The mostly warm, fuzzy, cozy, sanitized Christmas is mainly a product of 19th and 20th century American influence. In earlier times, Christmas had a spooky side — one example of which is the Welsh tradition of the ghostly gray mare: the Mari Lwyd. 

Mentioned in this Episode

• Jeff Belanger
• The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger

Music in this Episode

• "John Barleycorn" — Julius H., via Pixabay
• "Dread Lake" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Mile Marker 323" — Blue Dot Sessions, via Free Music Archive
• "Relaxing Acoustic - Noel" —Oleksii Kaplunskyi, via Pixabay
• "Dramatic Uplifting Cinematic Piano" — Yevhen Onoychenko, via Pixabay
• Additional sound effects via Freesound

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• Email: christmaspastpodcast@gmail.com
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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.