The mostly warm, fuzzy, cozy, sanitized Christmas is mainly a product of 19th and 20th century American influence. In earlier times, Christmas had a spooky side — one example of which is the Welsh tradition of the ghostly gray mare: the Mari Lwyd. 

Mentioned in this Episode

• Jeff Belanger
• The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger

Music in this Episode

• "John Barleycorn" — Julius H., via Pixabay
• "Dread Lake" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Mile Marker 323" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Relaxing Acoustic - Noel" —Oleksii Kaplunskyi, via Pixabay
• "Dramatic Uplifting Cinematic Piano" — Yevhen Onoychenko, via Pixabay
• Additional sound effects via Freesound

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)