Speaker 1: 0:27

Hello, loves and happy holidays to everyone listening to our show. My name is Gerald Spear and I am your host and the creator of One Good Thing Media, the one podcast that recommends a wide variety of top-notch podcasts for your listening pleasure. Welcome to Season 2, episode 34, our final episode of our 2024 season. Fyi, we'll be returning the second week in January with a brand new lineup for the new year. Week in January with a brand new lineup for the new year. Make sure to tap the notifications button so you'll know the minute that Season 3, episode 1 drops. Today we'll be celebrating the Yuletide holidays, including recommending seasonal podcasts that are perfect for your entire family and a couple of shows where listener discretion is advised. I'll also be doing my best to keep our holiday episode to no more than 30 minutes because, let's face it, we're all busy getting ready for the holidays and parties are in full swing. So, to all the merrymakers out there, thank you so much for working us into your busy schedule.

Speaker 1: 1:56

The Christmas season is a time of celebrating, entertaining and giving. Regarding the latter, I have a suggestion for everyone listening to our podcast Give locally and directly. Help the people who live in your town or county that have fallen on tough times. I'm personally passionate about supporting shelters that house displaced women with children. Many women who have had to leave their homes due to domestic abuse grab their kids and they get the hell out of there. They don't have proper supplies for their children. They don't have any extra money with them. They are suddenly homeless and instead of purchasing items from a standard list of needs, I usually call the shelters I intend to support and ask them what do you need? What are you running out of? What can I do to support your efforts?

Speaker 1: 2:56

We'll dive right into the heart of our holiday show after this word from our sponsor who Gives a Crap? The company that keeps our lights on and is helping to save the planet one toilet paper roll at a time. Did you know that you can support us by supporting who Gives a Crap? A company that really does give a crap? We've been a loyal customer of WGAC for five years. They produce the greenest toilet paper and paper towels on the planet, have a microcarbon footprint and donate 50% of their profits to help underdeveloped countries safely manage human waste. Fyi, I recommend the bamboo toilet paper. It's three-ply soft and because bamboo is a grass and now for some holiday highlights. My first holiday highlight for today is Tis.

Speaker 1: 4:21

The Grinch Holiday Podcast, brought to you by Wondery and James Austin Johnson, plays the greenest, grumpiest Grinch ever. In this series, the Grinch has become a podcaster who is serving a stint of community service to make amends for his dastardly attempt to steal Christmas. With Cindy Lou and Max at his side, the Grinch is the most popular, unpopular podcaster in Whoville and many Whoville residents think that the Grinch is softening a bit. But can a leopard really change its spots? I'm asking because all of the letters that the children wrote to Santa Claus have gone missing. And guess who Whoville has named as the number one suspect? Mr G, of course. Despite rumors to the contrary, he's still stubborn, abrasive and about as snuggly as a Christmas cactus green grump, the Grinch.

Speaker 3: 5:42

Remember a few years back, my little dust up down in Whoville, that tiny, microscopic misunderstanding where the whole town accused me of allegedly trying to steal Christmas. Well, for the record, I didn't steal anything. I was going to return all those presents, but the town had it in for me and my punishment Get this I am now court-ordered to host my very own late-night talk show From Wondery Tis. The Grinch holiday talk show is a pathetic attempt by the people of Whoville To use my situation as a teachable moment. They say it will help me work on my interpersonal skills. So I said fine, but I don't want to talk to just anyone, Especially not the common citizens of Whoville Boring.

Speaker 3: 6:25

Instead, every week I'm going to sit down with the who's who of celebrities and see who from the A-list is on Santa's nice list. Sure, they'll try to force their Christmas agenda down my throat. Try to persuade me to embrace the holiday season. They can certainly try, but you'll have to tune in to find out if they succeed. So join me, the Grinch, along with Cindy Lou, who Hello everyone, and of course my dog Max, every week for this complete waste of time. And with that I drop the mic. Mr Grinch, God, go to self. Never try a mic drop when you're standing on the edge of Mount Crumpit. Is this thing still picking me up? Stink Stank.

Speaker 4: 7:09

Mr Grinch, you're a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

Speaker 1: 7:22

For all of the Grinch lovers out there, there is one more podcast that I want to mention. Dr Seuss' the Grinch original motion picture soundtrack is available wherever you listen to podcasts and just to refresh your memory, the soundtrack includes Run, rudolph Run by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. God Rest Ye, merry Gentlemen by Pentatonix. Stealing Christmas by Danny Elfman. My Favorite Things by the Supremes. Deck the Hall by Jackie Wilson. It is a loaded soundtrack that you can play while you're driving or perhaps just relaxing at night and sipping on an eggnog. You do know, by the way, that if you perform enough good deeds throughout the month of December, all the saturated fats and calories that you consume during the holidays they don't even count.

