Podcast Episodes – Page 4

The Victorian Christmas, Part IV

August 13, 2020/2 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

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The Victorian Christmas, Part IV

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The Victorian Christmas had it all. In this episode, it takes a dark turn thanks to the powerful lessons brought on by the American Civil War.

Is it wrong to say this is an important episode?

Candidly, I tell you few episodes have affected me as emotionally as this one did. It was necessary to dig deep into journals and letters from this time period. What they went through, how they felt and what they said is frankly haunting.

Christmas was, up to the time of the war, a more joyous time.

For these years, what happened with the war turned Christmas into a sobering, reflective time for everyone.

Nobody was immune and all had to endure Christmases that were frankly painful for what they missed. But Christmas was also a heartfelt teacher during these years. Their lessons are ones we simply cannot ignore.

Nobody teaches us more about the tragedy of the times and the meaning of Christmas — and Thanksgiving — than the singular and surprising figure of Abraham Lincoln.

We explore Lincoln’s personal Christmas history like few have ever done. While it is not noted at all by most historians we give Lincoln his due not because he was a huge fan of Christmas but because he understood the joy and the pain of Christmas to nearly every generation around him.

He saw it — and he reacted to it in brilliant, significant ways.

Lincoln partnered with a much younger but infinitely talented man named Thomas Nast. The Victorian Christmas would be marked by the imprint of Santa’s image that Nast left behind.

Though Lincoln’s tenure was brief his impact on both Thanksgiving and Christmas should never be forgotten. He helped shape what we call today the American Christmas.

The Civil War was also a huge turning point in technology. We explore all of that in this episode. How trains changed mass transportation — and Christmas. And how what was bought for Christmas shifted so quickly after the power of industries adjusted to post-war life. We learn that Christmas turned from the homemade to the store-bought largely due to the advances brought on by the war.

We explore how the war left emotional scars that are still felt today. We dig into the numbers of the Civil War. And we break it all down to a very personal level, as well.

If you listen to only one episode in this series about the Victorian Christmas, make it this one. That’s how important it is.

The Victorian Christmas, Part III

August 8, 2020/0 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

The Victorian Christmas, Part III

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The Victorian Christmas is defined by many diverse things over a 60-year period of the 19th century. In this episode of the Merry Little Podcast we explore the struggle the media had in defining the very face of Christmas during the Victorian Era – Santa Claus.

Moore’s poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, made very clear who Santa was and what he looked like. But from the start of the century to the end, Santa evolved into two really different looking men — thanks to the media, to product producers and merchants who all laid claim to him.

This episode explains why and how that happened.

We also delve into Christmas for the American slave, the song O Little Town of Bethlehem, and we share the names of great Christmas influencers of the century that we don’t hear much about any more – namely the writers Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

This episode also touches on the emerging 19th century trend in recognizing Thanksgiving as an official holiday. Although Thanksgiving had enjoyed better than 200 years of celebration in the United States it really came together with Christmas in the mid-19th century as part of one very meaningful season for Victorian celebrants. Thanksgiving, too, brought its share of superstars to the 19th century Christmas table.

This episode happily features the brilliant work of Toms Mucenieks with his song titled Jingle Bells: Sad Christmas. See his links at:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc2HRnNnK8o
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toms.mucenieks/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toms.mucenieks2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/toms_mucenieks

Episode sponsor – Christmas Hall of Fame:

The Victorian Christmas, Part II

July 29, 2020/0 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

The Victorian Christmas, Part II

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The Victorian Christmas is a complex thing. In this merry episode we pull back the layers to expose great music, great events and great traditions of the time. Not surprisingly much of it has survived and it influences our Christmas today.

For example, one of the great traditions of the era was sleigh rides. This was another holdover tradition from the 18th century but one that seemed to gain steam and attention in the quickly evolving media in the 19th century. That tradition gave rise to music associated with sleigh rides, most notably the song Jingle Bells. We explore the history of Jingle Bells and dispel the myth that the song only became popular after the advent of sound recordings.

That’s just not true. The song was a hit out the gate and it quickly became a favorite of Christmas. We explain how that is true and why it matters in this episode.

Curious enough, so much of the music of the Victorian Christmas was centered at Church. Even the very secular song of Jingle Bells debuted in a church. Churches were central to the celebration of Christmas in the 19th century. We explore why that is true and why it is important.

