Behind the Scenes Minis: Pumpkin Spice Christmas

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Behind the Scenes Minis: Pumpkin Spice Christmas"

Episode Release Date: December 27, 2024
Podcast: Stuff You Missed in History Class
Hosts: Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

---

Introduction

In this special episode of "Stuff You Missed in History Class," hosts Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson delve into the culturally rich and sometimes contentious traditions surrounding pumpkin spice and Christmas. The conversation seamlessly weaves personal anecdotes with historical insights, offering listeners an engaging exploration of holiday customs and their origins.

The Pumpkin Spice Phenomenon

Prevalence of Pumpkin Spice Products

Holly and Tracy kick off the discussion by observing how ubiquitous pumpkin spice has become in grocery stores. From cereal boxes to boxed water, the "papertarian" movement emphasizes the environmental benefits of paper packaging, which ties into their broader conversation on sustainable practices.

Personal Affinity for Pumpkin Spice

Holly expresses her deep love for pumpkin and pumpkin spice, highlighting her unconventional enthusiasm by admitting, "I'm the weirdo that will eat pumpkin puree out of a can. I know. That's a lot of squash, too. It's not all pumpkin. I don't care. I'll take all of it." ([05:06])

Commercial vs. Homemade Pumpkin Spice

Tracy contrasts commercially produced pumpkin spice products with homemade versions. Holly shares her preference for crafting sugar-free pumpkin spice items at home, underscoring her desire for healthier alternatives: "I make a sugar-free version at home usually." ([05:58])

The Reality Behind Pumpkin Spice Lattes

A notable revelation surfaces when Holly references a chemical analysis revealing that pumpkin spice lattes contain no actual pumpkin: "There’s not supposed to be. The moment it's available? It’s never not available. 24/7, 365. I have pumpkin spice." ([05:58])

Sugar Cookies and the Magic of Nutmeg

Family Traditions with Sugar Cookies

Tracy reminisces about her family's sugar cookie traditions, emphasizing the integral role of nutmeg: "They are really delicious. Something that I stumbled onto after having written the episode that I didn't... Hildegard of Bingen, who I just have a big fondness for. She apparently believed that nutmeg had, quote, a great warmth and a good temperament in its strength." ([07:00], [08:27])

Historical Insights on Nutmeg

Tracy provides a historical perspective, citing Hildegard of Bingen's beliefs on nutmeg's medicinal properties: "...eating these would open the heart and relieve impaired senses and make the mind more cheerful." ([08:28])

Personal Recipes and Innovations

Both hosts share their personal twists on traditional recipes. Holly introduces her unique take on flips, incorporating spicy elements: "It’s like a spicy, not quite old school, Christmassy winter bevy. That’s a little different. I just love it." ([16:09])

Navigating Christmas Decorations: Real vs. Artificial Trees

Environmental and Practical Considerations

The debate over real versus artificial Christmas trees surfaces, with Holly and Tracy weighing the environmental impacts. Holly points out the complexities: "We are destroying a natural resource. Why would you do that? The earth needs trees." ([33:08])

Tracy counters by highlighting the sustainability initiatives surrounding real trees: "They’re being grown for that purpose though." ([33:55])

Personal Experiences and Challenges

Both hosts recount personal challenges with Christmas trees. Tracy shares humorous anecdotes about her family's cats wreaking havoc on their artificial trees: "...it was one of the sweetest cats we've ever had... he was just, like, irritated at me for being mad that he had destroyed the tree and made it into his clubhouse." ([27:32])

Holly adds her own stories, including a memorable incident involving an infestation of spiders in a real tree: "The next morning, we woke up to what I'm gonna guess was millions of spiders. Everywhere, all over everything." ([25:19])

Sustainability and Longevity

The conversation acknowledges the long-term use of artificial trees: "The tree that we are using, we bought the year we bought this house, and we are going to continue using it until it's no longer functional." ([35:06])

Tracy reflects on the environmental footprint of artificial trees, including manufacturing and transportation impacts: "...the amount of energy it takes to make a reusable coffee mug versus the amount of energy it takes to make wax lines or whatever. Paper coffee cup." ([35:42])

The Mystery of the German Pickle Ornament

Exploring the Origins

Holly and Tracy investigate the tradition of hiding a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree, a custom often attributed to German heritage. Holly challenges its authenticity: "...a German person who claims that is baloney. And that if you ask anybody who is actually from Germany, they'll be like, we don't know where this pickle thing started." ([37:30])

Call to Action for Listeners

To clarify the origins, Holly extends a call to listeners: "If you know the real, real... If you are from a German household, I want to know if you know about the pickle." ([39:12])

Tracy adds insights on cultural adaptations: "That has something that has developed within the communities of immigrants from that place living in the United States. And that has its own worth and value." ([39:28])

Cultural Integration and Storytelling

The hosts discuss how immigrant communities may create new traditions that blend their heritage with their new environment, enriching the cultural tapestry of holidays like Christmas.

Conclusion

Wrapping up the episode, Holly and Tracy extend heartfelt holiday wishes to their listeners. They emphasize the importance of personal traditions, whether it's feasting, decorating, or innovating new festive recipes. Holly reflects, "The best part of Christmas is feasting, in my book and that you feels that you've gotten some rest and relaxation out of the deal." ([41:07])

Tracy echoes these sentiments, highlighting the joy and continuity of holiday traditions: "Here's to the traditions that bring everyone together year after year. Here's to us, all of us." ([41:54])

They hint at exciting upcoming episodes, including a classic revisit and a brand-new topic, ensuring listeners have more engaging content to look forward to.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Holly Fry [05:06]: "I'm the weirdo that will eat pumpkin puree out of a can. I know. That's a lot of squash, too. It's not all pumpkin. I don't care. I'll take all of it."

• Tracy V. Wilson [07:00]: "...Hildegard of Bingen, who I just have a big fondness for. She apparently believed that nutmeg had, quote, a great warmth and a good temperament in its strength."

• Holly Fry [16:09]: "It’s like a spicy, not quite old school, Christmassy winter bevy. That’s a little different. I just love it."

• Tracy V. Wilson [27:32]: "...it was one of the sweetest cats we've ever had... he was just, like, irritated at me for being mad that he had destroyed the tree and made it into his clubhouse."

• Holly Fry [33:08]: "We are destroying a natural resource. Why would you do that? The earth needs trees."

---

This episode offers a comprehensive and heartfelt exploration of pumpkin spice and Christmas traditions, blending personal stories with historical context. Holly and Tracy's dynamic conversation provides listeners with both entertainment and insightful reflections on the customs that make the holidays special.

Transcript

[Tracy V. Wilson]

With a United Explorer card, you earn 60,000 bonus miles toward your next United flight. Then get ready to take off on incredible trips filled with once in a lifetime experiences. Wherever your journey takes you, enjoy all kinds of travel rewards, including a free checked bag and two times the miles on every United purchase. You'll also get two times the miles on dining and at hotels, so your miles add up even faster. Plus, when you fly United, you can look forward to United Club access with two United Club time passes per year. Wherever you go, the Explorer Card keeps earning you miles so you can keep using them to get from one inspiring trip to another. Apply today by visiting theexplorercard.com cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval offer Subject to change terms Apply.

[Holly Fry]

What does every grocery store aisle now have in common? Products that come in paper packaging, and not just the obvious ones like cereal boxes and juice cartons. From beauty products to boxed water, there are more opportunities to go papertarian than ever before. So why should you? Because paper comes from a renewable resource and can be recycled up to seven times. Simply put, it's the smart choice for the environment and it turns out, the easiest choice for you. Learn more at howlifeunfolds.com Papertarian driving can sometimes feel like a chore, but driving the Toyota Crown family actually feels like a reward. Exhilarating and comfortable with bold and sophisticated design, that's the Toyota Crown family. Both the Sedan and Crown Signia deliver a quiet, smooth ride with hybrid efficiency and all wheel drive confidence. Seriously, every drive in the Toyota Crown family is an experience that's captivating in every sense. Learn [e-mail] toyotacrownfamily toyota let's go places.

[Unknown]

After investing billions to light up our network, T Mobile is America's largest 5G network. Plus right now you can switch keep your phone and we'll pay it off up to $800. See how you can save on every plan versus Verizon and at and t@t.

Mobile.Com KeepAndSwitch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service ported 90 plus days with device in o eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months.

[Holly Fry]

Chronic migraine is 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more.

[Unknown]

Botox Onobotulinum toxin a prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they start. Botox is not approved for adults with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days a month Botox prevents on average 8 to 9 headache days a month versus 6, 7 for placebo.

Botox is a prescription medicine injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headache. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including als, Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia, or Lambert Eaton syndrome, and medications including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

[Holly Fry]

Talk to your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigraine.com.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Or call 1-844botox to learn more.

[Holly Fry]

Welcome to Stuff youf Missed in History Class, a production of iHeartradio.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Hello and happy Friday. I'm Tracy V. Wilson.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

We talked about nutmeg this week. We tuned in. Listeners also don't get to know that we had to take an entire pause after recording almost 10 minutes of the episode because of incredibly loud leaf blowers outside. Just directly outside. And then when we started back over, there were some more leaf blowers that returned, which was not expected. I think I said this in version one, but not in version two when we, when we started over. In my personal opinion, pumpkin spice flavored things are for October Lies and later. And I was, as soon as I thought that, I thought, yeah, I thought Holly is probably like pumpkin spice. The moment it's available is I'm. What I'm thinking is probably your.

[Holly Fry]

What do you mean the moment it's available? It's never not available. 24 7, 365. I have pumpkin spice.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Do you mean the blend?

[Holly Fry]

Yes.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Do you also mean commercially produced products that come out in a seasonal pumpkin spice?

[Holly Fry]

Here's the good news. Yeah, some of those things come out year round and they just get pushed a lot then. So if you're like me and you love pumpkin and pumpkin spice everything, because I love both. Said it before and I'll say it again. I'm the weirdo that will eat pumpkin puree out of a can. I know. That's a lot of squash, too. It's not all pumpkin. I don't care. I'll take all of it. But, like, I have like, subscriptions set up with certain vendors so that I'm always getting my pumpkin pie, which includes pumpkin spice, coffee, syrup, on a quarterly shipment subscription. So I'm never out of it.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Fry]

I will make my own pumpkin spice everything all the time. Listen, I don't wait for the PSL because I can't drink it anyway anymore.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Fry]

Which is about to segue me to another thing that makes me irate. But we'll get there. I have so many feelings just because it's a little too sweet for me. I can't handle that much sugar. So I make a sugar free version at home usually. But also, do you remember this is into more pumpkin than nutmeg. But several years ago, I don't know how many, when someone did some chemical analysis and was like, there's no pumpkin in a pumpkin spice latte.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

There's not supposed to be.

[Holly Fry]

Hello. Thank you. It's not a pumpkin latte. It is a pumpkin spice latte. It is the spices, including the glorious nutmeg.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Holly Fry]

That makes me irate every time.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Here's my one other thing.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Fry]

Tracy V. Wilson.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yes.

[Holly Fry]

You left out the most important use of nutmeg and why it is a year round spice. Please tell me cocktail garnish.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Oh, sure. Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

If you're making flips, if you're making painkillers, if you're making a variety of cocktails.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

To have that nutmeg on your backpack.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Put some nutmeg on there. Yeah, that sounds great.

[Holly Fry]

I like to drink a lot of flips. So in it goes all day, every day.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. We use some of the blends that often have nutmeg in there all the time in our kitchen. Like Ras El Hanout is a frequent thing, which that is a blend that can really vary. I think it means something like top of the shelf. It's meant to sort of showcase the spice vendors best of their product is like my understanding of how that blend works. So you can make it yourself with lots of different spices. You can buy one from a specific spice shop that might be very different. But one of the things that is often in it is nutmeg, and that is frequently in use at our house. Because I love eggnog so, so much and because those sugar cookies in our family have nutmeg in the. In the flavoring nutmeg, just straight nutmeg without other flavors also in it has always just felt like a very Christmassy specifically flavor to me.

[Holly Fry]

Gotcha.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And as I was researching this and I realized how many other things also have nutmeg in it like sauce. A lot of sausages are seasoned with nutmeg. I was like, oh, I'm just, I'm having a lot more year round nutmeg than I ever realized. Because the things in the autumn and winter are the ones that are maybe the most nutmeg forward of all of them. I do love all of those things. They are really delicious. Something that I stumbled onto after having written the episode that I didn't. I'd already sent you the outline. Don't even know why I found this after the fact. I had moved on to another topic, but it is one of my old favorite, one of my old favorite topics that we've covered on the show, which is Hildegard of Bingen, who I just have a big fondness for. She apparently believed that nutmeg had, quote, a great warmth and a good temperament in its strength. If a person eats nutmeg, it opens the heart and purifies the senses. Senses and brings a good disposition. What a lovely thing to associate with nutmeg. This is from her physica in which she talks about medicinal uses of all of these different spices and herbs and things like that, among other topics. And she talks about pulverizing equal weights of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves and making little cakes with that mixture along with fine whole wheat and water. And then said that eating these would open the heart and relieve impaired senses and make the mind more cheerful. So various people have turned that very basic instruction into a recipe that they call cookies of joy. And all of that sounds super delicious to me. And there's a recommendation to eat it every day. I sure would eat that every day.

[Holly Fry]

I have a question about things you eat.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Uh huh.

[Holly Fry]

Cause you mentioned sugar cookies are a Christmas tradition for you.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Uh huh.

[Holly Fry]

Are they a special thing for you for Christmas or does your family make em year round or is there a Christmas only version?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I have made them myself at other times of the year as a family recipe. They are a Christmas thing. They are made at Christmas. They are decorated for Christmas with usually colored sanding sugar and sometimes other little things. This sort of decorative elements that are always very Christmassy in their doing. So my grandmother is the first, I guess great grandmother, first generation of the family who's like whose sugar cookies I heard about from the family because she had died before I was born. But people would talk about how thin she was able to get them in a way that other people in the family just could not replicate. By the time I was born, my grandmother was making them. My mom was making them. My mom is not able to do that anymore because of her disabilities. My dad does them now, and they are super good. I look forward to them every year when I have made them for some other purpose. I have usually cut them out into different shapes because they're rolled and cut with cutters. And so I have cut them using different shaped cookie cutters and decorated them differently for different purposes and eating them, it still felt a little Christmassy to me because that association is so strong with them there.

[Holly Fry]

I'm fascinated.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

There are other sugar cookies that are, like, I would just either buy from a store or eat that do not have that Christmas connotation for me.

[Holly Fry]

Oh, now I have more questions.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Oh, okay. Just these may or may not be.

[Holly Fry]

Good for behind the scenes. I'm just like, okay. How do they taste different from regular sugar cookies?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Well, I've had sugar cookies that have just instead of having nutmeg, have maybe had some other spice flavoring them, or maybe there's been just vanilla and no nutmeg. Or, like, I think just because there's also eggnog having a lot of nutmeg in it just. It feels like a Christmasy flavor to me in a lot of ways. I think one of the reasons that it's used in so many fall and winter traditional foods here in the US Is that it can feel very warming.

[Holly Fry]

Oh, yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

It's a very warming flavor. And so it's comforting to have it.

[Holly Fry]

It goes into the blend called warming spices.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, that makes total sense to me. I seem to remember at one point in my life another seasonal thing for usually Thanksgiving in my family is called persimmon pudding. And if you've never had persimmon pudding, the texture of it is almost like pumpkin pie filling. But there's an almost figginess to it because of the texture of the persimmons. And I seem to remember there being a very heated argument about whether there was supposed to be nutmeg in there because somebody else had made it other than the. The aunt who usually did that.

[Holly Fry]

Right.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And there was just a big controversy about whether nutmeg was correct to have in there.

[Holly Fry]

See, as we mentioned in the episode, people have very strong feelings about these things. But here's my take.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay?

[Holly Fry]

There may be a way person X makes it right. Like, the way I make a cookie may not be the way someone else makes the same cookie or the cookie with the same name. But, like, my reaction is never to be that it's wrong, but, like, I want to try your Kind too.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Oh sure. Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

I don't know if that's just my gluttony driving the bus of like. Sure, let me try all of it.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

I never understand getting mad about people not doing things the way you do them.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. I have seen this phenomenon. And when, you know, when it comes to me saying that I want to have pumpkin spice flavored things in the autumn, that's just me. If you want to whenever, have it whenever. I'll also get mad at the weather if it becomes fall and I feel like it's too warm outside to be having some kind of gigantic pumpkin spice coffee beverage. Because iced it's not as good to me as some other things are good as an iced coffee. So yeah, I. As we said in the episode, I know this is not just about holiday foods, but it's December so that's what I'm thinking about the most right now. This is coming out the week of Christmas in which probably there will be a lot of eggnog at my house. Possibly also sugar cookies if my dad continues to make them because he is also getting older in years and things take more and more effort to do them as we age.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, I'll probably make a lot of flips.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Although lately I've been doing different things with flips. Like making them spicy and putting red pepper on em instead of. Instead of nutmeg.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

That sounds really interesting.

[Holly Fry]

It is. It's really just like you're. Listen, I'll give out a cocktail recipe. It's like 2 ounces of your brandy or your cognac, whichever you prefer. An ounce of chili liqueur, your whole egg. You can add like a half ounce of Demerara syrup if you want. Give it a good dry shake so the egg gets nice and frothy and then you can shake it with ice and pour it out, strain it out and then you just top it with a little red pepper flake.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yum.

[Holly Fry]

It's like a spicy, not quite old school, Christmassy winter bevy. That's a little different. I just love it.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Workshopping it over here. We're always playing, always playing. But there are a lot of good drinks that have nutmeg on them.

[Unknown]

Now. At T Mobile get four 5G phones on us and four lines for $25 a line per month when you switch with eligible trade ins, all on America's largest 5G network.

Minimum of 4 lines for 25 per line per month with auto pay discount using debit or bank account. $5 more per line without auto pay plus taxes and fees and 10 device connection charge phones via 24 monthly bill credits for well qualified customers. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue building bill credits or credit stop and balance on a required finance agreement Due bill credits end if you pay off devices early.

CT mobile.com introducing signals the next generation of platforms for investors designed to elevate your trading strategy by giving access to insights used by Wall street pros to dominate the market. Signals uses its proprietary data of $70 billion in consumer spend across North America to spot market trends before before they make the headlines, we bring you the alternative data that drives decisions at top hedge funds, allowing you to carve your own edge in the stock market. Join the insider circle who are already transforming their investment strategies. Visit joinsignals.com to start your free 14 day trial. No hidden fees, no gimmicks, just pure actionable insights. End your reliance on outdated information with Signals. Invest like a pro. Make informed decisions swiftly and stay ahead of the curve. Uncover tomorrow's market moves with today's real time data. Visit jointsignals.com today.

Head over to NFLShop.com for the largest collection of officially licensed gear from all your favorite brands. NFL Shop is your ultimate gifting destination for jerseys, T shirts, headwear and more. Take your game day style to the next level with the best selection of NFL gear anywhere. Show off your team pride this holiday season with styles fit for the whole family. To shop now, go to NFLShop.com this.

[Danielle Robay]

Is Danielle Robaix from the bright side because you're worth it Growing up, I remember hearing that famous L'Oreal Paris tagline and feeling empowered with those four words. L'Oreal Paris broke the mold. Beauty was for all of us. For me, knowing my worth means being able to be my authentic self. It's more than just getting that perfect lash. Knowing your worth is embracing the things that make you beautiful inside and out. With a commitment to innovation and quality, L'Oreal Paris delivers groundbreaking products that help you take on the world. Through their Women of Worth program, they recognize 10 exceptional female nonprofit leaders each year, offering grants, mentorship and a platform to share their inspiring stories. Discover more about these extraordinary women and embrace your beauty with L'Oreal Paris. Because you're worth it.

[Unknown]

We have one more act for you this evening. I don't even need to say his name.

Mr. Bob Dylan, a complete unknown, is now Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominee for Best Picture.

[Holly Fry]

Bobby, what do you want to be?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Whatever it is, they don't want me.

[Unknown]

To Be Timothee Chalamet astonishes as Bob Dylan in one of the best performances of the year. And critics rave. Edward Norton is absolutely fantastic.

[Holly Fry]

70,000 people are here and Bobby is.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

The reason for it.

[Holly Fry]

They just want me singing Blowing in the wind for the rest of my life.

[Unknown]

Don't miss the movie. Critics are healing. Five stars. It's pure cinematic magic.

[Holly Fry]

Turn it down.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Hey.

[Unknown]

Loud.

And named to AFI and the National Board of reviews. Top 10 films of the year.

Make some noise. BD track some mud on a carpet.

A complete unknown. Now playing only in theaters. Rated R. Under 1790 meter. Without parrot.

