Holiday Programming

Happy holidays from all of us at Iowa Public Radio! We're pleased to provide the soundtrack to your holiday traditions and special programming that captures the spirit of the season. Programs are broadcast on IPR News, Classical, News/Studio One and Studio One online. The stream is noted after each program title and broadcast time.

Find your local signal, tell your smart speakers to play Iowa Public Radio or download our app and stream our holiday programming uninterrupted, wherever you are!

Here are printable copies of our holiday programming: All holiday programming, IPR News holiday programming, IPR Classical holiday programming, IPR News/Studio One holiday programming.

Friday, Dec. 23

The One Recipe Holiday Special
10 - 11 a.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
Join host Jesse Sparks for a holiday edition of The Splendid Table’s newest “podbaby,” The One Recipe. Jesse talks to culinary superstars about their “One,” the recipe that signals the holiday has begun! They’ll get into traditions and food with influences from all over the world and leave you with recipes that could jumpstart your own festivities!

Tinsel Tales 2: More NPR Christmas Favorites
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
NPR presents another collection of the best and most requested holiday stories. Joy, hope, and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season.

Tinsel Tales 3: Even More NPR Christmas Favorites
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
Listen to the third collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. Audie Cornish, Ken Harbaugh, Nina Totenberg and other voices from NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them or you might fall in love with them for the first time.

Christmas at Luther
4 - 5 p.m. on IPR Classical
Join IPR for Christmas at Luther, new for 2022. This year's program is titled "The Gifts They Gave Emmanuel."

The One Recipe Holiday Special
9 - 10 p.m. on IPR News
Join host Jesse Sparks for a holiday edition of The Splendid Table’s newest “podbaby,” The One Recipe. Jesse talks to culinary superstars about their “One,” the recipe that signals the holiday has begun! They’ll get into traditions and food with influences from all over the world and leave you with recipes that could jumpstart your own festivities!

Tinsel Tales 3: Even More NPR Christmas Favorites
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
Listen to the third collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. Audie Cornish, Ken Harbaugh, Nina Totenberg and other voices from NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them or you might fall in love with them for the first time.

Christmas Eve - Saturday, Dec. 24

CLASSICAL:

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
9 - 11 a.m. on IPR Classical
An annual and beloved Christmas tradition, “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” is an extraordinary and memorable live service of word and music from the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England.

Christmas at Luther
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. on IPR Classical
Join IPR for Christmas at Luther, new for 2022. This year's program is titled "The Gifts They Gave Emmanuel."

wcfsymphony: Holidays at Antioch
4 - 5 p.m. on IPR Classical
Join IPR for a holiday concert from the wcfsymphony. "Holidays at Antioch" is the symphony's first visit to the historic Waterloo Antioch Baptist Church. The performance features classic holiday sounds, guest soloist Ms. Lea Bryant, singing "Mary, Do You Know" and the toe-tapping genius of Duke Ellington.

Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
5 - 6 p.m. on IPR Classical
The choirs of two of the most prestigious historically Black institutions in the nation join together to present a spine-tingling concert program.

Christmas with Stile Antico
6 - 7 p.m. on IPR Classical
Stile Antico is a 13-member a cappella choir based in London. This holiday special features hand-picked sacred music for the Christmas season from the English Tudor era by 16th century composers including Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

Doug Brown's reading of A Christmas Carol
7 - 10 p.m. on IPR Classical
The incomparable Doug Brown, longtime host of WOI’s The Book Club, reads Dickens’ holiday classic.

NEWS:

Doug Brown's reading of A Christmas Carol
9 a.m. - 12 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
The incomparable Doug Brown, longtime host of WOI’s The Book Club, reads Dickens’ holiday classic.

Doug Brown's reading of A Christmas Carol
9 p.m. - 12 a.m. on IPR News
The incomparable Doug Brown, longtime host of WOI’s The Book Club, reads Dickens’ holiday classic.

STUDIO ONE:

Rockin' Christmas Eve
7 - 10 p.m. on News/Studio One and the Studio One online stream
The music is all holiday songs from all eras and all music styles, some of it picked out by listener request. Join Iowa Public Radio Studio One this Rockin' Christmas Eve!

Christmas Day - Sunday, Dec. 25

CLASSICAL:

A Sunday Baroque Christmas
8 a.m. - 12 p.m. on IPR Classical

St. Olaf Christmas Festival
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR Classical
This service in song and word has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. The festival includes hymns, carols, choral works, as well as orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians in five choirs, and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

wcfsymphony: Holidays at Antioch
6 - 7 p.m. on IPR Classical
Join IPR for a holiday concert from the wcfsymphony. "Holidays at Antioch" is the symphony's first visit to the historic Waterloo Antioch Baptist Church. The performance features classic holiday sounds, guest soloist Ms. Lea Bryant, singing "Mary, Do You Know" and the toe-tapping genius of Duke Ellington.

A Chanticleer Christmas
8 - 9 p.m. on IPR Classical
Celebrate the season with song! Brian Newhouse hosts this one-hour program of a cappella holiday favorites, new and old, presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man choral ensemble known as "an orchestra of voices."

