1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff you should know from house stuff works 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: dot com. Heane, welcome to the podcast. Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, 3 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. Right, it's like, this isn't 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: the Halloween episode. You sounds sad? Do I? Well, you 5 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: sounded sad? How do I sound now? Awake? Yeah? But 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: happy too? Yeah. Man, this is one of our two 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: favorite shows of the year, and we are celebrating. We're 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: drinking a little wine a little bit, how about that. Yeah, 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: you never know what's going to happen in here. No, actually, 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: you usually know what happens in here, which is no wine. Yeah, 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: and gaminess. It gets gamy in here. Although they fixed 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: the a C, Yeah, and I fixed the a C, 13 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: we realized that they turned it on for the first 14 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 1: time in here. They're like your flaps clothes. Oh, dead raccoon, 15 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: there's your problem. Yeah, it's usually a dead raccoon, that's right. 16 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: You know. Uh, Well, since we said dead raccoon, they 17 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: can mean nothing else than the fact that this is 18 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: our two thousand fifteen holiday extravaganza. I don't remember what 19 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: we called it. I think we've called it something different 20 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: every year. Yeah, but I'm saying, like I don't know 21 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: what we called this one yet. Yeah, yeah, but that's 22 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: not bad. Yeah, but here we are in November. But 23 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: we have that Christmas spirit. It's well within us. It 24 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 1: is alive in our bones and uh, we cobbled together 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: were it's I thought I was starting to get thin really, 26 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: but um, when you start digging around you you can 27 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: find plenty of good holiday content. Yeah you know. Oh, 28 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: I see what you mean. As far as like finding 29 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: something to fill an hour. Yeah, and um, we didn't know. 30 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: We couldn't remember because we've done. This is like I 31 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: think the fifth one that we've done. Okay, we couldn't 32 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: remember which ones we've done. Documents helped went back and 33 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: listen to all of them, and it's like, okay, we 34 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,279 Speaker 1: covered this, we did we cover that. There were several 35 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: things that I was surprised to find that we had covered. 36 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: Surprised and dismayed because we can't do them again. Nope, 37 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: they're done. But um, we have put together a blog 38 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: post on Stuff you should Know dot Com called the 39 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: Christmas Sweet and it has all of our Christmas specials 40 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: so you can go listen to them all in one place. Yes, 41 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: and as we do every year, we would like to 42 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: encourage you to gather the family. Sure, build a fire 43 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: if you have a fireplace, not not just on your 44 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: hardwood floor or not out of your hardwood floor unless 45 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,799 Speaker 1: you're into that. There's a free country even still think 46 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: you probably don't want to do that, you know, So 47 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: gather the family around a light the you'll log. Pour 48 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: up some hot buttered rum or whatever you're boozy eggnog 49 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: or you're non alcoholic drink of choice, sure, sparkling cider. 50 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: Everybody loves that cold duck. And then listen, cold duck. 51 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: Don't you remember cold duck? What's that? It's like a 52 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: non alcoholic sparkling wine called cold duck. Yeah, I grew 53 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: up on it. Weird. I guess it is a little 54 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: weird now you think about it, Cold duck, and it 55 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: just doesn't sound like something you'd want to drink. Yeah, 56 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: if you don't have a choice, that's what you drink. 57 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,079 Speaker 1: All right, support some cold duck and uh settle in 58 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: and let us take you on a Christmas journey through 59 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: the ages. And thanks to Jerry by the way as always, 60 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: and uh our friend John begin did the jingles for 61 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: this one. Yeah, so uh yeah, thanks for always gussing 62 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: this thing up and putting us in the Christmas mood. Yeah, 63 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: way to go to Jerry. All right, let's get do it, Chuck. Yes, 64 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: you were raised in the United States of America. That 65 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: is true. I was too. Did you know that? Uh yeah, 66 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: Toledo is in the U S. Toledo is in the 67 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: US for now. Um, And so we were kind of raised. 68 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: Even though you were in the South, I was in 69 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: the north, the Midwest. Our Christmas customs were fairly similar. 70 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: Sure we're children in the seventies essentially, Yes, for sure. 71 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: So um we were raised with macromay Christmas, oh man. 72 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: So um. If you go around the world, though, Christmas 73 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: is celebrated all throughout the world among Christians, non Christian, 74 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 1: secular humanists, everybody, not everybody. A lot of people celebrate Christmas. 75 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: But since it's in different parts of the world, Um, 76 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: there's different traditions. I bet even Anton LaVey has given 77 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: and gotten a Christmas kick. Yeah. He was like, Chris 78 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: didn't mean anything. All right, it's a studied leather color. 79 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: I'll take it, right, He's like, you have to open 80 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: it upside down. That's right. It is celebrated all over 81 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: the world. And here in segment one are a few 82 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: uh customs around the world that I had never heard of, 83 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: and most of them are pretty interesting. Most of them 84 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: I thought, well, you know, actually they were all pretty good. 85 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: I thought they were great. Yeah, agreed. All right, let's 86 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: start out. Maybe let's get not in the way back 87 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: machine but just our space travel pod and let's go 88 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: to India. Isn't it nice? It is? It's balmy, it is, 89 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: but it's lovely that people are great. There's a lot 90 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 1: of them. And the food is amazing. I doesn't agree 91 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: with much stomach, but I'll still eat it. Really, you 92 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: have trouble with Indian food, I lament that for you. 93 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: Indian food is it's tied for first with Japanese food. 94 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,119 Speaker 1: I think, yeah, it's good stuff. So you'll notice, chuck 95 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: that there are twenty five million Christians here celebrating um 96 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: Christmas in Andya. I can tell significant amount of people. 97 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: And the thing is, they don't have any customary type 98 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: of tree that you would decorate, so they use mango 99 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 1: and orange trees. That's right, you know. So if you 100 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: look around, you're gonna see decorated trees on the streets. 