Minnesotans know that with the coming of bitter cold, something else is knocking on the door. The holiday season is a time of tales, readings, song, and reflection. Get your fill of lutefisk; hear the church bells rung “the old fashioned way;” take a tour of Hmong New Year; feel the melancholy of the farm; experience foreign students first encounters with turkeys and pumpkin pies; and learn the history of fruitcake. These are some of the wide-ranging stories of Minnesota holiday life that await your senses.
Please note: Most content related to this topic that is contemporary or created after 2005 can be found on our main content pages of MPR News, YourClassical MPR, The Current, APM Reports, and Marketplace.
December 26, 2003 - MPR’s David Molpus interviews Don Blyly about a peculiar Christmas Day surprise at his Minneapolis bookstore.
November 27, 2004 - There's a big party going on right now at River Centre in St. Paul. It's the Hmong New Year...and for the Hmong a New Year's Eve party means traditional costumes, dancing, singing and most importantly family. Dao Bay of the Lao Family Community of Minnesota is one of the organizers of celebration and speaks with MPR’s Stephine Curtis on how they determined when it is the new year.
December 16, 2004 - MPR’s presents a report from a Wellstone Elementary School classrom, where there is kind of a music hatchery where singers of the future are being trained.
November 25, 2005 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews State Sentator Mee Moua about the Hmong New Year. Moua provides details on the holiday and of her own personal experiences.
December 2, 2005 - MPR’s Tom Crann meets with the Steele family in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Music Studio to discuss family and Christmas. The Steeles also perform various Christmas songs.
December 5, 2005 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Brian Horrigan, editor of the book “Christmas In Minnesota.” Some of the Minnesota's best-known writers share memoires and stories from the holidays in Minnesota.
December 12, 2005 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham reports on Andover’s TLC Toys, and the efforts of making wooden presents for needy children at Christmas time.
November 22, 2006 - What's a person to do if they're a new American and this is their first Thanksgiving? MPR’s Greta Cunningham spoke to some students at the Lincoln Adult Education Center in Minneapolis as they mark their first encounters with turkeys and pumpkin pies.
November 23, 2006 - MPR’s Steven John talks with Edwin and Irina Haller of Duluth. Several Russian immigrants gathered this evening for a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner at their home, including Alexander Chohnuhshoff.
December 21, 2006 - On the winter solstice, MPR’s Ambar Espinoza went searching for light outside of the obvious Christmas and Chanukah traditions. Paying homage to light this time of year crosses many religions and cultures.