Neal Girandola (00:00)
Long before Santa Claus, before reindeer, before chimneys and sleigh bells, there were winter visitors.
Across the Arctic and Northern Europe, people reported glowing lights in the
who descended during the darkest nights of
encounters so strange they became myths we still tell
Aerial chariots appearing in frozen
circles of light forming above
entering homes in the middle of the
gifts,
or nothing but footprints in the snow.
These stories began centuries before Santa, but they all sound like the same
A sky-born visitor who arrives at night, travels impossibly fast, and knows
you are.
is the Santa Claus
Winter Visitors from the
you
Let's get into
Welcome to another episode of Mostly True
Alien Stories.
Neal Girandola (01:05)
right. Welcome back
to mostly true alien stories, a show where we take a true report of an alien encounter. We lay out the
and connect
and decide whether it is a mostly true alien story or
I'm Neil gierandola here with the man who insists on peer reviewing his Christmas cookies every
welcome Andrew Triana. Hi, Andrew.
Android (01:27)
How, how, do you-
Neal Girandola (01:28)
It's Bobo the
look wonderful. I love your hat. I love your shirt your Jesus Jesus and Santa on there. It's really fun that and if you guys listeners aren't watching Well, you should
Android (01:32)
Thanks, Neil!
Neal Girandola (01:40)
since it's the holiday season. We figured it's time for something different something fun and something rooted in hundreds of years
of Real reports, which is why we're dressed like this today today's story takes us deep
into winter folklore, the origins of Santa Claus
the global reports that came long before
Sky visitors, glowing crafts, solstice, night encounters, early descriptions of flying vehicles, and the possibility that
Santa Claus may be shaped by actual aerial anomalies witnessed across centuries.
go ahead and hit that subscribe button. So Santa doesn't put you on the naughty list and we can reach a few more aliens.
Android (02:17)
You
Neal Girandola (02:21)
is our Christmas episode, Andrew. And yeah, there's a couple of things though. I did want to talk about before we get in the story, you know, there's, there's this anonymous whistleblower on
Android (02:24)
I love it.
Mmm.
Neal Girandola (02:31)
It calls, calls
Android (02:31)
Yeah, I know. I read it.
Neal Girandola (02:33)
herself Rhea Rhea.
She posted this long, disturbingly technical claim about
being flagged by an automated alien surveillance system from
of years ago.
Android (02:47)
she call a number for that?
Hello, you have reached the alien augmented checking you out research foundation.
Neal Girandola (02:49)
She must have had a phone number that she dialed for that.
for calling.
Android (02:58)
you've been being researched for the last thousand years, press 1. Two thousand years? Press 2.
Neal Girandola (03:05)
is something like that because she claims
that she's got a background in sort of like electro optics. I guess that's like lasers and sensors and long range detection stuff.
Android (03:13)
Mmm.
lasers yeah no i got it i got
Neal Girandola (03:18)
she said that there's specific anomalies that she describes
about objects entering the ocean, transmedium movements, persistent sensor. But the really crazy one is
Earth is part of a long-term observational
a pop. Yeah. A population of ancient humans from
Android (03:30)
from these aliens.
Neal Girandola (03:36)
relocated to a planet, uh, around 82 Aradani. Now, 82 Aradani is a real star system, which is about 20 light years away. And it's long considered to be the, one of the most promising places for earth like planets.
Android (03:44)
Okay.
Wow,
wow, that's crazy thinking about the Voyager that took 50 years to go one light year and they're 82 light years away. Was this pre Voyager? ⁓ 20 light years, okay.
Neal Girandola (03:59)
Whether 20 or 20 light years away. Yeah.
Yeah. But, but I mean, they got all this technology. mean, it, none of, obviously, obviously none of this can be verified, but the, but, what's making this go
Android (04:06)
thousand years to get there yeah yeah sure okay yeah
Neal Girandola (04:13)
is that the, language is very precise. She's like the guy, she's the technical references are very accurate. It's, it's like what NORAD and you know, the air force, all the reports that, that
Android (04:24)
⁓ Or chat
GPT caller
Neal Girandola (04:29)
so that's the other question is, it an
AI bot or is she really in like the CIA or something and just sending this information out? That's the question.
Android (04:37)
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Neal Girandola (04:41)
Do
you think this is a mostly true story? You I knew it. I knew it. But don't you don't you find so there's been so many conspiracies like this put out there but all of sudden this one catches fire because of the way she's speaking about it.
Android (04:44)
Do 100 % I believe Rhea Rhea
Right, because it's just written. It's
written well. Dude, just like a good book or a good article you read. Yeah, it's just written well. Come on. Yeah, we're being observed and probed from our future selves. ⁓ interesting. OK, I'm with you. I believe it.
Neal Girandola (05:01)
⁓ you think it's just written well.
All right.
But let's just say it is true. Let's just say it is true.
Android (05:19)
it's weird.
Neal Girandola (05:19)
Why? It's
if it is true...
Android (05:21)
It's cool, but
why are they then their voyeurs?
Neal Girandola (05:24)
funny thing is it comes out on Reddit.
knows all this. I'm to put it on Reddit, but that's make you think, okay, this is an anonymous insider that knows this stuff. And let me just leak it out here and see what happens. But that's where we are in this stage of the game
people aren't believing
No one's believing anybody at this point. And that's what I'm talking about at this, this whole alien conversation you and I have had this conversation from day one of this
that
This almost sometimes feels like the longest, oldest running story ever told was
the oldest, it's just perpetuated and perpetuated at that, but we've never seen
Android (05:55)
they believe us, you think?
Neal Girandola (06:01)
Ever. It's only a
Android (06:01)
Do think they believe us though,
listeners believe us, right?
Neal Girandola (06:04)
and they believe what we say. think there's some listeners that listen to us and go,
Android (06:07)
those guys are smarter. Those guys are a couple of idiots.