101 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: You're gonna see if you go into a house, you're 102 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: gonna even see the leaves of these trees used as decoration. Yeah. Yeah, 103 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 1: it's like Garland basically. And buy orange. I meant banana, 104 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: of course. Oh did you say orange. Yeah, that was 105 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 1: my customary holiday slip up. That's right. Uh. So India 106 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: is great everyone. I love the decorations they're getting in 107 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: the spirit, even though they don't have the because you know, 108 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: and I'll remember we covered it Christmas tree start out 109 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: in Germany. Oh yeah, the ten In bomb. Yeah, they're 110 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: lousy with fir trees and leave in the Tenon Bomb. 111 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: But h so we're gonna leave India for now and 112 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: let's travel over in our space pod. Okay, one of 113 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: your favorite places. Japan wonderful, but they have a very 114 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: unusual to me Christmas tradition. Oh, it's unusual across the board. 115 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: Eating Kentucky fried chicken. Kentucky fried chicken is the traditional 116 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: Christmas Eve dinner for Japan, and it has been since 117 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: about nineteen seventy four. So apparently there are some American 118 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: travelers who are stranded or visiting Japan. That's the stranded. 119 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: They weren't stranded, it was they were visiting Japan and 120 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 1: around Christmas, and they went to try to find a 121 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: turkey dinner. They don't turkey in Japan. You gotta be 122 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 1: beyond rich to find turkey in Japan. Basically, so it 123 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: just so happened. KFC had been there for a couple 124 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,239 Speaker 1: of years that had just broken through. Starting about nineteen 125 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: seventy there was a big expo. Wasn't called KFC back then, 126 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: it was Kentucky Fright Chicken, right right? Um, And they 127 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: they these I guess, these travelers alerted KFC that they 128 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: had decided to go with Kentucky Fried Chicken instead of 129 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: a turkey dinner. And Colonel Sanders sounds say, it sounds 130 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: like a good idea. Yeah, was that your Norm McDonald 131 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: or your Daryl Hammond? Was Norm McDonald? That's not bad. 132 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: Um if it was Daryl Hammond, terrible. But so Kentucky 133 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: Fried Chicken decided to capitalize on this, and starting in 134 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four, they created the Kentucky for Christmas campaign 135 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: and basically established a tradition among Japanese people that you 136 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: go line up on Christmas Eve Day and wait in 137 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: line around the block for your turn to buy your 138 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: pre ordered bucket of KFC, your cake, and your bottle 139 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: of champagne. Yeah, and uh, I think of champagne now, 140 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: but back then it was wine. And then they got classy, 141 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: that's right. And today, uh, more than two hundred forty 142 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: buckets or barrels two what I say two? Yeah, you 143 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: stopped at two fourth. Now that was just that the 144 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: main location. Two d forty thousand barrels or buckets of 145 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: chicken or sold, which is apparently five to ten times 146 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: the normal monthly sales. And um, it's a big deal. 147 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: And these Christmas cakes are a big deal there too. Yeah. 148 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: And they dress Colonel Sanders up as Santa Claus out front, 149 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: and it's a huge deal. It's wonderful. It is Kentucky 150 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: for Christmas, Kentucky for Christmas. All right, let's get back 151 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:55,079 Speaker 1: in the spacepod. Let's jet on up to Finland. But 152 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: the people are nice, and the taxes are heavy. But 153 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: the health care that's so bad. Yeah, they pay like 154 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 1: half your money in taxes. But it's the best place 155 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: in the world to live. And it's one of the 156 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: few places on Earth where people live that you can 157 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: just see a reindeer walking around. Yeah, exactly, how's that 158 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 1: for Christmas spirit? And also, Chuck, you have ever seen 159 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: Rare Exports? No, you haven't seen Rare Exports Christmas horror movie. 160 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: Oh man, go see. It's set in Finland. It's awesome. Really, 161 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,559 Speaker 1: it's actually a finished movie with subtitles, and it's it's 162 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: a Christmas classic? Is it? What year two thousand and 163 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: twelve already a classic? Yes? So in Finland. Um, despite 164 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: their pinchon for enjoying the holidays, they have a little 165 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: darker side, you might say, to Christmas because they visit 166 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: the graves of their ancestors and uh, and they put 167 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: candles on the graves. It's very nice, I guess, not 168 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: exactly dark if they like dug them up and put 169 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 1: their heads off or something after their first Christmas underground. 170 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: I'm not saying, yeah, it's not dark necessarily because it 171 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: is a tribute to their cease loved ones. But it 172 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 1: is unusual to me on Christmas to visit the cemetery, 173 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:07,560 Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying. But but apparently cemeteries because when 174 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: they visit, they light candles for their deceased loved ones, 175 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: and even people who don't aren't near their deceased loved 176 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: ones will still like light a candle. So like by 177 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: the time midnight rolls around on Christmas Eve, it's also 178 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: they're burning down all over the country, right exactly, apparently 179 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: quite a sight to behold, it is. And not only that, 180 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: but at home, uh and this is kind of sweet. 181 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: They don't they sleep on the floor to to leave 182 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: their beds. You know how we leave cookies out for Santa. 183 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: They leave their beds open for the ghostly spirits of 184 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: their ancestors to sleep and to sleep. And tonight here 185 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 1: you take the bed, I'll take the floor. And apparently 186 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: it's the same with saunas too, So most families have 187 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: their own sauna in Finland sauna sauna and after sunset 188 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 1: that becomes they leave that alone for their dead ancestors 189 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: to enjoy as well. Yeah, but before sunset it's naked 190 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: family party time in the sound, which is not gross 191 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: or pready, it's just how it is in Finland. All right, 192 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: what are you gonna saw it? And like a bathing suit, 193 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: that's weird. Well that's what I do. But I'm at 194 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: the y m c A. I'd get arrested, you know, 195 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: you would. Venezuela. Let's hop in our little space spot 196 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: and travel a little bit of Caracas, Venezuela. So we're 197 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: in Caracas, and on Christmas Eve, the children do a 198 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: kind of an odd thing. They tie a piece of 199 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 1: string to their big toe and then they run the 200 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 1: string out of their window and hang it down the 201 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: side of their home. So far, so weird, Yeah, which 202 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: is a little strange. Then the following morning they go 203 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,679 Speaker 1: to early morning Mass. They they don't grown ups too, 204 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: and they close off the streets until eight am so 205 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: people can roller skate to maths. And if they see 206 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: any of these strings still hanging, they tug on the string, 207 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:00,559 Speaker 1: which supposedly our guess logically would talk on the big 208 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: toe of the child and wakes the kid up for 209 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: Christmas morning. Pretty neat a passing by roller skater tugs 210 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: on the string to wake you up for Christmas morning. 