Dovetailing with all these religious and cultural things of the 19th century was the overarching theme of the Magi. The Magi were a popular theme in song, in worship, in art, in stage plays and especially music. All of these is discussed in depth.

There is a lot to learn about this time in Christmas history. And we’re not done yet. Part three discusses the rockstars of the 19th century and how all of them had ties to Christmas.

We’re pleased to feature the music of the Gardiner Sisters in this episode and we’re grateful for their gracious contribution. Please visit them at this link to hear more of their music.

We are grateful as well for our sponsor of this episode, Magic Christmas Ornament.

Christmas Community Online Part 1

July 21, 2020/0 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

Christmas Community Online Part 1

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In this special edition of the Merry Little Podcast we get a little personal.

We often get asked about the Merry Forums and what makes it so special. This episode gives you a look into that world.

Added in 2004, the Merry Forums has been a gathering place for people online to celebrate Christmas together. In this episode one member of our forum family, BallCoach is what he goes by, asked if part of Christmas in July he could include a few personal conversations between him and other forum members.

That’s clue #1 about the Christmas community online. Folks are always stepping up — always contributing in creative ways.

I didn’t have a thing to do with this at all — other than putting it up here. In this conversation BallCoach talks with BradMac, a man we affectionately have dubbed Da Mayor of MyMerryChristmas.

What you are going to hear is pure Christmas between two guys who have known each other for years yet have never met in person.

It’s all Christmas. I guarantee you’ll smile, you’ll laugh — you may even shed a tear as they do what everyone on the Merry Forums does best: they share Christmas.

Thanks to BallCoach and BradMac for sharing this with us. This is the first in what we hope are several conversations that BallCoach has for Christmas in July.

The Victorian Christmas, Part 1

July 17, 2020/1 Comment/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

The Victorian Christmas, Part 1

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The Victorian Christmas is one of curiosity for a lot of people today. It is a time in Christmas history with a very long reach. It influences today in everything from music to decorating in the modern Christmas.

But what exactly is the Victorian Christmas?

It is a time so big in Christmas history that we just can’t get it all into this episode. This is part one.

In this episode we explore how Christmas in Germany of the 18th century gave rise to Christmas in the Victorian Era. And yes, we take a long gander at Queen Victoria. The Queen, along with contemporary Charles Dickens, gets a lot of credit for the craze of the 19th century Christmas.

We have to myth-bust that a bit. Yes, Victoria deserves some credit for popularizing things like Christmas trees and Christmas cards.

But the truth is that as a child the young Princess Victoria enjoyed a royal Christmas. And so much of what she experienced before she became Queen carried over to when she raised her children under the spot light royalty.

It should be noted more for what the Victorian Christmas did NOT do for Christmas that many people think that it did. It did NOT give us Christmas trees. It did not give us Christmas greetings. It did not all of a sudden cause Christmas to be celebrated around the world.

What it did do is pour gasoline on the secular celebration of Christmas. Christmas accelerated in style and influence during the Victorian Era and that’s the story.

It’s too big of a story to tell in just one episode.

In putting this together we would point you to some past episodes where we have talked about elements of the Victorian Christmas:

Giving Dickens the Dickens
Celebrating 200 Years of Silent Night
The Wildly Popular Custom of Christmas Greetings
The Deeper Meaning of Christmas Ornaments
The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

We would point you to the following features at MyMerryChristmas.com, too:
– A Christmas Story of 1887
– Mourning Dickens and Recognizing Christmas
– A Prediction of Christmas Future from 1896
– Santa Claus of the 19th Century
– A Christmas Social Media Post from 1818
– The Ghost Story of Mistletoe

Christmas 1920: One Hundred Years Ago

July 7, 2020/2 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

Christmas 1920: One Hundred Years Ago

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Christmas 1920 was a transformative time. The war was over and the deadly pandemic had subsided. Life could finally return to normal.

In this merry episode we take a long look at this epic Christmas of Tinker Toys, Prohibition, Lincoln Logs, Raggedy Ann, and getting a new car for Christmas.

We also discuss a bit about researching Christmas and the value of having newspaper records now available.

This look back at Christmas history also includes a tangent about Christmas of 1870 when Congress declared Christmas a national holiday. While we found little in the news archives that talked about that event we did find plenty of 150-year old Christmas opinion that we want to share.

