NYC NOW - Holiday Shows Light up the City and Sweet Potatoes Are in Season

Episode Date: December 25, 2025

New York State is banning the sale of the herbal supplement kratom to anyone under 21 and will require warning labels on products, citing addiction and safety concerns. Meanwhile, mental health experts say the holidays can be especially hard for many New Yorkers coping with grief, stress, or disrupted routines. Plus, WNYC’s Hannah Frishberg looks at a growing list of newer holiday performances that are becoming seasonal traditions across the city. Finally, we wrap up with what’s in season at Greenmarkets right now: sweet potatoes, a versatile staple for holiday meals.

New York State bans cratum sales to under-21s. How to Beat Complicated Feelings Around the Holiday and the new NYC holiday shows you may not know. From WNYC, this is NYC now. I'm Eureg Pinobi, in for Jene Pierre. New York State is banning the sale of an herbal supplement called Kratum to people under 21 years old. The state will require warning labels on products containing it.

Kratom is derived from a plant indigenous to parts of Asia and is widely available at smoke shops and gas stations. Proponents of Kratom, say it increases energy and can also provide pain relief and relaxation in higher doses. But state officials say it can also be dangerous. State Health Commissioner James McDonald says Kratum isn't regulated by the federal government. Kratum, I still think it's over that people aren't quite used to. You know, it acts like an opioid is what we often say,

but it actually binds to the same receptor as morphine in your body. So it really is addictive. The new restrictions take effect immediately, and companies will have one year to place warning labels on products. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas if you celebrate. The holidays are not a time for joy and relaxation for everyone. According to a recent survey by the American Psychiatric Association, one in five people say,

holiday season has a negative effect on their mental health. Some cite feelings of grief, challenging family dynamics, or stress over gifts. Kim Hertz runs a therapy practice in New York City and says many clients struggle with their mental health during the holidays, especially as people's regular routines get disrupted. Pretty much, I stay in a house, not gringy, but just in my own little funk, being super duper introverted. Hurtz says maintaining good sleep hygiene and exercise, even while traveling, can help keep spirits high. When you think of holiday classics, is there any show that's as famous as the New York City Rockets? WNYC Arts and Culture Reporter Hannah Frischberg says...

Well, no, the Rockets turn 100 this year. But there are a number of other newer performances that have become classics in their own right in the past few years. Unsilent Night is a great one. It's been going on since 1992. Composer Phil Klein decided to create his own take on holiday caroling and wrote a 45-minute-long electronic music piece. Phil Klein then gathered a few dozen of his friends, gave him boomboxes, and together they paraded through Greenwich Village,

playing that electronic music piece. Hannah says it's become a tradition in the village and spread to five continents and 175 cities in the decade six. another new classic, comedian Murray Hills, a Murray Good Old Christmas. It's a winter variety show that's been taking place at Lincoln Center for 25 years. This year, it featured a 10-piece band, celebrity cameos, and plenty of holiday cheer. Both Unsilent Night and a Murray Good Old Christmas have already happened this holiday season. But if you still want to catch a funky holiday show, Company XIV's Nutcracker Rouge is going on until January 21st.

It's a particularly lavish telling of the Nutcracker story that involves acrobatics and magic. It takes place at Company XIV's home deep in the heart of Bushwick at 383 Troutman Street. Tickets start at $89. That's WNYC's Hannah Frischberg. Up next, what's in season comes in lots of colors and is good for holiday eats. Find out after the break. Here at NYC Now, we like to highlight what's fresh and affordable at your local farmer's market. This week, we're spotlighting sweet potatoes.

Amelia Tarpie is a program and publicity manager for grow NYC green markets. She says sweet potato is a good food for any holiday. Sweet potatoes will really last us through the winter, and they're just, as good now as they were in November. Sweet potatoes are not actually related to potatoes. They are part of the Morning Glory family. And if you ever see a sweet potato growing, you'll know why, because they have these really beautiful vining green leaves. There's sort of two main like categories of sweet potatoes. There are orange sweet potatoes and then most of the other like varieties that you see,

are Japanese sweet potatoes. So when it comes to Japanese sweet potatoes, there are sort of three main varieties. There are white sweet potatoes. And white sweet potatoes have, you know, sort of like a tannish skin and then white flesh. There's also Japanese sweet potatoes that have a red skin and white flesh, and then there are sweet potatoes that are purple all the way through, skin and flesh, this like dark purple color. The dark purple sweet potatoes, you know, you don't see them as.

often at green markets a lot of times they sell out really quickly too so they're a little rarer if you see them definitely grab them most japanese sweet potatoes tend to be a little starchier and have the sort of drier flesh than your orange sweet potatoes and have incredible depth of flavor they're super delicious to roast them you just pop them into the oven you can wrap them in foil pierce them with a fork perhaps rub a little bit of oil over them some salt roast them at 375 until they're forked tender and then you can eat them just like that because they can be sweet as well I've also seen people and experimented with eating them as a dessert you know you roast the Japanese sweet

potato and then once it's nice tender all the way through take it out slice it open you can drizzle some burnt honey or you can make a quick little sugar sauce and then a scoop of ice cream and some black sesame seeds over top. Super delicious. Amelia Tarpe, Grow NYC Green Markets Program and Publicity Manager. As always, thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. I'm Eurek Panobi. See you tomorrow. You know what I'm going to do.