Collection
Christmas
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.
88 Collection Items
- For this Tiny Tim, Christmas present is a Guthrie debut
MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles 10-year-old Sophie Jones of Chaska. The young actor makes her debut in the high-profile role of Tiny Tim at The Guthrie’s production of A Christmas Carol.
- Bill Holm shares memories, music from Minnesota Christmas past
When Minnesota poet, author, and musician Bill Holm sat down to write a Christmas letter, he sorted through a lifetime of memories and put some of these memories in his 2009 book titled Faces of Christmas Past, published by the Afton Historical Society Press. That same year, Minnesota Public Radio produced this "Voices of Minnesota" special, with Bill Holm reading from his own book.
- Bemidji friends carry on the art of lefse-making
MPR’s John Enger talks with Bemidji resident Gerri Thorsgard, who recounts memories of lefse and the importance in making it herself now in carrying on the tradition.
- Meet the man behind the Dayton's auditorium Christmas shows
Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Jack Barkla, who since the 1970s, has been responsible for creating the auditorium shows at Dayton’s in downtown Minneapolis. Barkla calls it "conjuring up magic."
- 'Scrooge in tha Hood' reimagines Dickens for modern day
MPR’s Nikki Tundel reports on the CrossRoads Panorama's production, Scrooge in tha Hood, a modern take on the classic tale A Christmas Carol. Actors portray the struggling Scratchit family, a twist on Charles Dickens's Cratchit family.
- Coping with Christmas without a job
MPR’s Annie Baxter profiles the Peterson family as they prepare for a holiday season after a job loss.
- Peter Smith commentary on a Christmas memory
Essayist Peter Smith shares a story about one of his favorite Christmas memories… about a man named Mr. Dinklenberg.
- Poet celebrates simple wonders of marble toys
Say what you will about the frivolity of the holiday buying season, Minneapolis poet Todd Boss has discovered a new reason to indulge in mechanical marble-tumble toys.
- Essayist Peter Smith didn't get what he wanted for Christmas when he was a kid
Santa Claus is making his list and checking it twice. But essayist Peter Smith says when he was growing up, it didn't matter if he was naughty or nice. Smith came from a huge family, and even Santa had to be practical.
- Home for the holidays...whether you like it or not
This time of year is chock full of traditions, like building snowmen, frying latkes, or singing Christmas carols. Then there's the annual ritual that puts so many on edge: the family gathering. MPR's Nikki Tundel talks with a few wary family members about what’s behind the angst.