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Holidays 2011 The Year's Best Books, Music And More
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Holidays 2011

The Year's Best Books, Music And More
It's Not Jolly, It's A Job: You Need More Than A Beard To Be Santa

Charity workers dressed as Santa Claus wave to pedestrians in New York. Professional Santas say it's not an easy job, and it's not just as simple as putting on a beard. John Minchillo/AP hide caption

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John Minchillo/AP

Spirit Of The Season

It's Not Jolly, It's A Job: You Need More Than A Beard To Be Santa

If you have a few too many pounds around the belly, too few coins in the purse and access to a Santa suit this Christmas season, you might be thinking you could make a few extra bucks posing as Old St. Nick. Well, some professional Santas warn, it's not that easy.

It's Not Jolly, It's A Job: You Need More Than A Beard To Be Santa

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2011's Guilty Pleasures: Sex, Celebs And Rock 'N Roll
Priscilla Nielsen for NPR

Review

Best Books Of 2011

2011's Guilty Pleasures: Sex, Celebs And Rock 'N Roll

Susan Jane Gilman recommends behind-the-scenes reads about the rich and famous — by a rock star, a hotel concierge, a stuntman and a Brat Packer, all offering backstage passes to their glamorous lives. Entertaining and star-studded, they make for perfect holiday escapism — with a cocktail (or two) in hand.

Indulge Yourself: 2011's Best Celebrity Tell-Alls

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A Paul Winter Solstice Concert 2011

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Rhonda R. Dorsett hide caption

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Rhonda R. Dorsett

Holiday Music

A Paul Winter Solstice Concert 2011

The saxophonist celebrates the longest night of the year with a Winter Solstice Celebration.

Hear Part One Of The Winter Solstice Celebration

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A Jazz Piano Christmas 2011

L-R: Alfredo Rodriguez, Eddie Palmieri, Barry Harris, Jason Moran. Margot Schulman/Kennedy Center hide caption

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Margot Schulman/Kennedy Center

Holiday Music

A Jazz Piano Christmas 2011

NPR Music celebrates the holidays with some of the most celebrated pianists in jazz. This year, the Kennedy Center welcomed Eddie Palmieri, Barry Harris, Alfredo Rodriguez and Jason Moran.

Listen Now: A Jazz Piano Christmas 2011

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A Passion For The Past: 2011's Best Historical Fiction
Priscilla Nielsen for NPR

Opinion

Best Books Of 2011

A Passion For The Past: 2011's Best Historical Fiction

These five outstanding novels take us to unfamiliar eras and exotic locales — ancient Israel, Elizabethan England, 1920s Paris — while confirming our common humanity.

A Passion For The Past: 2011's Best Historical Fiction

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Hanukkah Lights 2011
Amit Erez/iStockphoto.com

Hanukkah Lights: Stories of the Season

Hanukkah Lights 2011

This annual holiday favorite enters its third decade with a new collection of specially commissioned works inspired by the Festival of Lights. Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz read stories about a schoolboy's crisis of confidence, a young woman's unexpected tragedy, and a moment of light for exhausted Marines.

Hanukkah Lights 2011 full, one-hour special

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Fired Up: The Year's Best Science Fiction And Fantasy
Priscilla Nielsen for NPR

Review

Best Books Of 2011

Fired Up: The Year's Best Science Fiction And Fantasy

Science fiction and fantasy books aren't just getting more popular, they're interbreeding with other genres to produce wild new hybrid forms — swapping DNA with literary novels, commenting on current events, morphing into historical science fiction romances, and evolving into hard-boiled detective fantasy.

Fired Up: The Year's Best Science Fiction, Fantasy

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7 Books With Personality: Nancy Pearl's 2011 Picks
Priscilla Nielsen for NPR

Review

Best Books Of 2011

7 Books With Personality: Nancy Pearl's 2011 Picks

NPR's go-to librarian would like you to meet some friends of hers — from six novels and one work of history. As you read, these artfully developed characters will become more and more real. Pearl says that when the stories ended, she was left longing for the people she'd met between the pages.

7 Books With Personality: Nancy Pearl's 2011 Picks

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