MPR captures the sounds a Minnesota Christmas. Some stories have song; some have shopping; some have snow…but all have some form of the holiday spirit.
December 16, 1994 - In this segment of Voices from the Heartland, Minnesota author Susan Carol Hauser reads her Christmas essay “Finest Gifts,” a loving reflection of Christmas past with family.
December 23, 1994 - A Midday Christmas music special with studio guest Rick Shefchik of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Shefchik presents a selection of the newest songs and performers, new versions of old favorites, and the Christmas classics.
December 23, 1995 - Duluth author Michael Fedo reads his short story “Christmas Chaos.” The title is not an exaggeration.
December 14, 1996 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews author Lee Smith about using Christmas letters as an idea for creating a novel…with recipes, of course.
December 24, 1996 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews local singer/songwriter Stuart Davis on his unique holiday show "Break from the Relatives."
December 25, 1996 - Minnesota author Ann Daly Goodwin commentary on the holiday surprise of cookies and joy of togetherness.
December 5, 1997 - Midday presents a special Voices of Minnesota, with Minnesota writer Bill Holm reading from his book Faces of Christmas Past, a collection of essays and reminiscences about Christmas in Iceland and Minnesota.
December 19, 1997 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on Penumbra's Black Nativity. Every family has their holiday traditions, but few are as complex as one Minneapolis family, whose season revolves around the Penumbra Theatre's annual production.
December 4, 1998 - MPR’s Mary Stucky reports that the hottest toy this Christmas season reflects the old adage "we want what we can't have.” The toy in question is called a Furby, a furry electronic pet. In the business of toy marketing, scarcity drives consumer demand. The day after Thanksgiving people lined up at local toy stores at six in the morning. One store at the Mall of America sold out 300 Furbys in just ten minutes. It's another example of how advertising, a limited product supply and the demands of children can create a monster demand. But the Furby may be something new; in an age of global communications there is a worldwide demand...and an international shortage.
December 22, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports on the people behind the balsam boughs in Minnesota.