
Neal and Toby go through a typical Thanksgiving Day and share some facts you may not know
Loading summary
A
The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. In what possible world do I need the seven pound bag of wasabi peas that social media is obsessed with showing me? To reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 130 million decision makers. You can target your buyers by job title, industry and more. Spend $250 on your first campaign and LinkedIn will even give you a $250 credit on your next one. Do just go to LinkedIn.com mbd that's LinkedIn.com mbd Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads.
B
Good morning Brew Daily Show. I'm Neal Freyman.
C
And I'm Toby Howell.
B
Today, a Thanksgiving feast with a side of business.
C
We'll stuff you with fun facts to bring up at the meal. The rest will be gravy. It's Thursday, November 27th. Let's eat.
B
Happy Thanksgiving. As you all go about your day, we have a feeling that many of your plans will follow a similar itinerary. You'll watch a certain parade broadcast from.
C
New York City, some cooking and some eating, obviously, a little bit of football.
B
And maybe a neighborhood walk.
C
And of course, listening to your distant relatives share their off color opinions.
B
Toby and I are going to do our best tour guide impressions and dive into each of these events alongside you and give a little business insight and context to each one.
C
Think of it as some small talk fodder to bring up if that one cousin starts droning on about their AI startup over dessert. But before we dive in, a quick word from our sponsor U.S. bank. With an uncertain economy, we're all budgeting carefully. The last thing anyone wants to pay for is an unexpected bill completely out of pocket. That's where the US Bank Split Card comes in.
B
Introducing the US Bank Split World MasterCard, a new type of card that lets you pay later on every purchase. With a split card, all purchases are automatically divided into three payments and placed into a payment plan to be paid back over three months.
C
And if you're looking for additional flexibility, any purchase over 100 bucks can be extended to 6 or 12 months with equal monthly payments for a low monthly fee. So whether you're covering an unexpected vet bill or are splurging on concert tickets, you can pay later on every purchase with the U.S. bank split card.
B
Learn more@usbank.com splitcard that's usbank.com splitcard to.
C
Start off your Thanksgiving holiday, you likely gotta travel to your Turkey Day. If you flew, I would bet your attire was on the comfy, cozy side, maybe some sweatpants and an MBD sweatshirt. But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy isn't a fan of your get up. The DOT recently launched a civility initiative aimed at bringing back the golden age of travel. The purpose is to jumpstart a nationwide conversation about restoring courtesy and class to air travel that includes helping others with their overhead luggage, thanking flight attendants and pilots, and dressing with respect. Now, if your immediate reaction to that is, you're not my mom, Sean Duffy, you don't get to tell me how I should act at the airport. That's fair. Faced with reduced legroom, tighter seating density, fewer amenities, and more delays, it's no wonder flyers aren't bringing happy, go lucky vibes to the airport. But Duffy and the Department of Transportation do have the data that backs up their concerns. Since 2021, nearly 14,000 instances of unruly passengers have been reported. There's been a 400% increase since since 2019, including a record 5,900 in 2021. A lot of those were tied to mask mandates during COVID but incidents remain historically elevated. Neil, should we all be wearing suits to the airport again?
B
Never. And I think that was generally the consensus among people online when they saw this presentation and this call from Sean Duffy to dress up at the airport. Because you got so many things going against you at the airport, why do you need to put on some uncomfortable clothing? Me, I guess I go full athleisure sweatpants. I still keep my shoes on even during long flights as a sign of respect to the people around me. But I also don't think it's the worst thing in the world if you're flying overseas. You know, get a little comfy in that respect. Also, you said that has the data to back them up. But also I want to share some contrarian data. In 2023. It's the most recent data we have available. The FAA reported almost 2,000 incidents. That is a sharp decline from the peak in 2021. So it seems like now that masks are over and the pandemic is generally behind us, people are starting to behave more respectfully. What you could say is that people are sharing videos online more often, and that increased reporting is why we think that airports and planes are a huge chaos at the moment.
