NPR Music - A very tolerable Christmas, with All Songs Considered 2024

Episode Date: December 17, 2024

Our annual attempt to throw a holiday party for the ages continues with a tolerable mix of songs for the season and, as always, some very special guests.Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [e-mail] pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Wow, that's it, man. The last tiny desk of the year. It was a good one. But we've got to go. Just grab your stuff. Oh, yeah. What time's the flight? We've got, if we leave right now, we've got just enough time.

Okay, I'm going to vacation. All right, man, do we have everything squared away for this party? Have you confirmed the caterer? I did. They called the caterer. I actually got a drink caterer this year for, like, coffees and drinks and espresso. No need for your infamous eggnog this year. All right, I cleaned my bathtub and everything.

That was, I took my, I took the notes from last year. Last year. Last year. Next year, clean the bathtub. My agnog is pure and on point. But fine. Beverage caterer, great, whatever. It's really coming down out there.

Hold on a second. I got an alert. Oh, no. Oh. Look. Ugh. I guess we should cancel the car. Well, let's just head back to the tiny desk area because everyone else, you know, they should still be there.

Yeah, they're probably still breaking down. Yeah. We're also going to need to... We're going to have to call a ton of people now and let them know the party's not happening. Boy, Robin, where is everybody? That show ended like two minutes ago. Where is everybody?

Very weird. Hello! This is... It's so weird. God, when there's not a tiny desk, it is eerie in here. Well, I guess we should just get comfortable. Man, this is great. I mean, it's pretty, like snowing outside.

Looking out the windows. It's great, but I don't know man. Empty office Robin Hilton. Well, we don't have to spend it here at all these desks and everything. Here, give me a hand. See the latch there on the left side of the bookcase there behind the desk? Yeah, what? Yeah, just flip that. Like that switch? Yeah, the little, it's a little hooked. Just unhooked that. Oh, okay. And just grab hold of that left side of the shelf and pull it with me. Are these going to come down? No, just, it slides. Just move it. What is this?

You don't know about this? Robin, I was involved in some of the planning for the remodeling of this building. Nobody ever said anything about a room behind the tiny desk. Oh, this has been here just about since the beginning. It's sort of like, I don't know what you call it, maybe like a panic room. I cannot tell you how many tiny desks I have listened to while being behind the shelf sitting in this room. I could have been crying in here the entire time. Oh, I have.

Many, many times. We've got a sign-up sheet for it if you want to, you know, reserve a time. But let me get the lights here. We've got these dual recliners. We've got a little... Look at the size of that TV. Oh, we just had that put in. We actually...

No fireplace, but check this out. Kind of set the atmosphere here for us. Get us in the little spirit of the season. Why did no one tell me about this? I guess we were afraid you'd just actually use it. Yeah, and a bunch of people on the music team came in and they decorated it. We've got the tensile and the tree. And, yeah.

You know what could have made this even more festive? One more hand helping you decorate it. For example, you could have told me. You know, that's sort of too many cooks in the kitchen, I think, is that kind of deal there is what you're thinking of. Can I use it now? You know, I don't know what the union rules are around this. Maybe we could put you on like a waiver for just today. and special kind of deal here.

But, you know, really what we need to do is we need to start calling people and let them know it's been canceled because people are going to be heading to the cabin. Yeah. I haven't thought about that. Yeah. Got a list here. Let's see. It's a very long list.

Oh, my God. Look at this list. Are we calling every single one of these people? Eh, we can skip some of them. Sting never comes, man. Well, that's not true. He was there last year, but we can skip him. Who else? Sabrina, we can skip her.

I don't, I think she's got a thing. Oh, you know what? Let's call Maddie. We absolutely need to let Maddie know. Oh, my God, yeah. I do not want to inconvenience. Maddie Diaz put out one of my favorite records of the year and one of my favorite Christmas songs. I'm not. I'm not leaving her in the alert. Let's give her a problem. Hello?

Hey, Maddie. It's Robin and Stephen. Hey, what's up, guys? Hey, Maddie. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. The big Christmas party's been canceled. Really? Are you sure? Really? Are there all that bad? Oh my god, we are not going anywhere. We are socked into the office. It's absolutely, did you not hear about the storm? It is absolutely bonkers out there. It's just blowing in the sideways. Oh my god, really?