STUDIO ONE:

Thistle & Shamrock presents: "A Child's Christmas in Wales"
12 - 1 p.m. on News/Studio One and the Studio One online stream
Host Fiona Ritchie interviews Cerys Matthews, a Welsh musician and patron of the Dylan Thomas Society. Matthews also narrates excerpts from the Dylan Thomas holiday classic A Child's Christmas in Wales. Matthews also describes her own Christmas times in Wales.

A Mountain Stage Holiday
4 - 5 p.m. on News/Studio One and the Studio One online stream

Hanukkah concludes - Monday, Dec. 26

Hanukkah Lights 2022
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
This holiday favorite returns with the best of the best Hanukkah Lights stories from the last 30 years.

Hanukkah Lights 2022
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
This holiday favorite returns with the best of the best Hanukkah Lights stories from the last 30 years.

Tuesday, Dec. 27

To the Best of our Knowledge - "Going for Broke: Change of Address"
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
What if we measured the success of our economy less in terms of profit and more in terms of care? What if we tracked gains and losses in the quality of our lives instead of in dollars? "Going for Broke" explores the reality of economic struggle in our time.

To the Best of our Knowledge - "Going for Broke: Change of Address"
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
What if we measured the success of our economy less in terms of profit and more in terms of care? What if we tracked gains and losses in the quality of our lives instead of in dollars? "Going for Broke" explores the reality of economic struggle in our time.

Wednesday, Dec. 28

To the Best of our Knowledge - "Going for Broke: Making up our Minds"
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
What if we measured the success of our economy less in terms of profit and more in terms of care? What if we tracked gains and losses in the quality of our lives instead of in dollars? "Going for Broke" explores the reality of economic struggle in our time.

To the Best of our Knowledge - "Going for Broke: Making up our Minds"
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
What if we measured the success of our economy less in terms of profit and more in terms of care? What if we tracked gains and losses in the quality of our lives instead of in dollars? "Going for Broke" explores the reality of economic struggle in our time.

Thursday, Dec. 29

To the Best of our Knowledge - "Going for Broke: Can Work be Love?"
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
What if we measured the success of our economy less in terms of profit and more in terms of care? What if we tracked gains and losses in the quality of our lives instead of in dollars? "Going for Broke" explores the reality of economic struggle in our time.

To the Best of our Knowledge - "Going for Broke: Can Work be Love?"
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
What if we measured the success of our economy less in terms of profit and more in terms of care? What if we tracked gains and losses in the quality of our lives instead of in dollars? "Going for Broke" explores the reality of economic struggle in our time.

Friday, Dec. 30

The Doc Project: The Cook-Off
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
At the start of the pandemic, the entire Hamadi family found themselves living together under the same roof for the first time... in a long time. The three adult siblings - Adonis, Rima and Rami - hunkered down with their parents, keeping themselves entertained watching movies and pulling pranks. One day, after watching a cooking competition on TV, they decided to try their own cook-off. But what was intended as just another way to pass the time ended up helping the Hamadis, and hundreds of others, make a difference in ways they never could have imagined.

The Doc Project: The Cook-Off
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
At the start of the pandemic, the entire Hamadi family found themselves living together under the same roof for the first time... in a long time. The three adult siblings - Adonis, Rima and Rami - hunkered down with their parents, keeping themselves entertained watching movies and pulling pranks. One day, after watching a cooking competition on TV, they decided to try their own cook-off. But what was intended as just another way to pass the time ended up helping the Hamadis, and hundreds of others, make a difference in ways they never could have imagined.

New Year's Day - Sunday, Jan. 1

New Year's Day from Vienna
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on IPR Classical
The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Daniel Barenboim in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.

Yankee Doodle Pops 2022
4 - 6 p.m. on IPR Classical

Monday, Jan. 2

Wildly Magical: Stories of Animal Encounters
10 - 11 a.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One
From one woman’s dream of swimming with marine iguanas, to uncommon encounters with common rabbits, to a Native American tale of how the dog came to be our loyal companion, and much more, this Living on Earth holiday storytelling special features stories of how other species on this Earth touch human lives.

Sobered: More Than Dry January
12 - 1 p.m. on IPR News & News/Studio One

How often do you stop to examine your drinking habits? While many Americans started drinking more in the pandemic, another cohort committed to sober curiosity: a movement encouraging introspection about your relationship with alcohol. Embodied host Anita Rao examines the tenets and experiences of sober curiosity through a conversation with two people who collectively have close to two decades of sobriety experience.

Wildly Magical: Stories of Animal Encounters
9 - 10 p.m. on IPR News
From one woman’s dream of swimming with marine iguanas, to uncommon encounters with common rabbits, to a Native American tale of how the dog came to be our loyal companion, and much more, this Living on Earth holiday storytelling special features stories of how other species on this Earth touch human lives.

Sobered: More Than Dry January
10 - 11 p.m. on IPR News
How often do you stop to examine your drinking habits? While many Americans started drinking more in the pandemic, another cohort committed to sober curiosity: a movement encouraging introspection about your relationship with alcohol. Embodied host Anita Rao examines the tenets and experiences of sober curiosity through a conversation with two people who collectively have close to two decades of sobriety experience.