Ninjas Are Butterflies
Episode 174: The Sodder Fire, Christmas UFO Tracking & Santa’s Pagan Past
Release Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Josh Hooper, Andy DeNoon, and friends
Special Guest: Anthony Russo ("The Bible is Funny" podcast)
Overview
In this festive yet offbeat Christmas episode, the Ninjas Are Butterflies crew tackles a holiday grab bag: from conspiracy theories to unsolved mysteries, Christmas traditions (Pagan roots included), viral internet oddities, and laugh-out-loud tangents. The centerpiece is a discussion of the infamous Sodder family fire—arguably the “worst Christmas story ever”—framed as a true crime deep-dive thanks to a personal family connection from guest Anthony Russo. The episode mixes humor, outlandish theories, and genuine curiosity, perfect for fans wanting both holiday cheer and eerie intrigue.
Table of Contents
- Christmas Banter, Strange News & Conspiracies
- Notable Moments & Quotes
- Discussion: Unsolved Christmas Mystery—The Sodder Family Fire
- Christmas Conspiracies: Pagan Origins & Santa's Makeover
- NORAD, UFOs & Santa Tracking
- Listener Question: Would You Rather... Elf-Size Spouse Edition
- Timestamps: Must-Listen Segments
Christmas Banter, Strange News & Conspiracies
The first half is a fast, conversational swirl of funny Christmas observations, viral news, and wild speculation. Topics include:
- Chick-fil-A's elusive test kitchen and menu changes
- Internet rumors: smart fridges displaying creepy targeted ads, which led to a real-life mental health incident ([06:15])
- Quicksand as an irrational childhood fear—turns out it just happened to a hiker ([31:53])
- The "wall friction" TikTok trend—where everyday objects are made to stick to classroom walls, befuddling the hosts ([24:00])
- The “Peaky Blinders” cosplay crew allegedly arrested by the Taliban ([26:32])
- Casinos and gambling addiction, including the proliferation of sports betting ads ([38:46])
- Influencer products—MrBeast chocolate gets honest reviews, Prime and BodyArmor debates ([47:56])
- Disney cruise disasters, cruise ship morgues, and cruise-induced anxieties ([57:56])
Memorable quotes:
“Skeeball—put me in front of that, I’m there all day. That’s my gambling addiction.” – Andy ([38:08])
“Speaking of defending the Taliban, I did watch... the Nick Fuentes interview with Piers Morgan. It’s rough.” – Josh ([40:02])
Notable Moments & Quotes
Musical Interlude: “Lily, Did You Know?” ([10:45])
A satirical original song listing tongue-in-cheek conspiracies about Elon Musk, government satanism, overpriced printers, and more.
“Did you know that in your sleep / you swallow a thousand spiders?” – The gang ([11:25])
Comedy Sketches & Running Gags
- Mocking how influencer products (like MrBeast chocolate) prompt forced positivity—but not at this table:
“Not good. Step it up, Mr. Beast. Come on the pod!” – Anthony ([48:39])
- Various running gags about pilots, planes, and bizarre excuses:
“I don’t know how I got out of there. I must have teleported or something.” ([97:32])
- “War is terrifying; I know a lot of people don’t agree... but I think people need this take.” – Josh, deadpan ([69:35])
- Toying with the “Norad Santa Tracker is a UFO cover-up” theory ([75:40]), and later, playful speculation:
“Have we ruled out Santa?” – Andy ([119:31])
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Discussion: Unsolved Christmas Mystery—The Sodder Family Fire ([107:20]-[124:34])
The episode’s investigative centerpiece. Special guest Anthony Russo brings a personal connection, as his acquaintance’s grandfather was directly related to the mysterious events. The hosts and Anthony alternate facts and speculation about this genuinely chilling true crime story.
Key Details:
- Christmas Eve, Fayetteville, WV, 1945: The Sodder family's home burned to the ground in 45 minutes. Two parents and four children escaped; five children (allegedly) perished, but no remains were ever found.
- The father tried all means to rescue the missing children but was thwarted: the family ladder was inexplicably gone, two coal trucks wouldn’t start, and the phone line (later proven to be cut) didn't work.
- No remains, no detectable smell of burned human flesh, and multiple after-the-fact eyewitnesses swearing they saw the missing children in diners and motels, accompanied by unfamiliar adults.
