It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, everything was quiet.

And that was exactly what Captain Ethan Allen Hitchcock wanted, and expected.

But then, there arose such a clatter, and Captain Ethan Allen Hitchcock was not the kind of man you wanted coming round to see what was the matter. And the matter now seems like a laughing matter.

But at the time, on Christmas Eve of 1826, it was a very serious matter indeed.

One that would carry on into the next day, result in fistfights, destruction of property,

gunfire, several arrests, and at least one person falling or jumping out a window.

It would go down as one of the strangest stories in the annals of American military history.

A Christmas Eve party that got way out of control and would be known forever more as the eggnog riot.

I'm Brian Earle. This is Christmas Past.

Well, we've turned the calendar page to September, and that means we've entered the four

best months of the year. All the ones that end in the letters B-E-R, which is why we know them

as the Burr Months.

Maybe it's still summery hot where you are, just like it is here in California, but it won't

be long before there's a nip in the air, pumpkin spice everything all around, and a keen awareness

that Christmas is just about 100 days away.

For a lot of people, and maybe you're one of them if you're listening in real

time, this is the unofficial soft launch of the Christmas season. Yes, it's still quite early,

but those of us with the Christmas spirit may start to feel emboldened to watch a Christmas

movie or play some Christmas music. After all, the Christmas items will be appearing on some store

shelves as early as the end of this month.

And soon after that, everyone's favorite cable network will start showing Christmas movies more regularly,

and then the countdown is on for real. So as we ease our way into Christmas of 2021, Christmas

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