Latest / Arguing Ever After / 22: Christmas vs. Halloween - The Holiday Showdown

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22: Christmas vs. Halloween - The Holiday Showdown · Arguing Ever After

0:15
Hello and welcome to Arguing Ever After.
0:17
I am Luke and this is my festive wife, Amber.
0:20
Hello. Together we are the Lord and
0:22
Lady who lock horns. The count and Countess of
0:24
contention. The Duke and Duchess of
0:26
Disagreement. And the king and queen of
0:28
quarrels. We have been together since the
0:30
1st anniversary of the great Tickle Me Elmo Wars.
0:34
In this podcast, we bicker about all things big and small, and we
0:38
use the unscientific method of letting the audience vote
0:41
determine who the winner is. Many of our topics are
0:45
frequently submitted by our listeners, so if you have
0:47
something you want us to battle over, please share it with us at
0:50
arguingeverafter@gmail.com. Here we are.
0:55
This is our 22nd episode. Deuce, deuce.
1:00
That's pretty incredible. Just reminded me of a song.
1:04
Deuces. That's another song.
1:06
What? There's some Rick Ross lyric
1:09
where he says like 22 a bunch of times in a row.
1:12
Like how his rims are 20 twos and he's in room 222 and birds
1:16
go for 22 and. Wasn't there a Beach Boys song?
1:21
Little Deuce. Little Deuce Coop.
1:22
Yeah. Yeah.
1:23
You don't know what I got. OK, there you go.
1:26
I just sang for everybody a little bit.
1:27
You're welcome. And so obviously a couple
1:33
episodes we'd said maybe the Illuminati would shut us off.
1:37
They haven't. They didn't, probably because we
1:39
were welcome to the light. I guess, yeah, they're like,
1:41
they're the real deal, real deal.
1:43
And since Johnny Depp has reached out to us.
1:46
The real Johnny Depp. Yes, it did say the real.
1:48
Didn't quite look like him in his profile.
1:50
Picture no. No.
1:52
But, you know, maybe he had some plastic surgery.
1:55
He said. This is Johnny Depp, the real
1:57
pirate of the Caribbean or something like that.
2:00
That was hilarious so. Social media is a blast.
2:04
It's a lot of fun. But anyhow, so we're back.
2:07
So that's awesome. And obviously people had enjoyed
2:11
some of our live show stuff from our last episode and now we're
2:16
kind of in, in that little, I don't know, I would say weird
2:20
window of seasons for us, you know?
2:24
Weird for you maybe? Oh, but being close to the end
2:29
of the year, the place that we push our podcast out through
2:34
Spotify sent a whole bunch of really cool information for us.
2:38
And the 2025 recap. Yeah.
2:40
So that was a lot of fun to see some details that we hadn't.
2:44
We didn't have information from before.
2:46
Some like surprising details even.
2:48
Very surprising details it told us about, you know, where our
2:51
listeners were from which we thought we knew all of the
2:54
answers there we. Did not know all the answers.
2:56
What is our number 2 country, Luke?
2:58
India. We've missed him this whole
3:01
time. I'm so sorry India, you are our
3:04
number 2 country and you weren't showing up on the export list
3:07
that we get the. Largest population country on
3:10
the planet. Makes sense that they would
3:12
listen to us. That's right.
3:13
Yeah. So.
3:15
And in tradition, I would like to greet everyone in India
3:18
that's listening. Namaste.
3:20
Yes, yes. Thank you for listening.
3:24
But it was, it was really cool. The other thing that we had
3:26
learned was that we are in the top 15% of watched podcasts.
3:32
Video casts. Yeah, which is amazing 'cause
3:35
there's over 500,000 choices people have had.
3:39
It makes me feel like just nobody watches because I don't
3:41
feel like we're. No, no, you're just taking the.
3:43
Win on this one you. Taking.
3:46
The win. You're sharing, I mean, and it
3:48
did say like we. Were the thing we were like in
3:50
the 90th percentile on like 4 categories or something?
3:53
Yeah, being shared. Oh yeah, shared.
3:57
I can't remember them all. Downloaded No.
4:00
I can't remember. However, the numbers now 90%
4:03
sounds really big and it is really big, but it wasn't quite
4:06
night. It was like, well, maybe it was
4:08
for that, but I just thought that was.
4:11
Oh, comments was one of them. Oh comments, yes, you all are an
4:14
engaged audience and I really appreciate that because not
4:20
everybody gets that that's right you know and I think that that
4:23
might speak to the amount of quality our listeners and
4:27
viewers the. Quality high.
4:29
Quality high. Quality.
4:30
You can even say quality. Oh, you could.
4:33
Where you'd put a little emphasis on the tea at the end.
4:36
Yes, and it did sound quite elegant coming from you so.
4:39
Elegant. If I'm, if I'm, I'm, I'm
4:42
elegant. I mean, let's just be real.
4:44
That's how I roll. So of course we have other
4:46
things that we think about, you know, like in the upcoming
4:49
periods, you know, how we can, you know, continue to improve
4:52
things. But yeah, I'll just keep doing
4:54
the deal, keep sharing and keep up.
4:56
Tell your friends. Keep commenting because.
4:59
Word of mouth is the best advertising.
5:01
They say it, Really. It is, it really is.
5:04
And obviously they're going to more likely take it from you
5:06
than some sort of, I don't know where else they would find us,
5:09
but obviously they're finding out about us in India and.
5:13
All over the world. All over the world, yeah.
5:15
Prestige worldwide. Yeah, it's the Illuminati.
5:19
It probably is. Maybe they're headquartered in
5:21
India? We've been making fun of it and
5:25
they got us a #2 country of India.
5:28
They did somehow. So yeah, now I don't know if any
5:32
of you watching have noticed, but we're I don't know if I ever
5:35
did it by accident. We are festively dressed because
5:39
it is the month of December and I if you know me, I am a real
5:44
big fan of the month of December have been since I was a wee
5:50
fella. And I'm currently wearing for
5:53
the audio listeners who are going to miss out on this magic.
