2022 Holiday Spectacular! | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[Music]. welcome to stuff you should know a. production of I Heart Radio. [Music]. [Applause]. hey and welcome to the holiday cast I'm. Josh and Chuck is here and Jerry's here. and there's a million elves surrounding. us and making us kind of nervous because.

they're just looking at us and not. saying anything and this is stuff you. should know the holiday episode. the last recording of the year for us. great and I'm so excited about that and. you and I love our jobs but it doesn't. matter how much you love your job. uh vacation is better yeah some vacay is. better yeah agreed and this is going to. be our longest Christmas break yet and. we're both super excited to do that but.

we're even more excited to share with. you another set of. it's getting thin but another set of. great stories for Christmas I disagree I. feel reinvigorated I think we hit the we. hit rock bottom two years ago okay and. and we've been coming back ever since. and I feel great about this one did you. really look at two years ago was it bad. no no I just I remember it it was not it. was not great uh yeah I don't know I I.

need to be invigorated by you then. because every year I keep thinking oh. boy have. like that's a lot of years to be doing. six to eight Christmas stories like how. many are out there there's plenty man. we'll never run out come over here I'll. invigorate you right now okay all right. thank you. uh okay we're gonna start out with your. pick one of your picks yes um this is. actually from uh a listener named. Alexandra stock or Stoke I'm not sure I.

bet it's stuck she wrote in for several. years with a bunch of really good ideas. but she really really was pushing for. the chestnut one and I understand why. now because. um it's a really interesting story the. the the story behind why chestnuts used. to be basically like the the the symbol. of uh Christmas in America for a couple. hundred years until it just suddenly. stopped being that way. um and let's talk about that yeah and.

big thanks to USA Today. uh for a great article from Kate Morgan. I wonder if that's the same Kate Morgan. that writes for how stuff works. oh I don't know that's a great question. I bet it is at any rate uh if you've. ever heard the Christmas song not a. Christmas song but the Christmas song. yeah from crooner Nat King Cole you. might not even know that was the title. of uh what's more commonly referred to. as chestnuts roasting on an open fire. yeah uh this was recorded in 1946 it was.

a very big hit one of the biggest. Christmas songs of all times uh and I. guess it sort of acted like everyone. around was in America was sitting around. roasting chestnuts but I've never seen a. chestnut nor roasted or tasted one and. that's because by that point there were. no Chestnut trees in the United States. anymore no very sadly a blight started. to spread I think starting in 1904. and. within 40 years almost every single.

American chestnut tree was dead and how. many were there there were a lot of them. at one point uh half of the trees in the. forests on the East Coast from Maine to. Alabama as far west over to Kentucky and. Ohio wore chestnuts half of the trees in. those in that stretch were chestnuts and. I think there were as many as four. billion of them so that's a lot of. chestnut trees and that's a lot of. chestnuts and that's a lot of roasting.

because people used to eat these things. uh the chestnuts themselves were small. they're about Acorn sized and they had a. very obviously nutty flavor but very. sweet and carrot-like is what I've seen. when you just eat them out of the shell. yeah but then you roast them up a little. bit things got even nuttier and they got. a little sweeter as things often often. happen when they roast and it was a it. was like a American and a especially a. Christmas staple where on street corners.

in cities all over the United States in. the Eastern Seaboard there were Chestnut. Roasters serving up bags and bags of. this stuff yeah Kate Morgan puts it. really really great she says for more. than a century it was the smell of. Christmas in America oh nice I even. wrote gosh after that in my notes but. it's sad I mean think about that there. was this amazing tradition that dated. back easily to the the 18th century if. not even a little earlier in North.

America once Europeans came over and. discovered chestnuts that I'm quite sure. the indigenous peoples were well aware. of for long before that of course and. they said hey these are pretty amazing. and they made it not just part of. Christmas but you could find chestnuts. and dishes in America and like. throughout the year but something about. roasting chestnuts at Christmas time was. was very Christmassy. um and it's like you said Chuck we're. bereft those of us alive today who were. born after the mid-40s have never tasted.

a chestnut the way that it's supposed to. taste in America because the stuff we. got now it's not it's not holding up no. they're importing chestnuts uh I think. largely probably for the Christmas. season even though you can probably get. them uh I imagine all year round but. they're mainly imported from Korea or. Italy or China apparently and these are. not the American chestnuts they. apparently do not taste like they taste. that apparently they don't taste that.

great at all the way this one person. that was interviewed in here described. them was uh this is a Libby O'Connell. who's a food historian wrote a book. called The American Plate colon. culinary history in 100 bytes but Libby. describes them as sort of like a soft. potato and Bland and not like this. crunchy thing that you would think of. when you think of eating a rusted. Chestnut no and in a horrible ironic. twist those chestnuts that we're eating.

