Oh, you lucky thing. Your good friends at First Arkansas News have a Christmas present all lined up for you — three complete Christmas old time radio serials that have thrilled and delighted listeners for decades.

Why do it? Because Christmas is all about good times and tradition and we like the heck out of every bit of that. We want to do our small part to make your Christmas just a bit more enjoyable, so it seems only natural to post some outstanding entertainment that’s family friendly and will leave listeners with a permanent case of the grins (well, we hope things work out that way, at least). So, here’s the deal. We’ll post new episodes daily starting Nov. 22 all the way through Christmas eve. Remember — after the first of the year, these episodes will be put away until next year.

What serials are included? Here we go:

Jump Jump and the Ice Queen

According to the renowned experts from the Old Time Radio Researchers Group (OTRR), Jump Jump — a three-inch-tall elf — was originally conceived as the anchor character for a series of animated specials that would air all year round.

Those ideas were scrapped and character became the focal point for a radio-based Christmas adventure. The 25-episodes serial originally ran from Nov. 22 through Dec. 24, 1948 and we’ll try to follow the original running order as closely as practical.
Click the below players to hear the episodes.

Episode 1 – Tim Meets Jump Jump (11/22/1948)

Episode 2 – Sleepy Sim and the Wishing Star (11/23/1948)

Episode 3 – Traveling to the North Pole (11/24/1948)

Episode 4 – The Poet (11/25/1948)

Episode 5 – Arriving at the North Pole (11/26/1948)

Episode 6 – Santa’s Reindeer Kidnapped (11/29/1948)

Episode 7 – Tour of Santa’s Workshop (11/30/1948)

Episode 8 – A Doll for Jump Jump (12/1/1948)

Episode 9 – Rescuing the Rescuer (12/2/1948)

Episode 10 – Jump Jump’s Magical Powers (12/3/1948)

Episode 11 – Journey to the Ice Queen’s Palace (12/6/1948)

Episode 12 – Adrift on the Ice Floe (12/7/1948)

Episode 13 – The Christmas Tree Forest (12/8/1948)

Episode 14 – The Frozen Country (12/9/1948)

Episode 15 – Captured by Ice Dwarves (12/10/1948)

Episode 16 – Crack in the Ice (12/13/1948)

Episode 17 – Confronted by Wild Animals (12/14/1948)

Episode 18 – An Army of Snowmen (12/15/1948)

Episode 19 – The Palace of the Ice Queen (12/16/1948)

Episode 20 – Tricking the Ice Queen (12/17/1948)

Episode 21 – Rescuing the Reindeer (12/20/1948)

Episode 22 – Lost in the Palace (12/21/1948)

Episode 23 – Trapped in the Turret (12/22/1948)

Episode 24 – The Spirit of Christmas (12/23/1948)

Episode 25 – Back Home Again (12/24/1948)

The Cinnamon Bear

This might well be the most celebrated Christmas serial out there. Yes, it originally aired in 1932 and, seemingly, is still broadcast every Christmas season by one radio station or another. So, we’re just kind of doing the same thing — contributing to what has become a tradition in some circles.

One odd thing about this series is that some accounts put the debut date of it on Nov. 26, 1937, while the episodes we have carry a start date of Nov. 29 in that same year. So, what are we to do? We’ll stick with the Nov. 29 date and post episodes accordingly.

The story involves a couple of kids who go on a journey to recover the star from their Christmas tree and are aided in their quest by Paddy O’Cinnamon — a stuffed bear who saved the kids from more than a couple of scraps and proved invaluable during the quest. Fun stuff? You’d better believe it — click the below players and enjoy.

Episode 1 – Paddy O’Cinnamon (11/29/1937)

Episode 2 – Weary Willie (11/30/1937)

Episode 3 – Crazy Quilt Dragon (12/1/1937)

Episode 4 – The Inkaboos (12/2/1937)

Episode 5 – Weasley the Wailing Whale (12/3/1937)

Episode 6 – Samuel Seal (12/4/1937)

Episode 7 – Presto the Magician (12/5/1937)

Episode 8 – Candy Pirates (12/6/1937)

Episode 9 – Roly-Poly Policeman (12/7/1937)

Episode 10 – Professor Whiz (12/8/1937)

Episode 11 – Fee Foe the Gentle Giant (12/9/1937)

Episode 12 – Rhyming Rabbit (12/10/1937)

Episode 13 – The Wintergreen Witch (12/11/1937)

Episode 14 – Queen Melissa (12/12/1937)

Episode 15 – Snapper Snick (12/13/1937)

Episode 16 – Oliver Ostrich (12/14/1937)

Episode 17 – Muddlers (12/15/1937)

Episode 18 – Cocklebur Cowboys (12/16/1937)

Episode 19 – Wooden Indians (12/17/1937)

Episode 20 – Flying Hat (12/18/1937)

Episode 21 – Snowman (12/19/1937)

Episode 22 – Santa Claus (12/20/1937)

Episode 23 – The Bad Dolls (12/21/1937)

Episode 24 – The Parade (12/22/1937)

Episode 25 – Captain Tintop (12/23/1937)

Episode 26 – North Pole (12/24/1937)

Jonathan Thomas and His Christmas on the Moon

Odd title? Well, it’s downright ambitious is what that is. Regardless, here’s another serial meant to tickle the imaginations of kids and adults alike.

Give it a chance and you, too, may well enjoy it. What’s going on in this serial? Santa Claus gets kidnapped and must be rescued so that he can save Christmas. Of course, retrieving Santa results in the adventures and fun one might expect.

This series originally aired on Nov. 29, 1938 and we’ll try to coordinate our posts with that date. Click the below players and enjoy these fine episodes.

Episode 1 – Santa Claus is Kidnapped by the Squeebublians (11/29/1938)

Episode 2 – Jonathan Promises to Find Santa Claus (11/30/1938)

Episode 3 – Jonathan Meets Gorgonzola the Horse (12/1/1938)

Episode 4 – In the Valley of the Three Dwarfs (12/2/1938)

Episode 5 – The Merry-Go-Round River (12/3/1938)

Episode 6 – The Fairy Queen (12/4/1938)

Episode 7 – Dragon with the Thirteen Tails (12/5/1938)

Episode 8 – Whiskery Bill the Squirrel (12/6/1938)

Episode 9 – Jonathan has Fallen Under the Witch’s Spell (12/7/1938)

Episode 10 – Jonathan in the Witch’s Dream Cave (12/8/1938)

Episode 11 – Whiskery Bill Meets the Walrus (12/9/1938)

Episode 12 – Getting Rubies at the Rainbow Bridge (12/10/1938)

Episode 13 – Crossing the Frozen River (12/11/1938)

Episode 14 – Jonathan Wakes up from the Witch’s Spell (12/12/1938)

Episode 15 – O’Gigraf the Lion (12/13/1938)

Episode 16 – Saving the Elf King (12/14/1938)

Episode 17 – The Wall of Doors (12/15/1938)

Episode 18 – In the Kingdom of Alice (12/16/1938)

Episode 19 – Queen Alice’s Ball (12/17/1938)

Episode 20 – Queen Squeebubbly and Santa Claus (12/18/1938)

Episode 21 – Jonathan Grows Large and Small (12/19/1938)

Episode 22 – Kirmit the Hermit (12/20/1938)

Episode 23 – The Dragon with the Thirteen Tails Again (12/21/1938)

Episode 24 – The Squeebubblians (12/22/1938)

Episode 25 – Rescuing Santa Claus (12/23/1938)

Episode 26 – Going Home (12/24/1938)