5:55
I'm currently wearing AT shirt that was gifted to me that has
5:59
elf from the movie elf played by Will Ferrell on my shirt and it
6:03
says it says I something something I'm human.
6:09
I can't read upside down on my chest, but it's something it's
6:12
something I'm I'm. Actually, my birth raised by.
6:14
Elves raised by elves. Yes.
6:16
So what's your favorite thing in December, Luke?
6:21
All of it. I mean, everything.
6:23
Christmas. So did I like the decorating?
6:27
I like the food, I like everything.
6:30
Oh, was the right answer your birthday?
6:33
I'm sorry. OK, again, for the audio
6:35
listener, you're missing out on the supreme eye rolling that
6:40
only Amber can pull off. I've met a lot of women that
6:44
roll their eyes, but you do it so much more effectively.
6:48
You know, I guess maybe I just have better things to react to.
6:51
Maybe I don't know, but in for those of you again who don't
6:56
know Luke, although if you listened in July, you probably
6:59
knew that it was Luke's birthday month in.
7:01
July, it was my birthday. Month Luke, it's a whole month
7:03
of his birthday. That's true.
7:05
So that's why I was kind of putting him to the test there a
7:07
little to see what he would actually say.
7:09
Because if I were to say in July, my favorite thing was
7:13
picnics or whatever, I don't know.
7:15
He would say, are you kidding me?
7:17
It's my birthday. If it was picnics for my
7:20
birthday, I mean. Sure.
7:23
That'd be fine. I am a little bummed for you
7:26
about your birthday timing. It's not the best.
7:29
I mean, what are you going to do about it?
7:31
I know a couple of people that were actually born on.
7:34
Christmas. I know people were born closer
7:36
to Christmas and we don't need to give my birthday to, but it
7:39
is sometime in December and apparently it's not Luke's
7:42
favorite thing about the month of December.
7:43
Which. Well Christmas in my life did
7:48
come before you came, so it has more like staying power now.
7:52
That being said, I actually do like you better than Christmas.
7:56
Well, that that's good. You're also the best Christmas
7:59
present. I in your life I was before
8:02
Christmas for you. Oh, because you're older than me
8:07
by 6 months? That's not fair.
8:09
Well. I'm just saying, I'm just
8:11
saying, but I mean, here we are. It is definitely Luke's favorite
8:15
time of year. I, I, I, it's, I don't think
8:27
it's, it's not my favorite time of year.
8:28
I mean, I constantly walk outside and I say I hate this
8:32
place. Why do I live here?
8:33
Only because it's so flipping cold like today, right?
8:35
Now it was like 10 below with a something crazy wind chill this
8:38
morning. Yeah, that's disgusting.
8:40
For you international viewers, that's 10 below Fahrenheit, and
8:43
I don't know what it translates to in Celsius, but I know it's a
8:46
lower number. It's like -30.
8:48
No, it isn't, No. Something like that.
8:50
No, I don't, no. It gets worse.
8:52
I well. Whatever, it's fine.
8:54
There's some Scientologist out there.
8:56
Yeah, Tom Cruise is watching and he's going to let us.
9:00
Know Tom Cruise is going to tell you you're wrong with because it
9:03
goes in Celsius 10 is. Oh, not when you get past 0.
9:08
I don't, I don't know, I. Actually know that it it is
9:10
something crazy. Like I'm going to say I trust
9:12
you, but I also don't trust. It's really weird because like
9:14
30 positive Celsius is something like 90 Fahrenheit, but 30
9:20
minus, I'm not kidding, it was something like. 10.
9:23
Minus something. I don't think so.
9:26
We even had a German exchange student who I think taught us
9:30
this, and I feel like it, doesn't it?
9:33
You know what? There is actual proof, and right
9:35
now we are. Very is getting the search
9:38
engines going right now, and they're going wow, she's so
9:42
wrong. I don't know, I feel like this
9:45
could have been a big question. I'm ready for it because if you
9:48
want to have that be the battle, I'm for sure going to win.
9:52
But it doesn't it it anyhow, It's cold.
9:55
I hate being cold. You even said while sitting on a
9:58
couch, Yeah, that there was a draft.
10:02
Yeah, there's a cold draft in the back.
10:04
Yeah, I don't like that. And that's just what we.
10:07
There's a window. Right.
10:08
But that's just what we get here.
10:10
It's just cold on cold on cold. Once it starts, it doesn't seem
10:14
to stop forever. But today I tried to look on a
10:18
bright side. Oh, and what did?
10:21
And I said today I'm one day closer to summer than I was
10:24
yesterday. That's true.
10:27
That's so and and good job for you.
10:30
I know. Where's the bright side?
10:32
Yeah, I have another bright. Side at work.
10:34
But one of the things that we deal with here in the north is
10:38
the darkness, and we're also one day closer to winter solstice,
10:44
which means the darkest day of the year will be behind us.
10:47
Well, OK, we're. Only 15 ish days away.
10:51
Yeah. Well, so, but there's like a
10:54
stretch of time that I think is really to me just feels kind of,
10:58
I don't know. I mean, obviously like there's
11:00
like the cycles of the world and how like people feel and think,
11:04
but there's a a period of time that just feels so much like an
11:07
ending and not necessarily in like a great way, right.
11:10
And it starts out really well for me, you know, like I love
11:14
fall, love it. It's the, I don't know if it's
11:18
my favorite. It probably is my favorite
11:20
season, except for I'm waiting the whole time for something
11:23
worse to come, which is winter. But just starting all of that
11:28
out, you know, I mean, there's some really great things that I
11:31
enjoy in fall and when I think fall, I think Halloween.
11:36
Sure. I think Thanksgiving, Yep, but
11:40
in Minnesota Thanksgiving this year felt like winter.
