The winter holidays are almost upon us! If you need help coping with the cold weather and stress of celebration planning, take a gander at the lineup of seasonal programming the tykes and their families can look forward to on PBS KIDS. From the Primetime Emmy and WGA Award-winning Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas and The Gruffalo specials to all-new episodes of favorite series, there will be plenty to watch on TV, pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app throughout December.
“Every year, we look forward to celebrating the holidays with families around the country with specials that teach us about empathy, community and togetherness,” said Linda Simensky, Vice President, Children’s Programming, PBS. “With new holiday-themed episodes and classic specials, families can gather together and join their favorite PBS KIDS friends this winter.”
Kids and caregivers can also find fun themed content on the PBS KIDS Games app, the website and the PBS Parents and PBS LearningMedia pages.
Viewers should check local listings for airtimes.
ONCE UPON A SESAME STREET CHRISTMAS
Airs and streams November 22, 23, 24 (on PBS KIDS Family Night); December 4, 11-15, 18
A bedtime story for Elmo recalls a gloomy time when Sesame Street was devoid of holiday spirit until a distant relative brought tidings of comfort and joy to its residents.
THE GRUFFALO
Airs December 1-3 (on PBS KIDS Family Night)
A cunning mouse goes for a walk through the forest and has to outwit a succession of predators.
THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS!
Airs December 8-10 (on PBS KIDS Family Night), 12, 14, 16, 26
This adventure finds the Cat in the Hat, Nick and Sally on a journey around the world to help a lost reindeer find his way home to Freezeyourknees Snowland in time for Christmas. On the way, the Thinga-ma-jigger breaks down, and they depend on a variety of animals – from African bush elephants to bottlenose dolphins to red crabs – and their remarkable abilities to help them make an amazing journey home.
SPLASH AND BUBBLES: Whitebeard/Coral Day – NEW
Airs December 11, 15-17 (on PBS KIDS Family Night)
“Whitebeard” – Ripple is excited because, according to legend, tonight is the night that Whitebeard, a mysterious creature who lives at the North Pole, sails over Reeftown, singing his beautiful music. She tries to convince the other Reeftown friends to stay up and watch for him to appear.
“Coral Day” – It’s the holiday season in Reeftown as everyone gets ready for Coral Day, a celebration of the wonderful coral that makes up their home. Splash, new to Reeftown and its traditions, wonders what he can contribute to the festival.
PEG + CAT + HOLIDAYS
Airs December 11, 15-17 (on PBS KIDS Family Night), 26
“The Hanukkah Problem” – When Albert Einstein invites Peg and Cat over for Hanukkah, he shows them how to make a 2D piece of paper into a 3D dreidel. Later, they need to use this process to bring peace to Al’s home and save his Hanukkah.
“The Christmas Problem” – When Santa Claus is in trouble, Peg and Cat have to solve their biggest problem ever: how to make and wrap presents for all the children of the world and deliver them using 100 sleighs.
“The Penguin Problem” – Peg and Cat coach a team of skiing penguins, who would have a shot at the Olympic gold medal if only they knew “over,” “under” and “in between.”
READY JET GO!: Holidays in Boxwood Terrace – NEW
Premieres and streams December 11, December 22-24 (on PBS KIDS Family Night)
“Holidays in Boxwood Terrace, Part 1” – Jet pitches an idea for the annual Boxwood Terrace Christmas Pageant, and not only is it accepted, he gets to direct it! He casts Sean, Sydney, Mindy and Sunspot as characters in the play and hires Mitchell Petersen to help him find this elusive thing called “Christmas Spirit.”
“Holidays in Boxwood Terrace, Part 2” – Jet is looking for the Spirit of Christmas, something intangible that Sean and Sydney can’t quite define. Mitchell wants to belong to the group, but doesn’t know how to do it. Both kids get their answer in a heartfelt conclusion.
WILD KRATTS: A CREATURE CHRISTMAS
Airs December 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 22-24 (on PBS KIDS Family Night), 25
In this one-hour special, it’s Christmastime and the Wild Kratts are taking a break from creature adventuring to celebrate. But when the Wild Kratts receive an alert that their favorite creatures are suddenly disappearing around the globe, their holiday party quickly turns into a rescue mission. The Wild Kratts must race against time to thwart their greedy archrivals’ most miserly scheme yet! Will they be able to travel to the ends of the earth and return their baby animal friends to their homes in time for the holidays?
CYBERCHASE: A REBOOT EVE TO REMEMBER – NEW
Premieres and streams December 29; 30-31 (on PBS KIDS Family Night)
It’s almost Reboot Day – when all of Cyberspace celebrates a fresh start for the new year! It’s Delete’s favorite holiday, but Hacker is in a bad mood because he’s low on energy. Fortunately for Hacker, the blustery town of Bottawa has a powerful energy source he can steal. Unfortunately for Bottawa, this energy source raises the big ball at midnight on Reboot Eve, and the celebration is being broadcast live across Cyberspace! When Hacker goes through with his plan, Delete stays in Bottawa to join forces with the CyberSquad and save the holiday. Can they find a way to use Bottawa’s wind to raise the big ball by midnight? And will Hacker’s Reboot resolution bring Delete home?
Other new episodes include “Creech’s Creature Quandary” (December 26), “A Murky Mystery in Mermaidos” (Dec ember27) and “Plantasaurus!” (December 28).
CURIOUS GEORGE: A VERY MONKEY CHRISTMAS
Airs December 11, 15, 17, 25
Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat are having a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas. There’s only one dilemma – neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present! In the end, both gift-giving predicaments are simply and beautifully resolved, revealing the true spirit of the holiday season.