Yeah, we're in for like the saddest Christmas ever, stuck with Robin, who is basically a lump of coal in the shape of a man. Shape of a man. Well, Stephen and I were just talking before we called you about how much we love your album Weird Faith and your song, and your song, God person, for me anyway, song of the year. The song of the year? I cannot tell you how many times I've ugly cried to that song. It is just so devastating. I mean, it's really beautiful, but just hits me so hard.

Oh, dude, I just, I'm so glad it does. It's just, it's so cathartic. It was a bit of an outlier. I wasn't sure if I wanted to put it on the record because it feels complicated. And I don't want to step on anybody. You're going through something complicated with your faith. I don't want to just kind of like, you know, spew mine or my spirituality or whatever,

whatever it is that I'm working with. And I have to say, like, now you've got this new holiday song, Kid on Christmas, and it feels like it's of a piece with the record. Yeah, I mean, I kind of came to that song. I was feeling like super nostalgic. I was up in the Northeast, like, writing and recording with some friends. And like, I would like wake up in the morning and kind of like mess around on the piano.

and I kept saying kid on Christmas and I was like, why? Why? Why in July, August? Like, why is this happening? But I kind of just went with it. And, yeah, when I got home, was same thing, just hanging out

with a couple friends. And we were just trying to talk about what was hard and what was good and the centerpiece focusing things on like what we want to try to bring forward every year, especially this year, especially this year. So much. yearning and searching and hope.

Yeah, well, and it's like, it's like trying to walk a well-worn path differently, you know, and like, and try to still find the sparkle in, you know, like, taking the same backroads to your parents' house, you know, and just, you know, catch some sort of like 15-year-old high school sparkle, you know, when the snow comes down or, like, you know, your eight-year-old, like, out there with flying saucer. Like, I have to go get the flying saucer disc from Home Depot, and I have to go to the golf course when it snows. Like, I have to do it because, you know, like, my body hurts because I'm 38. But, like, I know I have to, you know what I mean?

Like, I know I have to do it because, like, my heart wants to do it. And that's how to try to, how do we do it? Yeah, and it just, it touches on so many of my favorite things about my favorite Christmas music. Like, if your Christmas song is telling me to be. happy, I hate it. Yeah. Like I will automatically reflexively reject any song that tells me to be happy. Don't tell me what to do, man.

Don't tell me what to do, man. Like suddenly I become this fists up contrarian. But like a song that is capturing kind of the swirl of melancholic emotions around Christmas, that makes me enjoy and appreciate Christmas. And for me, this song just leaps right to, you know, right to the top of my, just a bunch of my favorite holiday songs because it's complex. Thanks so much you guys. This is a true joy. Thank you. Thank you Maddie. And again, sorry about the party.

I hope you may get out of that tight spot there. We'll be fine. We'll put on Kit on Christmas. Thanks guys. Bye. Bye. Well, let's see what we have to drink around here. I'm not sure if we have any egg gnaug. I'm looking in the refrigerator here. Yeah, this room seems pretty well stocked. With gadgets, but, like, are there any refreshments?

Yeah, we usually keep something in here. Give me some. You know, what's funny is basically it's all booze. For all the, all the, when, maybe people don't know this, but some of the artists, not all of this, some of the artists who come in for tiny desks, maybe they need a little shot of courage. Sure.

Just before the set, we'd like to keep some, we can do, we can take a little, a little light pour, a little, two fingers, two fingers, a little tipple here. something. Cheers. Cheers, buddy. Let's see, who else is on the list here that we call? Do you want to call Bartis Strange? Oh, yeah. We should totally call him because he might be in the DC area and maybe he already

knows. Yeah, let's give him a call. Bartiz, are you there? Oh, no. What's wrong? I know. You never want to get a phone call from us, right? You immediately assume somethings.

As soon as the phone rings and it's us, it's what's wrong? Well, it actually is some bad news. Maybe you already know the storm that's blown into D.C. We're not going to... We're stuck here at the office. The party's been canceled. We're not going to make it. Oh, my God.

Well, you know, there is a silver lining. We don't have to hang out with Stephen. Oh, my gosh. Shots fired. Bartis strange. You don't have to spend the holidays with Stephen. But, you know, we're stuck here at the office. We're not going anywhere.

No, it's all good. You know, even though you just, I don't know, destroyed me... I did want to talk to you about your new holiday song, which I love. It's called X-Miss. Felt a little unexpected. I wasn't expecting you to do a Christmas song. It's kind of a hard space to step into. What inspired you to make this song?