Neal Girandola (06:10)
Those two are total morons. Look at how they're dressed for their holiday special.
Android (06:17)
know, if you looked up the word moron in the Webster dictionary, I bet one of their pictures would appear.
Neal Girandola (06:21)
Next to an alien.
definitely.
Android (06:24)
it's fun reading. I'll just leave it at that. It's fun reading.
Neal Girandola (06:26)
She even says there's a council. There's a whole council.
Android (06:29)
Galactic Empire Council, yeah.
you not get the invite? Are you going to the holiday party?
Neal Girandola (06:31)
yeah.
Android (06:34)
shit, you didn't get the invite, you? ⁓ man.
Neal Girandola (06:34)
Well, I wasn't invited. Wait, you were invited?
Android (06:38)
next
I'm sorry.
Neal Girandola (06:39)
doing it on a Tuesday.
Android (06:41)
they do it on a Tuesday because the party lasts from Tuesday to
about it. All these people got to come from all distant places to get here.
it's kind like Tuesday, you check in, you kind of get settled in Wednesday. The party starts
Thursday. It's like in the galactic groove.
Neal Girandola (06:56)
Can I be your plus one?
Android (06:57)
it's only just only one. I'm only allowed to bring
Neal Girandola (07:00)
What are you and where?
Android (07:01)
think I'm going to wear, I've got this really, I've got a couple outfits.
One is sequenced.
Neal Girandola (07:05)
you do? You're going to change throughout the night?
Android (07:07)
no, every day I'm going to wear a different outfit. I'm not going to wear the same thing over and over again. No, I'm staying there. ⁓ it's going to be crazy, dude. It's going to be crazy. I don't know.
Neal Girandola (07:12)
When you're going home at night, why don't you just stay out? Sounds like it's gonna be a soiree, like a week long. I wasn't eye-bited.
Aliens love me. I don't get it.
Android (07:22)
Man, apparently
Neal Girandola (07:25)
know, there's this there's this other rumor going around to this one. I
the president is about to walk up to the podium and announce that
Android (07:30)
Mmm.
Neal Girandola (07:34)
aliens are
is all over the place.
Android (07:37)
Is he going to
say they're real and they're fantastic?
Neal Girandola (07:39)
best aliens that any country has ever seen.
Android (07:40)
And they're fantastic.
And they're our friends.
Neal Girandola (07:43)
we
have the best aliens.
I'll tell you what these aliens you've never seen aliens like this
Android (07:47)
They're
Neal Girandola (07:48)
aliens are from so far away, the furthest aliens I've ever seen.
Android (07:48)
I'm familiar.
Neal Girandola (07:52)
here. They're our friends. They're our aliens. My aliens are staying at the White House.
Android (07:51)
And they're here, they're our friends. They're here, they're our friends and they're fantastic.
staying
under the
We have that room that's open from Valiant Thor, it's empty. It's been empty.
Neal Girandola (07:57)
That's the nicest room. I wouldn't stay in that
Android (08:00)
I have stayed in that room, it's fantastic. It's fantastic.
Neal Girandola (08:03)
absolutely a new, he gets to the podium and that's what he actually
Android (08:03)
this can be good.
Neal Girandola (08:07)
well yeah, that's something he would love. Yeah. He would love, he would love to tell us that aliens are real, but here's the reality is
Android (08:05)
It wouldn't surprise me, dude, because that's the MO. Everything is fantastic.
Neal Girandola (08:15)
president is ever going to do that because it's just, if you do
of all,
Android (08:19)
going have to show
Neal Girandola (08:20)
well, yeah, there,
Android (08:20)
going to have to show them like together, you know.
Neal Girandola (08:23)
it would to be undeniable
proof. You'd have to have it right then and there. You'd have to walk onto the podium with Carl the alien and be like, this is Carl. He's been here since 1947. We got him at the desert at area 51.
Android (08:31)
Hey everybody. Ah. Up in there.
Neal Girandola (08:35)
that's what it's going to be. But, everything, every, would be the, it would be on a global scale. Well, it would, it would be the, would be unlike anything we'd had ever experienced as people in the
Android (08:48)
But he
would be like, this is Carl. He's fantastic. Look at his skin. It's glistening. He is fantastic. I tell you, he's been living in the desert.
Neal Girandola (08:57)
You don't want to touch him. Whatever you do, don't touch him. There's sulfur. You're get radiation poisoning. It's wonderful radiation poisoning won't last very long. You'll die quickly.
Android (08:59)
Don't touch me, he smells like sulfur, but we bathed him. He feels good now. But it's fantastic. It's fantastic. It's fantastic. Better
than the water in Flint, Michigan. It's better. It's better than that.
Neal Girandola (09:12)
We're working on that by the way, the water and
Android (09:14)
going to up there, he's going to fix everything. It's going to be fantastic.
Neal Girandola (09:17)
it just can't happen like that, but it, it seems to happen. So after Grush came out with his thing, after the, after the, ⁓ Mexico hearings with the Nazca mummies, remember they presented the Nazca mummies and all that
Android (09:31)
Wait, wait, those mummies weren't real?
Neal Girandola (09:33)
they're sleeping in Jaime Assam's bed with him. The next it was other stuffed animals. So
Android (09:39)
He's got one of those and like a sex doll and some other stuff in his bed.
Neal Girandola (09:43)
imagine. Sextal
that looks like an alien.
happens every time. So the age of disclosure just came out. So as soon as that ends, now they will. How do we keep this alive? Because as you and I talked
nobody was going to pay for this movie. And now now they didn't hit the market they wanted to hit. And ⁓ now they are. How else do we pump this out more? Let's let's let's let's pump out this idea that the president is.
Android (09:54)
No.
But what I don't understand is...
