Weird Christmas Podcast Craig Kringle

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 author website


Bumper music:


Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman

Featured opening/bumper: "Christmas Past" by Holodelic

Bumper/closing: "American Christmas" by Chris Dudley


If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com.


Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

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 Suit Fits” by Michelle Christophorou

“There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard” Category Winner: “A Churchyard Carol” by Dan Fields

“Stocking Stuffer” Category Winner: “The Power of Presents and Spidersilk” by Daniel Ausema


Honorable Mention (in no particular order):


“The Second Coming” — Michelle Christophorou

“Married to Christmas” — Dustin Pari

“The Christmas Room” — J.D. Wilson

“Saving Cinterland” — JJ Mokrezewski

“The Messenger” — Jens Hieber

“A Christmas Burial” — Gary Ballard

“Spirits of Christmas” — D.P. Blanchard

“A lock of hair, a baby tooth, a toenail” — Eleanor Luke

“Red Nose” — Thomas Lawrance

“The Last Holiday” — John Wolf

“It’s the Most Dreadful Time of the Year” — Paul Lewthwaite

“How Santa Got Schooled” — Kate Sherrod

“O Holey Night” — John Possidente

“The Yew’s Embrace” — Jen Rowe

“War’s End” — Adam Gottfried

“Carton Holiday” — Ibiteye Overcomer

“Christmas Spirits” — Laurie Peterson

“Piss Pistol” — Brandon Case

“Grandpa?” — Jonathan Saint


Please help support the contest, the podcast, and Weird Christmas website by buying a “coffee” (a gift in increments of $3) at Ko-Fi.com (click here). For even more support, please consider joining my Patreon page (click here) where for $2 or $5/month, you’ll have access to extra content and bonuses like physical postcards mailed throughout the year. With more support, I can offer more and bigger prizes for the contest next year.


A big thank you to my volunteer readers this season: my work buddy Lisa and LW Salinas (@sithwitch), both of whom stepped in at the very last second. Otherwise, almost all the authors wanted to read their own work this year, which was fun!


Bumper music:


Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman

Special opening: “A Little Too Late for Christmas” by The Crux

Outro: "White Christmas" by the Ventures

Bumpers: here, here, here, here, here, lots of dark piano Christmas music and Theramin stuff.


Contest results from previous years: 2020, 2019, 2018.

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 from the show are at WeirdChristmas.com.


If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com.


Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

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: Phantom Hordes to Father Christmas"

Ep. 38 "Frau Perchta the Belly-Slitter"

Ep. 17 "Christmas Ghosts"

Ep. 15 "Saint, Devil, Sugar-Bread, & Whip: Krampus and Nicholas"




Al Ridenour's page

Book The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour (link from the publisher)





Bumper music:





Usual opening: “O Holy Night” by Tiny Tim, “Christmas Doesn’t Last” by Make Like Monkeys, “Santa Claus Boogie” by Hasil Adkins, “Space Age Santa” by Ross Christman

Special opening: "Kramperl, Kramperl, Besenstiel" by Die Pagger Buam

Bumper/Closing: "Frau Perchta" by Waldtraene





If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com.





Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

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 stories), 2019 (we read one story)





Bumper music:





Usual opening: "O Holy Night" by Tiny Tim, "Christmas Doesn't Last" by Make Like Monkeys, "Santa Claus Boogie" by Hasil Adkins, "Space Age Santa" by Ross Christman

Special opening: "Joy to the World" by John Fahey

Closing: "Stagger Lee" by Grateful Dead





If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a “coffee” ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com.





Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I’ll send you a sticker!

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" by The Champagne Drops

"Christmas Witch" by ChatterBox

"The Christmas Witch" by CountD


If you’re feeling generous, check out my Patreon page here where you can get all kinds of bonuses throughout the year. You can also buy me a "coffee" ($3 gifts) at Ko-Fi.com.


Or PLEASE LEAVE A WEIRD REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! Send me a note that you did (weirdxmas@gmail.com), and I'll send you a sticker!