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Where Did Santa Claus Come From? The Secret History of Christmas
Manage episode 523441531 series 3637434
This is a special Christmas episode of The Science of Creativity. The creation of Christmas is an example of social innovation, a kind of collective creativity where everyone plays a role. Five hundred years ago, Christmas was a wild party, where young men got drunk and roamed in packs around town. Children didn't start getting gifts until about 200 years ago. The Santa Claus myth was invented, along with the elves and the workshop at the North Pole, in the late 1800s. This episode gives you the history of the secular, non-religious traditions that we celebrate at Christmas. It started two thousand years ago, in Ancient Rome, it picked up steam in the 1800s, and we're still creating new Christmas traditions today. The creation of Christmas is a story of social innovation and group genius.
This is a special encore of one of my favorite episodes, originally published as season 1, episode 15, on December 1, 2024
Chapters
Intro
Traditions and Change
Wassailing and Twelfth Night
Toys and Gift-Giving
Santa Claus and the Elves
The War on Christmas
The Holiday for Everyone
Outro
Music by license from Soundstripe
Blues for Oliver - Cast of Characters
Christmas Tree Jazz Trio
Silent Night – Cast of Characters
Just Walkin' – Ryan Saranich
Uptown Lovers - What's the Big Deal
References
Wikipedia on "The war on Christmas" and "Wassailing" and "Syncretism" - ChatGPT
Copyright (c) 2025 Keith Sawyer
41 episodes
Manage episode 523441531 series 3637434
This is a special Christmas episode of The Science of Creativity. The creation of Christmas is an example of social innovation, a kind of collective creativity where everyone plays a role. Five hundred years ago, Christmas was a wild party, where young men got drunk and roamed in packs around town. Children didn't start getting gifts until about 200 years ago. The Santa Claus myth was invented, along with the elves and the workshop at the North Pole, in the late 1800s. This episode gives you the history of the secular, non-religious traditions that we celebrate at Christmas. It started two thousand years ago, in Ancient Rome, it picked up steam in the 1800s, and we're still creating new Christmas traditions today. The creation of Christmas is a story of social innovation and group genius.
This is a special encore of one of my favorite episodes, originally published as season 1, episode 15, on December 1, 2024
Chapters
Intro
Traditions and Change
Wassailing and Twelfth Night
Toys and Gift-Giving
Santa Claus and the Elves
The War on Christmas
The Holiday for Everyone
Outro
Music by license from Soundstripe
Blues for Oliver - Cast of Characters
Christmas Tree Jazz Trio
Silent Night – Cast of Characters
Just Walkin' – Ryan Saranich
Uptown Lovers - What's the Big Deal
References
Wikipedia on "The war on Christmas" and "Wassailing" and "Syncretism" - ChatGPT
Copyright (c) 2025 Keith Sawyer
41 episodes
All episodes
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