Segment from Naughty & Nice

Remix: The Invention of Santa

Host Peter Onuf continues his conversation with historian Steve Nissenbaum. They discuss the way that Christmas was domesticated and sentimentalized, beginning in the 1820s.

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

A Christmas Truce

Brian, Ed, and Peter set up the hour’s theme with a reading of a letter by a WWI soldier about the 1914 Christmas Truce.

00:02:08

The War on Christmas

20th century guy Brian Balogh speaks with Fox News Radio host John Gibson about the idea of a “war on Christmas.”

00:03:52

Taking It To The Streets

18th century guy Peter Onuf talks to historian Stephen Nissenbaum about the seasonal festival of misrule that was celebrated for centuries, and banned by the Puritans.

00:06:38

The Invention of Hanukkah

20th century guy Brian Balogh speaks with Rabbi Laura Baum, founder of ourjewishcommunity.org, about the myth of the Hanukkah oil, and how it came into being.

00:08:33

Remix: The Invention of Santa

Host Peter Onuf continues his conversation with historian Steve Nissenbaum. They discuss the way that Christmas was domesticated and sentimentalized, beginning in the 1820s.

00:10:46

Listener Calls

BackStory listeners call in with their questions about the holiday season.

00:09:03

Remix: Being Santa

Host Brian Balogh talks to Santa impersonator Tyrone Jones about why race doesn’t matter when you don the red suit.

00:09:08