Weird Christmas Podcast

2025 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction ConThology (ex-Contest/Anthology)

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 04:06:04 +0000

Please check WeirdChristmas.com for the text of all the stories along with links to the authors' bios, other works, and all the show notes.

Please help support the show, the podcast, and Weird Christmas website by donating/gifting any and all amounts at Ko-Fi.com (click here). The money from the prizes is all from donations. And the more donations I get, the more I can give to the contestants. My long term goal is to make every story count as a professional sale by most writing organization’s standards. You can also donate any amount through PayPal by giving to weirdxmas@gmail.com.

Benito and Christkindlmarkt Travel PART TWO

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 07:48:19 +0000

If you’re looking for any of the links mentioned in the show, they're all at WeirdChristmas.com on the post for the first part of this conversation, which, yes, is technically a different episode, even though I probably should have made them all one, although there were a couple years inbetween the talks, so it kinda makes sense, and once you've started a truly epic run-on sentence, you really need to see it through. But all the links we discuss are there in one place.

The only differences are the intro/outro tunes:

Music:

“Christmas Market (Demo)” by Tris
“Durch die Durch die Straßen auf und nieder” (trad., go read up on Martinmas in Germany; it’ll be important later)

It’s probably Christmas-time (ish) when you’re reading this, so remember the spirit of the season is giving. Any donations go toward hosting fees and paying the authors for the annual story show. If you’re feeling generous, you can leave a donation at Ko-Fi.com. Or PayPal me a direct donation using weirdxmas@gmail.com.

You can also 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 Cereno and Christkindlmarkt Travel (Christkindlemarkets in English for the searches)

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 07:51:40 +0000

Craig talks with Benito Cereno about Benito's tour of Christkindlmarkets (Or Christkindlmärkte to be accurate, but we're also gonna call them Christkindlemarkets just to make sure the search engines fine anything for my fellow Americans).

If you don't know Benito, you should. He knows more about Christmas history than anyone I know. He's also a talented writer, especially for comics. He's written most recently the Hector Plasm series (the latest one tackles Bigfoot), Startling Tales of Santa Claus, but he's also written for The Tick, the Invincible series, and the incredibly fun Tales from the Bully Pulpit that feature an ass-kicking Teddy Roosevelt. He's also working on a much longer mythology of Santa that will create a (mostly) self-consistent set of myths, stories, and legends about the man, integrating all of the folklore that he can find.

Benito's Instagram account, where he always posts his travel pictures.
Benito’s Christmas history videos (THESE ARE AMAZING SO WATCH THEM NOW!!!!)
Benito’s writing at Gumroad
Apocrypals podcast
Friends ‘Till the End podcast
Progressively Horrified
Benito's podcasts with us:
- Tomtar and Nissen (Christmas elves)
- Mari Lwyd
- Christmas Witches
- Christmas Werewolves
- The Yule Lads
- Christmas Comics (from 2018 -- a bit out of date by now)

Music:

"At the ChristkindleMarkt" by mark and the mongrels
"Iche geh mit meiner Laterne" (trad., also, just go read up on Martinmas in Germany)

You can also 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!

Weird Christmas Baking with Linda Raedisch

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 21:32:58 +0000

Baking: Recipes & Stories from Tomb Offerings to Gingerbread Boys. Talk about disgusting food and wondrously delicious treats, along with some of the strange stories that lay behind them all

Buy the book direct from the publisher (Llewellyn). (Or that other place.)
Her author site at Llewellyn where you can also get her classic The Old Magic of Christmas.
Past episodes with me:
- We talked about the strange, darker legends of Christmas.
- and the history of elves/fairies and their relation to Christmas.
- She also shared some writing advice for the story ConThology after helping me read the entries one year.

Music:

"Sweet Gingerbread Man" by Bradford Trojan
"Flaming Christmas Pudding" by The Swedish Shortsnouts

You can also 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!