- The family—Italian immigrants outspoken against Mussolini—claimed previous intimidation, and the father had been told, “Your house will go up in smoke. Your children will be destroyed.” ([117:32])
- Post-fire, authorities acted suspiciously: a “heart” was allegedly found, which later turned out to be a beef liver planted by the fire chief “for closure.” ([121:08])
- Theories abound: a Mafia connection, secret relocation for protection, or darker cover-up.
- The Sodder family kept a public billboard seeking answers for decades.
Notable quotes:
“That’s impossible … Five kids are still in there. Out of five kids, there would have to be something.” – Josh ([112:23])
“He admits he planted it [the beef liver] and said, ‘I was just trying to give them closure.’” – Andy ([121:02])
Listener reaction:
- Hosts are both creeped out and moved, speculating about the possibility of a sympathetic abductor or a cover-up.
- Anthony: “The story given doesn’t check out, but ... unless they all went down that ladder and then whoever was kidnapping them ... I don’t know. It’s so much coordination.”
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Christmas Conspiracies: Pagan Origins & Santa's Makeover ([81:04]-[87:50])
Hosts break down the true origins of Christmas—from Yule pagan celebrations to the modern “jolly” Santa, popularized by Coca-Cola's 1931 ad campaign.
Key Points:
- St. Nicholas was depicted as a thin, robed figure; Coca-Cola rebranded him into the modern, jolly, red-suited Santa, drawing inspiration from Norse god Odin.
- Odin’s Yule traditions: riding an eight-legged horse, rewarding/punishing children, elves/goblins, and a midwinter festival with evergreen trees and Yule logs.
- The Christian church established December 25 as Christ’s birth anniversary to usurp a Roman pagan holiday.
Notable quotes:
“Coca Cola came out with what we now see—Santa Claus ... They based the look off Odin.” – Josh ([82:01])
“For everyone who’s trying, like, even hear what you just said, and is like, ‘We’ve got to burn our tree’—no. Although it is really fun to burn a Christmas tree.” – Andy ([87:32])
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NORAD, UFOs & Santa Tracking ([74:43]-[77:50])
A classic “conspiracy Christmas” segment:
- The military-tracking-of-Santa tradition began when a Sears ad misprinted NORAD’s (then CONAD's) phone number to "call Santa" in 1955.
- The hosts muse that NORAD sightings of North Pole “anomalies” right around Christmas may have prompted the cover story.
- Theories that maybe UFOs, not Santa, are being tracked.
Notable Quotes:
“...they started getting called by a bunch of, like, little kids. The commander at the time was like, ‘Yeah, we’re tracking Santa.’” – Josh ([75:53])
“If you think about it, Santa’s just like an IFO—an Identified Flying Object.” – Anthony ([76:59])
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Listener Question: Would You Rather... Elf-Size Spouse Edition ([64:00])
Lily poses a silly, seasonal but existential “Would you rather?”
Would you:
- ...shrink your spouse to one foot tall, tote them around like an elf?
- ...or shrink yourself and be toted by your spouse?
Highlights:
- Everyone agrees being shrunk yourself sounds more fun: “She’d love me more than she does at my regular size” – Anthony ([65:12]).
- Terrifying new fear unlocked: “Big birds!” — Andy ([67:17])
- A tangent on “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and the joy of tiny living, complete with nostalgic Disney movie rankings.
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Timestamps: Must-Listen Segments
- [10:45] "Lily, Did You Know?" (Parody conspiracy Christmas song)
- [31:53] Quicksand as irrational fear—and real-life quicksand rescue
- [56:03] The hosts research the timeline of the infamous “mushroom pilot” aviation story
- [81:04] Christmas, Coca-Cola, Odin, and the Pagan makeover of Santa
- [107:20] Sodder Family fire in-depth story begins—True Crime segment
- [112:23] Forensic breakdown: structure fires, cremation, and impossibility of no remains
- [119:31] Joke about Santa being a suspect in the fire
- [124:34] End of main pod; Patreon promo
Final Reflections
Tone & Takeaways:
A laugh-out-loud, occasionally poignant, always unpredictable episode—sliding expertly between irreverent holiday cheer and genuinely chilling, unresolved mystery. Perfect for listeners who like their Christmas with a dash of conspiracy, some dark history, and a lot of hilarious tangents.
Favorite sign-off:
“The moral of the story is for the kids watching: maybe you didn’t get that Nintendo Switch, but it could be a whole lot worse on Christmas morning. Mussolini could get you. Mussolini’s under your bed, kids.” – Josh ([124:21])