Weird Christmas Podcast

Please see WeirdChristmas.com for text and info on all the stories and writers.

Craig talks with the ever knowledgeable and jolly Benito Cereno about Scandinavian elves, which you're starting to see more and more places in decorations and movies. All links mentioned on the show, along with info on Benito, can be found at WeirdChristmas.com at this link: https://weirdchristmas.com/2023/12/23/nisser-and-tomtar-scandinavian-elves-with-benito-cereno/ If you’re feeling generous, you can leave a donation at Ko-Fi.com. It’s probably Christmas-time (ish) when you’re reading this, so remember the spirit of the season is giving. And I’m trying not to turn on the guilt machine, but I would like to pay my hosting fees. heh heh Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

The best show of the year: 19 stories of Christmas Weirdness from the annual Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest. Please visit WeirdChristmas.com to get information on the authors and to read the stories again. If you want to support the contest and help make more and bigger prizes for the writers next year, please visit Ko-Fi.com/weirdchristmas to donate any amount.

I talk to Earl Fontainelle of the SHWEP (Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast). We try to trace down any textual evidence that would connect the origins of Christmas to ancient pagan sources, namely the Mithras cult and Emperor Constantine’s Sol Invictus cult. Listen here, on your favorite podcast app, or at the Podbean site. The SHWEP The SHWEP Oddcast Music: "Scriaben Christmas Time is Here""Christmas is a Pagan Holiday" If you’re feeling generous, you can leave a donation at Ko-Fi.com. It’s probably Christmas-time (ish) when you’re reading this, so remember the spirit of the season is giving. And I’m trying not to turn on the guilt machine, but I would like to pay my hosting fees. heh heh Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

Benito and I discuss the traditions surrounding the Mari Lwyd, getting into similarities with other European wassailing and hobby horse traditions. A recording of the Mari Lwyd rhyme in action by the BBC. Benito's Links: Christmas history videoswriting at GumroadApocrypals Friends ‘Till the EndProgressively Horrified Music: "Here Comes the Mari Lwyd""Mari Lwyd" If you’re feeling generous, you can leave a donation at Ko-Fi.com. It’s probably Christmas-time (ish) when you’re reading this, so remember the spirit of the season is giving. And I’m trying not to turn on the guilt machine, but I would like to pay my hosting fees. heh heh Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

SURPRISE CHRISTMAS IN JULY PODCAST! I never quite got this show finished during the season, so my humble apologies. All is now well. Thank you to Meghan Arcuri for talking to me about Charlotte Riddell! Her collection of Riddell’s stories will be out very soon. And here are some links to her work, which I encourage everyone to check out: A Little Purple Book of Sharp Wit“Because You’re Mine”“Green with Hunger”“Am I Missing the Sunlight” in Borderlands 7 meghanarcuri.comfacebook.com/meg.arcuri Readers who were so gracious and generous with their time this year, as well as being totally patient and not complaining at all when I ghosted them: TessaDustin PariCharles GillinghamJenny RoweTony DixonTim HulsizerAmy Bumper music for this episode: “O Holy Night”“Christmas Doesn’t Last”“Santa Claus Boogie”“Space Age Santa”“Bad Boy Naturally”“Christmas in July”Myuu If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

I chat with Thomas Ruys Smith, editor of Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth Century America and Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of East Anglia. Links from the show: Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth Century America [publisherAmazonThomas Ruys Smith's author website Bumper music: “O Holy Night”“Christmas Doesn’t Last”“Santa Claus Boogie”“Space Age Santa”"Christmas Past""American Christmas" If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

It’s out later than I would have preferred, but like the inevitability of New Year’s following Christmas, it is here. To read the stories, get bio information and links on the authors, and for all other show notes, please check out WeirdChristmas.com. Results: Honorable Mention (in no particular order): Please help support the contest, the podcast, and Weird Christmas website by buying a “coffee” (a gift in increments of $3) at Ko-Fi.com (click here). For even more support, please consider joining my Patreon page (click here) where for $2 or $5/month, you’ll have access to extra content and bonuses like physical postcards mailed throughout the year. With more support, I can offer more and bigger prizes for the contest next year. A big thank you to my volunteer readers this season: my work buddy Lisa and LW Salinas (@sithwitch), both of whom stepped in at the very last second. Otherwise, almost all the authors wanted to read their own work this year, which was fun! Bumper music: “O Holy Night”“Christmas Doesn’t Last”“Santa Claus Boogie”“Space Age Santa”“A Little Too Late for Christmas”"White Christmas"here Contest results from previous years: 2020, 2019, 2018.

