holidays

The cuckoo clock is showcased in one of five Lord and Taylor window displays. At midnight, a fireworks animation explodes in the background.

National

The Art Of Holiday Cheer: A Window Into Storefront Displays

3:02pm December 13, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

During the holidays, a number of retailers deck their windows to lure shoppers off the sidewalk. At Lord and Taylor in New York City, a team has been planning this year's display since February.

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An image from a new Christmas ad from British retailer John Lewis. Titled "Man on the Moon," the ad follows a girl's attempts to connect with a man she spots living on the moon.

Early Christmas Ad Melts Millions Of Hearts Online

2:29pm November 07, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Telling the story of a young girl's attempts to connect with an old man she spots living on the moon, a Christmas ad from British retailer John Lewis has sparked tears, views, and a bit of criticism.

A house in Odenton, Md., uses thousands of lights to sing and dance along to popular songs — like Silento's "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)."

VIDEO: 'Watch Me Whip,' Says House Decked Out For Halloween

12:03pm October 22, 2015

by Bill Chappell

For several years, the owners of a Maryland house have synchronized lights to music, from Halloween favorites like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to more recent hits.

After his mother-in-law's death, NPR's Marc Silver found her go-to cookbook, filled with her copious annotations to recipes. He used it to piece together her take on mandelbread, a Jewish version of biscotti, and other holiday favorites.

Keeping Loved Ones' Holiday Recipes Alive, Long After They've Left The Table

7:25pm September 22, 2015

by Marc Silver

NPR's Marc Silver lost his mother-in-law in 2005. But she remains a presence at family meals this Jewish holiday season, through his dogged trial-and-error attempts to re-create her favorite treats.

Marina Franklin says audiences can always relate to jokes about heartache. "There's nothing like getting an immediate response," she says.

Arts

For Three Comedians, Valentine's Day Makes For One Big Joke

10:15am February 14, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

Whether they find Valentine's Day "icky," or the "Christmas of love," stand-up comics Jim Gaffigan, Marina Franklin and Ted Alexandro all find plenty of funny material in romance — or the lack of it.

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Susan Tannewitz-Karnes grew up eating Mrs. Lawrence every Christmas. The tea cake was so beloved that Tannewitz-Karnes and her siblings would argue over who received more than their fair share.

After The Presents, A Buttery Tea Cake Tradition

12:13pm December 29, 2014

by Melissa Gray

For one family in Overland Park, Kan., it's not Christmas without Mrs. Lawrence. The tea cake, rich with butter and spices, is named for the neighbor who would hand deliver it every holiday season.

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Sending Your Holiday Mail By Way Of Rudolph, Wis.

11:18am December 24, 2014

by NPR Staff

For most of the year, the tiny town of Rudolph is best known for the cheese factory off Main Street. But around Christmas, people worldwide covet a Rudolph, Wis., postmark on their cards and letters.

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Sports

Deford: It's Hard To Write A Christmas Story About Sport

8:02am December 24, 2014

by Frank Deford

Linking sports and the Christmas spirit is a true challenge, says commentator Frank Deford. "The idea of sports is to beat the other fellow," he says, "while the idea of Christmas is to be giving."

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A woman prepares a Japanese Christmas cake at the Patisserie Akira Cake shop on Dec. 23, 2011. The sponge cake is drenched in symbolic meaning.

Japan's Beloved Christmas Cake Isn't About Christmas At All

2:32pm December 19, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

The Japanese Christmas cake takes its name from the Christian holiday, but it actually symbolizes building a life of prosperity from nothing. And it's ubiquitous (it's even in your smartphone).

All they want for Christmas is for you to sing along.

Arts

All I Don't Want For Christmas

12:45pm December 19, 2014

Ah, the comfort of cliché gifts and holiday expectations well met. Frozen songwriters Bobby and Kristen Lopez sing about not-so-original gifts to the tune of Mariah Carey's classic holiday earworm.

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