11:45
Well, that's because it showed up.
11:47
It did, it did, and I'm never ready for it.
11:51
This is why I always put the Christmas lights outside way
11:54
early because you never know when Minnesota's just going to
11:57
be like, hey, it's winter now. Because it did that.
12:00
It did. It went from like it's 50 and
12:03
it's decent to like, oh, it's zero and here's some snow.
12:07
Yeah, and I don't think there should be snow.
12:09
I mean, I feel like when I would look at all the Hallmark movies
12:12
I don't watch during Thanksgiving, I don't feel like
12:16
they're. No, no, they're they're drinking
12:18
pumpkin spice latte. Maybe I I don't know, probably.
12:22
But like it's leaves and cornucopia is right.
12:26
You can't have a cornucopia in the snow.
12:30
You can't. It'll be frozen, frozen copia.
12:33
I don't know if anyone's ever had frozen well.
12:35
God, if you leave your pumpkins out too long, they freeze real,
12:39
real big. Gross.
12:40
No, the squirrels would eat them by then.
12:42
Unless you have a quick freeze. I remember frozen pumpkin, we
12:45
had a couple years like and it was it was.
12:47
Hard as a rock, squirrels eat a little bit of the frozen and
12:50
it's like a pump pumpkin popsicle.
12:53
I OK I I have weird issues with AII sometimes like it, I
12:58
sometimes hate it. It depends on how it's being
13:00
used. I'm curious how this ties into
13:02
squirrels. I know, but there were there
13:07
have been a lot of videos of squirrels reacting to eating
13:10
things and I'm sure there's one of a pumpkin and it's.
13:13
Clearly real. I mean, I probably.
13:16
Not I have started to distrust more of the Internet that as AI
13:20
continues to grow and it's actually quite surprising
13:23
capabilities. Yeah.
13:25
What's crazy is now you can just write on your phone.
13:28
And I mean, everyone knows the support.
13:29
Well, maybe not everyone. Most people know this like right
13:31
on your smartphone. Now you could just fire up an AI
13:34
and be like, make me a video of and literally fill in whatever
13:37
blank you want and it'll spit it out in like less than, I don't
13:40
know, 30 seconds. Yeah, yeah, pictures you can.
13:43
Do now, like in a, like you could take a picture that you're
13:46
not in and then there's a thing called add me and it puts you in
13:51
the picture. Isn't that wild?
13:54
It's wild. So I could, OK, I could put
13:57
myself on stage at like a concert or.
14:00
Something for sure. You can make yourself a rock
14:02
movie. You can probably make yourself a
14:03
video of you being a rock star. I'm just saying if you all start
14:07
seeing this on the Internet, there it is.
14:08
It may or may not be real. She's already a rock star.
14:11
Yeah, we'll see. Oh, I think I have a whole new
14:14
side gig here. Yeah, you do.
14:16
What else can I put Amber in? I bet you can play all the
14:19
instruments too. No.
14:21
I mean if you use the AI you could.
14:24
I could, but I, I don't know, that feels like that's because
14:27
the one day someone might ask me, they might bring a harmonica
14:30
and be like, here, do it, let's hear you play like you did on
14:33
the Internet. And I'll be like, oh, it was all
14:35
fake. Yeah.
14:36
Then you'd get cancelled. I would and I don't know that I
14:41
that might be a question. How would you want to get
14:43
cancelled? Oh, and do you want to get
14:46
cancelled? Gonna write that down.
14:48
You get put that in the topics list.
14:50
Yeah, yeah. We don't often come up with
14:53
topics while we're not. Not here, but man, it's
14:56
exciting. All right.
14:58
Did. We add any states, We talked
15:00
about adding India. No, we did not add any states
15:05
that I can see right now, but that's OK.
15:07
India number two countries. Yeah, first, or I'll take that
15:10
any day. Any day.
15:13
Well, and so, but we've been talking about hosting things.
15:19
Nope. We had been talking about
15:20
holidays and what I was going to talk about was now, now that
15:23
we're past my, I don't know, past like the big first holiday
15:30
of Halloween, now it's time to start thinking about hosting and
15:34
all of that we have hosted for Thanksgiving.
15:37
We have hosted I think a few in a row.
15:39
Yeah, well, and it's a weird scenario to me.
15:43
Like when does that shift happen where you know your your guest?
15:49
You mean when your parents stop hosting?
15:51
Yeah, when your parents stop hosting.
15:52
You when you get old. I don't like that idea.
15:56
Either. I don't like that idea.
15:59
And so we've certainly we, but we, we've hosted a couple and
16:05
I've had a sister host a couple Thanksgivings.
16:09
But this year was the first year that like it was a really joint
16:15
Thanksgiving because usually it's been a, you know, you know,
16:20
obviously I wouldn't expect that our parents should always come
16:22
to us, right? But that's what ended up being
16:27
the scenario. And it's a different I thought
16:31
like when I think Thanksgiving or holidays in general, I think
16:35
of certain traditions. Sure.
16:37
And when you think of holidays in general, yeah, you have
16:41
different traditions you think of and.
16:44
I think of a lot of Christmas traditions.
16:46
I bet you do and that makes sense.
16:49
But so and those matter and like those are like especially,
16:55
especially around Christmas, but you know, like being in a a
17:00
couple somehow blending those can be difficult, I think.
17:06
It's a lot easier now than when it was.
