Hal Halvorsen

The Berlin Candy Bomber, Col. Gail Halvorsen, will be among members of the Civil Air Patrol receiving a Congressional Gold Medal for their service during World War II. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award Congress can give to a civilian.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, when artist and artisan, newsman and newsmaker, singer and songwriter celebrate the holiday season with PBS. This year, Tony-winner Alfie Boe and veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw - along with 'Hal' Halvorsen, the 'candy bomber' who dropped chocolates into post-war Berlin in 1948 - join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for an inspirational concert at Temple Square. Harking back to WWI, PBS presents Silent Night, a poignant opera based on the Christmas Eve truce of 1914, when French, German and Scottish soldiers laid down their arms for one evening of peace.