December marks the arrival of a whole host of holidays. To celebrate, KLRU coordinated enough holiday programming to go with all the month’s merriments. This month on KLRU:
Nature Pets: Wild At Heart: Playful Creatures (Part one of two) airs Wednesday, December 2 at 7 p.m.
In this astonishing program filled with innovative photography and scientific revelation, we investigate how our favorite pets get in touch with their wild side through play. From talkative budgies, marathon-running hamsters, wall-climbing cats and diving dogs, as well as an island where rabbits rule and a city where dogs live a secret double life – discover how our pets’ playful games are just a whisker away from the wild.
Nature Pets: Wild At Heart: Secretive Creatures (Part two of two) airs Wednesday, December 9 at 7 p.m.
In a program packed with incredible filming techniques, from Schlieren photography that makes smells visible, to moving X-rays, ultra slow-motion, and ultraviolet vision as well as HD horsecams and doggycams, discover how our pets experience the world through their astonishing senses and hidden channels of communication. This episode includes the sensory secrets of budgies, horses, guinea pigs and goldfish as well as the remarkable abilities of hamsters, cats and dogs.
Xmas Without China airs Tuesday, December 15 at 10 p.m.
Tom Xia emigrated from mainland China to California at age eight. A series of Chinese toy recalls forces Xia’s neighbors, the Joneses, to have their son tested for lead poisoning. With China’s assent to world superpower status heating up American fears, Xia challenges the Joneses to make it through the Christmas season without any Chinese products, beginning a journey to find American identity amongst all the American media hype, Chinese nationalist propaganda and cultural misunderstandings.
Nature Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayhem airs Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m.
The honey badger is a relentless, fearless, little creature renowned for its ability to confront grown lions, castrate charging buffalo, and shrug off the toxic defenses of stinging bees, scorpions, and snakes. Little is known about its behavior in the wild or why it is so aggressive. This film follows three badger specialists in South Africa who take on these masters of mayhem in ways that must be seen to be believed.
NOVA Roman Catacomb Mystery airs Wednesday, December 16 at 8 p.m.
Beneath the streets of Rome lies an ancient city of the dead known as the Catacombs — a labyrinth of tunnels, hundreds of miles long, lined with tombs. Now, NOVA goes inside a previously-unknown complex within the tunnel system: a mysterious mass grave, locked away for nearly 2000 years. NOVA’s forensic investigation opens up fascinating new insights into the daily life and health of Roman citizens at the heyday of its mighty empire.
Craft in America Celebration airs Wednesday, December 16 at 9 p.m.
This new episode explores craft artists, objects and traditions of various holidays, featuring Lion Dancers and float builders of San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade, ceramic artists in Detroit making festive pieces, Kwanzaa celebrations in Chicago and Oakland, and woodblock Christmas cards made by Yoshiko Yamamoto in Washington state.
Daytripper Grapevine, Tx airs Thursday, December 17 at 8:30 p.m.
Chet heads to Grapevine, the “Christmas Capital of Texas” to catch the spirit of the season. He visits Main Street to eat at a French bakery, tours a winery, sees amazing sculptures of ice at the Gaylord Texan, and finishes it off on the historic railroad bound for the North Pole.
Lidia Celebrates America Home For The Holidays airs Saturday, December 19 at 4:30 p.m.
It’s the premiere of “Home for the Holidays.” This new program is the fifth in the Lidia Celebrates America series with beloved PBS host Lidia Bastianich. The program celebrates holiday traditions told through the voices of six celebrity guests: Rita Moreno, Christopher Walken, Ann Curry, Padma Lakshmi, Marcus Samuelsson and Carlo Ponti Jr. The deeply personal stories of each individual’s journey to and in America are all set against a backdrop in which they share a deliciously diverse Christmas dinner at Lidia’s home.
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Santino Fontana and the Sesame Street Muppets airs Monday, December 21 at 8 p.m. and repeats Thursday, December 24 at 8 p.m.
Four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and veteran movie and television star Peter Graves join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square in the premiere of an annual holiday concert that this year includes African-American spirituals and a medley of contemporary favorites. Celebrate the holidays with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from Salt Lake City with guests Santino Fontana, the voice of Hans from the Disney movie “Frozen” and the Muppets from Sesame Street.
Christmas at Belmont airs Monday, December 21 at 9 p.m. and repeats Thursday, December 24 at 9 p.m.
It’s the premiere of Christmas at Belmont 2015, an annual Belmont University tradition celebrating the holiday season and the musical diversity and rich talent of the university’s School of Music. The concert features Kathy Mattea and more than 400 student voices joining with School of Music faculty to present the annual holiday production.
National Christmas Tree Lighting 2015 airs Monday, December 21 at 10 p.m.
Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Christmas Shows airs Tuesday, December 22 at 7 p.m.
Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows features classic clips from beloved singer and television personality Andy Williams’ Christmas specials. The digitally re-mastered production numbers are complete with magnificent sets and costumes and a cast of singers, dancers and skaters. Quintessential moments include Williams’ solos on “Silent Night” and “Ave Maria,” as well as ensemles with his brothers on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and with the Osmonds on “Silver Bells.” Interviews with Williams, his son Bobby and Donny Osmond are interwoven with the clips.
Next Waltz Presents Bruce Robinson And Kelly Willis airs Dec. 22 at 10 p.m. and Dec. 24 at 7:30 pm
Join Texas country music’s first couple for this warm, wonderful holiday celebration. Singer-songwriters Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis—partners in life, love and parenthood—perform holiday favorites.
Nature Magic of the Snowy Owl airs Wednesday, December 23 at 7 p.m.
Nature explores the world of the snowy owl, a bird recently made popular by Hedwig, Harry Potter’s faithful companion. Turning fantasy into reality, “Magic of the Snowy Owl” takes an intimate look at how these majestic birds survive in one of the most isolated and inhospitable places on the planet. Noted wildlife filmmaker Fergus Beeley (“Jungle Eagle”) takes viewers deep into the “snowy’s” tundra home on the North Slope of Alaska to observe the daily struggles involved in raising a family of helpless chicks until they are able to fly. Viewers will discover that these strikingly beautiful Arctic owls – essentially eagles, falcons and owls rolled into one – have a magic of their own.
Call the Midwife Holiday Special airs Friday, December 25 at 8 p.m.
Haul out the holly and celebrate a new Call the Midwife Holiday Special, premiering on Christmas night. Join the revels as Poplar readies itself for Christmas 1960. An unexpected surprise for a grieving mother brings the holiday magic home, while Nonnatus is rocked when one of its own disappears. A film crew promises to make this a memorable Christmas. This is the same date that the BBC1 will premiere the special in the UK!
Vicious Holiday Special airs Friday, December 25 at 9:30 p.m.
Vicious encores “Holiday Special.” Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi) host a holiday soiree in their small central London flat. Ash (Iwan Rheon), their young upstairs neighbor, has volunteered to cook the meal, their feisty best friend Violet (Frances de la Tour) is up to her old tricks, and a wicked game of “Truth or Dare” brings up hidden truths – and surprises as well.
Nature Animal Misfits airs Wednesday, December 30 at 7 p.m.
Life on earth is incredibly diverse, but it’s not always what you might expect. Alongside the fastest, strongest, smartest animals are nature’s misfits. These odd, bizarre and unlikely creatures at first glance seem ill-equipped for survival. Left at the starting line in the race for life, these are the apparent losers in the story of evolution, yet somehow they still manage to cling to life and in some cases even thrive. “Animal Misfits” reveals some surprising details about how evolution really works, demonstrating that all animals are remarkably well-adapted to their chosen way of life.