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Christmas Past
Brian Earl
226 episodes
2 days ago
Happy Halloween, everyone! πŸ‘»πŸŽƒ And welcome to the 2025 pre-season for Christmas Past. For the past several years now, we've kicked off the pre-season with a ghost story from my friends at Biblioasis Publishing. They publish a series of three ghost stories for Christmas every year, beautifully designed and illustrated by the acclaimed artist known only as Seth. Today, I'm narrating Rosemary Temperley's short story, "The Mistress in Black." Check These Out πŸŽ„ Biblioasis Publishing's Ghost Stories...
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Society & Culture
Kids & Family
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All content for Christmas Past is the property of Brian Earl and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Happy Halloween, everyone! πŸ‘»πŸŽƒ And welcome to the 2025 pre-season for Christmas Past. For the past several years now, we've kicked off the pre-season with a ghost story from my friends at Biblioasis Publishing. They publish a series of three ghost stories for Christmas every year, beautifully designed and illustrated by the acclaimed artist known only as Seth. Today, I'm narrating Rosemary Temperley's short story, "The Mistress in Black." Check These Out πŸŽ„ Biblioasis Publishing's Ghost Stories...
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Society & Culture
Kids & Family
Episodes (20/226)
Christmas Past
Story Time: The Mistress in Black
Happy Halloween, everyone! πŸ‘»πŸŽƒ And welcome to the 2025 pre-season for Christmas Past. For the past several years now, we've kicked off the pre-season with a ghost story from my friends at Biblioasis Publishing. They publish a series of three ghost stories for Christmas every year, beautifully designed and illustrated by the acclaimed artist known only as Seth. Today, I'm narrating Rosemary Temperley's short story, "The Mistress in Black." Check These Out πŸŽ„ Biblioasis Publishing's Ghost Stories...
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3 days ago
31 minutes

Christmas Past
Christmas 2024 (plus listener memories)
The big day is here, and so is our final episode of 2024. As we so do every year, we'll take a look back at all the news, trends, sights, and sounds that made this Christmas what it was. We'll also hear some Christmas memories from the Christmas Past family. Thank you for another wonderful season. I'll see you next year. Merry Christmas! Music in this episode "Jazz Podcast Night Relaxing Vibes" β€” Denis Pavlov, via Pixabay"Wish Background" β€” Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech"Calm Piano Music" β€” P...
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10 months ago
25 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Wren Day
The small, unassuming wren may be nothing much to look at, but wait till it starts singing. Its loud, complex songs, and its tendency to sing them throughout winter, has earned it the title of β€œKing of Birds.” But on December 26, the king is dead. Wren Day is a traditional hunting of the wren, followed by celebrations that include disguise, door-to-door visiting and parading, and song. It’s certainly one of our most strange and mysterious Christmas customs, a mixture of Celtic mythology, old ...
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10 months ago
12 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: The Yule Lads
One by one, over a series of nights during Christmastime in Iceland, the Yule Lads come down from a mountain, making mischief, rewarding good behavior and punishing bad. These lovable scamps are unique melding of folkloric traditions, and a reminder that Christmas once was β€” and still can be β€” haunted and scary. Terry Gunnell, professor emeritus of folkloristics at the University of Iceland, joins Brian to tell the story. Thanks also to Baldur Gylfa for appearing in this episode! Music in thi...
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10 months ago
12 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Ded Moroz
Ded Moroz ("Grandfather Frost"), went from folk tale to fairy tale, from beloved symbol of Christmas to exile, and then back to beloved symbol, all in surprisingly short order. It’s a story of ups and downs, set against the backdrop of a violent social and political revolution, and which resulted in a strange stint as the β€œSoviet Santa Claus.” Karen Petrone, University of Kentucky history professor and author of Life Has Become More Joyous, Comrades, joins Brian to tell the story. ...
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10 months ago
13 minutes

