Today, we welcome back a frequent guest on Christmas Past. Thomas Ruys Smith is a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He’s also a frequent guest on Christmas Past and the author of several books about Christmas history and literature. His latest is Searching for Santa Claus: An Anthology of the Poems, Stories, and Illustrations that Shaped a Global Icon.

Music in this Episode

“Jazz Christmas Music” — Pulsebox, 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 Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past (2025, Lyons Press and Recorded Books) It’s Christmas as you’ve never seen it before, and it makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life.

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions (2022, Lyons Press and Recorded Books)

Happy Halloween, everyone! 👻🎃 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 🎄

• Biblioasis Publishing’s Ghost Stories for Christmas
• My latest book: Of Christmases Long, Long Ago
• More ways to connect with Christmas Past

Music in this Episode 🎼

• “Autumn Halloween” — Sound Garage, via Pixabay
• “Ambient Background Pad” — Siarhei Korbut 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 Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past (2025, Lyons Press and Recorded Books) It’s Christmas as you’ve never seen it before, and it makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life.

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions (2022, Lyons Press and Recorded Books)

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 “King 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 Christmas traditions, and revenge for giving away secrets. Tiernan Gaffney from the National Museum of Ireland joins Brian to tell the story.

Special thanks to Lewis Barfoot for permission to include her beautiful rendition of The Wren Song!

Music in this episode

• “Calm Lullaby for Irish Harp” — Mountain Dweller, via Pixabay
• “Greensleeves” — Julius H., via Pixabay
• “Hark! The Herald Angles Sing” — Jon Sayles, via freemusicpublicdomain.com
• “Angels We Have Heard” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• “Morning Air” — Noru, via Pixabay
• “The Wren Song” — Lewis Barfoot, shared directly by the artist

Connect

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• Bluesky
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• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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 “Soviet Santa Claus.”

Karen Petrone, University of Kentucky history professor and author of Life Has Become More Joyous, Comrades, joins Brian to tell the story.

Clara in Australia shares a Christmas memory in this episode. Check out her podcast, The Festivity Files.

Music in this episode

• “Waiting at the Hem” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “Reverie – Claude Debussy – Classic Concert Grand Piano” — JuliusH, via Pixabay
• “Heartstring Serenade” — Liudmyla Polishchuk, via Pixabay
• “Somewhere in my Memory – Xmas Piano” — Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay
• “O Come O Come Emmanuel” — Jon Sayles, freemusicpublicdomain.com

Connect

• Facebook page
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• Bluesky
• Twitter / X
• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
• Website

Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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.

Music in this episode

• “The Holly and the Ivy” — Jerome Chauvel, via Pixabay
• “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” — Jon Sayles, via Royalty Free Music
• “Christmas Night” — Floating Dreamer, via Pixabay
• “Oh Holy Night” — Calvin Clavier, via Pixabay
• “Luminous Rain” — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library
• “Ivy, Chief of Trees it Is” — Sarah Cattley, used with permission from the composer

Connect

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• Bluesky
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• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
• Website

Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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.

Music in this episode

• “Stress Relief Piano” — PianoAmor, via Pixabay
• “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist
• “Neatly Folded” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “Oh Christmas Tree” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• “First Snow” — Scott Buckley, via scottbuckley.com.au

Connect

• Facebook page
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• Bluesky
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• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
• Website

Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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 Eric Vanden Eykel’s book, The Magi.

Music in this episode

• “Beyond the Cranberry House” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “Drifting Spot” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “We Three Kings of Orient Are” — United States Air Force Band, via Wikimedia Commons
• “Early Morning Snowfall” — Chuck Brown, via Feels Like Christmas
• “Nostalgic” — Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay

Connect

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• Bluesky
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• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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” — Maarten Schellekens, via Free Music Archive
• “Toys for Tots” — Nat King Cole, via Toys for Tots Foundation, used with permission
• “Feelings of Twilight” — Shady Dave, via Freesound
• “Silent Night” — Anastasia Kir, via Pixabay
• “Germination” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “Eternal Hope” — Kevin MacLeod, via Youtube Audio Library

Connect

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• Bluesky
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• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Danny Pelligrino 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 — for better or worse — 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” — BFMC Music, via Pixabay

Connect

• Facebook page
• Facebook group
• Instagram
• Twitter / X
• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
• Website

Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.