One by one, over a series of nights during Christmastime in Iceland, the Yule Lads come down from a mountain, making mischief, rewarding good behavior and punishing bad. These lovable scamps are unique melding of folkloric traditions, and a reminder that Christmas once was — and still can be — haunted and scary. Terry Gunnell, professor emeritus of folkloristics at the University of Iceland, joins Brian to tell the story. Thanks also to Baldur Gylfa for appearing in this episode!

Music in this episode

• "Momentary Ease" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Relaxing Piano" — Uncredited artists, via Pixabay
• "Tiled Chamber" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Ambient Christmas" — Denys Kyshchuk, via Pixabay
• "The First Noel" — Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Ded Moroz ("Grandfather Frost"), went from folk tale to fairy tale, from beloved symbol of Christmas to exile, and then back to beloved symbol, all in surprisingly short order. It’s a story of ups and downs, set against the backdrop of a violent social and political revolution, and which resulted in a strange stint as the “Soviet Santa Claus.” 

Karen Petrone, University of Kentucky history professor and author of Life Has Become More Joyous, Comrades, joins Brian to tell the story. 

Clara in Australia shares a Christmas memory in this episode. Check out her podcast, The Festivity Files.

Music in this episode

• "Waiting at the Hem" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Reverie - Claude Debussy - Classic Concert Grand Piano" — JuliusH, via Pixabay
• "Heartstring Serenade" — Liudmyla Polishchuk, via Pixabay
• "Somewhere in my Memory - Xmas Piano" — Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay
• "O Come O Come Emmanuel" — Jon Sayles, freemusicpublicdomain.com

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Once again it’s time for one of my favorite traditions here on Christmas Past: dedicating an entire episode to you and your Christmas memories! I love these little glimpses into other people’s lives, families, memories, and all the different ways that Christmas can be celebrated and loved and made special and personal. So, get cozy. You’re invited to another Christmas Past family gathering, and trip down memory lane. 

Music in this episode

• "Cozy Jazz Podcast Music with Christmas Bells" — Denis Pavlov, via Pixabay
• "Relaxing Piano / Lofi Music" — John Tramp, via Pixabay

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

For a long time, ivy conjured images of all things pagan, superstitious, gluttonous, debauched, and morbid. For those reasons, it would be forbidden from churches and Christian homes. Today, it's a classic symbol of Christmas. Sue Hunter joins Brian to tell this uniquely Christmassy turnaround story. 

Thank you to composer Sarah Cattley for permission to share the beautiful rendition of "Ivy, Chief of Trees it Is," performed by the Granta Chorale and conducted by Janet Wheeler.  

Music in this episode

• "The Holly and the Ivy" — Jerome Chauvel, via Pixabay
• "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" — Jon Sayles, via Royalty Free Music
• "Christmas Night" — Floating Dreamer, via Pixabay
• "Oh Holy Night" — Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay
• "Luminous Rain" — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Ivy, Chief of Trees it Is" — Sarah Cattley, used with permission from the composer

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Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Forty years ago, audiences got into the Christmas spirit by watching a little green creature get killed in a blender. Gremlins was more than a movie that combined horror, comedy, gory violence, and Christmas. It was a massive a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the last movies of its kind to be rated PG. Alonso Duralde, film critic, podcaster, and author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas and Hollywood Pride joins Brian to discuss this iconic 80's hit. 

Music in this episode

• "Granite Faces" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Hope Piano" — Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay
• "Notche" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Wish Background" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• "Movie Theme 1" — Christian Bodhi, via Pixabay

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Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus, and we celebrate it on December 25, then Jesus must have been born on that day, right? Not so fast! We actually have no good idea when Jesus was born. And besides, the observance of his birth on December 25 is a 4th century contrivance. But why December 25 of all days? In today's episode, professor and author Michael Foley joins Brian to make sense of it all.

Get a copy of Dr. Foley's book, Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe.

Music in this episode

• "Stress Relief Piano" — PianoAmor, via Pixabay
• "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist
• "Neatly Folded" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Oh Christmas Tree" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• "First Snow" — Scott Buckley, via scottbuckley.com.au

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Who doesn't love a parade? The very idea of a procession, usually involving costumes and music, is at least 4,000 years old. But grand parades to kick off the Christmas season are much newer. The kind we're most familiar with nowadays developed when large retail chains held parades to stimulate shopping and define a new, earlier start to the Christmas season. All that capitalism sounds very American, but — surprise! — Canada beat us to it!

In today's episode, Clayton Charters, president and CEO of the Original Santa Claus Parade in Toronto, joins Brian.

Watch the playback of the 2024 Santa Claus Parade on Youtube!

Music in this Episode

• "Happy Christmas Day" — LudoSoundX, via Pixabay
• "I'm Not Feeling Well Today" — u_0tyyfec3hz, via Pixabay
• "O Little Town of Bethlehem" — Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay
• "Jazz Theme 5" — Erkki Marjasvaara, via Pixabay

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The three kings. The wise men. The magi. They're the supporting cast in many a Nativity scene...the subject of several postage stamps and greeting cards...the subject of that classic Christmas song. Who were they? Where were they from? Why did they traverse afar following yonder star? What was with the gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Were they even real? And does it matter? Today, professor and author Eric Vanden Eykel joins Brian to tell the story of these mysterious figures. 

Check out Eric Vanden Eykel's book, The Magi.

Music in this episode

• "Beyond the Cranberry House" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “Drifting Spot” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "We Three Kings of Orient Are" — United States Air Force Band, via Wikimedia Commons
• "Early Morning Snowfall" — Chuck Brown, via Feels Like Christmas
• "Nostalgic" — Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The creative team of Rankin and Bass have produced some of the most enduring, nostalgia-producing Christmas specials in television history. Historian and biographer Rick Goldschmidt joins Brian to tell the story of how an art director and an ad jingle writer became "the kings of Christmas."

Links

• More info about Rankin/Bass and Rick Goldschmidt
• Rick's books about Rankin/Bass

Music in this episode

• "Kettled" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Soft Piano" — Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay
• "O Holy Night (Solo Piano)" — 23843807, via Pixabay
• "Wish Background" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetec

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The more than 75-year success story of Toys for Tots may seem like a fairly simple story: the Marine Corp reserve starts up a holiday charity for needy kids. But there’s more to it than that. From humble, almost accidental beginnings in 1947, the program was able to grow through a unique mix of show business connections, celebrity endorsements, political influence, post World War II America, and...Walt Disney. 

Music in this episode

• "Lullaby" — Maarten Schellekens, via Free Music Archive
• "Toys for Tots" — Nat King Cole, via Toys for Tots Foundation, used with permission
• "Feelings of Twilight" — Shady Dave, via Freesound
• "Silent Night" — Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay
• "Germination" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Eternal Hope" — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.