today in America like schmoes come from. the very same tree that was imported to. Long Island in the late 19th century. that started the blight that killed off. the American chestnut now you won't. catch me buying those then it's terrible. luckily there is a glimmer of hope there. is a group called The American chestnut. Foundation since 1983 they've planted at. least 73. 000 test trees they've been trying. really hard to crossbreed American.

chestnuts with Asian chestnuts so that. they'll be. immune to the blight but they'll still. produce those American chestnut. chestnuts they think maybe in a decade. maybe a little longer we will be able to. experience the Christmas chestnuts like. they used to have back in the days of. Nat King Cole that's right so if you. live in North Carolina Virginia. Tennessee or Pennsylvania. then your state is growing those test. Chestnut trees and we all have our.

fingers crossed a lot is writing on this. yeah yeah that's really well put in. Chuck so shall we climb in our sleigh. and hop over to the next roof yes let's. and we'll have Jerry give us a little. musical interlude in the meantime. I gotta tell you the songs Jerry puts in.

here it's my favorite part of this whole. thing I like us talking it's fine but. the the holiday trimming that that Jerry. puts on it is just magnificent and you. know what you're not gonna hear. oh yeah what ads that's right we we've. walled this one in the Halloween episode. off every year and say don't come near. my episode. right and I think it's a great tradition. if you ask me I think it is too there's. nothing like leaving money on the table. all right so you dug up some cool stuff.

along with Sean Flynn of Forbes Magazine. on some very special places all over the. world. that kind of have a a cottage Christmas. industry in one way or another and for. different reasons. yeah there's places that say this is. Santa Claus's home another place says no. this is Santa Claus itself yeah in other. places this is Santa Claus's summer home. um and or other people places are just. like we're not saying that we're just. celebrating Christmas year round that's.

right one of them is called the. rovaneyemi Finland where in Finland they. know Santa Claus is. in Finnish I've seen rare exports enough. times that I'm pretty sure that's how. they pronounce it what's rare exports. it's a Finnish uh Christmas movie that. came out five six seven years ago oh. yeah yes but they envisioned Santa Claus. is like a a demon not a not a friendly. elf and they have to basically capture. him and it's really interesting it's a.

great movie okay I'll have to check that. out. uh so in yo oh wait not in Yolo pukey. that's that's Santa Claus what am I. saying and rovanie. okay they are one of the ones that say. no this this is where Santa was born. it's the official home of Santa we have. the Santa Christmas house right over. there you can go visit it uh uh we have. a post office here where it is chock. full of letters from children all over.

the world and we even have a toy factory. so we lay claim I I looked at pictures. of rovanie in enchanting understates. that place I agreed it's amazing it. looks pretty pretty sweet so that's one. place they don't necessarily say Santa. lives here now but they say Santa was. born here yeah they've got a contender. over in Norway called drewbac and they. say oh yeah you think Santa was born in. Finland wrong he was born in Norway. under a rock outside of this town.

nothing is more fun and disturbing than. Scandinavian folk tales. it seemed like they always involved. something really weird right like Santa. was born under a rock a few hundred. years ago and that rock is right over. there they also of course have their own. post office. uh where kids send their list so kids. are they're sending their list to. different places all over the world. where I guess it depends on where your. parents allegiances lie yeah but I think. all of these um post offices like in.

drewbac and rovanie and the other places. we'll talk about know where to forward. them on to the North Pole so they get to. Santa right they're a mere way station. right exactly what about Alaska isn't. there a North Pole Alaska there is. um there's a place called the Santa. Claus house in North Pole Alaska and it. is. um supposedly Saint Nick's home I think. it's one of his many homes sure. um and it's really cute it's pretty. kitschy looking there's a lot of strange.

paintings outside of it but one of the. other things that they have are light. poles that are shaped like candy canes. that's yes that stretch along roads and. streets called Santa Claus Lane St. Nicholas Drive. um there's one I'm wondering if this is. a nod to the vacation movies Holiday. Road. oh yeah that was uh Lindsey Buckingham. was it it may have been Fleetwood Mac. R.I.P Christine McBee who just passed.

away in real time yeah very sad. yeah I know it's pretty neat to see how. many people are like this is a big deal. yeah very big deal I was very sad listen. to it all night oh. but but that's not what this is about no. this is about Santa Claus's sounds. around that world snowman Lane in North. Pole Alaska yeah so North Pole Alaska. another place that says this is where. Santa lives there's a place in Indiana. called Santa Claus Indiana and they say. no no this is where Santa Claus lives I.

