How to Watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting

Ringing in the holiday season, the 99th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting will be broadcast on Sunday, December 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET, on CBS. The ceremony, taped during the yearly D.C. event on Thursday, December 2, offers a unique opportunity for families across the country to celebrate this national holiday tradition. President and Dr. Biden participate in the ceremony, accompanied by Vice President Harris and Doug Emhoff. The ceremony is hosted by two-time Grammy-winning rapper and actor LL Cool J and includes performances by Billy Proter, Chris Stapleton, H.E.R., Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LaBelle, and Howard University’s gospel choir. Read on to find out how to watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting without cable.

• When Does the National Christmas Tree Lighting Air: Sunday, December 5, at 8:30 p.m.
• TV Network: CBS
• Best Way to Watch: Paramount+ (Free Trial) and Hulu + Live TV (Sign Up) provide access to CBS.

Stream the National Christmas Tree Lighting

The National Christmas Tree Lighting will air Sunday, December 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Paramount+ is the best way to stream the National Christmas Tree Lighting as the streaming service provides a live feed of your local CBS station. Paramount+ will also have the show available on-demand the day after it airs live, so you can watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on-demand if you miss it.

Paramount+ offers a 7-day free trial so that you can try the service with no risk. However, there are two plan options to choose from:

Paramount+ Premium: Provides live streaming access to your local CBS station so you can watch National Christmas Tree Lighting when it airs on December 5. This plan also provides on-demand ad-free access to Paramount+ content. After the 7-day free trial, the service price starts at $9.99.

Paramount+ Essential: This plan provides ad-supported on-demand viewing of National Christmas Tree Lighting for $4.99 per month after a  7-day free trial. This plan doesn’t include live CBS, so you will have to wait a day after it airs to watch.

Paramount+ is available on  Roku Players, Apple TV, Xbox, Chromecast, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire TV Stick. See our review of Paramount+ for more information on this streaming service.

Watch National Christmas Tree Lighting Free

There are two free methods to watch National Christmas Tree Lighting if you don’t have cable. If you live close enough to a CBS broadcast tower, you can use a TV antenna, but this option doesn’t provide a way to watch on-demand. An OTA DVR offers a way to record shows from a TV antenna, but that is an added expense.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of the free trials available with the following streaming services that carry a live stream of CBS:

• Paramount+ (7-day free trial)
• fuboTV (7-day free trial)
• YouTube TV (free trial)

We cover these services in more detail throughout this article.

Other Ways to Stream National Christmas Tree Lighting

The following live streaming services carry CBS in their channel lineup so that you can watch National Christmas Tree Lighting when it airs on December 5.

Hulu Live TV

Hulu offers a live TV service that carries CBS in nearly all US TV markets along with cable TV and broadcast networks. Therefore, you can watch National Christmas Tree Lighting when it airs on CBS. To see if live CBS is available in your area, you can use this tool: Hulu Live TV Channels by Zip code.

Hulu + Live TV includes a cloud DVR service allowing you to record episodes when they air to watch them on demand if you cannot watch them live. The service is supported on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Android, and more. You can read more about Hulu in our review of Hulu. There isn’t a month-to-month contract, so you can sign up to test the service without fear of a long-term commitment. You can sign up for Hulu Live TV using this link: Sign up for a free trial to Hulu + Live TV.

How Much: $69.99 per month.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV is another excellent option to watch National Christmas Tree Lighting live. YouTube TV offers live CBS with its streaming service in nearly ALL markets in the US. The only market where YouTube TV doesn’t offer CBS is the Rochester-Mason City-Austin market, covering parts of Minnesota and Iowa. (YouTube TV does offer CBS in Rochester, NY, and Austin, TX.)

YouTube TV supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. The YouTube TV app has also returned to Roku devices after settling a dispute between the two companies. Be sure to check out our review of YouTube TV for more information. You can sign up for their free trial.

How Much: $72.99 per month.

fuboTV

FuboTV also carries CBS in most TV markets in the U.S. You can check out a free trial to FuboTV here. Fubo TV supports the following streaming devices:

• Android smartphones
• Android tablets
• iPhone
• iPad
• Apple TV (4th Generation only)
• Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
• Roku
• Chromecast

For more information on FuboTV features, please see our Fubo TV review.

How Much: FuboTV costs $74.99.

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM offers live CBS streaming in many markets. CBS is available through its “Entertainment” package for $74.99 a month, along with a ton of cable TV and other broadcast networks. DIRECTV STREAM offers CBS in over half the markets in the US. In addition, they offer a free trial to allow you to make sure CBS is available in your area. For more information, check out our review of DIRECTV STREAM.

How Much:  $74.99 per month through the “Entertainment” package.

Watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on Roku

To watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to Paramount+ using this Free Trial. Paramount+ will let you watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting both on-demand and when it airs on CBS
2. On your Roku Menu, navigate to “Search” and press “OK” on your remote
3. Enter “Paramount+” in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Add Channel” press “OK” on your remote. If Paramount+ is already installed, “Go To Channel” will be an option.
6. Paramount+ is now installed on your Roku. Open Paramount+, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. Search for “National Christmas Tree Lighting” and select the show.

Watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on Fire TV

To watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a Paramount+ using this Free Trial. Paramount+ will let you watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting both on-demand and when it airs on CBS
2. On your Fire TV Home screen, click on the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
3. Enter “Paramount+” in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Download,” and Paramount+ will install
6. Paramount+ is now installed on your Fire TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. Search for “National Christmas Tree Lighting” and select the show.

Watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on Apple TV

To watch National Christmas Tree Lighting on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a Paramount+ using this Free Trial. Paramount+ will let you watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting both on-demand and when it airs on CBS
2. Scroll right to the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
3. Enter “Paramount+” in the search bar
4. Select Paramount+, click the cloud icon, and the app will install
5. Paramount+ is now installed on your Apple TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service.