A Visit With Santa

The day before Christmas in 1895 George Washington Vanderbilt opened his 250-room Biltmore Estate in the breathtaking mountains of North Carolina. Today, Christmas at Biltmore is like stepping back in time, glowing with Victorian history. Embrace the rich tradition of the past and learn how holiday decorations, feasts, games and entertainment became a part of the customs of today. Join host Joan Kohn for a behind-the-scenes look at this magnificent estate and see how months of planning and preparation make Biltmore Estate an extraordinary and magical place to visit during the holiday season.

Picture story about Christmas and Christmas celebrations by Carsten E. Munch. With black-and-white atmospheric photos from the 1960s and the Christmas music of the time, we get a glimpse of Christmas celebrations at home and abroad, on land and at sea. The last part of the program gives us melancholic summer moods with poems by Herman Wildenvey, Arnulf Øverland, Jan-Magnus Bruheim and Inger Hagerup. Commentator is Ole Christian Lagesen.

A feast of old chestnuts from the glory days of Christmasses past with this look at the rise and demise of the Christmas light-entertainment spectacular, from Christmas Night with the Stars to Val Doonican and Christmas Snowtime Special.

JEONG DONG WON'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT : THE MOVIE

It’s Christmas in Alaska, but a sparsely populated state means a scarce amount of priests. From Christmas eve to Christmas day, two Dominicans traverse icy roads and harsh winds to celebrate Christmas mass for 3 remote communities in the last frontier.

Opération Père Noël

Christmas 1968 in Stockholm. A lot of people are working and promoting an alternative christmas. They gather to talk, paint and play music together.

Feathered friends prepare to meet their fate in this seasonal newsreel outing to a Norfolk turkey farm.

Tommy's Christmas parcels are despatched to the Front in a fleet of trucks.

Folk och Rackare play music; Ebbe Schön and Sif Ruud tell Christmas stories.

An exclusive, festive behind-the-scenes look at the iconic London Zoo, as they prepare for the most wonderful time of the year and make the holiday magic happen.

Cameras focus on one of the UK’s most visited destinations at the festive season. We experience the delight of the Christmas market in the town of Broadway, where its High Street becomes a bustling winter wonderland of stalls and late-night shopping. Plus, a visit to a luxury hotel to see how a top chef makes a festive afternoon tea to remember.

Ruth Mott, of "The Victorian Kitchen" and "The Wartime Kitchen and Garden" fame, hosts this look at a traditional English Country Christmas, featuring traditional Christmas recipes, instructions on making decorations and personal stories.

Victorian Farm Christmas looks into the lives of 19th century farmers and shows you how to make traditional gifts, food, games and decorations.

Every year, tens of thousands don the Red Suit for families, parties and parades, but only a handful of men have reclaimed the connection to childhood magic by turning the portrayal of Santa into a full-time career. They Wore the Red Suit is a documentary featuring the rare individuals who have devoted their lives to keeping that magic alive in the world by actually being Santa Claus 365 days a year.

In the lead-up to the festive bonanza, an exclusive look inside the chocolate-maker's inventing room, and its 'chocolate imaginarium' too. Prepare for special choc drinks and cranberry treats.

Cameras go behind the scenes at Brown's, London's oldest luxury hotel, during the Christmas season, as staff face the expectations of delivering a luxury festive stay for guests booking rooms that start at £750 a night. The hotel's elite team hosts a vibrant charity Christmas fayre, creates imaginative festive pastries, and concocts a signature holiday cocktail, all aimed at delivering the Christmas feast of a lifetime.

This Christmas, step into the magical world of The Nutcracker. For the first time in many years, the Royal Ballet has given full access behind the scenes for a landmark 90-minute documentary as they prepare for this season's yuletide production.

The Hanna family sit around the Christmas tree and reflect back on scenes from the show Hanna's Ark. Co-starred Jack Hanna and his daughter Kathaleen – with regular appearances by his wife Suzi and younger daughters Suzanne and Julie.

Gathering for a Christmas lunch, the film critics and writers of Discovering Film discuss the merits of 20 films from Bill Murray's star turn in Scrooged, the James Stewart classic It's a Wonderful Life, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny & Alexander, to Bruce Willis' memorable Die Hard.