Three weeks of Christmas programming, starting Dec. 8, will get viewers in the holiday spirit

VisionTV will be Canada’s Christmas station this holiday season.

The network’s “Celebrate the Season” programming event features three weeks of Yuletide movies and music specials, starting Monday, Dec. 8.

Highlights include the 1945 movie classic Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck, the music special Christmas Together with the Barra MacNeils, and a modern-dress British retelling of A Christmas Carol starring Ross Kemp (EastEnders, Extras), along with a selection of concert performances featuring the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Said VisionTV’s Chief Content Officer Mark Prasuhn: "We are excited to present the most extensive lineup of uplifting, feel-good Christmas programming ever assembled by our network.”

VisionTV is promoting its holiday specials with the “VisionTV Christmas Challenge,” which launches today. The online campaign offers Canadians the opportunity to share photos and videos of their best – and worst – holiday moments.

For more on VisionTV’s Christmas lineup and promotion, please visit www.visiontv.ca.

VISIONTV: 2008 CHRISTMAS HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, Dec. 8

Comedy Series: Yes, Minister – “Party Games,” Part One
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
This witty political satire remains the gold standard for British television comedy. Tonight: When holiday season shenanigans leave the party leaderless, the amiable but weak-willed James Hacker (Paul Eddington) emerges as an unlikely compromise candidate, with an assist from the Machiavellian cabinet secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne).

Family Drama: Emily of New Moon – “A Winter's Tale”
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Based on a series of novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery, this Gemini Award-winning drama stars Martha MacIsaac (Superbad) as Emily Starr, a precocious young girl who is sent to live with relatives on Prince Edward Island after the death of her father. Tonight: When a raccoon savages Emily's cat Pandora, Aunt Laura (Sheila McCarthy) takes the cat to Dr. Burnley (Richard Donat), where they share a bittersweet moment.

Family Drama: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman – “Mike's Dream: A Christmas Tale”
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
Set in the 1860s, this hit series stars Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers) as Dr. Michaela ("Mike") Quinn, a strong-willed Boston physician practicing in a small Colorado town, where her liberal-minded ways clash with the rugged values of the Western frontier. Tonight: Dr. Mike sees Christmas past, present and future with the help of a beloved friend (Diane Ladd, in an Emmy Award-nominated performance).

Comedy-Drama Series: The Darling Buds of May – “Christmas Is Coming”
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
One of the most popular programs in British TV history, this light-hearted series follows the bucolic adventures of the indestructible Larkin clan. With David Jason (A Touch of Frost) as “Pop” Larkin and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Mariette. Tonight: Christmas finds Ma (Pam Ferris) making mince pies, Pop delivering Christmas trees and Mariette expecting a new addition to the family. But a mysterious fugitive from justice is about to threaten the Larkin's idyllic celebration.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Drama Series: Quantum Leap – “Little Miracle”
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
This classic sci-fi drama stars Scott Bakula (Enterprise) as Sam Beckett, a scientist trapped in the past by a time travel experiment gone wrong. Sam can leap into any person’s life, at any point within his own lifetime – but he can’t predict where he’s going to land next. Tonight: It’s the night before Christmas, and Sam, working for one of the richest men in the country, re-enacts Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to remind his boss there is more to life than money.

Drama Series: Quantum Leap – “The Promised Land”
1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT
Sam leaps into the life of Bill Waters, who returns to his hometown at Christmas with a desperate and dangerous plan to save the family farm.

Wednesday, Dec. 10

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Movie: Secret Santa
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
This charming made-for-TV movie stars Jennie Garth (90210) as an ambitious newspaper reporter who sets out for small-town Indiana to unmask a local hamlet’s mysterious “secret Santa.” Her suspicions point to a charming widower, played by Steven Eckholdt (The L Word, Friends). Will she publish her scoop – or decide that the spirit of Christmas is something worth saving? Charlie Robinson, Josh Randall and Barbara Billingsley (Leave it to Beaver) also star.

Thursday, Dec. 11

Comedy-Drama Series: The Darling Buds of May – “Christmas Is Coming”
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
See Dec. 8 at Midnight ET.

