Backstory: Snow Globes

Christmas Past

Snow globes are one of those items that seems like it could have been around forever.  But they are a relatively new invention, and it wasn’t until decades after their invention that they’d become more or less exclusively a Christmas decoration. And that’s a story involving shoemakers, World War II, Austrian souvenir shops, baby food, and a super top secret process for creating fake snow. That literally only one person on earth knows.

Thank you to Erwin Perzy III of Original Viennese Snowglobe Manufacture for appearing in this episode.

Be sure to check out the "Definitive Directory of Christmas Podcasts"

Share a Christmas memory on the podcast! Just record a voice memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com. Keep it reasonably short, clean and family friendly, and be sure to say your name and where you're from. 

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Music in this episode

  • Music Box Brams Opus 39 - Waltz no 3 — Flying Deer FX, via Freesound
  • Golden Hour — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive
  •  Under the Stars — Shady Dave, via FreeSound
  • Lyric Pieces, Op. 12 – I. Arietta — Edvard Grieg, via Musopen
  • Home for the Holidays — Chris Haugen, via YouTube Audio Library
  • Fresh Fallen Snow — Chris Haugen, via YouTube Audio Library
  • Wish Background  — Kevin MacLeod via Incompetech

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Book

Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday's Traditions makes a great gift for all the Christmas lovers in your life. Available in hardcover and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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