C
Yeah, I mean, we've all seen it. And actually the Department of Transportation used those videos to advance their agenda. Here they had this promotional video that in the first part, it's a idyllic version of air travel set to Frank Sinatra's Come Fly with me. And it's showing, you know, the Pan Am days and TWA days where people wore suits and had these very luxurious travel experiences. And then it contrasts that to videos of people, you know, fighting in the airport, yelling at each other, putting their feet all over things. It's a very effective contrast. And the general idea is if everyone is just more polite, maybe it even starts with what you're wearing. If you dress not in your pajamas, you might feel more of, you know, some kinship and some. The. You want to be more polite to people around you if you are dressed for that sort of interaction. So obviously it's going to spark some backlash, though, because what have airlines done is they've stripped away all the amenities that used to make air travel a luxury experience. And that is their weaponizing nostalgia. Air travel at the time was unaffordable for a lot of people. Now it's a lot more. It's a mass transit system. You wouldn't wear a suit on the subway. You wouldn't dress up to take the bus. Why should you dress up to take an airplane?
B
A lot of the frustration stems from those things that those carry ons that you have to take with you because they charge airlines charge 35, 40, $45 to check baggage. So I've gotten pissed trying to get that thing above, above my seat, my suitcase above my seat, or my backpack below my seat. So you can see the frustration. It's pretty interesting to look at airline clothing policies. You know, what do they require on board? Do they have any policies? It does vary by airlines. Spirit Airlines, where a lot of these videos are taken, we should admit, on the way back and forth to Miami, does have a policy updated its rules earlier this year saying that passengers could be banned from boarding if they are, quote, inadequately clothed, including if they are barefoot. Final note on this, I just want to mention this is not just a US issue. The Netherlands had 1440 unruly passenger reports last year, compared to 730 in 2019. And the UK had double the rate of incidents in 2024 over 2019. So people across the world are just fed up with flying. That said, they're going to be flying a lot this Thanksgiving. The FAA expects this Thanksgiving holiday from Tuesday to Sunday to be the busiest period for air travel in 15 years, with Tuesday specifically two days ago. So seeing the most air travelers.
C
Take a train. Take a train if you can.
B
I am taking a train. I have taken a train. Okay, so you finally arrived at your house, put the suit you were wearing on the Plane at the dry cleaners and wake up in your childhood bed on Thanksgiving morning. What's the game plan? Make a big pot of coffee and turn on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Of course, the tradition, now in its 101st year, has become more popular than ever. At a time when other live entertainment broadcasts are hemorrhaging viewers, the three and a half hour Thanksgiving parade has surged to all time highs. 31.3 million people watched the parade on NBC and Peacock last year, up 10% from the previous record set in 2024. For the past four years, it's been the number one entertainment show on television, crushing everything not named the NFL or presidential debates. Clearly people love watching their favorite characters float down New York City's cavernous avenues to Macy's flagship store in Herald Square where it all began in 1924. During Thanksgiving of that year, Macy staged what was then a Christmas themed parade to celebrate the expansion of its store, which at 1.5 million square feet was the world's largest. Toby when it comes to viewership of live events, Oscars way down. Grammys way down. Emmys down. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade way up. Why is it bucking the trend?
C
There's a couple of psychological reasons that play into it. One is the fact that one, it's just a captive audience. There's a lot of people at home, there's a lot of people who just toss the TV on. It's habit at this point. So obviously television ratings are going to be up when a lot of people are in their homes, you know, cooking their Thanksgiving day meals. It's also very structured and almost social media friendly in a way in the fact that the segments are 5 to 10 minute max. It's constantly coming up, it's always moving, there's different characters coming on screen. So if you want to talk about our social media trained brains, it scratches that itch. And then it is a live event. So there is an, there is an air of unpredictability to it. Is it going to be bad weather? Are the balloons going to fly away? So it adds some of that live event flair that you know, live sporting events are so good at creating. So it is almost like a sporting event in the sense that you don't know what's going to happen and then finally it's just nostalgic as well. Everyone grew up with the Bases Day Parade. They want to show their kids it passes down through generations. It always starts the same way, it always ends the same way. So there's just that familiar heartbeat to a Thanksgiving Day. And the Macy's is right at the center of it.
B
And another thing is it really captures the audience in middle America too, in a way. A lot of those award shows that we're talking about, viewership going down does not. There's very little politics going on. No one's getting up. No celebrities are getting up, giving you a speech and grandstanding up there. They have these high school and college marching bands from all over the country. So if you're from West West Virginia, South Dakota, Arkansas, you, you are tuning in to see your particular marching band. And then also if you are a Broadway fan but you live in Kansas or somewhere that's kind of far from New York City, they have these Broadway performances coming on a couple of times every hour. So you can see those shows that you've been wanting to see but haven't been able to get to New York City. So they've really just perfected this formula and they don't really change it that much each year. They just add in new characters that jive with whatever's going on in pop culture to keep your interest peaked year after year. It's just a great broadcast. They know exactly what they're doing and it's just surged in the last few years.