Talking with Christopher Philippo, editor of Volumes 4 and 5 of the Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories. Goodreads siteValancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Volume 4AmazonValancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Volume 5Amazon Links to the poems and other goodies from the show are at WeirdChristmas.com. If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

Al Ridenour is back after talking to us last year about Krampus, but this time to help unpack the lore and traditions around the Perchten, Krampus-esque goblin-ish creatures tied to both Krampus and Frau Perchta. Links mentioned on the episode: Bone and Sickle Podcast"America and the Old, Dark Christmas""The Hellish Harlequin: Phantom Hordes to Father Christmas""Frau Perchta the Belly-Slitter""Christmas Ghosts""Saint, Devil, Sugar-Bread, & Whip: Krampus and Nicholas"Al Ridenour's pageThe Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas Bumper music: “O Holy Night”“Christmas Doesn’t Last”“Santa Claus Boogie”“Space Age Santa”"Kramperl, Kramperl, Besenstiel""Frau Perchta" If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

Happy Thanksgiving! We dive deep into the history of Christmas murder ballads with my friend (and cohost from the ReReading Wolfe Podcast) James Wynn. I'll get links to all the songs from the episode up here shortly. But for now, here are links for James: ReReading Wolfe PodcastRRW on Twitter20202019 Bumper music: "O Holy Night""Christmas Doesn't Last""Santa Claus Boogie""Space Age Santa""Joy to the World""Stagger Lee" If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

La Befana, Perchta, Holda, and so many more! We chat with the always encyclopedic Benito Cereno about all the Christmas witch folklore in Christmas history. Links: Christmas history videoswriting at GumroadApocrypals Friends 'Till the EndProgressively Horrified Music: "La Befana""Perchta""Christmas Witch""The Christmas Witch" If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a "coffee" ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I'll send you a sticker!

Full text of all the winners are at WeirdChristmas.com along with bios, information, and links for all the authors. All fiction copyright 2020 by the authors. Please visit WeirdChristmas.com for full information.

Sometimes when you have a podcast, you talk to people who interest you and you don’t worry so much about how it relates to the show or your topic or what your hard-won audience really cares about. So you put out a show that’s all about really, really narrow interests you have. This is half that. The other half is about an amazing book about whether or not you should believe in Santa. Links from the show: Does Santa Exist: A Philosophical Investigationbuy on AmazonEric’s blogEric’s Wikipedia pageEric on Twitter Music from this episode: “Science Christmas Carols”“A Christmas Carol” >>>>> If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

“…And scary ghost stories of Christmasses long, long ago!” Ghost stories from previous years if you’re in a spooky mood: 2019, 2018, 2017 Next year, we should break open this boys’ club with a tale from this… Links from the show: “Between the Lights”A bit about BensonValancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Vol. 4 Our narrators this year: @allthosestringsThe Lamppost Huggers@itskittypereiraXmas Podcasts PodcastHypnogorialast year@alexandradw231234@tonydixon_art@kristynotkirstyfthgurdy@dustinpariDustinPari.com@KeytarCatholic >>>>> If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

Time to destroy your appetite! I talk to Glen Warren from the Season's Eatings Podcast about weird Christmas food throughout history. Links: Season's Eatings PodcastList of Christmas PodcastsChristmas PastHolly Jolly XmasuTotally Rad ChristmasThe Lamppost HuggersValancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, vol 4 Music in this episode: "Christmas Food" >>>>> If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

As a Thanksgiving treat, enjoy a deep dive down the rabbit hole of Santa history with Tom Jerman, author of Santa Claus Worldwide: A History of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift-Bringers. This is my favorite book of Santa history, and Tom and I covered a lot of ground. Links mentioned in the show: AmazonMcFarland PublishersA Collection of SantasThe Children's FriendKnickerbocker's History of New YorkSeason's Eatings Podcast Music from the episode: "Sankt Niklas war ein Seemann""Jolly Old St. Nicholas""Jolly Old St. Nicholas" If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

I'm not usually your go-to source for new movies. But this one is worth your time. The Christmas Ride is a mumblecore (improvised dialogue) film about a ride share driver getting an emotional gut punch on Christmas day. I talked to the producer/director Stefanie Davis, and I hope you'll check it out. Here's the trailer for a taste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y45euwomp9g&t You can stream it from Amazon (free with Prime) and Vimeo: Stream from Amazon PrimeWatch on Vimeo Cool people! Daryen RattéStefanie DavisBouncy Boxer MediaThe film's twitterSlacker Music: "This Christmas Life" by Shane Dawson"Christmas Around the World" by Be Still This Earth And the promo was for Holly Jolly Xmasu -- a podcast all about Japanese Christmas music. You'll be hearing more from Scott soon. :) If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a "coffee" ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com. Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I'll send you a sticker!

Krampus. Seems like I should have done a show on Krampus years ago, but I was waiting for the right person. And that person is Al Ridenour, author of The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil. This is the definitive book on Krampus, and Al fills us in on all the history and celebrations we could want. Links mentioned in the show: The Krampus and the Old, Dark ChristmasBone & SickleThe Krampus episode (Saint, Devil, Sugar-Bread & Whip) Music: Carol of the KrampusThe Courtesan and the Cabin Boy If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year.

Christmas werewolves are a thing. I mean, I don't know if they're REAL real. But people really used to believe they were a thing. So Christmas expert Benito Cereno fills us in on their history Benito's been on the show before, talking about Christmas comics and the Yule Lads. Links mentioned in the show: Benito's werewolf Christmas story, "Two Gifts"Benito's YouTube channelLives of St. Barbara and St. NicholasCelebrating St. Nicholas Around the WorldApocrypals Bone & Sickle Podcastepisode 30: Loup-Garou, Werewolves in France Music this episode: "Werewolf Christmas"Timur and the Dime Museum"Werewolf in Christmas Past"Max Dimartino, Lee Lacey"Meido Krampus Noche"The Courtesan and the Cabin Boy And check out the Merry Britsmas podcast for all your British Christmas needs! If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year.