How Charles Dickens helped shape Christmas as we know it today
If you celebrate Christmas, chances are you've adapted some traditions that were popularized in the mid-1800s by one author: Charles Dickens.
Arts
NPR's Scott Detrow tries to bring back the office tradition of microwave mulled wine
NPR's Scott Detrow tries to spread holiday cheer by reviving an old office holiday tradition: making mulled wine in the microwave at work on Christmas Eve.
10 World Cafe sessions we loved in 2024
From Waxahatchee to Mannequin Pussy and Lizzie No, these interviews and performances from 2024 blew us away.
Forget what you think you know about fruitcake
For generations of Americans, making fun of fruitcake has been a holiday tradition.
But a Canadian pastry chef and master food preserver would like us to reconsider our assumptions.
A Jon Batiste holiday jam session
In part two of our interview, Batiste joins us from the piano and plays some of his favorite Christmas songs. He's the former band leader and music director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
9 movie scenes I couldn't stop thinking about in 2024
From a heart-wrenching epiphany to a meme-able moment, these were the lines that critic Aisha Harris has remembered all year.
The fun — and confusion — of celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah on the same date
Christmas and Hanukkah rarely fall on the same date, but this year they do. One mixed-faith family in Oakland, Calif., doubles down for double whammy holiday.
K-pop's uncertain English-language future
Cultural differences are a key charm of Korea's exploding pop market. When its stars start directly courting American listeners, is it even K-pop anymore?
Why Trump's tariffs on Mexico would mean higher avocado prices at the grocery store
Most avocados consumed in the U.S. are grown in Mexico. Here's what Trump's proposed tariffs would mean for prices at the grocery store and for the avocado industry.
There's a new translation of Dante's 'The Divine Comedy.' Why?
Dante Alighieri is one of the pillars of Western literature. And his texts have been translated into English dozens of times. With two new translations of his work out now, it's worth asking – why do we keep returning to this well?