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The Big Tiny Desk Holiday Special

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings perform a holiday Tiny Desk Concert in 2015.
Jun Tsuboike
/
NPR
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings perform a holiday Tiny Desk Concert in 2015.
The Oh Hellos perform a Tiny Desk Concert on Dec. 13, 2016.
Raquel Zaldivar / NPR
/
NPR
The Oh Hellos perform a Tiny Desk Concert on Dec. 13, 2016.

For nearly 10 years, NPR Music has recorded concerts from behind Bob Boilen's desk. During the holidays, the desk gets a little more festive, thanks to a snow machine, paper snowflakes and Stephen Thompson's hand-drawn Christmas tree. (It's labeled "tree.") Whether they perform original songs or new takes on holiday staples, these artists bring big sounds to the Tiny Desk.

Each holiday Tiny Desk Concert has brought something a little different. In 2010, The Polyphonic Spree became the largest group of performers we'd ever hosted behind the desk. Sibling duo The Oh Hellos brought family tradition and a love of bells, and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings filled our office with joy and light.

This year, Hanson stuck around after its non-holiday Tiny Desk Concert to don ugly sweaters and sing some original songs. Wyclef Jean got us tapping our feet to his version of "Feliz Navidad." And Steve Martin brought a bluegrass band with him to share the tale of "The Strangest Christmas Yet."

In this holiday special, join NPR Music's Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson as they look back on these and other performances from years past.

Featuring:

  • Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 'Sugar Plum' and 'Happy Holiday'
  • The Polyphonic Spree, 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' and 'Silver Bells'
  • Matt Wilson, 'O Come All Ye Faithful' and 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'
  • Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, '8 Days Of Hanukkah' and 'Big Bulbs'
  • The Oh Hellos, 'Silent Night, Holy Night,' and 'Every Bell On Earth Will Ring'
  • Hanson, 'Finally It's Christmas' and 'To New Year's Night'
  • More Tiny Desk holiday performances:

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.
    Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)