Still the season...

As we head into the annual Christmas weekend, WPT is your place to find many great holiday programs. International celebrations, musical extravaganzas and dramatic presentations can all be found throughout the regular primetime schedule, as well as specially scheduled broadcasts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Be more Tuned In has compiled a few highlights below. For a handy complete list of WPT's holiday programming, visit this site.

Renowned operatic star Renee Fleming joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for their annual Christmas concert from Salt Lake City. Together they perform Christmas favorites, including "What Child Is This," I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Joy to the World." Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Renee Fleming and Claire Bloom airs in primetime at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 24. It also has a late-night airing at 11 p.m. Thursday (tonight).

Rick Steves takes viewers to Europe to explore the many ways its different countries celebrate the holidays in Rick Steves' European Christmas. Airing at 1 p.m., Sunday, the program is filled with the sights and sounds of European Christmas celebrations - many which will be unfamiliar to Americans. Steves offers the opportunity to view the different traditions through the eyes of children, peasants and trendy citizens in this vibrant show.

At 4:30 p.m., Monday, WPT presents a new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Starring Juliet Stevenson, Kenneth Walsh and the voice of Patrick Stewart, this innovative production melds live-action footage with stunningly animated background visuals to create an enchanting environment. A complete English translation of Andersen's original fairy tale can be found here.

Bon appetit ...

Monday night WPT celebrates the lives and careers of two of the most celebrated and innovative chefs of the 20th century.

At 8, American Masters presents a tribute to Julia Child in "Julia! America's Favorite Chef." The chef became a national star at the age of 50 when her first public television show, "The French Chef," debuted. With her good-humored presence and through numerous TV programs, appearances and award-winning cookbooks, Child convinced Americans that French cooking wasn't beyond reach. Before she passed away in 2004, Child donated her entire kitchen to the Smithsonian Institute, where it is still on display. After her passing, fans, peers and media outlets heralded her career accomplishments. KQED still hosts a large collection of obituaries and remembrances at this site.

At 9, American Masters explores the life of Alice Waters in "Alice Waters and her Delicious Revolution." After starting a restaurant career without any professional cooking experience -- only a passion for good food -- Waters has become one of the foremost advocates for sustainable, properly raised food in America. Her restaurant, Chez Panisse, is a sought after destination for its single meal menu featuring the freshest of seasonal cuisine. To expand her passion, Waters also is the founder of the Edible Schoolyard program, which teaches hands-on agriculture and cooking to middle school students. This 2005 article from the Guardian has a fun interview and a broad overview of Waters' career, as well as an examination of her devotion to feeding people well.

'Tis the Season...

As we stride into the heart of the holiday season, WPT is the place to find all of your seasonal holiday programming. More than 35 holiday-themed programs will be featured on WPT's airwaves during the month of December. Complete listings of these programs can be found by clicking here.

Beginning early Friday morning, (or late Thursday evening, depending on how you look at it) a couple of programs will celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah. Burt Wolf: Taste of Freedom will explore the traditions surrounding the Jewish holiday at 12:30 a.m. Friday. At 4 p.m. Friday, Hanukkah Stories brings selected tales of the holiday to a vibrantly animated platform. Actors Jami Gertz and Bob Saget narrate the stories.

Stay tuned next week to Be more Tuned In for a preview of some of the Christmas and Kwanzaa programs coming to WPT this season.

Thank you for your support...

Starting Saturday, WPT will begin its important winter pledge period. And, while the weeklong event serves an important purpose by providing much-needed funding for the quality programming viewers expect each day on WPT, it also offers viewers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy some great shows that they won't see on other channels. Each pledge period has a few old favorites that viewers always enjoy, but there also is a collection of exciting new programs coming up during the next week. Here are a few highlights:

At 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Great Performances presents "A Tribute to James Taylor." The talented singer/songwriter's career is celebrated by a wide collection of his peers, including Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Bruce Springsteen and India.Arie.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Blue Man Group heads Inside the Tube. The innovative musical theater group has dazzled audiences in their resident stage shows for years. Now, this special brings their unique brand of performance to public television. As an additional treat, viewers who are willing to pledge during this special will have the opportunity to obtain tickets to the Blue Man Group's upcoming performance in Madison.

And, to get yourself in a festive mood, be sure to tune into Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows at 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9. The classic singer brings back favorite moments from the Christmas Shows that he presented on television for years. The songs are familiar and many of these versions have become holiday standards. Williams still dons his classic holiday sweaters for live performances of these Christmas songs at his Branson theater.

Hopefully you will enjoy these and the other programs WPT provides all year round and would be willing to pledge your support. If so, you can do so easily at our secure online Web site.