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The London Sunday Telegraph once proclaimed Charles Dickens as "The Man who Invented Christmas" and his timeless story "A Christmas Carol" is the main reason why. Written in London in 1843, at a time of expanding urbanization and industrialization, and a declining interest in old customs and ceremonies, "A Christmas Carol" with Scrooge, Cratchit, Tiny Tim and a host of ominous ghosts, helped its readers find the true spirit of Christmas and look back nostalgically at the old time Christmas traditions of friends, family, fun and frivolity.

Gerald Charles Dickens is Charles Dickens's great great grandson and like his famous namesake, an actor, has been touring America for the past ten years with his one-man performance of "A Christmas Carol". His tour stopped by the Granite State, and we caught up with Gerald Charles Dickens to talk about the legacy of the Great Great Grandfather, the magic of "A Christmas Carol" and to perform a handful of scenes from his show.

This show originally aired on 12/23/05

With much of the attention focused on Iraq lately, the United States just passed five years of having troops stationed in Afghanistan, working with Britain and other allies along with NATO to help rebuild the country and establish democracy. We'll get an update on what's happening in Afghanistan, where things stand with NATO and also get into the disturbing news of a marked increase in violence this year along with reports that the Taliban may be rebuilding their forces.

Laura's guests are Jeannie Sowers, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of New Hampshire, Middle East Analyst for the Congressional Research Service who did field work in Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, member of the Middle East Studies Association and member of the International Studies Association, and Daryl Press, Associate Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Research Associate for the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University.

Christmas memories with Tomie dePaola! The New Hampshire children's author has just released his first book for adults. Called "Christmas Remembered", it spans six decades of dePaola family holiday celebrations... the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and traditions of Christmas. We'll hear Tomie's stories, and yours too! Liz's guest is Tomie dePaola, longtime children's author living in New Hampshire who has written or illustrated more than two hundred children's books.

On a recent visit to the Granite State, former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested that the Americans in the future may need to sacrifice some of their first amendment rights to keep their country safe from inevitable terrorist activity. We'll explore the debate over the importance of first amendment rights and how much our need for security should infringe those rights. Laura's guests are Claire Ebel, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union and Andrew McCarty, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

For many, no Christmas would not be complete without watching a few good Christmas movies. Whether it’s a classic like Miracle on 34th Street, a film that brings you back to your childhood like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or maybe something a little off-the-wall like Bad Santa, Christmas movies fall into many different genres. Today we'll look at and listen to some of the best and worst Christmas movies ever to grace the silver screen. Laura's guests are Garen Daly, The Exchange's film commentator and Artistic Director of the Peterborough Community Theatre and Amy Diaz, Executive Editor and Movie Reviewer for The Hippo Newspaper.