17:08
I mean like we used to have 3/3 of everything cuz my parents
17:12
have been separated since I was a baby so for me it was like
17:17
normal. But then when we got older and
17:19
it was like holiday times, often we would do before we started
17:25
hosting, we would do like your parents, then we would do my
17:28
mom, then we would do my dad. And sometimes we would try to
17:30
pack it all into one day and it'd be like, this is just too
17:32
much. Especially when we had a baby,
17:35
then it was like carton a baby. Well, when she was like a baby
17:38
baby, like 0 to two, it was probably easier because she
17:41
didn't have bedtimes or I don't even remember when nap times and
17:45
bedtimes become important. But yeah, kind of cool before
17:48
they do because you could just bring them little baby wherever
17:50
you want. I don't recall that ever being
17:52
our scenario, but I hope. But the other thing is too, I
17:57
mean, when we were younger or when I was younger, I spent a
18:00
lot of time with cousins around the holidays too.
18:03
And so, well, I suppose there's something about being local that
18:07
changes that. So that was a tradition that we
18:10
had kind of integrated for a bit and it's.
18:12
Just kind of fun to watch for me because like I, well, I grew up
18:15
just with my parents in town and my brothers before they went out
18:18
to college. And like all of my family is
18:22
from the East Coast and that's where they all were when I was a
18:25
kid. And they all really still are.
18:28
You know, I mean, like, I do have one cousin now in Chicago,
18:31
so that's closer. But the rest of my family is
18:35
still primarily in New York and then a little bit South of
18:40
there. And anyway, so, yeah, it was, it
18:43
was cool. Like watching your family have
18:45
all of your family here. Yeah, like, very.
18:48
Did you have anybody out of Minnesota?
18:50
Like two people maybe out of the 30 maybe.
18:53
Maybe just during their college years or something like that.
18:55
So like watching you had these family gatherings that were
18:58
huge, like you would have 20-30 people in your house for
19:02
Thanksgiving or Christmas parties or whatever and I'd be
19:05
like, man, this is wild cuz we only ever had like a handful of
19:10
people. Oh, I suppose, yeah, we had big
19:13
ones and and it made the everything seem longer, right.
19:18
Sure, you know, but for sure the concept with, you know, your
19:22
parents, my parents, like the tradition was to be with them on
19:27
the days. Yeah.
19:28
And so jam packing all of that in, you know, plus, you know,
19:33
adding, you know, weekend here, weekend there, you know, and and
19:36
it's it's interesting because we definitely have friends right
19:39
now who are still trying to get through Thanksgiving and here we
19:43
are in December, well into December.
19:47
But that's just how it works to try to.
19:49
So the recovery I don't feel like is there, but it is just
19:53
really, it's interesting when the, the traditions change and
19:57
the hosting changes because I, when I was really, really
20:01
little, I would get together with like my second cousins and
20:03
stuff for holidays. I that was really, really
20:07
little, right? And now, I mean, it's great when
20:09
I see my cousins, but I just don't see them anywhere near
20:12
what I used to, you know, 10 years ago even.
20:15
Was it that happened years ago? Well, it's, I mean, it's tough
20:18
Like what? Kids make everything hard cuz
20:21
schedules get hard cuz kids need all kind of different time
20:25
frames. And they do parents have all
20:28
kind of different needs. It's yeah.
20:30
Well, and when kids get into school, I just wish that there
20:33
could be universal time off so everybody knows that they're all
20:38
kids are having this week off for winter break or whatever.
20:41
So it would be easier to plan. I mean, we live in an area where
20:45
there's different, you know, our kid who is in the whatever
20:48
school is in a very different winter break than someone who is
20:51
2 miles away. Well, they all, I think all of
20:55
them have for sure at least like at a minimum Christmas Eve
20:59
through the 1st. But like some of them are like
21:01
they get a week before or a week after and then they stagger
21:05
spring break. And yeah, so you're right.
21:07
It is like weird to have different times off.
21:10
And I don't know, I guess it probably was always like that,
21:13
but it felt like everyone had the same time off when we were
21:16
little. But I suppose that's just cuz we
21:18
hung out with who we hung out with.
21:19
Right. All, of course all my friends
21:20
would have the same time off cuz they went to my school.
21:22
Yeah, I don't know. But it just it again, it all
21:28
adds to kind of the busyness of the time of year and the
21:31
planning and all of that that I think can be a little more
21:36
difficult. I like that we can do it all at
21:38
once though. Now what?
21:40
Do you mean? Like, you know, having the whole
21:42
family at the same time. Yeah, well.
21:46
Way less craziness. I mean, yeah, we didn't have to
21:50
travel anywhere. And that's certainly I don't
21:52
mind traveling. And yeah, I mean, it went well.
21:55
I have no qualms about it. I think of, I mean, it's and
22:00
there's some great things that were added that we never, I
22:03
never had as a child, you know, for as far as things being added
22:06
to the table. I don't know how we're going to
22:09
do it in a couple of. Oh God.
22:13
A couple of weeks, Well, it's 3-3 weeks, so it's the.
22:18
When this is releasing, it's not gonna.
22:20
Be that it's just under 3 weeks away.
22:21
Well, right, this will come out and it'll be less.
22:23
Than yeah, we recorded a few days before, obviously for for
22:29
ease and stuff. So it'll be, I don't know, it'll
22:33
be quick, it'll be quick around the corner.
22:35
So I mean, and I'm sure we'll have to figure out a whole new
22:38
world of hosting and all of that in the next.
22:41
I feel like we'll make it though.
22:44
We do every year. My big worry is shopping cuz
22:46
we've done precisely 0. I'm not gonna say that.
22:50
That's my reality. Well, I've done.
22:53
Could you imagine that the man who doesn't research wouldn't
22:56
have gone shopping yet, and the woman who does research would
23:00
have started some holiday shopping?
23:02
I blame my upbringing. I remember so many Christmases
23:07
as a kid, literally like on Christmas Eve, going out with my
23:13
mom, like shopping, doing pictures with Santa like on
23:18
Christmas Eve because nothing was ever done.
23:20
We couldn't have done that. I mean, we were very involved in
23:23
other things around Christmas time that it had to be better
23:27
planned for for that purpose. There was no way with all of the
23:31
other things that usually, you know, that I had going on
23:34
growing up. I mean, we went to church, all
23:35
of that. My mom worked at a church.