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Movie: A Christmas Carol
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
This modern-day retelling of the Charles Dickens holiday classic stars Ross Kemp (EastEnders, Extras) as Eddie Scrooge, a loan shark on a run-down British housing estate. Feared by all and loved by none, Eddie looks forward to Christmas Day, since you can always count on finding people at home. But when the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future visit him on Christmas Eve, Scrooge must confront the truth about himself. Is it too late to find redemption?

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Music Special: One Silent Night with Walter Cronkite
10:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. PT
Legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite narrates the haunting true story of World War One’s famed “Christmas Truce” in this extraordinary live performance, accompanied by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

Family Drama: 7th Heaven – “X-Mas”
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
Life is never simple for Reverend Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) and his wife Annie (Catherine Hicks), in this long-running family drama series (from Brenda Hampton, creator of The Secret Life of the American Teenager), as they struggle to handle seven kids and their assorted friends and sweethearts. Tonight: The Camdens try to spread the Christmas spirit around their community in this special holiday episode.

Friday, Dec. 12

Music Series: The Gaither Gospel Hour – “Joy to the World”
9 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET / 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT
Music legend Bill Gaither and his wife Gloria present this weekly celebration of southern gospel music, featuring the Gaither Vocal Band and a host of guest artists. Tonight: A Christmas season celebration, featuring Nashville’s world famous Christ Church Choir.

Music Special: We Need A Little Christmas
10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT
Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury (star of Murder, She Wrote, weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on VisionTV) joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for a live performance of such holiday gems as “We Need a Little Christmas” and “Not While I'm Around.”

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Music Special: Celebrate Christmas with Audra McDonald
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
Tony Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald (currently starring on the hit series Private Practice) joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a holiday concert that includes African-American spirituals and a medley of contemporary favourites. With guest narrator Peter Graves (7th Heaven, Airplane!).

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Music Special: Christmas Glory From New York
11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT
This Christmas carol concert, filmed in New York City, features the talents of Charlotte Church, James Galway, Jessye Norman, Sigourney Weaver and others. A tribute to the victims of 9/11, the hour-long program includes performances recorded in some of Manhattan’s most famous locations, from Central Park to the beautiful Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue.

Comedy Series: Yes, Minister – “Party Games", Part One
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
See Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

Monday, Dec.15

Comedy Series: Yes, Minister – “Party Games,” Part Two
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
See Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

Movie: I’ll Be Home For Christmas
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
A college student (played by Home Improvement’s Jonathan Taylor Thomas) suffers a series of comic mishaps as he struggles to get from Los Angeles to his home in New York for the holidays, and learns some lessons about the true meaning of Christmas along the way. With Jessica Biel, Adam LaVorgna and Gary Cole (Office Space).

Documentary: The Origins of Christmas
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
What does Santa Claus have to do with the birth of Jesus? Why do we kiss under the mistletoe? This documentary traces the roots of our contemporary Christmas traditions, and reveals that many have their origin in pagan celebrations that began thousands of years before the birth of Christ.

Tuesday, Dec. 16

Comedy Series: Bless Me Father – “The Season of Goodwill”
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Veteran British character actor Arthur Lowe (Coronation Street, Dad’s Army) stars as wily Catholic parish priest Father Duddleswell in this much-loved series. Tonight: Father Duddleswell is consumed with the Christmas spirit – but even at Yuletide he can't seem to stay out of trouble.

Movie: The Christmas Shoes
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
A young boy (Max Morrow) tries to get a pair of Christmas shoes for his dying mother (Kimberly Williams), while a lawyer (Rob Lowe) confronts the break-up of his marriage. Paths cross on Christmas Eve, and lives are changed forever. With Maria del Mar and Shirley Douglas. Filmed in Nova Scotia.

Music Special: Celtic Angels at Christmas
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
This music special features Scotland’s Maggie MacInnes and some of Atlantic Canada’s finest young Celtic talents – including Stephanie Hardy, Patricia Murray, Kendra and Sabra MacGillivray and Gillian Boucher – performing a variety of holiday favourites.

Wednesday, Dec. 17

Comedy Series: Dinnerladies – “Gamble”
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Comedian Victoria Wood created and stars in this bittersweet, working-class ensemble comedy about a group of women toiling in the canteen of a Manchester factory. Tonight: As Christmas approaches, the ladies have a bet going, and things are looking good for Bren (Wood) – until her past catches up with her.

