holidays

Kurt Andersen’s version of a Christmas story doesn’t have your typical talking snowman or mistletoe. Instead, this holiday tale involves extraterrestrial surveillance and melting polar ice caps. “Human Intelligence,” was produced for radio by Jonathan Mitchell, and stars Melanie Hoopes, John Ottavino, and Ed Herbstman. The unabridged version was published in “Stories: All New Tales,” an anthology edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.

Home for the Holidays: Kim Severson of the New York Times joins Steven to talk about how to keep things polite around the holiday table.

We’re bringing you — our podcast listeners — our Memorial Day special two days early! Here’s what you’ll find on today’s show:

December 23, 2015: 1. Sectarian Divisions Color Fight for Ramadi | 2. Women and The Military Prepare for Combat | 3. Donald and Ronald: Is Trump Really Like Reagan? | 4. Disenrollment Threatens Native American Identity | 5. The Real Boston Globe Reporters Behind ‘Spotlight’ | 6. A Christmas Treasure Buried for a Century

December 22, 2015: 1. Afghanistan: America’s $17 Billion Boondoggle | 2. Big Data Elections: What Political Campaigns Know About You | 3. Elon Musk Makes Space History | 4. A Brief History of the Christmas Card | 5. Doctors Without Borders Director Looks Back on a Difficult Year

Happy Thanksgiving from The Takeaway! As Americans sit elbow-to-elbow with family and friends and pile their plates high with turkey and stuffing, we’re taking a moment today to talk about listening.

1. ISIS Controls Nearly Half of Syria | 2. Clean Up Continues Along Santa Barbara Coast After ‘Nightmare’ Oil Spill | 3. The Catholic Nation of Ireland Votes on Marriage Equality | 4. Perfecting the Memorial Day Picnic