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December is supposed to be warm, joyful, and magical.

So why does it also feel loud, expensive, exhausting, and emotionally charged?

I’m Rab Greeson and in this episode of One Up the Annals, we take a Dickens-style journey through the traditions of December guided by three ghosts who know exactly why this season hits the way it does.

We explore:

• Why Christmas trees were once fire hazards and survival symbols
• How lights went from “don’t die in the dark” to neighborhood competitions
• The strange, sacred, and occasionally unhinged origins of mistletoe, caroling, stockings, eggnog, fruitcake, and flying reindeer
• How December traditions transformed into performances, surveillance, and consumer rituals
• Why modern Christmas feels louder than ever and what we might want to carry forward instead

This isn’t about canceling Christmas.

It’s about understanding it.

From pagan fire rituals to mall Santas, from survival to spectacle, from quiet generosity to public performance, December has always been watching.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s trying to remind us of something.

Where December becomes legend…

It’s in the Annals.

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