211 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: That's pretty cool tradition. And finally, yeah, we will travel 212 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: from Caracas, Venezuela over to Sweden. Really we should have 213 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 1: ordered this differently. We could have really saved some space gas. Yeah, 214 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: but sky miles, Oh yeah, you know, we are racking 215 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: up totally. So we're in Sweden now, and this is 216 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: my favorite one. I think in nine st tall goat 217 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: of straw was erected in the town square of Gavel. Yeah, 218 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: it's called the gavel Baching gavel Bachen. At the stroke 219 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:50,079 Speaker 1: of midnight that first year, Uh, some kid thought it 220 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,199 Speaker 1: would be funny if he burned it down. And now 221 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 1: it's a tradition, Yeah it is. And so it's not 222 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: a tradition like wicker Man where the town gathers to 223 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 1: set the man on fire or the goat on The 224 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: town does not want the goat to be set on fire. Instead, Um, 225 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: the town hires security guards. Apparently one year it was 226 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 1: particularly cold and all the guards went in to get 227 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: warm at once, and when they did, vandals struck burned 228 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: it down. Um. They fireproof the stuff with a subs 229 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: or the goat with the with the substance that they 230 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: used to fireproof airplanes. And people still manage to burn 231 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: this down apparently between nineteen sixties, six and two thousand 232 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 1: and eleven, according to our friends honk yat where we 233 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 1: got this article. By the way, Um it's been burned 234 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: down twenty five times, that's what about or so not 235 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:41,640 Speaker 1: a bad rate. Not a bad burn rate if you're 236 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: a vandal if you're a town elder, that's terrible rate. 237 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: So uh, that's segment one and thanks to who our 238 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: friends at honky Cat hon Kiyot hon Kiyot for that 239 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: not honky Cat. Okay, that's Elton John's subsite. So Chuck 240 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 1: does a nice little interlude. Um, have you ever been 241 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: in New York? I knew you've been in New York. 242 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: No at Christmas? Do you remember the time we were 243 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:12,959 Speaker 1: the guests of Like Discovery for a Christmas party? Yes, 244 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: at the Campbell apartment at Grand Central Station. One of 245 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: the great, uh corporate parties I've ever been to. There 246 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: was a pit bull there, Parole who owned the pit bull. 247 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: We drank martinis, Yes, we did lots of them. Are 248 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: I did? I don't know what would you have whiskey Martini? 249 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: I think I have martiniz And it was good. We 250 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: were hot shots back then. We were we were up 251 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: and coming. Um so at this at the during that 252 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: that stay, I walked around and visited like shop windows, sacks. Yeah, 253 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: I think I hit Barnes and I at the time, 254 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm so clever, what a cool thing to do. 255 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: What I didn't realize is I was engaging in like 256 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: about a hundred and fifty year old tradition of traveling 257 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: to New York to see these storefront windows, the Christmas 258 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: window displays. It's actually really old ritual, that's right. And 259 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: this story is called not really old but kind of old. 260 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: The story is called The History of Department Store Holiday 261 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: Window Displays by Victoria Lewis, and I am not ashamed 262 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 1: to admit that I had never considered the term department 263 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: store and what that meant until I read this. I 264 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: was like, wait a minute, what is the their's departments 265 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: is in? Yeah, the boys department, the ladies department, the 266 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: sports department. I had just never dawned on me what 267 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:30,640 Speaker 1: that means. Just took it as like, that's what it is. 268 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: I don't know, you know how it's one of those 269 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: understand you know, we're in an old department store right now. Yeah, 270 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: here's Yeah, absolutely had terrible window displaces. It did. So 271 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: here's the fascinating history of department store window displays, which 272 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: I really enjoyed this article. Yeah, what was it from? Well, 273 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,040 Speaker 1: initially it goes back to the Industrial Revolution, the late 274 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds, um. And like anything, it's usually some weird 275 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: innovation that leads to something else. In this case, it 276 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: was the innovation was glass windows. Yeah. Up to that point, 277 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: up to the Industrial Revolution, um shopkeepers just kept their 278 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 1: wares behind piewood and no one could see it, you know. 279 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: So once they figured out play glass windows, they were like, 280 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,240 Speaker 1: this is much better. And so the passers by on 281 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: the street thought it was much better as well. Yeah, 282 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: because that's literally where the turn window shopping comes from. 283 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: And they said, we can have these great window displays 284 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: where people on the street, uh could walk by and 285 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: and fantasize if they don't have money about buying the stuff. 286 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: Thiks to our enormous sea through class um the best 287 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: kind of glass, And apparently it was Mr Macy. Mr 288 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: Macy had a great name, Roland Hussey Macy, who did 289 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: not live up to his name, was quite approved frankly 290 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: and Roland Hussey Macy. UM opened Macy's tried four times. 291 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: So I opened, yeah, and tried and failed, I should 292 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: say the the fifth time, I think on sixth Avenue 293 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 1: between thirteenth and fourteenth Street in eighteen fifty eight, Roland 294 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: Macy opened his store with opening day sales totaling eleven 295 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: dollars and six cents, which you're like, oh, well it's 296 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty eight. Sure, that's a three million dollars today bucks. 297 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,360 Speaker 1: Not good for a department store. So back in the day, 298 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 1: these stores were what are called dry goods stores, where 299 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: you can find everything that wasn't wet, um, you know, 300 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: chaps alasso, uh, stuff that wasn't wet, like that, wheat flour, 301 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 1: wheat flower, all this stuff. And and these were the 302 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 1: the progenitors of dry of department stores. And a lot 303 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: of them grew out of dry goods stores into department stores. 304 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 1: And over time, um, they got savvier and savvier. And 305 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 1: again R. H. Macy was one of the first to 306 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: get super duper savvy. And he was apparently the first 307 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: to put up these elaborate displays around Christmas time. Not 308 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: only that, my friend, he was the first in eighteen 309 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: sixty two to feature an in store Santa that children 310 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: and could come in annoy yes, and if you want 311 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: to know more about the life of an in store 312 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: saying that you should listen to last year's because they 313 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: went into that in depth. Absolutely so in eighteen seventy 314 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: four he says, I'm gonna step it up a notch. 315 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 1: We got this plate class. So I'm going to create 316 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:20,120 Speaker 1: a window display porcelain dolls from around the world and uh, 317 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: sort of weirdly scenes from Harriet Beecher Stowe's great book 318 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: Uncle Tom's Cabin. It's all the rage. Yeah, it just 319 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 1: seemed an odd choice for the holidays. All the rage, 320 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: but I'm not gonna second guess it because it worked. 321 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: It would be like making a Star Wars special holiday 322 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: special at the time, you know what I mean. Yeah, 323 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: I think all the rage. So it really caught on 324 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,679 Speaker 1: By the early nineteen hundreds. Um, all the big retailers 325 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:45,360 Speaker 1: were doing it in New York, Chicago, all the bit 326 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: major cities, and um, window shopping was a legitimate, legitimate 327 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,120 Speaker 1: thing at this point. Yeah, thanks to things like, um, again, 328 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: the plate glass window people actually putting up displays worth seeing, 329 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,360 Speaker 1: and then later on electrical lighting so that you see 330 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 1: these things long after the store had closed, and that 331 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: attracted people to the displays just for the displays stake themselves. 332 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: It made him a destination, so that a hundred and 333 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: fifty years later, yokels like you and me could be 334 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: walking around New York saying, I'm gonna go check out 335 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,119 Speaker 1: the sex fifth Avenue window. It looks like real snow. 336 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:25,360 Speaker 1: Ye Lord and Taylor with the first to um, actually 337 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: not even worry about showing merchandise in the window and 338 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: just say, you know what, this is something cool looking 339 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: that will attract people to our window. Well what the 340 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,399 Speaker 1: cool looking thing? They did too? At the time it 341 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: must have been mind blowing. You have to put yourself 342 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 1: in their shoes. But it was automated bells that moved 343 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: in time to a recording of the sound of bells playing, 344 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: which sounds about as primitive as a monkey turning a crank. 345 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: But it actually, I mean that must have been pretty 346 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 1: mind blowing at the time. We're talking ninety eight, and 347 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: even before that, I think it was um, I think 348 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: it Nieman Marcus in Dallas used free on in air 349 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: conditioned copper tubings to basically create frosted trees in their 350 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:14,199 Speaker 1: window display that that's what they call for people who 351 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: read books on airplanes. A game changer and not to 352 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,159 Speaker 1: be outdone in nineteen In the nineteen fifties, Washington d 353 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: c s Woodward and Lowthrope, which I've not heard of, 354 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: have you, no? Never? But it totally sounds like either 355 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: a law firm or a department. Uh, and they put 356 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,639 Speaker 1: live penguins in the display. This is clearly before animal 357 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: rights activists had to say in things They're like, how 358 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:41,240 Speaker 1: can we make our window display cruel? And over the 359 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 1: years many famous artists have even been involved, including Andy Warhol, Uh, 360 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: Murray Sindac, Salvador Dali, and Jasper John's. Imagine it pays 361 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: pretty good if you hire one of those artists, or 362 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 1: maybe they were up and coming at the time they 363 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: were up and coming. Actually, I think they also hire 364 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,520 Speaker 1: famous people to come in. Oh, they definitely do sometimes 365 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:04,400 Speaker 1: for sure. Yeah, you're right. Um. So apparently today it's 366 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,159 Speaker 1: spread around. It's not just New York, and it's in 367 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: London too. It started in London in nine thanks to 368 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 1: an American the guy who started or who worked at 369 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: marshall Fields and then came and started self Ridges. Right. Um. 370 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:21,120 Speaker 1: But today, if you ask Lord and Taylor, about two 371 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty thousand people past their holiday window display 372 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: every day. That's crazy, and between Thanksgiving and Christmas they'll 373 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: attract eight million shoppers to their store. New York is great, 374 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 1: and it's awesome during the holiday season because you can 375 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: go broke, but you can also not spend a dime 376 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: and just walk around and look at all the cool junk. Yes, 377 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: New York. I love you and you're giving me chills. 378 00:21:47,640 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: All right, Uh, moving on to the next segment. All right, Josh, 379 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: Now we're moving on to uh something. Believe it or not. 380 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: I have never even tasted in my life, really never 381 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: tasted fruitcake. I would be even more incredulous if I 382 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: hadn't either, right, have you? That's what I'm saying. I haven't. Okay, 383 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,719 Speaker 1: I was trying to make sense of all that. Sorry, 384 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,479 Speaker 1: So neither on Jerry, You ever had fruit cake? Wow? 385 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,439 Speaker 1: Jerry says, No, Nol's like in the window with a 386 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: fruitcake in his mouth. I got a fruit cake in 387 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 1: my pocket. Alright. So fruitcake is uh. It's famous for 388 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: one thing, which is yeah, which is being a maligned, 389 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:50,000 Speaker 1: uh food product that is generally made fun of as 390 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: like a brick or a concrete block or a doorstop. 