A man dressed as Santa walks into a bank… and no one hits the alarm right away.

In this episode of True Crime Culinary, we start with a real holiday robbery and follow the trail all the way to a plate of cookies left out in the dark. Why does Santa work as a disguise? Why do we trust him so completely? And why, of all things, do we leave him cookies?

From medieval European Christmas baking and spice-laden survival cookies, to Scandinavian hospitality rituals, to the Great Depression origins of milk and cookies in the U.S., this episode explores how food became a symbol of trust — and how that trust can be exploited.

It turns out the cookies were never really for Santa.
They were practice.

• Crime + Investigation — Criminals Who Were Dressed as Father Christmas
  https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/9-criminals-who-were-dressed-father-christmas

  • History.com — The History of Leaving Cookies and Milk for Santa
    https://www.history.com/articles/dont-forget-santas-cookies-and-milk-the-history-of-a-popular-christmas-tradition
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  • Food Republic — Why We Leave Cookies for Santa
    https://www.foodrepublic.com/1445587/why-leave-cookies-for-santa-christmas-history/

  • Tasting Table — The Feast-Inspired Tradition Behind Cookies for Santa
    https://www.tastingtable.com/1445843/feast-inspired-tradition-leaving-cookies-santa/

  • Smithsonian Magazine — The History of the Peanut (context on food rituals & trade; useful comparative reading)
    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-peanut-180974623/

  • Wikipedia — Gingerbread
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread

  • Wikipedia — Pfeffernüsse
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfeffern%C3%BCsse

  • Wikipedia — Sju sorters kakor (Swedish Christmas cookie tradition)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sju_sorters_kakor

  • Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian — Maple Sugaring Traditions
    https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/infrastructure-gold/maple-sugaring

  • Library of Congress — American Holiday Food Traditions
    https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/irish/holiday-traditions/