Today’s episode is the first step in a new direction for the Dissident Dad Show. Less “headline factory,” more real talk for moms and dads trying to raise kids outside the machine. We start with the Feast of St. Nicholas and how to bring him back into your home in a real way: boots by the door, secret generosity, cookies shaped like a bishop, and teaching your kids that treasure in heaven actually means something. From there, we jump to It’s a Wonderful Life, why George Bailey feels like a Catholic Saint of Small Towns, and why America is starving for more real-world Bedford Falls communities.

Then we pivot to the fight over the Hep B shot for newborns, why that “standard” hospital jab within 24 hours of birth deserves way more questions than it gets, and why parents have every right to say “nope” without apologizing to anyone in a lab coat. I wrap with the story behind my essay “My People Are My Temple” and how I escaped the cult of health optimization that had quietly turned my life inward and away from my wife, kids, and community. If you’re craving faith, roots, babies, small-town sanity, and the courage to push back on expert mandates, this one’s for you.