We're officially kicking off the 2022 season of Christmas Past with a Thanksgiving family gathering, a return to a beloved Bay Area tradition, and a visit to the Cratchit family in London. Cozy up by the fire and welcome the festive season with the entire Christmas Past family.

Many thanks to Denise Lamott, Therese Porter, Kevin Patterson, and everyone at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair for making this episode possible.

Music in this episode

"The Winter Fall by PrabajithK" — Mild Relaxation, via Pixabay

"Relaxing Piano Music" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

"Peace and Comfort" — Dee Yan-Key, via Free Music Archive

"This Christmas" — Hot Music, via Pixabay

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

[email protected]

Facebook page

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

Yes, we return to our traditional favorite songs each year. But there's nothing like discovering a new favorite! If you believe that too, then you're in for a treat! Here are seven Christmas songs from independent musicians to make your days a little merrier and brighter sounding. 

Music in this Episode

• "Dreaming 'Bout Christmas" — Frank and Friends
• "Lonely December" — Lunar Spirit
• "Ugly Sweater Time"  — The Sweaterettes
• "Christmas Lights Through Car Windows" — Amanda Fagan
• "Christmas Carols" — The Predicates
• "Joy to the World" — Amanda Opelt
• "Silent Night" — Sounds and Scapes
• "Deck the Halls B" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

[email protected]

Facebook page

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

It's an annual tradition on Christmas Past: The game of Christmas trivia where you have to spot the lie! Join Todd Killian from Christmas Clatter and I as we quiz listeners Ashley and Laura about Christmas in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Play along and put your Christmas spirit and lie detection skills to the test! 

Music in This Episode

• "This Christmas" — Hot Music, via Pixabay
• "Turning" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

Those of a certain age remember those classic C7 incandescent Christmas bulbs and the soft glow they produced. Sure, LEDs are longer lasting and more energy efficient, but they're just not the same. Michigan artist David Andora is the founder of Tru-Tone, a maker of LED lights that are indistinguishable from the real thing. I recently spoke with David about the company's unlikely origins, its recent viral success, and a certain music star who was blamed for cleaning out their inventory. 

Mentioned in This Episode

• Tru-Tone Website
• Tru-Tone on Instagram
• Tru-Tone on Facebook
• Tru-Tone on Youtube
• Tru-Tone on TikTok
• Tru-Tone on Twitter

Music in This Episode

• "This Christmas" — Hot Music, via Pixabay
• "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Twitter
• Instagram

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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 Halloween, sugarplums! What better way to get into the spooky Christmas spirit than discussing Christmas monsters? Better yet, I'm doing it with a monster expert! Emily Zarka ("Dr. Z") is a professor of English Literature, and the host of the acclaimed PBS series, Monstrum and Exhumed. Join me (if you daaaaare) for an informative discussion about Krampus and the Yule Cat.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Monstrum: https://www.pbs.org/show/monstrum/
• Exhumed: https://www.pbs.org/video/exhumed-a-history-of-zombies-ovvtqc/
• The Yule Cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfWUorR8D60
• Krampus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuSrajd9D8k

Music in This Episode

• "Creepy Music Box" — SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras, via Pixabay
• "This Christmas" — Hot Music, via Pixabay

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Website

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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 story, our hero finds himself stranded on Christmas Eve, alone in an abandoned ship. But is he really alone? It's "Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk," published by Biblioasis, and illustrated by the acclaimed cartoonist, Seth. 

Mentioned in This Episode

http://biblioasis.com/product-category/fiction/seths-christmas-ghost-stories/

Music in This Episode

• "This Christmas" — Hot Music, via Pixabay
• "ghost" — nojisuma, via Pixabay
• "Elf Meditation" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

•  Amazon
•  Barnes & Noble
•  Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Website

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

Time for another ghost story! This one is more sentimental than spooky. It's The Corner Shop, in which a man buys a trinket in a curio shop that turns out to be worth a lot more than he bargained for. It's part of this year's series of ghost stories for Christmas from my friends at Biblioasis. 

Mentioned in This Episode

http://biblioasis.com/product-category/fiction/seths-christmas-ghost-stories/

Music in This Episode

• Christmas Story — Lesfm, via Pixabay
• Mystery 70 MIX — Stock Studio, via Pixabay
•  Endless by PrabajithK — Mild Relaxation, via Pixabay

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Website

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

It's story time once again. Snuggle up, but beware of things that go bump in the night! Today, we're taking a trip of the imagination to a cemetery in France. The dead there are resting peacefully, until a new railway wakes them up! An old priest tries to help them return to rest while he helps the soul of a recently dead countess to find peace. It's Gertrude Atherton's "The Dead and the Countess."

This story is part of Biblioasis's 2022 set of Ghost Stories for Christmas, designed and decorated by the acclaimed cartoonist known only as Seth.

Mentioned in This Episode

Biblioasis Ghost Stories for Christmas: 2022 Edition

Music in This Episode

• "Christmas Day" — Alex MakeMusic, via Pixabay
• "Creepy Music Box" — SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras, via Pixabay
• "Frequency of Sleep Meditation" — Nature's Eye, via Pixabay

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Share a Christmas memory

 Be on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Website

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

Christmas Past is back with the first episode of 2022. We're kicking off the preseason with some good old fashioned story time! This one's for the whole family, so gather round and cozy up...we're heading to the Hollow Tree in for some old fashioned Christmas fun!

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

The Christmas Past book is available for pre-order today, and releases on November 1. Get it in hardcover, e-book, or audio. And remember...it makes a great gift!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• IndieBound

Mentioned in This Episode

• https://mrdogschristmas.com/ 

Music in This Episode

• "Relaxing Music" — Relaxing Time, via Pixabay
• "Morning Light" — Lesfm, via Pixabay

Share a Christmas memory on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Website

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)

Merry Christmas, everyone! The big day has arrived. And it's time for our sixth annual Christmas year in review. We'll recall all the sights, sounds, news, and trends that made this Christmas unique. Plus, I'll review my own Christmas season, and talk about what's to come in 2022. 

Thank you to everyone who took part in the season, by listening, sharing memories, leaving reviews, participating in the Facebook group, and reaching out to say hi.

A very Merry Christmas to all of you, and a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year! 

Thank you to The Great Dickens Christmas Fair for inviting me back to check out its drive-through event, and capturing some audio. 

Music in this episode

• "Wish Background" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Share a Christmas memory on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to [email protected]. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

Keep in touch

• [email protected]
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChristmasPastPodcast
• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173778110150282
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/XmasPastPodcast
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christmaspastofficial/ 

 

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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)