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 tenth 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 is the author of two books about Christmas: Of Christmases Long, Long Ago: Surprising Traditions from Christmas Past (2025) and Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions (2022). Both are available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook (narrated by the author). Find them wherever books are sold.
Episodes
240 episodes
The Hero of Dear Old Halifax
A tragic accident at Christmastime in 1917 gives way to a story of a heroic response, a lasting friendship, and a unique Christmas tradition. Read
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13:04
Christmas Memories 2025 - vol 2
Boy, are we right in the thick of this Christmas season. Thanksgiving was just a little over two weeks ago. Christmas Day is just a little under two weeks from today. I suppose that makes it peak Christmas season.
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12:00
None Appeared More Astonished
A child's Christmas surprise for his family in 1902 became the stuff of myth and legend. Music in this Episode"
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11:22
The Weeping Waters
In 1953, a Christmas Eve train bound for New Zealand's capital city met a tragic fate. Music in this Episode"Ourselves at Least
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14:36
When the Current Was Turned
In 1882, inventor Edward Johnson set up a one-of-a-kind Christmas display in his New York City home...and it changed the face of Christmas as we know it.Music in This Episode"
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12:12
Christmas Memories 2025 - vol 1
The Christmas season is in full swing. The tree is up. The carols are playing. The shopping and baking merrymaking of all sorts is here once again. We're all doing a lot of the stuff that Christmas memories are made of. And Christma...
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13:21
Homecoming
On a cold winter's night, a man working in a field saw an out-of-place object in the night sky. This is a Christmas story, but it's not the one you think it is. Music in This Episode"
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11:45
The Builder of Tomorrows
Inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden received hundreds of patents in his career. And one invention that debuted in 1906 changed Christmas as we know it.Music in This Episode"
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12:53
The Birthday Gift
Teenaged Annie Ide resented being born on December 25 because Christmas always overshadowed her birthday. But a unique birthday gift from an eccentric family friend would change the course of her life forever. Music in This Episo...
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12:39
Season 10 Announcement, Dickens Fair, etc.
Just dropping by with a quick hello, now that the season is in full swing. Today, I share an announcement about this season of Christmas Past, as well as share highlights from my annual visit to the Great Dick...
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6:17
Story Time: Lucky's Grove
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! It's the kickoff to the main season of Christmas Past. What better way to get things going than with a cozy gathering around the fire for some old fashioned storytelling? Today, I'm back with a ghost story for Chri...
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51:07
Interview: Vaughn Joy, Author of Selling Out Santa
In today's episode, Vaughn Joy, Ph.D. joins Christmas Past to discuss how the social and political climate of the mid-20th century shaped the Christmas movies of that era. She's the author of the new book,
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30:31
Interview: Thomas Ruys Smith, author of Searching for Santa Claus
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 o...
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29:05
Interview: Alonso Duralde, author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas
Today, I'm talking to Alonso Duralde, film critic, podcaster, and author of
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28:32
Story Time: The Mistress in Black
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 thr...
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31:39
Christmas 2024 (plus listener memories)
The big day is here, and so is our final episode of 2024. As we so do every year, we'll take a look back at all the news, trends, sights, and sounds that made this Christmas what it was. We'll also hear some Christmas memories from the Christma...
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25:06
Backstory: Wren Day
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 de...
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12:27
Backstory: The Yule Lads
One by one, over a series of nights during Christmastime in Iceland, the Yule Lads come down from a mountain, making mischief, rewarding good behavior and punishing bad. These lovable scamps are unique melding of folkloric traditions, and a rem...
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12:41
Backstory: Ded Moroz
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 violen...
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13:37
Your Christmas Memories 2024
Once again it’s time for one of my favorite traditions here on Christmas Past: dedicating an entire episode to you and your Christmas memories! I love these little glimpses into other people’s lives, families, memories, and all the different wa...
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16:50
Backstory: Ivy
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 ...
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11:14
Backstory: Gremlins
Forty years ago, audiences got into the Christmas spirit by watching a little green creature get killed in a blender. Gremlins was more than a movie that combined horror, comedy, gory violence, and Christmas. It was a massive a pop culture phen...
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12:35
Backstory: Why is Christmas on December 25?
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 Dec...
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14:21