How to Watch All of This Year's Celebrity Christmas Specials ( Some Throwbacks!)
Christmas season is upon us, and with it comes the gifts that truly keep on giving: celebrity Christmas specials. Last year, we all fell (more) in love with John Legend and Chrissy Teigen during their Legendary Christmas special (which will thankfully re-air this year) but they’re not the only celebs who can get you into the holiday spirit. Bill Murray, Mariah Carey – even Stephen Colbert are among the stars who have hosted those cheesy Christmas specials we all love so much.
This is an opportune time to remind you of when then-Newlyweds Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey hosted Nick & Jessica’s Family Christmas in 2004:
Or when Lady Gaga hosted Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular and performed a gender-swapped version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 2013.
This year, even more celebrities are getting in on the action. Here’s a guide for where and when you can watch this year’s Christmas specials:
Outrageous Holiday Houses with Lance Bass
A post shared by HGTV (@hgtv) on Nov 28, 2019 at 6:09pm PST
When: Nov. 28, 11pm EST
Where: HGTV
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from former *NSYNC bandmate and spreader of holiday cheer, Lance Bass. He’s celebrating the season by visiting families who take holiday decorating to the next level. You can watch the special on HGTV’s website with your cable login.
The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show
When: November 29
Where: Amazon Prime
Musgraves performs hits from her holiday album A Very Kacey Christmas with the help of celebrity guests like Lana Del Ray, Camila Cabello and more! The special is narrated by Schitt’s Creek actor/creator Dan Levy, and is as tongue-in-cheek cheesy as it comes. We will fully admit that seeing Kacey sing to her Nana brought happy, Christmas-induced tears to our eyes. Like the Grinch, your heart will grow three sizes after watching. You can check it out on Amazon Prime.
Penn & Teller: Merry Fool Us
When: Nov. 29, 9pm EST
Where: CW
The magical duo have added holiday cheer to their show Penn & Teller: Fool Us and the result is spell-binding, festive fun.
You can watch it on the CW app or on CWTV.com.
A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy
When: Dec. 12 at 10pm EST
Where: NBC
Sure, it’s a re-run, but when your special was as fun and star-studded as Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s was, it’s worth another watch.
Holidays with the Houghs
A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Nov 26, 2019 at 10:08am PST
When: Dec. 16, 10pm EST
Where: NBC
The Hough siblings are bringing their dancing shoes and sibling rivalry to NBC for a Christmas variety show featuring Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, Ne-Yo and…roller skates!?
A Very Brady Renovation: Holiday Edition
A post shared by HGTV (@hgtv) on Dec 4, 2019 at 3:28pm PST
When: Dec. 16, 10pm EST
Where: HGTV
Christmas is all about family, so why not get one of the most iconic families in American television to celebrate? The Bradys are coming together to make ’70s-inspired Christmas treats and decorate their “childhood” home.
A Home for the Holidays With Idina Menzel
When: Dec. 22, 9pm EST
Where: CBS and CBS All Access
The Frozen star will perform songs from her holiday album, Christmas: A Season of Love, alongside artists like Adam Lambert, NE-YO and Kelly Rowland. This special is particularly, well, special because the audience is made up of adoptive parents, social workers and former foster children, some of which who get to share their stories.
Mariah Carey Is Christmas
When: No Release Date
Where: Amazon Music
Sure, it’s not a variety show but, as the title suggests, few people encapsulate Christmas quite like Mariah Carey, and this Amazon mini-documentary about her hit, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” will at least get the song stuck in your head for a few days…or weeks.
If these specials leave you looking for even more holiday cheer, may we suggest you re-visit a few oldies but goodies? Like A Very Murray Christmas, Bill Murray’s Christmas twist on a variety show.
Yes, that is Miley Cyrus and George Clooney. You can watch A Very Murray Christmas on Netflix.
What about the Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey’s Merriest Christmas special?
All she wants for Christmas is you…watching her special on Netflix.
You could go way back and watch Bob Hope’s Christmas special on Amazon Prime.
And finish off the season with a laugh while watching Stephen Colbert’s A Colbert Christmas.
Grab your hot cocoa and get cozy. You’ve got some watching to do!