can understand the the distinction here. because Indiana is much further south. than Alaska or Norway or Finland yeah so. this is possibly Santa Claus's like. summer home one of his summer homes yeah. this seems like the KOA Campground of. kitchen Santa places yeah because they. do have a campground they have a lake. Rudolph there with a campground and they. they pour it on pretty thick there in. Indiana with a light show that tells the. story of Rudolph and his travails and.

they have a Santa's Candy Castle yes. it's you know they've made it I'm glad. you included links to these places you. should go look them up it's it's pretty. fun to look at same as Candy Castle was. sponsored by the Curtis candy. Corporation new make Butterfinger and. Baby Ruth and they they opened this. place in 1935 to really kind of give. Santa Claus Indiana a boost of course. there's also a Santa Claus Museum that. would be worth visiting I'd love to go. visit that someday yeah you get in the. Christmas spirit right yeah another.

thing that'll get you in the Christmas. spirit in July even is the uh 81 foot. wide star over Bethlehem Pennsylvania. that's right that's on South Mountain it. was built in 1937. and apparently in 1937 it was. a real uh sort of sign of hope during. the Great Depression right and I believe. that the city itself was founded on. Christmas Eve there in Bethlehem in 1741.

so I'm sure I mean that's why they got. the name right yeah for sure and they. make no claim whatsoever on Santa Claus. having a home there having been born. there they're just fans really big fans. you know and then finally I guess Santa. has his beach condo. because who wouldn't if you were Santa. and you could just you know he basically. prints money every year you know sure uh. this is where where exactly is this in. Florida this is Inland um kind of along.

the St John's river so rather Beach he. would have like this is his airboat. um swamp getaway. okay give me a North or a South though. is it south. south of what. is it south of uh Gainesville yeah it's. east of Gainesville it's due east of. Orlando okay so I got you I got you so. we're right there in the center of the. state sorta yeah pretty much the center. right the Florida is very misleading. because it takes as long to drive to. Miami from Atlanta as it does to drive.

to New York. which seems hard to believe but it's. true but to drive from. um like Orlando to Tampa it takes an. hour and a half basically it's crazy you. can get to so many places in Florida in. two or three hours yeah it's just nuts. right but from tip to top to bottom it's. a long way yes agreed uh but Christmas. Florida uh used to be Fort Christmas. because it was a fort it was an Army. Stockade it was built in 1837 and they.

said hey I guess we got this place with. this name and we got a post office that. kids are going to want that postmark. once again from Christmas on stamped. onto their letter so that seems to be. the main industry now yeah is there a. post office it's it's true and they keep. it decorated year round to really. attract people and it works yeah I love. it for sure so there's some places you. could visit if you were like I really. want to feel closer to Santa this year. and I feel like doing some traveling. there's a great list for you everybody.

all right and now we are going to talk. about uh the two worst Christmas songs. in history. oh my. you might be right though now that I. think about it I hadn't hadn't. considered that but I think you're right. I mean there are certainly some annoying. like pop rock versions of Christmas. songs but it does not get much worse. then Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

and all I want for Christmas is my two. front teeth. uh I will say this Grandma Got Run Over. by a Reindeer is so infuriatingly catchy. it's been stuck in my head all day and I. didn't listen to it oh wow that's. hilarious just from reading it and doing. this research I've been walking around. bashing my head against the wall all day. it is catchy it's what people in the. corporate world would call Sticky it's. very sticky. um and it's actually way older than I.

thought I I think of that song as firmly. in the mid 80s yeah but apparently it. was written all the way back in 1977 by. a songwriter from Dallas named Randy. Brooks and depending on who you ask. either his grandmother left him out of. her will. or I don't buy that he no I don't either. I think it was a joke by whoever said it. and then um the the likelier one that I. think Randy Brooks says that he was just. thinking about those country songs he as.

he put it where they drag you into love. with the character and then kill them. off in the third verse yeah and how he. was kind of sick of that that kind of uh. songwriting and he wanted to kind of. make light of it so he started thinking. about Grandma being killed off and even. worse what about Grandma dying at. Christmas and he started wondering like. exactly how would Grandma die at. Christmas and it hit him like a flash. yeah it strikes me that Brooks may have. been sort of trying to get on the.

coattails of like Ray Stevens uh who was. a country sort of he made he wrote some. serious songs but he was kind of known. for novelty and joke songs. he was like the American Yakov Smyrna. yeah sort of uh he definitely looked. like I'm not gonna think about it yeah. but it was sort of a thing back then in. country music where you could write some. songs that were humorous and they could. end up being big hits so uh Brooks would. apparently do some of this apparently uh. did you mention the Johnny Walker thing.

