All Songs Considered: A Very Tolerable Christmas, 2025

Date: December 23, 2025
Host: Robin Hilton
Special guests: Stephen Thompson, Ty Segall, Ed Sheeran, Sarah Tudzin, Sarah McLachlan, Brandi Carlile

Overview

This special holiday episode of NPR’s All Songs Considered follows host Robin Hilton and NPR mainstay Stephen Thompson on a whimsical, comedic, and music-filled road trip to Wisconsin in search of the “true spirit of the season.” Along the way, they encounter friends and musicians who share memories, favorite holiday songs, and stories that reveal the bittersweet, funny, and heartfelt essence of Christmas both on and off the road. The result is a delightful journey full of nostalgia, melancholy, humor, and the joy of music.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting Off: The Wisconsin Road Trip

(Begins ~02:00)

• Robin and Stephen banter over unconventional travel arrangements—Robin has provided a sidecar for their midwinter drive to Wisconsin.
• Lighthearted ribbing about cold weather, preparations, and keeping awake on the drive set the episode’s balance of comedy and sentiment.
• Quote:

  "When you said we should road trip back to Wisconsin, I assumed you meant in a car."
  —Stephen Thompson (02:15)

2. Holiday Work Memories & the Music of Christmas

(Music segment ~06:10)

• Stephen reflects on working through the holidays, introducing Harvey Danger’s “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas.”
• Discussion about growing up in small towns, the cultural backdrop of working Christmas shifts, and nostalgia for iconic grocery chains.
• Shared memory lane moments about “Independent Grocer’s Association” and “Century Farm Foods.”

3. Chance Encounters: Ty Segall

(First guest — ~11:25)

• At a gas station, Robin and Stephen unexpectedly run into Ty Segall.
• Ty talks about touring, excitement for getting home, family Christmas traditions, and how fatherhood has made him appreciate the season more.
• Ty reveals he’s working on a Christmas album and shares his favorite holiday track.
• Quote:

  "I'm getting more and more into the holidays as I get older and I'm less of a, you know, a harsh human."
  —Ty Segall (11:56)

• Favorite Christmas song: “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” by Wizzard/Roy Wood’s Band.

4. Holiday Music Menagerie

(Music segments ~14:00, 21:00, and throughout)

• The episode is punctuated by snippets of classic and “offbeat” holiday songs:
  • “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
  • “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day“
  • The Muppets’ “It Feels Like Christmas”
  • Illuminati Hotties’ “Christmas Wishlist”
  • Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” (sung by Sarah Tudzin/Illuminati Hotties)
  • Joni Mitchell’s “River” (sung by Sarah McLachlan)
  • Brandi Carlile’s “Christmas Time Is Coming Round Again”
• Songs provide a musical thread tying emotions and memories together—a throughline for the show’s blend of joy, melancholy, and reflection.

5. Ed Sheeran Joins at the Truck Stop

(Second guest — ~22:45)

• Stephen and Robin meet Ed Sheeran browsing snacks.
• Ed shares thoughts on memory-making, the true value of family gatherings over material gifts, and his own family’s holiday traditions, including carol singing in a chapel he built at home.
• Quote:

  "I remember all of the Christmases that I had … where we were, who we were with. I don't remember what I got as a gift that Christmas. So really, gifts are secondary to memories."
  —Ed Sheeran (23:24)

• Favorite carols: “Silent Night”, “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” and “anything from Muppets Christmas Carol.”

6. All About Wisconsin: Traditions, Food and Famous Folks

(State pride and comic interlude — ~28:00)

• Stephen extols classic Wisconsin culture: Friday fish fry, supper clubs, Spotted Cow beer, Wisconsin sports teams, and unique local characters.
• Humorous asides about strict beer distribution laws and lactose intolerance.
• Name-dropping famous Wisconsinites: Tony Shalhoub, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver).

7. Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties: The Joy and Loneliness of the Holidays

(Third guest — ~35:00)

• Brief detour to “The Wizard’s Breath” truck stop yields a run-in with Sarah Tudzin.
• Sarah describes the holiday season’s emotional mix: beauty, wonder, and the potential for deep loneliness.
• She discusses her Christmas tune with the Illuminati Hotties, and why songs like “White Christmas” resonate: classic melodies masking melancholy beneath joy.
• Quote:

  “Songs that do this amazing thing of speaking about a holiday and joyousness, but with this sort of nostalgic, dark emotional tilt … deep sadness disguised by the beauty and the comfort.”
  —Sarah Tudzin (36:54)

8. Otherworldly Interlude: Northern Lights and Sarah McLachlan

(Surreal journey, ~47:00)

• After sampling strangely named road snacks, Robin and Stephen encounter the Northern Lights, a blurry fever-dream moment where Sarah McLachlan appears while “Angel” plays in the background.
• Sarah gives earnest, philosophical holiday advice:

  “We have to pick ourselves back up and dust ourselves off and keep moving forward and keep trying to stay open and … keep our hearts open and not shut down.”
  —Sarah McLachlan (48:34)

• She shares her love of group singing and “River” by Joni Mitchell as her favorite “devastatingly beautiful” holiday song.
• Quote:

  "I think a lot of people are sad at Christmas ... that song just epitomizes that so perfectly, yet it's so devastatingly beautiful at the same time."
  —Sarah McLachlan (50:10)

9. Closing Haven: Brandi Carlile’s Festive Cabin

(Final guest/scene — ~56:20)

• In a moment of exhaustion and mild delirium, Robin and Stephen find a warmly lit farmhouse, where Brandi Carlile welcomes them inside a cabin “built for a Christmas decoration.”
• Brandi shares personal stories of a “toxic enthusiasm” for the holiday, inherited from her mother who brought relentless joy even in lean times.
• Quote:

  “The over-the-top drama around how she would engage with us around Christmas was just like the most joyful thing… It didn’t matter what we had or didn’t have.”
  —Brandi Carlile (57:10)

• Episode ends with Brandi’s rendition of “Christmas Time is Coming Round Again,” echoing themes of hope and warmth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stephen Thompson, on the cold:

  “Honestly, if I found myself falling asleep right now, I would assume it was hypothermia.” (04:18)

• Ty Segall, on holiday music as a new dad:

  “Now I... you know, I’m working on a Christmas album right now.” (12:30)

• Ed Sheeran, on Christmas memories:

  “The key to memories is always like events and things to do, rather than actual objects and gifts.” (23:22)

• Sarah Tudzin, on holiday melancholy:

  “There’s just like lights and like you know, telling each other we love each other is like a beautiful celebration. And that’s just in our culture, you know.” (39:19)

• Sarah McLachlan, on caroling in Vancouver:

  “We all just start singing at the top of our lungs, and I kind of get everybody going to sing, and they’re like, who is this weirdo in the Santa hat?” (48:56)

• Brandi Carlile, on her mother’s holiday joy:

  “She was not having the poverty thing. She was, was not gonna do it and it didn’t matter what we had. The over-the-top drama around how she would engage with us around Christmas was just like the most joyful thing.” (57:10)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:00 – Road trip setup: Banter, setting off to Wisconsin
• 06:10 – Harvey Danger song and working on Christmas
• 11:25 – Ty Segall interview at gas station
• 14:00 – Musical segment: Wizzard, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day”
• 22:45 – Ed Sheeran interview at truck stop
• 28:00 – Wisconsin lore and traditions
• 35:00 – Illuminati Hotties/Sarah Tudzin interview at The Wizard’s Breath
• 47:00 – Northern Lights detour, Sarah McLachlan cameo
• 50:10 – Sarah McLachlan performs Joni Mitchell’s “River”
• 56:20 – Arrival at Brandi Carlile’s cabin, closing thoughts and song

Tone and Feel

The episode balances self-aware humor (“You know what? Pokémon go to the farmhouse!”), surreal whimsy (northern lights-induced musical visions), genuine warmth, and seasonal nostalgia. It gently subverts the saccharine holiday special, opting for a “tolerable” Christmas focused on shared moments, emotional complexity, and the comfort of music and company—even when everything is a bit cold, weird, or unexpected.

Conclusion

For anyone craving a witty, slightly wonky, but deeply heartfelt holiday listen, this episode of All Songs Considered serves up a Christmas journey that’s just as much about the slightly awkward, cold, and complicated bits as it is about lights, song, and human connection. Whether you’re driving home, braving a snowy night, or just in need of some vicarious Christmas magic (or coping), this episode hits all the right notes.