23:37
So you're not if you're not done way before, then you're not
23:41
done. It's not happening.
23:44
No, because that's this is this is, you know, for anyone who is
23:48
celebrating Christmas is religious works in the, you
23:52
know, in that vicinity. This is like Showtime.
23:55
It's one of the two showtimes. Yeah.
23:57
So big, big preparations for all of that as well.
24:03
Well, even though I didn't do church growing up as a kid, I I
24:08
like all of the stuff that kind of well, maybe most of it that
24:11
came out of the traditions of church.
24:14
I like the singing and the caroling and the, you know, to
24:18
all the, the lights and the candles.
24:20
I don't know how much of that came from what cultures and and
24:23
religions and practices, but that's one of the things I like
24:27
so much about this time of year. Is the songs the music for?
24:31
You and the lights. The songs and the lights.
24:41
So before I do want to just do APSA for people going out
24:47
shopping, if you, if you're a shopper at this time of year,
24:50
please be kind to those poor people behind the register.
24:55
Oh yeah, shout out to retail workers.
24:57
I spent over a decade in that world and just know they're
25:03
probably not having the greatest day.
25:04
If they're not smiling at you, it could be that they're three
25:08
hours past a bathroom break. They've definitely heard the
25:12
same 25 Christmas songs. They're being tortured by
25:16
Mariah. Carey 100 million times.
25:18
Yeah, yeah. I mean they've been hearing that
25:20
since the end of October. So, so be kind and you know, if
25:24
you're, if you're a customer service person, a Ditto.
25:27
But I just know that it's, it's a difficult time for, for those
25:31
people and we want them behind the register and we want them
25:35
there. And so, but they are very
25:37
important. So that's just all I'm saying.
25:40
Cuz people, we don't always show the best of ourselves when we're
25:47
in our own rushes. And ours.
25:49
Yeah, yeah, that's a holiday stress.
25:53
It's like somehow it seems less than it used to be.
25:55
But like every, every like Black Friday, there's some crazy story
26:00
about, I mean, now the Internet and shopping on the Internet has
26:04
made that way less intense. But man, it seemed like we were
26:08
kids. There was like some sort of
26:09
Stampede or fight or something like every year.
26:13
Yeah, One year when I was working in retail, one of the
26:17
reasons why I'm saying be nice to your retail workers.
26:20
I worked Black Friday and the mall opened at 5:00 in the
26:23
morning and people were waiting outside before 5:00 in the
26:28
morning to get whatever The free thing was that I can't remember
26:31
if it was pennies or Sears, didn't really matter, but they
26:34
were in line and they had been in line.
26:36
And so then they go running through the malls, you know, to
26:39
try to get to whatever the deal is.
26:41
The door Buster. Yeah, the door Buster sales all,
26:44
all of that and. I mean those were legit though
26:47
back in the day. They were, they were. 70% off
26:50
stuff, half off stuff. But working in retail, like I
26:54
was saying, I started at 5 that day and every employee I had
26:59
called in sick. So I worked until 11:30 that
27:03
night. That's too many.
27:04
So you know, I had a smile on cuz you know, like what are you
27:07
gonna do? But but just know that that
27:09
could also be that person at the register or it could be someone
27:13
who's like, I had to stay up way too late with my kid and I'm
27:16
trying to have my own money. So I know I'm going long on
27:19
that. That's OK, I think it's.
27:21
Fine, I'm passionate about. It just in general, let's be
27:25
kind. Let's be kind if you can always
27:27
remember that as sometimes I don't, I mean and sometimes I'm
27:31
usually less kind at with you. All you've noticed.
27:35
I know, I know that's pretty nice.
27:37
But I'm very, I'm very purposefully kind to anyone in
27:39
the service industry or anyone who I'm trying to work with.
27:43
I but no, I mean for sure I think.
27:47
That's for the record. I don't think you're unkind, but
27:50
I'll take the whatever that was. Sometimes, I'm sure, sometimes
27:55
I'm not. There You go.
27:57
To you. I'm an Angel pretty much all the
27:59
time. All the time.
28:00
So, you know, yeah, you're welcome.
28:02
Right, but I don't know. And, and maybe that's part of
28:07
the reason why it can be a time for me that I'm I'm not, I'm not
28:14
as in love with this time of year.
28:16
There's a lot of reasons you don't love this month.
28:19
There's so many reasons, but I don't know.
28:22
It's it's just one of those things I think that I might, I
28:25
don't know. Well, Luke, now is time for me
28:29
to ask you a question. I was not ready for that.
28:34
And now folks, the moment you've all been waiting for in this
28:39
corner claiming to weigh in at 135 lbs, we have the very red
28:44
headed and green shirted, festively adorned amber who is
28:51
going to need some sort of strong argument to overcome the
28:56
joy that I'm radiating. Yeah, yeah.
29:00
In this corner we have Luke sporting his red beard, which
29:04
matches all of the red on him. He and I are at a tie, However,
29:12
we've put the votes out a little bit longer.
29:15
We want to have less tying and somehow it hasn't changed.
29:19
And right now with the ones that are still sitting out there,
29:21
there's there's a obviously, but I'm not gonna say cuz nothing's
29:25
in until it's in. You're leading a few of the open
29:29
votes. You know, hey.
29:30
But they're open, so I got a chance.
29:32
You do. We're currently 7-7 and four
29:36
ties. I know that's pretty pretty.
29:38
We have a lot of. Ties like 3 opens.
29:40
We're tied and tied and tied and tied.
29:42
So, you know, but it's OK, you know, this, this on a
29:46
one-on-one, sometimes we really die just.
29:48
If you're a voter, already a voter, tell your friends to
29:50
vote. Get somebody else in there.
29:52
Yeah, but have them watch cuz I think just voting for no reason
29:55
is GD Mcgeeterton. GD Mcgeeterton.
