
43 episodes

Weird Christmas Podcast Craig Kringle
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4.8 • 81 Ratings
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We explore strange Christmas history, media, and legends alongside new and old fiction, from Victorian ghost stories to an annual flash fiction contest. WeirdChristmas.com is the hub for all your holiday weirdness needs.
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Christmas Past, American Xmas Literary History with Thomas Ruys Smith
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! -
2021 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest (4th Annual Results Show)
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. -
Ghost Stories, Weird Poetry, and All Manner of Old Xmas Weirdness with Christopher Philippo
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! -
The Perchten with Al Ridenour
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! -
Christmas Murder Ballads with James Wynn
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! -
Christmas Witches with Benito Cereno
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!
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable
I have been loving this podcast. How much fun is this to explore the strange ideas/concepts of Christmas.
More for Christmas
This is an absolutely weird, strange, wonderful, awesome, must listen for the off beat and strange history of Christmas. Must listen!
Love it
A