I mean, I think for a lot of people, holidays are not always like the most fun thing in the world. And, you know, this song is kind of like, yeah, it's Christmas, but, you know, I don't really feel like everything's working out for me. And also kind of laying out like, and this is why I think things aren't working out for me. It's because of my choices. Stephen can identify, I think, with that. Also, it's so hard to write a Christmas song, you know? Like, I've kind of stared at it for like two months. And normally I can kind of get ideas out, you know, like, oh, here's an idea, here's one.

Let's try this, you know. But with this one, I did everything I could think of to make like a bang-in, Mariah Carey Christmas. song like a super up bright, cheery. I love everybody vibe, but the only thing I could come up was is this like, you know, it sounds happy, but it's kind of sad. And to me, that is the best thing a Christmas song can do. If you can undercut the fake cheer of the holidays, if you can undercut this message that we're all obligated to be happy and joyful at all times, that's my kind of Christmas music. That's the Christmas music that I can really play around with. This is becoming a theme for you this year.

No fun, no joy. It's not no fun. Stephen Thompson Christmas. It's not no fun, no joy. It's just leave space for a range of emotions. Yeah. And I mean, my favorite thing about Christmas songs is like the sadness of it, you know? Or how sad a song can sound.

Like, I've always thought that like Silent Night is like a good example of that where it's like, it's like a dirge almost. Yeah. You know, I did my best. These songs, you know, Christmas songs are hard to do. Also, dude, it's like, as I was writing it, I was like, I should probably just do this every year because, like, if you have one of these suckers hit, like, you're good for it. So I was like, maybe I'll just try it.

Yeah. No, I mean, you get a good Christmas hit. You can eat lunch off that for the rest of your life. Can you imagine if you wrote all I want for Christmas is you, you would live on a mega yacht and never work again. Done. So do you like Christmas? Like, do you get into the holidays?

What do you normally do this time of year? My family doesn't really do traditions because we can't plan for the life of us. So we just kind of end up at someone's house. Well, we were kids, obviously, we did the classic Christmas thing. But now that we're all grown-ups, it's like, whose house are we gone to? You know? And so once the gavel drops on that, that's what it'll be, you know? Yeah.

Who can we burden this year? so that we don't have to do any of it ourselves. Happy holidays, Bartis. Sorry, we're going to miss you. Yeah, happy holidays. Oh, you too. I have a very, you know, tolerable and hopefully not too extensive Christmas.

He has such an interesting sound. I love everything he does. It's such a unique personal stamp on Take on Christmas. It's perfect. Exactly. It sounds like a Christmas song, but it also sounds like a Barty's strange song. And I know that may sound like, duh,

obvious, but it really is one of the best things that a Christmas song can do is you still want it to convey what the artist does and not just slip seamlessly into this canon that sounds like everything else. Yeah, yeah. Well, listen, I know we said no gifts this year, but I couldn't help myself. I got you a little something. I was going to give it to you at the cabin, but since we're stuck here, you might as well have it now. Oh, buddy. Thank you.

What even is this? That's so thoughtful. Oh my God, Robin. Yeah, right? Robin, how long did it take you to put this together? Well, it's a Green Bay Packers jersey. I know. You know what all those names are, right?

I mean, I'm just reacting to you had it custom made with my name on the back, like as if I'd played for the Packers, but all these signatures. Is that Adele? Yeah. Is this everybody who's ever played the tiny desk? Everyone. Since 2008? Yeah, over 1,700 artists on there. It took me all year long.

I started thinking about this after last Christmas, and I was like, what would Stephen really love? Because I want you to know that I see you, and I'm listening, I'm paying attention. I know what you love, and I kind of just put them all together here. You said you thought of this last year. You thought of this in 2008. This is everybody. No, no. I had to track him back down.

Oh, my gosh. Look, I mean, I know you said, you know, we said no gifts and everything. And I was also, you know, planning a little something. But I had all these plans. Like we were going to get to the airport and they've got Hudson News. And they sell like shot glasses and magnets and stuff. Like at BWI, they've got like ones that have like the state of Maryland like kind of imprinted on them. And so I was thinking like either of a.

a collectible spoon or a, or maybe a thimble or a, a, a shock glass or something. So consider this kind of like a, like a, like an IOU for the next time we're in an airport at a Hudson News. I got you covered, man. This is so, oh my God, this jersey is incredible. Well, I, yeah, I mean, and, you know, I, I'm sure it is just the thought that counts. And just knowing. Knowing that I had generated in this moment the thought to eventually purchase for you,

a gift at Hudson News is also, yes, there's also a lot of thought there. I'm really feeling the spirit of the season now. Yeah. Oh my God, this is true. Well, listen, we got a long list to get through, so let's see who else is here. Oh, Marie, we need to call Marie. Oh, from Girl in Red. Yeah.

