On the special holiday edition of Live Wire, comedian and podcaster Paul F. Tompkins talks about passive-aggressive Christmas carolers and the most tense rendition of “O Holy Night" he's ever heard; poet José Olivarez discusses his latest collection Promises of Gold, which explores the various types of love in our lives, from self-love to platonic love and over to romance; and singer-songwriter Esme Patterson performs her original Christmas song “If I.” Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share our listeners favorite holiday traditions.

In this podcast extra, comedian Aparna Nancherla (Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself and Imposter Syndrome) is quizzed on the former "career lowlights" of some high-profile celebrities.

Writer and director Laura Chinn (Florida Girls) discusses her memoir Acne, which tackles her racial identity, Scientology, and of course... very oily skin; standup comedian Mohanad Elshieky riffs on embarrassing encounters with TSA and Uber drivers; and multi-instrumentalist Jenny Conlee, of The Decemberists, performs "Hawk" from her solo album Tides: Pieces for Accordion and Piano. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello hear from our listeners about what they obsessed over as teenagers.

Podcaster Sam Sanders (Vibe Check) shares his hot takes on pop culture, from the Barbie movie to his favorite nepobaby; comedian Reggie Watts interprets his feelings about generation differences through a spoken word poem; and indie folk duo Sway Wild perform their song "Home," which was inspired by a two-month sailing voyage in British Columbia. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal our listeners' favorite moment in pop culture this year.

Novelist Dana Schwartz unpacks her gothic fantasy duology, Anatomy and Immortality, then dives into her podcast Noble Blood, which explores the bizarre and risqué lives of royals; writer Jenny Odell dismantles the clock in her newest book Saving Time while explaining it's unofficial motto: time is beans; and indie rocker Black Belt Eagle Scout performs "Don't Give Up" from her new album The Land, The Water, The Sky, which dreams up the atmosphere of her ancestral land of Swinomish. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal how our listeners love to "waste" time.

Author and columnist R. Eric Thomas shares anecdotes from his memoir Congratulations, The Best Is Over, including how baking cupcakes may have saved his life; standup comedian Ian Karmel makes the case for why Arby's is a farm-to-table restaurant; and indie group NONBINARY GIRLFRIEND perform the title track off their new album Big and Kind. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal the surprising differences between our listeners and their partners.

Journalist and podcaster Kelsey McKinney (Defector) dishes on producing her juicy podcast Normal Gossip; poet Brenda Shaughnessy explains how her newest collection Tanya is partially an attempt to reconnect with her estranged college roommate; and Grammy-winner Madison Cunningham performs her single "Broken Harvest." Plus host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share some niche gossip from our listeners.

Comedian Paul F. Tompkins chats about his improv comedy podcast The Neighborhood Listen, where he and fellow comedians re-enact posts from the app Nextdoor; poet Safiya Sinclair discusses her memoir How to Say Babylon, in which she recounts growing up Rastafarian in Jamaica under the strict patriarchy of her father; and singer-songwriter Isabeau Waia'u Walker performs her song "All My Friends Think I'm Okay." Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share some unhinged behavior from the neighbors of our listeners.

Record-breaking runner Lauren Fleshman unpacks her New York Times bestseller Good for a Girl, a part-memoir, part-manifesto which challenges the male-built sports system; comedian and writer Joey Clift chats about his Comedy Central digital series Gone Native, which delves into the weird microaggressions Native people are up against; and Seattle-based indie supergroup Who Is She? performs a cover of a Le Tigre song... which actually got them fired from a sports arena gig. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello share what records our listeners would like to break.

Comedian and writer Aparna Nancherla discusses her memoir Unreliable Narrator and why her mother made her order pizza to combat her shyness; stand-up comedian Gary Gulman riffs on the false notion of dangerous scissors in elementary school; singer-songwriter and historian No-No Boy performs his song "1603," featured on his latest album Empire Electric, which tells the story of the first non-Native sighting of Oregon by a multicultural crew of sailors who fell through the cracks of history. Plus, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello learn about the times our listeners suffered from impostor syndrome.