Christmas Carol Special

Follow the trail of familiar melodies from medieval Europe to American front porches: a story of banished festivities, Victorian reinvention, wartime solace, and booming radio hits. Along the way you’ll meet Puritans who banned Christmas, a songwriter who never meant to write a carol, and soldiers who found peace in a simple hymn. In this episode we weave together the human moments behind the music — Dickensian charity, sleigh races in New England, immigrant voices, and modern pop reinventions — to show how these songs became the soundtrack of an American season. Tune in to discover the surprising origins and emotional stories behind the carols you thought you knew, and learn why these songs still matter to families, choirs, and even astronauts.