29:59
So I was gonna ask you a question.
30:01
OK, We're in like peak holiday season here.
30:06
Yeah, we are. We have the sun's gone down on a
30:09
couple of them. The sun's pretty much mostly
30:13
down on another because the days are so short.
30:15
Sun's down on Earth. But given that, given that we're
30:20
in the thick of it, Luke, what is your favorite holiday?
30:25
Well, I think this is easy and probably everyone knows by now
30:29
it's for sure Christmas, and it's Christmas for so many
30:34
reasons. So first, I mean, growing up,
30:40
Christmas was the biggest holiday in my house.
30:44
There are lots of traditions that are, are still traditions
30:49
in the the house I grew up in that my mom still lives in.
30:52
And I mean, like I remember and used to love, we would go pick
30:57
out a fresh Christmas tree, fresh cut Christmas tree.
31:01
And the guy we went to had like hot apple cider for the kids and
31:05
cocoa and coffee and all kinds of different stuff.
31:07
So we go get our little apple cider in our tree and then we'd
31:10
bring it home and decorate it, which I get to go help my mom do
31:13
this weekend. Looking forward to that.
31:16
And I love, love, love all the Christmas music.
31:22
I listen to it like before Thanksgiving.
31:27
I my tradition that I have when I put up all the outdoor
31:30
Christmas decorations and lights, which include lots of
31:33
lights on the House and the porch and I usually have at
31:38
least one inflatable. Currently it's like a 12 foot
31:41
tall beautiful Nutcracker. Love nutcrackers.
31:44
I counted a friend asked. I have 27 including him.
31:49
So many nutcrackers and. Does that include like pictures?
31:55
No, just actual nutcrackers. Oh, go ahead.
32:01
Or not. Nope.
32:01
Anyway, so back to the outdoor decorations.
32:04
And then I have a beautiful giant Christmas deer that's like
32:08
9 feet tall that you and our daughter got for me.
32:12
And yeah, I don't know. I just love it.
32:14
I have a bunch of stuff, stuff I stake into the ground and stuff
32:17
I put in the house. It's all over the place.
32:19
And then inside the house I decorate like wild.
32:24
And you and our daughter help with that and it's great.
32:27
There's all kinds of little stuffed things and sparkly
32:31
things and glitter things and greens and Reds and all of that.
32:36
Every year I like finding new Christmas music because there's
32:39
a lot of new entries every year that are wonderful.
32:44
Shout out to Pentatonix, the acapella group.
32:47
They come out every year with like I think one or two albums
32:50
at Christmas and they're great. And then I think like some of
32:55
the stuff I like the most about Christmas is like the there's so
32:59
much like symbolism that feels like good.
33:03
So like it's really dark and it's really cold.
33:08
And then for Christmas, you have all these lights and candles and
33:12
it's got this sort of like glowy feeling.
33:15
And then it's cold, but you can have a fire.
33:19
And I grew up with a fireplace and my mom has wood fires and I
33:23
love that. And we have fireplaces and I
33:26
love having a fire on a cold day.
33:28
And I mean, it's just, there's so much stuff that I like about.
33:32
I actually like the snow. I mean, I don't like it as much
33:35
as we get it, but I like it around Christmas because it
33:38
gives that sort of cozy feeling of like you got a cabin up with
33:42
the people you love because it's cold outside and snowy.
33:47
And I like the foods that come with this time of year.
33:51
Not so much like the big meal thing, like that's fun.
33:54
And I like having, you know, a gathering a lot.
33:57
And we make a lot of cookies. We always have.
34:00
I make some cookies, one I got from my grandma called Cinnamon
34:04
Diamonds. They're delicious.
34:06
They're a hit. They're your favorite.
34:08
And they're our kids favorite cookie anyway.
34:11
And those are fun to make. I like doing that.
34:14
And I do like some apple cider. I do like hot cocoa.
34:20
I like all that kind of warming fuzzy stuff, those things that
34:23
you really can't like in summer, you're not going to go have like
34:27
hot cocoa or hot cider because that'd be weird.
34:31
Maybe people do, but I don't. And like all the lights and all
34:35
the all the stuff you do to make yourself feel bright and warm
34:38
that you do on purpose as an effort of the, of the, you know,
34:43
sort of the work you put in to make the season bright as the
34:48
cliche goes. And I like all that stuff.
34:51
It feels good. And then Christmas itself, I
34:55
mean, I actually like giving gifts to people that I care
34:59
about because it's fun to see the, the happiness of someone
35:03
opening a gift of something they wanted and like, and the whole
35:07
like ceremony that goes with it. And I mean, just, it's like sort
35:13
of a, it's like a microcosm of joy.
35:18
I like all of that stuff. There's not a lot I don't like
35:21
about Christmas. So favorite holiday?
35:24
Best holiday? It's Christmas.
35:28
OK, I might rest my case. We'll see.
35:30
You know, I'm sure you don't. You never do.
35:34
It's a partial rest. OK, Those, I think some of those
35:40
things I think are probably nice.
35:45
It's not. My favorite holiday.
35:47
Actually, I really it's probably one of my least favorite
35:51
holidays. Again, I worked.
35:54
In retail for a long. Time and I that's probably given
35:57
me some of my cynicism about this holiday but I super love
36:04
Halloween that's my number one obviously we did a whole month
36:09
of spooky months we did because. Luke supports me I.
36:13
Do in my love of Halloween you like it?
36:15
I do. You don't love it as much as I
36:17
you love it, but it's not your number one.
36:20
Well, the spooky and the it's fun.
36:22
Creepy. It's fun.
36:23
It's fun and it's doesn't. Ask much of you except for, you
36:27
know, I mean, like, it's not, it's not a high stress thing.
36:30
I just really enjoy it. And then I guess if I were to go
36:33
to my second favorite holiday, it's Thanksgiving because I do
36:37
like to eat and there's a lot of good food at Thanksgiving.
