In the first hour, researcher of ancient mysteries, Adrian Gilbert, discussed the significance of the Star of Bethlehem. According to what he's pieced together, "the real birthday of Jesus was almost certainly July 29th 7 BC" (Christmas, he noted, is celebrated this time of year as it connects to the Winter Solstice). What the three wise men saw on that day was a conjunction of the planets Saturn and Jupiter while the sun was conjunct with the large star Regulus, he continued. Additionally, they were possibly following a ball of light that might have been an angelic entity, he added. The three wise men are symbolized by the three planets at dawn on that day-- Mercury (related to frankincense), Jupiter (related to gold), and Saturn (connected to myrrh). Further, Gilbert believes that we're living in End Times, and the events of the Book of Revelation are unfolding before us. For more, see these related images.
-----------------------------
Charles Reichblum, nicknamed 'Dr. Knowledge,' has built one of the largest collections in the world of fascinating facts and stories that serve as a source for his Knowledge in a Nutshell book series. In the middle two hours, he shared little known and curious facts about Christmas. For instance, the name Santa Claus (based on the legend of St. Nicholas) actually comes from the Dutch name "Sinterklaas," meaning good saint. The poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was written by a theological professor, Clement Clarke Moore, but was published anonymously in newspapers in 1823. Moore was said to be initially embarrassed by the attention when his authorship was revealed.
The tradition of hanging stockings for gifts increased in popularity after "Twas the Night" mentioned the practice, Reichblum noted. He also detailed how the red-nosed reindeer Rudolph was first called "Rollo" in an earlier version of Robert L. May's story, but the author's 4-year-old daughter preferred the name Rudolph. The tradition of Christmas trees comes from the Germans, who initially kept the tree outside of the home during the celebration of the holiday. After Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Germany, the custom got a big boost when their photo of an indoor tree went worldwide, he recounted. Christmas, he added, wasn't even a national holiday in the US until the 1880s.
Throughout the show, various C2C guests shared Christmas greetings. During the last hour, Open Lines were featured, and George played Lionel Fanthorpe's classic rendition of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (listen here) at the end of the program.
News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Steve Kates