Long before shopping malls, reindeer, and red suits, the figure we now call Santa Claus may have emerged from something far stranger ancient ritual, winter survival, and mind-altering tradition. In this episode of Ghosts in the Mountains, we explore the controversial and fascinating theory that Santa's origins may be rooted in psychedelic folklore, shamanic practices, and the symbolic use of sacred mushrooms in northern winter cultures.

From red-and-white imagery hidden in plain sight to chimney legends, flying reindeer, and altered states of consciousness, we trace how ancient ritual and myth may have slowly transformed into the modern Christmas icon. Is Santa a harmless fairy tale… or a cultural echo of humanity's oldest attempts to understand reality itself?