About this podcast
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!
Visit the Christmas Past website
- Backstory: Rankin/Bass Christmas Specialsby e_xander on December 4, 2024
The creative team of Rankin and Bass have produced some of the most enduring, nostalgia-producing Christmas specials in television history. Historian and […]
- Backstory: Toys for Totsby e_xander on December 2, 2024
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. […]
- Backstory: Christmas Creepby e_xander on November 28, 2024
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 […]
- Danny Pellegrino, Author of The Jolliest Bunchby e_xander on November 21, 2024
Danny Pelligrino is a bestselling author, actor, and screenwriter. His latest book, The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories, is a nostalgic trip through […]
- Interview: Actor John Rhys-Davies on Scrooge: A Christmas Carolby e_xander on November 14, 2024
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 […]
- 2024 Indie Christmas Music Playlistby e_xander on November 7, 2024
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 […]
- Storytime: “Podolo”by e_xander on October 31, 2024
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 […]
- Christmas 2023by e_xander on December 25, 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 […]
- Backstory — Boxing Dayby e_xander on December 22, 2023
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 — […]
- Your Christmas Memories: 2023, vol 2by e_xander on December 20, 2023
Christmas Day is less than a week from now. In this final stretch of the 2023 season, let’s have another gathering of the Christmas Past family. Yes, it’s […]