391 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: So much so that there's a town called Manitoo Springs, 392 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: Colorado that in the at the beginning of January holds 393 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: the Great Fruitcake Toss every year, and you throw a 394 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: fruitcake as far as you can. It's kind of like 395 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: punkin chunking. But with fruitcakes, basically you know they should 396 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 1: have though is on the landing side, they should have 397 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:17,679 Speaker 1: plate glass. Just see how much the fruitcake like maybe 398 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: layers of plate glass and see how many layers it 399 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: can smash. Yeah, like that one ice breaking scene and 400 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 1: karate Kid too. So, um, the fruitcake. It's not much loved. 401 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: Not a lot of people like it. The people who 402 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:34,959 Speaker 1: do like it are just trying to be ironic, by 403 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,639 Speaker 1: the way, or elderly and being genuine Maybe yeah, I 404 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 1: can't tell elderly people. It's tough to pin down whether 405 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,399 Speaker 1: they're really secretly being ironic. And it's just a big 406 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: it's a big performance piece. But um, it's it's it 407 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: is in and of it'sself ironic that fruitcake would be 408 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: so maligned because it started out as a distinct luxury 409 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 1: item for sure, because the stuff you find a fruit 410 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: cake today then you're like, oh, what is this terrible stuff? 411 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:07,680 Speaker 1: Is actually an assemblage of If you go a thousand 412 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,640 Speaker 1: years back in history, you will find like these are 413 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: the most sought after items on the planet. Spices, nuts, um, 414 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:22,719 Speaker 1: fruit cake, ginger, all this stuff coming together to create 415 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: some very rich delicacies. Wow. Thank you. Uh. It did 416 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: not begin as a cake though supposedly in ancient Rome 417 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: they use pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins and then 418 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: they fold it in in some barley mash. This is 419 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:39,920 Speaker 1: before ovens. They didn't really bake it into a cake 420 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,120 Speaker 1: at this point. Was it before ovens though? I took 421 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 1: issue with that? Oh yeah, yeah, I think they had. 422 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: They had bread back then. People have been making bread, 423 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: remember to like use as a starter for beer, sure 424 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 1: for thousands of years by then. Alright, so official issue 425 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: taken ovens. Alright, we'll look that up. Uh. And then 426 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: they started adding other spices. Is in the Middle East, um, honey. 427 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: Ginger was a big deal in the Middle East before 428 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 1: it spread to Europe. One of my favorite things in 429 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 1: the world. Ginger, fresh ginger. Oh yeah, sure, love it. 430 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: Get your hands on some good fresh ginger. You're like, 431 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: this is good? Shots of it? Oh yeah, hot stuff, health, yeah, 432 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: health and wellness. Do you drink it hot or cool? 433 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 1: And it's like hot spicy? Yeah? I mean, have you 434 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,200 Speaker 1: ever done a gender shot. It's super hot. Yeah, it'll 435 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: burn your throat. So fair warning to all your juicers 436 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,359 Speaker 1: out there. But if you're a juicer your way on 437 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 1: the ginger tip. There's nothing new to you. This is 438 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: the hippest Christmas special we've ever recorded anyway. I love 439 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 1: ginger and they loved it in the Middle East and 440 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: eventually spread to Europe in the fifteenth century. Then they added, uh, 441 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: some butter, some sugar, and they said, we have a lumpy, 442 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,439 Speaker 1: dense cake on our hands. We definitely have ovens, so 443 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: we're going to bake them, bake it. Yeah. And now 444 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,679 Speaker 1: there's apparently a couple of bakeries in the United States. 445 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,880 Speaker 1: One here right here in Blaxton, Georgia. You knew that, right, 446 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:05,920 Speaker 1: I didn't know that. Oh yeah, Claxton fruitcakes are huge, 447 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: one of the big two, right yeah. The other one 448 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: is in Corsicana, Texas. Um, that's Colin Street Bakery. And 449 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:14,679 Speaker 1: if you have a fruitcake look at the label. I 450 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: guarantee you it's one of those two. I'm gonna start 451 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:23,680 Speaker 1: giving them for gifts ironically or sincerely both nice because 452 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: it's all in how you take it. Sure it is. 453 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: Someone might say that's pretty funny, Chuck, and someone might 454 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: say this delicious, my friend, Yeah, and then you go 455 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:37,920 Speaker 1: you are on my nice list. That's right, moving on, 456 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,640 Speaker 1: what is another Christmas food? This one was kind of 457 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: surprising to me. So sugar plums have nothing to do 458 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: with plums, it turns out. And there's a lot of confusion, 459 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 1: I guess, and the fact that it uses the word plums, 460 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 1: so you would think, well, a sugar plum is a 461 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: sweet plump, and food historians say there may actually have 462 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: been some sort of fruit producing shrub that produced something 463 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: that you would call a sugar plum, a plum like 464 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 1: fruit that was very sweet. We don't have any evidence 465 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: of it. It's all conjecture apparently. But sugar plums themselves 466 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 1: were candies. They were sugar balls surrounded with nuts or 467 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:23,400 Speaker 1: spices or seeds or some combination of that, and they 468 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with plums. Plums never made an 469 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,199 Speaker 1: appearance in the actual sugar plum. Yeah. And apparently a 470 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: lot of dried fruit is called plum, which I didn't know, 471 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: and that's where the confusion comes from. Yeah, And plum 472 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 1: pudding in England apparently doesn't even have plums in it. No, 473 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 1: it can have like raisins, curans, all that kind of stuff, 474 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: doesn't have any plums whatsoever, plum like, it's just from 475 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 1: I think about the seventeenth century on, plum became a 476 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: widely used term to describe certain kinds of candies, certain 477 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 1: kinds of sweet desserts that dance in your head, and bribes. 