This month I have something a little different for you. Instead of one specific site or town of historic significance to visit, we are exploring a theme. The theme is of course Christmas in New York! In this episode you will discover how crucial New York was in the formation of the Christmas holiday icons, imagery, and traditions we know and love today. We will run into our old friend Washington Irving and join him in his meetings with Charles Dickens. We'll do a deep dive into the origins of Santa Claus as we know him today beginning back in antiquity then moving forward in time to the Hudson Valley Dutch. We'll learn how Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Victorian Britain influenced our Christmas and just how spooky some Christmas traditions were. For sites to visit we are all over the place in this episode including Rockefeller Center, https://www.rockefellercenter.com/ Radio City Music Hall, https://www.msg.com/radio-city-music-hall Staatsburg https://millsfriends.org/mansion/ The Old Dutch Church in Kingston NY, https://olddutchchurch.org/ Sunnyside, https://hudsonvalley.org/historic-sites/washington-irvings-sunnyside/ Germania of Poughkeepsie, https://germaniapok.com/ and others. Join me on this incredible journey through centuries and across continents to find out the origin story of New York Christmas!