Why, hello everyone. It is Tuesday, December 23rd. This is day 11 of the 12 days of Christmas. I'm Mimi Fotz, and this is Hello from the Van. Today's episode is nine minutes long. Plan accordingly. Now, before we begin, for all of you parents out there, please be aware that statistically, December 23rd is the busiest foot traffic day for Costco. I'm just saying, maybe avoid it if you can today. And if you have to go to Costco, may the odds be ever in your favor. And with that, let's answer some questions. I put out a request yesterday for your Christmas questions. Try saying that three times fast. Christmas questions, Christmas questions, Christmas questions. You try it, it's hard. This is difficult, right? Anyway, let's get into some Christmas questions that were submitted by you, the listeners. Our first question comes from Amelie, and it is, how did Santa Claus become Santa Claus? This is a wonderful question and sent me down a rabbit hole of oral and written histories. I just love research. Santa Claus evolved from the fourth century Christian bishop Saint Nicholas of Mira, known for his generosity. Over the course of hundreds of years, he would then go on to get the Dutch name Sinterklaas, which would then morph into Santa Claus in the United States. So basically, it goes all the way back to 280 AD, where a real man named Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity and kindness. When did Saint Nicholas get all those reindeer? I don't know because there are a lot of oral histories and each of them are a little bit different. So I'm not I'm not quite sure. I can't answer that full portion of your question, Amelie. But what I can tell you is that from the fourth century on, Saint Nicholas has been a part of our history. He is the patron saint of children. Our next question comes from Sage. And Sage asks, why are red and green Christmas colors? Ooh, I love this one. I found that there are basically two schools of thought when it comes to red and green used at Christmas time. The first theory comes from nature. It's cold. If you go outside, there's not a whole lot of color. The color that there is that you can see regularly comes from evergreen trees and red berries. So basically, red and green was the natural color of the season because when you look outside, that's what you see. The second school of thought comes from Christian symbolism. We know that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. And in that same vein, we see the green symbolizes eternal life, much like an evergreen tree or a pine tree lasts throughout the cold hard winter. Well, red symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ. The red and green are to represent the Savior. In my mind, it makes sense that the Christian symbolism and nature together are what make red and green the symbols of Christmas because it wouldn't make sense if we chose colors like purple and orange because those colors are not readily available in the wintertime. So it wouldn't make sense to use them in our celebrations because we wouldn't be able to find them. It makes sense that the colors of the season and the colors represented in the symbolism are conveniently found at the same time. It makes sense that way to me. I did find in my research that the specific color of red that we associate with Christmas, you know, that Christmas red that you think of when you think of Christmas, is actually a result of a Coca-Cola Christmas ad from 1931. The ad depicted a jolly red-suited Santa Claus, and they used a very specific color of red that then became associated with Christmas all across America. Before the ad, the color that was associated with Christmas was a deeper red that was more of a maroon color. But thanks to Coca-Cola, it's now that bright, beautiful Christmas red that we think of. This next question is from a boy named Henry. And he says, In the song we wish you a Merry Christmas, what is figgy pudding? I looked it up. I can't unsee it. Figgy pudding. Okay. Figgy pudding is a steamed or boiled cake. Not kidding, guys. It doesn't sound good. Is this like the bagel of cake? Bagels are boiled. Here's what it is. It says, ingredients. As the name suggests, figs, or any mix of dried fruit like raisins, currants, sultanas, or plums. Common ingredients also include breadcrumbs, suet, animal fat is basically what suet is, brown sugar, eggs, and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice. It is also heavily flavored and often soaked in alcohol, such as brandy or rum. There was a time in my life, I lived in Europe, and I saw a cake that was really brown and dense, and I thought, ooh, that looks good. It looked very moist. And so I ordered it and they handed it to me, and I took a bite. It was like straight alcohol. And that is kind of what I imagine figgy pudding to be like. And if you gotta soak it in alcohol, it's not that good, right? Because then it just becomes a vessel for booze. I am convinced that we only know what figgy pudding is because of the song We Wish You a Merry Christmas. If the writer of the song had put any other food in there, like so bring us some mashed potatoes, that food would then be remembered. I think that we only know what figgy pudding is, and it is only in the consciousness of humanity because of this one line in the song. I think that figgy pudding would have been lost to the eons of time if it weren't for this one song. But that's just the theory. Oh, and the craziest part? For a richer flavor, figgy pudding is often made several weeks or even months in advance and aged like cheese with additional brandy or rum poured over it periodically to enhance the flavor and moisture. And all I can think is, nope, don't like that. No, mm-mm, nope. Anyhow, we should move on from the boiled cake that should have been lost to the hands of time. Next question, please. Our last question comes to us from Annabelle, and she asks, why does the song, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, say Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again? Alright, Annabelle, I'm gonna lay some hard life truths on you. When you get older, your body starts to deteriorate, and you are on the downward slope of aging, and you get real tired, Annabelle. You get tired. But here's the problem. As a parent, your kids are on the uphill slope and their bodies are growing and they have energy and they're strong and they want to jump off furniture, the same furniture that your body says, hey, you should sit down and take a nap. So basically, the parent is exhausted, but the children are like, hey, what are we gonna do today? So why are mom and dad ready for school to start again? They're ready for those kids to go back to school so that they can take a nap. Cause their bodies are breaking down and they're tired. Annabelle, we're so tired. But here's the deal, if you're a homeschool child and you're home all day every day with your parents, this doesn't really apply to you. In fact, you could just change the lyrics to mom and dad can hardly wait for bedtime to start again. It's the same it's the same thing. Anyhow, that wraps up our Christmas Q ⁇ A for day 11 of the 12 days of Christmas. I'm Mimi Fotz, and this very unserious episode has been brought to you by Hello from the Van. Today's references are The Interesting History of Red and Green as the official Christmas colors by The Ohm Place, Santa Claus History, Legend and Facts by Encyclopedia Britannica, The Origin of American Christmas and Customs by B.K. Schwartz Jr. The segment Father Christmas Green or Red from the BBC from December 4th, 2009, Culinary Antiquities by Richard Warner, and The Middle Ages 1300 to 1450 Cooking in Europe by Ken Alababa Alababa Alba Balaba Alba I don't know guys, I'm just so tired.