"A Visit from St. Nicholas," popularly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," is a favorite poem among many who celebrate Christmas. But when it comes to holiday verse, why should Dec. 25 get all the attention? We invited comedian, author and eschatology aficionado John Hodgman back to Ask Me Another as a Very Important Puzzler, to accompany host Ophira Eisenberg with a rather spirited reading of the classic poem, with the lines rewritten to be about some less popular holidays and days of observance. Get ready to pay tribute to Pi Day (March 14) and Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19).
Eisenberg also asked Hodgman about the gift he wanted most as a child but never received: Big Trak. "Big Trak was essentially a programmable attack drone," said Hodgman. "If you had a completely intricate inch-by-inch map of your house in your head, you could actually make it do things. Otherwise, it was great for banging into walls."
Later in the show, Hodgman picked up his ukulele and joined house musician Jonathan Coulton for a duet of "Auld Lang Syne." Hear it as a web extra on this page.
This segment originally aired on December 17, 2013.
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