Episode 15 - Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel Artwork

Professional Weirdo Podcast

Where I research strange stories and tell them to you. Because, let’s face it, I’m gonna research this anyway and blurt it to someone, might as well be a willing audience. Some of these stories might get dark, morbid, murdery…. so listener discretion is advised.

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Professional Weirdo Podcast

Episode 15 - Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel

January 03, 2026 • Anonymous Narrator • Season 1 • Episode 15

0:00 | 28:34

Sharing some weird info about holiday tradition and other cold weather trivia. Also, I botch some Icelandic words and we learn about the unfortunate fate of the Yule Goat.

Songs for this episode:

Hazy Shade of Winter - the Bangles
Two Weeks in December - Skullcrusher
Candles - Daughter
A Long December - the Counting Crows
The Commander Thinks Aloud - The Long Winters
Staralfur (the Staring Elf) - Sigur Ros

Sources:

Sound mixing performed by Brother Jay from The Rule of Scary podcast - check that out if you’re a horror movie fan! And hey! Thank you for listening to my stories. Keep it weird out there.

To find song recommendations for this podcast, check out the Spotify Professional Weird playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5jIkaamOZlCwtd2peUk9lF?si=0238d524a374492d

Email me at professionalweirdopodcast@gmail.com

Hello, fellow weirdos. And happy holidays, however you celebrate them. I had a topic lined up and even some research completed, but I set that aside because I was seeing some interesting nuggets of weird info about holiday traditions, and other cold weather trivia. Some of them turned out to be untrue - like the one that said Sweden had found a combination of beet extract and maize starch to use on their icy roads, meaning they were treating the roads with something that was edible to birds. Unfortunately that that’s false, they’re salting the roads just like the rest of us. Now, Finland IS painting reindeer antlers with reflective paint to help prevent hitting them with their cars at night, but those really cool viral photos going around aren’t really what the antlers look like - that’s photoshopped. And, it didn’t really help reduce the number of collisions on the road. They are using an app instead that lets people report reindeer crossings for more awareness and that’s working out better. But all this holiday and winter trivia sent me down an arctic rabbit hole about traditions, even some that were pretty far out. Maybe there ones related to your religion, or culture, or location, or family, or ones you made up along the way. We have a Scooby Doo stocking where Scooby sings Jingle Bells, so we have to hit that button a few times while decorating. And most years we drive around and look at light displays while listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks holiday album. And I once watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window while wrapping Christmas presents and now it’s just not right if I don’t watch Rear Window around Christmas. Which makes no sense, because that movie takes place in the summer and they make a point of talking about how hot the summer is in that movie. It is in no way a Christmas movie on its own merit. But to me, it’s a Christmas movie. (And an excellent movie and everyone should watch it). Other must-watch, and, more logical, holiday movies on my list are the Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf, a Christmas Story, National Lampoons Christmas, and of course Scrooged with Bill Murray. The violent and magical Ghost of Christmas Present is my favorite, but the Ghost of Christmas Past catching a sentimental Frank crying always cracks me up.

This is Episode 15 - Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel

What have you been feeling sentimental for this year? During some travel recently I was talking with a woman from Jamaica who was telling me about how Christmas is done there. They enjoy something called Grand Market. She spoke of it fondly, calling it “chaos.” During Christmas Eve, and sometimes all the way into the next day, shops in major towns and cities remain open, and families go out together to shop and celebrate. There’s music and food, and visits from Santa. One of her favorite memories was that her parents would give the kids a little money and let them spend it on items they wouldn’t normally be allowed. Her favorite was soda pop from a glass bottle. We both agreed soda from a glass bottle always seems better than from the plastic bottles. Because of weather in that region she wasn’t going to be able to travel back for the Grand Market, instead celebrating with some family in the states. But I hope she got her hands on a soda in a glass bottle. Because this time of year we need to settle in for the long winter, so however we can infuse a little joy, let’s go for it. Go ahead and leave up those twinkle lights. Because that’s our rating scale - 1 out of 5 twinkle lights!

So we heard about Jamaica. How are they celebrating the holidays and bringing in the new year in other places around the world?

In (Goob-yo) Gubbio, Italy, you can view the world’s largest Christmas tree. It’s not technically a tree, but instead lights arranged into the shape of a Christmas tree up the side of Mount (in-gee-no) Ingino, 2000 feet up. At the base of the tree is the town of Gubbio, sitting like a present under the tree, and basking in the thousands of lights every December. The tradition started in 1981. Every year the town kicks off the lighting on Dec. 7 with a celebration. The lights stay on until the first week of January, dazzling residents up to 30 miles away. 4 out of 5 twinkle lights.