2024 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest/Anthology Results Show

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 12:57:30 +0000

2024 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest Winners:

Weird Card Winner: “The Study of Owls and the Christmas Contronyms” by Daniel Roop

Unreal Holiday Celebration Winner: “The Mycelial Muffinheads’ Annual Pilgrimage to the Cave of Forget-Me-Nothings” by C.L. Sidell

Stocking Stuffer Winner: “All Eves for the Yule” by A.S. Hahrwort

All the stories: (in no special order other than appearance on the show):

“Nativity” by John Nicol
“The Sadly Beautiful Life Cycle of the Mrs. Claus” by Nicoletta Giuseffi
“Rudolpha” by Nicholas De Marino
“Countdown to Christmas” by John Wolf
“Keepers of the Fruitcake” by Carla Rudy
“Liturgy for the Feast Among the Gastroliths” by Cardigan Broadmoor
“O Unholy Night” by Matthew Reyes
“Northern Romance” by Reva Sherrard
“St. O’Clause” by Lancelot Schaubert
“Advent” by Ben Daggers
“There Was Only Ever One Delivery” by Brian B. Humby
“Santa Hooks Up a Sabbatical” by Paul Lewthwaite
“Canary” by Stephanie Kelly
“Growing Season of the Giver” by J. Rohr
“Lightsgiving” by Greg Clumpner
“Niklaus” by Rosa Meronek
“The Study of Owls and the Christmas Contranyms” by Daniel Roop
“The Mythical Muffinheads’ Annual Pilgrimage to the Cave of Forget-Me-Nothings” by C.L. Sidell
“All Eves for the Yule” by A.S. Hahrwort

Please help support the contest, the podcast, and Weird Christmas website by donating/gifting any and all amounts at Ko-Fi.com (click here). The money from the prizes is all from donations. And the more donations I get, the more I can give to the contestants. My long term goal is to make every story count as a professional sale by most writing organization’s standards. You can also donate any amount through PayPal by giving to weirdxmas@gmail.com.

A big thank you to both volunteer readers this season: Dustin Pari (@dustinpari, who is always so wonderfully generous and optimistic and inspiring), and my friend Joel who wants nothing more to do with this whole thing.

Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman

Special opening: “Christmas-Procrastination Blues” by Tom DeMasters.

Bumper music (ripped straight from YouTube): by Myuu (for the dark piano) and a host of wonderful theramin artists.

Contest results from previous years: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018.

2023 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest Results Show

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 13:28:24 +0000

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

Nisser and Tomtar (Scandinavian Elves) with Benito Cereno

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 20:48:42 +0000

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!

2022 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest (5th Annual Results Show)

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 08:03:38 +0000

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.

Ancient Christmas with Earl Fontainelle of the SHWEP

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 02:08:01 +0000

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" by Kurt Knecht
"Christmas is a Pagan Holiday" by Matt Potako

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!

Mari Lwyd with Benito Cereno

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 16:13:07 +0000

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:

Music:

"Here Comes the Mari Lwyd" by The Eugenes
"Mari Lwyd" by Colorama

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 Ghost Story of Christmas 2021ish ”A Strange Christmas Game” by Charlotte Riddell

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 04:35:01 +0000

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 by Charlotte Riddel, ed. Meghan Arcuri
Arcuri’s stories:

Her bio: Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She is currently the Vice President of the Horror Writers Association. Prior to writing, she taught high school math, having earned her B.A. from Colgate University—with a double major in mathematics and English—and her masters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She lives with her family in New York’s Hudson Valley. Please visit her at meghanarcuri.com, facebook.com/meg.arcuri, or on Twitter (@MeghanArcuri).

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:

Tessa
Dustin Pari
Ileana Reyes
Charles Gillingham
Jenny Rowe
Tony Dixon
Seb
Tim Hulsizer
Amy
Jessamy Thomison

Bumper music for this episode:

Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman
Featured opening/bumper: “Bad Boy Naturally” by Make Like Monkeys
Bumper/closing: “Christmas in July” by the Brutalligators
Spooky piano Christmas music (as always) by 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!

Christmas Past, American Xmas Literary History with Thomas Ruys Smith

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 05:46:34 +0000

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:

Bumper music:

Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman
Featured opening/bumper: "Christmas Past" by Holodelic
Bumper/closing: "American Christmas" by Chris Dudley

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!

