{"podcast":{"title":"Midnight Facts for Insomniacs","slug":"midnight-facts-for-insomniacs-546858","podcast_index_feed_id":546858,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/shanerogerspodcast/feed.xml","website_url":"http://midnightfactsforinsomniacs.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/6655168/BLUELOGOFINALTEST.jpeg","author":"Shane Rogers","episode_count":215,"summary":"Join comedians Shane Rogers and Duncan MacEwan for an entertaining and hilarious deep-dive into obscure facts from science, history and pop culture","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs-546858"},"episode":{"title":"The Pagan Origins of Christmas (Annual Re-release)","slug":"the-pagan-origins-of-christmas-annual-re-release","published_at":"2025-12-19T06:31:41+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs-546858/the-pagan-origins-of-christmas-annual-re-release","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs-546858","url":"https://shanerogerspodcast.podbean.com/e/the-pagan-origins-of-christmas-the-annual-re-release/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xzuif8kv9v2w77i7/TheChristmasRemastered.mp3","summary":"-Merry Christmas, insomniacs! Here's a blast from the past. We hope you're having an amazing holiday season- How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology message 20+C+M+B+22? And what's with all of those airborne reindeer? Welcome to Ghosts of Christmases Past, in which Shane and Duncan explore how tree-worship and animal sacrifice evolved into the bizarre, festive, highly commercialized holiday we know today. So whether you're feeling the Christmas spirit or just feeling jaded and grinchy, grab a cup of heavily-spiked eggnog, get cozy by the yule-log, and join the boys as they unpack the fascinating pagan history of Christmas. ~Become an Insomniac! Support the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM","meta_description":"-Merry Christmas, insomniacs! Here's a blast from the past. We hope you're having an amazing holiday season- How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism?…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2756,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs-546858/episodes/the-pagan-origins-of-christmas-annual-re-release/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/midnight-facts-for-insomniacs-546858/the-pagan-origins-of-christmas-annual-re-release.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}