NPR Festive Alt. Latino
Saturday, December 13 - 6 p.m.
NPR Music’s Alt. Latino presents an encore featuring songwriter/performer Gaby Moreno and her band performing tracks from her popular holiday album, Posada, recorded live at KUT studios in Austin, Texas. She was joined by special guests Gina Chavez and Chicano Zen bandleader and record producer Michael Ramos, and hosted by Felix Contreras.
Selected Shorts: What You Wish For
Sunday, December 14 - 8 p.m.
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three Christmas stories in different moods—satirical, fantastical, and nostalgic:
New Hanukkah Lights 2025
December 16 - 7 p.m.
This NPR favorite returns with new stories plus gems from the archive. Hosted by Murray Horwitz.
The All Songs Considered Holiday Extravaganza
December 18 – 10 p.m.
Hosts Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson set off on another adventure in their annual attempt to throw a holiday party for the ages. This year, we’ve got a very tolerable mix of songs for the season and, as always, some very special guests.
Jonathan Winters’ A Christmas Carol
December 20 - 3 p.m.
An updated version of a public radio tradition hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens' holiday classic, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. Also featuring Mimi Kennedy. From NPR and KCRW.
A Paul Winter Solstice
December 21 - 6 p.m.
This year, Solstice Live! Warms up the longest night of the year with a taste of the tropics. This one-hour Winter Solstice special brings a starry array of Brazilian guests, including Ivan Lins, Renato Braz, and Luciana Souza, with the Paul Winter Consort at the annual solstice concerts in New York’s Cathedral of St John the Divine. John Schaefer hosts.
Tinsel Tales 2: More NPR Christmas Favorites
December 24 at 7 p.m.
NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. Continuing with the tradition of the first Tinsel Tales program, this is another collection of the best and most requested holiday stories. Joy, hope, and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Jazz Piano Christmas Reissue
December 25 at 5 p.m.
This year, we present a very special ‘Best Of’ program, featuring some of our favorite jazz-infused piano renditions of the season’s most-loved music. Veteran host and jazz critic Felix Contreras will hand-pick his favorite performances from the rich catalog of cherished Jazz Piano Christmas concerts.
A Special Thistle & Shamrock Christmas
Friday, December 26
Join Fiona Ritchie for a winter walk along the banks of the River Tay in Scotland, accompanied by music from the Celtic Christmas repertoire. Among restored riverside woodlands, Fiona finds her favorite bench and sits there to reflect upon the scenes of midwinter. The location inspires seasonal tales, joyful songs, and rare-beauty tunes, featuring guitarist Tim Edey, singer Emily Smith, and more.
Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
Saturday, December 27 – 2 p.m.
One of the great holiday traditions in America, the choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges -- two of the most prestigious historically black institutions in the nation -- get together to present a spine-tingling concert program. This encore presentation features the best works of the last several years. It's a joyous celebration of the schools’ tradition of singing excellence, with their trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. Korva Coleman hosts.
Click Here
Monday, December 29 noon & 8 p.m.
When Nature Meets the Cloud - For centuries, the one thing you couldn’t program was nature. But now, technology is learning to collaborate with it. This week: a scientist teaching machines to understand whales, a veteran forecaster watching AI transform weather prediction, and a coder reimagining how algorithms consume power. Together, they show what happens when the natural world meets the cloud — and technology stops just observing nature and starts collaborating with it.
A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico
Monday, December 29 - 9 p.m.
Celebrate Christmas with the sound of soaring voices. Stile Antico, the award-winning choir from London, pays a visit to St. Paul's Church on Harvard Square for a concert of radiant sacred music for the Christmas season by the most acclaimed composers of the Renaissance. Hear the group's luminous blend of voices sing the intricately woven music of Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. Hosted by Cathy Fuller of WGBH.
No Place Like Oz (CBC Radio’s Ideas)
Tuesday, December 30 noon & 8 p.m.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz captivated young readers when it was published in 1900, becoming an instant best-seller. Thirty-nine more official Oz books followed, as well as derivative works; Broadway musicals, films, comic books, cartoons, sitcom parodies, prestige TV, and novels that take Oz in new directions. Travel the proverbial yellow brick road to uncover how this seemingly simple story of friendship, self-reliance and longing for home continues to speak to us, 125 years after it was published.
Toast of a Nation 2026
Wednesday, December 31 – 8 p.m. - midnight
An NPR tradition since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio complement for New Year's Eve. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long. With this flexible format, 4 hours of music can start at any time during the day or night. The rundown will be easy to program, with 59-minute blocks that start at the top of each hour. Feel free to play any and all segments at a time that's convenient for your station. There won't be midnight countdowns, but the show will still sound live and in the moment with *Happy*New*Year messaging heard throughout. Artists TBA soon. Hosted by Christian McBride.