no I didn't uh supposedly was headed to. bed with his guitar and quote his. co-writer Johnny Walker Black. and and wrote this song which you know. if you've never uh certainly that chorus. will stick in your head but uh how's it. Go Chuck I'm not gonna sing it but I. don't remember any of the words I knew. grandma got run over just from the. chorus but when you look at the lyrics. yeah it is uh it's very dark uh. Grandma's drunk on eggnog is like.

leaving the party and they're like no. don't go grandma and she's like I need. to get my meds and goes to get. medication drunk and gets run over by. Rudolph and they say they find her dead. in the snow with footprints on her. forehead yeah and Claws as in Santa. Claus marks on her back that's pretty. clever what else. um so the family celebrates Christmas. dressed in black because they're. mourning and they have like a whole.

conundrum in front of them they were. like should we just open Grandma's. presents or should we send them back. and then they the song goes over and. focuses on Grandpa who's handling the. whole thing really really well he's. having a party he's hanging out watching. football on TV and drinking beer and. playing cards and seems to be okay about. this whole thing. yeah so that's the essence of the song. uh like I said Brooks had made a name. sort of I it sounds like regionally. um writing these Ray stevens-esque. country songs and uh was performing it.

out one night when a married Duo married. at the time just divorced a handful of. years later named Elmo and Patsy were in. the audience and they were recording. artists and they said hey can we record. your song uh they're they weren't huge. stars but I looked them up and they were. they were pretty well known at the time. in that in the country music scene. and Dr Elmo went on to be a vet doctor. of veterinary medicine which I thought. was interesting I saw that too yeah so.

um uh Randy Brooks said sure you guys. can record my song and they actually. started pressing their own copies of. this I guess a single like a 45 of. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer so. this was I saw they met at a Hyatt in. Lake Tahoe during a blizzard and that's. where the whole thing happened but the. the upshot of it is um by Christmas day. in 1979 one of these singles had made. its way into the hands of a DJ in San. Francisco and this DJ played it on the.

radio for the first time and uh it. apparently was very polarizing from the. outset some people called the radio. station and said don't ever play that. record again other people said like. where can I get a copy of that record. and uh year by year it just kind of. slowly started to spread around the. country and then in 1983 that was the. year it just absolutely blew up yeah I. mean that's why you remember it as mid. 80s because in 83 it became a big big. hit. uh four ish plus years after it was.

written and a few years after it was. first recorded so that's it's definitely. or I guess actually more like uh. six years after it was written and four. years after it was recorded yeah very. unusual apparently it got a big boost. because Elmo and Patsy had gone to the. trouble of paying for a video to be made. just in time for MTV and MTV put it in. heavy rotation and it ended up being the. number one song on the billboard holiday.

charts for several years in a row and it. spawned a whole bunch of stuff it went. gold it eventually went platinum there's. toys. ugly sweaters there's a cartoon based on. it scented candles Randy Brook said. there was a hot chocolate mix couldn't. find that to corroborate it and then. there's a Christmas theme podcast I. found. um that seems to have released the most. recent episode last year but they have. 29 episodes under their belt grandma got.

run over by a podcast. uh as far as the two singers they got. divorced I think the next year in 1984. or so so yeah maybe all that success. went their head yeah that'll do it I've. seen that movie it could happen to you. can I read the last line you wrote this. last line right. yeah. not a bad run for a man whose co-writer. is scotch you like that oh that was. great that very much tickled me.

are we going to put a musical interlude. in between these two or are we going to. head right over to All I Want for. Christmas is My Two Front Teeth Let's. just head right over there a big thanks. I got most of this stuff uh there's a. bunch of histories of this song but the. most thorough was from the Greenville. theater. in Greenville South Carolina at. greenvilletheater.org and they they do. uh Christmas plays and I think they. perform this every year uh it will have. been ended by the time this comes out. but uh support local theater and support. the Greenville South Carolina Theater.

yeah and I found it confusing at first I. was like what is Greenville theater in. South Carolina have to do with this. because this whole thing took place in. at Smithtown Elementary in Smithtown New. York yeah Long Island yeah where a man. named Donald Gardner and his wife Doris. Gardner were music teachers at Smithtown. Elementary and Donald Gardner was um. coming trying to come up with a song for. the second graders at one point and he. noticed that they were talking amongst. themselves and kept saying like All I.