36:42
You only get to pick one. What do you mean you're?
36:45
Right, I know. Question was favorite holiday.
36:47
I know. I know I'm confused.
36:49
Keep going. I did say my favorite.
36:51
And then I went to my second favorite I see.
36:53
And I don't know, maybe my third favorite is Arbor Day because
36:58
you get to plant trees you've never planted a.
37:02
Tree in your life that's true on Arbor Day.
37:07
Yeah, I think that when I was in school.
37:09
Plus you have me plant trees. Get over it.
37:11
I mean, we've definitely planted trees.
37:13
You're near Arbor Day. I need you to plant this tree.
37:16
OK. Yeah, yeah.
37:18
So you're welcome. For helping you celebrate Arbor
37:20
Day. Somewhere roughly round when
37:22
Arbor Day happens, but I, I don't know Arbor Day.
37:30
I like growing the tree, not cutting it down.
37:33
Terrible, terrible. But, but I mean, there's just
37:38
for me, it's, it's a lot less. You can still have some of the
37:43
fun things, right? Like you can drink apple cider
37:46
any time of the year. You can drink hot cocoa anytime
37:48
of the year. Where we happen to live in
37:51
October, it's still cold enough that it makes sense.
37:54
I mean, you go trick or treating the cool.
37:57
You might live in a neighborhood that's cool that has someone who
38:00
has cider, right? Or hot cocoa because you need
38:04
it, because it's already 30°, because we live in the cold
38:08
tundra. I know other people live in a
38:11
colder tundra, but I, I just, you know, I can't even fathom
38:15
that concept. So that's, you know, there's
38:19
not, you know, for your favorite holiday, I feel like we're
38:24
hearing about it, you know, and well, God, they have Christmas
38:27
in July. I mean, I swear that's when they
38:29
really do start talking about it.
38:31
And then August you'll see little things sneaking in like
38:34
little commercials, 'cause you know, the nobody does that.
38:37
That's not true. August and July.
38:40
OK, well, Christmas in July, definitely.
38:42
I worked in retail and Christmas in July, sales were actually a
38:45
thing back in the day. They might not be anymore, I
38:49
don't know, but they were a thing back in the day.
38:52
But it it just starts so early and I just in all for me, a lot
38:57
of what I see, and this is my experience, right?
39:00
I grew up in a church and so yes, I can see like the
39:04
spiritual aspects which were good and really helpful for
39:08
people and people really enjoyed and I certainly enjoyed singing
39:12
and all of that. Not the best singer, but I
39:14
enjoyed singing around the holidays.
39:18
But what I live in my life today and working through retail, the
39:23
things that I've seen, you know, it's like it's so much
39:26
consumerism, like just the what can I have, what can I buy?
39:31
And yes, I'm giving to other people, but like, I don't know,
39:36
I'm I'm, I'm, I'm a Grinch and I will admit that I'm a Grinch.
39:39
It has been known. However, I've gotten to Grinch
39:42
level at Christmas time. That's pretty good.
39:47
The. Grinch.
39:47
Did cut. The Christmas Rose beast at the
39:51
end, Yeah, I mean, that's, but that's pretty good.
39:53
And I don't want to take away today.
39:56
Today, I don't want to take away anyone's joy in their love of I
40:00
see whatever holiday they're in. But it's not the best.
40:03
It's for sure the holiday that has the trick or treating the
40:07
costumes, the candy and the just for fun, just for fun, you know,
40:11
no, no expectations, just fun, spooky night time, maybe a
40:17
little warmer. And you know, we host, we host a
40:22
shindig every year we do and people have fun.
40:25
They come over and and there's not really necessarily any
40:28
traditions or anything like that, you know, nothing that's
40:31
like feeling like I need to do this for this to be the day
40:35
trick or treating is a little different.
40:37
I feel like that is almost a must.
40:38
But, you know, if it didn't, I can sit there and happily watch
40:41
scary movies and still say it's Halloween, You know, I mean, if
40:46
you can't do some of the things you want to do for Christmas,
40:49
would it feel like Christmas? I don't know, but I think.
40:55
So I I mean, I'm just. Saying like the expectations
40:58
between the two, one's so much more laid back and it's a
41:01
different thing. And then the other one is like,
41:04
I need to Rev up to this. And I mean, you all hear people
41:07
who are like, I've already done Christmas shopping and it's the
41:10
end of September. And it's just, that is weird, I
41:13
know. I mean, great.
41:15
For you, But you know, and it just feels to me, it's so
41:19
wrapped around the shopping and the items and all of that, that
41:26
it's just like, but I'm, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade.
41:30
If you enjoy it, if you enjoy a little, I don't know, Christmas
41:35
Carol and some tinsel like love it.
41:39
I love that for you. You know, today I've grown, I've
41:43
grown. There was a time I definitely
41:45
wanted to rain on on other people's Christmas parades, but
41:51
so you've gone from. Outwardly wanting to destroy
41:55
people's joy to allowing them to have no I can be happy for
41:59
someone else's. There's a huge difference.
42:01
I can be happy for someone else's joy, and that happiness
42:04
or that joy does not need to be mine.
42:06
This is why I support you at Halloween.
42:07
Just because you support me at Christmas?
42:09
Yeah, I do. I do.
42:11
And sometimes begrudgingly, right, like, 'cause I'm like, I
42:13
don't want to see it yet. I just, I was a little salty
42:16
this year. You didn't let me.
42:17
Play Christmas carols out loud while we were decorating the
42:20
tree. I didn't say you couldn't.
42:24
I just wanted to find my own headphones so I could listen to
42:27
something else. Same difference, whatever.
42:30
No, I didn't say no. Actually, I'm.
42:32
I'm I was walking around singing.
42:33
Decorating the trees and you were like, where are my
42:35
headphones? My own I.