Neal Girandola (10:09)
actually going to come to the podium and say aliens are
he can't do that. You can't do it. One is political suicide
it would be it just on a global scale. It would be you know, the place would go nuts. I mean between religions and defense and you know, just different cultures and all everything would just sort of
Android (10:22)
Right.
But what if he was
I had a meeting with Carl and Jesus and Buddha and Mohammed and it was fantastic. They're all together. They love it. Even the Hindi gods were there. It was fantastic. I got to tell you, it's fantastic.
Neal Girandola (10:42)
this is one of those things where again, it's a it's a 3i atlas thing where everybody immediate aliens and Then all the influencers are out there and that's all they do is keep pushing this narrative that it's aliens and things are happening So just blows up blows up
Android (10:47)
Yeah, for sure.
Neal Girandola (10:57)
Now this rumor of the president coming to the podium zoo in all reality, it will never happen.
Android (11:02)
Never say never.
Neal Girandola (11:03)
you think it'll happen.
Android (11:04)
No, but never say never.
Are you wondering
why this is right here by my face? Have you wondered why that is?
Neal Girandola (11:11)
I just thought you'd like things right next to your mouth.
Android (11:13)
No, no, no, no. It's
a two-way radio. It actually communicates to the North Pole. Yeah, Santa's streaming this thing live, Yeah.
Neal Girandola (11:19)
⁓ that's interesting.
Why does it look like
the tip of a penis right at the corner of your mouth?
Android (11:27)
Maybe, because you see a penis in everything, maybe. Hey, my brother got a new car. That car looks like a penis. I guess like, seriously?
Neal Girandola (11:29)
Kind of looks like it.
Seriously, the way it's just sort of brushing the corner of your mouth every time you talk and you're kind of leaning towards it. It's really kind of weird. Does your tongue reach
⁓ You're ruining Christmas hats for me now.
Android (11:51)
No, not that.
So seriously, if you did this,
if you could do that to someone's penis and it moves like that from the wind, find someone else. Find someone else. That's sad. That would just be a sad day for you.
Neal Girandola (12:04)
Yeah, it's yeah, don't get out of bed. Get out of there. Get out of there. Yeah. Yeah. It is funny. We
should make we should make elf hats with that tail that just is totally a penis. Like it's really it just looks like a penis hanging there by your face.
Android (12:20)
Why would you want to do that to the elves? That's just awful.
Neal Girandola (12:23)
just
because it's the way it looks right now and right now those are listeners that are only listening are right now quickly going to the video to see this right now they're gonna watch this now why is he speaking with his mouth so wide open?
Android (12:31)
They're like, I've got to see that penis hat. ⁓
Neal Girandola (12:39)
Alright this is our holiday episode then children might be listening so stop talking like that although this is not rated for children this any of our episodes
Android (12:39)
Ugh.
Yeah.
We are at
17 plus, right? Yeah, 17 plus.
Neal Girandola (12:51)
That's right. Yep.
Yep. Let's get into our featured story now. And as a reminder to our listeners, this is the way the show works. we take a true report of an alien encounter. We walk through the details and we weigh out whether it is a mostly true alien story or
Andrew today's report stretches centuries from the frozen North to the medieval Europe to modern sky sightings. This is the Santa Claus enigma.
Yes.
Android (13:20)
Santa!
Neal Girandola (13:21)
right, here we go. Long before Santa Claus wore a red suit and long before reindeer pulled anything, the people of Northern
and the
described something else entirely. Winter visitors from the
going to start in the far North among the Sami people of Lapland for thousands of years. Their winter traditions describe beings who descended from the sky during the darkest nights of the year.
These visitors weren't spirits or gods.
were described as pale, elongated, luminous figures who arrived with glowing light and left behind gifts, carved objects, and sometimes warnings.
Android (13:57)
Angels, angels,
Neal Girandola (14:00)
And the timing was always midwinter around the solstice.
Android (14:00)
out.
Neal Girandola (14:04)
figure.
So now we move south into Siberia.
Tungusik tribes recorded what they called
sky sleds.
These were glowing objects. They streaking across the sky. And sometimes they would hover above tents or stopping near
Their shamans describe journeys with the beings who travel the upper air. That's how they said it. And that phrase appears in translations from centuries before flight even
Then there's the Scandinavia, the Norse
Sagas described the wild hunt Odin leading a massive aerial procession across the sky accompanied by a glowing eight legged horse that moved impossibly fast. Villagers believed gifts left outside during mid winter were taken and replaced by sky visitors who passed over the rooftops. It's pretty wild. So a flying sleigh, not yet, but the pattern is there.
Android (15:01)
Mm-hmm.
Neal Girandola (15:05)
And as Christianity spread into Europe, these older winter sky traditions blended with the legend of Saint Nicholas,
a real four century Greek bishop who's known for anonymous nighttime gift giving.
Android (15:13)
That's it.
jee-joo.
Neal Girandola (15:19)
But here's the twist. Germanic and Nordic regions kept the aerial elements. So they kept that in and a sky visitor arriving at night, traveling quickly, watching homes and leaving gifts.
the middle ages, winter chronicles across Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium mentioned lights traveling above villages.
Star carts pulled through the sky, glowing animals leading a nighttime traveler and a mysterious figure entering homes.
while families slept. Well, that could be anybody.
Android (15:49)
me at your house last night.
Neal Girandola (15:50)
That's right. Is your elf. Yeah. Yeah.
These officer he had on an elf hat with a penis ball at the end of
stories existed hundreds of years before Coca-Cola ever painted Santa red, which is really fun story. And fast forward to the 19th century. American frontier newspapers report Christmas Eve lights,
discs and streaks moving silently above forests and farms.
One 1882 article describes a glowing chariot over Minnesota seen by three families independently. Then modern time, then in modern times, the Christmas Eve UFO spikes actually get logged by NORAD, MUFON, FAA pilots and radar technicians. And people describe silent glowing orbs, fast moving lights, structured craft, objects pacing
Android (16:22)
What?