Speaker 4: 8:21

I'm serious, mr Grinch you're a nasty, wasty skunk. Your heart is full of unwashed socks. Your soul is full of gunk. Mr Grinch, the three words that describe you are stink, stink, stink.

Speaker 1: 8:53

FYI, there are several podcasts that feature Christmas music and they range from classic Christmas songs to crooners to jazz. I have made a list of them and included them in our show notes, just as a reminder. The show notes are directly below the title of this episode. My next podcast that I'm going to be talking about is Christmas Past, hosted by Brian Earle. Christmas Past is all about where the traditions and stories originated, including the backstory of elves, where the tradition of telling Christmas ghost stories came from. This podcast is definitely family-friendly, and what I mean by that is it doesn't contain any salacious words, thoughts that we know of or deeds, but it's most appealing to those who enjoy learning about interesting topics from a friendly professor type who really digs what they're talking about. To illustrate my point, I am going to play a clip entitled Backstory Classic American Christmas Music. Here we go.

Speaker 5: 10:11

Shortly after Thanksgiving, and even well before in some cases, many radio stations make their annual switch to an all-Christmas format, offering a non-stop playlist of Christmas favorites to add a little cheer to your morning commute or trip to the shopping mall. And, of course, once you do get to the shopping mall, once again you're serenaded with the sounds of the season. Christmas music is truly part of the atmosphere of Christmas, literally in the air, and maybe you've noticed this too. But we can broadly divide Christmas music into traditional carols and popular songs. A carol is, by definition, typically a religious song, and traditional Christmas car carols and by traditional I mean anything up until the mid to late 19th century, but often much older than that almost always center around the nativity story. Carols have come from many different times in history, like Away in a Manger from the 19th century. O Come All Ye Faithful. From the 18th century. I Saw Three Ships from the 17th century, or God Rest Ye, merry Gentlemen, from the 16th century. I Saw Three Ships from the 17th century or God Rest Ye, merry Gentlemen, from the 16th century, and there are plenty of others stretching back even farther, of course. But they are the stuff of history books, not present-day songbooks and certainly not radio play.

Speaker 5: 11:20

The 19th century may have been the last great hurrah for the proper, traditional Christmas carol, because things changed in a big way as we entered the 20th century. Recorded music came along and commercial radio and movies with sound. And not only that, but also America was in the midst of recreating Christmas in its own image, the emphasis being decreasingly on the religious celebration and increasingly on family gatherings, gifts and idyllic images of winter wonderlands. And before long, christmas carols stopped being carols and become secular, commercial Christmas music centering on winter and romance, gifts and Christmas trees, santa Claus and snowmen. And it all happened within little more than a decade. While our canon of traditional carols that we sing today took centuries to accumulate a new canon of modern Christmas music.

Speaker 5: 12:11

American Christmas music was produced between the late 1930s and the early 1950s, and despite all the new Christmas music released each year, that particular set of songs remains the most popular and receives the most airplay during the Christmas season. Why? Well, they're great songs, but there's more to it than that. It's a testament to baby boomer nostalgia, the lasting influence of World War II, the American image of Christmas and the power of jazz. I'm Brian Earle. This is Christmas Past.

Speaker 1: 12:43

Did I nail the spirit of this show or what? I'm one of those people that really enjoy this type of presentation, and if you are, you are going to enjoy it too. I have two great Victorian Christmas podcasts that you won't want to miss. One covers a full production of a beloved Christmas story and the other is an anomaly in the podcast universe by dropping just one episode per year on Christmas Eve.

Speaker 1: 13:21

The austerity of the Victorian period, which spans 1837 to 190101, is well known, with many modern social and sexual hang-ups attributed to this era in modern history. But what is not talked about nearly enough is the fact that the Victorian period coincided with the age of spiritualism. That included occult practices such as communing with dearly departed spirits through seances, a party hit if there ever was one and bringing out the ouija board at the drop of a hat to see who might be hanging out on the other side. It's no wonder that during Victorian times, especially across the pond in jolly old England, entertainment included telling spooky stories in front of a roaring fire or beneath the bedsheets during the dark and dank winter season as when am I mortal?

Speaker 3: 14:30

Have you shown me the shadow of things that will be, or are they shadows of what may be Spirit, spirit?

Speaker 1: 14:39

Perhaps the most beloved holiday story of all time, a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens still fills the television and radio airwaves and now on select podcasts every Christmas season. Written and published over 175 years ago, in 1843 to be exact, this Victorian short story continues to embroider the fabric of Christian charity, kindness and goodwill to all through its poignant story and memorable characters, especially Ebenezer, scrooge, bob Cratchit and, of course, tiny Tim. But there's one podcast presentation that stands out above all the rest, at least in my mind. Above all the rest, at least in my mind.

