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CBC's Top 5 for the holidays

Can you feel a little magic in the air? It’s that time of year again and CBC has a jam-packed schedule to keep you entertained all month long.

Enjoy holiday classics, festive bake-offs, hometown romance and more on CBC

Graphic of geometric shapes and circles of teal and red on a white background. A large red circle in the top left corner with the CBC logo in white and on the right a dark blue box with "Top 5 for the holidays" and a stylized heart in white.
Can you feel a little magic in the air? It's that time of year again and CBC has a jam-packed schedule to keep you entertained all month long. Enjoy everyone's guilty pleasure with two tales of hometown romance in Christmas Ever After and The Christmas Setup. Get inspired to break out the handmade crafts with a new season of Best in Miniature. The year is never complete without delicious festive baking on The Great Canadian Baking Show and The Great British Baking Show's annual holiday specials. All this and more in CBC's Top 5 for the Holidays.

A man with a beard and brown hair with olive jacket and blue jeans sits next to a woman with long blonde curly hair, red sweater and blue jean. Both are smiling at one another. There are twinkling lights in the background. The word "Christmas Ever After" are in white to left and middle of the photo.
CHRISTMAS EVER AFTER - Watch Free on CBC Gem, Wednesday, December 6 
With just days before Christmas and a looming manuscript deadline, romance novelist Izzi retreats to the cozy Antler Inn in wintry Silver Springs to finish the draft of her newest romance novel and overcome her writer's block while still enjoying her favourite annual vacation. Editor and BFF Mila urges Izzi to find ways to make her romantic hero, Desmond, more grounded and real, as she thinks he's become too idealized. Izzi struggles to implement the note … until she arrives at Silver Springs Inn to find the new owner, Matt, bears a striking resemblance to Desmond.

A woman with long brown hair wearing a red and black plaid dress with a large black belt holds mistletoe over the heads of two men, one with a brown hair and a beard with a beige sweater and black design on the front and the other with brown hair looking at him and smiling. The words "The Christmas" (in black) SETUP (in red) are in type above their heads.
THE CHRISTMAS SET UP - Watch Free on CBC Gem, Wednesday, December 13
A lawyer heads home for the holidays and runs into his secret crush from high school. Sparks fly as the two men work together to save the local train station before Christmas, helping them remember the importance of family, community and love.
 
The words "Best in Miniature" in black text and the word "in" is in centre of a white button with blue ribbon coming from it. Like a prize ribbon. To the left on three teal boxes are miniature chairs on each box. All on a backdrop of teal blue.
BEST IN MINIATURE - Watch Free on CBC Gem, Tuesday, December 26
Ten highly skilled artists from across the world compete in the ultimate challenge: building their dream home in miniature form. The competitors will create their houses, in painstaking detail, room by room by shrinking life-size objects to 1:12 scale. While the objects may be small in stature, the stakes could not be higher. Judged by U.K. Miniature Expert Emma Waddell, and esteemed Designer Micheal Lambie, precision and design technique will save the competitors from elimination. Week after week, the remaining miniaturists will continue to battle it out to stay in the game until only three remain for the last competition in the grand finale. The winner will receive a cash prize and the coveted title of Best in Miniature.
 
Cast of the Great Canadian Baking Show standing in the tent which is decorated for the holidays. From left, woman long brown hair, man with white hair and glasses, Black woman with black hair and glasses, woman with blonde hair, Black man with black hat, woman with long brown hair and man with grey hair and glasses. All standing in a row.
THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW - Holiday Special. Watch Free on CBC Gem.
Hosts Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis welcome four champion bakers from seasons past to The Great Canadian Baking Show Tent for the chance to become the Holiday Star Baker. Winners from Seasons 2 through 5 – Andrei, Nataliia, Raufikat, and Vincent – join together for three yuletide challenges. In the Signature Bake, they each must prepare a creative interpretation of Cookies and Milk in tart form to leave out for Santa Claus. Then in the blind-judged Technical Bake they're tasked with baking Sufganiyot, a deep-fried jam and custard filled donut traditional to Hanukkah. Finally, the bakers present a Show Stopping Baking Gift Exchange featuring elaborate desserts hidden inside handmade cookie boxes decorated for the season. Judges Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley taste and deliberate on each bake to determine the winner.
 
Four people, a man and woman sitting at a kitchen table with two men standing behind them. They are next to a decorated Christmas tree. Stylized text in white reads: "The Great British Baking Show".
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW  - Christmas and New Year's Specials. Watch Free on CBC Gem.
Don't put down that whisk just yet! On Sunday, December 3, The Great British Baking Show celebrates both Christmas and Channel 4's 40th Birthday, with five famous faces from Channel 4's history. Joining Paul, Prue, Noel and Matt are The Big Breakfast's Gaby Roslin, Time Team's Sir Tony Robison, Pop World's Miquita Oliver, The Word's Terry Christian and Brookside's Claire Sweeney, each hoping to win Christmas Star Baker. After the excitement of the tent, Bakers, family and friends are treated to a beautiful performance of Swan Lake by the English National Ballet.

On Wednesday, December 27, The Great British Baking Show celebrates New Year in style as Noel, Matt, Prue and Paul return to the tent with some familiar faces from the Baking Show past. Joining them to ring in the New Year are last year's finalist Chigs, 2020's Lottie, and Manon and Antony from 2018. They'll be battling it out over three seasonal challenges. And then to ring in the New Year, Bakers, family and friends are entertained by Riverdance.

A cartoon image of a snowman leading a parade of children through the snow. The snowman is carrying a broom, a grey hat with a black band, has a pipe and red nose. The children are wearing colourful clothing. The words Frosty the Snowman are in blue and white (frosty) text in the middle of the photo.
For more great entertainment, don't miss a visit from Rudolph, Frosty, and most importantly Santa in the full CBC TV holiday schedule, or stream all your festive favourites for free on CBC Gem. Set the mood with one of our Holiday Playlists on CBC Listen.


Photos courtesy of CBC.