Hello, you're listening to the We are history podcast. And John, it is Christmas.

Ho, ho, ho, ho. Happy Christmas, everybody. Who are you calling a ho?

No.

Oh dear.

It started already.

Yeah, we thought we would do a lovely Christmasy festive episode for your Christmas week.

So this week, we are going to be looking at the history of Christmas.

It's one of those subjects, isn't it, John, Christmas, where you think you know everything there is to know about Christmas, where it all started.

Everyone thinks, oh, did you know, did you know about some of these things might set off the LQI buzzer? For example.

Yes, does Santa Claus really dress in red because of a Coca-Cola marketing campaign? Did Prince Albert really bring Christmas trees to Britain?

Did Angela really get that drunk at her agent's Christmas party?

John, you weren't supposed to tell anyone about that?

These are the questions that people have been answering in pubs since the day Jesus was born in De Stable with the baby angels.

Were you in a nativity, John?

Yeah, I was third king. I gave all in primary school my third king. I think

it was still talked about, Angela. See, this says everything you need to know about us, John. You were a

king. I was a shepherd. I mean, we got to the stage when my kids were at primary. Then one or two

of the mothers were like, you know, costumes done this is a state primary school in south london but one or two of the moms were like really taking it

seriously you know well you see at my school in the 80s um my auntie lived in barraine so when

everyone else had tea towels on their head I had a proper Arab head dress very good my auntie sent me

from Bahrain so So, yeah.

You were basically that family as far as I can work.

...