#119: Christmas Special With Santa Claus’ Right-Hand Man, Gerry Bowler

With just a week to go until Christmas, this week’s episode is a special one. Santa Claus was obviously my first pick for our Christmas episode, but poor wifi connection in the North Pole prevented him from joining the Zoom call. Luckily, I was instructed to speak with someone who knows more about Christmas than Jolly Old Saint Nick himself! Dr Bowler – the world’s foremost authority on the history of Christmas - joins me all the way from snowy Canada for an in-depth conversation about ALL things Christmas. He is the author of many Christmas books including: The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, Santa Claus: A Biography and The World’s Greatest Christmas Stories. Dr Bowler shares a series of fascinating facts about the world’s most celebrated holiday, the history of the mince pie, and confirms how Covid-19 will affect Santa’s plans for delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. If you have ever been curious about the origins of Christmas traditions, then you’ll love this episode.