Christmas Past

In 1882, inventor Edward Johnson set up a one-of-a-kind Christmas display in his New York City home...and it changed the face of Christmas as we know it.

Music in This Episode

• "Vessel Five" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "In the Saloon" — Piano Music, via Pixabay
• "Whispers of the Heart" — Lite Saturation, via Free Music Archive
• "Vessel One" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Sunday Morning" — Maarten Schellekens, via Free Music Archive
• "World of Dreams" — Tune Tank, via Pixabay

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)

The Christmas season is in full swing. The tree is up. The carols are playing. The shopping and baking merrymaking of all sorts is here once again. We're all doing a lot of the stuff that Christmas memories are made of. 

And Christmas memories are what bring us together here today. This season on Christmas Past, I’m sharing your Christmas memories in special episodes dedicated just to them...like this one. 

I want to share one of your memories in one of the several other episodes like that will arrive in the coming weeks. Listen to the episode for details on how to be on the show! 

Music in This Episode

• "Cozy Podcast Music with Christmas Bells" — Denis Pavlov, via Pixabay
• "Podcast Jazz Waltz Cozy Relaxing Vibes" — Denis Pavlov, via Pixabay

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)

On a cold winter's night, a man working in a field saw an out-of-place object in the night sky. This is a Christmas story, but it's not the one you think it is. 

Music in This Episode

• "Below the River" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Dream Lodger" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Embrace Serenity" — Lite Saturation, via Free Music Archive
• "Mallet Play" — Maarten Schellekens, via Free Music Archive
• "The First Noel" — Clavier, via Pixabay
• "Greensleeves" — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist

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)

Inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden received hundreds of patents in his career. And one invention that debuted in 1906 changed Christmas as we know it.

Music in This Episode

• "Agony and Ivory" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "The Cresting" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Tranquility" — Kevin MacLeod, via Free Music Archive
• "Peaceful Acoustic Guitar Instrumental for Relaxation" — Nicholas Panek, via Pixabay
• "Wholesome Original Lullaby" — Viktor Baikovskyi, via Pixabay

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)

Teenaged Annie Ide resented being born on December 25 because Christmas always overshadowed her birthday. But a unique birthday gift from an eccentric family friend would change the course of her life forever. 

Music in This Episode

• "An Early Sneak" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Taboret" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Calm Meditation, Good Sleep" — Lihn Pham, via Pixabay
• "Cozy Jazz Podcast Music with Christmas Bells" — Denis Pavlov, via Pixabay
• "Clean Soul" — Kevin MacLeod, via Free Music Archive
• "Sparkling Twilight" — Lite Saturation, via Free Music Archive

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)

Just dropping by with a quick hello, now that the season is in full swing. Today, I share an announcement about this season of Christmas Past, as well as share highlights from my annual visit to the Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco. Plus...a surprise guest appearance!

Music in this Episode

"Working Time - Soft Acoustic Guitar" — Dream Protocol, via Pixabay

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)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! It's the kickoff to the main season of Christmas Past. What better way to get things going than with a cozy gathering around the fire for some old fashioned storytelling? Today, I'm back with a ghost story for Christmas. In "Lucky's Grove," when a Christmas tree is selected from a mysterious grove, strange and tragic events follow. 

Thanks to my friends at Biblioasis for once again giving me the opportunity to share this year's set of ghost stories with you. There's still time to buy hard copies of these beautifully designed editions of classic ghost stories. 

Music in This Episode

• "The Holly and the Ivy - Celtic Christmas Music" — Nate L, via Pixabay
• "Deep Relaxation" — 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)

In today's episode, Vaughn Joy, Ph.D. joins Christmas Past to discuss how the social and political climate of the mid-20th century shaped the Christmas movies of that era. She's the author of the new book, Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy

Music in this Episode

"Happy Night Christmas Winter Jazz" — Music for Videos, via Pixabay

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)

Today, we welcome back a frequent guest on Christmas Past. Thomas Ruys Smith is a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He’s also a frequent guest on Christmas Past and the author of several books about Christmas history and literature. His latest is Searching for Santa Claus: An Anthology of the Poems, Stories, and Illustrations that Shaped a Global Icon. 

Music in this Episode

"Jazz Christmas Music" — Pulsebox, via Pixabay

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)

Today, I'm talking to Alonso Duralde, film critic, podcaster, and author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (2nd Edition).

Music in this episode

"Our Minds Following" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

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)