For Yule/Winter Solstice, Monstrum asks 'Why Do These Christmas Monsters Want To Destroy the World?'

Happy Winter Solstice and Yule! Like last year and the year before, I'm celebrating by sharing the latest video from Monstrum on PBS Storied, Why Do These Christmas Monsters Want To Destroy the World?

The Greek Christmas monster Kallikantzaros is a mischievous, goblin-like creature that emerges during the 12 days of Christmas to wreak havoc—peeing in food, draining life force, and even feasting on flesh. Rooted in ancient Greek traditions, this wild legend makes the holidays just a little bit creepier!

I appreciate this episode of Monstrum for no other reason than Dr. Z using an obscure creature from Grimm to make a point. That was a fun show that made its own point that Portland was so weird and charming that fairy tale monsters could be running around in the city and no one would notice. Also, I hadn't heard of Kallikantzaros before I watched this video, so I learned something new. It's always a good day when I learn something new.

Speaking of weird and obscure, I suspect at least one writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert watches Monstrum, as the subjects of the past two years' Christmas creature videos both appear in Trump, Musk May Force Gov't Shutdown | Bird Flu Leaps To Humans | Christmas Around The World.

Some people are calling Elon Musk "president" after President-elect Trump followed Musk's lead in coming out against the House Republicans’ spending bill, the first severe human case of bird flu has been reported in the U.S., and Stephen takes a look at some of the world's strangest Christmas traditions.

I think Elon Musk, convicted criminal Donald Trump, and the bird flu outbreak are more scary than either the Yule Cat or Mari Lwyd. Like Stephen, I'll have something new to say about all of them plus the drones in the new year, because I'm in holiday and year-end retrospective mode until January 3, 2025. Stay tuned.