It's the most wonderful time of year again, and I have been lucky enough to be invited to participate by giving commentary on Christmas entertainment for several podcasts. Below are introductions to each, with a link to help you find where to listen. Each one is quite different so feel free to listen to all of them or choose which one(s) appeal to you.
The Retro Room with Joe Strupp.
I appeared on The Retro Room's Episode 9: Christmas TV Time. Strupp's new podcast about classic entertainment provides this summary of our conversation: "Holiday specials on television are as traditional as Santa Claus and re-gifting. But why do they return year after year and how did many of the favorites come about? And was the most famous Christmas movie really a box office dud when it first hit theaters? We tackled all of these questions, and more, with TV Christmas historian Joanna Wilson, author of several books, including The Christmas TV Companion. Check it out and Ho-Ho-ho!"
HERE's a link to The Retro Room's episode 9.
Tis the Podcast
The threesome from Tis the Podcast invited me to breakdown and discuss the 2007 yuletide episode of the TV horror/drama Supernatural. This in-depth reading produced some interesting conversations. The podcast's title You Fudging Touch Me Again, I'll Fudging Kill Ya is a humorous, direct quote from the TV episode. We recorded the conversation to coincide with Halloween--a dark episode that mixes Christmas and horror elements. Here's a partial summary of the podcast from their website: "Happy Halloween, Christmas fanatics! Spooky month draws to a close this week, as the elves discuss Season 3, Episode 8 of the television show, Supernatural, entitled "A Very Supernatural Christmas"! Joining their conversation is special guest Joanna Wilson, of ChristmasTVHistory.com amongst many other things. Much like the Winchesters' classic 1967 Chevy Impala takes them to many unexpected places, talking about the brothers' hunt for an "Anti-Claus" this week steers the discussion to down many different, lively avenues as well - from The X-Files to Fruitcake to The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy to Rankin/Bass' different versions of Santa Claus."
Listen HERE to the conversation on Supernatural.
Woo-Hoo Wednesday with Johnny Holmes
Once again this year I joined Johnny Holmes in a delightful conversation about our favorite Christmas TV programs and movies. The show has already aired on internet radio station Radio Once More but is now available for listening on-demand. This year we discussed my Netflix DVD dress project, 1954's White Christmas, 2004's Polar Express, and the TV movie 1973's Miracle on 34th Street. Classic TV fans will enjoy the nostalgia of our discussion on the Andy Williams Christmas shows, and the holiday installments of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Gilligan's Island and the Twilight Zone. We also discuss the 1968 Rankin/Bass animated special The Little Drummer Boy.
Listen to our conversation HERE on Johnny's website The Holmsey Blog.
Made for TV Mayhem Show
Another annual tradition I enjoy is joining the team on The Made for TV Mayhem Show in a conversation about Christmas on TV. This year our conversation--Episode 41--focuses on 1978's Rich Little's A Christmas Carol. Is this one you remember as being weird? Yeah--we talk about that too. Here's more about the podcast from the website: "Happy Holidays! Here’s our episode dedicated to Rich Little, Ebeneezer Scrooge, Wacky Wall Walkers and Truman Capote?! Yup, it’s all here and we hope you enjoy our discussion on Rich Little’s A Christmas Carol (as well as our talk on the weirder Christmas TV offerings)! Nate went all bah humbug on us and had to drop out at the last minute (boo!), but we’re joined by our very good friend and holiday expert Joanna Wilson (yay!), and she helps me unwrap the LSD headtrip that Rich Little brought into our living rooms oh so long ago!"
Listen to that conversation HERE.
Last summer I participated in a fun Christmas Trivia game too! Hosted by Brian Earl of the podcast Christmas Past, the participants include Thom Crowe from Tis the Podcast, Tim Babb from Can't Wait for Christmas podcast, Lee Cameron from My Christmas Stocking, and myself. It was a lot of fun. Watch the video above.
Reel Travels
And, last spring I was invited to join travel writer Lisa Iannucci in a conversation about my Christmas/pop culture travels. In episode #8, I discuss some of my favorite travel destinations to further connect with Christmas entertainment.
Listen to the Reel Travels podcast again HERE.
If you missed it last year, you can find all the links to the 2017 Christmas podcasts HERE.
THANKS FOR LISTENING! Please feel free to leave comments here or at the links for each of the podcasts.
Joanna Wilson is a TV researcher and book author specializing in Christmas entertainment. More about the TV programs mentioned on this website can be found in her book "Tis the Season TV: the Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies." Her latest book "Triple Dog Dare: Watching--& Surviving--the 24-Hour Marathon of A Christmas Story" was released in 2016. Her books can be found at the publisher's website: 1701 press.com
*Support this website and its research by purchasing the books at 1701 press.com