Stuff You Should Know's 2025 Holiday Extravaganza Christmas Special

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Hosts: Josh and Chuck
Date: December 23, 2025

Overview

In this annual ad-free holiday special, Josh and Chuck celebrate the season by sharing quirky, historical, and heartwarming Christmas traditions from around the world, a homemade holiday cocktail recipe, a tribute to the legendary jazz musician Vince Guaraldi, and their best Christmas light storage hacks. The episode’s goal is simple: spread cheer, spark curiosity, and bring festive joy to listeners, wherever and however they celebrate.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Moravian Christmas Villages (00:54–09:09)

• Background: Moravian immigrants from what’s now the Czech Republic settled in Pennsylvania in the 18th century, bringing Christmas traditions like ginger molasses cookies and miniature Christmas villages.
• Tradition Evolution: Moravian “putzes” started as elaborate nativity dioramas, then grew to fill entire rooms with miniature fields, lakes, and villages.
  • Chuck (03:08): “They kicked it up such a notch that the Germans created a term for that notch of these…called a putz. It means to put out or decorate.”
• Cultural Influence: Displaying these scenes became a family event, often hidden from children until Christmas Eve for a big reveal. Jenny Train became a renowned putz artist; her works are housed in Lehigh Valley museums.
• Legacy: The popularity of Moravian villages spread to non-Moravians and merged with the tradition of model train sets around the Christmas tree.
  • Josh (08:53): “People...got nostalgic, they started setting them up for their kids, and it became a Christmas tradition thanks to our Moravian friends.”

Timestamps

• Moravians arrive in PA, nativity scenes → 01:54–03:33
• “Putzing” and expansion of the dioramas → 03:33–05:02
• Adult-only reveals, modern Christmas villages → 05:02–07:22
• Collectibles and train traditions → 07:22–09:04

2. Chuck’s Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned Recipe (09:22–17:27)

• Featured Drink: Chuck details his homemade Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned, perfect for the holidays.
• Key Points:
  • Homemade pumpkin spice syrup includes brown sugar, turbinado, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove, cooked down and stored for drinks, desserts, or coffee.
  • Pro tips from Josh: Mix spices with sugar before adding them to boiling water for better integration.
  • Fresh orange peel and various bitters complete the drink. Finish with a cinnamon stick or zest for flair.
• Memorable Moment: Chuck (13:17): “Emily dehydrates fruits as bar garnishes...so I threw that in too, for those orange notes.”
• Drink Assembly: Shake with ice, serve over a big cube with a wide orange peel to release essential oils.

Timestamps

• Pumpkin spice syrup prep → 09:30–13:37
• Assembly tips, bitters, and garnish → 13:37–16:43
• Storage and gift ideas → 16:43–17:17

3. London’s Frost Fairs on the Frozen Thames (17:38–26:27)

• History: Between the mid-1300s and 1800s during the ‘Little Ice Age,’ the Thames would freeze, inspiring impromptu festivals on the ice.
  • Josh (19:36): “Winters in London were way colder...the Thames could freeze over like it can’t today.”
• Frost Fairs: Began as spontaneous markets, featuring food, games, and even full restaurants set up on the ice. Celebs like Queen Elizabeth I joined in.
• Famous Fare: Roasted ox (could feed 800!), mutton, and potent drinks like hot wormwood wine (“pearl”) and spiced beer (“Mum”).
  • Josh (24:06): “You’d get absolutely wrecked on it.”
• Demise: Improved bridge infrastructure and the end of the Little Ice Age made the river’s annual freeze a thing of the past.

