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Episode 511 - O, Christmas Tree (Patreon)

Published:
2020-08-17 19:04:33
Imported:
2021-07

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Content

Hey, it's Christmas somewhere, right? We're having a talk about O, Christmas Tree by W.H. Pugmire and Jessica Amanda Salmonson - listen in!

Special thanks to reader Andrew Leman!

Next up: Spawn of the Green Abyss by C. Hall Thompson (available in  in Tales of the Lovecraft Mythos)

Comments

Richard Horsman

My copy of the Pugmire book that seems to be the only in print source for this is still in the US mail. Under current conditions guess that means I'm listening to this one in 4-6 weeks...

Anonymous

I have a possible copy of the tune the naked “children” were dancing to - https://youtu.be/9gBhHjV0Yjc

Anonymous
>>42357722

Nothing wrong with the USPS ,last week I was having late deliveries due to shippers not sending their fulfillment to the USPS.Once in the system things arrived 1-2 days early. I imagine 5 months of Lockdowns overwhelmed everyone and people finally got a break at the end of July.

Anonymous

Yay Andrew! I was already interested in delving into the legendary Pugmire's work, and this didn't disappoint. He clearly mastered the science of atmosphere. After learning he set stories in the Pacific Northwest, I'm DYING to read them. I spent my most formative years in Olympia, WA, and indeed it's like a Gothic novel. Look up the now-defunct "Never Never Land" park in Tacoma and, of course, the Hall of Mosses. My nostalgia for the region is so deep within my subconscious I've actually had a few dreams that took place up there. One involved a strange flying monster and a frozen lake, like in this story. The other was a very cinematic dream about Deep Ones in a lagoon going to battle with orcas, sharks, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs (which may or may not have possessed human brains).

Anonymous

Yes- I thought the "IT WAS A HUMAN HEART (IN THE ORIGINAL DUTCH)" ending contrasted badly with the end of last week's "The Aquarium" where the horror is that we aren't shown anything but the screaming. I'm going to confess that I've always been turned off a little by Pugmire's deliberately anachronistic style of writing. I'm going to give him another chance because this seemed good.

Devin Trim

I’m surprised Chris didn’t make a joke about the squirrels being absent not because it was cold, but because they had gathered the mushrooms mentioned shortly thereafter for food. Turns out these were magic mushrooms, and the squirrels are actually tripping balls in their burrows. Quite surprised you fine gents missed that....

Anonymous

I enjoyed the heart tree topper, honestly, but I am a sucker for ridiculous endings. Needed a cleansing bolt of lightning to illuminate the heart and burn it all down.

Jason Thompson

This was really good, now I need to read more Pugmire! I liked the gore (though if they wanted to go that way, as far as my ‘80s Italian horror lovin’ self is concerned, it could’ve been even gorier). You shoulda said a little about Jessica Amanda Salmonson!!

Andrew M. Reichart

Love the outro music -- I know it's greedy of me to expect more music from Chad when Monster Classics came out like five minutes ago, but I can't frickin' wait for MftHPPLPv3!

Anonymous

Really enjoyed you gents really enjoying this one.

Steve

I guess Pugmire's Jewish Mormon roots mean there was some conflict about Christmas.

Steve

Manly might be a reference to the occultist Manly P. Hall.

Anonymous

Chad you didn't finish that news article. Turns out robot theives are hiding in artificial trees. They steal toasters, microwaves, electric razors, anything they can use to make more robot theives. Also "Children Dancing Naked" songs like a Led Zep song.

Anonymous

Along the lines of "the Pacific Northwest is a great setting for supernatural horror," you should really check out Gravity Falls if you haven't yet. While aimed at a younger audience, I found the entire series endlessly enjoyable. Lots of nods to the mythos, and just a great kids fantasy horror show in general. Also, it's co-written by one of the creators of Homestar Runner, so you can scratch your early-00's internet itch as well.

Anonymous
>>42402411

Gravity Falls is one of the best animated shows out there. I think it may be time for a rewatch!