Want for Christmas Is All I Want for. Christmas Is and that's kind of a phrase. that they used and then at some point I. think Donald Gardner told a joke and all. the children started laughing and he. noticed something very significant about. those kids that inspired him uh they did. and he actually put a number thanks to. the Washington post I know the actual. statistic is 16 out of the 22 children. in the classroom were missing their. front teeth. uh the front two thing is funny when you. have a kid my daughter is pretty late on.

her teeth. losing her baby teeth so she still has. this cute little top baby teeth but. sometimes you'll see like as a kid as. young as like four and five that have. these giant honking front teeth. because you know those adult teeth come. in sometimes they don't fit in the mouth. so well yeah no true but it's always. funny to see her friends at school like. a lot of them have those big teeth she's. still got her little teeth but losing. the two front teeth is a big deal I.

remember I lost my front too in pretty. quick succession we talked about uh and. I even put it on my Instagram when my. mom dressed me up as Huckleberry Finn. for the photo shoot which you can find. at Chuck at Chuck the podcaster on my. Instagram you have to dig back because. is I'm not going to repost it or. anything like that. but losing the front teeth is a big deal. all these kids had their teeth out and. that struck Donald Gardner is very funny. and apparently he whipped up the song. You Can Tell in about 30 minutes yeah.

that's that's pretty amazing though he. was also like he he was a music teacher. he also was really good at writing music. as well he went on to write songs for. musical textbooks among other things but. um the song initially was just relegated. to Smithtown Elementary for the first. several years but it became a tradition. that they still carry on today at. Smithtown Elementary they have a holiday. sing-along and invariably they play or.

sing All I Want for Christmas is My Two. Front Teeth. um but it really kind of blew up in 1948. when it was first recorded and kind of. hit I think that's the impression I have. after Spike Jones and his City Slickers. recorded it yeah there was a lady right. before this who heard Gardner sing this. thing at a teacher's conference and said. that's really catchy why don't you meet. my boss at uh witmark music company they. published the song and then.

like you said Spike Jones and his City. Slickers put it out and it was uh yeah. it was a number one hit in 1949 doesn't. get much bigger and it got covered most. um notably by The Chipmunks yeah that. was A Chipmunk song wouldn't it it was. man the Chipmunks Christmas songs are. great you know we let's do a lot of. Christmas music over the course of. December uh I love it until I don't. right but um Emily she Dives in right.

after Thanksgiving and in fact I wanted. to play it before Thanksgiving this year. I was like babe it's come on too early. just too early can we at least wait till. after Thanksgiving so yeah we haven't. put on the Chipmunks yet but that's. always a fun one in the house my. favorite of all time is Ferrante and. tyker they're Dueling Pianos I haven't. heard that one good stuff yes yes it is. just I I mean I'm sure it's nostalgic. for me because I grew up on that but I I. don't I can't imagine anybody would hear.

it and be like this is terrible what's. like it's really great Ferrante. f-e-r-r-a-n-t-e and tiger. t-e-i-c-h-e-r and they actually did the. theme to Midnight Cowboy too they were. really accomplished uh musicians but. they would both play grand pianos that. was like their thing and their take on. Christmas songs with two grand pianos at. once is really really something to hear. well that's what I will try and do most. times is put on uh like Christmas piano. solo stuff to keep from hearing oh the.

bad pop music so they're willing to love. them yeah yeah that in a little Mannheim. Steamroller and I'm all set. stirring stuff. all right I think it's slay time right. it is let's slay uh on over to something. else with the musical interview. [Music]. so Chuck um we got a little shorty here. that we're gonna squeeze in about. peppermint because if you stop and think.

about it I can't think of a taste. especially now that Chestnut trees are. all dead that is associated with. Christmas more than peppermint you know. yeah uh you might get those little. peppermints on the way out of a. restaurant but sure aside from that. you're not going to be tasting a lot of. peppermint I don't think outside of. December no and there's a writer named. Sam Worley for epicurus who kind of. rattles off some good examples like. there's a bunch of mochas in Starbucks. that uses it sure there's ice cream.

treats called Frosty trees that I looked. up I was not aware of Frosty trees and. now I really want a frosty tree have you. ever had one no is it like a hand pie. basically but in the shape of a. Christmas tree made of peppermint ice. cream okay a frozen hand pie so so the. peppermint is it's kind of The. Unofficial flavor of Chris Christmas and. Worley asks a pretty good question like. what you know why how did that happen he. ascribes it to peppermint candy canes I.

think that's a pretty good case but I. also think you could make a case that. peppermint is like a cool blast of. winter in your mouth oh yeah so I could. see just from that as well being. associated with it yeah totally it's not. like it tastes like you know broiled. liver. no boy that would be imagine the world. if that was the taste of Christmas. oh uh as The Story Goes and I found this. in a bunch of different places and Sam.

