Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

Hello, it's Susan. In just a moment, Beckett's going to tell you all about Mrs. Claus.

It's our annual tradition here at the History Tricks to put her story at the tip top of your podcast feed.

Look, there's lots of Santa Claus histories floating around at this time of year.

But as is our way, we like to spotlight women.

And when you shine a spotlight at Mrs. Claus, you can see her depth, her wisdom, her wit, her endurance.

When we talk about her history, you'll learn all the very important jobs that Mrs. Claus has done, including, believe it or not, supporting the women's suffrage movement.

Beckett and I both celebrate Christmas, so I'm going to say Happy Christmas.

We hope that you have the merriest and warmest and healthiest of holiday seasons.

We'll be back with more stories of incredible women after the first of the year.

So enjoy your new years and stay safe.

Thank you for listening. Now on with the show.

Hello and welcome to the show. It's just Beckett today with a tiny little minicast about one of the most undersigned characters that's around during this time of year.

Today, I'm going to give you the history of Mrs. Claus.

Santa's mostly patient, certainly tolerant wife, of somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 years or so.

A note to listeners with young children in the room do preview the content, you know, just in case I say something of a revealing nature about shall we say the

Charlie old elf himself. So on we go.

Once upon a time Santa Claus was a bachelor, not only a bachelor, but a bishop, Nicholas of Myra in modern day Turkey, who was born in the year 270.

He used to pay the dowries of poor girls on the sly and leave treats for the children of his town, theoretically anonymously.

But the word went out. If you leave your shoes out on the steps and someone happens to be passing by, well, you just never know.

The legend began with a real man and was kept alive by the Dutch tradition of Cinter Claus. Cinter Claus.

That's what happens when you say the words St. Nicholas over time with an accent and another language.

...