This is a very Christmasy episode, Chelsea. You're being a Christmas guy deep down. And this is like an anthology show about Santa getting arrested for doing the right thing. I'm I'm a Santa Claus may be a symbol of hyper-capitalism, obedience to authority, the surveillance state,

and maybe even a child stand-in for the judgment of the Abrahamic God, but in part two of our two-part

series on Mall Santas, you'll see a more radical side to Old St. Nick. As in part one, which you

should listen to first, duh, I am joined by my very own Mrs. Clause, Sarah Marshall of Your Wrong About.

We've already learned the early history of the creation of the creature that children still visit in malls and department stores to this very day.

Now I'm going to explain how, in some cases, the mall Santa transformed into a symbol of societal change and guerrilla protest.

From the ladies who had to take his place during World War II, to the Black Santa revolutionaries of the civil rights movement, to the activist gay Santas who fought quite creatively against the stigma of

HIV. So come on kids, let's go sit on Santa's lap one more time. But unlike when we were children

back in the olden days, this new generation of mall Santas will have to get our consent first.

I'm your host, Chelsea Weber Smith, and this is American Hysteria.

Ho, ho, ho, dear listeners, we are back for part two of our series on the history of the mall Santa Claus.

Of course, I am here with the dear Sarah Marshall.

Thank you so much for being here and joining me for part two.

Ho, ho, ho, Chelsea.

I was kissed in Pittsburgh.

Ho, ho, oh, Pittsburgh, the Christmas capital of the world.

I mean, they'll get there, you know.

They'll get there.

And I am so happy to be joining you again.

I cannot begin to imagine where we're going to go, but I'm excited to go there.

Yeah, it's going to be fun.

We're looking at a more radical version of the mall Santa Claus today and how he was able to

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