Morley kind of helped to verify it at. Epicurious but. um as The Story Goes and certainly in. the book The Oxford companion to sugar. and sweets there was a German Coral. Master uh in Cologne Germany in the sort. of latest 17th century who had some. Rowdy German kids at a live nativity and. was like this is getting out of hand. every time these kids come in all. they're doing is cutting up so can I get. something uh Mr local candy maker like a.

candy that will last for an hour or so. and keep them busy and voila the candy. cane right because nothing settles kids. down like a sugar stick. yeah but that's how it came up and. apparently because of that link to the. Nativity that's the reason that candy. cane is curved it's supposed to. replicate a Shepherd staff or Echo it I. guess like that yeah and I think. originally there were only white and the. red stripes came a little later. uh and I think you know it's funny you.

think of peppermint as like red and. white but that's I think that's probably. strictly coloring right yeah peppermint. is I mean it's it's a lot like spearmint. it looks very green and leafy yeah. um and it's apparently indigenous to the. Middle East and Europe and it was used. as like a a medicine for a really long. time but yeah I I can't imagine. peppermint is anything but red and white. stripe too. that's what we know it as I am not a big. peppermint guy but I'll I'll munch on a. little candy cane every now and then for.

nostalgia's sake oh sure I like the. fruity kinds though more than anything. oh like the rainbow colored. what about the big giant miniature. baseball bat peppermint candy canes that. you would get as a kid it's a little. ostentatious for me do you remember. those though sure they were like uh like. billy clubs they were and if you had an. older brother they were probably used. like a billy club against you although. not Scott Scott would never do something.

like that he would never do that he he. would he would lick his into a uh. vampire killing spear right and just. drive it right through the back of your. knee that's right. um so here's a little fact for you you. can bust out at your next Christmas. party or holiday gathering the candy. cane was invented about 200 years before. it became peppermint flavor it was this. kind of green sugar flavor up to that. point yeah like uh lick them stick. yeah I I love those as well.

all right did that uh slay is calling. her name my friend let's get in the. seat's still warm gross. [Music]. sorry I wish that nettle that broiled. liver. I mean alive I thought with the open air. of the sleigh it might not really hit. your nostrils too bad but no Christmas. is ruined now I was mistaken. So speaking of Christmas. how about Elvis how about him.

so you dug something up about um Elvis. and and Christmas apparently the two. went hand in hand and if you stop and. think about Elvis I am not at all. surprised that that this particular. season was like the end-all be-all to. him yeah Elvis was very into his family. and his friends uh very into just sort. of home in America and uh just a. well-grounded Tennessee truck addict. you're right I was about to say really.

into Benzedrine uh but he was way into. Christmas and I have been to Graceland. two times I went once regular and I went. once during Christmas and oh you show. off it is really lovely I would. recommend going not at Christmas it's. sort of like uh if you've ever been to. the Biltmore House in Asheville I I find. that the regular tour is better than the. Christmas because it's so over overdone. Christmas oh yeah it kind of gets in the. way a little bit of just the regular. beauty of both of these places I see but.

Elvis did it up for Christmas. um colored lights everywhere uh six. eight foot Christmas trees out front. blue lights up that long driveway uh. it's funny they call it a mansion. Graceland was not that big uh every time. people go to Graceland for the first. time they're always like huh this is it. I remember thinking that. it's a fun visit and you should I mean. you and Yumi should definitely go at. Christmas if you haven't been it's if. you've seen it regular then you should.

go at Christmas yeah we saw it regular. style not peppermint style right you. said that he lined uh his house with. blue lights I just find that so. wonderful like yes plain white lights. are good yeah even multi-colored lights. are good but something about blue lights. at Christmas uh are just they just they. really kind of make it more Christmassy. to me for some reason totally and that. was sort of the style back then before. everyone thought like the only thing you. could do was classy white lights right. exactly I know you like your colored.

lights yeah no I love the big fat. multi-colored bulbs for sure but. something about the small blue lights. too I'm kind of my tastes have evolved. into that I think so we have a quote. here from the Memphis press. scimitar. in 1966 where Elvis said it really is. the best season of the year man the. Christmas carols trees and lions just. grab you something about Christmas and. being home I just can't explain maybe. he's being with family and friends time. to read and study and of course snowball.

fights and the sleigh rides and you know. just home. beautiful. that was wonderful Elvis yeah I think he. did a great job describing it so you can. imagine that Elvis as he was and as rich. as he was and as much as he liked. Christmas he really overdid it with. presents usually employees got big fat. cash bonuses. friends and family would get anything. from like jewelry to cars to dogs he.

gave a girlfriend a poodle once. um he just really liked to do it up. and apparently between 1954 and 1976 he. celebrated 23 Christmases at Graceland. whenever he could he would make his way. home and and spend the holidays at. Graceland and more often than not he was. he was able to that's right and we know. this because of the book Elvis colon day. by day by Ernst Jorgensen and Peter.

girl Nick garelnick I think you got it. the second time I think so but uh they. they went year by year and it sounds. like day by day uh but we're gonna go. over a handful of these years that are. notable uh in 54. uh this is before. Elvis was a big famous star and his. family lived in a little apartment on. Alabama Street and just the week before. that Elvis made his first sort of. musical appearance at the Louisiana. hayride radio program a few days after. Christmas he ended up playing a club in.

Houston and his career started uh on its. way basically yeah but 1956 was his. breakout year get this he had 17 songs. on the Billboard 100 that year three of. them were number one in 1956. so in 1957. he had bought Graceland and this is his. first Christmas at Graceland but it was. ruined by the US Military. that's right a few days before Christmas. he got his draft notice and on Christmas.

Eve he uh asked for a deferment and got. it and pushed that by just a few months. uh oh actually a year and a few months. pushed his deferment to March 20th. 1958. yeah that's still just a few. months. oh okay yeah that's all yours work. [Laughter]. are you gonna make me cough what else. happened in 1958 oh his mother died it. was his first uh Christmas without his. mother I'm sure that was rather sad it. was it was also a Christmas that he.

spent in Germany because he was. stationed there during his military. service so he probably was not very. happy in Christmas 1958 he's trying to. make the best of it not a blue light to. be found in Germany and his his mom was. missing so not the best Christmas of all. time uh 59 was his first with Priscilla. but you mentioned the girlfriend who got. the French poodle. um he had a girlfriend at the time named. Anita wood and he sent Anita the French.

poodle while he was canoodling in. Germany with Priscilla but by 1966. he said it's it I'm I'm I'm gonna make. an honest man out of myself and he. proposed to to Priscilla on Christmas. Eve which now I understand that's a. super Elvis thing to do. um and uh apparently between 1967 and. 1973 there wasn't a whole lot going on. just happy normal holidays uh because we.

pick up again at 1974. yeah and this was. you know the last few years of Elvis's. life are well documented is not being. great for his health uh he was having. some health problems in 74 during. Christmas and so to pick his spirits up. I think he flew in a gospel backup group. called voice uh a few times in and out. of Memphis just so they could sing with. him at Graceland yeah that's pretty cool. what about the last one why are you. leaving that to me.

I'll take it then so this is the year I. was born I've always been convinced that. I Am The Reincarnation of Elvis. 76 is the last Christmas of um of. Elvis's life. um he apparently it says that he had a. bizarre Las Vegas engagement was that. the the very famous like. Vegas. fat Elvis. well sure in 76 absolutely okay so then. that that happened right before. Christmas then yeah but that was I can't.

remember the incident uh but there was. one concert in particular that kind of. went off the rails okay it sounds like. it was this Las Vegas one yeah I think I. think it's one where like he couldn't. remember lyrics and he was sweaty and it. was just a bad scene that's not good so. um that was his last show before. Christmas I guess he went and. recuperated and then two days after he. started up another tour at Wichita State. um and then six and a half months later. he died where Chuck. on the toilet at Graceland right well I.

was just going to say it Graceland but. yes. yeah. you can't go up there in his in his. personal quarters as you know no totally. can't go up the stairs at Graceland. so that was Elvis and Christmas in the. blue lights there I love that they were. like all right Elvis we got one more. tour in you let's launch it at Wichita. State University. where all the best tours are kicked off. uh all right should we finish up with a. a boozy recipe like we like to do I.

think we should but first how about a. musical interlude from Jerry. okay Chuck I don't know if we had a. boozy recipe the last couple years so. it's time to bring it back and this one. anyone can make you can make it with. your eyes closed you can make it with. your feet you can make it very easily if. you're you could have your. eight-year-old child make it for you if. you wanted to it's just that easy but.

what's interesting about it it's called. Moose milk and it's Associated. exclusively with the Canadian military. that's right apparently all of the. militaries in Canada the Army and the. Navy and the Air Force and their moose. Patrol. they all claim uh I guess ownership or. at least claim to have written the. recipe but we do know that regardless of. who did it it was a drink that was. concocted back in World War II and has.

become just very very customary drink to. have in Canada I think certainly for the. military but I think all the way around. Canada right yeah especially on. Christmas and New Year's Day yeah. so um there's a lot of different things. you can do there's a lot of different. ingredients as you'll you'll get the. gist of it from this and you can kind of. let your imagination run wild and that's. kind of what you're supposed to do. you're supposed to make it to taste. using as much or as little as you want. but our friends at Atlas obscura found a.