C
It also makes a lot of money for NBC. They're charging $865,000 for a 30 second ad spot. That was last year's total. It's not the Super Bowl. But again, when you compare it to every other award shows, only the Oscars fetches a higher premium than the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade does. So it is one of the more valuable ad properties on TV today outside of, you know, anything that involves football.
B
Let's talk about this. You're going to watch it in a few hours. So the first time, first time inflatables this year are going to include Buzz Lightyear, Derpy Tiger, Mario, Pac Man, Shrek's Onion Carriage, and of course Labu Boo, which is the best selling toy. The huge craze that we've seen this year and then in terms of other breakout hits that we're going to see for the first time is the cast of K Pop Demon Hunters. They're going to be on a float and you have to hope that they sing. This is Hunt Tricks. This is the biggest band. They are fictional, but they are the biggest band this year. You know, being more popular in Taylor Swift. In some respects, it is Netflix's biggest movie of all time. So very pumped for that performance. The parade is Over. Your cousins are showing up in the driveway. One has a weird new piercing, and it's time to eat. The centerpiece of all Thanksgivings is the meal, traditionally anchored by a massive turkey with a host of mix and match sides. There's one side we want to focus on this year. The humble cranberry. Cranberries have been a key part of the Thanksgiving meal for centuries, and it's estimated that Americans will eat 80 million pounds of the tart fruit over Thanksgiving week. It's also a fascinating product from a business perspective, particularly when you look at the company that dominates cranberry sales, Ocean Spray. Ocean Spray farmers are responsible for 65% of the world's cranberries, but even more importantly, they take in 100% of the profits. That's because Ocean Spray is a cooperative owned by 700 farmers across several U.S. states and Canada. It was started in 1930 by a group of, quote, three maverick farmers who wanted to figure out ways to stabilize plummeting prices and sell cranberries all year round, not just during Thanksgiving time. Since then, Ocean Spray has diversified into a bunch of different products, from sauce to juice to Craisins, helping create a $2 billion a year business in which only 5% of cranberries harvested are sold as whole berries. Toby. Thanks to skateboarding Fleetwood Mac dude, Ocean Spray got us through Covid, but it's always been there for us for Thanksgiving.
C
That is such a good, fun fact to drop at the table that. Did you know that only 5% of cranberries are sold as whole berries? A lot of them end up in juice blends. They get diluted with other juices, but some of the red juices out there that you think is, you know, grapes or apple are actually diluted with cranberry juice. So that's.
B
Don't say diluted.
C
Well, it is diluted.
B
It's infused.
C
Infused, yes. Made better by cranberries. Cranberries are just a weird fruit, though. You've seen the pictures of farmers waiting in these bogs because they flood the fields during winter to protect the plants, but then they flood them again during harvest. They drive a floating harvester through it. Cranberries have these four little air pockets in them, so they float. And that is why you see these farmers and waiters pushing them towards, you know, an elevator to get them out of the bogs themselves. Interestingly enough, though, as the cranberry industry is not the biggest industry in the world, so they are gaining a lot of money from tourism because it's fun to wade in the Boggies with the cranberries. And oftentimes they end up throwing away the cranberries that the tourism tourists waited around in because they're making more money off of charging 80 bucks for a bog tour than actually selling the berries themselves. So just an interesting wrinkle in the business model that now people just want to get in there and mix it up with the berries themselves. Yeah.
B
One family farmer in Massachusetts said that they make five times from visitors what they would make from actually selling their crop. And that's a good segue to what I want to talk about next Massachusetts, because I'm from Massachusetts. If you go to Cape Cod or any part on the southeastern region of the state, you're going to see cranberry bogs. And it is Massachusetts number one agricultural export. The cranberry is, you know, the. Massachusetts is the spiritual home of the cranberry. But this industry has been shrinking in Massachusetts. It's falling behind other states. Wisconsin is now the largest cranberry producer in the United States. It's leapfrog Massachusetts. There are only 300 farmer cranberry farmers left in Massachusetts. So they are relying on tourism. Reminds me a lot of what's going on with various vineyards and wineries. They are catering towards wine tastings and having people come through because what they're actually selling in wine is not as. Is not nearly as much as what they can get from people coming by.
