This American Life: #482: Lights, Camera, Christmas!

December 22, 2014 7:05 AM

This holiday season we bring you a show filled with stories of people going to great lengths to throw a special Christmas for their families. Including tales of Luna the guinea pig (pictured), Bambi the reindeer, and Jeko the super-powerful (and somewhat-scary) Christmas elf.

Originally aired December 21, 2012.

posted by ocherdraco (3 comments total)

With all due respect to Ron Carlson, I prefer the Selected Shorts version of "The H Street Sledding Record" read by Keith Szarabajka. I downloaded it from a Tinsel Tales broadcast a few years ago so I'd have it when I felt like hearing it around the holidays.
posted by gladly at 7:45 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]

I've never forgotten that nutty family Christmas deception since the first time I heard it.
posted by Miko at 6:22 PM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

Just listened to this on the post-holiday seven hour car ride home (was supposed to be 3 hours but hey). The Mutchler's story was dark and good, but agreed: very tough to listen to. Especially as it dawns on you how much this is really about the dad, and getting the family to buy into his fantasy and never letting up at all costs.

The Bambi story was amazing on so many levels. Loved it when Ira gave her the opportunity to explain the happy ending version, and then pointed out that it'd mean she'd won, and then she countered with the Christmas spirit rationale. It was all so thorny and captivating.

The last bit was just beautiful and had me in tears. I wished it was true, but then realized that it'd mean that they'd been trying to sled through the streets and not get hit by cars for cheap thrills and omfg TERRIFYING. But yeah, still lovely.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:17 PM on December 27, 2014