Hello? Hey, Marie, this is Stephen. Hey, man, what's up? Well, I'm so sorry. I'm here with Robin Hilton. We've got... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry to be here with Robin Hilton.

with Robin Hilton. No, I mean, I'm sorry to say we've got bad news. The big party. We're snowed in. It got canceled. Okay. Honestly, I'm kind of relieved because I was double-booked, man. Oh, what, what are you doing? I was going on, I was going on a yacht. Going on a yacht? What, what, what, what, did? No, I don't even know. Someone else booked it. It was a surprise for me, so, but I was told I need to hold a date. And then I was like, wait, I have to be somewhere else. But now I'm kind of, like, relieved. That's fair. I mean, we can't compete with a yacht. I mean, I'll be honest, not going places or doing things is one of my favorite things to do.

Oh, the best. Yeah, so. Love doing nothing. I get it. Well, I know you're doing the yacht and everything, but what do you usually do for the holidays? I normally spend my Christmas with my mom and my family, and yeah, my mom loves decorating the Christmas tree, so I love to help her out, making it look like a Disney Christmas tree. So that's just what I do. I just chill, just like everyone else should. And honestly, we should have more time off.

People should have, we should double Christmas. That's my hot take. You've had first Christmas. That's right. And now let's have second Christmas. You know, my children are children of divorce. And I launched in my family a second holiday called Christmas 2, Santa's Revenge. And it's where Santa doubles back and hits all.

the houses of the children of divorced parents. And your kids bought that? Eventually, like, they helped develop all this lore around it, because we usually celebrated it, like, the day after New Year's, and my son came up with the idea that Dick Clark's ghost decides who's been naughty or nice. Of course. Because, you know, as one's child would decide. If I were really doing this, like NPR, I'd make a quick side here, like,

Dick Clark was the host of American bandstand from... Many years. But I know, I know, all that's an aside. How have you, how have you been? How has this December been for you? Honestly, I'm a little bit sad that I've been touring this entire, like, December because I really, I mean, some of the best part of Christmas for me is just, like, everything leading up to it.

Like, the day goes by, and then you're like, oh, I mean, that was it, kind of. But I feel like I'm missing out on, like, the pre-Christmas stuff in Norway. So, therefore, I am to CVS. and I bought so, I think I spent over $100 on just like Christmas stockings and Christmas lights and stuff while the boys in my band were in the venue and they were like, oh like, like, where are you, Marine? I was like, just in the bus. Like, I just got to be by myself. And then they all came in at night and I had, I bought Christmas calendars for everyone.

And like, I made the bus like real nice. And then I set the bus lights real nice too. Oh, man. Christmas is a journey. I get it. Do you have a favorite holiday song? I mean, I'm like a big sucker for like Last Christmas by Wham. Like, who isn't?

Robin is sitting next to me and what he is not telling you is he, Robin Hilton hates the song Last Christmas. So much. More than not only maybe any song, but anything. Robin, you're missing out on so much joy. It's insane. I gotta disagree, but I honestly, Marie, I'd much. I'd rather hear the holiday song you did, two queens in a king-sized bed.

It really is the spirit of the holidays. It really is. It's the perfect holiday song. Yeah, it really is. And happy holidays, Marie. Happy holidays. I hope no one's fighting during the Christmas dinner for everyone or happy whatever you celebrate, you know. Well, it's just the two of us, though, there probably will be some fighting.

There will be fighting along the way here. Two queens in the king-sized bed. So above our house. This you any... Christmas. Well, Stephen, what's the deal with you this year? You seem like, I don't know, I don't want to say anti-Christmas, but, yeah, you just seem like you keep talking about how you don't like the fake joy or like, why is it fake?

How come it's not just joy? Oh my God. I mean, first of all, you can tell when a song is faking it. You can tell when a song is kind of... of shouting at you through a megaphone to be glad. And there's just some... Manifest, Stephen, manifest. You know, I understand.