Wow.
Yeah.
Neal Girandola (16:44)
and sightings of aerial shapes passing across rooftops every Christmas Eve without fail, the numbers rise.
And that brings us to the question people rarely ask
is Santa not an
but a cultural memory of winter sky visitors? It might be. A story built from ancient encounters blended with mythology, religion, and holiday tradition.
A visitor who travels at impossible speeds. He arrives at night, knows where you live, and interacts with humans in ways that feel almost other worldly.
Very interesting thought here. We're not saying Santa Claus is an alien.
We're asking whether the old stories behind him came from something people experienced in the sky long before they had the language for
All right, Andrew.
Let's, ⁓ that's the story. Sky visitors, solstice lights, winter encounters across thousands of
Android (17:35)
Hmm.
Neal Girandola (17:38)
Let's weigh into this and decide whether this is a mostly true alien story. why don't you take us through what you have and then we'll weigh in.
Android (17:46)
I thought I was just going to say Santa's real
Neal Girandola (17:48)
You're not supposed to weigh in yet.
Android (17:50)
I'm not weighing
I'm this real.
Neal Girandola (17:51)
Okay.
Yes, he is. We all, you know what I am waiting in right now. Listen to everybody. Santa is real.
Now we want to know if we, yeah, we want to know what's been going on long before Santa.
Android (17:57)
he is. Why or how? Okay.
Okay, so you mentioned the Sami people, right, in Lapland. Do you know where Lapland is? It's in, basically in Finland. It actually crosses an area of Finland, Sweden, and Norway, and a little bit of
Neal Girandola (18:07)
Yeah.
Android (18:17)
But it's...
Neal Girandola (18:17)
In Norway?
Android (18:18)
Yeah,
Now, do you know what the Sami people are known for?
Reindeer herding.
Neal Girandola (18:22)
aren't they?
Android (18:25)
Yeah, reindeer
colored.
Neal Girandola (18:26)
They take care of Santa's reindeer.
Android (18:31)
clothing is distinctive because they have bright colored embroidery on their clothing. So their clothing is bright. So you mentioned that Santa wasn't painted red until the Coca-Cola thing. That's not true. We'll get to that later. Because he wore bright clothes.
Neal Girandola (18:29)
Yes, you can finish. I'm just getting excited because we're talking about Stana.
Yeah.
Android (18:48)
Think about if he's illuminating light, how could he be in anything? You know, he could be in any color.
Neal Girandola (18:49)
But that, so.
That's true. But that let me just for our listeners and those may not know that. So I don't know what your ⁓ Coca Cola did this, but they did it a long time ago.
Android (19:03)
Yeah,
19, I think it's 19, I have it here. It's like 1901 or something like that. Something, yeah. Right. They get, you know
Neal Girandola (19:06)
1901 that day as a branding marketing thing.
Android (19:11)
So the most famous UFO case is called the Ghost Rockets.
Ghost Rocket Wave was between 1946 and 1947. All right.
Neal Girandola (19:21)
Okay, this is a little later.
Android (19:23)
it was reported as a rocket shaped objects streaking silently across the
Some of them, this was in Lapland. Yeah.
Neal Girandola (19:28)
And where was this? In Lapland. Okay.
Android (19:32)
and it was, they were streaking across the sky. ⁓ they would dart back and forth, but they were silent. They couldn't hear anything. And they saw all this stuff. They said, even though they saw them like go down to the ground and come back up and go down and come back up, they never found any debris or aircraft fragments or nothing. So they're thinking that it was most likely either meteors that were flying by the planet, not actually hitting the planet.
⁓ atmospheric illusions caused by the bright Arctic summer, because summer is, it's Arctic in December is summer there, ⁓ or Soviet missile
Neal Girandola (20:03)
Okay.
Yeah. Right.
Android (20:09)
But the lack of ⁓ actual debris has made the case more
so the ghost rockets appeared in the same
Neal Girandola (20:19)
Well, also during
that time, there Santa Santa was a
And so when they see these lights during that exact time, they're going to say it's a magical.
Android (20:23)
that was a thing.
Yes, now the ghost rockets appeared in the same northern skies where according to tradition Santa flies a sleigh.
Neal Girandola (20:35)
Mm-hmm. Yes, he does.
Android (20:37)
and he navigates through all the shimmering lights and the constellations. So the rockets that they saw were actually test flights from Santa's
Or they were guiding beacon lights that the elves were using.
Neal Girandola (20:51)
Okay.
Android (20:52)
I never got to do beacon lives when I was at the North Pole.
Neal Girandola (20:56)
No. No. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
Android (20:56)
No, no, I was always on the toy line building, building, building.
Neal Girandola (21:01)
the tables were lower there, you could reach
Android (21:01)
just.
Yes, and I would say, lift me up and put me on the table. I want to see the toys up close.
With my little feet
Neal Girandola (21:08)
I don't want to be an elf, I want to be a dentist.
Android (21:11)
dangling off the side of the table. Yeah.
Or the streaking lights was the upgrade to the reindeers so that they could travel faster. So this merges all 20th century technology and centuries old into this beautiful Christmas lore, right? Now, Lapland,
Neal Girandola (21:20)
Okay, okay.
Sure. Sure.
Android (21:30)
a threshold between realms. And what I mean by that is Santa's mythic homeland is portrayed as the border land between the ordinary world and the magical one.
Neal Girandola (21:34)
Hmm. Mm-hmm.
Right.
Okay, if we were to, so there could be a portal. There could be a portal. Yeah.
Android (21:43)
So that's how we can explain these mystery lights. that the portal opens, right, the portal opens. Yeah, the portal
opens because Santa's not here. He's in another dimension.