2021 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest (4th Annual Results Show)

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 05:26:34 +0000

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:

Overall Winner: “The Fight” by Elizabeth Guilt
“Weird Cards” Category Winner: “If the Suit Fits” by Michelle Christophorou
“There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard” Category Winner: “A Churchyard Carol” by Dan Fields
“Stocking Stuffer” Category Winner: “The Power of Presents and Spidersilk” by Daniel Ausema

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

“The Second Coming” — Michelle Christophorou
“Married to Christmas” — Dustin Pari
“The Christmas Room” — J.D. Wilson
“Saving Cinterland” — JJ Mokrezewski
“The Messenger” — Jens Hieber
“A Christmas Burial” — Gary Ballard
“Spirits of Christmas” — D.P. Blanchard
“A lock of hair, a baby tooth, a toenail” — Eleanor Luke
“Red Nose” — Thomas Lawrance
“The Last Holiday” — John Wolf
“It’s the Most Dreadful Time of the Year” — Paul Lewthwaite
“How Santa Got Schooled” — Kate Sherrod
“O Holey Night” — John Possidente
“The Yew’s Embrace” — Jen Rowe
“War’s End” — Adam Gottfried
“Carton Holiday” — Ibiteye Overcomer
“Christmas Spirits” — Laurie Peterson
“Piss Pistol” — Brandon Case
“Grandpa?” — Jonathan Saint

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:

Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman
Special opening: “A Little Too Late for Christmas” by The Crux
Outro: "White Christmas" by the Ventures
Bumpers: here, here, here, here, here, lots of dark piano Christmas music and Theramin stuff.

Contest results from previous years: 2020, 2019, 2018.

Ghost Stories, Weird Poetry, and All Manner of Old Xmas Weirdness with Christopher Philippo

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 17:35:39 +0000

Talking with Christopher Philippo, editor of Volumes 4 and 5 of the Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories.

Chris' Goodreads site
Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Volume 4 (the American stories) [Amazon]
Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Volume 5 [Amazon]

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!

The Perchten with Al Ridenour

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 22:08:02 +0000

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
- Ep. 80 "America and the Old, Dark Christmas"
- Ep. 58 "The Hellish Harlequin: Phantom Hordes to Father Christmas"
- Ep. 38 "Frau Perchta the Belly-Slitter"
- Ep. 17 "Christmas Ghosts"
- Ep. 15 "Saint, Devil, Sugar-Bread, & Whip: Krampus and Nicholas"
Al Ridenour's page
Book The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour (link from the publisher)

Bumper music:

Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman
Special opening: "Kramperl, Kramperl, Besenstiel" by Die Pagger Buam
Bumper/Closing: "Frau Perchta" by Waldtraene

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!

Christmas Murder Ballads with James Wynn

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 05:14:15 +0000

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 Podcast
RRW on Twitter
Our Xmas episodes of RRWolfe: 2020 (we discuss 3 stories), 2019 (we read one story)

Bumper music:

Usual opening: "O Holy Night" by Tiny Tim, "Christmas Doesn't Last" by Make Like Monkeys, "Santa Claus Boogie" by Hasil Adkins, "Space Age Santa" by Ross Christman
Special opening: "Joy to the World" by John Fahey
Closing: "Stagger Lee" by Grateful Dead

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!

Christmas Witches with Benito Cereno

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 04:25:22 +0000

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:

Music:

"La Befana" by Make Like Monkeys
"Perchta" by The Champagne Drops
"Christmas Witch" by ChatterBox
"The Christmas Witch" by CountD

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!

2020 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest Results Show

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 18:58:37 +0000

Full text of all the winners are at WeirdChristmas.com along with bios, information, and links for all the authors.

Please visit WeirdChristmas.com for full information.

Philosophy, Christmas, and Does Santa Exist by Eric Linus Kaplan who wrote Big Bang Theory which I mentioned here totally for clicks

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 07:30:27 +0000

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 Investigation (buy on Amazon)
Eric’s blog
Eric’s Wikipedia page…because that’s cool
Eric on Twitter (which is loads of fun)
I’m sure I forgot something

Music from this episode:

“Science Christmas Carols”
“A Christmas Carol” by Tom Lehrer

>>>>>

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!

