As the winter chill sets in, throngs of Europeans are heading each week to the nearest pond, lake or coastline to dunk themselves voluntarily in freezing cold water. Cold swimming has centuries of history on this continent, but why do it? This week we're delving into the science of why it makes us feel good — but also why it helps so many people through difficult times, with the help of Katharina Smets, audio maker and proud member of Antwerp's biggest cold plunge club. We're also talking about the Vatican's Christmas tree drama and a festive inflation-busting policy in Greece.   This final episode of the year was recorded live in front of an audience of our supporters. Thank you for listening to The Europeans in 2024! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work into 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available), and even gift a donation to a super fan of The Europeans here.    We're also crowdfunding our new series, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're 80% of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast.    You can follow Katharina on Instagram here and learn more about the Deurnese IJsberen here.    The BBC article Dominic mentioned on the environmental impact of Christmas trees can be found here.   This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray and Jazz Station in Brussels.   Listeners' other recommendations:  - 'Opinci'. Irina says: 'A wonderful 20-minute animation about the story of a Romanian man who in 1910 attempted to circumnavigate the world on foot. It's beautiful and I think you would really enjoy it.' - Frederik recommends 'Schwarze Früchte' from Germany's ARD. 'It's about growing up queer and black.' - 'Somebody Somewhere' - 'Really worth watching,' says Juliette. - Owen recommends his new book of poetry, 'Nature Is Real And So Am I'. 'It’s about my relationship with the four seasons of natural landscape around me on the Isle of Man.'   Producer: Katy Lee  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   00:22 Winter tea and Swedish gnomes04:40 Good Week: Greece's Christmas shopping basket12:50 Bad Week: The Green Giant of Trentino27:29 Interview: Katharina Smets' guide to cold swimming in Europe49:42 The Inspiration Station: 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray and Jazz Station in Brussels53:56 Happy Ending: The best Christmas market in Europe... or is it?   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Twitter | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]