Speaker 1: 15:36

Produced by Hope Media, scrooge A Christmas Carol hits all the right notes by faithfully following the story, having elegant sound technology and an entire cast speaking in beautiful Victorian English without eating the scenery or savoring the sound of their own voices. The lead actor is none other than John Rhys-Davies, whom you might remember as Sala in the Raiders of the Lost Ark franchise or Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With a voice like deep, warm honey and elegant but not too elegant diction, rhys Davies, who's now an octogenarian, continues to mesmerize audiences, with Scrooge a Christmas carol being no exception. Here's a clip from the show.

Speaker 6: 16:27

But of all the considerable amount of things that grated scrooge to his very core, would recoil him at every thought, note or reminder, was his deep-seated, unadulterated pure and utter disdain for christmas.

Speaker 3: 16:47

Merry christmas, sir, merry christmas sir bah humbug Christmas.

Speaker 4: 16:52

Merry Christmas sir. Merry Christmas sir Bah Humbug Jacob Marley.

Speaker 2: 16:58

You will be visited by three spirits on this very eve One of the past, one of the present and of the future. Perhaps I could take them all at once and have it done with.

Speaker 3: 17:06

And of the future. Perhaps I could take them all at once and have it done with Jacob, jacob.

Speaker 7: 17:13

Help me. It was just a dream, anelina.

Speaker 3: 17:20

Scrooge A Christmas Carol.

Speaker 1: 17:34

One of the best holiday traditions of the podcast world is listening to the once-a-year Christmas Ghost Stories episode hosted and narrated by John Briggs, always dropping on Christmas Eve. There are eight episodes available at the time of this recording 2015 to 2023, with the next drop expected to happen on December 24, 2024. Briggs has an affinity for ghost stories written during the Victorian and Edwardian eras 2023,. For instance, briggs narrated the Tale of the Monkey's Paw, a short story that I first read when I was a freshman in high school. Like most Victorian stories, there's a moral to this one, namely, be careful what you wish for which has stuck with me ever since.

Speaker 6: 18:30

Here's a clip from the Monkey's Paw so once again, you are so welcome to the Christmas ghost story for this year. It's a classic, a three wishes story that doubles as a horror story and a cautionary tale, reminding us that unintended consequences often accompany the best intentions. It's a widely read story and therefore you may well know it. It was first published in 1902 and then featured in the Lady of the Barge, published in 1911. It's called the Monkey's Paw and it's written by a master of ghost story writing, W W Jacobs. So, as usual, are you sitting uncomfortably? Then we shall begin Without.

Speaker 6: 19:55

The night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Father and son were at chess. The former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical chances, put his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire. Hark at the wind, said Mr White who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late, was amiably desirous of preventing his son from seeing it. I'm listening, said the latter, grimly surveying the board. As he stretched out his hand. Check, he took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs White drew back with a grimace. But her son, taking it, examined it curiously. What is there that's special about it, inquired Mr White, as he took it from his son and, having examined it, placed it upon the table. It had a spell put on it by an old fake.

Speaker 6: 21:02

Here, said the sergeant major, A very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could have each three wishes from it. His manners were so impressive that his hearers were conscious that their light laughter had jarred somewhat. Well, why don't you have three, sir? Said Herbert White cleverly. The soldier regarded him the way that middle ages won't to regard presumptuous youth. I have, he said quietly and his blotchy face whitened. And did you really have the three wishes granted, asked Mrs White. I did, said the sergeant major, and his glass tapped against his strong teeth. And has anybody else wished, persisted the old lady. The first man has had his three wishes. Yes, was the reply. I don't know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That's how I got the paw.

Speaker 1: 22:13

Now. At that point you would think, okay, maybe it's not a good idea to be messing around with that monkey's paw. But nope, the elderly couple decided to wish for a large sum of money, which they did get, but they were surprised at the price they had to pay. Intrigued If you are, I suggest that, before you listen to it, turn off the lights. Oh, and if, by chance, you hear a loud thudding knock at your door, don't answer it.

Speaker 1: 23:03

We've reached the point in our podcast where I have mature-only Christmas podcasts that I want to share for all of our true crime fans. If true crime isn't your thing or you have people with you that shouldn't be listening to narrations about violent crime, please click out now. Let's meet again in the second week of January 2025, when I will have a brand new lineup for Season 3 of One Good Thing Media. The first part of this true crime story that I'm about to tell you is by the Minds of Madness podcast, episode 68, dated January 19, 2020. I'm also including a separate A&E video featuring the surviving sisters that you don't want to miss.