The Ghost Story of Christmas 2020 "Between the Lights" by EF Benson

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 07:38:03 +0000

“…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:

Full text of the story, “Between the Lights”
A bit about Benson
Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Vol. 4 by Christopher Philippo.

Our narrators this year:

Christohper Stanley (@allthosestrings, author of The Lamppost Huggers which has a a couple Xmas ghost stories of its own)
Kitty Pereira (@itskittypereira)
Sean from Xmas Podcasts Podcast
Jim Moon of Hypnogoria (loads more ghost stories here), who also helped us out last year
Alexandra White (@alexandradw23)
OldManFreakBoy (Check out his radio shows of Christmas music here: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Dr. Calighoulie (Tony Dixon, IG: @tonydixon_art)
Kristy Smith (Twitter/IG: @kristynotkirsty, FB: @kristynotkirsty74)
fthgurdy
Dustin Pari (@dustinpari, DustinPari.com, Ghosthunters guy.)
Fr. Stephen Vrazel (@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!

Weird Christmas Food with Glen Warren of the Season's Eatings Podcast

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:50:05 +0000

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 Podcast
List of Christmas Podcasts (from Brian Earl's Christmas Past)
Holly Jolly Xmasu (Japanese Christmas music podcast)
Totally Rad Christmas ("Rudolph's Shiny New Year" episode with me)
The Lamppost Huggers by Christopher Stanley (some Christmas horror stories)
Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, vol 4 edited by Christopher Philippo

Music in this episode:

"Christmas Food" by Idito the Chicken and Moonpie Nobot

>>>>>

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!

Santa is NOT St Nick - Tom Jerman and Santa Claus Worldwide

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 07:51:54 +0000

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:

Buy the book!
- From Amazon
- From McFarland Publishers
Tom's new website A Collection of Santas with new blog posts summarizing topics in Santa history and other treats.
Books mentioned:
- The Children's Friend (1821)
- Irving's Knickerbocker's History of New York (later version)
Glen Warren's Season's Eatings Podcast

Music from the episode:

"Sankt Niklas war ein Seemann" - Freddy Quinn
"Jolly Old St. Nicholas" - Wilf Carter
"Jolly Old St. Nicholas" - Chadron Polka Band

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!

Mumblecore Christmas with Stefanie Davis about her film The Christmas Ride

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 18:09:18 +0000

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 Prime
Watch on Vimeo ($4.99 right now...help an indie movie out!)

Cool people!

Starring Daryen Ratté
Writer/Producer/Director Stefanie Davis
Bouncy Boxer Media
The film's twitter
Slacker (Craig's favorite old "mumblecore" movie)

Music:

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 with Al Ridenour

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 05:59:37 +0000

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 book: The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas
Bone & Sickle (Al's podcast)
- The Krampus episode (Saint, Devil, Sugar-Bread & Whip)

Music:

Carol of the Krampus by The 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 with Benito Cereno

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 03:42:03 +0000

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 channel
- Lives of St. Barbara and St. Nicholas
- Celebrating St. Nicholas Around the World
- and more...
Apocrypals podcast
Benito's site
Bone & Sickle Podcast (episode 30: Loup-Garou, Werewolves in France)

Music this episode:

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.

Halloween Postcard Collecting with Eric Hinton

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 03:43:18 +0000

The first podcast episode of the 2020 {shiver} season. We do a bit of deep diving into the world of Halloween postcard collecting which, if you follow me on social media, you know is a small obsession of mine. Eric Hinton runs Halloween Postcards and has collected all, yes, ALL of the Halloween postcards printed before World War 2. We wander around some of the stranger examples and figure out what goes on in the musty corners of our collector-type-brains.

This episode has a video version as well so you can see the cards we're talking about. Head over to my youtube channel here.

Bumper music:

"Happy Christmahanavaloween" by Melanie

"Horror Flick" by Make Like Monkeys

If you're feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year.

