Hey everyone, this is Abigail Keele. I'm a reporter and producer who you've heard on the

show a couple times. So for this month, March Women's History Month, we're digging

back in our archives and bringing you some classic episodes that feature the stories

of interesting and amazing women from all around the world. So I chose an episode that

I really enjoyed listening to, made by my colleague Sarah Wyman, about a holiday that

I was familiar with, but didn't know the whole story behind. So I grew up in the Midwest

and as a young white middle-class girl, I had an American girl doll, surprise, surprise.

I'm sure some people listening know what I'm talking about. And if you don't know about

American girl dolls, they, you know, you get the doll, they come with some outfits, they

come with a book that tells you about their story, who they are, where they come from.

So the doll I had was named Kirsten or maybe Kirsten and her story told me that she

came to the United States in the mid 1850s and her family had immigrated from Sweden. And

she came with an outfit that was like a long white dress. She had blonde hair that came

in braids and she had a crown made of like holly with little white candles stuck on top.

And I thought this was like a very cool outfit. The story told me about a holiday she

celebrated with her family called Lucia Day, where Kirsten would put on the outfit and

you know, bring like a Swedish bun treat to her family in the morning near Christmas

time. You know, I really loved learning about that as a kid. And when I heard Sarah was

doing a story all about Lucia Day, I was very excited to learn the real history of the

holiday. Some of it is quite surprising. I'm really excited to bring you that story today.

Sarah did an amazing job. You know, she's got a personal connection to the holiday and it's a

nice cozy listen on a cold winter day. So I hope you enjoy.

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