Speaker 1: 23:59

The actual crimes occurred at a cabin in a remote area of the Utah woods where the Teedy family went every December for their family Christmas celebration. The cabin was located two miles off a small country road that in the winter could only be accessed by snowmobile and, although graphic and terribly tragic, I've chosen this Christmas crime because of the strength and resilience of the affected family, their unwavering loyalty to each other and the surviving members' determination to erect a new cabin on the same spot where their family members were murdered and the cabin was burned down, and cover every square inch of their home in the woods with love.

Speaker 2: 25:00

In December of 1990, the Tita family was on break from their hectic lives up at their remote country cabin in Oakley, utah. Rolf and Kay, along with their two daughters Lene and Tricia, were busily preparing for their annual Christmas party when suddenly their tranquility was shattered by two cold-hearted intruders. As Lene looked towards the house from the driveway, she saw a figure in the window of the master bedroom. She didn't mention it because she thought it was just her cousin David. She figured he must have arrived early and was waiting to surprise them. As soon as her mother unlocked the front door, lene bolted up the stairs into the kitchen. As she ran her cold hands under hot water, she thought she saw her cousin David hiding behind the fridge. She laughed to herself and was ready for him to jump out. Unfortunately, the person hiding wasn't Lene's cousin. Out from behind the fridge came a frizzy haired man in a gray sweatshirt, while pointing a pistol at Lene.

Speaker 1: 26:16

The story gets pretty gruesome and it's done tastefully, but nonetheless it does involve multiple murders, so warning on that. However, family acted so admirably the whole time that they were under siege and the father oh my gosh turned into a superhero. All I can say is you go, dad. I'm also going to be playing a clip from the Sister's Point of View by A&E from YouTube. If you want to listen and see the whole nine-minute clip, I am including the link in my show notes and it will take you right to the video. The voices you hear are Tricia and Lene, and they were 14 and 16 years old when this happened.

Speaker 7: 27:14

It was just my mom's favorite place on earth to be. She loved getting away from Texas and being able to be in a snow-covered white Christmas, and that was our family dream. We looked forward to that every year to be able to spend our Christmas vacation together in the mountains with our family. My grams and I started on our snowmobile journey up to the cabin, my mom following behind us. As we got up to the cabin, my hands were freezing so I jumped off, asked mom to hurry and open the cabin. I needed to go run my hands under some water.

Speaker 7: 27:49

I made my way up the stairs, opened the door and I saw a flash of gray move behind the refrigerator. The next thing I knew, there was a man pointing a revolver at me, saying my way up the stairs, opened the door and I saw a flash of gray move behind the refrigerator. And the next thing I knew, there was a man pointing a revolver at me saying get in here, get in here. A second man comes out with thick glasses behind the bedroom pointing another big black gun at me, and they both immediately started asking me who was with me. I said my mother and my handicapped grandmother Immediately after Mom and Grams were brought into the cabin, mom said to them what are you here for?

Speaker 7: 28:20

What do you want? My mother just began to have a conversation and the man immediately started to fire at her. I can remember her grabbing it across her chest and saying I've been shot. I see my mom go down and then seconds after that I look over to my shoulder and see my grandmother fall after her head had been blown off. It was then. It was dead silence.

Speaker 8: 28:46

We saw the one guy with his arm around my sister's neck and a gun to her back, and the other one that had jumped out with a ski mask had a gun drawn on us Be quiet, be quiet. And they obviously were flustered and been surprised a gun to her back. And the other one that jumped out with a ski mask had a gun drawn on us. Be quiet, be quiet. And they obviously were flustered and been surprised and didn't know what was going on. And my dad says what do you guys need? What do you guys need? And I said you want money. Dad, give him money. Yeah, yeah, we want money. And slowly my dad unzipped a snow vest and reached into his billfold and threw it on the ground. As soon as as he did that, the one guy said shoot him. And the one with the ski mask drew the hammer back and aimed and clearly was having a hard time doing it. So the other one had my sister, pulled his gun out and aimed at him, fired twice and it misfired. The third one went off and hit my dad. My dad fell.

Speaker 8: 29:36

My sister and I ran to each other. I held her tight and I said Linnae, she just stayed silent. I said Linnae, mom? She shook her head. Graham shook her head. I said are they both dead? She shook her head. Yes, I just held her tight and I said it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. And at that moment the feeling to survive kicked in, almost like an animal instinct, something I'd never experienced and don't ever want to experience again. And right then our minds came together and we knew we had to come up with a plan. So Linnea and I immediately started doing what they told us to do.

Speaker 1: 30:24

I really recommend this story for anybody who is into true crime and can take the grisly parts, because there are many lessons here and many things to admire about these people. I am going to be talking to you again in 2025. Wow, sounds futuristic, doesn't it? Until then, I hope you have a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate it, and we'll meet soon. Love you.