Episode #543

Item #1 Science
In Iceland they have 13 Yule Lads instead of one Santa Claus, whose mother, Gryla, kidnaps naughty children and cooks them in a cauldron. http://www.iceland.is/the-big-picture/news/celebrating-christmas-with-13-trolls/7916/
Item #2 Fiction
The modern look of Santa Claus was essentially invented by Coca Cola in the 1930’s; prior to that Saint Nick was most often portrayed as tall and thin. http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/santa/cocacola.asp
Item #3 Science
Due to a wildly successful marketing campaign in 1974, KFC is the most popular meal for Christmas dinner in Japan. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-japan-is-obsessed-with-kentucky-fried-chicken-on-christmas-1-161666960/?no-ist

‘Slippery slope arguments are intuitively tempting but they need strong gravity and weak friction.’ -Sean Welsh