The traditional Christmas dinner of a turkey, potatoes, green beans, and fruit pie has been around for nearly two hundred years. But why? The story of how we got here is one of ancient winter feasting, agricultural societies, socio-economics, religion, a pig that’s technically a fish, and turkeys on stagecoaches. In this episode, Brian and historian Judith Flanders explore why the standard Christmas dinner is stuck in a nineteenth century time warp. 

Links

• Christmas: A Biography by Judith Flanders

Music in this episode

• "Chrysalis" — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive
• "Burned" — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive
• "Under the Stars" — Shady Dave, via FreeSound
• "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• "April" — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive
• "Wish Background" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Connect with Me

• Links to all the things https://christmaspastpodcast.com/links
• Email: [email protected]

Books

Of Christmases Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past (2025, Lyons Press and Recorded Books) It's Christmas as you've never seen it before, and it makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life.

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions (2022, Lyons Press and Recorded Books)