Story Archives of 'Christmas'

When reporter Sean Hurley heard that one of his neighbors was giving away Christmas trees, he wanted to find out more about this local charity.

And what he found was that this man's very public act, letting people wander over his property to pick out and cut down one of the Christmas Trees, was also very private.

This story won Second Place in the 2007 Best Feature category from the New Hampshire Associated Press Broadcasters Association.

As the holiday season descends, there is still some business to attend to: namely, keeping tabs on our feathered friends.

Today on the Front Porch, we're marking Christmas day with a special two-hour show filled with some of the most eclectic holiday music around. We'll hear from a wide range of artists, from Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee to James Brown and Yo La Tengo.

Tonight on the Front Porch, we're going to look at unusual ways people celebrate the holiday season:

Schnartzenholler
When Emily Pearlman was a child her Jewish father and Christian mother created their own unique holiday celebration to bridge the gap and give the family something to celebrate together. As Emily and her brother grew up Schnartzenholler lost its appeal. Now, as adults, can the family revive and reinvent it?

Tuba Christmas
Like a few other cities in the U.S., Akron, Ohio has an annual Tuba Christmas concert that brings together more than 500 tubists to regale listeners with holiday favorites like "The First Noel" and "Jingle Bells." Commentator David Giffels was asked to be a guest soloist during the celebration -- The only problem is that Giffels doesn't know how to play.

Jingle Bells
A crowd of about 5,000 people gathered in Medford Square, just north of Boston, to set 2 records--one for the most Christmas carolers singing together, and one for the longest continuous caroling session. Commentator Judah Bruce Leblang was there.

All of tonight's stories come to us through the Public Radio Exchange.

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.