John Gluck was a workaday customs broker who dreamed of bigger things. So when he heard that the Postal Service needed help with letters to Santa, he came forward with a plan to get the letters into the hands of donors. With a little help from a troop of boy scouts, John Gluck and his Santa Claus Association did the (seemingly) impossible.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
It's June 25, and that means we're exactly halfway to Christmas! The occasion has come to be known as Leon Day, but nobody's really sure how that all got started. But one thing's for sure: many crafters recognize it as the day to get started on their Christmas crafting. In this episode, I get some insight from Holly, a crafter from Missouri. We also hear from Mary in Ireland, who shares some of her memories about celebrating \"halfway to Christmas.\"
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
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. Professor Thomas Ruys Smith, author of the new book, \"Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America,\" joins me in this episode for a Christmassy literary tour through a century - with many surprises...
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Continuing where we left off in part 1, we continue exploring the legend of St. Nicholas. This time, we look at how many cultures left their own imprint on the legend as it spread across Europe.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Now that Halloween is behind us, it's officially Christmastime! Time for a mug of cocoa, some foofy jammies, and the Hallmark Channel. Today, Brandon Gray, co-host of Deck the Hallmark, recalls some of the best, worst, and most romantic ones reviewed in his new book, I'll Be Home For Christmas Movies
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
Christmas in Quarantine: Day 9. Today's installment is a trip back to when the crooners crooned and the eggnog was always spiked. Join me and my guests Todd Killian from Christmas Clatter and Jenna Knorr from Welcome to Tinsel Town as we discuss the 1968 variety special, The Dean Martin Christmas Show. Stay subscribed, because there will be a new episode of Christmas Past every day until we're all in the clear!
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It's Christmas Past's first live show! Join Tim Babb from Can't Wait for Christmas and Brian Earl for an hour of games, music, and conversation, recorded outside the Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco. This is the first time the Dickens Fair has hosted a live podcast recording.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
It's the basis for summer sales, Hallmark movie marathons, and memes and hashtags strewn across social media. But what exactly is Christmas in July? And where did it come from?
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Christmas in Quarantine: Day 1. Everyone is housebound amid the COVID-19 crisis, and lots of us are putting up our Christmas decorations again to cope! Today I'm introducing \"Christmas in Quarantine,\" an impromptu miniseries of indeterminate length. I'll release one new episode every day until the crisis subsides. Today, I bring you Frank L. Baum's 1904 classic, \"A Kidnapped Santa Claus.\"
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By popular request, this episode is dedicated solely to your Christmas memories!
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
We're in the Ber Months now, so get ready for some bonus episodes as we ease our way into the 2019 Christmas season! Joanna Wilson is an author, blogger, and podcaster who studies Christmas entertainment. In this episode, I share part of her five-part series about that topic. Enjoy this bonus episode, then go to Christmas TV History to check out the rest.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
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!
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
A Charlie Brown Christmas became one of the most successful Christmas television specials ever. But the odds were stacked against it in 1965. Written and produced under a crazy deadline, the network executives were sure it would flop like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But of course, things turned out differently.
Topics: Podcast, Christmas, Holiday, Holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
The first Christmas lights appeared in 1882, and would forever change the scenery at Christmas time.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Christmas in Quarantine: Day 2. Today's installment marks the first of a five part series where I read each of the five story/essays from Washington Irving's \"Old Christmas from the Sketchbook of Washington Irving.\" The first piece, \"Christmas\" is a love letter to the season and the Christmas spirit.
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In this special bonus miniseries, Rikki Meece from the Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe Christmas Podcast narrates the classic story, When the Yule Log Burns, by Leona Dalrymple. This is a four-part miniseries, with episodes arriving on four consecutive days starting December 12.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
It's our last \"preseason\" get-together before Thanksgiving. And I'm ready to share a WICKED BIG Announcement with the Christmas Past family. Plus, I share some new Christmas podcast recommendations, and one of my own Christmas memories.
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Miracle on 34th Street doesn't fit today's standards for what makes a movie Christmassy. It involved a cynical child and a Santa Claus who gets locked up in a mental health institution before undergoing a public psych hearing. Not only that, but the movie was released in June of 1947. And yet, it has gone on to become not only a beloved movie, but also a cherished tradition. How did that happen? We'll find out with the help of film critic Alonso Duralde.
