Transcript

John Gluck: A Christmas Con Man | MFM 510

From My Favorite Murder · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 48 min · 8,649 words · 84 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "John Gluck: A Christmas Con Man | MFM 510", an episode of My Favorite Murder published December 17, 2025 (48 min, about 8,649 words). It mentions 70 people, works and ideas, including Santa Claus Association, John Gluck, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus Building, See's Candies.

What this episode is about

The content discusses the festive spirit of the holiday season, featuring a light-hearted conversation between Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff about decorations, seasonal treats, and their excitement for upcoming holiday activities. Within their banter, they touch on personal anecdotes and interactions, enhancing the cheerful atmosphere of the holidays.

Key takeaways

  • Holiday decorating DIY: Delegate to the pros—like Molly—for that Pinterest-perfect vibe without frostbite.
  • Behold the Advent Calendar: Proof that reliving childhood is just a bite-sized chocolate away.
  • Marriage struggles: Surviving candy box rummage etiquette is a macaroon-level challenge.
  • Respect the house rules: Gift opening etiquette isn’t universal, but emotional gymnastics shouldn’t be the main event.
  • Christmas joy: It's the drama of unwrapping, not the gift, that steals the holiday spotlight.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Sylvia, Emotional Tetris, Hershey's Kisses, See's Advent Calendar
  2. – 10:00: Feed the Children, Dear Movies, I Love You, Dr. Melissa King, Emotional gymnastics
  3. – 15:00: Saint Nicholas, Alex Palmer, John Duval Gluck, John Gluck
  4. – 20:00: Saint Nicholas, A Visit from Saint Nicholas, Clement Clarke Moore, Dead Letter Office
  5. – 25:00: Santa Claus Association, Albert Fish, Henckels Chop Shop, John Gluck
  6. – 30:00: Santa Claus Association, American Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts of America, Calvin Coolidge
  7. – 35:00: Santa Claus Association, Santa Claus Building, Alex Palmer, Anna Delvey
  8. – 40:00: Santa Claus Association, Santa Claus Building, United States Boy Scouts, Alex Palmer
  9. – 45:00: Santa Claus Association, John Gluck, Bird Escolar, Bird Koehler
  10. – 47:38: Santa Claus Building, Alex Palmer, Feed the Children, John Gluck

Notable quotes from "John Gluck: A Christmas Con Man | MFM 510"

  • So today we're donating $10,000 to feed the children.
    about Feed the Children · at
  • And John Gluck is his great granduncle. Wow.
    about John Gluck · at
  • Saint Nicholas feast day is December 6th.
    about Saint Nicholas · at
  • So when John hears about the Postal Service's new policy on Santa, letters, there may have been part of him that wanted to help spread the cheer like his family had taught him to always do.
    about Postal Service · at
  • So in 1913, John Gluck officially launches what's called the Santa Claus Association out of the back room of a restaurant called Henckels Chop Shop on West 36th Street in Manhattan.
    about Santa Claus Association · at
  • Leaders from the American boy Scouts reach out.
    about American Boy Scouts · at
  • On. Yeah, so what they tried to do is a little damage control by changing its name to the United States boy Scouts.
    about United States Boy Scouts · at
  • He's going to call it the Santa Claus Building, and he promises that it'll be, quote, the most unique building in America and a, quote, national monument to the Christmas spirit.
    about Santa Claus Building · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • John Gluck — Person · 8 mentions · first at
  • Saint Nicholas — Person · 7 mentions · first at
  • Alex Palmer — Person · 4 mentions · first at
    Okay, so Marin used the writing and research of a writer named Alex Palmer, who published the book The Santa Claus Man.
  • Sylvia — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    Put it right there. Sylvia. Erica, thank you so much.
  • Shantell — Person · 1 mention · first at
    This is a DM on Instagram from shantell.
  • Mark Baca — Person · 1 mention · first at
    This week on The Knife, Hannah and Pasha look into a 2017 tip about a suspicious coworker that led FBI agent Mark Baca to expose a serial con artist.
  • Dr. Melissa King — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And then, over on brief recess, Michael and Melissa sit down with political satirist Walter Masterson for a sharp, lively conversation about politics, performance, and the art of calling out the absurd.
  • Walter Masterson — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And then, over on brief recess, Michael and Melissa sit down with political satirist Walter Masterson for a sharp, lively conversation about politics, performance, and the art of calling out the absurd.
  • John Duval Gluck — Person · 1 mention · first at
    This is the story of New York's Santa Claus man, John Duval Gluck.
  • Washington Irving — Person · 1 mention · first at
    So in 1809, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow author Washington Irving publishes a satirical history of New York City that depicts Saint Nick as a kind of paternal mascot for Dutch…
  • Clement Clarke Moore — Person · 1 mention · first at
    What finally catapults Saint Nicholas into the Americans like Geist is a single poem written in 1822 by another new Yorker, Clement Clarke.
  • Albert Fish — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Least bad. Like he's the inverse of Albert Fish.
  • Calvin Coolidge — Person · 1 mention · first at
    It said that John's donor list includes members of the Vanderbilt and Astor families, and eventually even Presidents William Harding and Calvin Coolidge.
  • Anna Delvey — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Violet Englefield — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Because, writer Alex Palmer reports that in 1924, at a Santa Claus Association party hosted on the roof of the Waldorf Astoria, no attendees included English actress Violet…
  • Bird Escolar — Person · 1 mention · first at
    So now it's the late 20s and a straight laced, rule loving public servant named Bird Escolar is now the New York City's Commissioner of Public Welfare.
  • Bird Koehler — Person · 1 mention · first at
    But basically, Bird Koehler sees how flashy and hammy and publicity hungry John Gluck is, and he's instantly suspicious about his intentions.
  • Astor family — Person · 1 mention
  • John Pintard — Person · 1 mention
  • Luis Munoz Marin — Person · 1 mention
  • President William Harding — Person · 1 mention
  • Vanderbilt family — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

  • The Night Before Christmas — Book · 2 mentions · first at
    Okay, so Marin used the writing and research of a writer named Alex Palmer, who published the book The Santa Claus Man.
  • The Legend of Sleepy Hollow — Book · 1 mention · first at
    So in 1809, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow author Washington Irving publishes a satirical history of New York City that depicts Saint Nick as a kind of paternal mascot for Dutch…
  • A Visit from Saint Nicholas — Book · 1 mention · first at
    Moore called A Visit from Saint Nicholas.

