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Christmas Past

Behind every Christmas tradition is a story, often a forgotten one. Every year as we put up a tree and pour the eggnog, we’re continuing generations-old narratives, while being mostly unaware of their starting chapters. Join Brian Earl to explore the fascinating stories behind the most wonderful time of the year. It's equal parts nerdy deep dive and warmhearted celebration. Think: NPR meets Clement Clarke Moore! Christmas Past is one of the longest running Christmas podcasts, now in its seventh season. Vanity Fair says: "With excellent production, engaging narration, and short, digestible running times, Christmas Past is perfect to put on while decorating your tree or preparing Christmas dinner." Brian's new book is out now from Lyons Press and Recorded books! Get your copy today, wherever books are sold. And remember...it makes a great gift!
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Now displaying: October, 2022
Oct 31, 2022

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

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

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. 

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Oct 24, 2022

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

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

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

Oct 17, 2022

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

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

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

Oct 10, 2022

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

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

Order your copy today. And remember...it makes a great gift!

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

Oct 3, 2022

Christmas Past is back with the first episode of 2022. We're kicking off the preseason with some good old fashioned story time! This one's for the whole family, so gather round and cozy up...we're heading to the Hollow Tree in for some old fashioned Christmas fun!

Buy the Christmas Past Book!

The Christmas Past book is available for pre-order today, and releases on November 1. Get it in hardcover, e-book, or audio. And remember...it makes a great gift!

Mentioned in This Episode

Music in This Episode

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

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