Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the influence of Charles
Dickens and his most famous work: A Christmas Carol. Some have even gone
as far as saying he basically “invented” Christmas as we know it today.
So…did he? In this episode, I get answers from the man himself!

Music in this Episode:

• Traditional tune played by band at Dickens Fair
• Snowfall: Shady Dave
• Wish Background: Kevin MacCleod 

Rate
Christmas Past on Apple Podcasts, and I’ll send you a sticker to say
thanks. After leaving your review, get in touch through the contact page
at http://christmaspast.media/contact and let me know your Apple Podcasts username and an address where you can receive your sticker. 

Follow Christmas Past on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Christmas Past is a proud member of the Christmas Podcast Network, a collection of the best Christmas shows around.

Why do we say “merry Christmas”? Why not “happy Christmas”? And why
don’t we use the word “merry” for anything else nowadays (except for the
occasional merry-go-round)? “Merry Christmas” is so ingrained in our
language, and feels so natural to say, that you probably never stopped
to wonder why. Well, I did, and with the help of linguist Arika Okrent,
we’ll get to the bottom of it.

Thanks to Charlyn Lewis in Pennsylvania for sharing a Christmas
memory in this episode. If you’d like to be on the show, record a voice
memo into your phone and send it to christmaspastpodcast at gmail dot
com or leave a voice mail on my Google Voice line at  650-394-7162.

If you review the show on Apple Podcasts, I’ll send you a sticker to say thanks. After you leave your review, contact me with your Apple Podcasts username and an address where you can receive your sticker.

Links

• Original Mental Floss article by Arika Okrent
• Arika Okrent’s Web site

Music from this episode

• “Gaena” — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• “March” — Kai Engel, via Free Music Archive
• “Delicant” — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive
• “Suppose it Is” — Podington Bear, via Free Music Archive
• “Wish Background” — Kevin MacLeod, via Incompetech

Subscribe, Rate, Review!

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or anywhere else you get podcasts. If you need suggestions or help with subscribing, check out the Subscribe page. And if you have a moment, please leave a rating. It helps spread the Christmas cheer to more listeners!

Happy Halloween! This year, Christmas Past is masquerading as Tis the Podcast,
“the podcast dedicated to keeping the Christmas Spirit alive 365 days a
year.” In this special bonus crossover episode, I join Julia and
Anthony to review the 1984 made-for-TV movie version of A Christmas Carol. What better way to combine Christmas and Halloween than with one of the world’s most popular ghost stories!

Speaking of which, there’s a long history of Christmas ghost stories,
but not many of them remain popular (or even well known) today. But my
friends at Tis the Podcast are doing their own Halloween crossover
episode where they masquerade as yours truly. You’ll definitely want to
hear them give the Christmas Past treatment to this very interesting
topic. So subscribe to Tis the Podcast wherever you get your podcasts to
join in on the fun!

Music from this episode

Turning — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive

Subscribe, Rate, Review!

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or anywhere else you get podcasts. If you need suggestions or help with subscribing, check out the Subscribe page. And if you have a moment, please leave a rating. It helps spread the Christmas cheer to more listeners!

What’s the deal with Christmas in July? Is that really when some people celebrate the holiday? Or is it a made up holiday for the Christmas obsessed? Or something else? Well, the answer to all of those questions is…sorta. Let’s learn about the origins of the semi-official holiday that falls smack dab in the middle of the dog days.

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