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 what it was.

Thank you all for another wonderful Christmas season together.

Merry Christmas! And until we meet again, may your days be merry and bright.

Music in this Episode

"Deck the Halls A" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

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 — Boxing Day — is the Christmas afterparty you've been missing out on. What's the story? And what does it have to do with boxing? Paul Kerensa joins Christmas Past to...unpack the box.  

Mentioned in this Episode

• Paul Kerensa
• Hark! The Biography of Christmas, by Paul Kerensa

Music in this Episode

• "Good King Wenceslas" — U.S. Army Band, via Wikimedia Commons
• "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" — DJ Williams, via Youtube Audio Library
• "In the Bleak Midwinter" — Julius H., via Pixabay
• "Emotional Piano Improvisation" — Alexander Nakarada, via Film Music
• "Holiday Gift" — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive

Section from A Christmas Carol read by Peter John Keeble, courtesy of Librivox

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 time once again for an episode dedicated just to you and your Christmas memories. Cozy up by the fire with us for a little Christmas reminiscing. 

Music in this Episode

• "A Very Brady Special" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

For many families, the Christmas Eve feast is a so-called "meatless meal." It's a tradition of European Christian roots that has gone on to take many forms.

Mentioned in this episode

Plating Grace

Music in this Episode

• "Italian Trip" — wildsound159, via Pixabay
• "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist
• "First Snow" — Scott Buckley, via ScottBuckley.com.au
• "Silent Night" — DJ Williams, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Mortality" — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive

Old Fezziwig sure knew how to throw an office Christmas party. Dickens's description of Christmas Eve in Fezziwig's counting house included vigorous fiddling and elaborate dancing. That style of dance may belong to a bygone time, but it lives on in the annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair. In this special episode, Cathleen Myers joins Christmas Past to explain how Victorians danced their way to Christmas.

Mentioned in this Episode

• The Great Dickens Christmas Fair
• Period Events and Entertainments Re-Creation Society (Peers)

Music in this Episode

• "Toe Tapper" — Primal House Music, via Pixabay
• "Ambient Grand Piano for Meditation or Background" — Julius H., via Pixabay

In the late nineteenth century modern postal systems were still coming into their own. Around the turn of the century, many countries, including England, began issuing Christmas themed postage stamps. You might think that America would have been among them, but boy would you be wrong. 

In fact, America was one of the last countries to get on board. American Christmas stamps are only a few decades old. And the story there has to do with simple economics and America’s system of government.

Mentioned in this Episode

Christmas Philatelic Club

Music in this Episode

• "Christmas Jazz" — Denys Kyshchuk, via Pixabay
• "Running Waters" — Audionautix, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Noel" — Audionautix, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Acoustic Guitar 1" — Audionautix, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Dreamland" — Aakash Gandhi, via Youtube Audio Library
• "Wish Background" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

The Brady Bunch is an iconic American sitcom that ran for five seasons. But it produced only one Christmas episode during its original run. "The Voice of Christmas" from season 1 finds Carol with laryngitis days before she's scheduled to sing a solo for her church's Christmas service. The one and only Christopher Knight joins Brian to break this episode down.

Mentioned in this Episode

The Real Brady Bros

Music in this Episode

• "A Very Brady Special" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• "Brady Bunch Image Sound-Alike Music" — Noisepatterns, via SoundCloud
• "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech
• "Working Time - Soft Acoustic Guitar" — Dream Protocol, via Pixabay
• "Invisible Beauty" — Aakash Gandhi, via Youtube Audio Studio

For a bread that’s short, its history is long. Exactly how long, and the particulars of how it all came about, though, are unclear. But one this is clear: shortbread is an essential — and delicious — part of the festive season. 

Mentioned in this Episode

• Tasting History Youtube Channel
• Tasting History, book by Max Miller

Music in this Episode

• "Hush Ye, My Bairnie" — Trygve Larsen, Pixabay
• "Drops of Melting Snow (after Holst, Abroad as I was walking)" — Axletree, via Free Music Archive
• "Soft Piano" — Agnese Valmaggia, via Film Music
• "Auld Lang Syne" — Trygve Larsen, Pixabay
• "Angels We Have Heard on High" — Don Maue, shared directly by the artist

One of my favorite parts of creating Christmas Past is sharing your Christmas memories. I love the warm connections I’ve had with so many of you over the years, and the glimpses you provide into your Christmases Past. So, today, I’m excited to take a break from the normal action and bring to you an episode dedicated just to you and your Christmas memories.

Music in this Episode

Piano Music No. 5 — RelaxingTime, via Pixabay

Colorful, glossy, enticing. For generations of children, the annual department store Christmas catalog was a field guide, a treasure map, and the fuel for hearts desires and letters to Santa. And then, one day, they were gone.  

Mentioned in this Episode

Wish Book Web

Music in this Episode

• "Jingle Bells Relax Piano" — Oleg Kirilkov, via Pixabay
• "Merry Christmas Everyone Piano" — 23117649, via Pixabay
• "Christmas is for Kids" — Juan Sanchez, via Pixabay
• "Wish Background" — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Stollen is a Christmas staple in German homes. This cake/bread hybrid is packed with flavor and shaped to resemble a swaddled baby. Food writer Luisa Weiss joins Christmas Past to explain stollen's special connection to German Christmas and German baking culture.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Luisa Weiss
• Classic German Baking, by Luisa Weiss

Music in this Episode

• "Winter Fairy Dance - Orchestral with Bells and Choir" — Paul Winter, via Pixabay
• "Wonderful Christmas Time [Classic Version]" — Frank Schroeter, via Film Music
• "Snow Falls Softly at Night" — Frank Schroeter, via Film Music
• "Piano Ballad 2" — Reeg'sB, via Film Music
• "Magic of Christmas" — Sergei Chetvertnykh, via Pixabay