Christmas Around the World

Sam and Erica need a report on Christmas carols, so Whit sends them, Eugene, and Tom Riley into the Imagination Station for a musical trip around the world. In an English country village, a friendly vicar sweeps them into an evening of caroling, complete with Irish singers and Scottish bagpipes. Then it's off to an Italian monastery, where shepherds pipe in the hills and monks sing of Israel's longing for Emmanuel... though Sam's questions keep earning him a "shhh." At the great cathedral of Notre Dame, Sam discovers that carols he thought were American actually came from far away, and a kind French family invites the travelers to their Christmas Eve feast - but the Station whisks them off before the first bite. They land at last in a tiny Austrian mountain church in 1818, where assistant pastor Joseph Moore is in a panic: it's Christmas Eve, the villagers are coming, and the organ has just broken down. Sam can't see what a busted organ has to do with the songs he sings today, but Eugene just smiles and tells him to wait and see.

Found on No Album Album NA · 11 episodes

The run See every episode

0364 Home, Sweet Home With Odyssey pulling out all the stops to welcome Whit home, one friend quietly makes plans to slip away unnoticed.

0365 Clara When Eugene finds Jack about to board a one-way flight out of Odyssey, Jack finally reveals the painful secret behind his broken friendship with Whit - a story of grief, an orphaned girl, and a promise that couldn't be kept.

0366 Solitary Refinement Reeling from a painful breakup, Eugene retreats to a monastery to test a life of silence and solitude - while back in Odyssey, Whit is too busy to hear the answer he's praying for.

0367 The Decision When a mission board's offer threatens to pull Whit away from Odyssey, everyone around him campaigns for a different outcome - and Whit must sort genuine calling from every other motive.

0368 The Other Woman A tabloid photo of the mayor holding hands with a mysterious blonde woman threatens to unravel a secret he has guarded for years.

0369 It's a Wrap! A Kids Radio crew shadows Whit through an "ordinary" day at Whit's End - but between a found wallet full of cash, an overeager reporter, and Harlow Doyle on the case, nothing stays ordinary for long.

1 of 2 0370 Christmas Around the World When two kids need help with a report on Christmas carols, Whit's Imagination Station whisks them on a musical journey through the countries and centuries where the world's most beloved songs of the season were born

2 of 2 0371 Christmas Around the World A group of time-traveling friends tours Christmas celebrations across the globe, discovering how one song of hope takes on the voice of every culture that sings it.

1 of 3 0372 For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll Fresh off a summer abroad, Jason returns to Odyssey to find a wedding just two days away - and a season's worth of surprises to catch up on before he learns who's getting married.

2 of 3 0373 For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll A season of new beginnings sweeps through Odyssey as an antique shop, a returning love, and a life-changing question force two couples to decide what future they're willing to risk.

3 of 3 0374 For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll With wedding bells set to ring at Whit's End and three couples facing life-changing proposals, Jason and Connie race to figure out who is actually getting married.

0375 The Pushover A new kid so desperate to fit in that he'll swallow anything - literally - must figure out the difference between earning friends and being everyone's pushover.

0376 Chores No More Fed up with dishes and vacuuming, Heather rallies the kids of Odyssey into an all-out chore strike - only to discover that rebellion has a to-do list of its own.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 4 more roles

1 featured character

Sam Johnson Kyle Ellison

3 supporting roles

Joseph Moore Kenneth Mars Claude Corey Burton Reverend Pullen Corey Burton

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Paul McCusker Writer · Director Dave Arnold Sound Designer · Producer Mark Drury Producer Kurt Bruner Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Sam Johnson and Erica are preparing a report about Christmas carols from around the world. Whit offers a more vivid lesson than a list of answers and programs the Imagination Station to carry them, Eugene, and Tom Riley through several countries and time periods. The crowded travelers squeeze inside, start the machine, and set off to discover how people in different places celebrate the birth of Jesus through music.

Their first stop is a country church in nineteenth-century England. A welcoming vicar mistakes them for guests and invites them to join an evening of caroling. The community sings about rejoicing because Christ has been born to save, then moves into the church as visiting Irish singers contribute music of their own. Eugene explains that travel across the Irish Sea allowed the customs of Ireland and England to influence one another.

The gathering continues with Scottish bagpipes and a song urging everyone to keep the light of Christmas burning. As the pipes play, the Imagination Station carries the travelers into an Italian monastery during the eighteenth century. Sam is surprised that the music has followed them, but Eugene explains that Italian shepherds also played bagpipes. During the Christmas season, they came down from the mountains to serenade villages and invite children to sing.

Inside the monastery, silence settles over the worshipers before the monks and their young students enter. Their solemn music expresses Israel’s longing for Emmanuel and the hope that he will come as the King of Peace. Sam finds the singing beautiful, although his repeated questions earn several reminders to be quiet.

The travelers next arrive at the great cathedral of Notre Dame in France. Familiar songs celebrate the angels’ announcement to the shepherds and the holy night of the Savior’s birth. Sam has always thought of the carols as American, but Eugene points out that many songs now loved in America began in other countries.

A French worshiper overhears them and refuses to let visitors remain alone on Christmas Eve. He invites them to his family’s Réveillon, the traditional meal following the midnight service. While the table is prepared, the family celebrates Noël with more music about honoring the newborn King. Sam looks forward to the food, but the Imagination Station moves them onward before they can eat.

Their final stop is a small church in the Austrian Alps near Salzburg in 1818. Eugene knows the exact setting because he helped Whit program this part of the journey. The assistant pastor, Joseph Moore, is anxiously preparing for the Christmas Eve service when the church organ suddenly stops working.

The choir is ready and the villagers will soon arrive, but they have no instrument to accompany their Christmas songs. Sam cannot imagine what a broken organ in a distant mountain church has to do with the music people sing in his own time. Eugene tells him to wait and see.