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

<p>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!<br /> <br /> 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: <em>The World Encyclopedia of Christmas</em>, <em>Santa Claus: A Biography</em> and <em>The World’s Greatest Christmas Stories</em><em>.</em> 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.<br /> <br /> If you have ever been curious about the origins of Christmas traditions, then you’ll love this episode.</p>