262: Santa Claus (with Emily VanDerWerff)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you think of Santa Claus, what do you picture? The big guy in red is this malleable, larger than life figure that has origins that might surprise you. Luckily, we have Emily VanDerWerff to guide us through the labyrinth of who Santa is.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Content Warning:</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">This episode contains conversations about or mentions of illness, racism, religious persecution, violence, child death, cannibalism, family dysfunction, economic anxiety, and sex.  </span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Guest</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emily VanDerWerff is Critic at Large for</span> <a href="https://www.vox.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Vox</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and co-creator of the podcast</span> <a href= "https://www.ardenpodcast.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Arden</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">. Follow her on Twitter</span> <a href= "https://twitter.com/emilyvdw"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">@Emilyvdw</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Housekeeping</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">MERCH</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">! Get the Mothman Crewneck at</span> <a href= "http://spiritspodcast.com/merch"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">spiritspodcast.com/merch</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Recommendation</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">: This week, Amanda recommends</span> <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/822/9780593336823"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Love Hypothesis</span></em></a> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">by</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Ali Hazelwood</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Books</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Check o