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 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.
December 24, 1998 - On this Midday program, a presentation stories of the holiday…including Bob Potter reading "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", Kate Smith reading "The Fir Tree", Dan Olson reading the letter in the Sun Newspaper--"Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus;" the late Dave Moore reading "James Thurber"; and Greta Cunningham reading "A Brooklyn Christmas."
November 26, 1999 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews Minnesota author Tom Hegg about his "Cup of Christmas Tea" books. Hegg hopes his titles can help people relax and focus on the true meaning of the holidays.
December 24, 1999 - Splendid Table host Lynne Rossetto Kasper talks about the history of fruitcake, and the idea of sending it to others.
December 24, 1999 - MPR's Andrew Haeg went out on St. Paul's Grand Avenue this afternoon to witness this years gift finding frenzy.
December 8, 2000 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer visits the Stillwater home of Dick & Lois Kohns, serious fans of Santa Claus.
December 18, 2000 - Lots of people decorate their homes with lights this time of year. Some take this holiday tradition to the extreme. MPR’s Jon Gordon visits a couple of folks who go beyond the usual Christmas decorations, and into the realm of what some people call the purest form of art.
December 21, 2000 - MPR’s Dan Olson interviews Minneapolis-based harpist Nicholas Carter on Paraguayan style Christmas music.
December 21, 2000 - MPR’s Dan Olson profiles, Carl Andersen, an apprentice seaman who stepped up to an NBC microphone and sang a Christmas carol to the nation.