recipe from the Cape Breton news and. they recommend that you basically stay. with whiskey rum or vodka I've seen rum. more often than not and apparently. though the military used rum when they. ran out of whiskey so I would recommend. one of those too but if you don't like. the brown Liquors vodka apparently works. yeah this sounds I barely even drink. anymore. but I am inspired by this very soothing. sweet sounding Christmas treat so I'm.

going to have one of these soon okay but. you should probably have it in the. morning because of the first ingredient. or else you'll stay up all night nah. coffee didn't keep me up so one cup of. cold coffee. a cup of half and half. that's a lot that's a one to one cup. yeah holy cow uh what else you got in. there ice cream maybe yeah one and a. half cups good vanilla ice cream not the. cheap stuff like the vanilla bean. perhaps so and this is um this is.

basically uh I don't know how many. um servings this makes now that I think. about it but based on the the amount of. liquor I would guess one serving because. it just calls for two ounces. um of rum whiskey or vodka it actually. says and or. uh and then a tablespoon of Kahlua and. you mix it all together in a bowl whisk. it until the ice cream has melted and. then you put it in a cup and top it off.

with either nutmeg or dark chocolate. shavings to make it classy I would say. it not for the lactose intolerant. no definitely not and I've seen that. mentioned like this is this is not for. for you if you are lactose intolerant. um but regardless of what. um recipe you use whoever posts the. recipe invariably mentions that if. you're in the military go ahead and. double the amount of alcohol called for. yeah I mean if you've got a cup of. coffee a cup of cream.

and ice cream I think you could stand. you know a half a cup of rum sure. I could Navy strength no way that's gin. yeah I think there's Navy strength rum. too though oh okay this is I mean this. is not too far off from a uh one of. those trendy espresso martinis that's. right that's right because the Kalua and. the coffee yeah really kind of make it. like that so that's kind of a fancier. version I found another one on a um a.

cooking website called with love from. Bex b-e-x. and her recipe apparently her husband. was in the Canadian military so I'm. getting the impression that it's adapted. from him it's way easier it's way more. straightforward and this is the one that. your eight-year-old can make for you. yeah this one's got ice cream vanilla. again uh and rum but this time it's got. eggnog in it and then just a little. nutmeg. that's about it so you but again you.

just mix it all together mix it all. together and then whip it up into a cup. and she she uses like two liters ice. cream four liters eggnog two liters rum. and a tablespoon of nutmeg obviously. this is for more than one person I hope. I really hope yeah I wonder if our buddy. uh our colleague Alex at work has a. great tradition he does every year where. he makes the George Washington recipe. yeah for boozy eggnog and he makes big.

batches and bottles and leaves it on his. front porch and sends out the email to. all of us and says hey it's out there. again this year come by and get some if. you want yeah and he makes the NOG from. scratch oh yeah eggs and everything I've. made I've made the recipe with sour made. eggnog but then with Brandy I think. whiskey and rum yeah and it's really. really good is it but I yeah and I've. yet to have any of Alex's I'm sure that. it's just knock your socks off when it's. made from scratch and Alex says a great. uh podcast as well called ephemeral that.

we can recommend and also before we. close uh I did a guest spot on another I. heart show called. parenting is a joke. with a great uh ophira Eisenberg of uh. aspie and other Fame and she's got a. show with us our old buddy Julie Smith. produces it oh really that's awesome. yeah so Julie got in touch and she's. like hey you want to be on talk about. parenting and so I'm on an episode that. has already dropped it'll be a few weeks. old by the time you hear this where I.

talk about parenting and uh and Ruby's. adoption story and if you stay and. listen through the credits there's a. very short little 45 second interview uh. with Ruby that's adorable oh that is. adorable great plug Chuck so check it. out and it's a it's a really good show. and check out ephemeral and happy. holidays everybody yeah yeah here's the. part where we wish everybody Happy. Holidays right I mean I just did okay. well I'm gonna take it up from there I'm.

gonna say merry Christmas happy New Year. yeah have a Tip-Top tet happy Hanukkah. happy Kwanzaa sure happy holidays in. general however you celebrate them uh. we're really glad that you hung out with. us and we hope we gave you some holiday. spirit right Chuck that's right and uh. we always like to think of our listeners. who have a bad time this time of year. because it's true for a lot of people uh. it's not all merry meant for everyone so. if the holiday seasons are rough for you. then we are thinking about you and you.

are not alone and uh we just want to. wish everyone well and uh let's let's. head into 2023 feeling good yeah so from. Chuck and Jerry and me and from Frank. the chair from Dave C from Max from Ben. from everybody here stuff you should. know have a happy holiday.

thank you. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeartRadio for more podcasts my heart. radio visit the iHeartRadio app Apple. podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows.