Some hefty men dress up as Santa Claus because it’s a nice way to make a little extra cash,  this time of year. But for others it's more a state of mind. 

Before How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, there was Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. But why didn't it have the same staying power as these other holiday TV classics?

This year marks the show's tenth anniversary, and today, composer and E Street Band member Everett Bradley brings the ensemble behind Holidelic to our studio to perform live.

The co-hosts of The Takeaway's Movie Date podcast debate big versus small screen holiday movie music.

This year you can participate in the moving sound sculpture that is Phil Kline's Unsilent Night by simply streaming Q2 Music. The electronic caroling party begins Saturday at 7 pm.

When Markus Dohle, the chief executive of Random House, announced at the company holiday party that each and every employee who had been with the company for a year — from top executives to their secretaries — would be receiving a $5,000 bonus, the room erupted in cheers. Dan Ariely, professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, explains the effects of bonuses like these.

We all have them in our families: the black sheep, the eccentric relative who breaks from the norm, who may become the butt of jokes, or is whispered about at the dinner table. As we approach the holidays, Takeaway listeners share their family stories, along with host John Hockenberry.

The 67-year-old British singer-songwriter recently released his tell-all memoir, Rod: An Autobiography, as well as his very first holiday record, Merry Christmas, Baby.

While there's other holidays in December, the entire month has been pretty much co-opted by Christmas. And maybe November too. Even outside of the less-often sung about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, Christmas is hardly the only holiday on the calendar in need of a good anthem or two.

Economists are a notoriously self-interested bunch. But a British outfit called Pro Bono Economics is giving away its services to selected charities.

"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake."

Yikes. Voiceover from a horror film trailer? No! Those are just some mildly disturbing lyrics from the beloved Christmas classic, "Santa Claus is Coming To Town." Ah, the holidays. Filled with good tidings, joy, presents -- and plenty of unintentionally dark and disconcerting musical lyrics disguised under a blanket of cheery major chords. 

This Thursday, Soundcheck contributor Faith Salie joins us to share three holiday songs that give her the willies. We want to know: What holiday songs freak you out?

Leave a comment below, or call us to sing your creepy carol at 866.939.1612. 

When you can't eat with the ones you love, love eating with the ones you're with. Or something like that, with apologies to Crosby, Stills and Nash. 

(photo by Caitlyn Kim/WNYC)

The winter holidays are less than six months away, but one San Francisco bicyclist is apparently ready.

Thanks to WNYC's Caitlyn Kim for the picture!

Traffic started backing up on Thursday afternoon along the blocks approaching the entrance to the Holland Tunnel in Manhattan. (Photo by Kate Hinds.)

The American Automobile Association projects 34.8 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend, an increase of 1.2 percent - or 500,000 travelers - from the 34.3 million people who traveled one year ago.  That's despite relatively high gas prices (though they're a bit lower than they were last year at this time.)

In the New York-NJ-PA region, some 3.7 million Americans are expected to drive to their Memorial Day weekend destinations, the AAA says.

NY-NJ Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman says that bi-state authority is "expecting about 5 million people to travel either by air or car thru our facilities, either the crossings over the Hudson River, or through any of our major airports." He said that's about a three percent increase over 2011 numbers.

Travelers will no doubt be fleeing New York by every mechanized means possible. If you live in the New York region, below is a handy guide for planning your escape.

If you're driving, the NYC DOT will show you just how agonizing your trip will be via its live traffic cams.

(While we're at, California readers can check here. )

The NY MTA will be adding extra trains for the Memorial Day weekend. For details, go here.  You can also subscribe to the authority's free email or text message alerts, or use Tripplanner+ (see top right hand column) to plan your ride ahead of time.

New York City Subway

Subway customers are reminded to use the A, C, D or Q instead of the B. They should also take the J instead of the Z.   Passengers can bring bikes on the subway, 24-7.

Metro-North Railroad

Beginning at noon on Friday, Metro-North will offer extra early afternoon departures from Grand Central Terminal on all three lines – Hudson, Harlem and New Haven.  No bikes on trains scheduled to depart Grand Central Terminal between 12 Noon and 8:30 PM on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels

MTA Bridges and Tunnels will suspend all routine maintenance work beginning 1 p.m. on Friday through the end of the morning rush on Tuesday. Reminder: speed up your trip by using E-ZPass.

Long Island Rail Road

The LIRR will be adding extra trains on Friday.  No bikes on many LIRR trains this weekend (regulations here.)  Monday's train operate on a Sunday schedule.

Staten Island Railway

MTA Staten Island Railway will add extra trains on Friday beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal. There will be one express train and one local train awaiting every boat until 7:50 p.m.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will be suspending all routine maintenance work on its bridges and tunnels, and all of its toll booths will be at "full staff." Go here to sign up for travel alerts about traffic conditions at Port Authority crossings.

The agency’s airports are expected to carry 1.53 million passengers. New customer service representatives will be deployed at airports to help passengers navigate terminals and find things like rest rooms, bus stops and taxi stands.

Sign up here for Airport Alerts that send info about weather delays, parking lot capacity, and AirTrain service delays. 

The PATH train will run extra trains as necessary on Friday. On Monday, trains will run on a Sunday schedule. Travelers can also text their origin and destination on the PATH system to 266266, and receive up-to-date service information.

New Jersey Transit will suspend all construction on state highways from 6 a.m. Friday until noon Tuesday.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is concluding its 49th season with "A Christmas Carol," staged with a few twists. The company's version was adapted for the stage by British playwright Neil Bartlett, who uses only exact words and passages from the Charles Dickens novel for his treatment.

The holidays are typically characterized as a time for joyous celebration with family and friends. But for many Americans, the reality of the holiday season could not be any more different. Over the last twenty-five years, the scientific community has grappled with the concept of loneliness, trying to quantify its presence in society in an effort to better understand the social phenomenon. The consensus seems to be relatively straight-forward: Americans have become increasingly lonely over time.

It was with a sense of excitement and eagerness that I opened an e-mailed document with the recipe for WNYC Morning Edition Host Soterios Johnson's mom's melomakarona. The cookies are famous among the Morning Edition crew. 

Turns out the recipe can feed them, and most of our listening audience. 

Manhattan’s shopping arteries are clogged with last-minute gift buyers. And museum gift shops are going all out to get the attention of consumers in the days remaining before Christmas.

It’s the week before Christmas, and The Takeaway is celebrating with our annual "Remixing the Holidays" series. All week long we're talking with musicians, music lovers, and you about the best, and worst, songs of the season. On Wednesday, The Takeaway spoke with Jon Solomon, a DJ who hosts an annual 24-hour Christmas show on Princeton University's WPRB. Today, we speak with Jason Segel, star of the new "Muppet Movie," as well as "How I Met Your Mother," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and "Freaks and Geeks" about why the Muppets are among his favorite holiday music-makers.