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

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode Wish Background  — Kevin MacLeod via Incompetech Denzel Sprak — BlueDot Sessions, via Free Mus

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.  Links http://markvoger.com/ Holly Jolly on Amazon Music in this episode Turning — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive 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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gma

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

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode The Wassail Song — Chris Friesen, via Nois

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 Association Backstory — Letters to Santa: a 2016 episode of Christmas Past, exploring the history behind this tradition The Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts Music in this episode O Little Town of Bethlehem — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist. Keep in touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram  

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode Music Box Brams Opus 39 - Waltz no 3 — Flying

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 episode Home for the Holidays — Chris Haugen, via YouTube Audio Library 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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode Shooting Star — Dexter Britain, via Free Music Archive Gentle Marimbas — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive Early Morning Snow— Chuck Brown, via Feels Like Christmas Christmas Eve — Borrtex, via Free Music Archive Wish Background  — Kevin MacLeod via Incompetech

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode "The Little Drummer Boy"  — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist "Wish Background"  — Kevin MacLeod via Incompetech

The countdown to the new season of Christmas Past is almost over! Come back on Thanksgiving Day for the season kickoff and for me to wish you a Merry Christmas. Ever wonder why we say "Merry Christmas"? Let's revisit a classic episode of Christmas Past to find out.  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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music from this episode “Gaena” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive “March” — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive “Delicant” — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive “Suppose it Is” — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive “Wish Background” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving! And that means the start of an all new season of Christmas Past. By now you've probably seen Christmas ads and merchandise on the shelves and the airwaves. So let's check out a classic episode from the archive, where Brian tells the story of how Christmas advertising came to be. 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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music from this episode Pipe Dreamz — Matt Oakley, via Free Music Archive Cases to Rest — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive We Wish You — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday, and that's when official 2020 season of Christmas Past begins. As we count down, we're taking a look back at the classic episodes that started it all. Today, it's the 2017 episode about the surprising history behind The Nutcracker.  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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram http://christmaspast.media Music from this episode Pipe Dreamz — Matt Oakley, via Free Music Archive Cases to Rest — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive We Wish You — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech Let There Be Joy — Cathy Oakes, via Feels Like Christmas

We're less than two weeks away from the start of the new season of Christmas Past. Till then, we're revisiting some classics from Christmas Past...past. Today's episode is the last in the original three-part series about the origins of Santa Claus. 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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode Here Comes Santa Claus — Maestros of Swing, via SoundCloud T’was the Night Before Christmas — Clement Clark Moore, via Free Music Archive Cottonwoods — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive Under the Stars — Shady Dave, via FreeSound Sunday Morning — Nicolai Heidlas, via SoundCloud

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, and that means the start of the new "official" season of Christmas Past. Till then, we're revisiting some of the classics from the vault. This time, it's part two of the three part series that started it all.  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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music from this episode Christmas Time is Here — Bruce Levenstein, via SoundCloud March — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive The Time to Run (Finale) — Dexter Britain, via Free Music Archive Shooting Star — Dexter Britain, via Free Music Archive The Zeppelin — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive Golden Hour — Podington Bear, via Free M

It's the countdown to the 2020 Christmas season episodes of Christmas Past! From now till Thanksgiving, we're revisiting some of the classic Christmas Past episodes. Today's is the very first episode of Christmas Past, published on Thanksgiving Day in 2016. It's the first in a three-part series about the origins of Santa Claus. 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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music in this episode Hammer and Damper — The Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive Red City Theme — The Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive I Am Running Down the Hallway of the Viewmont Elementary — Chris Zabriskie, via Free Music Archive Sunset —

Leading up to Thanksgiving Day (when we kick off the 2020 season episodes), we're revisiting some of the classic episodes from the Christmas Past back catalog. This one is the first episode I ever created for Christmas Past: Sugarplums! Even though you hear about sugar plums every Christmas, do you actually know what they are? In this episode we learn the mostly forgotten history of this Christmassy treat. 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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram Music from this episode Just Watching — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy — Pyotr Tchaikovsky, performed by Kevin MacLeod, via Free Music Archive Alone — Shady

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 episode I Saw Three Ships — Audionautix, via YouTube Audio Library 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 http://christmaspast.media

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 touch christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Facebook page Facebook group Twitter Instagram https://christmaspast.media Don't forget to check out the Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts! Music in this episode Quiet Road — Peder B. Helland, via Soothing Relaxation Planet Earth — Peder B. Helland, via Soothing Relaxation