Patrick Courrielche
In 2015, Courrielche wrote a long form story "St. Nicholas: The Birth Of A Social Weapon" on the origin of Santa Claus and introduced the concept of a "social weapon" - a packaged idea, message, or product that is used by an individual or group to advance their cause. Courrielche argued that New York City elites crafted Santa Claus from St. Nicholas, a widely known patron saint, to stabilize a city plagued by annual misbehavior every December. Santa Claus was then used as a "social weapon" by merchants, craftsman, city rulers, parents, newspapers, and others to benefit their endeavors. The essay was added to the St. Nicholas Center's resource on the Origin of Santa Claus.
The Search for Santa Paws
Santa Claus (Richard Riehle) receives a gift stuffed animal dog when his dear friend, Mr. Hucklebuckle who owned a toy store in New York City, passes away. To help cheer Santa up, they bring the stuffed dog to the magic icicle which turns it into a real puppy, whom Santa names Paws (Zachary Gordon) and tells him that they will be the best of friends for all eternity. Meanwhile, Mr. Hucklebuckle's grandson James and his wife Kate are gifted the toy store and are told by Mr. Stewart (Bill Cobbs) as long as they run it for a Christmas season with a profit then they can transfer a deed to have full ownership. James is a CPA from Los Angeles and plans to sell the store once they have ownership. Kate and James are unable to have children and are sad to face another Christmas without children of their own.