Ever been so bored you wondered, what if I wrestled a bear — and the bear signed a waiver? In this episode of Time Tellers, Dan and Renee open a dusty legal atlas and step into America’s stranger corners: laws born of church mores, backyard feuds, and theatrical protest. We tell the origin stories, read the actual or reported wording, and decide whether each oddity is enforceable law, folklore, or something hilariously in-between.

From Alabama’s bear-wrestling tall tales and church-mustache rules to a donkey-forbidden bathtub, a frog-jumping contest that forbids frog-eating, and the paperwork that turns roadkill into dinner: these are the statutes that make you laugh and then scratch your head. Short, punchy stories, historical color, and a Time Teller’s verdict — buckle up for Episode Two: Alabama.

One glittering sphere, one counted-down second, and millions pause: this episode follows the ball from rooftop to broadcast, revealing how a simple descent became a carefully engineered ritual of time, crowd, and meaning.

Interwoven with the history are the hosts’ messy human stories—stage lights and post-it costumes, a blizzarded drive, a funeral song, and a knocked-over microphone—reminding listeners that every ceremony is powered by real people, imperfect and hopeful. Also a short preview of the year ahead.

Follow the trail of familiar melodies from medieval Europe to American front porches: a story of banished festivities, Victorian reinvention, wartime solace, and booming radio hits. Along the way you’ll meet Puritans who banned Christmas, a songwriter who never meant to write a carol, and soldiers who found peace in a simple hymn.

In this episode we weave together the human moments behind the music — Dickensian charity, sleigh races in New England, immigrant voices, and modern pop reinventions — to show how these songs became the soundtrack of an American season.

Tune in to discover the surprising origins and emotional stories behind the carols you thought you knew, and learn why these songs still matter to families, choirs, and even astronauts.