Timestamps

• Frost Fair origins and setup → 17:49–20:43
• Legendary Frost Fairs and festivities → 20:43–24:45
• The last Fair and legacy → 24:45–26:27

4. A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown Christmas) (26:42–36:12)

• Why Vince Matters: His jazz compositions, especially for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” are iconic staples of holiday music.
  • Chuck (27:18): “For my money, there’s no better Christmas music than the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.”
• Biography: Born in San Francisco, Guaraldi’s early jazz career was rooted in local clubs, eventually leading to gigs with greats and the creation of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.”
• The Peanuts Connection: His unique style caught the ear of Lee Mendelsohn, producer of the Peanuts specials. Guaraldi wrote “Linus and Lucy,” “Skating,” and “Christmas Time Is Here.”
• Guaraldi’s Legacy: Despite dying young, his work influenced generations and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
  • Josh (35:14): “His music is really to be credited in a large part for the success of the Charlie Brown Christmas specials.”

Timestamps

• Vince’s early career & influences → 27:41–30:05
• “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” & Peanuts specials → 31:24–33:51
• Analysis of holiday music legacy → 33:51–36:12

5. The Welsh Mari Lwyd Tradition (36:12–43:13)

• Overview: The Mari Lwyd (pronounced “Mah-ree Loyd”) is a ghostly horse (often a real skull on a stick, covered in ribbons) visiting homes and challenging occupants to poetic “verse battles.”
• Purpose: Rooted in pre-Christian Celtic tradition, possibly symbolizing winter’s darkness and the promise of spring.
• Ritual: If the horse and its carolers “win” the exchange, they’re invited inside for food and drink, purportedly bringing good luck for the new year.
  • Josh (39:13): “It’s a rap battle—the whole point is to be invited in.”
• Dual Origins: Theories connect the tradition to either Christian (Nativity) or Pagan origins (the venerated gray mare in British folklore).
• Modern Day: Though it faded by the 1960s, it’s been revived in some areas of Wales as a rowdy, festive tradition.

Timestamps

• Intro to Mari Lwyd → 36:24–37:17
• How it works, caroling “battles” → 37:17–39:13
• Pagan & Christian interpretations; revival → 41:30–43:10

6. How to Store Christmas Tree Lights (43:13–49:08)

• Common Challenge: Everyone loves putting up Christmas lights—nobody loves detangling them!
• Internet Hacks:
  • Roll lights around a gift wrap tube with the plug wedged in a slit.
  • Wind around a notched piece of cardboard.
  • Use a coffee caddy to wrap and store lights.
• Chuck’s Homegrown Method:
  • Lay each strand out, bundle it, and place in individual plastic grocery bags. Simple, cheap, and keeps strands separate and tangle-free.
  • Josh (47:42): “There’s gotta be some sort of fluid dynamics at play...but I don’t get how that works.”
• Josh’s Method: Extension cord style—loop between hand and elbow, then wrap the end around the bundle.

Timestamps

• Introduction & wrapping tube method → 44:10–45:20
• Cardboard and alternative approaches → 45:20–46:44
• Chuck’s and Josh’s home methods → 46:49–49:08

Notable Quotes

• Josh (01:11): “No. These belong to you guys. The people. There are gifts.”
• Chuck (15:21): “Bartenders, for the love of Pete, give the customer a big wide peel so they can express that thing themselves.”
• Josh (19:36): "That meant that the Thames could freeze over sometimes like it can't today."
• Chuck (27:18): “For my money, there is no better Christmas music than the Charlie Brown Christmas Special Vince Guaraldi Jazz Trio.”
• Josh (33:31): "I'm sure everyone who's ever heard that song is like, oh, yeah, that one."
• Josh (41:32): "Apparently the horse spent days trying to find a place to have her foal. It's a very sad story."
• Chuck (43:49): “Whatever, however you choose to celebrate your holiday…we hope you're surrounded by friends and loved ones. If you're lonely this holiday season, we're thinking about you, because this can be a rough time of year.”

Final Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

The hosts sign off with warmth and empathy, wishing all their listeners—whether surrounded by loved ones or feeling isolated—a safe, merry, and bright holiday season. This episode delivers a rich mix of history, music, practical advice, and genuine kindness, embodying the spirit of the Stuff You Should Know holiday tradition.

For those who didn’t listen:

This episode is a festive blend of fun history lessons, a showstopper cocktail, seasonal nostalgia, and a good dose of caring advice—all in signature Chuck & Josh style.