FEATURE FILM CLASSIC – Movie: Christmas in Connecticut
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
The indomitable Barbara Stanwyck stars in this holiday-themed 1945 screwball comedy. Stanwyck plays food writer Elizabeth Lane, a sort of proto-Martha Stewart whose monthly magazine column enthralls readers with tales of her humble country home and her life as a wife and mother. There’s just one little problem: Elizabeth lives in Manhattan, she doesn’t have a husband or a baby, and she can barely boil an egg. When Elizabeth’s publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) invites himself and war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) to join “America’s Best Cook” for Christmas dinner at her Connecticut farmhouse, the whole deception threatens to come crashing down. Can she keep her secret? Reginald Gardner and S.Z. Sakall also star.

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Music Special: Christmas Together with the Barra MacNeils
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
Canada’s leading Celtic artists, the Barra MacNeils, perform music from their best-selling Christmas Album II in this holiday concert special. Filmed at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth, N.S., the hour-long program features Christmas classics and original tunes, all performed with the distinctive Celtic flavour that the Barra MacNeils have brought to their music, both in the studio and on the stage, for more than 20 years. The Cape Breton natives are joined by acclaimed Scottish harpist Maggie MacInnes and Acadian vocal trio Monique Poirier, Isabelle Thériault and Patricia Richard.

Thursday, Dec. 18

Comedy Series: Waiting for God – “Christmas Special”
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Trapped in a seniors’ home, elderly eccentrics Tom and Diana (Graham Crowden and Stephanie Cole) form an alliance to subvert the rules and regulations. Tonight: In this hour-long Christmas special, Diana refuses to enter into the holiday spirit, so Tom contrives to bring her a little seasonal cheer, with typically disastrous results.

Movie: A Holiday Romance
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
Gerald McRaney (Deadwood, Jericho) stars as a stuffy school administrator who travels to his Kentucky hometown at Christmas to cut the local high school music program, only to fall for a charming music teacher played by Naomi Judd. With Andy Griffith, Taborah Johnson, Jackie Richardson and an appearance by Toronto rockers The Sadies.

Music Special: Tell it on the Mountain
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
A celebration of the music of Christmas, featuring gospel artists Marcus Mosley and Gail Suderman. Accompanied by a twelve-voice choir and a five-piece band under musical director and arranger Edward Henderson, they ring in Christmas with songs that draw upon the history and courage of many generations of African Canadians.

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008

Comedy Series: Hallelujah – “A Goose For Mrs Scratchitt”
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
British stage and screen legend Thora Hird stars as Emily Ridley, a captain in the Salvation Army for more than 40 years. When her superiors decide it’s time for Captain Emily to retire, she demands one more chance to carry on her war with the Devil – and so, reluctantly, they send her off to save souls in the quaint, picturesque small towns of Yorkshire. Tonight: Captain Emily is in reminiscent mood as she tells the young guests at the Sally Ann children's Christmas party about the sort of Yuletide they might have had in her grandmother's day.

Music Series: The Gaither Gospel Hour – “Christmas in the Country”
9 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET / 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. PT
Tonight: A celebration of Christmases long past, showcasing brand new Gaither holiday songs along with traditional classics.

Music Special: Songs of Praise – “Stories of Jesus”
10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT
This long-running sacred music series from the UK celebrates the true meaning of the Christmas season.

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Music Special: Christmas Light with Sissel
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
European songstress Sissel (the acclaimed Norwegian soprano best known for her work on the Titanic soundtrack) joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City for a Christmas celebration featuring some of the season's most beloved songs, including "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night."

Music Special: World Christmas
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
In this performance special, Canada’s renowned Worldfest Ensemble brings exotic instrumentation and arrangements to traditional and international compositions celebrating the magic of Christmas. Under the direction of Juno Award winner Edward Henderson, five of Canada's most accomplished multi-instrumentalists perform Yuletide music from Puerto Rico, France, China, Chile, England, Bolivia, the Ukraine and Canada.

Comedy-Drama Series: The Darling Buds of May – “Christmas Is Coming”
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
See Dec. 8 at Midnight ET.

Monday, Dec. 22

Comedy Series: Eyes Down – “Christmas”
8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
This delightfully misanthropic comedy series stars Paul O’Grady as spiteful bingo caller Ray Temple, who presides over a browbeaten staff and a motley clientele. Tonight: It’s Christmas, and Ray faces a life-changing decision, while the staff have problems of their own.

