Christmas Past

It's a first! The 2020 season of Christmas Past includes multiple episode dedicated just to you and your Christmas memories. So let's cozy up by the fire and reminisce with the rest of the Christmas Past family with some treasured memories from our listeners. Don't forget to check out the Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts! Links A Cozy Christmas podcast Your Creative Brief Youtube channel 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from.  Keep in touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Brian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

The mince pie is one of the least understood, most maligned, and sometimes subversive Christmas traditions we have. And yet, it’s still here. With its pastry crust and spiced — and often, boozy — fruit filling, it’s a survivor. And its story touches on hallucinogens, Prohibition, food preservation, the Puritans, and a Christmas dessert with a bad-boy reputation. A dessert that’s as American as, well...as American as mince pie. Thanks to Veronique Greenwood for appearing in this episode.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic in this episodeWish Background  — Kevin MacLeod via IncompetechDenzel Sprak — BlueDot Sessions, via Free Music ArchiveBurne

I'm back with another surprise episode. This time, author Mark Voger and I talk about Christmas nostalgia in popular culture. It's the topic of his new book, Holly Jolly. Linkshttp://markvoger.com/ Holly Jolly on AmazonMusic in this episodeTurning — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music ArchiveBe 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

When is a Christmas movie not a Christmas movie? Well, for starters, when it’s released in August. But even more so, when it arrives before a time when the very notion of Christmas movies even existed. Christmas in Connecticut checks all of the boxes of a Christmas movie. Its events occur over Christmas, and there's plenty of Christmas imagery. But at the time of its release, Christmas movies didn't really exist. But of course they do today, and it's mostly thanks a single, revolutionary, invention that would change Christmas forever. Thanks you Alonso Duralde, author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, for appearing in this episode.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.com

It's my favorite episode of the year: the one that's all about YOU and your Christmas memories. For the past four seasons straight, Christmas Past has presented an episode filled with Christmas memories from listeners all over the world. Is 2020 the first year that there will be more than one episode like this? Only you can decide that. There's still time to send Christmas memories to appear in this season. Check out the ThreeKicksPodcast from Chris, who appears in this episode Don't forget to check out the Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts! 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from.  Keep in touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Brian is getting ready to return for the

Nowadays, wassail, like sugarplums or hot buttered rum, is a part of the Christmas season that most of us experience mainly through references in songs and stories and artwork. But this old English custom is about much more than sharing a cup of good cheer. It’s about one of the parts of Christmas that’s mostly likely destined to remain stuck in Christmas past: inverting the normal rules of social order...with a little help from alcohol.Thanks to Conrad Bladey, author of the five-volume The Book of Wassail, for appearing in this episode.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic in this episodeThe Wassail Song — Chris Friesen, via NoisetradeSlow Toe

Dana Nachman is the director / writer / producer of Dear Santa. This new documentary follows various people involved in the US Postal Service's century-old "Operation Santa" program, which helps get children's letters to Santa Claus answered. Dear Santa is available on several major streaming platforms. Check this listing to see how you can watch it at home. You can also watch this interview on YouTube!Mentioned in this episode My Dear Santa: A True Crime Christmas Caper: Christmas Past's six-part miniseries about John Gluck and the Santa Claus AssociationBackstory — Letters to Santa: a 2016 episode of Christmas Past, exploring the history behind this traditionThe Definitive Directory of Christmas PodcastsMusic in this episodeO Little Town of Bethlehem — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist.Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagram Brian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Chr

Snow globes are one of those items that seems like it could have been around forever.  But they are a relatively new invention, and it wasn’t until decades after their invention that they’d become more or less exclusively a Christmas decoration. And that’s a story involving shoemakers, World War II, Austrian souvenir shops, baby food, and a super top secret process for creating fake snow. That literally only one person on earth knows.Thank you to Erwin Perzy III of Original Viennese Snowglobe Manufacture for appearing in this episode.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic in this episodeMusic Box Brams Opus 39 - Waltz no 3 — Flying Deer FX, via

In this bonus episode, Brian's Christmas spirit is put to the test with a fun-filled game of Christmas trivia. This…is…Sherperdy! Today, we take a little break from the typical action. Normally this time of year, the episodes feature the backstories to Christmas traditions and Christmas memories. But a very special member of the Christmas Past family invited yours truly to play a game of Christmas trivia. So, play along at home and see how you do!Thanks again to Rachel in New York for inviting me to play.  You can also watch this game on YouTube. Music in this episodeHome for the Holidays — Chris Haugen, via YouTube Audio LibraryBe 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook

For something so closely tied to Christmas — whose very image and flavor is practically synonymous with the season —  it may be surprising to realize that origins of candy canes are something of a sweet mystery.Thanks to Kirk Vashaw, CEO of Spangler Candy Company, for appearing in this episode.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic in this episodeShooting Star — Dexter Britain, via Free Music ArchiveGentle Marimbas — Podington Bear, via Free Music ArchiveEarly Morning Snow— Chuck Brown, via Feels Like ChristmasChristmas Eve — Borrtex, via Free Music ArchiveWish Background  — Kevin MacLeod via IncompetechBrian is getting ready to return for the 2

