The Warming House

Ep. 3: A Christmas special to spread holiday cheer

A woman kisses a child.
Sarah Kasner kisses her 5-year old son, Dunky, under the lights near the GLOW Holiday Festival’s outdoor food court at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Nov. 18 in Falcon Heights, Minn.
Aaron Lavinsky | Star Tribune file

Welcome to the Warming House's first Christmas special! You may have heard a few visiting dignitaries reciting "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" courtesy of Tim Russell or maybe even Minnesota's own Emmy Award-winning Louie Anderson with "‘Twas the Night Before Christmas." Now that is special! 

This week's vinyl pick, by co-host Sean McPherson, was the iconic album from the original 1965 animated "A Charlie Brown Christmas" classic by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Selling over 4 million copies, the jazz album was a commercial success in its own right. McPherson said, "To me, this album is eggnog. If you have it in October, you’ll be sick of it by Christmas. But if you save it for the heart of the holiday season, nothing beats it."

For our relationship advice segment with The Current's Sanni Brown, it was all about healthy boundaries and how to get that annoying neighbor — you know, the Kramer in your building — to leave you alone during the work day! And how to do it with kindness, of course, a Warming House must!

Our Smarter Than Your Teen game segment returned with a father-daughter matchup for the ages and our “Twins Trivia” was a “12 Days of Christmas” extravaganza with Pastor W. Seth Martin and Fr. Chad VanHoose. Did you know partridges wouldn't ever actually sit in a tree, let alone a pear tree because they nest on the ground? Go figure.

Our Silver Lining Story for this show was about an impressive young woman sewing bags and delivering toys to the needy this holiday season. Co-host Nina Moini talked with Sanya Pirani, a ninth grader at Prior Lake High School, about the service work she's been doing since she was 7 years old! Plus, Moini got more than a few great tips for holiday light display viewing around the state. Find Mike Marcotte's whole list and an interactive map here!

Guests:

Use the audio player above to listen to the program.