Tag: santa claus

Episode 56 Sources: Make Christmas Spooky Again

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Good Yule, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays! We’re glad you’re here with us on the other side of the Long Night (i.e., the Winter Solstice). For this year’s Christmas episode, we’re talking about spooky, or just plain quirky, Christmas traditions primarily from across the pond. Listen to hear about the origins of Krampus, the villainization of Frau Perchta, the terrifying Gryla the Giantess and her mischievous sons, and, finally, an oddly adorable pooping log from Spain.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Here are our sources from this episode:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_gift-bringer
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_deity
  4. https://www.pagankids.org/post/historyofyule
  5. https://nerdist.com/article/yule-curious-past-and-present-day-importance/
  6. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/winter-solstice-pagan-yule_n_585970abe4b03904470af4c5
  7. https://spookylittlehalloween.com/2022/11/29/spooky-christmas-traditions/
  8. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/krampus-could-come-you-holiday-season-180957438/
  9. https://www.livescience.com/who-is-krampus
  10. https://news.usc.edu/90213/have-you-been-naughty-then-beware-krampus-is-coming/
  11. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/22/572569325/caga-ti-a-catalan-log-that-poops-nougats-at-christmas
  12. https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/the-icelandic-yule-lads-and-gryla
  13. https://www.vice.com/en/article/43989p/perchta-christmas-goddess-demon-woman
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchta

Santa Stories Vol. 1: I Wanted to Believe!

We’re keeping the holiday spirit alive for just a bit longer with this listener stories episode all about how people discovered the truth about St. Nick! Thanks to friends, family, and listeners Garrett and Cassie for sharing your stories.

To see our sources and any extras for this episode, head to our website at www.spookysciencesisters.com. Hit subscribe to be notified of future episodes, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@SpookySciPod), TikTok (@SpookyScience), and Facebook (@SpookyScienceSisters) for even more spooky content! Help us grow by sharing with a friend and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support the show further by buying us a “spirit”!

Episode 16 Sources: Santa Science Sisters

Happy Solstice, Merry (almost) Christmas, & Happy Holidays! From child psychology, to vaporizing reindeer, time dilation, and near death experiences – this episode has a little bit of everything, so we recommend you settle in with some nog (or your holiday beverage of choice) and enjoy! You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Pandora.

As always, here are our sources:

  1. https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/growth-curve/science-kids-belief-santa
  2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/12/18/your-kids-believe-santa-scientist-says-tell-them-stop-it/
  3. https://news.utexas.edu/2020/01/06/is-believing-in-santa-bad-or-good-for-kids/
  4. https://www.parentingscience.com/Easter-Bunny-and-Santa-Claus.html
  5. https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/12/20/the-physics-of-santa-claus/?sh=1e64feef1e80
  6. https://www.museumofidaho.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/The-Science-of-Santa-Claus.pdf
  7. https://www.npr.org/2012/12/24/167946053/the-science-behind-santas-christmas-eve-journey
  8. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-physics-of-santa-and-his-reindeer/
  9. https://gizmodo.com/can-santa-claus-exist-a-scientific-debate-1669957032
  10. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/fauci-santa-innate-immunity-spread-covid-19-christmas/story?id=74316296
  11. https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/santa-chimney.htm
  12. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00508-017-1306-8
  13. https://www.forbes.com/sites/drdonlincoln/2019/12/23/the-science-of-santa-claus–how-can-he-do-it/?sh=fda5a584367a
  14. http://www.mit.edu/people/dmredish/wwwMLRF/links/Humor/Existance_of_Santa.html#:~:text=This%20means%20that%20Santa’s%20sleigh,tops%2C%2015%20miles%20per%20hour.
  15. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-near-death-experiences-reveal-about-the-brain/

Santa Science Sisters

Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas is right around the corner and it’s time to talk about everybody’s favorite jolly old man. Santa may not be considered spooky by most, but he is technically a boogeyman, and we had questions about him that needed answers! In this episode, we discuss the effect of Santa (and similar holiday characters) on children’s cognitive development, the plausibility of Santa’s sleigh withstanding speeds many times faster than sound, and how many calories Santa would eat on Christmas night. In the spirit of 2020, we also answer the question concerning us all, “will Santa get sick with COVID-19”? Don’t forget to stick around until the end to hear this week’s Short and Spooky – a cheerful chat about near death experiences. 

To see our sources for this episode, head to our website at spookysciencesisters.com. Hit subscribe to be notified of future episodes, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@SpookySciPod), and Facebook (@SpookyScienceSisters) for even more spooky content! Help us grow by sharing with a friend and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Spooky Science Sisters is a member of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network.