WUNC's Holiday Specials 2019

Illustration of an old-fashioned radio with a holiday bow on it, and the words Holiday Specials above.

WUNC presents a number of holiday specials during the November / December 2019 season.

Some of our regular shows will also have special features and music for the season during this time including Back Porch Music.

THU - 11/28/19 - 12noon - 2 PM - The Splendid Table's Turkey Confidential

Turkey Confidential is The Splendid Table's annual live Thanksgiving call-in show. Francis Lam takes calls and comes to the rescue of Thanksgiving cooks, kitchen helpers, and dinner guests during the biggest cooking day of the year.

SUN - 12/22/19 - 11am - 12noon - NPR's Hanukkah Lights (new for 2019)

The NPR favorite returns with all new Hanukkah stories. Hosted by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.

MON 12/23/19 - 12 noon & 8 PM - Tinsel Tales (4) from NPR

In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the fourth collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives - or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary.

TUE 12/24/19 - 12 noon - Tinsel Tales (3) from NPR

In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the third collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. Audie Cornish, Ken Harbaugh, Nina Totenberg and other voices from NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives - or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary.

TUE 12/24/19 - 8-9 PM - WUNC Presents Occasional Shivers

This WUNC production features a reimagining of the language of the Great American Songbook, where jazz meets pop against a backdrop of a 1960s Manhattan love story.

Chris Stamey's "Occasional Shivers" stars Branford Marsalis, Milley McGuire, Skylar Gudasz, Mike Wiley, Don Dixon and other luminaries from the North Carolina music scene. And, this program is now a podcast, too, with bonus songs and scenes!

WED 12/25/19 - 12 noon & 8 PM - Tinsel Tales 1

Featuring Santaland Diaries and other favorites

The first in the series, this program features classic stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk -- these and other NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary.

THU 12/26/19 - 8 PM - Season's Griot: A Kwanzaa Special

A Season's Griot is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for the last 23 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual one-hour special captures tales and traditions of African-American and African peoples. This annual tradition is produced in the studios of WHQR in Wilmington.

TUE 12/31/19 - 8 PM - Capitol Steps: Politics Take a Holiday

What a year it's been in the world of Politics. If you feel the need to laugh at 2019, and the Capitol Steps could not agree more! So tune in to the Capitol Steps' New Year's edition.