For 35 years a Christmas mystery took place in Black Canyon City, Arizona. Along interstate 17, a very busy road connecting the mountains with desert, there was a lone juniper tree in the median between the north and south bound lanes, surrounded by cacti and low grasses. And since the 80’s, a group whose identity remains a mystery, decorated the tree for Christmas. It’s also suspected that this group installed the barrel irrigation system that watered the tree during the dryer seasons. While the tree’s location was on property owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation, meaning that a group decorating it would normally would cause some issue, the decorations were removed in January each year so the department didn’t see a need to interfere with the festive tradition. Sadly, in 2020 a brush fire damaged the tree enough that it died and this fun and mysterious holiday tradition came to a close. 2 out of 5 twinkle lights

Straying now into some unusual holiday traditions… In (gavel) Gavle, Sweden they’ve been building a 40-foot goat out of straw since 1966. It’s a Yule Goat, or specifically called the Gavle Goat. It’s all very festive, but somehow a secondary tradition has been happening - setting it on fire. Every year officials beef up security and make new plans, and nearly every year it’s torched or disturbed in some manner. Atlas Obscura created a timeline in 2014, showing all the ways the goat was taken out. 1966, 1968 and 1970 are all years where it was burned. In 1970, it was torched only 6 hours after the construction was completed. In 1972 it was sabotaged and collapsed. 1974 saw it burned again, but in 1976 someone plowed into it with a Volvo, causing it to collapse. In 1978 it was kicked until it came apart. In 1980 it was burned before it was finished being built, and then after being rebuilt it was busted apart. More burnings happened throughout the 80’s and early 90’s. In 1995 they arrested someone for trying to burn it, but it was burned down anyway by someone else. In 1997 it was hit with fireworks - I guess someone was trying to evade arrests with that one. More burnings happen nearly every year, with a notable burning in 2001 when an American tourist in town thought that this was a LEGAL local tradition, and gave it a real “when in Rome” approach by openly setting the Yule Goat on fire, which led to a little unexpected jail-time. Let’s say, a really immersive tourist experience. A website was built with a live webcam on the goat, and in 2004 it was hacked, with someone displaying (language warning if the kids are listening) “burn the fucking goat.” Despite this, the goat made it that year. However, things got weird. Or, weirder. In 2005 two men - one dressed as the Gingerbread Man and the other dressed as Father Christmas shot flaming arrows at the goat. It made it. In 2006 a drunken man climbed the goat, but it still made it. But by the late 2000’s it was being burned again. In 2010 someone attempted to kidnap the goat using a helicopter! While writing this, I’ve checked in on the webcam and it’s still intact. But going to check the latest.... it's down! It's on its face! Poor one out for the Gavel Goat! 4 out of 5 twinkle lights

Speaking of setting things on fire, in Guatemala they have something called La (kway-mah) Quema del Diablo, or the burning of the devil. During the week before Christmas they clean their houses thoroughly, under the belief that evil spirits hide in the dirty corners. So as they gather trash and other assorted items from their clean up, they pile it up outside. At the end of the week, an effigy of the devil is placed on top and then they set it on fire, believing all the bad things from the previous year go up in smoke with it. 3 out of 5 twinkle lights.

Another way to bring good fortune into the year is to find the Christmas pickle. Have you heard of the Christmas pickle? The idea is you hide a pickle-shaped ornament on the Christmas tree and the first person to find it will have good luck in the next year, maybe even an extra gift. While it’s said this tradition comes from Germany, in 2016 a survey showed that 91% of Germans had not heard of the Christmas pickle. Do you have a Christmas pickle on your tree? I prefer those gerkins that you can find on a nice veggie plate or cheese platter. That’s just a little prize in and of itself. 3 out of 5 twinkle lights.

And speaking of snacks, in South Africa it’s a Christmas tradition to collect bright Emperor Moth caterpillars and deep-fry them. They’re full of protein - and we all need more of that, right? And said to be a delicacy. I mean, compared to some of those jello salads, there could be worse things to eat at the holiday table. Or, figgy pudding, which is a type of cake with dried fruit, spices, breadcrumbs, and animal fat, all soaked in booze and then lit on fire. Or the Merry Party Loaf which was popular in the 1950’s and there’s a reason this one isn’t around anymore. It’s a red and white thing that appears to be cake, except the white coating isn’t icing, it’s mayo and cream cheese. It’s bread, layered with egg, tuna, and ham salads. Embellishments during its heyday only made it worse - relish, peanuts, and crushed pineapple. Who was eating this? You might want to wash something like that down with a hot Dr. Pepper. Because that’s what the soda company encouraged in the 1960’s as a new Christmas trend. Set that hot cocoa aside and warm up some Dr. Pepper in a saucepan to enjoy in your favorite mug. Actually, no thanks. Those deep-fried caterpillars are sounding better now. 2 out of 5 twinkle lights.