478 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: I read, yes. So if somebody gives you a bribe, 479 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 1: you're like, that's quite a plum, right, I can put 480 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 1: it in my fruitcake, right, Or that's a plumb job. 481 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 1: It's something like super sweet, something great like you, or 482 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: a bribe. I'm asking for a bribe right now. I 483 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,880 Speaker 1: wasn't picking up on that. I'll slide this five dollar bill. 484 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,119 Speaker 1: Thank you across the tables. Gingerbread. It's one of my 485 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,360 Speaker 1: favorite things. Are you like gingerbread? Love it? I meant 486 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: to tell you this. In the one of the Fairy 487 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: Tales episodes, Hansel and Gretel is based partly in fact, 488 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,919 Speaker 1: there's a woman named Katerina Schrederin who in sixteen eighteen, 489 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: she was a renowned gingerbread baker. She was so good 490 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: that a local rival tried to marry her to get 491 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: her to quit baking and undermining him. She refuses advances, 492 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,960 Speaker 1: he accused her of witchcraft. The town came and burned 493 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: her alive. Holy cow. That's true. Yes, it is true. 494 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 1: And they think that she became the basis of the 495 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: witch in the Hansel and Gretel story. Yeah, how about that. 496 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: But she was really good at creating gingerbread, and she 497 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:04,959 Speaker 1: was in Germany, which is the whole point of what 498 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: I was just saying. That's right because it started in Germany, 499 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 1: like so many Christmas things, Uh, sweet spicy cookies, cakes, breads, 500 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,680 Speaker 1: ginger flavored, which you know is one of my favorite things. 501 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: Like you said, I don't pick up on it a 502 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 1: ton in gingerbread, not as much. You know, the molasses 503 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: definitely dominates, absolutely, But try eating gingerbread without any kind 504 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: of ginger in it. You'll spit it out, really spit 505 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: it out on the ground. Uh. It involved into the 506 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: Christmas treat we know and love because Um early on 507 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: it started to be um known to be something you 508 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: would serve at a special event, and I guess that 509 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: dwindled down to the holidays and then some people got 510 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: smart and started cutting it out to fund shapes. Yeah. 511 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,960 Speaker 1: Pretty early on, the medieval bakers, including probably miss Katerina 512 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,720 Speaker 1: the Witch, um would cut him into like if you 513 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: were having a coronation, you could probably in Germany you 514 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: could find gingerbread cookies in the shape of a king. Yeah, 515 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:05,200 Speaker 1: you know that kind of thing, right, And that evolved 516 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 1: into Christmas e things, and it became associated with the 517 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 1: holidays ginger bread. Thankfully, I really want some gingerbread right now. 518 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: And then lastly, Chuck, have you ever did you get 519 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: oranges as a kid and you're stocking we wouldn't you 520 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 1: beat your hand in and be like, oh, this is great, 521 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 1: I like this candies And then your hand would hit 522 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:29,240 Speaker 1: that familiar, cold, wrinkled skin and you draw it out 523 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: and hold it up accusingly to everyone and be like, 524 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: who did this? And your parents would be like, Santa, Santa, 525 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 1: it was Santa, and you just glare at them that 526 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 1: kind of thing, and I'd say, I think I saw 527 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: these in the kitchen yesterday. Right. It turns out that 528 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: oranges are actually a long standing tradition and they used 529 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: to be an amazing thing to get in your stocking, 530 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 1: because until the eighteen eighties, if you lived outside of 531 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 1: Florida or California, you were s o l as far 532 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,479 Speaker 1: as oranges went. Yeah, so it was a special treat um, 533 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: which I guess caught on. I don't buy this other 534 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: theory at all. Um. Apparently they said it may reference 535 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: in a Christmas tale when St. Nicholas left bags of 536 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:10,840 Speaker 1: gold in stockings. Uh, and in place of bags of gold, 537 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 1: they put an orange. And you think, Yeah, I don't 538 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:16,880 Speaker 1: buy that. Everybody wants to suck on a lemon on 539 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: Christmas morning. Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. I 540 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: might be wrong. I could see it, but either way, 541 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: it became a special Christmas treat that um somehow endors 542 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 1: to this day. Josh, if you know me, then you 543 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: know I love the movie Elf. I suspect that that's 544 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,480 Speaker 1: why you selected this. Do you like it? Yeah, it's good. 545 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 1: It's not my favorite. It's a good new classic. Yeah, agreed, 546 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 1: it's no Christmas story, but it's good. It'll hold up 547 00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 1: over the decades. I guess. This is a great article 548 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: that I found called ten things you Didn't know about Elf, 549 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 1: and Uh, we're gonna go over those right now because 550 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,719 Speaker 1: one of my favorite things Wild Ferrell, uh in the 551 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 1: classic movie about an Elf that is really a human 552 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,920 Speaker 1: that realizes he's a human and ghost in New York 553 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,320 Speaker 1: City to find his real papa James Cohn. But he's 554 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: not insane. He actually is an Elf insane his workshop, 555 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: which he has to leave to go find himself. But 556 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 1: he's not really enough because he's super tall and goofy 557 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: and everyone that's the joke, right, and everyone else's Elf size. So, uh, 558 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 1: if you haven't seen Elf, pause this episode, go watch 559 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: Elf and then come back and tell me what the 560 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:32,360 Speaker 1: sunlight looks like outside your home because he's been living 561 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:37,240 Speaker 1: under a rock. So initially, apparently, Chuck, the script for 562 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 1: Elf is pretty old. I think it was originally made 563 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: in the like two two seven somewhere around there, Okay, 564 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:51,280 Speaker 1: and um, it was actually written in and back. Will 565 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 1: Farrell was basically in diapers, even though he was a 566 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 1: grown man by this time. But the script was initially 567 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: written for Jim Carrey or with Jim Carrey mind, and 568 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: it was offered to him and he turned it down. Yeah. Uh, 569 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 1: no good, I say, with Jim Carey being I can't 570 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 1: see anybody but Will Ferrell doing it. Yeah, I mean, 571 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 1: I think it's one of those things where anytime someone 572 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 1: is ultimately cast, he can't picture anyone else, like except 573 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: for Tom Selleck, you could still probably picture as Indiana Jones, sure, yeah, 574 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: or Christopher Columbus Huh he played Columbus, did he? Or 575 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 1: did he played King Ferdinand in the uh, the movie 576 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:35,120 Speaker 1: adaptation of your favorite book? No, it was okay, So 577 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:40,000 Speaker 1: Jim Carrey out Will Ferrell and uh classic now because 578 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:45,480 Speaker 1: of that great move sentence fragments Ralphie in a Christmas story, Um, 579 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: Peter Billingsley appears as an elf. He's buddies with Favrow 580 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 1: has produced a lot of his movies, and there he 581 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,240 Speaker 1: is a little Ralphie all grown up. Makes a cameo, 582 00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 1: so does Ray Harry House and he makes a voice 583 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: cameo and he if his name sound familiar, he was 584 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: the guy who basically pioneered stop motion animation and film 585 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: and motion pictures. So like, if you love Clash of 586 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,480 Speaker 1: the Titans, you loved Ray Harry Housing's work, that's right. 