Think you've hacked sleep? Wait until you hear about the way animals do it. And... Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

The secret world of animal sleep (Christina Larson, Nicky Forster, Hyojin Too, Peter Hamlin, and Caleb Diehl (AP, Dec 19, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

An Australian woman takes the lead at the Antarctic Ice Marathon. Plus, a bonus holiday track for all of you -- a version of "Cantique de Noel" ("O Holy Night") recorded by my friend Alex and me. Enjoy!

Australian woman beats all the men at Antarctic Ice Marathon (Cameron Ormond, Canadian Running, Dec 15, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Understudies are the backbone of live theater. Learn how the magic happens!

From Broadway understudy to star: John Skelley's magical journey with Harry Potter comes full circle (Mark Kennedy, AP, Dec 22. 2025)

Shirley MacLaine, Elaine Stritch and More! The Stars You Never Knew Started Out as Understudies (Playbill, Jun 21, 2015)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Someone gets caught stealing (a lot of) silver. Plus, my American health insurance rates.

Élysée Palace silver steward arrested for stealing thousands of euros' worth of silverware (AP, Dec 21, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

"`Twas the night before Christmas" ... the poem has been a holiday staple since the early 20th century. Tuck in for this cozy memory, including a reading of the famous text.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas: The Story and Trivia Behind the Beloved Classic Holiday Tale (Jessica Sager, Parade, Dec 5, 2025)

"Night Before Christmas" Series Reveals Evolution of St. Nick (Carnegie Mellon News, accessed Dec 20, 2025)

A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore (Poetry Foundation, accessed Dec 20, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Looking for ways to avoid adding wrapping paper to the landfill? Here are some ideas.

Your gift wrapping paper is trash — literally. Try these 7 sustainable ideas instead (Karen Yan and Filter US staff, The Guardian, Dec 19, 2025)

Sustainable Gift Wrapping (Sarah Tribelhorn, San Diego State University, Dec 15, 2023)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

Archealogical dogs are helping to solve historical mysteries in new ways. As if we couldn't love dogs enough.

Detection dogs help archaeologists locate graves, guide noninvasive surveys (Paul Neely, American Archeology Magazine, Dec 11, 2025)

Meet Migaloo, World's First "Archaeology Dog" (Amanda Feign, National Geographic, Dec 11, 2012)

Archaeodogs - Digging Into Archaeology (Dig It Scotland, accessed Dec 18, 2025)

6 stinking cool facts about dog noses (Alissa Greenberg, PBS Nova, Jun 10, 2022)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.

In the world of professional dart players, there's a hard and fast rule: you gotta pick a nickname.

LIVE UPDATES: WA power outages, flooding, blizzard warning, road closures (Tyler Slauson, Will Wixey, Charmin Flojo, Jim Jensen and FOX 13 Seattle Digital Team, Dec 17, 2025)

'Cool Hand' to 'Panda Man': the power or pitfalls of a darting nickname (Jonathan Liew, The Guardian, Dec 17, 2025)

World Darts Championship: How and why players got nicknames and walk-on songs (Tom Chambers, ESPN, Dec 17, 2025)

Rules (Professional Darts Corporation, accessed Dec 17, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

*This episode was recorded in a cruise ship cabin.