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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.
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What happens when a Christmas tree from a secret admirer comes between a young woman and her fiance in New York in 1902? That's the subject of the new Christmas audio drama from Sagacity Productions: \"Christmas on Henry Street.\" This one-hour program, based on real events, will air on several NPR affiliate stations in December. Christmas Past is pleased to share it with you in this special full-length presentation.
Topics: Podcast, Christmas, Holiday, Holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
It's Christmas Eve! No matter how you celebrate, or where you celebrate, or who you call family, I hope you're feeling the Christmas spirit right about now. And I, as well as several members of the Christmas Past family, are here to deliver just a little bit more of it.
Topics: Podcast, Christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Just who is Mrs Claus? A token character, destined to play second fiddle? A grandmotherly figure baking cookies? The queen of Christmas? The CEO of the North Pole? Since her off-hand introduction in 1849, the story of Mrs. Claus has been one of a legend that's been writing itself.
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Christmas in Quarantine: Day 16: Today, we're heading back to the 80s, when all you needed for a cartoon Christmas special was a bestselling toy and a flimsy storyline. Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls tells the story of a group of Wacky Wall Walkers who come to earth from a distant planet to discover the true meaning of Christmas. I'm joined by Chris and Kris from Christmas Time in the City and Mike from Snow in Southtown for this very 80s episode.
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It's Christmas Eve. It's all been building up to this: tonight and tomorrow - basically one continuous celebration with a long winter's nap in the middle of it. It's the ideal day for reminiscing about Christmases past. And so, as you and I spend part of Christmas Eve together, I'm so happy to present the fourth and final memories episode for the season.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
In 1955, a misplaced phone call unwittingly created an annual Christmas tradition. It's a story shrouded in a bit of mystery, a lot of Christmas spirit, and a sworn duty to ensure Santa's safe passage through open airspace. Find out why NORAD tracks Santa on Christmas Eve.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
In the 80s it was only possible, but likely, that any popular toy would have its own line of spinoff merchandise, a breakfast cereal, and a Saturday morning cartoon. And if it was popular enough...it got a Christmas special. 1985 gave us The Glo Friends Save Christmas. I recently caught up with some of my Christmas podcasting colleagues to discuss the good, the bad, and the head-scratchingly absurd about this largely forgotten cartoon special.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Christmas in Quarantine: Day 13. Today's installment is a devious twist on Christmas trivia. We're playing a game of Two Truths and a Lie. Join me and Todd Killian from Christmas Clatter, and Gerry Davila from the forthcoming podcast, Totally Rad Christmas, as we challenge each other to separate fact from fiction!Christmas in Quarantine is Christmas Past's impromptu miniseries of indeterminate length. Stay subscribed for one new episode each day until things settle down on the COVID-19 crisis.
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Welcome back for the second consecutive day of Christmas trivia! It's the conclusion of our special double header. Join us today when Rachel plays quizmaster to Brian in a game of \"Sheperdy.\" We're in the final countdown to Christmas of 2021, but rest assured: there's much more Christmas cheer on tap between now and the big day!
Topics: Podcast, Christmas, Holiday, Holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
At the turn of the 20th century, the idea of kids writing letters to Santa Claus was still new. Post offices, newspapers, and charities publicly disputed how to handle the letters. It was a logistical and public relations problem, which would take a clever plan to address.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
I'm back with another Ber Months Bonus episode. This week, I read the classic short story by Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Match Girl.
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It's another installment of Christmas in Quarantine! Today we're getting bookish with Carrie Mercer, host of Christmas Book Review. Join us for a literary celebration of the season, and discover some new stories to add to your reading list. And listen for details, because Carrie is giving away a copy of Jon Clinch's new novel, Marley!
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
When this episode arrives, there will be only 10 days remaining until Christmas of 2021. It's a good point in the season to take a breather and snuggle up with a story from the world of classic Christmas fiction. Today, I'm reading The Christmas Fairy, an 1878 story by John Strange Winter. It's a story for the whole family, about a schoolboy whose plans for Christmas take an unexpected turn.