587 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:15,239 Speaker 1: And Jon Favreau very smartly said, you know what, there's 588 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,720 Speaker 1: a lot of people out there who love those ranking 589 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:21,600 Speaker 1: bass Christmas specials, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and others. 590 00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 1: And he said, let's have that same look so we 591 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:28,359 Speaker 1: can echo that beloved style. Uh. And it really paid off. 592 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:29,799 Speaker 1: I think it's one of the reasons it's such a 593 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 1: classic today. Yeah, so he instead of doing it c 594 00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 1: g I, which you totally could have. You can make 595 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,239 Speaker 1: it look stop motioning using computers, and he's like, no, 596 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 1: I want to shoot it that way. And just as 597 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:43,160 Speaker 1: an additional nod, he grabbed Ray Harry Housing and said, 598 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,080 Speaker 1: why don't you do one of the stop motion Polar 599 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:48,879 Speaker 1: Bear cubs and he voiced it, which is pretty cool, 600 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:52,640 Speaker 1: very cool. And an additional nod was the costumes that 601 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 1: the elves were were the exact costume replicas from the 602 00:34:56,239 --> 00:34:59,520 Speaker 1: original Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer stop motion film. Yeah, 603 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:01,520 Speaker 1: so I a nice little nod to the past. So 604 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 1: if you find yourself just like overwhelmed with nostalgia and 605 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: weeping when you watch ELF, these are probably the reasons. 606 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 1: Why what else? Oh the famous scene one of my 607 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: favorites with the Jack in the Box when Will Ferrell 608 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 1: is testing the Jack in the Box. I had to 609 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,200 Speaker 1: go look it up and watch it. It's pretty great 610 00:35:18,239 --> 00:35:22,839 Speaker 1: And those were genuine reactions apparently, Yeah, he wanted Will 611 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: Ferrell to not know, so he had even though I 612 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:28,480 Speaker 1: think he had the last one rigged to not even 613 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,520 Speaker 1: be attached to the Jack in the box. He had 614 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:34,560 Speaker 1: the control off screen and he wanted it to seem 615 00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:36,880 Speaker 1: like it wasn't gonna open at all. So yeah, in 616 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: the movie, Will Ferrell's elf what's his name, Buddy, Buddy 617 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 1: is he's he's been relegated to having to test Jack 618 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:48,400 Speaker 1: in the Boxes for um, the little clown and comers 619 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,000 Speaker 1: at Jackson the Box, Jacks in the Box, Yes, you're right, 620 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: Jacks in the Boxes, Um, and he's he's he's the tester, 621 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:59,600 Speaker 1: the quality control guy. And while when they were filming it, yeah, 622 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: John of Rowe had of remote control, so he had 623 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:03,839 Speaker 1: no idea when they were actually going to pop out. 624 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 1: And you can tell when you watch it, like his 625 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 1: reactions are delightful, Yeah, they really are. Uh. The huge 626 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 1: burp that he has after drinking the two Leader of 627 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 1: Coke was done by Um, a voice from a very 628 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:20,800 Speaker 1: popular voice actor named Maurice La March who voiced everything 629 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:24,480 Speaker 1: from Egon on The Real Ghostbusters to Brain on Animaniacs 630 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 1: and apparently was really good at burping. He's a belching champions, 631 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:33,520 Speaker 1: a belching champ like Booger from Better Off Dead? And uh, 632 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: was it Better Off Dead or Revenge of the Nerds 633 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:37,840 Speaker 1: that he burp did? Well, it was Revenge of the nerds, 634 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,560 Speaker 1: but he was he was better and better off. Dend 635 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:47,719 Speaker 1: agreed this entire mountains All right, let's go with one 636 00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:51,320 Speaker 1: more here. Um. Will Ferrell actually worked as a department 637 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:54,120 Speaker 1: store Santa at the point years not not to train 638 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,240 Speaker 1: for it. Wasn't a method actor like this was years 639 00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:00,360 Speaker 1: before when he was with the Groundlings in Los Angeles, US. 640 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 1: That's like second City kind of sure or ucb um. 641 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:10,080 Speaker 1: And he and a fellow Groundling named Chris Ktan actually 642 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 1: got the same gig. Will Farrell was Santa and Chris 643 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: Catan played an Elf, and they both ended up on 644 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 1: SARTA Night Live together. Can you imagine being in Los 645 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:21,239 Speaker 1: Angeles and Will Farrell is your Santa and Chris Catan 646 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:22,839 Speaker 1: is an Elf and you have no idea, right yeah? 647 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: Or watching sorta Night Live five years later and being like, 648 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:29,440 Speaker 1: wait right a minute's wait a second. And Farrell was 649 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:32,720 Speaker 1: even offered a boatload of money to do a sequel 650 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 1: to Elf, like almost thirty million dollars yeah, and he 651 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:38,480 Speaker 1: said no, which I think is great, a great move 652 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:42,839 Speaker 1: because then you have the untainted classic. Uh and like 653 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 1: the Christmas Story Part two, you never have to suffer 654 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:49,080 Speaker 1: through something like that or Anchorman two. Oh you know, 655 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: although a dude who is in our TV show was 656 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:55,880 Speaker 1: in that his speaking part Matt. I don't remember his 657 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: last name, but he played the paramedic in the episode 658 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: where you get stung by It. Yeah, I know Matt. 659 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 1: He's in. He's in Anchorman too, and he has like 660 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:05,719 Speaker 1: a little speaking role. Oh no, because they shot there 661 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:07,799 Speaker 1: here in Atlanta. Yeah, it's great. He does good. I 662 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:10,920 Speaker 1: haven't seen Anchor Man too. I avoided it because I 663 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:12,840 Speaker 1: didn't want to taint the original. I heard it was 664 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:15,279 Speaker 1: so bad. I take issue with that. I don't think 665 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:19,000 Speaker 1: a sequel contained the original. The original stands on its own, 666 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:23,800 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. M I disagree with it, Okay, 667 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: and I could be wrong. Well, now what's your opinion? 668 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:31,840 Speaker 1: Thank you? So you can't be wrong that Chuck? Pretty Christmas, 669 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: wasn't It's the Christmas here? You want to end this thing, Yeah, 670 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:51,200 Speaker 1: let's do it with our traditional reading. Yes, So, everybody, 671 00:38:51,239 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: if you didn't have the law going yet, or you 672 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:55,359 Speaker 1: didn't have a family gather around, if you didn't take 673 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,800 Speaker 1: Chuck's advice at the beginning, you probably should now because 674 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 1: it unto you. Yes, whoa whoa, Everybody it's time for 675 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,400 Speaker 1: our Christmas reading, and we read all sorts of stuff. 