And I think there are people for whom that works, and I don't want to yuck anybody's yum. But, you know, if listening to extremely 100% all cheerful music actually makes you happy, go have a blast. That's great. For me, I found especially last year, and I really made note of it last year, that there was a certain strain of Christmas song

that just deeply bummed me out. It was never the dirges. It was never the sad songs that bummed me out. It was always rocking around the Christmas tree by Brenda Lee. What about like Happy Holiday? Happy Holidays. That's just sound, that song at this point is just trying to sell me something. That is just the ambient sound of commercials.

Deck the halls? Deck the halls. I don't know. I don't want to necessarily like go point by point and be like, no, this song should be abolished. But I think any song like, it's the most wonderful time. That's a classic. That's Andy Williams, man. Did we lose a war?

All of a sudden, Perry Como is on the charts, and it's like, that song wasn't cool 60 years ago. I don't want to be like a Christmas Grinch, though. I love the holidays. I love Christmas music, and I love... Well, what's an example? What's a... What's a song that checks all the boxes that you need check?

Okay, so this holiday season, I've been putting together a playlist called A Very Tolerable Christmas. And it is just all of the holiday music that fit the spirit of the season for me. Honestly, I think at this point, my favorite Christmas song is called All That I Want by The Weepies. And I don't know how, are you familiar with the Weepies? Yeah, they've been around for a long time, put out a bunch of records. They made this song in 2003 called All That I Want that manages to sum up everything I love about Christmas. this to me is the platonic ideal of a Christmas song.

I mean, I can't take any issue with that. It's such a sweet song. I love their voices. It's a great song, but I have to be honest, I do like the classic canon of Christmas songs as performed by Bing Crosby. You'll notice I did not assail Bing Crosby's talent. Right. Well, there are so many amazing jazz art.

Nat King Cole. Elephist Gerald, Nancy Wilson, so many great jazz, classic versions of those songs. But are those getting played on, like, nostalgic Christmas radio stations? Are you hearing those songs? You hear some. You hear Nat King Cole. You'll hear, like, one song by each of those people, but you're also getting a lot of kitch and junk. I think what you're hearing is Last Christmas by Wham. and that I'm not down with, but I think you underrate that song.

But I am, you know, very nostalgic. You know, I'm a very sentimental person, and I want songs that are going to take me back to a very specific time and place, right? And that's what those songs do. But if I had to pick a newer artist and a newer song, I would go with Sufjohn Stevens and his, you know, that double album? Oh, it's more than a double album. Yeah, silver and gold that he put out a handful of years ago.

It's got some of the standards on there, including a nine-minute version of, do you hear what I hear? But he also, he does all these new originals. And I thought one that would be appropriate for sort of how we're spending Christmas together this year. It's one called Christmas in the room. I don't know, this is kind of us at Christmas this year, minus the, you know, making out while watching TV part. Although I think, you know, anyone who listens to this show knows there's been a real sort of will-they, won't-day. Don't they? Absolutely. And look, we're stuck in the building. The night is young. So should we just stop talking and just spend the next half hour just listening to that album in its entirety?

I would be totally down with that, but we actually got a whole, we still have a whole bunch of artists to call. Let's see who else is on the list here. Oh, John, we should call John C. Riley. We need to give him a call. You know, he just did that. The little special on Netflix. Yeah, an almost Christmas story. It was sort of that animated show. Let's give him a call up. Hey John, it's Robin and Steven. Oh, hey guys. Looking forward to the party. Oh, yeah. About that.

So, John, I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The party's been canceled. Oh, man. Can't you do some kind of Zoom cocktail party or something? Zoom, John, that's a terrible idea. We're not doing a Zoom cocktail. That would be so depressing. We tried that one here.

No, it's totally depressing. Just cancel the party. It is totally depressing, especially since, I mean, honestly, we were really looking forward to, Hearing more about this whole special that you did is so sweet. The animated short film, an almost Christmas story. It was based on a true story, wasn't it? Yeah, first there was this real thing that happened.

A little owl got trapped inside of the Christmas tree that they cut down from Rockefeller Center. And then when they opened the tree up in New York, they discovered this wounded little owl in there. So that's how the story began. And then Alfonso Porone was inspired by that story. and he's been doing these short films, these holiday short films, and this is the third in the series, and he handed it over to David Lowry, which is the director that I've always wanted to work with.