Neal Girandola (21:53)
Sure, sure, sure. Yeah, because he's an alien. Right. So he has interdimensional travel technology.
Android (21:55)
Right, right. And now...
doesn't mean he's an alien, it just means that he's advanced because he's Santa Claus.
That's what it means.
Neal Girandola (22:06)
Well, if we're, I mean, because we're an alien
podcast, because we're an alien podcast, Santa wouldn't, it wouldn't be magic. We're talking alien interdimensional alien
who would have that?
Android (22:20)
It's
right. it's unexplained, right? So the mysterious lights are technically unexplained. You know, they could be Arctic collusions.
Neal Girandola (22:23)
Yeah, of course. Don't explain. Yes, I got you, I got you.
Android (22:27)
be Arctic collusions.
Neal Girandola (22:27)
How hard is it
for you right now to be talking about something mythical or, and aliens together? Are you like, is your butt clenched right now? Like you're just like, this is bullshit or you, but I'm going to act like I I'm into it. I'm going to act like I'm into it.
Android (22:39)
Yeah, I've released.
I
put coal up in there. Three, two diamonds so far have popped out. They're clenched so tight.
Neal Girandola (22:48)
This has got to be
your seat's got to be all wet from
like, this is bullshit. I don't believe any of this, but okay. Here you go.
Android (22:55)
So let's call it
a gateway to hidden worlds. Okay? It could be alien, a gateway to hidden worlds. That's what we'll say. Okay? All right. Okay.
Neal Girandola (22:59)
a gate. Okay. All right. I like that. I know that's hard for you
to say. You're
it's a game. are in worlds. there I said it.
Android (23:09)
to me, it is a gateway to hidden worlds. Did I stutter? Did I strain? No.
Neal Girandola (23:14)
No,
you didn't. But I'm real interested in the really early chariots
you know, the sky people and all that. Are you getting to that? Are you getting to that? Are you getting to all that?
Android (23:20)
The sky people, celestial omens, sky visitors, right?
So the sky is full of powerful beings, right? That's what we're told, right? So what was it, the
Neal Girandola (23:30)
Okay. Yes.
Android (23:34)
the sky phenomenons, okay? The sky people or visitors from above, they call them.
Neal Girandola (23:34)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Android (23:39)
They actually believe that they were spirits or ancestors descending as balls of light.
Neal Girandola (23:44)
But they saw them. So they seen this happen. And so that's what they rationalized it. Sure. There's an upper world.
Android (23:46)
They saw them. yeah, yeah. Beings traveling between the upper world and the middle world.
Yeah, yeah, so there has to be the mystic part of it because they had shamans and the shamans would perform these ceremonies and then these glows of light would appear and all this stuff,
Neal Girandola (24:02)
But,
didn't call the upper world heaven. They're referring to that as another world. Yeah.
Android (24:06)
No, it's just the upper world. Yeah, another
they clearly said that these beings are traveling between the upper world and the middle
were described right as glowing figures, as luminous spheres, as you said, and fast moving lights.
And there's parallel to UFO reports, right? Fireballs, meteors, heavenly arrows, they even call them heavenly arrows.
Neal Girandola (24:22)
Yeah.
Right,
this is long before UFOs, long before any of the terminologies, long before Santa, long before all of this. And that's what we're getting at is
Android (24:32)
This is long before. This is long before. Yep. Yep. Yep.
Neal Girandola (24:40)
where these things...
Android (24:39)
Right, well, I mean, if you go back into
Native American culture, there's a lot of stuff about the moon and about beings
So this is no different. Always, always over the
Neal Girandola (24:48)
And over that Christmas time, over this, what we know now is Christmas.
I wonder if I put my tinfoil hat on, if the winter solstice time
that's the time when the portal can be
beings can enter
Android (25:03)
could be that that's when the portal
opens up once a year
Neal Girandola (25:04)
okay.
Android (25:06)
on,
Neal Girandola (25:07)
Christmas.
Android (25:08)
is something that I found interesting. In 1908, in
Tunguska, there was a thing called the Tunguska
Well, 1908. They're saying, although not a UFO event, the Tunguska blast occurred in Abenki territory.
Neal Girandola (25:14)
1908. Okay.
Mmm.
Android (25:25)
and became one of the history's most mysterious sky events. It happened on June 30th, 1908. A massive explosion flattened 800 square miles of
Neal Girandola (25:31)
okay.
Android (25:36)
crater.
and witnesses reported seeing a blinding fireball shaking the ground with a column of light.
Neal Girandola (25:37)
All right, what? Yeah.
What?
Android (25:45)
A fiery glowing object streaked across the sky.
Neal Girandola (25:47)
But this is in June of 1908.
Android (25:49)
This is in June of 1908.
shamans of that area said that it was spirits punishing and cleansing the
Neal Girandola (25:58)
to ask is, right, if it wasn't
something from another
what would have it been?
Android (26:02)
Well,
they said that, you know, traditions, a possible spaceship crashed there, but there was no wreckage. There was no crater. There was no nothing,
Neal Girandola (26:09)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Android (26:11)
science says that it was a comet burst, a comet air burst. So a comet must have been coming by
And it's at the top of the top of the
the Arctic.
Neal Girandola (26:21)
It just sends like a
Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Yeah.
Android (26:22)
like an EMP or like ⁓ the remnants of a mushroom cloud, that whole thing, wiped it
you also talked about Norse
Neal Girandola (26:31)
Yes.
Android (26:32)
before UFOs, or we thought of UFOs, the Norse had their legends,
They had Odin and Thor and Loki and all the gods,
Neal Girandola (26:37)
Yeah, yeah,
Android (26:40)
talked about strange lights, glowing objects in the sky.
Neal Girandola (26:43)
What year, what
year are we talking?
Android (26:45)
sky
traveling beings. This is probably the year 200.
