Happy Halloween, everybody! Christmas and Halloween go together perfectly because they have something very special in common: a tradition of telling ghost stories. Today, I'm pleased to introduce you to an all new Christmas ghost story audio drama series, The Midnight Carols. Follow along as a group of Oxford students tell ghost stories on Christmas Eve to gain entry into the mysterious secret society, the Venerable Order of Saint Nicholas of Myra. 

The Midnight Carols is available on all major podcast platforms starting today. You can find more information on their Facebook page, and also on creator Vincent Robert-Nicoud's Website.

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. 

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Music in this episode

"A Little Powder" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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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.

Just in time for Halloween, it's another Christmas ghost story — sorta. This story does involve Christmas, and it does involve a ghost, but it's unlike anything you've ever heard before here on Christmas Past. 

This is a 2017 episode from my other — now-defunct — podcast, Illusion. I thought you might like it. 

Stay subscribed all season long, and stay connected! 

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Send your Christmas memories to appear in an episode this season. Record yourself into your phone's voice memo app, and sent it to the email address above. 

Music in this episode

• "June" — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive
• "Calmant" — Kevin MacLeod, via
• Free Music Archive
• "Snowfall" — Shady Dave, via Freesound
• "Meditation Impromptu 03" — Kevin MacLeod, via Free Music Archive
• "Hark! The Herald Angles Sing" — via NuBeat Music

 

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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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.

It's almost Halloween, so how about a ghost story? Well, this one won't exactly send a shiver down your spine, but maybe it'll get you into the spirit...or at least pass the time on a cool autumn evening. It's the 1893 story, the Wicked Editor's Christmas Dream. 

Music in this episode

"Angel's Dream" — Aakash Ghandi, 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.

Now that it's October, a lot of us are listening to Christmas music to ease our way into the season. Sure, the classics are great, but sometimes you need to hear something new to keep things fresh. In today's episode, you'll hear five new-to-you Christmas songs from some great independent artists! 

Songs featured in this episode

Chrissy Blazier

Soundcloud

Dotcom Davinci

Bandcamp

The Yule Lads

Instagram

Youtube

Montgomery

Instagram

Bandcamp

GRAZE

Bandcamp

Facebook

Other music in this episode

"The Christmas Song" — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist

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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 Christmas stories of 19th century America provide a window into American history itself. These stories reflect the values and politics of pre- and post-Civil-War America, in addition to chronicling the makings of our modern Christmas celebration. 

That's the topic of the new book,  Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America. The author, professor Thomas Ruys Smith from the University of East Anglia, joins me in this episode for a Christmassy literary tour through a century — with many surprises along the way. 

This is our final episode of September. One Ber Month down, three to go! Stay subscribed for more Ber Month fun leading up to the "official" Christmas Past season, starting on Thanksgiving Day. 

Share your Christmas memories on the podcast! Record a voice memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast at g mail dot com

Music in this episode

"Allie Mine" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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• Email: [email protected]
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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.

Today, we're returning to an old crowd favorite: the game where you have to spot the lie! Test your Christmas spirit, deception detection, and knowledge of the 80s with this all new Ber Months bonus episode. 

Join me, along with Todd Killian from Christmas Clatter and Gerry Davilla from Totally Rad Christmas for a game of two truths and a lie. This game has a special twist. Its a three-round game, taking place on three different podcasts! On Christmas Past, you'll hear round one, where yours truly quizzes Todd and Gerry on Christmas of 1980 - 1983. 

Stay subscribed for more Christmas fun throughout the Ber Months, and into the Christmas season. 

Music in this episode

"A Peaceful Winter" — Scott Holmes, via Free Music Archive

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

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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.

Brian reads the 1896 short story, The Burglar's Christmas, by Willa Cather. 

Welcome to another Ber Months bonus episode, sugarplums! I love these classic Christmas stories to help me get into the spirit. Today's story is bit of a 'prodigal son' story that takes place on Christmas Eve. 

tay subscribed for more fun and surprises throughout September and October, and beyond. 

It's never too early to send a Christmas memory to appear on the show this year. The earlier the better, actually! Record a voice memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast [at] g mail

Music in this episode

"On Top of itTAL" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

Connect

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• Bluesky
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• Email: [email protected]
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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.

It's one of the strangest cases from the pages of American Military history. A Christmas party in 1826 at the United States Military Academy at Westpoint that spun out of control, and would be known forevermore as the Eggnog Riot. 

Welcome to the Ber Months, everyone! Christmas Past is back to bring some Christmas cheer to the early fall, as we ramp up to the official Christmas season. Stay subscribed for more fun and surprises throughout September and October, and beyond. 

It's never too early to send a Christmas memory to appear on the show this year. The earlier the better, actually! Record a voice memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast [at] g mail

Music in this episode

• "Just Stay" — Aakash Ghandi, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Almost in F - Tranquility" — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Springtime" — Gillicuddy, via Free Music Archive
• "Three Little Drummers from the George Washington Show" — The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, via Free Music Archive

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

Connect

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• Email: [email protected]
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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.

Happy April, everyone. We're back with a festive, Jeopardy-inspired game of Christmas trivia. Bob and Mary Ellen from Illinois recently invited me to put my Christmas spirit to the test. Play along and see how your knowledge of arcane Christmas trivia stacks up against yours truly's! 

Music in this episode

Midsummer Sky — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library

Keep in touch

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

Be sure to check out the "Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts"

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. 

In 1900, an ornithologist suggested replacing the traditional Christmas morning hunt with a "bird census." It's an idea that has been carried out each year since then. The Christmas Bird Count is an important project that contributes to our understanding of bird populations. And you can get involved! 

Links

Join the Christmas Bird Count page

Music in this Episode

•  Cottonwoods — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
•  Labranche — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
•  Cast and Favor — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago

Connect

• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Twitter / X
• Email: [email protected]
• Website

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.