Your Annual Yuletide Guide to What’s On

From classic comedy to musical remakes, we round up the best holiday specials to tune into this Christmas

From classic comedy to musical remakes, we round up the best holiday specials to tune into this Christmas

1. The Goods – Monday to Friday, 2 p.m., CBC

Steven Sabados, Jessi Cruickshank and the rest of the Goods gang have the lowdown on all your snowy-season essentials—from gift-giving to home decor to throwing a Christmas party. Special guests include singer Matt Dusk, Love It or List It: Vancouver‘s Jillian Harris and an “extra-special gift-wrapping tutorial by Red Green.” Tune in for another special instalment on Wednesday, December 20.

2. Gwen Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas – Tuesday, December 12, 9 p.m., NBC

The pop star’s first-ever Christmas special includes music from her new album, old holiday standards and special appearances by her boyfriend Blake Shelton, pals Chelsea Handler, Ken Jeong and Seth MacFarlane, and a peek into Stefani’s own holiday traditions.

3. iHeart Radio Jingle Ball 2017 — Thursday, December 14, 8 p.m., The CW

Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, The Chainsmokers, Demi Lovato, Logic, Ke$ha, Niall Horan, Halsey, Charlie Puth, Liam Payne and more will perform at the annual holiday music showcase, recorded December 1 at The Forum in 
Los Angeles.

4. Taraji’s White Hot Holidays – Thursday, December 14, 8 p.m., Fox

Empire star and Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson returns for her third annual Christmas concert. Joining her on stage for tunes and skits are the likes of Faith Evans, Fergie, Ciara, the Ying-Yang Twins, her Empire co-star Jussie Smollett, SNL alum Jay Pharaoh, Taye Diggs, Niecy Nash and DJ Khaled.

5. Disney Prep & Landing — Thursday, December 14, 8:30 p.m., ABC

Meet the unsung heroes of Christmas Eve, Santa’s elite Prep & Landing unit — elves responsible for going ahead and readying houses for the big man’s arrival. But after a critical error, bitter veteran Wayne (voice of Dave Foley) and his eager young trainee Lanny (Luke Richardson) must find a way to rally or risk dashing one little boy’s holiday dreams.

6. Showtime at the Apollo – Thursday, December 14, 9 p.m., Fox

Right after Taraji and friends serenade us, Steve Harvey and Adrienne Houghton host another Fox musical special taking place at the iconic Harlem theatre, headlined by Snoop Dogg & Boyz II Men, DMX and Fifth Harmony. They’re joined by a slew of up-and-coming acts who will take to the stage and pray they don’t join the long line of performers who wound up boo-ed into oblivion by the notoriously unforgiving crowd.

7. Holiday Affair — Friday, December 15, 7 p.m., TCM

This rom com follows charming clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum), who catches beautiful Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) in a shopping scheme. Steve gets fired when he can’t bring himself to turn the single mother in, and soon finds himself vying for her affection.

8. The 86th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade — Friday, December 15, 8 p.m., The CW

The seasonal celebration features performances from American Idol winners Ruben Studdard and Nick Fradiani, The Village People and Cee Lo Green, with appearances from the magicians of The CW’s Masters of Illusion and a tribute to daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.

9. White Christmas – Saturday, December 16, 7:15 p.m., AMC

In this unforgettable romp, singers Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) in putting together a fun-filled musical extravaganza to save the country inn of the boys’ former commanding officer, who is having financial difficulties.

10. Last Tango in Halifax Holiday Special – Sunday, December 17, 5 p.m. & 10 p.m., WTVS; 8 p.m., KCTS

Packed with shocks and surprises, this new special continues the story of childhood sweethearts Celia (Anne Reid) and Alan (Derek Jacobi) as they reunite after nearly 60 years apart, and negotiate the highs and lows of life and relationships.

11. A Christmas Story Live! — Sunday, December 17, 7 p.m., City & Fox

Jane Krakowski, Chris Diamantopoulos, Maya Rudolph and Matthew Broderick star in this live musical production of the American Christmas classic about nine-year-old Ralphie, who desperately wants to find a Red Ryder BB gun under his tree.

12. The Great Northern Candy Drop — Sunday, December 17, 7:30 p.m., CBC

The new animated special tells the true story of Inuk bush pilot Johnny May (voiced here by Corner Gas‘s Lorne Cardinal), who has flown over Kuujjuaq in the Nunavik region of Northern Quebec to drop candy, toys and warm clothing each holiday season for more than 50 years.

13. Scrooged — Sunday, December 17, 5 p.m. & 7 p.m., AMC

This blackly comedic 1980s take on A Christmas Carol stars Bill Murray as cold TV exec Frank Cross, who learns a lesson about humanity after being visited by a series of ghosts, while his network is in the process of mounting a live TV production of the Dickens classic.

14. Murdoch Mysteries: Home for the Holidays —Monday, December 18, 8 p.m., CBC

In the series’ latest two-hour holiday movie, Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Ogden (Hélène Joy) travel to Victoria, B.C., to investigate a murder connected to an archaeologist (Megan Follows) who has uncovered an ancient Indigenous settlement, leading to a trek through the rugged beauty of British Columbia.

15. Top 12 Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time — Tuesday, December 19, 9 p.m., The CW

Dean Cain hosts a special that takes a look back at magical moments from the best Christmas movies of all time, films that make us laugh, cry and come back again and again. 

16. I Love Lucy Christmas Special — Friday, December 22, 8 p.m., CBS

This annual nostalgia-fest features two back-to-back episodes of the classic 1950s sitcom. This year, “The Christmas Episode” is joined by the newly colourized “The Fashion Show,” as the two combine for an unmissable hour of one of the funniest TV shows of all time.

17. It’s a Wonderful Life — Sunday, December 24, 8 p.m., NBC

Every bit as much a holiday tradition as twinkling Christmas trees and chestnuts roasting on an open fire is this 1946 tearjerker, guaranteed to warm the cockles of the coldest heart with its tale of a down-on-his-luck do-gooder (James Stewart) who recovers the seasonal spirit thanks to the help of a wingless angel.

18. Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration — Monday, December 25, 10 a.m., ABC

The annual yuletide telecast, this year hosted by Julianne Hough and Nick Lachey, will feature holiday tunes performed by Ciara, Fifth Harmony and Frozen star Idina Menzel. But the real stars of the show are all your Disney and Pixar favourites.

19. Call the Midwife Holiday Special — Monday, December 25, 6 p.m. & 11:30 p.m., WTVS; 9 p.m., KCTS

London’s East End finds itself covered by a thick blanket of snow, as the midwives brave the coldest winter in the United Kingdom in 300 years. Battling snow, ice, power shortages and frozen pipes, the ladies strive to provide the best possible care for their patients.

20. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year — Tuesday, December 26, 8 p.m., CBS

It’s Rudolph to the rescue when Happy, the Baby New Year, goes missing, and Father Time asks the most famous reindeer of all to find him before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Red Skelton narrates and voices Father Time in this Rankin/Bass stop-motion staple.