History of the Holidays

The story of Thanksgiving zigzags through American history with some surprising twists. What started as a somber Puritan day of prayer is now about football and food. How did we get there?

Ho, ho, ho! 'Tis the season of survival. Armed with history, humor and his trademark ranting, the "Curmudgeon of Comedy" returns to make sense of this 36-day, end-of-year insanity that consumes us all.

A small band of religious extremists flee persecution in Europe in the hopes of creating a more godly society in the New World, but devastating difficulties await these immigrants in North America.

Every battleground from Valley Forge to Desert Storm has stories of how warriors handled the incongruous mix of Christmas and killing. Learn about the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments they experienced.

There's a lot to tell about the history of Christmas. Meet Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey, the Grinch and Rudolph, and learn the true origins of our Christmas traditions from caroling to Krampus.

Christmas in the 1960s was a turbulent time, marked by the loss of JFK and absent loved ones fighting in Vietnam, but a live broadcast from Apollo 8 astronauts - and Charlie Brown - offered hope to all on Earth.