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This episode contains descriptions of gun violence.

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Sarah, as you know, and as our listeners have probably clued in by now, neither of us really grew up celebrating Christmas that much.

Um, no, I did not celebrate Christmas at all.

Okay, well, that said, did you ever have to write a letter to Santa?

Or, like, did any of your friends come to school saying that they got a response

from him? I wasn't into Santa, but my mom was a seasonal worker at Canada Post, and I remember

letters kids would send to Santa and the postal code would be H-O-H-O-H-O-H-O-H-O. And I remember my mom was like,

what is this postal code? Like, who lives there? And then realizing, no, it's a fake one for Santa. But she was very, what is this postal code? Like, who lives there and then realizing, no, it's a fake one for Santa.

But she was very, very confused.

Well, that's actually the perfect story for today's episode,

because there's one man who's responsible for making letters to Santa so popular.

And because we're talking about him,

you better believe that he was making his own wishes come true, too.

It's right around Thanksgiving in 1922, and Mary Pickford is getting ready for a photo op at the Ritz Carlton

in New York City. This is nothing new for her. Mary is Hollywood's biggest silent film star,

and possibly the most recognizable woman in the world. She's a 30-year-old Brunette Beauty

known for her ringlet curls, and at this point, Mary is at the height of her acting career

and recently co-founded a production company called United Artists.

...