Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'christmas'

Not A Shy Week For Rod Blagojevich

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST

The Barbershop guys — Ruben Navarrette, Lester Spence, Sean Conner and Arsalan Iftikhar — convene to talk about a dramatic week in news. Among today's topics: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich defied critics but remains under a cloud of controversy, a Tennessee Republican sent a politically disastrous Christmas gift. Plus, does the NFL plan on hiring more black coaches?

Christmas Baby In Peru Named After Jesus

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:25:00 EST

A woman in Peru wanted to name her baby after a professional soccer player. But when the baby came on Christmas Day, she changed her mind. The mother's name is Virgen Maria Huarcaya. She named her Christmas baby Jesus Emanuel. The baby's father is a carpenter.

Santa Claus Flakes On Wall Street

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Stock prices tend to go up the week between Christmas and New Year's — a trend known as the Santa Claus Rally. But this year the man in the big red suit and white beard is missing in action.

Post-Holiday Sales Won't Fix Spending Doldrums

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

Retailers were offering deep discounts over the weekend — trying to make up for the lackluster holiday shopping season. A spokesman for the National Retail Federation says the weekend after Christmas is becoming just as critical for the industry as is Black Friday. That's the traditional start to the holiday shopping season on the day after Thanksgiving.

Grief For Christmas Box Office Numbers...

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:41:00 EST

Historically, a ticket to the movies has been a ticket to a brief escape from the stresses of lean economic times, and a source of holiday entertainment during winter breaks from work and school. Were those traditional factors a boon for Hollywood, or is the movie industry is suffering financially like everyone else?

Obama's Halcyon Hawaiian Holiday

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama is spending Christmas in Hawaii with his family, as is Weekend Edition Video Blogger Jacob Soboroff. He speaks with host Liane Hansen about Obama's visit.

Why Clothes Shrink

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:14:00 EST

Your mother spent weeks knitting that new Christmas sweater, only for you to throw it into the wash and ruin it. What is it that turns your new duds into shrunken chic?

A Christmas Story For The Times

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:46:00 EST

Joseph and Mary got off the bus in Detroit. He had worked as a carpenter for 20 years, but lost his job. His pension was invested with Bernard Madoff, and there was no federal bailout for carpenters. He and Mary had no place to live, and Mary was pregnant.

Audubon's Annual Christmas Bird Count

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:53:00 EST

Get out those binoculars and notepads. For the 109th year, birders throughout the Americas are navigating tropical forests and crunching through snowy meadows to tally up birds. Count director Geoff LeBaron and Cornell ornithologist John Fitzpatrick discuss the annual event.

Making Christmas Merry And ... Safe

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:40:00 EST

Are mistletoe and poinsettia really holiday hazards? Poison expert Edward Krenzelok explains how to avoid accidental poisonings this season, and keep the holidays toxin-free.

Struggling Retailers Offer Post-Christmas Discounts

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:43:00 EST

Retailers battered by a dismal holiday selling season are offering eye-popping discounts, trying to persuade wary consumers to loosen their purse strings and help salvage businesses' bottom lines before the new year. But analysts predict a bumpy retail ride well into 2009 and perhaps beyond.

Retailers Seek Hope In Post-Christmas Sales

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:50:00 EST

Retail sales have been weak this holiday season, but store owners have another chance to move goods. With Dec. 26 falling on a Friday, stores are trying to create a three-day weekend to celebrate shopping. The day began with early-morning door-buster sales and deep discounts.

Snowzilla Appears Just In Time For Christmas

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:01:00 EST

A popular attraction in Anchorage, Alaska, is back. The giant snowman dubbed Snowzilla has been built in Billy Powers' front yard. City officials earlier had ordered the Power's family to cease and desist. Still, Snowzilla appeared before dawn one day this week. At 25 feet tall, Snowzilla is bigger than ever.

What Makes A Great Christmas Song...

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:56:00 EST

Ever since Jose Feliciano wrote and recorded "Feliz Navidad" in 1970, it has been a Christmas mainstay; nearly 40 years later, it remains one of the top 25 most-played Christmas songs around the world. Music expert Bill Adler weighs in on what makes a Christmas song successful.

Covering Obama's Hawaii Vacation

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:12:00 EST

There's a "protective" pool of reporters that follow President-elect Barack Obama every day and report everything he does, even when what he does is not newsworthy, which is often. That's especially true on Christmas but still the reports must come. The Chicago Tribune's John McCormick talks about covering Obama's vacation.

Don't Burn The Gift Wrap

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:04:00 EST

Every Christmas, fire departments across the country warn people not to burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. Still, people do it. It's not the worst thing in the world, experts say. But the gift wrap could cause some unwanted and potentially dangerous fireworks.

Remembering Influential Playwright Harold Pinter

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

The Nobel Prize winning writer died Christmas day at the age of 78. He was widely viewed as one of the most influential British playwrights of his time.

AME Bishop Offers Christmas Wisdom

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST

Vashti McKenzie is the 117th Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the first woman to hold the position. She reflects on Christmas and her service in Africa.

Nobel Prize-Winning Playwright Harold Pinter Dies

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:36:00 EST

Influential British playwright Harold Pinter, who won the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature, died Christmas day at the age of 78 after a long battle with esophageal cancer.

Celebrating Christmas In Iraq

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

For the first time, Christmas has been declared a national holiday in Iraq. Celebrations are tempered with the knowledge that violence can erupt at anytime. And as a reminder, a deadly car bomb exploded in Baghdad on Christmas Day.

Marines Spend Christmas Away From Home

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

This Christmas, there are roughly 175,000 U.S. troops serving overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. Renee Montagne talks with Marines at Al Asad Air Base in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar to see how they are spending Christmas.

An Elf No More, Sedaris Recalls Days In Santaland

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:24:00 EST

Crumpet the Elf is back for another Morning Edition Christmas. Crumpet is the not-so-secret identity of humorist David Sedaris, who was once a department store elf at Macy's. He wrote about the experience in his memoir The Santaland Diaries.

Sugarplums: Dreaming Of The Sweet Unknown

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:57:00 EST

As the famous poem puts it, Christmas is when children are "nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads." It's a lovely image. But it does prompt the question: What exactly is a sugarplum? The short answer: It's very good.

On Wall Street, Christmas Eve Tradition Gives Hope

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:43:00 EST

Like every year, at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, everyone on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange stopped to sing Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie. Ted Weisberg, president of Seaport Securities and a floor trader at the exchange, talks about the resonance the song has this year.

In Shenandoah Chapel, Carols Reign

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:26:00 EST

The Old Bethel Chapel near Virginia's Shenandoah River is within sight of the Allegheny Mountains. The chapel dates to the 1830s and now is only open for one service in August and the traditional caroling service before Christmas.