classic adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Basil Rathbone stars as Holmes and Nigel Bruce is Watson. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942): Holmes tries to thwart efforts to deliver vital information to the Nazis. The Woman in Green (1945): Several murders lead Holmes and Watson to a mysterious woman, a secret society and more. Dressed to Kill (1946): Watson asks Holmes to investigate the theft of a music box that leads to murder. Terror By Night (1946) Holmes must protect a woman transporting a rare jewel by train.
Repeats Sun 12/29, noon
Next At The Kennedy Center: Sara Bareilles: New Year’s Eve With The National Symphony Orchestra & Friends
Tuesday, December 31 at 8:00 PM
Acclaimed Broadway singer, songwriter and actress Sara Bareilles performs at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra in an evening of song and celebration. Guests include Rufus Wainwright, Emily King, and David Ryan Harris.
Stream Holiday Programs On Demand
WETA Arts December 2023: Songs of the Season
WETA Arts
WETA Arts presents the fourth year of Songs of the Season, a spirited holiday music special featuring choral groups from all around the D.C. area. Conceived in 2020 to celebrate choral music during the pandemic, Songs of the Season has become a WETA holiday tradition. This year’s special showcases 19 talented choral groups from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Mary Berry's Highland Christmas
Mary Berry's Highland Christmas
Join Mary Berry as she travels to her mother’s homeland, Scotland, and is joined by her friends Andy Murray, Iain Stirling, and Emeli Sandé to cook indulgent Christmas dishes that can be enjoyed anytime over the holidays.
Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir
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 Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, a festive and uplifting Christmas special. Filmed with a live audience, this concert will illuminate your holiday experience with timeless carols, treasured Christmas songs and a story of heroic service.
Holiday Special 2022
Call the Midwife
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.
Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas
Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas
Mary Berry shares her ultimate Christmas feast with all the trimmings.
Holiday Special 2021
Call the Midwife
Christmas 1966 promises to be memorable one. 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.
Holiday Special 2020
Call the Midwife
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.
A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has been blacklisted after ruining Peter Pan, however, they are not taking their ban lying down and force themselves back on the BBC by hijacking the jewel of the Christmas schedule, a ‘live’ production of A Christmas Carol. The Cornley gang tries to make the show work but soon realize they are completely out of their depth.
The Savoy at Christmas
The Savoy at Christmas
The holiday season has arrived at The Savoy and staff welcome hundreds of guests and diners across Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. The six weeks from mid-November to New Year’s Day are of utmost importance, as they generate £3.5 million in revenue. Go behind-the-scenes during the holiday festivities as every department prepares. Narrated by Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel).
European Christmas
Rick Steves' Europe
Join Rick as he celebrates the holiday's rich history while exploring the sights and sounds of celebrations in Bath, Paris, Oslo, and Burgundy, as well as the timeless traditions of Nürnberg, Salzburg, and Tuscany.
WETA Classical
Enjoy the sounds of the season on WETA Classical 90.9 FM. Seasonal offerings air throughout December, increasing on December 17 and culminating with special programming on December 24-25.
This year’s Christmas Eve specials include:
- Christmas Eve Carolfest (6 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
- A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge (5 p.m.)
- Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (7 p.m.)
On Christmas Day, WETA Classical presents:
- Christmas Day Carolfest (6 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
- Christmas in Washington, featuring performances of holiday music by D.C.-area choral and instrumental ensembles (11 a.m.)
- Handel’s Messiah (5 p.m.)
- Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (9 p.m.)
Also tune in to WETA Classical on Sundays at 9 p.m. for Choral Showcase, which is devoted to Christmas music all month.
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Holiday Playlists
From WETA Classical: