1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh and 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: there's Chuck and this is short Stuff and this is 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: the special Christmas Week version of Short Stuff. So for 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: this for this episode, Chuck, we're going to do a 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: special Christmas e themed one that also, you can make 6 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: an argument is card themed as well. That's right, and 7 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: we got to give a big shout out to our stuff. 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: You shnow. Army member and old friend Robert Paulson also 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: now sends us Christmas ideas every year as a gift 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: to us. I think, yeah, he actually says, this is 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: your holiday gift for me, so don't expect anything else. 12 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: But they're good ideas. Yeah, he's He's like, I just 13 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: want to make sure that the Christmas episodes never dry 14 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: up or go away. So he's doing his part, which 15 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: is pretty sweet, and he's not the only one. Every 16 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: once in a while, some other people sends some ideas, 17 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: but Paulson actually sends links. So that's amazing, and this 18 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: is one of them. He suggested we do one on 19 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: Christmas cards and thank you, Robert. We're going going to 20 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: do that right now. Yes, and also thanks to t Town, 21 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: Britannica Victorian Albert Museum in Smithsonian, And we need to 22 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: talk about Sir Henry Cole, one of the one of 23 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: the early pioneers of industrial design. Yeah. I don't know 24 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: if he's known as the father of it or not, 25 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: but he very well maybe not okay, but he's close. 26 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: He's the how we'll call him the grand pappy of 27 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: industrial design. Hum, well, the father came after. It's one 28 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: of those things where like you know, he probably he's 29 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: probably is the grand pappy. So he said that he 30 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: laid the germs of a style. Um, so yeah, I 31 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: guess that was. That's not being the father, that's the 32 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: grand pappy. So um, that's not the only thing he did. 33 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: Just doing that would probably be enough to be remembered. 34 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: But he was like a civil servant. He was a 35 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: patron of the yards. He was an important figure in 36 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: the UK in the eighteen forties fifties. In eighteen fifty 37 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: two he became the founding director of the UM, the 38 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: Victorian Albert Museum, which is a world famous art and 39 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: design museum. UM and leading up to that, he was 40 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: just kind of like a man about town and he 41 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: made a lot of He was a very popular guy, 42 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 1: apparently a good person, and he made a lot of 43 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: friends and acquaintances, and that actually became problematic for him, Chuck, 44 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: because one of the things that was a tradition in 45 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 1: Victorian England was that around the holidays you would write 46 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: a letter to your friends and relatives and acquaintances people 47 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: you cared about. And um, that was fine. Like Henry 48 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: Cole could have conceivably gotten away without writing letters because 49 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: he was a very busy guy, and still the Victorians 50 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: would have considered impolite and genteel. It was a different 51 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 1: side of that same tradition that eventually tripped him up. Yeah, 52 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: you gotta write people back, unfortunately, and I think we 53 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: all can identify with an email inbox where you have 54 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 1: to write these people back. You can't just ignore these 55 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,959 Speaker 1: things and couldn't back then. You can't now I guess 56 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: you could, but you be rude. So he would get letters, 57 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: lots and lots and lots of letters because he was 58 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: a popular guy, and he found himself in a bind 59 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: around the holidays because he just didn't have time to 60 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: get back to everyone. So he invented the Christmas card. Yeah, 61 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: it's it's indisputable, Like he was the guy that did it. Um, 62 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: and he did it by being a big old patron 63 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: of the arts. He um got in touch with a 64 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: friend of his, John cow Horsely, and said, hoarsely, you 65 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: old dog, can you please draw me a great holiday 66 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: themed image that I can use to transfer a thousand 67 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: times onto card stock. And Horsely did just that. He 68 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: made a very sweet little design. In the middle is 69 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: Sir Henry and his family I think a few generations 70 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: of his family, and they're all toasting and um engaging 71 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: in merriment. Then on the side they're helping out like 72 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: the poor um. And then at the top it says 73 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: to colon blank and then I think it said like 74 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: Merry Christmas in Happy New Year, uh, from Sir Henry Cole. 75 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: And there's maybe a little bit of a space for 76 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: him to like write like a hush or something as well. 77 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: But that was it. That was the first Christmas card, 78 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: and you sent him out in the Christmas of eighteen 79 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: forty three. Brilliant idea time saver. Although people in Victorian 80 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: age didn't think it was a little bit of controversy 81 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: to it because they were like, you know, you didn't 82 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: the point of these Christmas letters is you tell everyone 83 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: what's going on. You catch everyone up on your family, 84 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: what little uh Timmy is doing, what little Janey is doing? Um, 85 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: how bad our alcohol problem is his parents in Victorian England? 86 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: What kind of various diseases are going through the family 87 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: right now? And we get none of this with this card. 88 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: And he went, yeah, but you know what, you're missing 89 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: the point. That is the point I'm thinking about you guys, 90 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: what more needs to be said? Yeah, stop being so grabby, 91 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: so needy. Just accept your card and be happy for once, 92 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: like today. So this required like a little bit of 93 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: a transition for the Victorians to get over this, this 94 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: this kind of social transition from these very long drawn 95 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: out letters and the the expectation that they'd be replied 96 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: to these slightly impersonal at least compared to letters Christmas cards. 97 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: But they actually did finally kind of stick. It wasn't 98 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: like an instant hit, but by the eighteen sixties they 99 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: were definitely there and they were helped along, Chuck by 100 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: a few um other factors that all kind of converged 101 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 1: together that basically said Christmas cards are it and they're 102 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: here to stay, and no one cares that little Todd 103 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: cholera this year We don't want to hear about that. 104 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: We just want the beautiful image in the happy New 105 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: Year and marry Christmas, well wishes. That's right, and we'll 106 00:05:47,320 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 1: get to those convergences right after this. Alright, So the 107 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: Christmas card is invented. Christmas started to become really really 108 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: popular as a holiday in Victorian England, so that all 109 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: of a sudden was converging with the invention of the 110 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: Christmas card, which also converged with the UK, or at 111 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: least Great Britain introducing the penny posts, where anybody gets 112 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: into postcard for a penny, which was affordable for almost everybody, 113 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: and all of these things kind of coming together at 114 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 1: once meant all of a sudden, the Christmas card was 115 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 1: a real deal thing. So one thing about that penny 116 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: post was that Sir Henry Cole himself actually helped get 117 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: that passed through Parliament, which is pretty neat that he 118 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: had his hand in that as well. But um also 119 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: one of the other things that cemented Christmas in the 120 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: aisles was Charles Dickens and Christmas Carol, like really laid 121 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: the foundation for how we understand Christmas today, and that 122 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: book came out the same year that Sir Henry Uh 123 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: mailed his first Christmas cards back in eighteen forty three. 124 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: So all these things came together, and like I said, 125 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: by the eighteen sixties, Christmas cards were happening, not just 126 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: in the UK, but they've made their way over to 127 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: the US as well. That's right. And the first American 128 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: printer of the card was Louis or Louis Prang, who 129 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: was in Roxbury, mass And he debuted his cards in 130 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three, Uh, and he also held the design contest. 131 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: So I think some of these printers were entrepreneurs, they 132 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: knew how to run a printer, weren't necessarily artists, so 133 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: they would do people still do you know, commission artist 134 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: contest today And that was kind of the first Christmas 135 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: cards in the United States. Yeah, And so for a 136 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: little while there, it looked like Christmas cards were going 137 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: to go the way of Disco. Would eventually go a 138 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: century or so later, um with the introduction of gim cracks, 139 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 1: which were also called geegaws or do dads or whatever. 140 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: They're just basically little um like a figurine or costume jewelry. 141 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: I saw somebody explain they're just a little something you 142 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 1: can mail very easily. It says, here's your Christmas President, 143 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: I'm thinking of you. And those actually replaced Christmas cards 144 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: for a couple of decades in the United States. That's right, 145 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: about twenty years. They went away, but they came back. 146 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: I think once cameras became a bigger thing. You could 147 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: include a photo of the family, which was a big deal. 148 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,079 Speaker 1: Offset printing came around. You could do multiple colors. You 149 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: could do that green and you could do that red 150 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: at the same time, and it made him a big deal. 151 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 1: Of course, in the Hallmark finally comes around and starts 152 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: making Christmas cards, and uh they as well as Louis 153 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: Prang and other folks. They commissioned works from great artists 154 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: including Salvador Dali, Norman Rockwell, Grandma Moses, and Jackie Kennedy. 155 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 1: Have you seen Dolly's Christmas cards? Yeah? It was pretty 156 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: I mean I love everything Dolly does. Yeah, pretty cool. 157 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: One of them is Santa Claus growing out of the snow. 158 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 1: It's like Dolly doing a Christmas card. It's perfect. Yeah, 159 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 1: it's great. The but um Hallmark also owns the best 160 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: selling Christmas card of all time, called Three Little Angels 161 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: that debuted in which you have almost certainly seen um 162 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: because it's still in print today. You can still find 163 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: it today. But it almost looks like a drawing of 164 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: some kind of precious moments e Um, angels and like 165 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: three like they all are are praying, but one of 166 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: them's like got our eyes open and looking at you 167 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: from the card. Um. But that one has sold something 168 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: like thirty four million copies. At least it's a lot 169 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: of copies. That was a Gangbusters Christmas card is the 170 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,720 Speaker 1: best Hallmark could have ever hoped for. That's right. These 171 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: days there are digital all ternatives. A lot of people 172 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:05,079 Speaker 1: just send either on social media or through email or 173 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: something that'll send a digital version. Because Christmas cards are 174 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 1: pretty wasteful. Uh. There are two point five billion holiday 175 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: cards sold in the US every year, and that's enough 176 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: to fill a football field tin stories high. And so 177 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: if you're gonna do Christmas cards, you might want to 178 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 1: look into u not using an envelope, just use that postcard. 179 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: If if you gotta mail something, maybe looking to recycled 180 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: paper post consumer recycling is great. Uh, maybe use wood 181 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: based paper, Maybe use hemp or veggie fiber. This one sad. 182 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 1: This next one is well, you cannot recycle the glossy 183 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: ones or the metallic finishes. So if you're gonna use those, 184 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,559 Speaker 1: those are gonna go in a landfill. Yes, and they're 185 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: gonna have to be fully replaced next year by brand 186 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,719 Speaker 1: new trees, which is say it's right. Also another one 187 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: and by the way, this is from t Town, which 188 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: is a nature preserve in the Hudson Valley. Their blogs 189 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: suggested these. Um the last one is hilarious because it's 190 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: gonna make some really great friends out of the people 191 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: who you work with about the year. But do you 192 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: want to contact your Dennis veterinarian or you know other 193 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: people and say, can you please take me off of 194 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: your Christmas card? Yeah, which is awkward, but it will 195 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: save the planet, so it's worth it. Because do you 196 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: really care what your Dennist thinks of you? I don't. 197 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 1: I need to go so they don't like me right now. 198 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: I've never sent Christmas cards in my life. Uh, we 199 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: don't do it, but I do appreciate it when people 200 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: send them. And I want to shout out Emily's aunt 201 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:38,559 Speaker 1: peg who they do the Christmas newsletter every year, which 202 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: I really love. You get a big like one page 203 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: sheet about the family and all those things we talked about, 204 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 1: catching everyone up on what everyone's been doing throughout and 205 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: on intoo and it's really really nice. So big shout 206 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: out to Aunt Peg and her cousin Alex for this 207 00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 1: great Christmas tradition in that family. Todd got caller this year. Yeah, 208 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: hopefully that doesn't happen, so big shout out to Aunt 209 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:08,439 Speaker 1: Paig always means everybody that we wish you a merry 210 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: Christmas and a happy Holidays. And that short stuff is out. 211 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: Stuff you should know is a production of I Heart Radio. 212 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 213 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.