Radio Legend Delilah Shares Her Secret to a Stress-Free Holiday Season—Hint: It’s Not About Perfection (EXCLUSIVE)
Plus, find out the sweet thing the on-air icon gives her kids in their stockings every year!
You can’t beat driving home on a snowy December night while listening to holiday music on the radio. And if that memory rings true for you, it’s likely you know the voice of iconic radio host, Delilah.
Having been on the air for over 40 years—now heard on more than 160 radio stations nationwide and streaming on the iHeartRadio app—her voice has become synonymous with the Christmas season, sharing stories in between beloved songs.
To ring in the merriest season, Woman’s World caught up with Delilah Rene Luke about her new radio project, Holiday Party Prep Talk, as well as her favorite festive memories and tips for keeping the holidays stress-free.
Woman’s World: The holidays can be chaotic enough on their own, and hosting only adds to the pressure. What are your best tips for keeping stress low and joy high when juggling it all?
Delilah: It’s called the KISS theory: Keep It Simple, Stupid. You don’t need to be extravagant: plastic plates, plastic cups that you throw away, so that you’re not up for five or six hours doing the dishes. The less work you have to put into something, the more energy you have to be there and to be emotionally connected. Keep it simple.
WW: Since yours is the voice that everyone associates with holiday music, do you have a favorite Christmas song?
Delilah: I love them all. I love holiday music, but one that I have really enjoyed the last few years is by a group called For King + Country, and they have a version of “Little Drummer Boy” that will take your breath away. I’m going to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; our family loves them. Anything by Straight No Chaser—they have so many Christmas albums. There’s just an abundance of great.
WW: What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Delilah: This is one that’s very silly, but I’ve never missed a year. When I was growing up, Mom always put an orange or a nectarine or a tangerine in the toe of our stocking and a hard candy. So, when I had my first Christmas and my first son, I did that and when my mom came down with brain cancer, she was still able to communicate enough, and she told us the story of why we always got oranges in our stockings. She grew up in Arkansas, and they were dirt poor… and she said Christmas was not like our Christmas. We always had a tree, silver tinsel, stockings and all of us kids always got three or four gifts. She said, when she was growing up, Christmas in her house meant she got an orange and usually some hard candy, but oranges in the winter in Arkansas didn’t exist, and so that was a big treat for her folks to be able to buy an orange for everybody in the family. And when she told me that, I just thought of how blessed we’ve always been. So, it probably doesn’t mean anything to my kids, but they all get an orange in their stockings at Christmas.
“The less work you have to put into something, the more energy you have to be there and to be emotionally connected”
WW: Talk us through your latest radio project, Holiday Party Prep Talk—where did that idea come from?
Delilah: [Sonos] floated the idea of putting together a space where people can listen and have me as their companion, kind of like when I’m on the air at night, only this just focused on being your best friend in the room with you while you’re getting ready for a gathering.
Now this is perfect because in my life, in my home, in my traditions, I am all about the people, my kids and my grandkids, and the people we’ve gathered as family. I only have a few people in my life that I’m blood related to, but I have a huge family because we have woven together different people from different cultures, different communities, and to me, the holidays and parties are all about bringing those people together and connecting. It’s not about the decorations. It’s not about the food… It’s about connecting with people. And I said that’s what I would love to explore—I’m there to help bring the stress level down and bring the joy level up.
“It’s not about the decorations. It’s not about the food. It’s about connecting with people”
I really want to stress to people it’s not about perfection, it’s about being present and making those connections. Because it’s those connections that are going to last. It’s those memories you’re creating that’s going to last. Nobody is going to remember if your napkins are spread out in a fan shape, but they are going to remember the stories you share and the laughs you share and the jokes you tell and the games you play. That’s what makes the holidays magic.
“Nobody is going to remember if your napkins are spread out in a fan shape, but they are going to remember the stories you share”
We put expectations on ourselves, especially women, but everybody who hosts, we put these expectations on ourselves that everything has to look like a magazine. It doesn’t. That’s why I was excited to work with Sonos, because they had the vision, I had the vision and it came together. And [the Holiday Party Prep Talk] is going to be available from [November] 12th on their YouTube channel. You just turn it on in the background, and I’ll be there to keep you company.
“We put expectations on ourselves, especially women, that everything has to look like a magazine. It doesn’t”
WW: People can usually hear your voice on the radio in between their favorite holiday songs. What has it been like to use your voice in a different way?
Delilah: It was different in that when I’m on the air at night, I’m picturing people driving: driving their kids to soccer, driving their kids home from piano practice. I’ve always talked to truck drivers, and mostly people that are winding down from their day. With the collaboration I did with Sonos, I literally had to put a picture up in my studio, from last Thanksgiving of my kitchen and my family gathered around, and I put my head into that space of talking to people as they’re preparing, as they’re getting ready for this event. It’s a different vibe than when you’re putting the kids to bed at night. This is a completely different headspace to be in… It was a lot of fun.
Conversation
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