Neal Girandola (26:48)
Six.
Android (26:50)
if you think about Norse mythology and what we're hearing about these shining beings, the Valkyries, who were the warriors of Odin, right, they wore shining armor. And in Norse, in Old Norse poems,
Neal Girandola (26:59)
Vapories, yeah. Yeah.
Android (27:05)
They're described as they gleamed like fire.
And they would appear as streaks across the sky and then land, and they would be
Neal Girandola (27:11)
Mm.
Android (27:12)
Also in Norse mythology
the bifrost, the rainbow bridge that connected worlds. was the way for them entered. Again, here we go, inter-dimension travel or portals that open. We're going back to the portal theory.
Neal Girandola (27:18)
Yeah.
If you've ever seen Thor, right? Yeah. Yeah.
Android (27:29)
we're going back to Norse mythology. That's like, we're going back
And it described a radiant, glowing bridge of light
connected Earth to the realm of the gods,
So they had spirit guardians that would sometimes appear as glowing shapes or floating presences.
Neal Girandola (27:45)
Mm-hmm.
Android (27:46)
There were sky serpents.
the Viking sagas in their poems, they talked about serpents of fire, or they also talked about flaming spears crossing the heavens.
can explain those away as
borealis streaks or atmospheric plasma or
Neal Girandola (27:59)
Yeah, yeah,
Android (28:00)
you happen to mention Odin's wild
Neal Girandola (28:03)
Yes.
Android (28:04)
Odin had his horse with eight legs
supposedly would go roaring across the sky
with Odin on his back, which could be Santa in his
Neal Girandola (28:14)
Sure.
Android (28:14)
When we get to Santa,
one of the theories is that Santa is the tamed Odin, not the warrior, not the general, not the king, not the killer,
this tamed
how many reindeer does Santa have?
has eight reindeer.
many legs did you say Odin's horse
Eight legs.
Neal Girandola (28:34)
Yeah.
Android (28:34)
always do his wild
Neal Girandola (28:36)
in this
Android (28:37)
in the
say that Santa travels through the same sky road that Odin traveled
Neal Girandola (28:41)
Mm-hmm.
Android (28:43)
a glowing shifting ribbon of light the Norse called the
or the Aura Borealis.
Neal Girandola (28:49)
I'm seeing how all of these sightings are leading to something. It's almost a mix
stories.
Android (28:56)
Yeah,
it can't be one without the other because all these things started happening and then all these things started merging together, right? They started molding together.
Neal Girandola (29:02)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Android (29:06)
when newcomers saw strange Arctic skies, they also saw silent orbs, sudden flashes of light, darting shapes. They gave them the modern name of unidentified flying objects.
Neal Girandola (29:12)
Mm-hmm.
Android (29:18)
the Norse, the Old Norse and the Sami people always said,
that they were messengers, spirits, travelers between realms, and heralds of great events. They never changed
Neal Girandola (29:31)
Hmm.
Android (29:33)
Now, what's cool
Neal Girandola (29:34)
Yeah.
Android (29:34)
is that the lights that you see streaking across the sky in front of Santa's
they said they're there to escort
Neal Girandola (29:41)
It's not Rudolph.
Android (29:43)
if we want to talk about Christmas myth and all of this stuff together, right? So Odin's ancient yule ride,
Santa's Christmas Eve
auras and the atmospheric lights
these UFO escorts.
spiritual visitors.
You ready for this one?
Neal Girandola (29:58)
Yes.
Android (29:59)
They become holiday protectors.
Neal Girandola (30:01)
What else?
Android (30:03)
That's right, Neil. Ho, ho, ho!
Neal Girandola (30:05)
You
Android (30:08)
So basically the winter sky just becomes this grand cosmic highway of myth and mystery.
Neal Girandola (30:14)
Wow.
Android (30:15)
wait, I'm gonna blow your mind here.
is the night when the sky is closest, the veil is thinnest, and travelers from every realm, mythic, magical, and mysterious, come together to bring light into the darkest night.
Neal Girandola (30:35)
Merry Christmas to all and to all. Blown.
Android (30:37)
Mind blown.
gonna blow your mind even
Neal Girandola (30:42)
I'm confused right now because you keep thinking that's that's all the information you're going to share and then you come right back.
Android (30:46)
You're thinking he's ready to weigh in. No.
legend of Santa Claus originates from St. Nicholas,
a monk who lived around AD 280.
dude was admired for his piety and
was apparently very wealthy. He gave away all his inherited wealth and traveled to help the poor and the
One story tells him that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or
secretly providing money for their dowries.
he bought himself some ladies.
Hey, he got three beautiful.
Neal Girandola (31:16)
way. Hey, I'm Santa Claus.
Android (31:19)
Yo, hey, here's some money. I want those ladies.
Neal Girandola (31:21)
I'm Santa.
Android (31:23)
so over time, Nicholas' popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and
Neal Girandola (31:30)
But what do they mean by protector of sailors? What was the sailor protection? Yeah, but what was the protection of sailors would like from drowning?
Android (31:31)
He was buying the ladies for the sailors. was buying ladies for this. He had them all tested,
no, from tested from STDs and stuff, so.
Neal Girandola (31:39)
That was his part.
But they were like, Coca-Cola was like, yeah, that that's not a good for the, our, our brand. Not yet. And, and, and venereal diseases. It's just not it. Let's turn them into something else.
Android (31:44)
No, can't be we can't be talking about prostitutes and sailors. This doesn't work. Right. So so we're just going to give him a bottle of
Coke and have him. You know what? Let's have him give toys to kids. How's that sound? That sounds great. Yeah, OK. So his feast day, the feast of St. Nicholas is actually on December the
Neal Girandola (31:55)
Just stick with the toy thing.
Android (32:05)
So we missed it. It's the anniversary of his
Neal Girandola (32:05)
Yes.