42:39
Wanted my own. I mean, also we did put a tree
42:41
up a little earlier this year on December 1st.
42:45
Oh, it wasn't December 1st, sorry.
42:47
November 30th. Right.
42:49
So just. Happened to be a Sunday.
42:51
Yeah, yeah. And it took up the whole.
42:53
Day. I don't know what type of plans
42:56
I had, but I don't think that those were my main parts of my
42:59
plan. But regardless of anything,
43:03
Halloween's number one for me, and I know that given the time
43:08
of year that this is going to release, I fear, which is OK
43:13
because I like fear, because I like Halloween.
43:15
I fear I might lose because people are just already some
43:19
people who are going to be spirited are in the Christmas
43:22
spirit. There's a movie called Spirited.
43:25
Yeah, there's a ton of movies. So many Oh, we didn't talk about
43:28
movies. There's.
43:28
So we'll talk about it on another.
43:30
Episode. Oh my goodness, I'm excited for
43:32
that. One too, because that's about
43:33
Christmas. I know, I know.
43:35
And that's what we're. Going to be doing this this
43:36
month is talking about the most. Mostly Christmas.
43:40
We don't really do other things during December, but respect to
43:45
anyone who does their own. Thing matters all the other
43:47
holidays it's you know what good I mean and hey, if you one day
43:51
want to. Adopt A family for one of your
43:53
holiday traditions. I'd love to come and see it, you
43:55
know, so shout out, you know, if that's something you're
43:58
interested in. But that's what this month is
44:01
going to be. I made you all sit through
44:03
spooky season and Luke's going to make you all sit through
44:06
festive season. It's gonna make you sorry.
44:10
And this, just so you know, this is not green.
44:12
It is green. I mean it is a.
44:14
It is a teal. That's not teal.
44:16
No underneath. Though under.
44:17
Green is a shirt that says as you wish.
44:20
It has green on it and. Red, blue, and they're in the
44:24
sun. Red, green going down a hill.
44:27
So I'm just saying it really wasn't because of that.
44:30
But I'm glad that you could find reason in what I'm wearing to
44:34
support you because again, I don't want to steal your joy.
44:39
You can't steal the joy of Christmas.
44:41
I am. Going to not interrupt it, but
44:46
you know, for all of my Halloween girlies got you.
44:50
Wow. And.
44:51
Boys, just girls, girlies is everybody.
44:55
Oh, is it? Yes, it's all inclusive.
44:57
Well, it didn't. Feel that way, but I'm.
44:58
Sorry to you that you. Felt that way.
45:01
Yeah. Well, from my perspective it's
45:03
for. Everyone.
45:04
It's all the adults, the kids and the everybody's.
45:07
Yeah, yeah. There's a great song that called
45:09
Christmas is for Everybody by Neo.
45:13
OK. That's a great song.
45:15
OK, I. Trust you, there's a lot of.
45:17
Other great songs. We could do a Christmas playlist
45:20
recommendation. Maybe that would be something
45:22
you could. Do on the side.
45:23
I can just share. I can make mine public.
45:25
And see if I can get past your 26.
45:27
Can I get past my? I'm at 26,000.
45:30
You were the last time we checked.
45:32
Wow. 30 Look at. That look at that I mean I do
45:36
got some good jams on there you do all right, but let's see
45:38
maybe you could you could share it to our people on the on the
45:41
social medias. So I'm I'm gonna do it so.
45:45
There's the fight. I didn't hear a rebuttal.
45:47
Oh my gosh. Well, I don't know that
45:49
Christmas needs. Much of A rebuttal It's
45:52
Christmas. It's also much more worldwide
45:57
than Halloween. Halloween is.
45:59
Very strongly American. And then you have Day of the
46:02
Dead, which is Latin America and Halloween.
46:06
Well. I know.
46:07
But it it's like one day away and one of my favorite holidays
46:11
in the four. Or five or ten.
46:12
You went to Arbor Day? My second.
46:16
Favorite is also. Thanksgiving like for the
46:18
record, cuz who doesn't like a feast?
46:21
I mean, yes. And that's why I mean, whatever
46:23
your opinions are on the origins today with how we celebrate.
46:28
And I think that's again, we respect and really think that
46:33
what everybody does is pretty awesome.
46:35
We have our own traditions and we're hoping that our concept is
46:38
we're sharing probably the highly over learned traditions,
46:43
but we're sharing ours with you. And I, like I said, would love
46:46
to learn what you have, but the vote would be which is the best.
46:52
Holiday Christmas is the. Best holiday no.
46:55
That's the answer it truly. Isn't Yep, it's not even close,
46:59
but Halloween. But how would they vote for
47:01
this, Luke? They would vote.
47:03
On Spotify, in the poll, which we put up on every episode, you
47:08
can also vote through social media, but it's hard to track
47:11
that one because now we have too many social medias.
47:14
Well, but it's still good and. Like if you.
47:17
Want to put a little comment about it?
47:19
That helps too. Yes, we love the comments we
47:21
already. Said that but we do have one
47:24
that's really kind of blowing up and it'd be really hard to track
47:26
on that one. So the tick tock the ticky talk
47:30
Yeah I still don't understand it cuz I'm an old.
47:32
Person, but that's fine. I don't either, but I'm not
47:35
gonna. Turn I love our people who have
47:38
caught us there cuz we've caught some folks through that.
47:42
So but just yeah, vote share if if this is the season of giving
47:47
it is share this podcast. Share.
47:49
Give it to a friend. Yeah, yeah.
47:52
And. We have a couple other ways you
47:53
might be able to share the word about us if you look us up on
47:56
social. Yeah, Arguing Ever after, pretty
47:59
much everywhere. Yeah, everywhere.
48:00
So that's. It Merry Christmas, see you next
48:05
time. Bye.
48:11
I just want to do my own thing. I just want to do my own thing.