Merry Podcast

Christmas ornaments get flung on trees without much thought. Many buy them in packs reminiscent of soda or beer. Most ornaments in use today are so plain and so ordinary that they receive little notice at all. But did you know there was once quite the art to the humble… Read More The Deeper Meaning of Christmas Ornaments

There is a rumor going around that nobody sends Christmas cards any more. Some say the days of stamping envelopes and receiving cards are done. Don’t believe every rumor you hear. In this merry episode we explore the ancient — and still wildly popular — custom of Christmas greetings. Of… Read More The Wildly Popular Custom of Christmas Greetings

A light departure this time around as we explore some great moments from North Pole radio. Not everyone can listen to the great broadcast coverage of Santa’s flight on Christmas Eve. That is why now and then we package up a few highlights. They are a lot of fun and… Read More Great Moments in North Pole Radio

Christmas in the 60s is not as fondly remembered as Christmases of previous decades. We think that perception should change. The 1960s were incredible years in many ways. Politics shifted, music morphed, movies changed, and society itself seemed at times to unravel. They were turbulent and violent years. They were… Read More Christmas in the 60s

Complaining about Christmas too early seems to be a season in its own right. In fact, it has become predictable when the media starts moaning about Christmas in stores and Christmas music on the radio. Christmas, they say, comes earlier and earlier every year. But does it? History says just… Read More Christmas Too Early

Most people associate pumpkin with Halloween, right? And why not? The jack-o-lantern, the festive color, the carve-a-bility and all that of pumkpins make it a great way to mark fall and the festive party we all know as Halloween. Pumpkin as well anchors the after-glow of Thanksgiving. Once the stuffed… Read More Pumpkin Love

Silent Night is arguably the most popular Christmas song of all time. You thought it was White Christmas, right? White Christmas might have the biggest sales numbers from a single artist…but Silent Night collectively from artists all over the world have easily outsold White Christmas. Of course, it had a… Read More Celebrating 200 Years of Silent Night

Stop the presses: Bruce Willis — who is, in the grand scheme of things, uh, nobody — has declared that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. The media loves this kind of thing. Read about it here, here, here or here. News to us. This movie has Christmas music,… Read More A Festive Rant about Bruce Willis, Die Hard and Christmas

The Christmas of patriots — those who lived before, during and just after the American Revolution — was no small event. Historians like to say that Christmas in America wasn’t a thing. But don’t ask these patriots; they loved Christmas. Who are these patriots? They are John Adams, Ben Franklin… Read More The Patriot Christmas