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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Photos courtesy of CBC.