HOLIDAY EPISODES

What better way to spend the holidays than curled up next to the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and your favorite Grating the Nutmeg episode! To celebrate, we’re spreading history cheer for all to hear. Just click on the episode links below, press play on the next page, and enjoy our holiday episodes of Grating the Nutmeg past.

Soup and Stories. What do the Shroud of Turin and a world renowned nuclear physicist, a beer-drinking donkey, a walking catfish, Farmall tractors, the Blizzard of 1888, spooky houses, polaroid cameras, snorkels, and the songs from the Wizard of Oz have to do with the little towns of Lebanon and Columbia? Listen and hear as we celebrate one of the best things about the holiday season: storytelling!

A Connecticut Christmas from Twain & Stowe. Enjoy music performed by the New England Ensemble while listening to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s story which beautifully illustrates the moment in Connecticut history when the popularity of Christmas intertwined with political upheaval. Then, place yourself in the shoes of celebrities such as Grace King and Bret Harte as you tour the restored Mahogany Suite at the Mark Twain House. Picture yourself spending wintery nights in the library and waking up to Canace Wheeler’s shimmering wallpaper while you learn about Olivia Clemens’ Christmas generosity.

Three Centuries of Christmas at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. Oyster soup or plum pudding, anyone? Charles Lyle shares how three eras between the 18th and 20th centuries decorated their homes, set their tables, and incorporated food during the holidays. Tune in to learn how to receive guests for your own historical holiday celebrations. Plus, hear about the creation of Santa Claus and why the Isaac Stevens House’s Christmas tree is decorated with fruits and topped with a pineapple.

Connecticut Christmas Stories & Song. Why was Raymond’s grandparent’s Victorian Christmas party such a famous festival and key childhood memory? How does a moralistic, classist tale that questions religion and involves family issues provide insight into human emotion and feelings of peace on Earth? How does Santa Claus prepare for his Christmas visits? Find out in this episode, plus venture down Walt Woodward’s memory lane to his days as a country music songwriter in Nashville.

“John Norton’s Vagabond,” A Victorian Christmas Story. Step back in time and find yourself in the wintery woods of the Adirondacks with rustic woodsman John Norton and his dogs, Rover and Sport, as they plan a Christmas dinner for all, even vagabonds. In trapper terms, vagabonds were people who stole other men’s traps and poached their furs. Listen to Norton’s plan unfold in this story by Rev. William Henry Harrison, the father of the American Outdoor movement.