And when I read it, I saw the similarities between this amazing stop-motion animation film that I loved as a kid, Rudolph who read those reindeer. And I thought, well, here's my chance to be Burl Ives, you know. It's so funny you say that, because I was actually thinking the same thing as I was watching it, I thought this has that sort of classic feel of those stop motion shows, you know, like Santa Claus has come into town and Rudolph Red Nose Raneer, and I wondered if you'd

grown up watching those. Yeah, I totally grew up watching those, and I grew up listening to Burr Lives over the years, and he's taught me so much music and so much traditional folk music that I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could pass on a couple things to people? I mean, I'm no Burr Alives, but I'm alive. You do have that going for you. It's one distinct advantage. So, yeah, it was really intentional when we were making the film when David and I were working together, recording it. I really wanted to bring that.

He was really into it, too. In fact, the character was originally supposed to just kind of sing these different songs throughout and create like these motifs for the film. But I thought, you know, don't you want a little bit of rap around here, like a little narrator stuff? And he was like, totally, totally. So we kind of came up with a lot of the dialogue and the stuff that I say on the fly there in the studio. So that's how I got involved in it. You know, and I also thought this is a great thing to just put out into the world, you know, a story about taking care of the vulnerable in your world and meditating about what these winter months are really all about and why Christmas exists in the first place.

I mean, I think about Christmas and I think, you know, it was primarily started, of course, as a religious holiday. but almost everyone I know, regardless of their religion or not, celebrates Christmas in some way. So it feels kind of like this ancient thing that we do in the wintertime, you know? We gather closer together. We light a candle. We try to believe that this darkness will eventually lift and spring will come. And I think that's something really universal and really human. So we made a little short film about it.

Yeah, I think universal and human is such a great. way to approach the holiday, no matter what your religious traditions are. You know, if you're just, if you're just telling a story that finds some commonality across people and just brings people together and kind of creates new traditions, I just think that's a really beautiful thing you did. Well, thank you very much. You know, and Daniel Hart, the composer, pulled off an amazing feat, which is he wrote two new Christmas songs.

and I was really skeptical actually going in. I thought, I don't know, man, what is this going to be? If it's so easy to write Christmas songs, people would write them all the time, and there's very few that make it into repeated play, you know. But I was really delighted with the songs that Daniel wrote, and I thought they really captured what it really feels like for me at Christmas time, you know, the stuff that I'm thinking about and how I feel. It's a little melancholy, too, you know.

That comes with the darkness of winter, is feeling a little bit like, am I ever going to get out of this? So, yeah, so, yeah, the music is something I'm really proud of. And, yeah, Daniel Hart told it off. Oh, Daniel Hart's amazing. He works with David Lowry a lot. He's done so many scores for him. I really love.

Have you ever, John, have you ever tried to write your own holiday song? I've tried to do it. I tried to do this with some friends a couple years ago. We were like, let's write some new Christmas songs. So we don't have to do these same songs for these holidays. shows that we do. And it's really hard, you know. My, my song immediately, like, you know, spiraled into depression, you know. It got very blue Christmas, but somehow Daniel was able to write two very inspiring and hopeful songs. Well, happy holidays, John, and again, sorry about the party.

Oh, yeah, you know, you know, there's more parties to be had. Definitely. Well, take care and we're playing one of the songs from an almost Christmas story. We'll do, we'll play, it's Christmas today. All right. Thanks a lot, guys. You too. Take care. Bye. When the Christmas spirit cannot be found, there's a bitter wind of blowing, feet are frozen faces frowned. Not a single friendly greeting walking down the street.

Not a single light or tinsel in the trees. But a song in the distance, a song of mirth, I hear voices rejoicing in a baby's birth. Let us all come together with a love in our heart. Let us celebrate a brand new start. It's Christmas. It's Christmas. Oh, yes, it's Christmas. From your family, they miss you so.

The love between... It really is a sweet film, an almost Christmas story, it did. And when you watch it, he definitely channels that whole Burl Lives. You know, he's sort of a narrator, but he also sings the songs. I had never thought of John C. Riley as Our Burl Lives. But I actually think... If you go back and watch his tiny desk and, you know, like, we could do a lot worse than John C. Riley for our, for 2024s Burlives.

