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It's a wonderful 'Life': CTV Life launches holiday programming

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Author: 
Dana Simpson / TV Media

Now frequently greeted by strings of coloured lights and more than the occasional flake or flurry, it's time to start thinking about that big holiday meal. Luckily, CTV Life has viewers covered with a whole new line-up of holiday programming spanning from the U.K.'s Jamie Oliver to Ireland's Donal Skehan to Toronto's own Mary Berg and beyond.

For those already neck-deep in tree bobbles and Santas, Oliver and Skehan have your back, as Thursday, Nov. 3, marked the debut of "Donal's Family Kitchen: Traditional Family Recipe" and the double episode premiere of "Jamie Oliver: Together - Christmas Dinner."

In "Traditional Family Recipe," the Dublin-born cook shares some of his favourite meals from over the years, many of which have been passed down to him and tweaked generation-by-generation along the way. Meanwhile, Clavering, England-born chef and empire owner Oliver strays away from tradition a little more in the first two episodes of "Christmas Dinner," a part of his "Together" series.

For Oliver, "Together" is about experiencing events as friends and family once again following the pandemic lockdowns that kept us apart over the past few years. Often featuring his own family on the show, fans of the Brit will see him cook up many delicious dishes to share with loved ones this holiday season.

Mere days ago, however, on Thursday, Nov. 17, two-time MasterChef winner Pino DiCerbo launched a new special of his own via his VegHeadz brand. "VegHeadz: Holidays" is rooted in the Italian tradition of cooking, showing DiCerbo's fondness for aromatic herbs and spices. As his show name suggests, he's also pretty vegetable heavy -- perfect for vegeterian and health-conscious cooks in the audience.

Heading into December, Canadian Mary Berg "Makes It Easy" once again with her special, "Holiday Hang." As with last year, Berg puts the spirit of the season front and centre in a special episode, this year airing Tuesday, Dec. 13. <More about Berg>

But it's not all about Berg on Dec. 13 as Oliver returns with the last episode of his other festive special.

A take on his "One-Pan Wonders" series, "Jamie Oliver: One-Pan Christmas" is a two-part television event that makes the holidays a little bit less stressful for those who prefer simplicity and despise the dreaded after-dinner clean up. Watch along (and take notes) as Oliver dishes out some tips and tricks for making the perfect single-pan meal this season. Part 1 airs Tuesday, Dec. 6, and Part 2 arrives the following week.

All specials are available to watch on CTV Life, or stream with a CTV subsciption on Crave.