Companies & orgs

  • Santa Claus Association — Company · 20 mentions · first at
  • See's Candies — Company · 6 mentions
  • Feed the Children — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • Postal Service — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • American Boy Scouts — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • Boy Scouts of America — Company · 3 mentions · first at
    Because this is not the Boy Scouts of America, right?
  • United States Boy Scouts — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • Exactly Right Network — Company · 1 mention · first at
    So real quick on the exactly right network.
  • Dear Movies, I Love You — Company · 1 mention · first at
    And on Dear Movies, I Love You, million Casey, take a look at the very best films of 2025, their favorites of the year, standout first time watchers and what they think 2026 will bring.
  • New York Historical Society — Company · 1 mention · first at
    And basically is described as a pipe smoking, gift giving a man who rides through the sky in a flying wagon, and around the same time, the wealthy founder of the New York…
  • R.E.M. — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Henckels Chop Shop — Company · 1 mention · first at
    So in 1913, John Gluck officially launches what's called the Santa Claus Association out of the back room of a restaurant called Henckels Chop Shop on West 36th Street in Manhattan.
  • Public Charities Commission — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Any letters that describe hunger, homelessness or abuse are forwarded to the Public Charities Commission, and those are investigated by city workers there.
  • Scouting America — Company · 1 mention · first at
    And actually, Boy Scouts of America has since rebranded as Scouting America.
  • Hotel Astor — Company · 1 mention · first at
    So to accommodate the increase in volunteers as well as the ever increasing numbers of letters to Santa, John moves his headquarters into the Hotel Astor in Times Square and then into the Woolworth Building.
  • Ronald McDonald House — Company · 1 mention · first at
    We went to the Ronald McDonald House gala like two years ago.
  • Waldorf Astoria — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah, just telling you about this gala because, writer Alex Palmer reports that in 1924, at a Santa Claus Association party hosted on the roof of the Waldorf Astoria, no…
  • Defense Reports Committee — Company · 1 mention · first at
    The missions of these groups are usually very vague or weirdly specific, with names like the Defense Reports Committee or the Serum Control of Cancer.
  • Serum Control of Cancer — Company · 1 mention · first at
    The missions of these groups are usually very vague or weirdly specific, with names like the Defense Reports Committee or the Serum Control of Cancer.
  • Window Crib Society — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Or there was even something called the Window Crib Society.
  • Old Santa Claus Society — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah, but it was old Santa Claus Society just trying to basically launder money.
  • Operation Santa Claus — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Decades later, Operation Santa Claus replaces this system and in the coming years expands into a nationwide program.
  • United States Postal Service (USPS) — Company · 1 mention · first at
    So today you can visit the United States Postal Service, Operation santa.com, and you can read children's wish lists.
  • FAO Schwarz — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

Concepts & topics

  • Santa Claus Building — Concept · 7 mentions · first at
  • Emotional Tetris — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    The amount of emotional Tetris we put ourselves through to not be that sucks.
  • Emotional gymnastics — Concept · 1 mention · first at
  • Protestant Reformation — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    He gets blended in, but then as centuries pass, he remains so popular and beloved that even after the Protestant Reformation, when devotion to saints fades across much of Europe, the Protestants, they stripped out all that stuff.
  • Sinterklaas — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    This is particularly true in the Netherlands, where he's known by the truncated nickname Sinterklaas.
  • Dead Letter Office — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Postal system, most of them winding up in Washington, DC in what's known as the dead letter office.
  • Esquire — Concept · 1 mention · first at
  • Progressive Era — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    There's new millionaires popping up all over the place, and it's still the Progressive era where service is front and center for so many people are giving like never before.
  • New York City's Commissioner of Public Welfare — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    So now it's the late 20s and a straight laced, rule loving public servant named Bird Escolar is now the New York City's Commissioner of Public Welfare.
  • Prohibition era — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    It's this is like the prohibition era brings in all these guys.
  • Market Crash of 1987 — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    But then like basically the market crash of 1929 and overnight, it was like anything.

Places & events

  • North Pole — Place · 1 mention · first at
    This is before the concept of the North Pole was discovered to be Santa is home, and so most kids think that he lives behind the moon or somewhere in the clouds.
  • West 36th Street — Place · 1 mention · first at
    So in 1913, John Gluck officially launches what's called the Santa Claus Association out of the back room of a restaurant called Henckels Chop Shop on West 36th Street in Manhattan.
  • Woolworth Building — Place · 1 mention · first at
    So to accommodate the increase in volunteers as well as the ever increasing numbers of letters to Santa, John moves his headquarters into the Hotel Astor in Times Square and then into the Woolworth Building.
  • Petaluma — Place · 1 mention · first at
    The last gala, I went to one for Petaluma schools, but I think it was, two years ago.

Full transcript with timestamps

Lives where you love me. You. Hello and welcome. To my favorite murder. That's Georgia Hardstark. That's Karen Kilgariff. And it is the holiday season. Yay! We decorated. Except by we, I mean not we other people. Molly, our producer, decorated it. Gorgeous. So pretty. It looks really nice. There's a kind of. It has, like, an ice skating vibe. Totally. Right. Yeah. What are you looking forward to with our holiday? A little holiday break. I can't wait to see Melania's decorations. I can't wait to see what she's doing to bring the spirit of the season into the white House.

I can't wait for those cookies that are peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses on top. Yeah, you know, I got a see's advent calendar. Vince got me a See's advent calendar. With different candies and every day. Every day has a different see's Candy. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. That's the best. But you know what? Did you bring me? Candy. This went in to the see's Candy at, the Americana. And there was a murder Reno working. What? And she and her sister, I'm sure. Have you? That was Erica and Sylvia. And I think Sylvia works there.

Gave us a fucking bag of straight up tooth candy. Oh. My God, just put your face in there. No, actually, maybe. Don't do that. It's germs. Smelly smelly. I know, and there's one right there that's caramel and marshmallow. I could tell I can kind of tell by looking at them what they are now. Yeah, I'm pretty good at it. Yeah. I'm thinking it's the circular ones. I don't know as well because they're usually properly, but sorry, there's like there's a square one over here. Can I eat it? Do it. Well, do you want to eat? I can't, I.

Gotta promise it's. I know why I give it to you. Before we started. Like I should have gone this year before I. Put it right there. Sylvia. Erica, thank you so much. Thanks y'all. That's the best news of all time. I know, except friends. It's two hours. I got. Friends at. Two. Friends at six or something. Something? I got a box of seeds from my accountant. Like, you know, when you get a gift at Christmas. Love it. And it was just a 1 pound box of seeds. I opened it, I was like, oh, that's really nice. I opened it, I was like, am I going somewhere?

Should I give that? Yeah yeah. And I was like, oh no, I'm fully free to eat this at will. I says, candy box to. Yourself, poke your finger right through the bottom, eat a. Bite of each of them. Never eat one you don't want again. Oh my God. It was a dream. That is one of the struggles with being married, I think, is having to not look like a raccoon when. You're. Midway through a Sears candy box and, like, I don't want beans, because in my family, you take a bite and you put it back like, that's like you open it and there's so everyone could taste them.

And Vince. Is like, what? Yeah, you just said for I was smelling it. And you're worried about germs. True. That's true. Families are families. The same. Yeah. You know what you're getting? What? Those people. Actually, this is a good segue. I have a holiday. Pick a side. Oh, perfect. Do you want to do it real quick? I love it. What a way to celebrate. Right. So we do pick a side where we just tell people if they're right or wrong and argue about it. So here's a good holiday one. This is a DM on Instagram from shantell shantell.

My family has always made present opening a big deal, and it's important not to rip through them all and take the time to say thank you after each gift, multiple people can open at once, but once you have it open, you show the group, say thanks and move on. My partner's family thinks that it takes too long and will open multiple presents without telling anyone what he got. It's not to be rude and he is thankful. However, it messes up everyone's vibe and I want to know what you got. Hopefully this year we can come up with a game plan before opening begins this year.

I mean, the the amount of emotional Tetris we put ourselves through to like, not be like, that sucks. You shouldn't do that. It's like they don't understand what Christmas. Is right? Because Christmas is. Yes. You're no longer eight years old. Yeah, but Christmas is being excited about the box, trying to figure out what someone might have given you. Yeah, opening it up. It's a planner. You're like, thanks. And you do. And then you go through it because you're. It's still a gift. Totally. And you're still but you're waiting for the big one, right.

Or whatever. And that is just the like, isn't that the tradition? I think not doing the rules that, of the family whose house you're at is weird. Yeah. Like whatever it is, you know, like, if you're there, if you follow their rules. All right. Weird. But also, I think, I don't know if someone has a is diametrically opposed to how you celebrate a major holiday. Yeah. Than it is like, what camp is that? Right. It's it's almost like everyone got up like the second you're done with presents, you just go watch TV in your room, like what's happening right?

Don't you want. To? I think I wonder how many of these we've done that are like, you should break up. They're asking for legit advice, and we're just like, what's not the right person for you then? Or maybe like, if that's kind of like more his speed, he gets to do that at home. And then when he's somewhere else or when he's at that house. Yeah, of course, but we shouldn't have to tell him that he should if he doesn't know that. No, you're right. We don't have to tell you. I don't think this is, there's a side here.

I think that this person's doing. What is it called? Emotional gymnastics. Oh, To to, like, not be like, this really upsets me, and I don't like it. And it's okay if I don't like it, right? You know what I mean? Without me being me saying he's bad or, you know. Yeah, because maybe it doesn't even really upset you. It's just like, what are you doing? Why would you want to do it that way? I think that's. Like the the. Basis of every fight is why are you why do you want to do things? That's right. You're the one doing it.

Like, is this pleasant? Yeah. Are you getting more out of this than you? What if you just, like, follow the rules? Just like family you got. You have to go off and and privately open. Maybe it's somebody that's gets embarrassed and can't talk about their feeling of, like, spotlight. Embarrassing. Yeah. It can be really awkward and, like, embarrassing to have it on the spotlight on you. But and then if you're not grateful, it looks like it. Yeah. Or some storyline maybe. Oh, shit. We're empathizing now. Do you want to hear mine?

Yeah, it says DM on Instagram from Natasha, but that's spelled nastiest I and the first S is a dollar sign. Yeah girl you've. Got a baddie on her hands and it says December baby. Here. My birthday is on the 28th of December. I've always believed that I deserve Christmas and birthday presents. My friend's sister shares the same birthday and they give her conjoined Christmas birthday to me. That's crazy. I wholeheartedly believe that December babies deserve double presents for being born around. The holidays changed my mind.

No way I'm standing ground. That's fair. I'm standing my ground. Everyone gets a Christmas and a birthday. Why shouldn't you? I would just wait a couple days, you know, after Christmas to do it right? Or like before, do it before or after. But you double presents is a given. Yeah. Or like. But if it's like not, then the present is like fucking better than everyone else. It's always a bike. It's always a ten speed bike. It's always a motorcycle. Yeah. It's one of those motorcycles that kids can ride on the street now.

They don't need helmets and they don't need terrifying. There's no. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's fair to talk about those things. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. It's your birthday week is Christmas. That's fucking bullshit. And Christmas would want presents if it was your birthday that everyone was celebrating. That's right. So. And also Christmas would want more attention if everyone was paying attention to you while Christmas sat in the corner. Yeah, I would have a New Year's birthday party. That would be fun. Oh, just like, build the momentum all the way.

Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea. Well, on that, just to follow that up, should we give our December donation? Oh, yeah. Speaking of giving and presents, do it. As you might know, by this point, we've had a holiday tradition for the last three years where we make donations throughout the month of December, giving to charities that make a real difference in people's lives. So today we're donating $10,000 to feed the children. They're dedicated to ending childhood hunger here at home and around the world. Feed the children provides food, school supplies, clean water, household and hygiene essentials to help families thrive.

And in 2024 alone, they distributed more than 80.6 million pounds of food and essentials across the United States. Incredible. If you'd like to join us in supporting their work, had to feed the children.org. And if donating is impossible right now, you can also explore volunteer opportunities at Feed the Children Dot volunteer hub.com. There's always a way to give love that. Yeah well we have a network. Do you want to talk about it really quick before we get here. This is a solo episode, so we just get our business taken care of.

So real quick on the exactly right network. This week on The Knife, Hannah and Pasha look into a 2017 tip about a suspicious coworker that led FBI agent Mark Baca to expose a serial con artist. They break down how he uncovered her long running scheme. And then, over on brief recess, Michael and Melissa sit down with political satirist Walter Masterson for a sharp, lively conversation about politics, performance, and the art of calling out the absurd. And on Dear Movies, I Love You, million Casey, take a look at the very best films of 2025, their favorites of the year, standout first time watchers and what they think 2026 will bring.

Also, if you're looking for a last minute gift, the exactly right store has everything you need to make the holidays merry and fright. Check out our new Skeleton Santa unisex crewneck. Who's got I got it. I'm. Yes. Oh, I feel like you could wear this year round and just be, like, the coolest kid entirely. There's just the whole vibe of it. If you wore that to an ugly sweater party for Christmas, you'd win. You'd win hands down. There's also the skeleton ornament. I have him. Oh, yeah, the little guy, he's so precious.

You want to put him on our tree? This skeleton ornament is going to turn out to be like an heirloom that gets passed down. It works perfectly in front of the other one. That's the way you do it. Toxic masculinity ornament. That's good luck with that. What should we do here? Oh, yeah. Perfect. That's a beautiful ornament. And it looks very fragile, but it's actually not. Does it look to you? Like, I realize I saw the video the other day and it looks like the baby bell Cheese's. Oh yeah. Oh, that be baby bell cheese as an ornament is such a good idea.

They kind of have that. Like some kind of. Okay. And then there's also this toxic masculinity sweatshirt. Right. And then also, of course, the Mothman plushie keychain. So precious hanging. On the tree. So typical. Although it's kind of heavy. What if we put him right here? Perfect. Oh, it's going to sit down. Well, but. Oh, we got another one. So if you ever wanted to match your tree now you can head to the exactly right store.com to shop now. And order please by December 14th so that you can get your items by December 25th.

Thank you guys for doing that. Yes, we love to make fun merch for you, especially at Christmas time. All right. Truly okay. You're solo today. It's solo time. I hope you like this. It's a Christmas story. Oh. And it's. Well, you'll see. This story starts it's mid December, the holiday season. The world is awash in a sea of red and green and along with many other major winter cultural observations, Christmas is here. But my story is from an era when our modern holiday mania began the early 1900s in New York City. Okay.

And there was one man who took people's holiday cheer and goodwill and lots and lots of their money, and used it all to make himself into a jazz age celebrity. This is the story of New York's Santa Claus man, John Duval Gluck. Wow. I've never heard this one. Okay, so Marin used the writing and research of a writer named Alex Palmer, who published the book The Santa Claus Man. And John Gluck is his great granduncle. Wow. So it's a it's a family story. Cool. The rest of the sources are in our show notes. Okay. So we go let's go back to the origins of Santa Claus, if you would, for just one moment, please.

This Jew needs to know. What is right. Don't you wonder where Santa Claus is originally from? I thought he was Jewish. I thought he was Jewish. Turkey. Oh. You know, not far away. Sometime around 280 A.D., a series of legends emerge about a selfless Christian bishop named Nicholas who roams the countryside, giving away the fortune he inherited at birth. That's different. In what is maybe the most famous of these stories, Nicholas tosses gold to three young sisters to save them from being sold into slavery by their destitute father.

Well over the years, these stories spread throughout Europe, and Nicholas becomes known as the patron saint of children. Wow. You don't hear a lot about charitable billionaires these days. You. No no. I bet you dad didn't even get into the BS. He was down and. Out of an insane low to 8268. What would be in today's money though? Every having to calculate today's money from 280 80. No. You know the computer the the calculator just snapped in half. Okay. Saint Nicholas feast day is December 6th. And that's when it said that he died.

So it becomes a very lucky day for many Europeans. And a day where adults bring little candies or modest gifts to children. In the spirit of Saint Nick, this is, of course, a couple weeks before December 25th, which is the day Christians observe the birth of Christ. So over the years, basically those two days blend together with the birth of Christ, winning out and Saint Nicholas coming. Into that day, he just becomes a mascot instead of the actual reason for the season. Yes, exactly. He gets blended in, but then as centuries pass, he remains so popular and beloved that even after the Protestant Reformation, when devotion to saints fades across much of Europe, you know, the Protestants, they stripped out all that stuff.

For heresy, all that shit. But old Saint Nick endures. This is particularly true in the Netherlands, where he's known by the truncated nickname Sinterklaas. And, it's true the Dutch settlers emigrating to New York in the 18th century that we first met Saint Nick here in America, got it. So I don't know why I can't read today. So so in I should just do it from memory. So in 1809, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow author Washington Irving publishes a satirical history of New York City that depicts Saint Nick as a kind of paternal mascot for Dutch New Yorkers and basically is described as a pipe smoking, gift giving a man who rides through the sky in a flying wagon, and around the same time, the wealthy founder of the New York Historical Society named John Petard, campaigned to actually make Saint Nicholas the city's patron saint.

It doesn't work. What finally catapults Saint Nicholas into the Americans like Geist is a single poem written in 1822 by another new Yorker, Clement Clarke. Moore called A Visit from Saint Nicholas. Now we kind of know it better as the night before Christmas. Oh wow. So in it, Moore picks the version of Saint Nicholas that still with us today. The plump, rosy cheeked, white bearded man who flies around in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. You know, all of this delivering gifts to children. The poem is an instant hit when it comes out, and it spreads far beyond New York, and it actually never really fades in popularity.

So people like, latch on to it and we've never let it go. So this brings us back to the early 1900s. Saint Nicholas, now better known as Santa Claus, has become a mainstream American icon and tradition. Department stores are booming at this time. The early 1900s advertising is taking off. So every holiday season, Santa Claus appears in newspaper ads and elaborate window displays. Wow. Just takes off just like that. Yeah. It's like basically it's this time of year, right? Everybody? Yeah. He actually becomes so ubiquitous that virtually every American child knows who Santa is and what he does.

And they start to write him letters asking for what they most want for Christmas. This is before the concept of the North Pole was discovered to be Santa is home, and so most kids think that he lives behind the moon or somewhere in the clouds. But over time, kids start giving their Christmas lists to their mail carriers. Suddenly thousands of. So this happened basically just culturally by itself. Thousands of letters. A viral Christmas went viral. Yeah, but the hardest way possible in the early 90s. Totally totally.

So thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus, the clouds, or even heaven are circulating through the U.S. postal system, most of them winding up in Washington, DC in what's known as the dead letter office. Wow. Yeah. So wonderful album by R.E.M.. This is basically a graveyard for the nation's undeliverable mail and poor policy. These letters either need to be returned to sender or destroyed, but postal workers can't bring themselves to throw a child's letter to Santa. I was going to say send it back. That's what they couldn't do, because then it's like there's nobody at this fucking heaven.

They basically see that there is this issue where it's like, we throw it away and it goes unanswered. We send it back and hearts are broken. By. So many spend their own time and money buying the gifts on the list. And then delivering them. Some postal workers loop in local churches and charities to help them out. Okay. Stop it. I'm going to cry right fucking now. I mean, I've never heard this before. So above and beyond. I can't even believe it. I think you're gonna say they write back to them. No, they fucking. They do it.

They fill it out. And also that idea of like, because the postman is really a part of your life, but it's just very specific. Yeah. You know, kind of outside your door. You know them. Yeah. The connection doesn't have to be there. Just happened. And they're like, great, let's do it. Let's do this. Let's get this kid exactly what they want. Oh my God. Okay, these beautiful but technically forbidden acts of kindness become so commonplace that in the early 90s. You know, through. Other people's mail not. Allowed, but it's like, see.

So yeah, so it becomes so commonplace that in the early 19 tens, the postmaster general has to step in and change the rules. Not only are local postmasters now formally authorized to open letters to Santa, but they can bundle them all together and hand them off to charities to make sure people. Don't always suck. Like, that's the thing you got to keep in mind this holiday season. These are the stories. Yeah. Like, yeah, here's the turn. After ten years, we're going to start telling only good people's stories. I don't have one of those today though. My story is not that. Okay.

So then after that, in the new year 2026. Later, you're you're 15. So this is when a 35 year old New Yorker named John Duvall Gluck comes into the picture. So John's born on Christmas Day, so we know where he would be in that argument. A double presence. And he is born to a family that loves the holidays. His parents are very good at Christmas. They've embraced the giving spirit. They actually have a family tradition. One of the men in their, family plays Santa Claus every year. And it said plays. I don't know if that meant, like for the community or just at home, but it's like, clearly they're into it.

Yeah. So when John hears about the Postal Service's new policy on Santa, letters, there may have been part of him that wanted to help spread the cheer like his family had taught him to always do. But it seems John's also one of those kind of people who wants people to pat him on the back for doing the nice thing, more than they want to do. The nice thing. Virtue signaling. That's right. But in 1910. There's no signaling then. Yeah, because they didn't have that virtue Telegraph. That's OS. Telegraphing. Yeah. So John inherits his father's customs brokerage business at a young age.

So he makes a very nice living. But he has his own insecurities, as we all do. He is the shortest of his four brothers, and he seems to overcompensate for it by being a big ham. He's also balding, which is likely a difficult for him. He's a short king. He's a short bald king. Like I can own it. And it's hot. It's you own it. It's sexy. It's. It works every time. Yeah, but what he does instead of owning it is he grows an impressive, meticulously maintained mustache to make up for that. That would work on me. What is, I don't know.

Just a big old. Back then. Yes. Not now. Now. It's just like, what are you, a fucking mixologist? But back then, I worked on me. I don't know, honestly. Bald beard is my number one combination. Bald beard, beer belly, like, oh, I Vince fucking a I will marry their shit out of you. The moment I saw him across the room and he was wearing a Fred Perry collared t shirt, I was like, that's his look. That's my fucking future husband. Yeah, I'm like cool tennis shoes like that. Yeah, that's that guy. Okay. Sorry to make it about me.

I not, So while John loves to brag about being born on Christmas, it is clearly bittersweet for him because it steals his birthday thunder every year. He was probably very jealous when he watched family members putting on that Santa suit and getting all the attention, and he wanted it for himself. He wanted. To put on his birthday suit, you know, that. Attention to be like, look at my mustache. So when New York's postmaster starts to formalize how letters to Santa should be handled, John pitches himself as the person to handle it, pointing to his customs brokerage background as proof that he understands logistics.

He claims he can process the letters and deliver all those gifts. No problem. Please tell me he does it and everything's okay. He doesn't steal money from them. I'll tell you this. It's the worst bad version of what we're usually waiting for at the end of a story. Like this. To act like it's the worst part. It's the worst. No, no, it's the least bad. Okay, I said worst bad. Yeah, that's like he murders children. No no no. No. Okay, so at least bad is fine. Okay? Least bad. Like he's the inverse of Albert Fish. Okay, I can handle it.

He gets the green light now. He's in charge of thousands of wishlists from children all over New York to Santa. So in 1913, John Gluck officially launches what's called the Santa Claus Association out of the back room of a restaurant called Henckels Chop Shop on West 36th Street in Manhattan. Take me there. There's the smell. It's a fair. Oh my God. Sorry, but I just saw this girl. I actually don't know who it was, but they were going around New York, and there are that little vending machines that look like old stamp vending machines.

Those like sticker ones. But yes, but there's art in them. And so this somebody is making, like, original watercolors. Incredible. Of anything you'd want in New York. And so she kept they were a dollar so she'd have to get the quarters. So she like, we found another one in this place and we found another one at the end. She goes, I had one more for my last one or whatever, and she opens it up and it's an everything bagel, and it is the most perfect little. Drawing of everything that. Drawing the this part. I don't know where to put it down here, up here, it's like this big and it just says everything. Exclamation mark.

It's like, that's a tattoo. Yes, I'd get that tattoo. This person was going around doing that, and then they were meeting up with other people and trading like, we got this one already. Oh that's cute. I want that to happen to me. Except I don't want to drive across town, so I know I'll do it in New York. Right? It makes me want to go to New York. Yeah. So during the holidays, the best. So good. And Artie. Okay so John's running the Santa Claus Association out of this fairly modest set up. But he's proud, he makes it known that reporters are always welcome to drop by, and he's always ready with a punchy quote when they get there.

And that results in John getting a lot of feel good coverage in city newspapers about the Santa Claus Association. Readers take note of this charismatic man who seems to exemplify the spirit of Saint Nicholas. So here's how the Santa Claus Association works. In December, the Postal Service hands over several heavy bags containing all the undeliverable letters to Santa written by young New Yorkers, usually well over 10,000 pieces of mail. Then Johns volunteers, mostly society women or secretaries loaned out by local businesses, start to sort through them, and they read each letter.