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Well here we are at the beginning of another Christmas season together. This is Christmas season number five for Christmas Past. Today we're ringing in the 2020 Christmas season with a reading of the 1922 story, The Velveteen Rabbit. 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic in this episode"The Little Drummer Boy"  — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist"Wish Background"  — Kevin MacLeod via IncompetechBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick o

We're kicking off November of 2020 with a visit from an old friend. Alex Palmer, author of  The Santa Claus Man, appeared in Christmas Past's miniseries,  My Dear Santa,: A True Crime Christmas Caper. Now he's back with a new book,  The Atlas of Christmas. Join Alex and me for a discussion some of the fun, quirky Christmas traditions around the world that we miss out on here in America.Don't forget to check out the  Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts!Music in this episodeI Saw Three Ships — Audionautix, via YouTube Audio LibraryShare a Christmas memory on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramhttp://christmaspast.mediaBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christm

Just in time for Halloween, it's a story about a very creepy game of hide that takes place on Christmas Eve. Happy Halloween! Christmas Past is back for another Ber Months Bonus episode, for those of us getting an early start on the Christmas season. Share a Christmas memory on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramhttps://christmaspast.mediaDon't forget to check out the  Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts!Music in this episodeQuiet Road — Peder B. Helland, via Soothing RelaxationPlanet Earth — Peder B. Helland, via Soothing RelaxationBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

We're almost to the end of October. The countdown to Christmas is in full swing, and I'm back again with another Ber Months Bonus episode. This time it's another forgotten work of Christmas fiction: the 1917 short story "It was the same Christmas morning," by Cyrus Townsend Brady.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic in this episodePlanet Earth — Peder B. Helland, via Soothing RelaxationHeartstrings — Dave Depper, via NeedledropBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

It's mid-October and that means the countdown to the countdown to Christmas is in full swing! Christmas cards and panettones are starting to appear on the shelves. Maybe you're even starting to think about Christmas dinner. So was the protagonist of this episode's short story. I'm reading the 1895 story, published anonymously, called My Christmas Dinner. It's a comedy of manners about a narrator who turns down one Christmas dinner invitation after another, holding out for the "ideal" Christmas invitation to arrive.I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I enjoyed reading it!Don't forget 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Keep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramMusic

In today's episode, Brian reads the1917 short story titled 'The Lone Scout's Christmas,' by Cyrus Townsend Brady. It's the story of a grieving boy facing a Christmas in an unfamiliar place, when he finds himself stranded in the snow. But he uses his scouting skills to bring everything to a satisfyingly Christmassy conclusion.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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. Music in this episodeRelaxing Piano Music — Kevin MacLeod, via IncompetechCottonwoods — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music ArchiveKeep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our

We’re back for the ninth and final installment of the 1918 YA novel, “Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains (or: A Christmas Success Against Odds).” It’s part of Christmas Past’s “Ber Months Bonus” series of episodes for those of us getting an early start on the Christmas season.Be sure to check out the "Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts" over at christmaspast.mediaMusic in this episodeWe Are the Rain — Aakash Gandhi via YouTube Audio LibraryRelaxing Piano Music — Kevin MacLeod, via IncompetechKeep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

We’re back for the eighth (and next-to-last) installment of the 1918 YA novel, “Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains (or: A Christmas Success Against Odds).” It’s part of Christmas Past’s “Ber Months Bonus” series of episodes for those of us getting an early start on the Christmas season.Stay subscribed for more Christmas fun throughout the Ber Months all the way up to Thanksgiving Day when the REAL Christmas season episodes begin. Music in this episode“Relaxing Piano Music” — Kevin MacLeod, via IncompetechThe Christmas Song — Don Maue, shared directly by the artistKeep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

We're back for the seventh installment of the 1918 YA novel, "Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains (or: A Christmas Success Against Odds)." It's part of Christmas Past's "Ber Months Bonus" series of episodes for those of us getting an early start on the Christmas season.As the countdown to Christmas grows shorter, the danger grows higher for the girls of the Flamingo Camp Fire. Find out what peril this episode has in store!Stay subscribed for new installments every few days over the next couple of weeks!Music in this episode“Relaxing Piano Music” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" — Don Maue, shared directly by the artistKeep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason. 

We're back for the sixth installment of the 1918 YA novel, "Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains (or: A Christmas Success Against Odds)." It's part of Christmas Past's "Ber Months Bonus" series of episodes for those of us getting an early start on the Christmas season.We're now about halfway through the story and in this installment, the action takes a breather, while the Christmas spirit ramps up a bit in Hollyhill. Stay subscribed for new installments every few days over the next couple of weeks!Music in this episode“Relaxing Piano Music” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech"Gaena" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music ArchiveKeep in touchchristmaspastpodcast@gmail.comFacebook pageFacebook groupTwitterInstagramBrian is getting ready to return for the 2024 Christmas season with an all new series of episodes. Join Christmas Past on Halloween for our traditional ghost story to kick off the preseason.