WC# 25 Christmas and Zen Buddhism, a talk with Brad Warner

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 22:31:00 +0000

A talk with Brad Warner, author of the new book Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen. How Buddhism can help calm holiday stress, and just stuff about Brad and Zen in general.

WC #24 Medieval Christmas with Misty Schieberle and Scott Smith

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000

What do we know about Christmas during the Middle Ages? Turns out it's kinda hard to find very much information. I talk to two medievalists, Misty Schieberle and Scott Smith, who help me trace what few mentions of Christmas there are in the English tradition.

WC #23 The Ghost Story of 2019, M.R. James' "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance"

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 21:40:00 +0000

The 2019 Weird Christmas ghost story is "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance" by M. R. James. I also get some help with background on James and Punch and Judy puppet shows (which show up in the story) from Jim Moon of the Hypnogoria Podcast.

WC #22 Underground Christmas Music with Christmas Underground

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 20:06:00 +0000

Weird Christmas talks to the indie music blog Christmas Underground about the world of Christmas mixes and how he finds great, unknown Christmas music all year long.

WC #21 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction 2019 (Contest results show)

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 20:07:00 +0000

The annual Weird Christmas Flash Fiction show with the results of the 2019 contest. Fourteen odd stories of Christmas uncanniness to get you out of that holiday spirit. Find the full text of all the stories along with author bios and their contact info at WeirdChristmas.com.

WC #20 Yule Lads and Icelandic Christmas

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 16:25:00 +0000

Who are the Yule Lads, and why does Iceland have a bunch of trolls instead of Santa Claus? I talk to author Heidi Herman and Christmas expert Benito Cereno about where the legends of the Yule Lads came from and how they're celebrated today. (Next show is the contest results show...almost there!)

WC #Bonus Christmas Pickles with the Christmas Podcast Network

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 06:59:00 +0000

Bonus episode with Brian Earl of Christmas Past, Tim Babb of Can't Wait for Christmas, and Richard Parks III of Richard's Famous Food Podcast. This one's brought to you by the Christmas Podcast Network. We talk about Christmas pickles. Are they a "thing"? Well, that's what the show is about.

WC #19 (Almost) Unwatchable Christmas Movies with Alonso Duralde

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 17:45:00 +0000

I chat with film critic Alonso Duralde about his book Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, especially the chapter about the worst Christmas movies ever made. We discuss the Mexican film _Santa Claus_ (1959), the 70's gay bar flick _Some of My Best Friends Are..._, and the inexplicable _Magic Christmas Tree_. Lots of other good suggestions along the way.

WC #18 Christmas Elves and Linda Raedisch

Sun, 24 Nov 2019 18:39:00 +0000

Craig Kringle talks with Linda Raedisch about Christmas elves, winter and solstice folklore surrounding fairies and elves, and even a bit of Halloween talk. Check the full show notes at WeirdChristmas.com as well as Linda's book _The Lore of Old Elfland."

WC #17 Lisa Morton and Halloween History

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 17:13:00 +0000

Weird Christmas Podcast #17, a discussion of Halloween History with Lisa Morton. We discuss her three books about the history of Halloween along with talk of old forgotten Halloween traditions, such as youth riots and fortune telling with cabbages and kale. I also mention a site with tons of great Halloween postcards: https://vintagehalloweencards.blogspot.com/

WC #16 Christmas Summer Comet and Patreon Plug

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 18:29:00 +0000

A bonus summer episode! Professor (and Sir) Colin Humphreys of Cambridge discusses the evidence putting Christmas in the spring or summer rather than December. And...I plug my new Patreon site where you can get episodes all year round. (And there's a longer version of THIS VERY EPISODE at Patreon.com/weirdchristmas with 45 more minutes of weirdness!)

WC #15 Christmas with MST3K, Rifftrax, and Connor Lastowka

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 04:44:00 +0000

Weird Christmas explores the Christmas offerings of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Rifftrax, and Cinematic Titanic with Rifftrax writer Connor Lastowka.