Christmas Past
Your Christmas Memories 2024
Once again it’s time for one of my favorite traditions here on Christmas Past: dedicating an entire episode to you and your Christmas memories! I love these little glimpses into other people’s lives, families, memories, and all the different ways that Christmas can be celebrated and loved and made special and personal. So, get cozy. You’re invited to another Christmas Past family gathering, and trip down memory lane. Music in this episode "Cozy Jazz Podcast Music with Christmas Bells" β€”...
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10 months ago
16 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Ivy
For a long time, ivy conjured images of all things pagan, superstitious, gluttonous, debauched, and morbid. For those reasons, it would be forbidden from churches and Christian homes. Today, it's a classic symbol of Christmas. Sue Hunter joins Brian to tell this uniquely Christmassy turnaround story. Thank you to composer Sarah Cattley for permission to share the beautiful rendition of "Ivy, Chief of Trees it Is," performed by the Granta Chorale and conducted by Janet Wheeler. Mu...
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10 months ago
11 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Gremlins
Forty years ago, audiences got into the Christmas spirit by watching a little green creature get killed in a blender. Gremlins was more than a movie that combined horror, comedy, gory violence, and Christmas. It was a massive a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the last movies of its kind to be rated PG. Alonso Duralde, film critic, podcaster, and author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas and Hollywood Pride joins Brian to discuss this iconic 80's hit. Music in this episode...
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10 months ago
12 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Why is Christmas on December 25?
If Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus, and we celebrate it on December 25, then Jesus must have been born on that day, right? Not so fast! We actually have no good idea when Jesus was born. And besides, the observance of his birth on December 25 is a 4th century contrivance. But why December 25 of all days? In today's episode, professor and author Michael Foley joins Brian to make sense of it all. Get a copy of Dr. Foley's book, Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe. Music in this episode ...
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10 months ago
14 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: The Original Santa Claus Parade
Who doesn't love a parade? The very idea of a procession, usually involving costumes and music, is at least 4,000 years old. But grand parades to kick off the Christmas season are much newer. The kind we're most familiar with nowadays developed when large retail chains held parades to stimulate shopping and define a new, earlier start to the Christmas season. All that capitalism sounds very American, but β€” surprise! β€” Canada beat us to it! In today's episode, Clayton Charters, president and C...
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10 months ago
11 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: The Magi
The three kings. The wise men. The magi. They're the supporting cast in many a Nativity scene...the subject of several postage stamps and greeting cards...the subject of that classic Christmas song. Who were they? Where were they from? Why did they traverse afar following yonder star? What was with the gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Were they even real? And does it matter? Today, professor and author Eric Vanden Eykel joins Brian to tell the story of these mysterious figures. Check out ...
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11 months ago
14 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials
The creative team of Rankin and Bass have produced some of the most enduring, nostalgia-producing Christmas specials in television history. Historian and biographer Rick Goldschmidt joins Brian to tell the story of how an art director and an ad jingle writer became "the kings of Christmas." Links More info about Rankin/Bass and Rick GoldschmidtRick's books about Rankin/BassMusic in this episode "Kettled" β€” Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive"Soft Piano" β€” Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay"O Ho...
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11 months ago
11 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Toys for Tots
The more than 75-year success story of Toys for Tots may seem like a fairly simple story: the Marine Corp reserve starts up a holiday charity for needy kids. But there’s more to it than that. From humble, almost accidental beginnings in 1947, the program was able to grow through a unique mix of show business connections, celebrity endorsements, political influence, post World War II America, and...Walt Disney. Music in this episode "Lullaby" β€” Maarten Schellekens, via Free Music Archive...
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11 months ago
11 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Christmas Creep
A lot of people complain that Christmas comes earlier every year. But, is that really true? Extended holiday shopping seasons have been the norm for well over a century. And besides, there's one big (and spooooky) reason that Christmas can only come so early. Marketing professor Darrin Duber-Smith joins Brian to discuss the phenomenon of "Christmas creep." Music in this episode "Silent Movie (Old Record Version)" β€” Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay"Deck the Hall Jazz" β€” Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay"Am...
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11 months ago
11 minutes

Christmas Past
Danny Pellegrino, Author of The Jolliest Bunch
Danny Pellegrino is a bestselling author, actor, and screenwriter. His latest book, The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories, is a nostalgic trip through his most festive memories in a collection of stories that are heartfelt, hilarious, and β€” for better or worse β€” true. I caught up with Danny earlier this year to talk about the book, Christmas, family, and more. Music in this episode "Christmas Jazzy Bells" β€” BFMC Music, via Pixabay Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, ...
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11 months ago
18 minutes

Christmas Past
Interview: Actor John Rhys-Davies on Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Actor John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones) joins Brian to discuss Scrooge, A Christmas Carol. Rhys-Davies plays Dickens's narrator in this four-part audio drama podcast, set for re-release on November 22. Music in this episode "O Holy Night" β€” Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago Connect with Me Links to all the things https://christmaspastpodcast.com/links Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com Books Of Christmases Lon...
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11 months ago
14 minutes

Christmas Past
2024 Indie Christmas Music Playlist
We're in the early Christmas preseason. It's the perfect time to discover some new Christmas music before the radio stations start overplaying the standard set of classics. In this episode, we've got some new-to-you Christmas songs from independent artists you may not have otherwise discovered on your favorite station or streaming service. Music in this episode "Cozy Jazz Podcast Music with Christmas Bells" β€” Denis Pavlov, via Pixabay"Christmas Cheer" β€” Robert Lawlor"Vermont Christmas" β€” The ...
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12 months ago
35 minutes

Christmas Past
Storytime: "Podolo"
Happy Halloween, everybody! And more than that: welcome to another season of Christmas Past. Yes, it’s still Halloween. But that's the perfect time to kick things off, because it gives us a chance to honor the classic Christmas tradition of sharing a ghost story. Our Victorian forebears really loved their ghost stories β€” for all occasions, but perhaps especially for Christmas. Many magazines of the era published ghost stories specifically for the Christmas season. The stories didn’t necessa...
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1 year ago
28 minutes

Christmas Past
Christmas 2023
It's our eighth consecutive Christmas together. As we close out the 2023 season, we're taking a look back at the news and trends that made this Christmas what it was. Thank you all for another wonderful Christmas season together. Merry Christmas! And until we meet again, may your days be merry and bright. Music in this Episode "Deck the Halls A" β€” Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech Order your copy today! Of Christmases Long, Long Ago Connect with Me Links to all the things https://chris...
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1 year ago
9 minutes

Christmas Past
Backstory: Boxing Day
Here in America, the day after Christmas is simply that: the day after. The party's over. But in England, it's an official holiday. December 26 β€” Boxing Day β€” is the Christmas afterparty you've been missing out on. What's the story? And what does it have to do with boxing? Paul Kerensa joins Christmas Past to...unpack the box. Mentioned in this Episode Paul KerensaHark! The Biography of Christmas, by Paul KerensaMusic in this Episode "Good King Wenceslas" β€” U.S. Army Band, via Wikimedi...
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1 year ago
12 minutes

Christmas Past
Happy Halloween, everyone! πŸ‘»πŸŽƒ And welcome to the 2025 pre-season for Christmas Past. For the past several years now, we've kicked off the pre-season with a ghost story from my friends at Biblioasis Publishing. They publish a series of three ghost stories for Christmas every year, beautifully designed and illustrated by the acclaimed artist known only as Seth. Today, I'm narrating Rosemary Temperley's short story, "The Mistress in Black." Check These Out πŸŽ„ Biblioasis Publishing's Ghost Stories...