They categorize it into different stacks. If they get any repeats from the same child, they pull them out. So duplicates don't go in. Any letters that describe hunger, homelessness or abuse are forwarded to the Public Charities Commission, and those are investigated by city workers there. Oh my God, I know any that seem suspicious, like maybe an adult wrote them. They go into their own pile for further review. About 70% of these letters pass inspection. Then they're matched with the donors from New York Society who purchase the gifts and then have the option to deliver them themselves.

I want to do this right. Do I sign up for this? I know. I think I'd be good at it. I know letter part filing. I'm really good at filing. Filing and just putting things in. Like, you belong over here. Oh my God, I'm so good at categorizing things like, fucking give me something you like in clothes. You want, toys you want. Oh. Like money. Okay. Yeah, but most owners just send the presents back to the Santa Claus Association, which is then tasked with getting them to the right households. It's a huge undertaking, obviously, John quickly realizes he needs way more manpower to actually receive the letters, wrap the gifts, deliver the gifts serendipitously, days into the Santa Claus Association's soft launch, amid all its glowing recent press.

So I guess, sorry, it was a hard launch. Leaders from the American boy Scouts reach out. Great. They offer hundreds of scouts to help with wrapping and delivering packages. It sounds lovely, but it's actually a very smart PR move because the American Boy Scouts have had a terrible reputation at this point. Oh. Because this is not the Boy Scouts of America, right? This is the American Boy Scouts. Not the same group. And actually, Boy Scouts of America has since rebranded as Scouting America. Right. So just to keep it all. In that documentary, but.

So bad. Yeah. Both organizations come out of the so-called scouting movement of the early 20th century. They have very different modes. The Boy Scouts of America, currently Scouting America is simply geared at creating good citizens, whereas American Boy Scouts, the one who are offering their help to John Gluck, is geared to training young men for military service. Okay the. American Boy Scouts arm their young scouts with actual guns. Okay. Which has expectedly tragic consequences. In 1912, the year before the Sans Santa Claus Association is established, a 12 year old Scout fatally shoots a nine year old boy in the Bronx after the younger boy makes a comment about his uniform.

Oh my God, I mean, what happens when you give children guns? They shoot each other. It's like basic fucking math. Pretty clear. Yeah. So membership nosedived following this tragedy, but the American Boy Scouts hold firm on its gun toting policy for children. All right. Guys, just fucking keep on keeping. On. Yeah, so what they tried to do is a little damage control by changing its name to the United States boy Scouts. That doesn't really work. So then they look for other ways, and here they find the Santa Claus Association.

Given how scandalized the group is at the time, people and John's position would have turned their offer down. But John jumps at the opportunity because not only can the scouts handle deliveries at no cost to him, but he figures they can also help verify the letters that are in further review. By going door to door to see if they are actually families in need. Okay, so he also likes the idea that these troops of boys all in uniform are working on behalf of the Santa Claus Association like it's his little army. Yeah, he thinks it gives the whole thing a patriotic, wholesome energy that will play well in the press.

So on Christmas of 1913, the Santa Claus Association successfully delivers to more than 13,000 New York City children. Wow. Yeah. This generates even more good press. And almost overnight, John becomes a local celebrity. He's suddenly rubbing elbows with politicians and society, families, even early Hollywood stars. Within just a few years, the Santa Claus Association becomes a full fledged part of New York's increasingly glitzy holiday season. Everybody wants to be a part of it. It said that John's donor list includes members of the Vanderbilt and Astor families, and eventually even Presidents William Harding and Calvin Coolidge.

You know, when you have those numbers, like 13,000 children, like you're allowed to be a little bit of cocky, you know, like, look at me, look at me, person. That's okay. You're right. Because he got it done. He said he was going to do it and then he actually did it. Yeah. And the more attention he gets, the more people will contribute. So I'm fine with him being a fucking braggart or whatever. He's it's it's for such a good cause, like who cares? So now even more people want to volunteer their time with the association.

So to accommodate the increase in volunteers as well as the ever increasing numbers of letters to Santa, John moves his headquarters into the Hotel Astor in Times Square and then into the Woolworth Building. The tallest in the world at the time. All right. Of course, the genius of John's whole system is that the Santa Claus Association doesn't have to spend very much money to actually fulfill its mission. Yeah, volunteers are donating their time, the scouts donate the labor. And of course, the donors pay for all the presents.

Yet John is constantly fundraising. He says it's for operational basics like postage stamps and packing supplies, but these are fairly inexpensive purchases, even when you buy them in bulk. But John's fundraising is limitless, so. But it's the Santa Claus Association. It brings joy to New York City's children. It gets great press. It has solid endorsements from high society, so no one's asking any questions about where all this money's going. But if someone were to dig in to John, they would see some red flags. Not only is he the only one handling the purse strings at the Santa Claus Association, where there ostensibly raising like near millions of dollars even back then, but he also seems to be getting enormously wealthy himself, far beyond what a normal business owner would.

He's also developing a slippery relationship with the truth. And some people notice one example. He describes himself in a publication as a sociologist. He also claims to have degrees from elite universities in the US and abroad. He only actually has a high school diploma, so he also starts putting Eskew after his name in some documents, implying that he's a lawyer. False flag account, Esquire. And then he starts. Oh, sorry, not false flag. Oh, stolen valor. Thank you. Then he starts telling people he has worked with the Secret Service, which is.

Should be a secret. Yeah. First of all, it's a secret. Secondly, why are you, like, why is that the lie that all liars love to. Say, right. I'm with the government, right. Black ops. So now it's 1915, the Santa Claus Association's third year in operation. John Clark, makes a big Christmas Day announcement to a group of reporters declaring that he is going to build a permanent home for the Santa Claus Association in midtown Manhattan. He's going to call it the Santa Claus Building, and he promises that it'll be, quote, the most unique building in America and a, quote, national monument to the Christmas spirit.

Okay, there is a world. There's another timeline where this all went beautifully. Totally. And they hope that all year they operate it as like a charitable fund foundation for children in need. Giving children in need what they. Need. Yeah. And and we all went up from there. Right. But now we're in the Donald Trump timeline where we steal from children's charities. That's right. And when I say we, I mean you. Okay. How did you know? Who told you? When did you get the job? Okay, so look, claims that this building will be made of white marble.

It will have a deep arched entrance and a massive 50ft stained glass window of Santa Claus himself. Okay. The facade will feature scenes from Saint Nicholas from around the world, sculpted by artists from those companies. Let me quote. From those countries. Jesus Christ, I want to stop broadcasting so bad. We're almost there. So close for. 2025 or so close. You you've got this. When you finish that, you're done. I'm just going to keep my eyes on the page and just get through it. Leave that. Leave it in. Please. Okay.

Reality so that we're so real soon. He got some famous artists committed to this project. So John says the ground floor of the building will be devoted to different charitable organizations, including the Santa Claus Association, but other ones as well. Then there's going to be an auditorium where plays will be produced as well as an enormous kitchen that could provide meals for a thousand people at a time. He's just talking. Yeah. The second floor will be filled with toys from around the world. Some of these will be donated to children in need, but others will be for sale.

John also promises a rooftop garden. He's like FDR Schwartz, but also Nordstrom Cafe. It's going to be amazing. He's like that one swindler that did the whole. The Anna Delvey there. She was like super pretending to be rich. Yeah. And she was going to build a club like a private member's only club in New York. And it had all these crazy things. And it's like, that's not real. She's Santa Claus associated. With Santa Claus. That building. I mean, it is that guy. Basically, this guy's just thinking up the mall. It sounds like.

Okay, he promises a rooftop garden and a swanky restaurant to boot. As writer Alex Palmer reports, quote, the Santa Claus building would blend spiritual ideals and consumerism so completely as to make them indistinguishable. Can't happen. Yeah, sorry, they're not the same. So Gluck's announcement makes headlines beyond New York, with newspapers reporting on the Santa Claus building as far away as Kentucky and Oregon. But all that marble and stained glass will not come cheap. John estimates that the building will cost in the ballpark of $300,000 to construct, which is what, in today's money.

$300,000. In 1915. Is going to be. Hold on, let me think it a 975 $10 million. Holy shit. Yeah. No, it's 2025. Makes sense. Like every time we do this, it's like, that's not that's doesn't add up from what happened last time in 1915. You know what I mean? Yeah. I'm not like it, but like, that's why we hate this. It's just never. Do we ever go up that high from stories from 1915? I don't know. He's broken a barrier here. Like I try to be logical for real, but then it's like, just never imagine that our economy is not about logic.

I don't think you know what? That's not on me. Yeah. That's not you forgot about. The Great Depression is coming up for the budget. 2008 is going to be in there. Oh, so for the next decade, John Fundraises for the Santa Claus building year round, we've got to make a building for Santa Claus. He publishes newspaper ads, sends out mailers which prominently feature renderings of the building. So it's real, real. Here's the blueprint. Yeah. For real. He hosts ritzy, over-the-top galas that bring the rich, wealthy and charitable together in the name of giving love a gala.

I mean, that's real long earrings, the longest. Gloves, tiny food on silver. Cheering. Wow. Little quiches take my money. Give it to me. Gala was the last. Gala you guys go to. We went to the Ronald McDonald House gala like two years ago. And then I bought a table and had all our, like, a couple of our friends at the party. Yeah. Now it's really. Lovely for a beautiful, foundation. Yeah. Because, you know, I used to work there, so, like, legit. That's when I first met you guys, right? You're a young, scrappy couple.

Okay. What about you? The last gala, I went to one for Petaluma schools, but I think it was, like, two years ago. Yeah, just telling you about this gala because, writer Alex Palmer reports that in 1924, at a Santa Claus Association party hosted on the roof of the Waldorf Astoria, no attendees included English actress Violet Englefield, wearing jewels so extravagant that she had to be escorted to the party in an armored car. Damn, her diamonds went all the way to the ground. We don't know how much money John is pulling in during this period, because of course there's no accounting going on at the association, and he's the only one in charge, and he's not doing any bookkeeping.

But what we do know is there's never any real movement on the Santa Claus building, and there won't be for a full ten years after John makes this announcement, not even a hint of a possible construction timeline. But nobody asks too many questions. The Santa Claus Association continues to respond to Children's Letters year after year. There's no shortage of heartwarming stories, about it every holiday season in New York's papers, and John is at the center of all of it. So he's got to be he's got to have good goodness in his.

Heart, right somewhere. Yet John is steadily escalating in his bad behavior. For example, he's become increasingly committed to the United States Boy Scouts, not the Boy Scouts of America now called scouting away the sketchy one. Okay. It's called. Yes, scouting. He's now fundraising for them, but for a fee. But to raise this money, he's been exploiting people's confusion about the United States, boy Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America. Yeah. Finally comes back to bite him when he gets taken to court by the Boy Scouts of America.

And in the process, it is revealed that he's been pocketing very large amounts of the organization's funds. This nearly wrecks John's credibility in the public eye, but he's very slick mover, and he manages to kind of fix it, mostly because of how beloved the Santa Claus Association is. He just put like, plays that up. When things get dicey for him, he just hides behind his famous charity and he basically just rides out any scandal. So now it's the 1920s which is known as the golden age of fundraising. Did you know it's when I hear, you.

Know. It's like Marin you are lying. You're lying on paper. But I guess it was. And it's because the economy's booming. There's new millionaires popping up all over the place, and it's still the Progressive era where service is front and center for so many people are giving like never before. And as the head of one of New York City's most well known charities, John Gluck knows this very well. So he starts creating a suspiciously large number of side charities from the Santa Claus Association. The missions of these groups are usually very vague or weirdly specific, with names like the Defense Reports Committee or the Serum Control of Cancer.

Or there was even something called the Window Crib Society. Have you ever seen the pictures of the babies and the window crib? Yes. This is Johnny. I love. That. Okay, the Window Crib Society advocated for chicken wire cages that parents could hang outside their apartment windows so their babies could get some fresh air. Oh, you see, the photos from the UN are just so creepy. It's a baby fucking 12 stories up on. Basically, like a security gate. Chicken wire. Yeah, it like a chicken wire awning. Yeah. It looks like there's a cat cage. Yes.

Nailed to a kitchen window. And the babies crawled out into it. Yeah. For fresh. Air. For fresh air. And I promise you, that's not what you're getting in fucking New York to begin with. Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Beep. But I think that's the craziest because I've always seen that just in kind of like, interesting facts you should know about this. Was it because it really was a trend? People were doing it. Yeah, but it was old Santa Claus Society just trying to basically launder money. Okay. Also perfect distraction. Yes. Babies and chicken people are just so freaked out all the time.

