This year we're giving the gift of podcasts! Unwrap a new podcast each day to keep your ears happy this holiday season. From podcasts about the best holiday recipe to try, to the latest book club read from "CNIB Unbound" – we've got something for everyone to enjoy.
Day 1: Bon Appetit’s Foodcast
Average episode length: 40-50 minutes
The "Bon Appétit Foodcast" covers it all: the restaurant scene across the country, a peek inside the minds of the world’s best chefs, the cooking techniques you should be trying out at home, and a behind-the-scenes look at how the writers and editors at "Bon Appétit" magazine do what they do.
Day 2: CNIB Unbound
Average episode length: 15-40 minutes
The "CNIB Unbound" podcast is an audio experience for Unbound book club members and book lovers alike; it takes readers beyond the book itself. The podcast gives listeners exclusive audio content related to the featured book – from interviews with book authors and audiobook narrators, to conversations with experts in the field of publishing. The CNIB Unbound podcast is designed to inspire conversation, helping club members think (and talk!) about the featured title from fresh perspectives.
Day 3: CBC’s Under The Influence
Average episode length: 15-40 minutes
Host and adman Terry O'Reilly explores why we make the shopping decisions we make, and how we are influenced by words, colours and images. He tells stories of the remarkable creativity found at the higher realms of marketing, and analyzes the ads we love to hate. "Under The Influence" is not a show about advertising. It's a show about life through the lens of advertising.
Day 4: The Slow Down
Average episode length: 5 minutes
Hailed as a "literary once-a-day multivitamin" this short but sweet podcast brings you five minutes of poetry every weekday. Take a few minutes out of your day to "Slow Down" and ground yourself – by listening to the smooth, calming voice of Tracy K. Smith.
Day 5: 99% Invisible
Average episode length: 30-40 minutes
Ever wonder how inflatable men came to be regular fixtures at used car lots? Curious about the origin of the fortune cookie? Want to know why Sigmund Freud opted for a couch over an armchair? "99% Invisible" is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.
Day 6: Other People's Problems
Average episode length: 30-40 minutes
Real people. Real problems. Real talk. Normally, therapy sessions are totally confidential -- but this podcast opens the doors. Therapist, Hillary McBride and her clients want to help demystify mental health. No actors. No auditions. No artifice.
Day 7: CNIB Smartlife Tech Cast
Average episode length: 20 minutes
Discover the specialized and mainstream technology that’s transforming the lives of blind and partially sighted Canadians. From the simplest and most inexpensive gadgets to help around the home, to the cutting edge in assistive technology, the "CNIB Smartlife Tech Cast" explains what it is, and how to make the most of it in your everyday life.
Day 8: Hey Riddle Riddle
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Riddles! Puzzles! Whodunnits! The hosts of "Hey Riddle Riddle", Adal Rifai, Erin Keif and JPC try to solve a few of these every episode while discussing and dissecting along the way. You can play along while listening, but can you solve the questions before they do?
Day 9: Hello Monday
Average episode length: 30 minutes
"Hello Monday" is a 13-week podcast where host Jessi Hempel investigates how the nature of work is changing, and how that work is changing us. Hempel asks guests and listeners the big questions: what does work mean to us? Should we love what we do? How do we make sure we still have jobs tomorrow, and that they’re “good” jobs...jobs we feel good about?
Day 10: The Truth
Average episode length: 10-20 minutes
"The Truth" makes movies for your ears. Tune in for short stories that are sometimes dark, sometimes funny, and always intriguing. Each story is different and will take you to unexpected places using only sound.
Day 11: The Allusionist
Average episode length: 20-30 minutes
"The Allusionist" is the podcast that speaks to the word nerd in everyone. Listeners take a deep dive into language with host Helen Zaltzman. The show itself is filled with great humour and light-heartedness, making it easily digestible and one of the funniest educational podcasts out there.
Day 12: The Hidden Brain
Average episode length: 40 minutes
"The Hidden Brain" helps curious people understand the world – and themselves. Using science and storytelling, host Shankar Vedantam reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships.