Prologue
A Christmas radio play by David Sedaris and the Pinetree Gang. (28 minutes)
Act One
A Christmas tree story by Chicago playwright/musician Beau O'Reilly. (14 minutes)
Act Two
A story about Christmas at Juvenile Court by Chicago novelist/editor Reginald Gibbons. (10 minutes)
Act Three
Peter Clowney reports on Christmas at the Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Music from Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church all through the hour. (9 minutes)
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Act Three: Monday, Tucson AZ
Ira plays a recorded example of American-style democracy, a school board meeting in Tucson, recorded by a high school teacher, Sarah Bromer.
Act Three
Ira talks to Aziz Huq about whether cases like Lahkani's will continue to be pursued under the Obama administration, and why that's problematic.
Act Two: No Tenenbaum, No Tenenbaum
This American Life receives an emergency transmission from a rooftop somewhere in New York City, where John Hodgman reports on the true-life origins of Christmas traditions.
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