12/25/2005       [ Listen to the whole show]

Song: "Greensleeves"
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...by the John Coltrane Quartet, from the album The Complete Africa Brass Sessions

Santa of Santa Ana
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Generations of immigrants have adopted or put their own spin on American holiday traditions. Santa Ana police officer Manny Delgadillo dresses up as Santa and hands out presents every year in downtown Santa Ana. Ayala Ben-Yehuda finds that Santa is finding a home among Latinos where the Three Wise Men once reigned supreme.

Car Menorahs
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If you've driven in Los Angeles around Hanukah, chances are you've seen cars with menorahs mounted on their roofs. Rabbi Asher Yemini of the Chabad Israel Center explains to Queena Kim that it's all about advertising the miracle of the holiday.

On Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6:30 p.m., a parade of cars with menorahs on them will leave from the corner of Alta Vista Boulevard and Waring Avenue and make its way across Melrose Avenue toward the Beverly Center area.

Map

Christmas in Jail
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It's one thing to be away from your family during the holidays. But what's it like to spend Christmas in jail? We find out from Eric Aguilar, who's currently in the Yucaipa Valley Facility for Minors, and from Abel Salas, who teaches creative writing with the InsideOUT Writers program at Central Juvenile Hall in Lincoln Heights.

Joe Frank's Path to Enlightenment
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The holidays used to be more spiritual than commercial - but Joe Frank will help you get right back on the path to enlightenment. This story came from a program he did called "Three Shingles," which was part of his series, Somewhere Out There.

Song: "The First Noel"
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...by Bing Crosby, remixed by John Beltran, from the album Holiday Chill

I Wish
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Earlier this year, a woman named Samantha Broun was toying around with an idea for an art project. She came up with an idea that seems perfectly suited for the week between Christmas and the new year. She sent letters and tape recorders across the country and asked the recipients to send back their answers to a very simple question: what do you wish for? "I Wish" was produced by Samatha Broun for the public radio website, Transom.org.

Bienvenido El Duende
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Millions of kids write to Santa each year - and few ever receive a reply. But maybe they set their sights just a little too high. In "Bienvenido el Duende," a short story from her collection Wide Eyed, author Trinie Dalton corresponds with an elf and discovers how childhood fantasy and adult reality intertwine. In this story, Trinie reads the part of the human and Scott Carrier is the elf.

Song: "White Christmas"
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...by Charlie Parker, remixed by King Kooba, from the album Holiday Chill