C
The real question that I have to ask you though is are you a fan of cranberry? Are you putting on the turkey or.
B
Love the cranberry. Love, love the acidity, love the tartness, love the temperature difference that it, it beholds with the, with the turkey. And there's just a really nice relationship between those two.
C
But do you like the crayon one with the ridges on it or the, like the canned one or do you like fresh?
B
I think my mom's been making a homemade one for, for a bit with like just, you know, whole cranberries still in there. So that's just my, my family tradition.
C
Give me canned all the way. It's a little sweeter than, you know, natural one, but I'm sure your mom's is, is wonderful. All right, we're going to take a quick break and come back after this with what you do after the meal. Neil, have you ever had an issue get so out of hand you couldn't deal with it anymore?
B
Yes, as it turns out, you cannot build an indoor pool in a one bedroom Brooklyn apartment.
C
I love your optimism, but think of how bad something like cost can get as your business grows. That's why WooCommerce is designed to give you complete control over your costs, allowing your business to grow without platform fees eating into your margins.
B
Choose every component of your tech stack, from hosting to payment gateways, based on your budget and business needs.
C
Avoid costly platform fees that cut into your margins as you grow. Only pay for what you use, not for enterprise packages filled with tools you don't need.
B
To learn more, visit woo.comcost that's woo.comcost.
C
And now a word from our sponsor, Vanguard Financial Advisors. Listen up. Capturing value in fixed income is not easy. Bond markets are massive, murky and let's be real, lots of firms throw a couple flashy funds your way and call it a day. But not Vanguard.
B
Vanguard bonds are institutional quality. Institutional quality isn't a tagline, it's a commitment to your clients. It means top grade products across the board. Their lineup includes over 80 bond funds.
C
Vanguard's been in the game a long time, and their scale gives them a serious edge. They're able to invest across all kinds of sectors, maturities and geographies.
B
So if you're looking to give your clients consistent results year in and year out, go see the record for yourself@vanguard.com audio that's vanguard.com/audio all investing is subject to risk of Vanguard Marketing Corporation distributor the meal is wrapping up. We just finished the last scraps of pie. But instead of entering a food coma and hitting the couch, here's a different idea. Go on a fart walk. The concept of a fart walk has blown up on social media as a way to relieve bloating and pass gas after a big meal. And it's maybe the one TikTok trend that's backed up by science. Gastroenterologists say crop dusting is a great way to improve long term health. Or as they would probably put it, walking after meals does promote intestinal motility by helping stimulate the bowels. There's also a secondary positive effect. A walk can help blunt the spike in blood sugar you will inevitably get after consuming your body weight in turkey and stuffing. And the best part of a fart walk? It's way better than doing the dishes. I'm all in.
C
I'm all in it too. And also just anecdotally I've experienced. No one wants to hear this. No one wants to smell that rather. But there is science that backs this up. Because what do you want to do after you have a big meal? Probably lie down on the couch. But an upright Posture, it helps expel gas 33% more efficiently than lying down. So upright posture, walk around a little bit, you know, have a little hitch in your giddy up, get some of that gas out. It also is just you're doing a service to everyone in the house as well. No one wants you, you know, laying on the couch, passing gas. We'd rather get you out of the house, getting things moving and, you know.
B
Following the science here, the bottom line here from the science, when you get moving, so does the stuff in your belly. So the meal ends at your place and you go, hey, does anybody want to go for a fart walk? What is the reaction from the audience, do you think?
C
Well, I think you just frame it as anyone want to go for a walk? You don't necessarily need to brand it like that and then let everyone kind of do their fun things. Yeah, I mean, actually bring it up over. Over meal. Because I will say my, my fiance has this thing called blood sugar walks, which it does. It helps blunt the effects of blood sugar, and I have been co opting those into my own private, you know, fart walks that, yes, we're, we're taming the effects of the blood sugar spike. But also, yeah, you're getting the gas moving a little bit. All right, after your fart walk, it might be time for a cousin walk. Oftentimes initiated by an invitation to go walk the dog or just get some air. The end result is often glazed eyes in a case of the giggles. That's because these days, a cousin walk is the codename people use to go smoke some weed. And it's become as common a staple on Thanksgiving as eating turkey. With widespread legalization of marijuana across the country, companies have caught on and are actively marketing around it. Green Wednesday is as much of a thing as Black Friday. The day before Thanksgiving has become the second biggest cannabis sales day of the year, behind 420. Everyone from dispensaries to food brands have latched onto the idea of cousin walks to make some green by selling some green. Neil, do you have any cousins coming over for Thanksgiving?