Looking up all the time. Can't focus. Okay, so these groups never do a whole lot aside from fundraising, but to make them seem legit to potential donors, John starts to claim that they're backed by members of New York's high society without those members permission. Yeah. Of course, when rich socialites and business people discover they've been unknowingly endorsing cage windows for babies, they are furious. And this is when reporters and city officials finally start poking into the world of John Gluck. But of course, what John does when there's heat on any charities, he just shut it down before anything escalates and then goes on to create a new one, and he every time pulls in some unknown amount of cash with his fundraising and then, of course, pockets most, if not all of it, but also growing a list of donors.

So he gets out there and he kisses babies in cages and shakes hands and then finds new people to give him money. It's said by the 1920s, John's master mailing list contains roughly 76,000 names. Wow. Pre-Internet. Yeah. So now it's the late 20s and a straight laced, rule loving public servant named Bird Escolar is now the New York City's Commissioner of Public Welfare. And this very outspoken man who believes that charities should be tightly regulated and heavily scrutinized. It's fine. Yeah. I mean, it's this is like the prohibition era brings in all these guys.

I mean, he's great, but who would you rather like be at a party with? No, clearly, John Glenn is the man. I mean, he's like, he's like, let's you and me do some good. And then I will also get money. Yeah. Like he's fun. He's fun. He's already a rich guy. He's a rich guy that knows how to make rich guy give him money. Yeah. And he does it. But basically, Bird Koehler sees how flashy and hammy and publicity hungry John Gluck is, and he's instantly suspicious about his intentions. So he hits the Santa Claus Association with an official audit.

Things very quickly unravel. Koehler learns that since the Santa Claus Association began, John Gluck has been running the whole thing himself with zero oversight. He has made up dozens of employees, all listed on the payroll, to give the illusion that there's financial accountability within the organization. You can't. Do. That. No, you're not allowed to do that. That's actually illegal. As a result, huge sums of money have flowed in and out of the charity without any documentation on how it was spent. So in 1927 alone, Koehler learns that the Santa Claus Association raised at least $100,000 down.

What was the other one? It's 300. Okay, I don't know. You do. A million. 2 million yet. And it's all gone. Yeah. So he. Says. In the end, Bird Cola's audit of the of the association concludes that John had embezzled virtually all of the charity's funds, millions and millions in today's money that had been donated not only for the Santa Claus building, but also for the operational expenses of it. These findings generate a tsunami of nationwide press that exposed John schemes and sully his reputation for good. People are outraged, and, of course, practically overnight, all the social capital that he had spent a decade cultivating is over.

The post office, meanwhile, abruptly ends its partnership with the Santa Claus Association. Yeah. So in 1928, John Shutters, the organization officially, even though he can no longer treat it as his personal slush fund. Now we are sadly back to square one, needing to answer kids letters to Santa Claus. So after the collapse of the Santa Claus Association, smaller organizations step in to help with letters to Santa. Decades later, Operation Santa Claus replaces this system and in the coming years expands into a nationwide program.

So today you can visit the United States Postal Service, Operation santa.com, and you can read children's wish lists. They're scanned and they're shared there for you to read for yourself. And you can answer one if you would like to. It's estimated that the Santa Claus Association provided somewhere around a quarter million gifts for New York City's children. We will never know what good the money John embezzled could have done. Yeah, because he was getting millions in the spirit of yeah, give somebody who doesn't have what they need for the holidays something great.

Yeah, that's fucked up. Meanwhile, John Gluck gets away with it. He's never prosecuted for any financial crimes. Which is actually often attributed to the Great Depression hitting and overshadowing this entire scandal. What we know for sure is that he winds up leaving New York and resurfacing in Miami, where he reinvents himself as a real estate broker, and he lives there until the early 50s, when he dies at age 73. As Alex Palmer writes in his book, John Gluck never heads Another Charity, though it's unclear if this is because he finally learned his lesson, or because post depression reforms finally put guardrails on fundraising for charity.

He's like, no, it's not worth it. Yeah. And that is the story of New York City's opportunistic Santa Claus man, John Gluck. Happy holidays. So he never had to give back any of the money he lost. But he spent it all. He spent it on himself and like, did whatever. But then like, like basically the market crash of 1929 and overnight, it was like anything. No one had anything nobody was looking for. Right? The millions he stole when like, people were drunk jumping out a window, totally. Wow, that's fucked up. I've never heard that before.

I haven't either. Must be because it's really for the Great Depression. Yeah, that's right, it got good. That's a fucking good fraudster. Isn't it good. Yeah. It was. It was going to be a, story for New York for. Oh yeah, a live show. Yeah. Good one. All right, well thank you. Shock. Well, I'm glad we're donating to Feed the Children. Yeah yeah. No kidding. Finally, someone gives back after this gigantic rip off. Although, God, it's like the Santa Claus building. If it was made in, like, 1915 by now, it would be gorgeous.

They would be. They would be carrying cancer in there. Yeah, they would be doing everything all the you would have this kind of like focused attention on goodness. What is it about him that made him not do that? Greed, greed that sucks. Oh man. Oh, you mean oh you man. Well, that's that's where we're going to bring you down to this holiday. Yeah. Good job guys. We did it. Guys, focus on the Santa Claus building in your mind. Don't be like the Santa Claus guy. No no. Be the doorman of the Santa Claus building and open that to open the door of the Santa Claus building.

In your heart, in your heart. And welcome all of the children and adult children in. That's right. This holiday season. Right. And stay safe. And don't get murdered. You thought I'd. Never get to it. Goodbye.

I. Don't.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "John Gluck: A Christmas Con Man | MFM 510"?

Georgia Hardstark (Host), Karen Kilgariff (Host), Molly (Guest), Alex Palmer (Guest), John Duval Gluck (Guest).

What is "John Gluck: A Christmas Con Man | MFM 510" about?

The content discusses the festive spirit of the holiday season, featuring a light-hearted conversation between Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff about decorations, seasonal treats, and their excitement for upcoming holiday activities. Within their banter, they touch on personal anecdotes and interactions, enhancing the cheerful atmosphere of the holidays.

What is mentioned in this My Favorite Murder episode?

70 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Santa Claus Association, John Gluck, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus Building, See's Candies, Alex Palmer. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "John Gluck: A Christmas Con Man | MFM 510"?

The episode runs 48 min; the transcript is about 8,649 words in 84 timestamped sections.

More from My Favorite Murder

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 18, 2025.