…
continue reading
All things holly, jolly, and odd-ly.
…
continue reading
1
2023 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest Results Show
1:32:10
1:32:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:32:10
Please see WeirdChristmas.com for text and info on all the stories and writers.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
Nisser and Tomtar (Scandinavian Elves) with Benito Cereno
50:56
50:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:56
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…
…
continue reading
1
2022 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest (5th Annual Results Show)
1:15:25
1:15:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:15:25
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 …
…
continue reading
1
Ancient Christmas with Earl Fontainelle of the SHWEP
1:32:18
1:32:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:32:18
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…
…
continue reading
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: Benito’s Christmas history videos Benito’s writing at Gumroad Apocrypals podcast Friends ‘Till the End podcast Progressively Horr…
…
continue reading
1
The Ghost Story of Christmas 2021ish ”A Strange Christmas Game” by Charlotte Riddell
58:27
58:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
58:27
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 P…
…
continue reading
1
Christmas Past, American Xmas Literary History with Thomas Ruys Smith
54:40
54:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:40
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: Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth Century America [publisher] [Amazon] Thomas Ruys Smith's au…
…
continue reading
1
2021 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest (4th Annual Results Show)
1:28:12
1:28:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:28:12
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 Sui…
…
continue reading
1
Ghost Stories, Weird Poetry, and All Manner of Old Xmas Weirdness with Christopher Philippo
55:38
55:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:38
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 fr…
…
continue reading
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: Phant…
…
continue reading
1
Christmas Murder Ballads with James Wynn
1:05:02
1:05:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:05:02
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 storie…
…
continue reading
1
Christmas Witches with Benito Cereno
1:21:06
1:21:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:21:06
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: Benito's Christmas history videos Benito's writing at Gumroad Apocrypals podcast Friends 'Till the End podcast Progressively Horrified Music: "La Befana" by Make Like Monkeys "Perchta" b…
…
continue reading
1
2020 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest Results Show
1:06:07
1:06:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:06:07
Full text of all the winners are at WeirdChristmas.com along with bios, information, and links for all the authors. All fiction copyright 2020 by the authors. Please visit WeirdChristmas.com for full information.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
Philosophy, Christmas, and Does Santa Exist by Eric Linus Kaplan who wrote Big Bang Theory which I mentioned here totally for clicks
54:05
54:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:05
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…
…
continue reading
1
The Ghost Story of Christmas 2020 "Between the Lights" by EF Benson
42:25
42:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:25
“…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, Vo…
…
continue reading
1
Weird Christmas Food with Glen Warren of the Season's Eatings Podcast
47:42
47:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:42
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) Th…
…
continue reading
1
Santa is NOT St Nick - Tom Jerman and Santa Claus Worldwide
1:40:54
1:40:54
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:40:54
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 Publishe…
…
continue reading
1
Mumblecore Christmas with Stefanie Davis about her film The Christmas Ride
33:16
33:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:16
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.yout…
…
continue reading
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 m…
…
continue reading
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 Gift…
…
continue reading
1
Halloween Postcard Collecting with Eric Hinton
32:13
32:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:13
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…
…
continue reading
1
WC# 25 Christmas and Zen Buddhism, a talk with Brad Warner
47:14
47:14
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:14
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #24 Medieval Christmas with Misty Schieberle and Scott Smith
51:15
51:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:15
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #23 The Ghost Story of 2019, M.R. James' "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance"
56:04
56:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
56:04
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #22 Underground Christmas Music with Christmas Underground
1:02:17
1:02:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:17
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #21 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction 2019 (Contest results show)
57:48
57:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:48
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
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!)By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #Bonus Christmas Pickles with the Christmas Podcast Network
41:16
41:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:16
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #19 (Almost) Unwatchable Christmas Movies with Alonso Duralde
49:32
49:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:32
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 …
…
continue reading
1
WC #18 Christmas Elves and Linda Raedisch
35:43
35:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:43
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."By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
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.…
…
continue reading
1
WC #16 Christmas Summer Comet and Patreon Plug
21:00
21:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
21:00
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…
…
continue reading
1
WC #15 Christmas with MST3K, Rifftrax, and Connor Lastowka
29:02
29:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:02
Weird Christmas explores the Christmas offerings of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Rifftrax, and Cinematic Titanic with Rifftrax writer Connor Lastowka.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #13 The Old Magic of Christmas with Linda Raedisch
30:12
30:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:12
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #12 Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories and Algernon Blackwood's "The Kit Bag"
49:32
49:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:32
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?By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
Weird Christmas Podcast #11. A discussion with Benito Cereno about the unlikely world of Christmas and comic books.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #Bonus Thanksgiving Gift of the Christmas Podcast Network
33:20
33:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:20
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 placeBy Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #10 Christmalloween (or How I Mixed Up My Holidays)
15:27
15:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:27
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #9 Christmas Music Junkies and Interview with Mitchell Kezin, Director of Jingle Bell Rocks!
36:17
36:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:17
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #8 HP Lovecraft Christmas Poems (and one story)
34:41
34:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:41
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!By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
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!By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #5 Weird Christmas TV and Movies with Joanna Wilson
33:25
33:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:25
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #Bonus Episode, The House of Seven Santas, Part 5
8:53
8:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
8:53
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/.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
It's the first episode of 2017 for Weird Christmas! I'm confused about Thanksgiving! I don't know what the hell it means!By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #3 Weird Science Fiction Christmas Music Podcast
15:52
15:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:52
Weird Christmas' science fiction extravaganza! Santa on the moon, Mars, rockets, your bachelor pad, and a bit of theramin for fun. Noel!By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #2 Weird Christmas Annoying Music Show
15:40
15:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
15:40
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.By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
WC #1 Weird Christmas Podcast: Christmas Myths Debunked
36:44
36:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:44
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...By Craig Kringle
…
continue reading
1
LIMI Soul Radio with special guest Paige Hall-Ferraro
1:00:00
1:00:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:00:00
Have you ever wondered - what is a Light Energy Channel? How do we know if we are Awakening? How do we Raise our Vibration on this planet? Lightworker Paige Hall-Ferraro joins us today and answers these questions and more! Don't miss our last show with this incredible guest!By Holly Riddel
…
continue reading