For less exotic food traditions, in the 1970s KFC ran a Christmas campaign in Japan that was called “Kentucky for Christmas” and it was very effective. Stores decorated with statues of Colonel Sanders dressed as Santa. They sold what they called “party barrels” (which just sounds like a good time to me). These included chicken, sides, and cake. The idea was you could skip all the preparation and just enjoy family time with some KFC. It’s now a Christmas tradition there that creates advanced orders for buckets of chicken and lines out the door. December 24 is the busiest day for KFC in Japan, with an estimated 3.6 million families in enjoying KFC each Christmas. 3 out of 5 twinkle lights.

Iceland has some fascinating folklore traditions and in some of them, the snack might be… children. Let’s start with Gryla. She’s said to be a giantess, a troll woman, who was written about as far back as the 17th century. Some writings say she walks through villages, looking for naughty children to turn into stew. It’s also said she’s the mother of 13 sons, called the Yule Lads. In the 13 nights leading up to Christmas, each one takes a turn visiting for mischief, either stealing food or slamming doors. Naughty children might receive a rotten potato, while good children might receive a prize. Iceland also has the Yule Cat - he has an Icelandic name which I will simply not even attempt to pronounce, as I’m sure to butcher it horribly and I don’t want this thing coming after me. The giant, black Yule Cat is also looking to eat children, but only those who fail to receive and wear at least one piece of their new clothing. Some say this was a bit of folklore marketing created to encourage workers to finish processing wool over the holidays. If you don’t want your children to fear getting eaten by a giant cat, you better get those sweaters sewn and purchased! Another Icelandic tradition I can really get behind is…. Another word I will not attempt. This happens on Christmas Eve and it’s called the Christmas Book Flood. People give each other new books and sweet treats like cocoa or chocolates or beer, and then they spend the evening together, but either reading their new books or sharing the stories with each other. Okay, this is a really good tradition - it’s so cozy - so I’ll give the pronunciation a shot… it’s called yo-la-boke-uh-flowed. Any Icelandic listeners out there? I hope I did that correctly. 4 out of 5 twinkle lights.

A much nicer, witchy lady visits homes in Italy. She’s called La Befana and she predates Santa, but parts of her lore will sound very familiar. Children leave out shoes or stockings for her, along with hay or carrots for her broomstick-riding donkey. Let’s pause and picture that. It’s a donkey, that rides… a broomstick. I’m enchanted. I would leave him carrots and hay! And for good little children La Befana leaves candy. For naughty children she leaves black rock candy - something that looks like coal but is actually candy, just a gentle reminder to do better in the coming year. What a gal! And her donkey! 5 out of 5 twinkle lights!

Related to witches, in Norway on Christmas Eve families hide the brooms, with many families storing them away in basements or closets. The thought is that witches run around on Christmas Eve, but if you hide their means of transportation you can stop them from causing mischief. Kind of like taking the car keys away from someone who has had too much to drink. Some families have even expanded on this by hiding dustpans and mops. I wonder if they hide Dustbusters? I just like the idea that you’d be off the hook cleaning on Christmas, under threat of facilitating witch mischief. 4 out of 5 twinkle lights.

Speaking of unusual ways to get around, in Caracas, Venezuela, leading up to Christmas, it’s customary to travel to morning church services on roller skates. The streets are closed to vehicles from Dec. 16 to 24th to allow everyone to roller-skate to the services each morning. The celebration continues when people arrive home, with treats and hot chocolate being served. 3 out of 5 twinkle lights.

Stepping outside of the holidays, let’s talk about some general cold weather traditions. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is a scientific research station in Antarctica. It’s the only inhabited place on the surface of the Earth where the Sun is continuously visible for 6 months, and then it’s dark for the next 6 months. During this long polar night the temperatures can drop below -73 C or - 99 degrees F. Because of these extremes, flights into the base are reduced and it can get pretty isolated. And the group there has started a very funny, or scary, or both, tradition. To celebrate the beginning of winter there they will sit down and watch John Carpenter’s 1982 horror film The Thing. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a research center in the Antarctic that’s infiltrated by an alien that replicates by adopting the form of the humans there. And in 2024, their Thing movie marathon was started by a zoom call from John Carpenter himself. 5 out of 5 twinkle lights.

