Our friends at Stateside are taking a well-deserved rest this holiday season, so IPR News Radio will air some special programming over the next two weeks.
Stateside returns Jan. 5.
Here’s what’s on in the meantime:
Monday, Dec. 22, 3 & 7 p.m.
On Gifting and Regifting, with Anna Quindlen
For anyone with gift anxiety, for anyone who feels like you can’t win for losing, this is the conversation for you. Full of reminders and insights as we gear up for the season, Anna and Kelly ask all the right questions.
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 3 & 7 p.m.
Handling the Holidays
The stress of the holidays can make you want to hide under the covers with a warm cup of cocoa. From gift buying to family gatherings, the holidays can feel like being inside a pressure cooker. But don’t despair! Science can help make the holidays a little brighter, from some gift-giving tips from our animal friends to embracing pessimism before a challenging social event to stopping that annoying merry melody on repeat in your head.
Wednesday, Dec. 24, 3 & 7 p.m.
Hearing Voices
A mix of holiday stories, found-sound, and sampled songs: A bell-ringer at the Mall of America. Holiday history as told by second graders. A trip to the toy store. Carols sung by Zulu children in a South African orphanage. And holiday bits from Bing Crosby, George W. Bush, and The Beatles Fan Club Christmas messages.
Thursday, Dec. 25, 3 & 7 p.m.
The Big Tiny Desk Concert
Celebrate the season with amazing holiday performances from The Tiny Desk Concert series including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Steve Martin, Hanson, The Polyphonic Spree and more! Hosted by NPR Music frenemies Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson.
Friday, Dec. 26, 7 p.m. only
Shapes of America
Shape note singing is one of the oldest musical traditions in this country. It’s a practice that began in colonial America, and after centuries of ups and downs in popularity, today it’s finding an expanded and surprisingly diverse new following, and some of its singers believe the music can teach democracy a thing or two.
The week of Dec. 29
IPR will air the BBC World Service during the usual Stateside time slots (3 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 p.m. Monday through Friday).
What about local news?
We're also giving the IPR newsroom a bit of a rest this holiday season. You can hear live, local news as usual during Morning Edition every day over the next two weeks, except for Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Starting Dec. 24, there will be no local newscasts in All Things Considered until they resume on Jan. 5.
We look forward to returning refreshed in the new year, with a new, big local addition to our Morning Edition broadcast: the Up North Lowdown, which is coming back to your podcast feed AND will now be heard on FM radio, too.