WC #14 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 05:04:00 +0000

The results show from the 2018 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction contest. 12 very, very short stories that will make you laugh, cringe, and fear Santa.

WC #13 The Old Magic of Christmas with Linda Raedisch

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 22:17:00 +0000

I talk to author Linda Raedisch about her book The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year. We discuss ancient pagan rituals, legends, and stories from pagan old Europe.

WC #12 Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories and Algernon Blackwood's "The Kit Bag"

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 21:52:00 +0000

Why did Victorian England love Christmas ghost stories? Why does Andy Williams sing about them? Why is Algernon Blackwood's "A Kit Bag" so freakin' awesome? Why did so many people volunteer to read for me? Why did an actual scholar (Tara Moore) come on this obscure podcast?

WC #11 Xmas Comics with Benito Cereno

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 07:18:00 +0000

Weird Christmas Podcast #11. A discussion with Benito Cereno about the unlikely world of Christmas and comic books.

WC #Bonus Thanksgiving Gift of the Christmas Podcast Network

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 03:09:00 +0000

Weird Christmas is part of a new thing: the Christmas Podcast Network. So this is a sampler of a bunch of the things you can find there. Different shows, different voices, and all in one place

WC #10 Christmalloween (or How I Mixed Up My Holidays)

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 18:44:00 +0000

How many Christmas carols are actually about Halloween? Or vice versa? However many there are, they aren't very good...with a couple of exceptions.

WC #9 Christmas Music Junkies and Interview with Mitchell Kezin, Director of Jingle Bell Rocks!

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 23:14:00 +0000

Talking about the underground world of Christmas music collectors with Mitchell Kezin, the director of Jingle Bell Rocks!, a documentary about people who hunt for the best and strangest Christmas music all year long.

WC #8 HP Lovecraft Christmas Poems (and one story)

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 22:59:00 +0000

All of HP Lovecraft's Christmas Poetry, with only minor bits of mind-bending terror. And his one "Christmas" story read by WC listeners, who are all awesome!

WC #7 Santa's a Magic Mushroom

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 23:20:00 +0000

In this episode, I delive into the world of shamanism, magic mushrooms, and Santa Claus. Travel with me on a trip to strange holiday destinations!

WC #6 Drunken Christmas Music

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 02:43:00 +0000

Christmas songs full of the best tradition of the season: drinking! Country misery, drunk singing, and, believe it or not, some actually good stuff this time. But still weird.

WC #5 Weird Christmas TV and Movies with Joanna Wilson

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 06:01:00 +0000

Episode #5 of the Weird Christmas Podcast! Kicking off the 2017 Christmas season talking to Joanna Wilson, author of numerous books about Christmas tv. She gives some excellent recommendations to keep your holiday viewing weird.

WC #Bonus Episode, The House of Seven Santas, Part 5

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 05:45:00 +0000

SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE! Join the Weird Christmas Podcast and six other podcasts for a multi-part holiday special retelling of the story "The House of Seven Santas." If you want to start from the beginning, check out the Christmas Past Podcast at http://christmaspastpodcast.com/.

WC #4 Thanksgiving Podcast 2017

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 22:30:00 +0000

It's the first episode of 2017 for Weird Christmas! I'm confused about Thanksgiving! I don't know what the hell it means!

WC #3 Weird Science Fiction Christmas Music Podcast

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 18:38:00 +0000

Weird Christmas' science fiction extravaganza! Santa on the moon, Mars, rockets, your bachelor pad, and a bit of theramin for fun. Noel!

WC #2 Weird Christmas Annoying Music Show

Thu, 01 Dec 2016 02:41:00 +0000

The Weird Christmas Annoying Music Show. A variety of some of the strangest, most annoying Christmas music available. Check out WeirdChristmas.com for all the details.

WC #1 Weird Christmas Podcast: Christmas Myths Debunked

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The first episode of the Weird Christmas podcast where we find all the strangest vintage, musical, and historical things about your favorite holidays. All the stuff I talk about there like WeirdChristmas.com, an email, etc....yeah, that's all been going on for a couple of years now. Heh heh...