Well, I'm actually getting pretty hungry. Let me, I don't actually even know what we have in here to eat. Let's take a look here. What are you in the move for? Yeah, I don't know, man, anything. I don't understand how we've got a giant TV showing a Yule log and these couches, which I don't even know where we got these things. These are so comfy. And yet, where is the food? Well, we usually keep it pretty stock, but this eggnog in the fridge is, this might

actually be from last year. Oh, God. Yeah. God, this is, oh, it's sour. Try this. It's such small portions. Why did you even drink it? It clearly smelled terrible. Oh, you know what? Here's some food cake. This is, you know, that's so good. You know that's not gone bad. My family actually had a fruit cake that we gave to, we passed around. You had the classic fruit cake that is like re-gifted every year. It's from like 1960. Just like 20 years of a passing hands to, you know, I'd love to know what happened to it. I'm sure it's still edible.

Oh my God. Is that Chris Dely's birthday cake? Yeah. We had this behind the desk for like a decade. Chris Dely's 34th birthday. We didn't throw it away. No, Bobby Carter went through the shelves behind the time. desk and removed all the food stuffs.

And he put everything back here, including Chris Thiele's birthday cake. It's in this little plastic container, but it's like totally covered in mold. Don't open it. Oh. You know what? Let's just go around the building because there are plenty of vending machines and we'll go down to the third floor where our thing. Yeah.

Usually have like a tuna salad sandwich or something. All things consider morning addition. They're down there. They always get the best stuff. You know what I'm wondering. Maybe should you call your family and let them know that we're stuck here at the office? We could be here a while. Really, they only, they said only

let me know if you're coming home. You know, it's weird. The whole office is quiet. There's usually someone working at least at morning edition. That's like 24 hours a day. Yeah, we staffed this place 24-7. There's engineers, there's security personnel, but there's like

nobody. Wait a minute, do you hear that? Yeah, I... It's coming from Studio One down here, down the hall here. Oh. Hey, fellas. Megan Maroney. What are you doing here? What is this?

What are you talking about? Didn't you get the memo? This is the holiday party of the year. This is the holiday party of the year? We always have the holiday party. We thought we were throwing the holiday party. Is that Maddie D? Bartis Strange. Maddie?

John, we were just talking to like five minutes ago. What is he doing here? Everyone's here. Well, we didn't know you through a big party like this every year. Is this what you normally do? I love just getting to hang out with my family. You know, I'm always on the road and doing other things. So I feel like this is the one time of the year that it actually slows down.

And I love sleeping and eating. If you build a holiday around sleeping and eating, that's basically Thanksgiving. Well, that's true. But we love, we're actually and we're starving. Oh, my God. Robin, that's a buffet and no Christy Lee's birthday cake to be found. Yeah, we're definitely hitting the buffet. Well, Megan, I know you really must love Christmas in this time of year,

because you just had that EP, Blue Christmas. Duh. You know, I wanted to have songs that you could really listen to year round. I didn't want them to be too cheesy and too, like, hanging stockings and baking gingerbread cookies. You know what I mean? I wanted to keep it, like the themes, just like a country, a sad country song, like for Christmas morning. It's really not even that Christmassy because the whole idea is when did our love stop feeling like Christmas morning. So that one was kind of just like the feel, everyone knows the feeling of Christmas morning.

And so that's how I incorporated it as a Christmas song. Yeah, I think that's the thing. You're writing a Christmas song, but you're also writing a great song. And sometimes it's amazing how often Christmas songs are people who try to write them forget to just also write a killer song. Well, you also did the one All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy. That's not a sad song. I just wanted a two-step, you know, shuffle song.

I have a song called Lucky that is the title track of my debut album. And performing that is just so much fun. So I was like, what if we did a Christmas version of Lucky, kind of, and it ended up being, it's a funny song about wanting a cowboy who only wants me. So looking forward to singing those every single year until I'm dead. That is the true meaning of Christmas. It is writing a song that nobody lets you stop performing. Happy holidays, Megan.

Yeah, happy holidays. Happy holidays. need a new car just bought me a new pink guitar I'm an ant to a puppy so I don't need one for me I've been on the road and ain't had the time to make a list once go check it twice the only thing I'd like to see under my Christmas tree just waiting for me Get me tall heart in a stepson something I can unwrap like a present put on my case He's make him call me baby a busy but if you've got time really pay attention to that last line The last one I look at to crossing old ragged jeans Christmas tree Stets and something a present put