<description>&lt;p&gt;In this special festive bonus episode, Liam &amp;amp; guests discuss their own personal Christmas traditions, their favourite screen Santa Claus and what, if anything, we would change or add to the myth of Santa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Happy holidays everyone!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Special guest for this episode:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Thomas Ruys Smith, Professor of American Literature and Culture and Deputy Director of Area Studies at the University of East Anglia, and author of &lt;a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Gift-Christmas-Stories-Wilkins/dp/0807180165/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OVA37UT8U7NS&amp;amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XDKZFcVlnu48Pb7uz3EPvGtYe3C2ycS2UHqv9U2-A2XfeM2VGZ01aNNTc_pZnafJfg4Im3-FIY--kS4EotmN_FcJFeWzg-8dO3h2TV6PwgtNxMFgs_tuRDQIMpquTpu4ZxXPHINsWF2e19Wz2-IkOj1ELyh0gPtuZV4j0wa_7oie0SueicVUjwPH8-QHm6wAKDsL9rkNHT9w1PuGICNIG8OdlZ5AUEf6zhI545zw624.rtxIY_93MSI6ryFMH16-Ue1EmUs7j_iZUMSJyyFgY90&amp;amp;dib_tag=se&amp;amp;keywords=thomas+ruys+smith&amp;amp;nsdOptOutParam=true&amp;amp;qid=1734108651&amp;amp;sprefix=thomas+ruys+smith%2Caps%2C82&amp;amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Last Gift: The Christmas Stories of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Brian Earl, creator and host of &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0EPXXUFnhfKGp70FCQTZdO?si=04f4d320ae5348cc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Christmas Past&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Highlights from this episode:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt; The importance of traditions like Santa Claus in family celebrations. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; Brian explains the Christmas Goose.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; Tom reflects on the evolution of Santa Claus in modern holiday culture and media. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; How children's understanding of Santa changes as they grow older. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; The fleeting nature of childhood magic during Christmas celebrations. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt; The portrayal of Mrs. Claus and her evolving role. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And if you like this episode, you might also love:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://pod.fo/e/20e9a9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;What is the War on Christmas?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://pod.fo/e/20c866" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;How to Make a Hollywood Christmas Movie&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://pod.fo/e/20a5d8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;What's the History of Christmas in America?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SUPPORT THE SHOW&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Individual Supporters&lt;/strong&gt;: https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/support &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;University Partners&lt;/strong&gt;: https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/partnerships&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brand Sponsors&lt;/strong&gt;: liam@mercurypodcasts.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact us: &lt;/strong&gt;america@podcastsbyliam.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We're partnering with NeoTaste, the exclusive membership card unlocking huge discounts at hundreds of restaurants across the UK &amp;amp; Europe. Get your &lt;strong&gt;first 2 months free&lt;/strong&gt; by using the &lt;strong&gt;code AAH&lt;/strong&gt; at checkout. Sign up here: https://neotaste.com/gb?code=AAH&amp;amp;a=2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you a University or college? Become an academic partner and your name will appear right here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mentioned in this episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode is sponsored by What's Your Map&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What's Your Map is the British Podcast Award-winning show from map expert Professor Jerry Brotton. In each episode, he invites a special guest to share a map that means something to them. It's a fascinating show, and you can listen to the new season right now: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/whats-your-map/id1766500219 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/neotaste"&gt;NeoTaste&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

America: A History

Liam Heffernan

BONUS REPLAY: The Christmas Goose & Our Favourite On Screen Santa

DEC 13, 202511 MIN
America: A History

BONUS REPLAY: The Christmas Goose & Our Favourite On Screen Santa

DEC 13, 202511 MIN

Description

In this special festive bonus episode, Liam & guests discuss their own personal Christmas traditions, their favourite screen Santa Claus and what, if anything, we would change or add to the myth of Santa.

Happy holidays everyone!

...

Special guest for this episode:


...

Highlights from this episode:

  • The importance of traditions like Santa Claus in family celebrations.
  • Brian explains the Christmas Goose.
  • Tom reflects on the evolution of Santa Claus in modern holiday culture and media.
  • How children's understanding of Santa changes as they grow older.
  • The fleeting nature of childhood magic during Christmas celebrations.
  • The portrayal of Mrs. Claus and her evolving role.

...

And if you like this episode, you might also love:

What is the War on Christmas?

How to Make a Hollywood Christmas Movie

What's the History of Christmas in America?

...

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Individual Supporters: https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/support

University Partners: https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/partnerships

Brand Sponsors: [email protected]

Contact us: [email protected]

We're partnering with NeoTaste, the exclusive membership card unlocking huge discounts at hundreds of restaurants across the UK & Europe. Get your first 2 months free by using the code AAH at checkout. Sign up here: https://neotaste.com/gb?code=AAH&a=2

Are you a University or college? Become an academic partner and your name will appear right here.

Mentioned in this episode:

This episode is sponsored by What's Your Map

What's Your Map is the British Podcast Award-winning show from map expert Professor Jerry Brotton. In each episode, he invites a special guest to share a map that means something to them. It's a fascinating show, and you can listen to the new season right now: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/whats-your-map/id1766500219

NeoTaste