Minnesotans know that with the coming of bitter cold, something else is knocking on the door. The holiday season is a time of tales, readings, song, and reflection. Get your fill of lutefisk; hear the church bells rung “the old fashioned way;” take a tour of Hmong New Year; feel the melancholy of the farm; experience foreign students first encounters with turkeys and pumpkin pies; and learn the history of fruitcake. These are some of the wide-ranging stories of Minnesota holiday life that await your senses.
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January 8, 1993 - In this segment of Voices from the Heartland, Minnesota Barton Sutter reads his essay “A Christmas Card.” Sutter thinks back on a particular card from his grandmother.
November 24, 1993 - MPR’s John Rabe talks with two Native Americans on their thoughts regarding a celebration of “giving of thanks” and their concept of joining for a mass service of various religious denominations.
November 26, 1993 - MPR’s Karen Boothe looks at how the Hmong New Year in Minnesota has practical differences to that of previous celebrations in Laos. Boothe talks with Chong Bee Vang, chairman of event, on how gathering is now an experience of the best of both new and old culture, as the Hmong community adapts to environment in the United States.
November 27, 1993 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews Karal Ann Marling, a local author and scholar of American popular culture and art. Marling discusses history of the holiday bird, the turkey.
December 10, 1993 - In this segment of Voices from the Heartland, Duluth author Michael Fedo reads essay on his recollections while traveling with musical partner Dan Kossoff as they toured the Midwest during the holidays.
December 13, 1993 - Writer Suzann Ledbetter reads a holiday story on the lengths taken in getting a Christmas tree. Story is from Ledbetter’s book “The Toast Always Lands Jelly-Side Down: And Other Tales of Suburban Life.”
December 22, 1993 - Minnesota poet and author Bill Holm comments on a number of winter topics, from the sense of poverty on the farm, to the meaning behind lutefisk.
December 23, 1993 - MPR’s Joe Follansbee reports from Rochester’s Federal Medical Center, where prisoners are preparing an annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” Follansbee interviews a few of the participants.
December 23, 1993 - Minnesota poet and author Bill Holm reflects on singing Christmas songs in his Lutheran childhood, with memories of the cold, tin ears, and a favorite carol.
December 24, 1993 - On this Christmas Eve Midday, listeners share Christmas stories and describe what the holiday means to them. Program also contains a reading and closes with holiday music.