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HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC — a program in VOA Special Englishabout music and American life. And we answer your questions.
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This is Doug Johnson. This week, we present a special holidayMosaic — including some new Christmas music from Harry ConnickJunior. But first – we’ll tell you about some of the gifts thatAmericans are getting for each other this year.
Holiday Gift Giving
HOST:
As Americans shop for holiday gifts for family members andfriends, Jim Tedder checks out what they are buying this year.
ANNCR:
News reports tell us that many young people want cell phones forgifts. Boys also want radio-controlled cars or trucks, but nospecial kind. In fact, it seems no one thing has become a”must-have” item this year, for children or adults.
For younger children, one toy manypeople are buying is called Hokey Pokey Elmo. Elmo is a creaturefrom the children’s television show “Sesame Street.” The “hokeypokey” is a dance song. Hokey Pokey Elmo sings and moves his feet.Here, listen for yourself.
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For adults, one online marketing survey found that many womenwant travel as a gift, even if they have to buy it themselves. Formen, the most desired gift is electronic equipment like aflat-screen television, or a computer or a digital camera.
One holiday gift this year that proved surprisingly popular is acandle that smells like a fig. Officials of the Bath and Body Workscompany cannot really explain why their fruit scented candle hassold so well. For one thing, they set the price lower than someother special candles, about twenty dollars. Gifts like candles arean easy choice for someone who is difficult to buy for.
Another way to solve the problem of what to buy is to buy a giftcard. These look like credit cards, and come with a set amount ofmoney to spend in the store they are from.
The National Retail Federation says seventy percent of Americanshoppers plan to buy gift cards this holiday season. Stores saythese cards are more popular than ever. But they say people shouldknow there are restrictions. Gift cards can lose some or all oftheir value unless they are used within a period of time.
Business experts say gift cards earn stores a lot of money.People often spend more once they go to use their cards. Also, aboutten percent of the people who receive them never go to the store tobuy anything at all.
Hanukkah
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from Akwa Ibom State,Nigeria. Richard Oscar asks about festivities that Americanscelebrate.
This is the big month for celebrations. On December twenty-fifth,Christian Americans will remember the birth of Jesus as theycelebrate Christmas. Then, the next day, the African Americancelebration of Kwaanza begins. This honors the black American familyand culture. Listen next week for more details.
And Jewish Americans are justbeginning to celebrate the eight nights of Hanukkah. The Festival ofLights is set by the Hebrew calendar, so it is different each year.
The story of Hanukkah goes back more than two-thousand years, tothe land that is now Israel. The ruling Greek-Syrian king attemptedto suppress the Jewish religion. He placed statues of Greek gods inthe Jewish temple and tried to force the people to accept them.
A man called Judah Macabee led a small group of Jews against theking. They won the battle, and the freedom to live by theirreligion. They began to cleanse the temple of Greek influence.Tradition says they found only enough oil to light the holy lamp inthe temple for one day. Yet that oil burned for eight days, untilmore could arrive.
On Friday night, December nineteenth, Jews around the world willsay prayers and light candles in a menorah. A menorah holds ninecandles. One is called the shamish (shah-mus). It is used to lightthe others.
On the first night of Hanukkah, the shamish is used to light oneother candle. An additional candle is lit on each of the followingnights. On the last night of Hanukkah, all nine candles burnbrightly.
It is traditional for parents to give their children a small gifton each night of Hanukkah. It is also a time for special games andfoods. Religious leaders say Hanukkah has never been considered oneof the most important Jewish holidays. But they say it is good timeto remember how people in the past fought for the right of religiousfreedom.
Oh, and let us not forget one more event in this month ofcelebrations — New Year’s Eve!
Harry Connick’s Christmas Album
HOST:
Music is a big part of Christmas celebrations. And the seasonalways brings out new record albums to play at parties. FaithLapidus tells us about a new one this year from a well-known name injazz.
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Harry Connick Junior was born in a city famous for jazz … NewOrleans, Louisiana. He started to play the piano in jazz clubs whenhe was thirteen years old. He has been performing and recording eversince.
Harry Connick writes music, too. Four of his own songs areincluded on his new Christmas album, “Harry for the Holidays.” Thisone is for children: “The Happy Elf.”
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Harry Connick Junior is not alone on his Christmas album. Alsoperforming is country singer George Jones. Harry Connick says GeorgeJones is his favorite singer. Here they are with another songwritten by Harry Connick, “Nothin’ New For New Year.”
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Harry Connick Junior says the songs on his album represent verydifferent kinds of music, from jazz to big band to rhythm-and-blues.We leave you with a traditional Christmas song, only it has the feelof a New Orleans street parade. From “Harry for the Holidays,” hereis “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”
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HOST:
This is Doug Johnson.
Our holiday program today was written by Nancy Steinbach. PaulThompson was our producer. And our engineer was Audrius Regis.
I hope you enjoyed AMERICAN MOSAIC. Join us again next week forVOA’s radio magazine in Special English.