Topics: Podcast, Christmas, Holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
The song now known as \"Jingle Bells\" is synonymous with Christmas, even though it never mentions Christmas by name. There's much more to the story of this beloved song than you ever could have imagined. Tracing its history will take us through Boston minstrel halls, \"sleigh ride culture,\" and a feud between two American towns that each claim to be the song's birthplace.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
La buche du Noel is a festively eye-catching dessert from France. And it wouldn't have been possible if not for a nineteenth century urbanization trend and the widespread availability of cheap sugar.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
When the first department store Santa appeared in 1890, it wasn't just a cross section of Christmas and commerce. It was also a major step in the evolution of Santa Claus.
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Pack an umbrella and a jumper, because the next stop for Christmas Around the World is the UK. This month, Chantelle and her guest Nadine give us the history and traditions that make a British Christmas...British! Stay subscribed to Christmas Past, for episodes all throughout the year. And if you leave a review on Apple Podcasts, I'll send you a sticker to say thanks. Contact me for details at christmaspast.media/contact.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletideuk,...
Christmas of 2019 has come and gone, but the Christmas season never truly ends here at Christmas Past. And next year, that's truer than ever. Yup...we're going year round! Join Christmas Past twice monthly (at least) throughout the year for lots of new content, including the new spinoff series, Christmas Around the World with Chantelle Joy from All Things Christmas.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Christmas Past is getting ready to return for the 2017 Christmas season with a fresh batch of stories behind your favorite holiday traditions. The first episode arrives on Thanksgiving Day. And this season has in store more of what you've come to love: fascinating histories, interesting guests, and Christmas memories from listeners. You can share your own by recording a voice memo on your phone and sending it to christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
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.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
We're back for part two of this special four part miniseries. Rikki Meece from the Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe Christmas Podcast narrates the classic story, When the Yule Log Burns, by Leona Dalrymple. Episodes arrive on four consecutive days starting December 12.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Christmas in Quarantine: Day 18. Today's installment is another story, this time a contemporary one. Our friend Sarah Tipper has given us another story from her collection, Tales to Take You to Christmas. Stay subscribed for daily episodes!
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It's January, so we're still in the afterglow of Christmas! So we start off sharing some memories about what made Christmas special last year. Then join me for a conversation with Joshua Reid-Davis, who will emcee the Christmas in July convention this summer in Nashville.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletidein,...
I'm back with another Ber Months Bonus episode! This time, I read you the classic Christmas story, \"The Gift of the Magi\" and also share some special announcements.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
With the holiday season just weeks away, I thought now would be the perfect time to tell you about the Christmas Past podcast.Subscribe now on iTunes or however you get your podcasts, and visit me at christmaspastpodcast.com
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
We're back for part three of this special four part miniseries. Rikki Meece from the Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe Christmas Podcast narrates the classic story, When the Yule Log Burns, by Leona Dalrymple. Episodes arrive on four consecutive days starting December 12.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
Christmas in Quarantine: Day 8. Today's installment is a challenging game of Christmas trivia! Join me along with Lee Cameron of The Christmas Stocking, Tim Babb from Can't Wait for Christmas, Thom Crowe from Tis the Podcast, and Joanna Wilson from Christmas TV history as we put your Christmas spirit to the test. Stay subscribed, because there will be a new episode of Christmas Past every day until we're all in the clear!
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
It's our first family gathering of the season...the kind dedicated to members of the Christmas Past family and their Christmas memories. Pour the hot chocolate and snuggle up by the tree! It's time for a trip down memory lane.
Topics: Podcast, Christmas, Holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule, yuletide
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.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
According to legend, a little girl named Pepita saw her humble nativity offering of roadside weeds miraculously transform into bright red flowers on Christmas eve. For generations, the legend was part of the Christmas celebration for many communities in Mexico. And that's where it could have stayed, if it weren't for a man named Poinset. The story of how the poinsettia came to America and how they came to be so ubiquitous at Christmas, has some strange twists and turns in it.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
Christmas trees are for decorating, admiring, and placing decoratively wrapped gifts underneath. But how about...for eating? Baker and designer Julia Georgalis joins me in this episode to discuss her new book, How to Eat Your Christmas Tree. It's the result of a five-year culinary experiment centered around sustainability at Christmas time.
Topics: Podcast, christmas, holiday, holidays, nostalgia, season, seasonal, winter, xmas, yule,...
