ABC has a very good relationship with the Country Music Association (CMA), offering country music fans three unique television programs throughout the year. In August, the network aired a three-hour special featuring highlights from the 2018 CMA Fest and, on November 14, the 52nd Annual CMA Awards ceremony was broadcast live. Next up, on December 10, the channel will show the holiday special CMA Country Christmas .
Legendary singer Reba McEntire will be hosting and performing on the two-hour program for the second year in a row. “I’ve always cherished celebrating Christmas alongside family and friends, taking time to reflect on the season,” the 63-year-old redhead said in a statement posted on her official website .
“I’m so excited CMA invited me back to host their show and am looking forward to some fun singing carols with my friends.”
McEntire’s love of Christmas and yuletide tunes is well known by her legions of fans. She has even released three holiday albums over her five-decades-long career: 1987’s Merry Christmas to You , 1999’s The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection , and 2016’s My Kind of Christmas .
On this year’s CMA Country Christmas — which ABC promises will be filled with “Christmas classics and festive one-of-a-kind collaborations” — country music fans can expect to see merry musical numbers from top performers Tony Bennett, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Amy Grant, Diana Krall, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley, Michael W. Smith, Lindsey Stirling, The Isaacs, and Brett Young.
The ninth annual CMA Country Christmas special was filmed on September 27 at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and the stunning artificial Christmas trees and holiday décor was provided by Balsam Hill.
In addition to CMA Country Christmas , TV viewers have numerous holiday specials and movies to choose from this holiday season.
The Lifetime network alone is airing 23 brand-new festive movies — 14 originals and nine acquired films — in 2018. Details about those flicks can be found in a previously published piece on the Inquisitr website.
Meanwhile, another Inquisitr article reported on ION Television’s “Bring the Holidays Home” campaign, which features six all-new film debuts and more than 25 returning favorites airing between Sunday, November 25, and Christmas Day.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly special, check out Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas , which stars the 2017 winner of America’s Got Talent , 14-year-old singer and ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer. Country artists Toby Keith and Hunter Hayes join her in the special, according to another Inquisitr story.
CMA Country Christmas will air on ABC on Monday, December 10, from 8 to 10 p.m.