Anonymous

I really enjoyed this one guys. You're absolutely right about capturing the atmosphere and sense of dread. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Pugmire. On a separate note, since this month is in honor of "Lovecraft Country" is there any chance of getting the author Matt Ruff on the show? I binge listened to the book Friday and Saturday and absolutely loved it. And hopefully at some point you guys will do reviews for the TV show. The premiere was great!

Anonymous

I want to read this, but the only option I have is a paperback that wouldn't arrive until the end of october. Did anyone find this anywhere else?

Anonymous
>>42423373

I can't find anything wither, was hoping they'd have a digital edition somewhere

Anonymous

I really liked this story, though I also thought the heart on the top of the tree was a little cheesy. I'll have to read more of Pugmire. I also really liked the outro music.

Richard Horsman

What I loved about this story, warts and all, was how Richard's youth comes through. Pugmire's cultivated archaic style and the valley's ancient atmosphere contrast so well with this guy who comes rolling in on a greyhound because it seemed like a good idea and whose impulses propel the story forward when he breaks into the mansion and severs the tree at its base. It's a great portrait of a protagonist with the lousy judgment of someone old enough to be responsible for their life, but too young to actually consider anything they were doing. When I started the story I was picturing someone in their late 20s or early 30s, but by the end I imagined Richard as maybe barely 19 and full of bad ideas that someone else is going to have to bear the brunt of. I may be bringing my own lived experience in here. (Also @Tara Murphy: I ordered my copy through bookshop.org and it arrived in about five days.)

Anonymous

Great episode guys! The mood and setting of this piece reminded me of the Lovecraftian serialized story podcast "Old Gods of Appalachia". Well worth checking out if you have a chance. Also, after listening I realized "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" would have been way better if he left a Who's heart impaled on the top of each tree instead of ramming them up the chimney.

Anonymous

More Pugmire! More Leman! More Animal based systems of measurements!

Anonymous

I wasn't able to read this story, but I had a different interpretation of the significance of the tree than I think you did. Rather than being am evil tree that belonged to the not-children, I thought it was a relic of the protective and restraining power of the old red god who defeated the white god so long ago. By cutting it down, the protagonist lessened that power and also invited the baddies to celebrate by tea-bagging the tree corpse, so to speak. The white mold or whatever all over the dead, previously red tree seemed to back this up. Regardless of whether my reading is correct I enjoyed hearing about this story.

Anonymous

Good choice of a Pugmire tale, and great show your two! I agree that few places have the eeriness of the Pacific NW around Mount Si. (And there is damn fine coffee to find there as well for those late sleepless nights.) When I first read O Christmas Tree some time ago, the mood reminded me of The White People. (No, not because of the craft beer connection with the Pacific NW…) There is a primal, animistic quality to the setup of the story, which I think is why Pugmire included early expedition volumes among the tomes in the library. One of the scariest tropes in horror is that there are deeper forces at work, and mischievous entities are hiding just out of sight in the wilderness. I agree with you both that this story sets up the mood of weird fiction very well. The execution (forgive the pun) at the end serves this tone well, except when we see the heart, that liminal nature of the horror goes away. It feels more Clive Barker and less Algernon Blackwood. Finally, I agree, there are two interpretations for what was going on with the tree. Either it is protective, and its removal brought forth the evil entities, or it was protected by those entities, which are not evil so much as punishing those who transgress. I prefer the latter interpretation. I don’t know Salish or other native group folklore well enough to know how they regarded the sacredness of trees, but given that the idea that trees and old forests hold spirits or powers is a widespread belief, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pugmire got some of his inspiration from those kinds of myths. I hope you all read more of his work!

Tomas Rawlings

Does anyone have UK ebook link to but it? Thanks

Ben Gilbert

Amazon has three Pugmire collections for the Kindle and each of S.T. Joshi’s Black Wings anthologies has a Pugmire story.

Anonymous

I'm reminded of the pun using ending line of an old Robert Bloch story - "He was decorating the Christmas tree."

Anonymous

Great episode! I’m obsessed with this story and it’s introduced me to an author I hadn’t previously explored. Huzzah!