Story Archives of 'holidays'

You don't have to be a social scientist to see that the traditional American family is changing, and motherhood is changing right along with it. More and more women are choosing to have children without partners. The growth of groups like Single Mothers By Choice and the proliferation of books like Choosing Single Motherhood and Knock Yourself Up point to a generation of women who are choosing a new path. Technology, money and often the loud ticking of a biological clock is making single motherhood a good option for some women. Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott talks about this trend with Jean Railla, who wrote about it in the parenting magazine Babble. Her article is called Fatherless Brooklyn: Why Today's Women are Choosing to have Babies Alone.

Obviously, not all single mothers choose to raise their kids on their own, and when very young women -- like teenagers still in high school -- get pregnant, they can face many challenges. An unexpected pregnancy can throw a girl's life into chaos, and these young mothers can usually use all the help they can get. That's where the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers comes in. Along with the regular high school subjects of English, History and Math, the students at this school also attend parenting classes. Producer Sarah Elzas visited the school and produced this story. Sarah's story was produced with the help of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

(Photo by waI.ti:)

THIS PROGRAM NOT AVAILABLE ON CD OR CASSETTE

New Traditions is a holiday music special from New Hampshire Public Radio, hosted by Andrew Walsh.
Thousands of performers have recorded holiday tunes over the decades, but for some reason, we tend to hear the same ones over and over. New Traditions is a Christmas music collection focusing on all the great christmas songs we don't usually get to hear on the radio.

Tonight on the Front Porch, we're celebrating our nation's independence with a special July Fourth program. We'll turn our microphone over to producer Barrett Golding, who'll bring us a smorgasbord of music, montage and mayhem. We'll hear from old hippies, young Americans, and new arrivals to this country. Join us for a fast-paced trip through America through the lens of Barrett's radio show, The Plan.

They may look festive and fun, but some colorful holiday wreaths actually contain invasive species that can hurt native plants.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has been enchanting children for decades now. Tonight on the Front Porch, we'll hear about the Dartmouth grad who brought the determined animal to life in the 1930s, and we'll find out how the animated version of the story ended up setting the bar for televised holiday specials for years to come.

Our guests are:

Bonnie Wallin, Curator of the Williams/Watson Theater Collection at Rauner's Special Collection Library at Dartmouth College.

Ron Simon, Curator of Radio and Television at the Museum of Television & Radio.