We aren’t in climates as cold as them, but there are some shifts that happen when cold weather hits. Kind of like a seasonal tradition that our bodies keep each year. According to Arizona State psychologist Michael Varnum in a National Geographic article, QUOTE “During the winter our bodies go through a natural evolutionary cycle. This isn’t learned behavior or coincidence. It’s part of some deeper, more instinctual programming. There are a lot of parallels to hiberation in many other mammals.” END QUOTE

There are a few contributing factors - not just the lower levels of light creating reduced levels of serotonin (it helps us regulate mood, appetite, and sleep), but waking up in the dark also disrupts the production of cortisol which makes us sleepy. Studies also show that our ability to sustain focus becomes worse in the winter. And our metabolic systems shift so that our bodies conserve more energy. And you thought it was the sweet treats and savory snacks over the holidays. And we have to be careful about some of these changes. No, not the cookies. I always support cookies. But the American Heart Association warns that exposure to cold weather impacts our heart, brain and other vital organs. In normal winter weather conditions the body can lose heat in a few ways. 60% is just the heat radiating away from our bodies into the surrounding air. But when we’re touching cold things - like sitting on a cold seat in our car, or when the wind blows around us, we lose more. And if you are exerting yourself, like with shoveling snow, the evaporation can cause even more heat loss. And breathing the cold air strips more temperature from us. The cold causes blood vessels to constrict so that heat is centralized in the body’s core, to protect our organs. That means our extremities, like fingers and toes, are left vulnerable to frostbite. But it also means that blood pressure can spike, risking heart attack or stroke. Cold also irritates the lungs, so anyone with respiratory conditions like asthma, can have issues as well. When the body loses heat faster than it produces it, the core body temperature falls, leading to hypothermia. And that is pretty spooky. This happens when the body’s temperature dips below 95 degrees F, which means the blood vessels in the brain will start to constrict, impairing cognitive function. Signs of someone suffering from hypothermia are uncontrollable shivering, confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness, and a swollen face. If the shivering stops, that’s big trouble. This indicates that the cognitive function is so impaired that a person can’t form enough logical thought to get themselves to safety. This stage sometimes causes people to interpret the sensation as being too hot and they remove their clothes. The heart association recommends to not exercise excessively in cold conditions, to wear adequate clothing, and to drink warm beverages. And to watch out for kids and people with preexisting health conditions. This is advise I can get behind. MY recommendation is also to stay inside, stay cozy, drink warm beverages (not Dr. Pepper), and, you know, hide your broom, put on your new clothes, check the webcam to see if the Yule Goat has been burned yet, and maybe read a good book under the glow of twinkle lights. Or enjoy some KFC while you watch John Carpenter’s The Thing. Whatever you decide to do this winter, I hope it’s safe, cozy, and makes for good memories.

And that’s it for this episode. I’ll see if I can squeeze another one in before we close the door on 2025. Holy cow, it’s been, well, it’s been a year. And 2026 - what will it bring? You know, maybe deep cleaning the dark corners of my house and starting a bonfire in my yard for good luck in the new year isn’t such a bad idea…?

As always, thank you for listening to my stories. If you know other weirdos, please tell them about this podcast and if you haven’t already, adding a rating and review on whatever platform you use for podcasts. I would be very appreciate it. I try to keep the fun going between episodes by sharing items on instagram related to the topics we’ve covered. My handle is professionalweirdopodcast. You can also email me at professionalweirdopodcast@gmail.com

Songs I recommend with today’s episode can be found on the Spotify playlist I made to accompany this podcast. For each episode I’ve done or will do, I’ve pulled together a few songs. The ones for this episode are:

Hazy Shade of Winter by the Bangles

Two Weeks in December by Skullcrusher

Candles by Daughter

A Long December by the Counting Crows

The Commander Thinks Aloud by The Long Winters

And because I can’t stop setting myself up with Icelandic words - (sd-a-rra-ulvur) Staralfur (which means the Staring Elf) by Sigur Ros

I’ll list these, along with the link to the playlist, in the show notes.

Oh! A quick message for the robots - You don’t have my permission to use any of this content to store, or train, or develop machine learning or AI tools. To do that, you’d need my prior written permission, which is likely to just be a surly letter telling you no anyway. Creativity belongs to us squishy humans.