Also discussed is the 19th century fad of mistletoe. First a poem and later a very popular song known as the Mistletoe Bough is explored. It is a ghost story of Christmas most people do not know about.

And finally we explore the tradition of Thanksgiving Day parades, which began in 1920, but not with Macy’s in New York City. That leads as well to a discussion of stores in 1920 — and their connection to stories in 2020.

This is a fascinating trip down Christmas memory lane.

Christmas of Puritans and Pilgrims

June 22, 2020/0 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

Christmas of Puritans and Pilgrims

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Christmas of Puritans and Pilgrims is the stuff of legends. Unfortunately, most get what is real about the Puritan Christmas wrong because they believe the media and lazy historians.

This article, for example, is a good example of the bad history that out there. It is a mix of truth and just stupid assumption.

It doesn’t help that old images like this are floating around to support their conclusion that Christmas just didn’t happen in New England:

The very same publications that provide that image also provide the proof that Christmas was celebrated in New England and it had been since the arrival of the Mayflower.

Consider this: the Mayflower arrived in 1620. The so-called ban didn’t happen until 1659 — nearly 40 years later. What gives? If they had to ban it then Christmas was a problem, right? If they had to ban Christmas, then it had to have been NOT banned for those 39 years, correct?

So what’s the story? What Christmas a thing for Puritans?

And what about the pilgrims? What is the difference between a Puritan and a Pilgrim? Did those who were NOT Puritans in America celebrate Christmas?

In this episode we answer all these questions. We think you will walk away not only with a better understanding of both Puritans and Pilgrims but of the history of Christmas itself.

If you are American there are good odds that you are descended from someone who came as a Pilgrim in 1607 or as a Puritan in 1620. It is one of the great and positive trends of this weird year of 2020 — the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower. Many are finding out just where their roots are in relation to this great and historic event.

If you want to understand those ancestors, then come to know their Christmas. It explains a lot about them all as people.

Predictions for Christmas 2020

June 3, 2020/0 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

Merry Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com

Predictions for Christmas 2020

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Predictions for Christmas 2020 could ultimately prove to be an impossible task. Who foresaw what 2020 has been so far?

The mess that has been made of the world by way of Coronavirus and civil unrest no doubt means many things for Christmas. In this episode we take on that heavy topic and hopefully address some issues that perhaps folks just aren’t talking about yet.

We believe this Christmas will be far different than any other this century — including the Christmas of 2001, when Christmas fell in the shadow of 9/11. That Christmas was greatly impacted by world events. Christmas 2020 will likely be even more so affected. It will be, despite the news of June 2020, a Christmas in Crisis.

Take, for example, just the issue of Christmas trees. Have you any idea how expensive they might be this year?

Artificial trees come from China. The vast majority of them ship from China in the months of February and March. What was China doing in February and March 2020? Well, the were not shipping Christmas trees.

Real trees are grown locally for nearly every country in the world. But will those growers have survived the economic fall out of both Coronavirus and race riots? (Not to mention the naturally occurring disasters such as droughts).

Will folks be able to get Christmas trees in 2020?

It’s a real question — a question among dozens about Christmas this year.

Will we be able to attend Christmas concerts? Will Christmas lights be available to buy? Meat is already in supply — what about my Christmas turkey? Will planes be flying? Which stores are no longer bankrupt or looted? What about Santa? Will he wear a mask?

These are the questions of Christmas 2020 — and more.

What does Coronavirus mean for Christmas?

The Christmas Hall of Fame

April 28, 2020/0 Comments/in Merry Little Podcast of MyMerryChristmas.com/by Merry Podcaster

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The Christmas Hall of Fame

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The Christmas Hall of Fame launched in 2019 to give the true Christmas enthusiast a voice and a place to memorialize the best of Christmas.

In this merry episode of the Merry Little Podcast we discuss how the Christmas Hall of Fame works by extending a conversation that began with Tim Babb of the Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast. Tim nominates and argues for Sesame Street and Muppet Creator Jim Henson for the Christmas Hall of Fame. We argue against him.

Well, it’s not really all about Jim Henson. It is about the many discussions we need to have about the Christmas famous — and who belongs and why.

This project begins a massive Christmas community outreach. We have contacted Christmas museums, websites, social media channels, podcasts and forums of all type to help spread the word and to nominate people, places, events and things related to Christmas. We need to hear from thousands as voting begins and continues in the years ahead.

Who would you nominate and why?