676 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 1: We found the most obscure Christmas story of all time, 677 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:10,880 Speaker 1: written by the guy who wrote Wizard of Oz. For 678 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:14,719 Speaker 1: last year. Um, we've done twice. The night before Christmas, 679 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,680 Speaker 1: we did some story about naked elves a few years back. 680 00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:20,520 Speaker 1: You remember that we do a Gift of the Magi 681 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: may Yeah, we read the entire Gift of the Magis 682 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:27,240 Speaker 1: the night before Christmas. Yeah, so this time we're finally 683 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:29,160 Speaker 1: we cannot put it off any longer. We are going 684 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:31,439 Speaker 1: going to read a selection from the movie Boogie Nights, 685 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:35,319 Speaker 1: all right, where the word Christmas is used but out 686 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:39,879 Speaker 1: of context. That's good, chuckings. We're going to read a 687 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:43,440 Speaker 1: very classic letter, a real life letter that was written 688 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: to the New York Sun on September by a little 689 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:51,400 Speaker 1: girl named Virginia O'Hanlon. And this really happened. Yeah, how 690 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:53,640 Speaker 1: about this? I'll read the little girls and then you 691 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:57,279 Speaker 1: can read the response. Oh wow, really yeah? Are you 692 00:39:57,320 --> 00:39:59,759 Speaker 1: sure we have to take our roles here? Okay? All right, 693 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:06,600 Speaker 1: New York Sun, September eighteen seven. People, Dear editor, I 694 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: am eight years old. Some of my little friends say, 695 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:13,000 Speaker 1: there is no, Santa Claus, Papa says, if you see 696 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:15,960 Speaker 1: it in the sun, it's so. What he means is 697 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,600 Speaker 1: the Sun newspaper. Not look directly into the sun because 698 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,640 Speaker 1: you'll go blind. Please tell me the truth. Is there 699 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:27,440 Speaker 1: a Santa Claus, signed Virginia O'Hanlon of Well should we 700 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:30,600 Speaker 1: read her address? I think she's long gone one fifteen 701 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:34,920 Speaker 1: West Street. Man, if you live at one set today, 702 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:38,280 Speaker 1: you should know that that's a very legendary abode. Yeah, 703 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:41,120 Speaker 1: all right. Now here was the reply, which was pretty great. 704 00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: This is from the editors of the New York Sun, 705 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:47,560 Speaker 1: who wrote, we take pleasure in answering thus prominently the 706 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:50,919 Speaker 1: communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification 707 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,400 Speaker 1: that it's faithful author is numbered among the friends of 708 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:58,840 Speaker 1: the Sun. This was their apply, Virginia, your little friends 709 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:02,279 Speaker 1: are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of 710 00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:06,360 Speaker 1: a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. 711 00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:09,720 Speaker 1: They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible 712 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:13,319 Speaker 1: by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be 713 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:17,760 Speaker 1: men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours. 714 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,280 Speaker 1: Man is a mere insect, and aunt in his intellect 715 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:24,400 Speaker 1: is compared with the boundless world about him, as measured 716 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:27,720 Speaker 1: by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth 717 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 1: and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. He 718 00:41:32,239 --> 00:41:36,120 Speaker 1: exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, 719 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,840 Speaker 1: and you know that they abound and give your life 720 00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:43,040 Speaker 1: its greatest beauty and joy. Alas how dreary would be 721 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:45,759 Speaker 1: the world if there were no Santa Clause. It would 722 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:48,640 Speaker 1: be as dreary as if there were no Virginia's. There 723 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:52,480 Speaker 1: would be no childlike faith, then no poetry, no romance 724 00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:56,080 Speaker 1: to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment 725 00:41:56,160 --> 00:41:59,719 Speaker 1: except in sense and sight, the external light with which 726 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:03,440 Speaker 1: child old hood fills the world would be extinguished. Not 727 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 1: believe in Santa Claus, you might as well not believe 728 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,839 Speaker 1: in fairies. You might get your Papa to hire men 729 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:11,000 Speaker 1: to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to 730 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:13,319 Speaker 1: catch Santa Claus. But even if you did not see 731 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:17,840 Speaker 1: Santa coming down, what would that proof. Nobody sees Santa Claus. 732 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:20,640 Speaker 1: But that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. 733 00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:23,640 Speaker 1: The most real things in the world are those that 734 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:26,719 Speaker 1: neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see 735 00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:29,959 Speaker 1: fairies dancing on the lawn, of course not, but that's 736 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:33,120 Speaker 1: no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive 737 00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:36,200 Speaker 1: or imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable 738 00:42:36,239 --> 00:42:39,360 Speaker 1: in the world. You tear apart the baby's rattle and 739 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:41,600 Speaker 1: see what makes the noise inside. But there is a 740 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,959 Speaker 1: veil covering the unseen world, which not the strongest man, 741 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:48,040 Speaker 1: nor even the united strength of all the strongest men 742 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 1: that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, 743 00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:56,280 Speaker 1: romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture 744 00:42:56,360 --> 00:43:01,160 Speaker 1: the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real, Virginia, 745 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,160 Speaker 1: In all this world, there's nothing else real and abiding. No, 746 00:43:05,239 --> 00:43:09,200 Speaker 1: Santa Claus, Thank God, he lives and lives forever a 747 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 1: thousand years from now, Virginia, nay ten times ten thousand 748 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:17,000 Speaker 1: years from now. He will continue to make glad the 749 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:22,080 Speaker 1: heart of childhood. How about that? Pretty great response? Yeah, 750 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:26,840 Speaker 1: slightly scathing at times. Yeah take that, you little nonbelieving kids. 751 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:30,000 Speaker 1: All in the good name of the Christmas Spirit. Yep So, 752 00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:32,200 Speaker 1: in the good name of the Christmas Spirit, from us 753 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:36,600 Speaker 1: Chuck and Josh and Jerry and No and Noel and 754 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:40,640 Speaker 1: h little sack from Casey to uh, Emily and Umi 755 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:47,120 Speaker 1: and Anna Sure nice uh Ruby Rose and yeah we 756 00:43:47,239 --> 00:43:50,719 Speaker 1: have family. Wow, I know it's been a great two 757 00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:55,040 Speaker 1: thousand fifteens. Pretty sweet. Who else? Anybody? I think that's everybody. 758 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:58,360 Speaker 1: That's the whole stuff. You should know family, my mistress Natasha, 759 00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:04,319 Speaker 1: all right, forget you. We want to wish you guys 760 00:44:04,320 --> 00:44:07,359 Speaker 1: a happy holiday season. Merry Christmas. Yeah, be safe out 761 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,840 Speaker 1: there and enjoy each other. And hey, we'll see you 762 00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:19,520 Speaker 1: again in well, we'll see them before them. Merry Christmas, everybody. 763 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:22,600 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics. Is 764 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:49,520 Speaker 1: it how stuff works dot com