B
I don't have any cousins. I probably have a sibling or one sibling that I could ask to go on a. A brother walk, though I will not. I'll just end that conversation there. But it's true that brands have tried to capitalize on this and make cousin walks a thing like capital C, capital W. The peanut butter maker Jeff ran an Instagram ad riffing on the cousin walk. Said the caption, how about a little squeeze, squeeze, pass action. I think the top comment was like why are you so bad at social media? Which okay, and then Hidden Valley Ranch also mentioned the cousin walk in a collab with Taco Bell last Christmas. This year a New York dispensary released an ad for pre rolled joints for a, quote, secret society that meets once a year.
C
I'm thinking that what happens when brands jump on a trend, it immediately becomes uncool. So right now we're calling it Cousin Walks. But in five years, you know, the young people are not going to be calling Cousin walks anymore. So it's going to evolve into something maybe let's just rebrand Fart Walks as the new Cousin Walks. There's a lot of walks going on right now and a lot of differing smells that are going to surround the people on those walks. All right, so you're gas free and a little high, heading back to the couch. And now a nap beckons. But not before you catch some Thanksgiving Day football. Now if your real team or your fantasy team stinks, here's another storyline to look out for. Kickers have turned into Terminators this year. So far this NFL season, we've seen Cam Little from the Jaguars kick a 68 yard field goal, breaking the record that it stood for the past four years. And Brandon Aubrey, who pays for Dallas, set the record for most career field goals of 60 yards or more, hitting his fifth back in October despite being in the league in just his third. Despite being in the league for just three years. Overall, the NFL has seen a total of 46 field goals of 60 yards or more, but over half have happened since 2020. What accounts for this explosion in the long range kicks? A variety of factors including better training and more attempts in general. But I also want to call out a minor rules tweak that seem to have helped. Kickers now get to practice with their balls all week, allowing them to break in the new balls and get a feel for how they perform rather than receiving them just prior to game time as had been the norm in the past. A combination of water, towels, brushes and sponge lets kickers mold their balls into specialized missiles that are clearing crossbars from unthinkable distances with room to spare. Neal As a former soccer player, I'm happy the foot aspect of football is finally getting the attention it deserves.
B
Yeah, they say compare this to when you get a new baseball mitt. It's very stiff. You have to spend weeks breaking it in, putting oil on it, sleeping on it. That is a way to make your baseball mitt work better for you. Previously, kickers were given these very stiff, shiny balls straight out of the package that they only had 60 minutes to doctor. That wasn't enough. And they said, yes, that takes a few yards off the kick. Otherwise, if we had these before the season, we can wash them, we can scrub them, we can doctor them in certain ways. There are certain things that you can't do according to NFL regulations, that does add a few yards to all of our kicks, and you're seeing an absolute explosion in really long field goals. The rate of field goal attempts of 55 yards or more has jumped 135% compared to just four seasons ago in 2021. So they're attempting more and that's. And they're making more. NFL coaches aren't stupid. Kickers are making 72% of their field goals from at least 50 yards, which is nearly double the rate from about 30 years ago. So they're taking more long kicks and they're making more long kicks, and it's changing the NFL forever.
C
And if it sounds like cheating, you're talking about doctoring footballs here. That conjures up images of Deflategate and, you know, making the balls perform in a way that are outside regulations. No, this is a very normal thing in football. Quarterbacks get to play with the balls that they are going to use in the game all week long. And they get to. Again, there are regulations. You can only use certain substances. It's a water brush rag. Like, you can't put sticky tack on there or anything like that. So that part is legal. But for some reason, kickers were getting screwed. And oftentimes if they lost a few balls, their third one wasn't doctored. And that would take yards off their kicks. Some coaches would literally track which kicker balls were in play and reduce the range of the field goals that they would attempt based off what balls they had available to them. So now that they have all these balls available to them, they are taking increasingly longer kicks. Now, some kickers will say it's just a rise in talent as well. There's better analytics. You're using trackman technology to get better coaching and to train better. And that's probably true, but amalgamation of forces are pushing field goals back further and further and also inspiring me to maybe pick up a new career path because I could kick. I know how to kick.
B
All right, so let's preview the NFL games today. Toby, I want to know if you know the kickers for every single one of these teams. Now, you don't have to do that. But just so this is on your radar, here's what's coming down the pipeline. Today the packers are playing the Lions, who play on every Thanksgiving. That's at 1pm At 4:30pm on CBS is the Chiefs versus the Cowboys. Now, this particular game is circled on a lot of people's radar from the beginning of the year because they're saying that the Chiefs, Cowboys could be the highest on Thanksgiving, could be the highest rated regular season NFL game of all time. Cowboys are America's team. The Chiefs have become that be, you know, with the Taylor Swift saga, and they've been so good for the past few years. So keep an eye out for that game. You're probably going to be watching that game along with, you know, maybe 40 million other people. The Bengals and the Ravens are at night on NBC. And then the next day we get Eagles trying to bounce back against the bears. That's at 3pm on a special Black Friday Amazon game that's been going on for three years now.
C
I have like nine fantasy teams this year, so I unfortunately will be locked in while everyone else is cousin walking and, you know, farting. I'm locked in, you know, taking notes.
B
All right, finally, no Thanksgiving would be complete without sharing unpopular opinions. The New York Times curated 61 hot takes around the Thanksgiving meal, and Toby and I are going to deem them correct or not. We've got three. Okay, Toby, here's hot take number one. Thanksgiving is the best possible time to learn a new card game. Agree or disagree?
C
I fully agree. And it goes back to what we were talking about with the Macy's Day parade. Captive audiences. When are you going to get this many family members in the same room with some boredom creeping in? Like, what do you do? Hey, guys, come over here. Learn a new card game. You've recently taught me mahjong. I think I might introduce that to the Thanksgiving affair this year. So I fully agree with it. Make use of the audience when you have it. What do you think?
B
No, I totally agree. I mean, I. The place where we go over Thanksgiving many, many years, we all love games, so there's always going to be a codenames game or every new year, my brother comes and introduces a new game that everyone loves. And it's not necessarily a card game that you have to, like, think strategically. Maybe it's more of a party game. But I think, you know, for. For games people, I think it's an amazing time to learn a new game or play. Play an old one. So I'm fully supportive as Well, I just don't play mahjong because I don't want you to get better than me.
C
I actually, you're the wrong person. Ask because your family is very games oriented. Most families, it's more like pulling teeth. There's usually one games representative, but you guys are all pretty open to new things. All right, hot take number two. If you have more than four people at the table, there shouldn't be music playing during the meal. Agree or disagree?
B
I 100% agree. I'm not a music during meals person. Especially Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has so many traditions with it. I think music is just one that's been set aside a little bit. And that's okay because there are so many other things to worry about. For me personally, music just kind of distracts from the vibe. And I get. If you're having a smaller dinner party, you want to play on some. Some bossa nova or some other instrumental, I think that's fine. Thanksgiving is all about talking, yelling at each other, arguing, disagreeing, having fun with each other, laughing. I think music is just an extraneous thing. And especially when there's 20, 30 people, there's plenty of noise. You don't want to be shouting over music like you're at a restaurant. So for that reason, I'm 100% in agreement. Don't put music maybe before or after, but during the meal, just let your. Your voices do the talk.
C
I'm confused by the framing of this question, though. If you have four or more people at the table, so that means if you have four or less, like play music, would that be even worse because there's no conversations happening or. I mean, it's just there's something to.
B
Distract you a little. You can be like, you know, if the conversation dies up, if there's just three of you, then you can be.
C
Like, so listening to the music.
B
Yeah, because that's what I would do. I would just be like, oh, that's a good song. I like that. And stop listening to whatever you're telling me.
C
Yeah, I agree. I mean, music sets a vibe, but the vibe you want to set via conversation at the specific.
B
I think at Thanksgiving specifically. All right, final hot take here. Toby. I want to get your opinion. This one says, make one pie and save it for the next day. Pie is better the day after because you're not forcing it down.
C
I just reject the premise of this. I just think pies are a D tier dessert in general. Give me a cobbler. I mean, give me a cake. Give me sweet potato casserole. With with marshmallows on top. I just don't rate pies that highly in general. So if you're telling me that I need to make two pies now and have pie the next day, I just reject the premise at all. And I say no pies whatsoever. But I feel like I might be in the minority there.
B
Some people, maybe people need to weigh in on. On your pies. I'm not like a huge sweets guy, so I'm abstaining from the question. I don't know if I have any thing in particular to add, but I'll eat pretty much anything that's put out on the dessert table, especially if it has chocolate.
C
My dad would make jello salad, which is such a misnomer because it is literally seven layers of jello and like a bundt cake plan with marshmallows and raspberries stuck in it. It is one of the. I've never seen it anywhere else. I don't know where he found it, but that is our Thanksgiving dessert. So unfortunately, we don't have the room for the pie because we're eating, you know, gelid salad, which is quite a misnomer. Okay, finally, no Thanksgiving Day show would be complete without a little gratitude. In addition to saying thanks for some delicious side dishes, make sure you take a moment to reflect on the stuff that really matters in life, like family health and winning your fantasy football matchups. Neil and I wanted to take this moment to give our thanks to all of you, our listeners. Without you, Morning Brew Daily is just two dudes talking to themselves in a room. But with you all, this really feels like a community.
B
Every time you pop in your headphones on the subway to work or toss us on the Apple carplay as you drive your kids to school in the morning, you're including us in a small part of your day, which we don't take for granted. With so many options for news these days, especially podcasts and two guys talking podcasts, we really appreciate you choosing to spend your time with Emmy, so if.
C
You'Ll let Dylan I get a little sappy for a moment. We can't thank you enough for tuning in each morning and forming this slice of the media landscape that is just a lot more fun than anything else out there.
B
That is all the time we have. Thanks so much for starting your Thanksgiving morning with us. Hope you learned something to bring up at the table later today and have an absolutely amazing time with friends and family. If you want to get in touch, send a note to Morning Brew Daily at morning broadcom or DM us on Instagram. Instagram @MB Daily Show. Let's roll the credits. Emily Milian is our executive producer. Raymond Lu is our producer. Our associate producers are Olivia Graham and Olivia Lake. Hair, makeup is on a Fart walk. Devin Emery is our president, and our show is a production of Morning Brew.
C
Great show today, Neil. Let's run it back tomorrow.
Episode: The Busiest Holiday Travel Weekend in 15 Years & 80 Million Pounds of Cranberries
Date: November 27, 2025
Hosts: Neal Freyman & Toby Howell
In this special Thanksgiving edition, Neal and Toby take listeners on a lively, insight-packed journey through all the major facets of the holiday: the surge in holiday travel, the enduring success of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the fascinating economics behind cranberries, trends in post-feast traditions (including “fart walks” and “cousin walks”), and the evolving role of NFL kickers. Seasoned with stats, business context, and signature banter, the episode doubles as the ultimate guide for small talk around the Thanksgiving table.
Timestamp: 02:18 – 07:05
Notable Quote:
"You wouldn't wear a suit on the subway. You wouldn't dress up to take the bus. Why should you dress up to take an airplane?" — Toby (05:36)
Timestamp: 07:06 – 10:46
Notable Quote:
"It's just a great broadcast. They know exactly what they're doing and it's just surged in the last few years." — Neal (09:05)
Timestamp: 10:46 – 15:12
Notable Exchange:
"Did you know that only 5% of cranberries are sold as whole berries?" — Toby (12:38)
"Don't say 'diluted.'" — Neal (12:54)
"It's infused... made better by cranberries." — Toby (12:56)
Timestamp: 16:44 – 20:33
Timestamp: 20:34 – 25:33
Memorable Analogy:
"They say compare this to when you get a new baseball mitt. It's very stiff. You have to spend weeks breaking it in..." — Neal (22:16)
Timestamp: 25:42 – 29:15
As always, Neal and Toby’s tone is witty, conversational, and occasionally self-deprecating, packed with real-time banter, sharp statistics, and plenty of actionable “small talk fodder” to carry into any Thanksgiving meal. The hosts balance irreverence and insight, covering both the fun facts (like cranberry bog tourism or parade floats) and serious shifts in American consumer and business culture.
This episode is a dynamic, trivia-loaded primer on Thanksgiving’s traditions, logistics, economics, and quirks—providing listeners with not just a news roundup, but a toolkit for conversation and understanding how American holidays intersect with broader cultural and economic trends. The perfect audio companion for your own neighborhood walk, before (or after) the big meal.