The Windy Valley Digest Special Holiday Podcasts

When we think of Christmas stories, we often picture cozy hearths, cheerful elves, and heartwarming tales of holiday magic. Our modern traditions are wrapped in bright paper and tied with a bow of uncomplicated joy. But if you dig a little deeper—back into the musty corners of old bookshops and archives—you’ll find that the holiday tales of the past were often stranger, darker, and far more profound. In this Christmas Special from The Windy Valley Digest, we explore that deeper tradition through classic poems, folktales, and sacred readings that balance mischief with mercy, sorrow with hope, and judgment with redemption. From a child’s candid confession of naughtiness to a disastrous Santa prank, from the haunting beauty of The Little Match Girl to goblins reforming a hard-hearted man, these stories reveal Christmas as a season that asks something of us. The episode is anchored by devotional poetry and the Nativity story itself, reminding us why these older tales still endure—and why Christmas has always been about transformation, compassion, and light flooding the darkness. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show Notes Links Facebook page.( https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063831440969 ) Visit, “like” and “follow” to get up to date news and information about The Windy Valley Digest. YouTube Channel. ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbjG5nxqXD5VRisbUqWxyA0 ) Watch our illustrated audio books. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up, subscribe and click the bell icon to be notified when new videos are available. Mountain States Children’s Home ( https://www.msch.org/get-involved/) Click on the link to find the many ways to help. A Memoir of the Rapier’s ( https://www.amazon.com/Memoir-Rapiers-Arlene-Janoski/dp/1648581129 ) Our Guest reader Arlene Janoski’s most current book Credits Readers “A Very Naughty Little Person” (Unattributed author), “The Little Match Girl” (H. C. Andersen), “Great-Grandmother’s Wish” (Unattributed author) and “The Christmas Babe” (Margaret E. Sangster) Arlene Janoski Thank You Arlene for lending us your voice (you’re my favorite mother in law) “Billy’s Santa Cause Experience” Garth Burton Author: Cornelia Redmond “The Little Stranger” BettyB Author: Unknown “The Christmas Goblins” LayoLivro Author: Charles Dickens Christmas Story,( Matthew1:28-24, Luke 1:26-38) Acclivity Author: World English Bible Your Host Vince Cowley Sources Music “The Story” by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /edited from the original. “Christmas Eve” Edison (50382-R) Publication date 1916 Performer: Robert Gayler Writer: Robert Gayler “Joy to The World” Victor (16996-B) Publication date 1911-07-06 Performer: Trinity Choir Writer: Watts; Handel “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” Victor (17164-B) Publication date 1911-10-16 Performer: Trinity Choir Writer: Mendelssohn “Christmas Knocking to the Door” Music by Lesfm from Pixabay “Noël (Holy Night)” Victor (17842-A) Publication date 1915-04-22 Performer: Venetian Trio Writer: Adolphe Adam “Ambient Christmas Angel Choir” Music by Julius_H from Pixabay “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” Victor (18086-B) Publication date 1915-10-20 Performer: Victor Concert Orchestra Writer: Willis; Mendelssohn; Handel “In the Bleak Mid Winter” Music by Lesfm from Pixabay “Christmas Atmosphere” Music by Lesfm from Pixabay “Silent Night” Vocalion (A 14442) Publication date 1922-08 Performer: Aeolian Mixed Quartet “Ave Maria” J.S. Bach / Charles Gounod Version from 1852 – Classic Concert Grand Piano Music by Julius_H from Pixabay “Enchanting Christmas Carol with Shepherd Flute and Humming Angel Choir” Music by Julius_H from Pixabay Sound Effects Ticking, chiming and striking clocks By The Windy Valley Digest (all rights reserved) Sleigh bells and santas laugh Obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Step into the shadows with The Windy Valley Digest, where lost stories rise again. This Halloween, we explore three chilling tales of ghosts, hauntings, and human curiosity — drawn from ancient Rome, Victorian England, and 19th-century America. Featured Works: Pliny the Younger’s Letter to Sura — An ancient Roman inquiry into phantoms, reason, and fear. “The Ghost’s Summons” by Adah Wisen — A Victorian mystery of death foretold and guilt unburied. “A Ghost Story” by Mark Twain — A witty, spectral twist on America’s greatest hoax, The Cardiff Giant. Hosted by Vince Cowley, this episode blends literature, history, and atmosphere — uncovering forgotten voices from centuries past and asking: What do our ghosts really say about us? 🎧 Listen & Follow: Web Page: https://www.windyvalleydigest.com YouTube: https://windyvallebookshelf.com Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/TWVBSII Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063831440969 Credits: Readers Letter to Sura Clarica Audio from librivox.org The Ghost's Summons Newgatenovelist Audio from librivox.org A Ghost Story Esther Audio from librivox.org Sources: Music: The Story" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License\ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /edited from the original. Sound Effects "Spooky Sounds" by Rubies Costume Co. Inc. Queens, NY 11418