Christmas Past

They're the spiced cookie with the funny sounding (to American ears) name. Pfeffernusse — or, "pepper nuts" in English — contain neither pepper nor nuts. And for centuries, the original recipe has been a closely guarded secret. Baker and podcaster Glen Warren joins me in this episode.  Mentioned in This Episode Seasons Eatings Podcast Music in This Episode "The Poplar Grove" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Midvinter" — Scott Buckley, via scottbuckley.com.au "Felix Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words" Vassily Primakov, via Free Music Archive "The First Noel - Silent Night" — Ralph Rousseau Meulenbroeks, via Magnatune Compilation "Piano Moment" — Zakhar Valaha Music, via Pixabay "Jingle Bells" — Scott Holmes Music, 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!

Those decorative tins filled with three kinds of popcorn have been a Christmas staple for decades. But...why? In this episode, we find out — by asking the guy responsible for the whole thing! Music in This Episode "Blue Latex" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" — Ahmadmusic, via Pixabay "Sticktop" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Jul" — Scott Buckley, via scottbuckley.com.au "Tiled Chamber" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Jingle Bells" — Scott Holmes Music, 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 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 christmas

It's fluffy, sweet, and studded with raisins and candied fruit peel. It's the Italian Christmas cake known as Panettone. Get ready to talk with your hands, along with me and Max Miller of Tasting History as we dig in.  Mentioned in This Episode Tasting History Music in This Episode "Bushwick Tarantella" — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library "Saloon Piano - Ragtime Retro Vintage Jazz Comedy Music" — FreeGroove, via Pixabay "We Three Kings" — James Edwards, via Magnatune Compilation "PianoCello" — Reverie Now, via Pixabay "Pop Vibration" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Good King Wenceslas" — Richard Irwin, via Hymns Without Words "Jingle Bells" — Scott Holmes Music, 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 ph

Cozy up with the Christmas Past family for some reminiscing! It's one of our favorite annual traditions...where I turn things over to you and let you guide my sleigh tonight on a trip down memory lane! Music in this episode "Instrument 12092021" — orangiromusik, 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 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 Website

Most of the classic American Christmas songs come from the 1940s. What was it about that decade that accounts for an explosion of Christmas music that's stood the test of time? What is it about those songs that sounds so Christmassy? And why are Christmas classics so few and far between in recent generations? Join me and Berklee College of Music professor Chris North to dive in!  Music in This Episode "Sleigh Ride" — Marcus Staab, via Musopen "Home for the Holidays" — Track Tribe, via Youtube Audio Library "Christmas Jazz" — Audio Coffee, via Pixabay "171221 - jazz style piano / day / happy / love / life" — WELC0MEИ0, via Pixabay "Christmas Magic Night" — Lesfm, via Pixabay "Night Jazz" — Music for Videos, 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 phon

Strictly speaking, a Christmas carol is a song that tells the Nativity story. That's what made Edmund Sears's song, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" so unusual when he wrote it. It didn't tell the story of Jesus's birth; it told the story of how people reacted to the news. This "humanist carol"  arrived at a time when music itself was in the midst of some major changes.  Music in This Episode "Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 no. 2" — Aya Higuchi, via Musopen "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library "Lullaby for a King" — Cathy Oakes, via Feels Like Christmas "Endless by PrabajithK"—Mild Relaxation, via Pixabay "Night Jazz" — Music for Videos, via Pixabay Piano samples from "Carol" and "Noel" generously played by Carrie from the Christmas Past family! Buy the Christmas Past Book! Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift! Amazon Barnes & Nobl

They're the festive party favors containing a paper crown, a trinket, and a joke — and wrapped in a package that goes "bang" when you open it! Christmas Crackers are an invention of the Victorian age. And more specifically, one confectioner named Tom Smith. Smith single handedly created a tradition that has endured for generations.  Mentioned in This Episode Peter Kimpton's Website Tom Smith's Christmas Crackers — Book by Peter Kimpton Music in This Episode "The Kishner Method" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Forget" — Lesfm, via Pixabay "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen Christmas Piano Background Music" — Lesfm, via Pixabay "Sedative" — Lesfm, via Pixabay "Stress Relief Piano" — PianoAmor, via Pixabay "Night Jazz" — Music for Videos, 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 mem

"Father Christmas"...that's what they call Santa Claus in England, right? Well, sort of, but there's more to it than that. Join me and guest professor Gerry Bowler to look into the origins of this often misunderstood Christmas character.  Music in This Episode "A Peaceful Winter" — Scott Holmes, via Free Music Archive "Sentimental Light Hopeful Tender Piano" — Ashot-Danielyan-Composer, via Pixabay "Classical Piano And Cello" — Ashot-Danielyan-Composer, via Pixabay "Romanesca" — Cheryl Ann Fulton, via Magnatune Compilation "I Saw Three Ships" — James Edwards, via Magnatune Compilation "Modern Christmas Full no Santa" —Muzaproduction, 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it re

It's the theater experience that's as rollicking and raucous as it is festive! And it's also mostly unknown to American audiences. Join Brian in this episode to hear all about the British tradition of Pantomime. Mentioned in This Episode http://www.evolution-productions.co.uk/ https://www.vam.ac.uk/ Music in This Episode "Vaquero Perdido" — The Mini Vandals, via Youtube Audio Library "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech "Dona Norem" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Twinkle Like a Star" — Monday Hopes, via Pixabay "Ding Dong Merrily on High" — Steve's Bedroom Band, via Musopen "Snowflakes - Winter & Christmas Swing Music" — Julius H, 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 i

Since the early 1930s, Rockefeller Center has been home to an enormous Christmas tree, elaborately decorated and introduced each season with great fanfare and spectacle. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has become America's Christmas tree. Christine Roussel, the official Archivist of Rockefeller Center, joins Brian to tell the tale of this iconic institution.  Music in This Episode "The Broker" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Angels We Have Heard on High - Hark The Herald Angels Sing" — James Edwards, via Magnatune Compilation "Glow"— Scott Buckley, via scottbuckley.com.au "A Jazz Piano" — Music for Videos, via Pixabay "Owl's Christmas" — Owl Glance, via Pixabay "Jingle Bells Violin (Main)" — Daddy's 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 reco

They were a symbol of the Space Age and then, quickly, they were a relic of the past. Aluminum Christmas trees burst onto the Christmas scene in the late 1950s and reached peak popularity during the 60s. And then...they were gone. But a new generation is discovering the kitschy, retro charm of this uniquely American invention.  Mentioned in This Episode The Evergleam Book, by Theron Georges Theron Georges's Aluminum Christmas Tree displays Music in This Episode "Dunder" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive "Acoustic Motivation" — Coma Media, via Pixabay "O Christmas Tree - O Tannenbaum - Piano Christmas Carol" — JuliusH, via Pixabay "Silent Night" — Zakhar Valaha Music, via Pixabay “Shades of Spring” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech "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  B

It's the universal symbol of the Christmas season: a tree (typically a fir) adorned with ornaments and lights. But...what does any of that have to do with Christmas? The Christmas tree has a long history. But only fairly recently has it become especially common in homes at Christmas time.  Music in this episode "Eternal Hope" — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library "O Christmas Tree - Ernst Anshutz Christmas Piano Music" — Lesfm, via Pixabay "March" — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive "Ambient Piano" — Balance Bay, via Pixabay "Greensleeves" — Lesfm, via Lesfm.net "Christmas Atmosphere" — Lesfm, 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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be

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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean an

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 christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it rea

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 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 Website

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

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 you

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 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

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 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

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