for the people next door

Neighbor Radio · Listen together

Home for the Holidays

A posada at the door, Seders that ran past midnight, an imam on Eid, a Diwali reflection, Christmas in January, a Kwanzaa table, Christmas meals for homeless neighbors, camels on Three Kings Day and a Native family at Thanksgiving. What the holidays feel like next door.

About 26 minutes · Free, no sign-up

Before you press play

Perfect for a holiday gathering, a staff party or a class before winter break.

Play it on a laptop or TV with the screen on, since most voices are short videos. Each neighbor is introduced by a short card. You can pause after any voice to talk.

Who you'll hear

  1. A father and daughter who sing Las Posadas. Anybody can come · New Mexico PBS, ¡COLORES! · 4 min
  2. A Jewish man remembering family holidays. "That was us!" Passover, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving · Yiddish Book Center, Wexler Oral History Project · 4 min
  3. A Muslim imam. Duplicate my joy · Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly (PBS) · 3 min
  4. A Hindu American on Diwali. Choose light over darkness · Hindu American Foundation · 3 min
  5. Ethiopian American neighbors in Denver. Two Christmases, one heart · 9NEWS (KUSA Denver) · 1 min
  6. An African American family keeping Kwanzaa. Unity belongs in the center · Craft in America (PBS) · 4 min
  7. A housekeeper and the man she cooks for. A Christmas meal that made him family · StoryCorps · 3 min
  8. A Puerto Rican kid from Upper Manhattan, grown up. Camels in my house · The Washington Post · 1 min
  9. An Ojibwe teacher and father. We practice at gratitude · Anton Treuer · 3 min

The order rotates between plays, so no tradition always goes first.

Talk about it

  1. Which holiday tradition here was new to you?
  2. Several families celebrate twice, or on a different date than their neighbors. What's that like?
  3. What's a holiday tradition your family keeps that would surprise people?
  4. How could your workplace, school or street include neighbors who celebrate differently?

Let anyone pass. Listening is the point.

Try it this week

Before you book a date, look up which holidays fall in that week. It takes two minutes.

Read more: How do I plan a work holiday party that includes everyone? · neighborradio.com/ask/how-do-i-plan-a-work-holiday-party-that-includes-everyone/

Neighbor Radio is a free project of Hope for Americans. Every voice is a real neighbor telling their own story, played from the storyteller's own channel. neighborradio.com/radio/together/home-for-the-holidays/