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Tonight the Hallmark channel will be broadcasting the National Christmas Tree Lighting on TV. If you feel like you already heard about the tree lighting happening, that’s because the tree lighting actually took place on the night of November 30. But it’s being broadcast on TV for the first time tonight, December 4. Read on to learn what time and channel you can watch the tree lighting tonight.
The 95th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting will be broadcast on The Hallmark Channel tonight, December 4, at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Central.) To find out what channel Hallmark is on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel Hallmark is on for you. You can also stream live Hallmark broadcasts now too. To livestream tonight’s event if you don’t have cable, you can use Sling TV. Sling TV has added the Hallmark Channel to its Lifestyle Extra add-on, available with its Orange and Blue services. The service’s Orange package, which includes channels ranging from ESPN to CNN to AMC, costs $20 per month. (The Blue package costs $25 a month and allows multi-streaming.) You’ll have to select the Lifestyle Extra add-on to get The Hallmark Channel, which is an extra $5 a month. But you can watch a week’s worth of episodes for free via Sling’s free 7-day trial. To find out more details about how to livestream Hallmark’s broadcast tonight, or Hallmark’s many Christmas movies, see our story here.
This Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is President Donald Trump’s very first Christmas tree lighting. The performers for the night include Kathie Lee Gifford, Dean Cain, Craig Campbell, Wynonna, The Beach Boys, Boys II Bow Ties, The Texas Tenors, Mannheim Steamroller, Jack Wagner, the U.S. Navy Band, Steve Gibson, and Us the Duo.
The Christmas Tree Lighting has already generated some controversy this year, with people comparing the lighting to President Obama’s from the year before. Some said that Trump’s event was attended by fewer people but cost more. Others applauded Trump’s speech, where he emphasized Merry Christmas and talked about the Christian faith. He started his speech by saying, “Today’s the day that I’ve been looking very much forward to all year long. It’s one that we have heard and we speak about and we dream about and now as the President of the United States, it’s my tremendous honor to finally wish America and the world a very Merry Christmas… For nearly a century, through good times and bad, every president has taken part in this wonderful tradition, first started by President Coolidge. But I was informed tonight that the weather we have is the best it’s been in 25 years. In fact, I said, ‘Is it always like this?’ And the secretary said, ‘Hasn’t been like this for a long time.’ So, we are very lucky.” You can watch Trump’s entire speech below:
