Music-Focused Specials Hitting Television Screens for the 2018 Holiday Season

What would the holiday season be without all the special programming that will be saturating television viewing for the next month? From movies and holiday-themed episodes of your favorite shows to the numerous specials both classic and new, it’s almost as inescapable as holiday music.

Of course, many of these specials center on music as well. Such yearly television offerings began last week with the Thanksgiving Parade, which saw a handful of popular artists cruising down 34^th Street “performing” their own music as well as holiday classics. Between now and New Years, even more musical specials will be hitting the small screen, ranging from tree lightings and parades to concerts and Disney’s complete takeover of the holidays.

In gearing up for the holiday season, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at all the musical Christmas and holiday specials coming to a television set near you in the next month. Here are nine programs to get you into the festive spirit. (Note: Not included are specials where music comes second to the event, like the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show or the ‘A Home for Christmas’ special. Also not included is New Years programming, as it deserves its own list.)

1.       ‘Christmas in Rockefeller Center’: A New York tradition for decades, ‘Christmas in Rockefeller Center’ ushers in the holiday season by building up to the lighting of the Rockeffeller Center Christmas tree. This year’s performers include Diana Ross, Tony Bennett and Diana Krall, Pentatonix, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler, Brett Eldredge, Ella Mai, John Legend and Rob Thomas. (11/28, NBC)

2.       ‘A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy’: Speaking of John Legend, following the success of April’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert’ (which won him a coveted EGOT), the soulful R&B singer/renaissance man returns to holiday television with his wife Chrissy Teigen to host a traditional variety show. ‘A Legendary Christmas’ will feature Legend performing music from his new holiday album of the same name, as well as special guests and tons of lovey-dovey schmaltz. Music-focused guests include fellow ‘The Voice’ judges Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, Meghan Trainor, Raphael Saadiq and many more. (11/28, NBC)

3.       The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration’: Not to be outdone by NBC, ABC will be airing their annual ‘Magical Holiday Celebration’ special direct from Disney’s amusement parks. This year the program is being hosted by ‘Modern Family’s’ Sarah Hyland and ‘Dancing with the Stars’’ Jordan Fisher (both of which are ABC shows) and will feature musical performances from Gwen Stefani, Becky G, Meghan Trainor, Aloe Blacc, Andrea Bocelli and more, plus appearances from your favorite Disney characters. (11/29, ABC)

4.       ‘Garth: Live at Notre Dame!’:  Back in October, best-selling country artist Garth Brooks played a stadium show at the University of Notre Dame in October, the first time in the stadium’s 88-year history that an artist of his magnitude has performed there. Fans across the country will get to experience the show on the small screen this holiday season as a concert special. (12/2, CBS)

5.       ‘Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas’: Amy Grant apparently loves Christmas. In addition to her annual block of holiday shows at the Ryman in Nashville, the country/gospel singer will have her own special on Hallmark. ‘Tennessee Christmas features performances from her, her husband Vince Gill and special guests Kellie Pickler and Michael W. Smith. (12/3, Hallmark)

6.       ‘CMA Country Christmas’: Another yearly tradition, the Country Music Association will be airing their ‘CMA Country Christmas’ again this year. Reba McEntire hosts for the second year in a row, with a list of performers new and established lending their voices to holiday classics. Artists performing this year include McEntire, Tony Bennett & Diana Krall, Dan & Shay, Brett Eldredge, Martina McBride, Dustin Lynch, Amy Grant, Brad Paisley, Lindsey Stirling, Old Dominion and more. (12/10, ABC)

7.       ‘Hollywood Christmas Parade’: The west-coast’s equivalent to the Thanksgiving Parade in New York, the ‘Hollywood Christmas Parade’ marches through the heart of Hollywood to ring in the holiday season and you’ll be able to see every detail on the small screen. Erik Estrada and Laura McKenzie host the broadcast, which will feature balloons, floats and performances of all kinds, including a 100^th anniversary tribute to ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.’ Musical performances include ‘American Idol’ alums Kimberly Caldwell-Harvey, Mikalah Gordon, Ruben Studdard, Blake Lewis, Elliot Yamin and David Archuleta, Ashanti, Claire Dunn, The Tearaways and supergroup Band of MerryMakers. (12/14, The CW)

8.       ‘iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2018’: iHeartRadio begins its annual Jingle Ball tour tonight, bringing the year’s hottest artists to an arena near you over the next three weeks. Artists on the tour include Cardi B, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, Kalid, Alessia Cara, Bebe Rexha, Meghan Trainor, Sabrina Carpenter, G Easy, Bazzi and more (though the line-up differs depending on the particular stop). If you can’t make these shows, The CW will be airing an amalgam of performances as a special this holiday season. (12/16, The CW)

9.       ‘Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade’: Disney continues their holiday domination with their annual Christmas day parade. The broadcast will feature the same performers as their ‘Magical Holiday Celebration’ a month earlier performing different songs, except with all the fanfare of a parade. (12/25, ABC)

Featuring concerts, parades, tree lightings and more, music is at the heart of many of the season’s holiday specials. Check out some of the musical Christmas and holiday specials mentioned above and feel the holiday spirit.

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Find holiday music and much more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles in a vast array of genres to choose from. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.