<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;&lt;strong&gt;Thomas Ruys Smith&lt;/strong&gt;, 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;&lt;strong&gt;Brian Earl&lt;/strong&gt;, 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;Thank you for listening to our podcast. It's a labor of love by an American history nerd and some smarter folk. Making it does come at a small cost so if you'd like to help:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Individuals - &lt;a href="https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/support" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;support the show with a one-off or monthly donation&lt;/a&gt;: https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/support &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Universities &amp;amp; Colleges - &lt;a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGRMpYL5dY/tCDPbTHN81d9EeaFfBXcnQ/view?utm_content=DAGRMpYL5dY&amp;amp;utm_campaign=designshare&amp;amp;utm_medium=link2&amp;amp;utm_source=uniquelinks&amp;amp;utlId=GSDp9Wwx6A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;become an academic partner&lt;/a&gt; or email hello@podcastsbyliam.com for more info&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your support helps us keep the show running, and it is highly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you a University, college, or higher education institution? Become an academic partner and your name will appear right here.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

America: A History

Liam Heffernan

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

DEC 17, 202410 MIN
America: A History

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

DEC 17, 202410 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?

...

Thank you for listening to our podcast. It's a labor of love by an American history nerd and some smarter folk. Making it does come at a small cost so if you'd like to help:


Your support helps us keep the show running, and it is highly appreciated!

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