Movie: A Holiday for Love
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
Tim Matheson (The West Wing) plays a manufacturing executive who travels to a small town during the holidays with a mission to cut jobs at a local factory. But things don’t go as planned. With Melissa Gilbert, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jayne Eastwood, Gordon Pinsent and country music star Travis Tritt.

Music Special: Celtic Angels at Christmas
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
This music special features Scotland’s Maggie MacInnes and some of Atlantic Canada’s finest young Celtic talents – including Stephanie Hardy, Patricia Murray, Kendra and Sabra MacGillivray and Gillian Boucher – performing a variety of holiday favourites.

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Drama: Murder She Wrote – “A Christmas Secret”
7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
This long-running whodunit series stars the legendary Angela Lansbury as mystery novelist and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher. Tonight: It’s Christmas in Jessica’s hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine. An engagement is announced and a wedding planned – until a murder attempt brings a secret from the groom’s past to the surface. With guest star Amy Brenneman (Private Practice, Judging Amy).

Comedy Series: On the Buses – “Christmas Duty”
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Launched in 1969, this charmingly unpretentious slice of British working-class life became one of the most popular Britcoms of all time, running for seven hit seasons. Tonight: Stan (Reg Varney) and Jack (Bob Grant) end up pulling a shift on Christmas day.
NOTE: On the Buses star Reg Varney passed away on Nov. 16 at the age of 92

Movie: The Man Who Saved Christmas
9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT
Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) stars in the true-life tale of Erector Set inventor A.C. Gilbert. During the First World War, the government convinced Gilbert to put aside his toymaking to support the war effort. But the horrors of the conflict forced him to re-think his decision. Kelly Rowan (The O.C.) and Edward Asner also star.

Documentary: The Origins of Christmas
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
See Dec. 15 at 11 p.m. ET.

Wednesday, Dec. 24

Comedy Series: Dinnerladies – “Christmas”
8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
Tonight: It’s Christmas Eve, and the prospect of romance between Bren (Victoria Wood) and Tony (Andrew Dunn) looks more doubtful than ever. A baby is found abandoned at the canteen, and Bren’s batty mother Petula (Julie Walters) needs a place to stay.

Movie: A Christmas Carol
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
George C. Scott is thought by many to give the definitive portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge in this 1984 adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic. David Warner, Susannah York, Edward Woodward and Roger Rees also star.

VISIONTV PREMIERE – Music Special: Charlotte Church – Christmas Dream From the Holy Land
11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
In this hour-long special, Welsh soprano Charlotte Church – one of the youngest classical performers ever to sign a UK record deal – sings Yuletide favourites in the land where the Christmas story began.

Faith Presentation: Midnight Mass from Rome
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in this two-hour broadcast special. The service includes hymns, prayers and a homily by the pontiff.

Thursday, Dec. 25

Faith Presentation: Daily Mass Christmas Special
8 a.m. and Noon ET / 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. PT
The National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents this special Christmas Day Mass from St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto.

Comedy Series: Waiting for God – “Christmas Special II”
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
When Diana is asked to direct the Nativity play for the elderly of the parish, she and Tom proceed to unleash chaos.

Movie: Borrowed Hearts
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
This holiday-themed production stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) as a wealthy playboy who needs to masquerade as a family man to close a business deal, and Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) as a spunky single mom who agrees to help him for a price. But are they both getting more than they bargained for? With Hector Elizondo.

Music Special: Carols from King’s 2004
Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT
The world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge under the direction of Stephen Cleobury performs a selection of beloved Christmas hymns.

Music Special: A Christmas Bell with Claire Bloom
1:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT
British stage and screen star Claire Bloom (Brideshead Revisited, Crimes and Misdemeanors) narrates the moving tale of “A Christmas Bell for Anya” in this holiday concert presentation, featuring American soprano Renée Fleming with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

Friday, Dec. 26

Music Special: Sing We Now of Christmas with Gladys Knight
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir celebrates the Christmas season with special guest Gladys Knight – the Grammy Award-winning “Empress of Soul” – and the Orchestra at Temple Square.

Music Special: O Holy Night with Sandi Patty
10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
Christian recording artist Sandi Patty joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Band of the Air Force Reserve to perform “O Holy Night,” “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” and other Christmas favourites.