Android (32:08)
usually or traditionally viewed as a lucky
So by by the Renaissance period, guess who was the most popular saint in
No, Saint George the dragon slayer. No, it's Saint Nicholas. Okay, so.
Neal Girandola (32:18)
wait, we're not talking about St. St.
George.
St. George was the other
that holiday. Didn't take.
Android (32:27)
Who cares about dragons? We got a guy saving hookers and sailors.
Neal Girandola (32:31)
Yeah,
St. George was
it, giving gifts. Brilliant. I should have thought of that.
Android (32:35)
know what, should have taken all the gold and stuff from the dragon I killed and gave it away to people.
Neal Girandola (32:39)
would have knew that would have been big
Android (32:41)
was just always giving out shepherd pies. No one wants a shepherd pie. I made it with the cat next door.
Neal Girandola (32:48)
I'm St.
George, I'm the giver of shepards pie.
Yeah, that holiday's not gonna take, brother. Yeah. Yeah. I want an Xbox, brother.
Android (32:51)
Get out of here, George. Your pie made me sick. I got diarrhea from your pie.
bad enough I've been dealing with scurvy and the rickets. You're gonna bring me this pie that gives me
Neal Girandola (33:02)
don't you go save sailors?
be more like Nick.
Android (33:05)
more like Nick save hookers. Everyone wants a hooker
Neal Girandola (33:07)
Stop an aerial disease!
Android (33:10)
wear a
no
no
Okay Even after the protestant reformation discouraged the veneration of saints Saint Nicholas remained especially beloved in holland Because you know he used to come and put toys in kids
Neal Girandola (33:18)
Mm-hmm.
That must have been something.
I did know that.
Android (33:26)
Imagine this creepy guy coming into your house.
Neal Girandola (33:28)
You're putting shit in your shoes.
Android (33:29)
Yeah.
Neal Girandola (33:29)
didn't know, you went to put your shoes on? Yeah. Just
Android (33:29)
Your shoes by the fireplace. He puts chocolate in there. He or splice it.
us. Now that's just gross.
Neal Girandola (33:33)
And they didn't wear socks back then. Mm-mm. Yeah.
Android (33:38)
so Saint Nicholas entered American culture in the late 1700s when New York newspapers reported Dutch families gathering to honor
His name evolved from the Dutch Sinterklaas, short for Saint Nicholas. In 1804, John Pintard promoted the figure by distributing woodcuts featuring early Santa-like imagery, such as a toy-filled stockings.
Neal Girandola (33:55)
huh.
Android (34:07)
And then Washington Irving further popularized Sinterklaas in 1809 by calling him New York's Patron Saint.
as a figure in colorful colonial clothing
a man in broodbrim glasses and traditional Flemish
like that, right. Gift giving for children became central to Christmas starting in the early 19th century. And by the 1820s to 1840s, stories heavily promoted holiday shopping.
Neal Girandola (34:26)
this. Like what I got on.
Yeah,
we go. They turned it into some money making scheme. Yep. That's, that's turn this into money. How can we do this?
Android (34:42)
using images of Santa Claus.
let's ruin Christmas and turn it into money. Okay, so in 1841, a Philadelphia store drew crowds with a life-size Santa model, inspiring retailers to feature live Santas to attract families.
Neal Girandola (34:50)
Yeah.
Android (35:02)
In the 1890s, the Salvation Army introduced street corner
They got the idea from the
They're on the street corners.
Neal Girandola (35:08)
They did street corner hookers there.
It's a big, that's a big draw. Let's try Santa.
Android (35:13)
And
you know what they were? They were unemployed men in Santa
donations for Christmas meals.
And they still do that today.
Neal Girandola (35:21)
I still do it
Android (35:22)
when I'm done, I got to get out on my
Neal Girandola (35:24)
Well, obviously I do too.
Android (35:25)
So the most iconic department store, Santa, is Chris
the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street.
in 1822, Clement Clark Moore wrote an account of a visit from St. Nick, better known
The night before Christmas. He wrote that in 1822 and he wrote it for his daughters.
Neal Girandola (35:42)
the night before Christmas. So he wrote that in what year?
Okay. Yes.
Android (35:50)
was a poem and it shaped the modern image of Santa as this jolly round magical figure who travels by sleigh, ascends chimneys and delivers gifts with the help of
Neal Girandola (36:03)
did Santa look like in the minds of everyone prior to that poem being
Android (36:10)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he had to. If he was Norse and he was Flemish and all that, yeah, of course he had a big old
Neal Girandola (36:08)
Do you think they had a beard and all that?
Android (36:16)
there's a legend too that he was actually a Viking,
Neal Girandola (36:19)
Santa.
Android (36:20)
got blessed with this spirit, magical, mythical ability to live forever. But he was a Viking warrior,
Neal Girandola (36:24)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Android (36:29)
so it was the night before Christmas was written in 1822. In 1881, a political cartoonist by the name of Thomas Nast
on Moore's imagery to create the first true version of Santa we recognize today. Cheerful, bearded, rotund, dressed in
Neal Girandola (36:42)
Mm-hmm.
Android (36:43)
fur-trimmed suit, and living at the North Pole with elves and Mrs. Claus.
England, he's known as Father
In Switzerland and Germany, he's known as
in Italy, a kind of witch called
Labefana
rides her broomstick down
toys in children's stockings. No!
Neal Girandola (37:01)
I don't want that bitch coming to my house. What are we?
What? That would be scary.
Android (37:05)
Yeah, a witch. Thanks, Italy.
Neal Girandola (37:08)
actually never heard of that. She did
Android (37:08)
Your mom didn't scare you with that when you were a kid?
Good.
Neal Girandola (37:12)
we go all the way back
as we know him today, I believe was influenced obviously by all of these stories and sightings, the true sightings that were seen
and the encounters that were happening.
