Livin' The Bream Podcast · FOX News Podcasts

The True Gifts Of Christmas

·23 min·1 clip

Your candy cane is a shepherd's crook reminding children who the real gift-giver is.

Shannon Bream opens by saying she is always in the Christmas zone, and Megan Alexander meets that energy right away. The two settle into a warm exchange about holiday music, Christmas traditions, and Alexander's new book, The True Gifts of Christmas, Unwrapping the Meaning Behind Our Most Cherished Traditions. The conversation also turns to Alexander's Christmas musical for UP TV. She describes it as a major undertaking and says she was involved from script through filming. The movie was shot over three weeks in Knoxville, Tennessee, while she was away from her family. Alexander explains that the film follows the Hunt family, a family of six and a musical household that moves to Nashville to pursue the father's country music dreams before tragedy strikes. From there, the story asks what the family is really made of, whether their faith is real, and whether they will hold together or be pulled apart. She describes it as an emotional movie of hope. She also talks about the strain of producing and acting at the same time. With about a 70-person cast and crew, she says carrying all those moving parts took a toll, even though the experience was deeply fulfilling. Bream responds with admiration and keeps the focus on both the creative and production sides of the project. A notable part of the conversation is Alexander's gratitude for help from filmmakers she respects, including Alex Kendrick, Brent McCorkle, and Brian Bird. She says Kendrick was generous on the phone, McCorkle offered practical advice about keeping expectations grounded, and Bird watched the movie start to finish and gave notes. That gives the interview a collegial, behind-the-scenes texture. The exchange keeps circling back to the faith and family community around the project. Alexander says she was struck by its generosity, and the conversation makes room for both joy and difficulty. Near the end, Bream acknowledges that the holidays can be hard for people, and Alexander urges listeners to look out for others, love on them, and maybe start new traditions or learn more about the ones they already keep. The episode is less about argument than affirmation. It gives Alexander room to explain a book, a movie, and a season, while Bream keeps the conversation moving with warmth and easy familiarity. The result is a faith-and-culture interview that feels intimate, seasonal, and grounded in personal experience.

As heard by us

A warm Christmas conversation about traditions, faith, and the work behind a holiday project.

Shannon Bream's conversation with Megan Alexander stays firmly in Christmas territory, with The True Gifts of Christmas centered on the meaning behind familiar holiday traditions.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a Christmas-season conversation about a new book, a new movie, and the faith-and-family stakes behind both.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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