From the village of nothing much...

Let's get sleepy

Bedtime stories are like a soft landing spot for your mind. Rather than letting your brain race through the same thoughts you’ve been chasing all day, we are taking a detour to a calm and comfy place. We tell the story twice and go a bit slower the second time. Each week, we support a meaningful non-profit organization. Explore the causes we've contributed to in past episodes.

Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Little Harmonies (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Little Harmonies, and it’s a story about small bits of ordinary magic that happen everyday. It’s also about new specials at the coffee shop, tulip bulbs, and a dog met at the mailbox. Notes jotted down in a journal, and the feeling that you’ve tuned into a special frequency that you might have missed before.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Slightly More Happens - February fun

Our stories tonight speak to the magic of the Inn on the Lake, a secret space behind a hidden door, coffee cake and cat companions, getting to redo a formative moment with your present-day heart and mind, music and glimpses of mid-winter sun, and the hope that comes from bravely wearing your heart on your sleeve.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Keepsake (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Keepsake, and it’s a story about stepping back through time to remember a particular rainy day. It’s also about sunflowers, the things our younger selves can teach us, and a scrap of something saved for years in a box.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Valentine in the Drawer, Part 2

Our story tonight is called The Valentine in the Drawer, Part Two. It’s a story about a cold February morning, made bright and warm by an envelope slipped into a mailbox. It’s also about fogged-up windows on a streetcar, a kettle about to whistle, red roses and marbles, galoshes stepped into with haste, and a small drawer in a desk filled with love notes.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Greenhouse (Encore)

Our story tonight is called The Greenhouse, and it’s a story about flowers and vases, and the deep green scent of plants in a warm space in the winter. It’s also about a silver wine bucket, music playing while you work, pine needles and mint, and the small and big ways of building the life you want.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Valentine in the Drawer

Our story tonight is called The Valentine in the Drawer, and it’s a story about a lost missive waiting to be found. It’s also about icicles and second-hand furniture, a sunny window alcove, and a coffee cup ring on a wooden desktop, hand-drawn hearts and flowers, and the residual fondness of a long-ago love.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Sunny Skies (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Sunny Skies, and it’s a story about our little village of Nothing Much, stepping back into the light after a long winter storm. It’s also about small changes adding up over time, candle ice and frost flowers, letting the sun bathe your face after several gray days, and a small adventure to keep you going till Spring.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

In For the Night

It’s a story about a trip to a special shop in downtown Nothing Much. It’s also about glass jars filled with special ingredients, snowflakes landing on your eyelashes and mittened hands, the layered scents of aromatic spices, and having the space and time to calmly make and enjoy something warming and delicious.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Innkeeper’s Blanket (Encore)

Our story tonight is called The Innkeeper’s Blanket, and it’s a story about a favorite hobby, rediscovered in the quiet of winter. It’s also about a simmering pot in the kitchen, geese gathering before they fly, and making something by hand that is perfectly imperfect.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Slightly More Happens - January Delights

Our stories tonight lean into the winter season with tales of walks in the snow, time by the fire, thick blankets and hot drinks. If you’ve ever wished not so much to be warm as to be chilled first and then warmed with a blanket, these are for you.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Solarium (Encore)

Our story tonight is called The Solarium, and it’s a story about a sunny break in a cold month. It’s also about sweet-smelling citrus, a warm, bright place to read a book, and taking the time to charge your battery all the way up.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Return to the Chalet, Part 3

Our story tonight is called Return to the Chalet, Part 3, and it is, for now, the last in this series. It’s a story about a trek through the snow to the home of a friend, it’s also about French Toast and roasted potatoes, a snoring dog beside the fire, bird feeders and twinkle lights, lighted windows seen from a far and someplace safe to wait out the storm.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Window Weather (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Window Weather, and it’s a story about the deep cold of mid-winter and the calm, cozy feeling of watching it from your window. It’s also about oranges and lemons, bells on collars, a well-stocked pantry and fridge, and the joy of getting into your pajamas at three in the afternoon.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Return to the Chalet, Part 2

Our story tonight is called Return to the Chalet, Part 2, and it’s picking up where Part 1 ended, at a little cabin at the foot of a snow-covered slope. It’s also about waking without an alarm and coffee by the fire, saunas and hot stones, soft hoodies, and not having to decide anything, quiet exchanges, and the achievement of letting yourself receive care without argument.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Winter Getaway, Parts 1 - 3 (Encore)

This special encore brings together all three parts of Winter Getaway, a winter tale told from two perspectives. We’ll travel to a snowy mountain, settle into a warm cabin, and share a quiet meal between friends. There are snowflakes and silver needle tea, a book wrapped in brown paper, and the kind of deep rest that comes when you finally allow yourself to slow down. A long, comforting story for winter nights and unhurried listening.

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Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai

Return to the Chalet, Part 1

It’s a story about a trip out of town after the bustle of the holidays settles down. It’s also about landmarks spotted from the highway, a plate of black and white cookies made with love, the moment the sun dips below the cloud cover on its way to setting, and the cumulative effect of giving yourself what you need when you need it.

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Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai

Game Night (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Game Night, and it’s a story about ringing in the New Year with friends around the kitchen table. It’s also about a memory of card games with aunts and uncles, a secret ingredient, and the importance of good old-fashioned fun.

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Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai

Candlewalk

Our story tonight is called Candlewalk, and it's a story about a special Holiday tradition in downtown Nothing Much. It's also about tea lights and snow shovels, Christmas cookies, and cocoa keeping warm in a thermos. A smiley face on a sticky note, voices in harmony, and a winding, forgotten alley where light begins to shine.

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Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai

Out of the Cold (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Out of the Cold, and it’s a story about a windy day and a place to warm up. It’s also about pine boughs and an open wrought iron gate, smoke rising from a chimney in the distance, a black cat, cookies, and tea, and the good feeling of stepping into the warmth with a friend.

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Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai Season 16 Kathryn Nicolai

Merry Much Happens - 2025

Our stories tonight have been picked by the team that makes Nothing Much…Happen. They are stories of snowfall and market stalls draped with greenery, quiet moments at home and exciting new meetings, some comfort, some joy, and some steadiness for the new year. From all of us, we wish you sweet dreams.

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