So which leads me to say
Santa, I think originally is an alien. I think that this is an other worldly being.
Android (37:33)
You're weighing
Neal Girandola (37:34)
I am waiting.
Android (37:35)
me? Wow. OK, go ahead. No, no, Go,
⁓ it's a
Neal Girandola (37:37)
It's the holiday episode. So I'm going to
You go after
this is a mostly true alien story in my opinion. I think that the Santa as we know Santa today is an alien that,
the smartest way for an alien to kind of become embedded
our culture
this is a mostly true alien story.
is from alien origins.
So now it's your turn, Andrew, to weigh in on whether this is a mostly true alien story or not.
I'm sorry I jumped the gun. went before you. I just got excited.
Android (38:04)
No, I got it. No, you're
Neal Girandola (38:06)
So do you think
that this is a mostly true alien story or not?
Android (38:09)
No, I
don't think it's alien at all. I think it's Santa Claus.
Neal Girandola (38:12)
You just think Santa's Santa.
Android (38:13)
I think it's the spirit of Christmas and the spirit of
not going to say it's alien. I don't believe it's alien. I believe it's more
I'm going to the supernatural realm. That's where I'm going. Yeah.
Neal Girandola (38:21)
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You don't believe
in aliens, but you believe in the supernatural?
Android (38:26)
Yeah, I believe in the
I believe the spirits can come back and communicate with
believe ghosts are real.
Neal Girandola (38:32)
but you don't believe in aliens.
Android (38:33)
But I don't believe in aliens,
Neal Girandola (38:34)
your whole take on whether this is the mostly true alien story or not about Santa. It was a cop out. I think you're going to the, it's just magical. It's supernatural.
Android (38:43)
No, dude, I love I love
Norse mythology. I love I know all about that
Neal Girandola (38:48)
definitely correlations to where this, I mean, this is, these are encounters that people had
82 60.
Android (38:54)
really? This is
passed down as folklore stories, right?
Neal Girandola (39:00)
What did I just
say? The alien
has been going on in this world and up to today is the oldest told story that ever
people have been passing these stories on forever. We have never seen aliens, but we talk about them from ancient history to today. And it's just growing and growing and growing and
So you can't just say that, it's just a story.
passed down their
Android (39:28)
saying that they were aliens. No, I don't believe it.
Neal Girandola (39:32)
Alright.
Android (39:32)
all I'm saying. Don't be
Neal Girandola (39:33)
mean, Merry Christmas to you freaking
Android (39:34)
You're mad.
Neal Girandola (39:35)
Scrooge.
Android (39:36)
Okay, wait,
It's real. I believe
I believe it's a mostly true alien story. It's all aliens that came.
were a puppet.
Neal Girandola (39:42)
do. That's not what I'm
asking you to say. I'm just saying that
stance on this, you say super natural. It's like, don't think all of these encounters centuries
Android (39:47)
things supernatural. Things that are unexplained. I don't believe they're aliens.
Neal Girandola (39:54)
do you not agree that all led to what Santa is today?
Android (39:58)
Well,
Neal Girandola (39:59)
Isn't there a connection?
Android (40:01)
I haven't denied the connection, but I'm not saying that he's an alien, and I'm not saying that it was aliens. I'm saying that it's a supernatural connection.
Neal Girandola (40:08)
I'm not saying the mall centers are aliens.
center.
Android (40:11)
apologies
to anyone who is a mall Santa or a unemployed Salvation Army Santa.
Neal Girandola (40:13)
Yeah, I'm not saying they're It's
just, I'm saying the real Santa is real Santa. He's from another
Android (40:21)
is an alien. what you're saying.
Neal Girandola (40:24)
He enters through a portal during the solstice.
Android (40:24)
No. I think he travels
way he could travel
around the world is if he could do dimensional
Neal Girandola (40:30)
he sends his elves
everybody's homes to keep an eye on them from Thanksgiving till Christmas Eve. And then they report back.
Android (40:36)
you know if you want to go into like comic book lore with
is an alien.
Neal Girandola (40:39)
don't, because this is our Christmas
Android (40:41)
Superman's an
And you know, the only thing that really affects Superman besides
The supernatural can hurt
Neal Girandola (40:49)
What?
Android (40:51)
So Santa.
Neal Girandola (40:50)
never heard that.
Android (40:52)
could beat up Superman,
because he's magical and supernatural.
Neal Girandola (40:53)
Wow.
What would Jesus do?
Android (40:58)
wouldn't fight.
Neal Girandola (40:58)
Listen, I do
origin of Santa, the part that came before Christmas,
it definitely sounds like
those people were trying to describe something they couldn't
And that the fact that the winter salts deciding still spike today,
kind of what keeps this in the mostly possible category for me.
Android (41:16)
Right, and then NORAD
created the whole Santa tracker. Not if he's doing inter-dimension travel, how could they track
Neal Girandola (41:19)
Well, sure, but why not?
Android (41:23)
suck it, NORAD.
Neal Girandola (41:25)
we looked at one of the oldest stories humans tell and whether it may have roots in actual sky encounters that long predate
you know, that's something to be
Andrew's verdict is this is not a mostly true alien story. He's going supernatural, which I don't know. I might have to find another host for next week.
My
of course, Santa
is real and Santa is an alien from another world.
I say it's a mostly true alien story. So whether these ancient winter visitors were myth metaphor or something genuinely other worldly, the patterns across
hard to
If you haven't already, make sure you hit that subscribe button, share the show, and let us know what stories you want us to break down next
Have a Merry Christmas from both me and Andrew. We want you guys to have the greatest holiday ever.
Android (42:16)
Merry
Christmas!
Neal Girandola (42:18)
Yep. And we'll see you on the next episode. Until then,
be kind to the aliens when they get here. And
All right, everybody. We'll catch you on the next one.