As the end of the year approaches, we prepare ourselves for the bombardment of declarations.

But one of the most fun of those is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year. Wordster supreme, our local dictionary’s editor-at-large, Peter Sokolowski joins us to explain the process by which that word is chosen, and some of the nuances of this year’s winner.

And it wasn’t so much a declaration as a determination that designed the hot chocolate run 20 years ago. An idea to raise funds for the organization Safe Passage that was designed by a small group of friends. We speak with some of those originators: Jenn Derringer and John Frey. We also hear from cartoonist Hilary Price, of Rhymes with Orange, who not only helped build the event, but has designed a mug for each run. We’re also joined by a few of the folx who are currently working in the organization with this event and more: director of development Natalie Ulrich, and director of community programs Cathrine Hodes who enlighten us to the things Safe Passage has been building over the years, and how the organization has evolved to maintain its mission of confronting domestic violence, and helping those who’ve experienced or are experiencing it towards liberation and recovery.