[Holly Fry]

Talked about Christmas decor this year. Yeah, I have so many thoughts on this matter. There's so many things to talk about because people have strong feelings about Christmas decor. One I don't care when you want to put it up.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

As we've mentioned, I think we've talked about it here before because I grew up going to craft stores. Holidays are year round to me anyway. Like I don't have these weird, like, only after Thanksgiving, only after Labor Day, like whenever my house is Halloween 24 7, 365. So like I have it all the time. But Christmas. I know people that put up their Christmas trees extra early this year because they just felt like they needed some joy. None of this like, up on the 24th, then down in a couple weeks thing.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Sure. Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

And ours has no rules. We get to it when we get to it and it comes down when it comes down.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Mm.

[Holly Fry]

It's fine. I definitely have a memory of my mom one year saying that we were not gonna take the Christmas tree down until we had received some gifts that another family member had promised they were sending.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Mm.

[Holly Fry]

Listen, don't do that. Because it was like May 30th before we took that tree down.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Which is fine if you're into it. But I think she was just adamant that like we had to have the tree until the. I don't know why. Yeah, don't do that. Okay. The big very argument spawning question.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Uh huh.

[Holly Fry]

Real or artificial?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Artificial. Because.

[Holly Fry]

I have an artificial because too. So.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. So when I was little, for the first few years of my childhood, we did have a live tree every year and then eventually moved to artificial. And I think part of the reason with that was just that the cleanup from the real tree was a lot. My mom had felt like artificial trees were really ugly. And so getting to the point of one in the late 70s, early 80s, that she thought was attractive enough I think was part of it. For my part I have always had cats, and I feel like an artificial tree can be managed a little better for the cats. I know people probably have the opposite conclusion for other reasons. Another big reason, though, is that my spouse has a range of allergies to the natural world. And bringing a live tree into our house would probably aggravate some of them. So what we have is not just an artificial tree. It is a pre lit, artificial pencil style tree. Because we live in a house in New England that we could afford to buy, which means it is small. There is not a lot of available floor space for a whole. The whole footprint of the base of a typically shaped tree. So it is very narrow, which also seems to have, knock on wood, kept the cats from trying to climb up into it. Like the branches are not really big enough to support a whole cat. And they, for the most part, have not messed with it every year since we have had the tree and cats.

[Holly Fry]

Okay. My artificial because is a little more troubling a story for some people.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay. Oh, okay. I'm just gonna. I've written a story in my head and I'm gonna tell you whether it was right.

[Holly Fry]

We'll see. Okay. So one year when I was a kid, my dad was stationed overseas. My mom insisted that we get a real tree that year. We didn't always. Sometimes we would have artificial, sometimes we would have a real one. There was no rhyme or reason. And we got a real one that year. We got it home and we put it in its little stand with the water and we put all the decorations on it and we even put some gifts under it because we already had some. And the next morning, we woke up to what I'm gonna guess was millions of spiders.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Everywhere, all over everything.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Yeah. My guess was gonna be bug infestation in the tree.

[Holly Fry]

Yes. And I like spiders fine. But that was overwhelming. I don't really want to invite them over for Christmas. They can. They show up at my house. I will treat them with hospitality and find them a place outside. But they're not, like, on the guest list.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

That's a lot of sp.

[Holly Fry]

After that, I just remember being like.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I will never have a real treat, and I haven't.

[Holly Fry]

Now, the cat thing, I'm. I'm stalling a little bit to talk about my terrible buying habits. But the cat thing, we had a funny turn of events, which is that some years back, I don't know, 10, possibly more, not much more, we had been in our house a few years and I was like, hey, when we were in our Apartment we only had, like, a little. The kind you would put on, like a table. Like one of those little dinky two to three footer things.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

And we had been like, maybe we get a tree. And we got a tree that year, and we decided that we would, like, test it by just putting it out without ornaments and seeing what happened. And at the time, we had. We have five or six at that point, we had some cats. And we went to work one day and we came home, and not only was the tree obviously trashed, but two of the branches were in our bed.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Fry]

There was just like. I was like, did someone break in? Like, it was so bad a cryback?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, it was so bad.

[Holly Fry]

And it was like, I don't understand what's taking place here. And I, of course, fingered the usual suspect. And I was like, you are the bad cat. This is clearly your doing. But we didn't take the tree down, probably because we were just, like, too lazy. And we went to work. The next day we came home and there was more mayhem. And on the third day, we came home and the culprit was asleep in the trashed out tree. And it was not the one I thought it was. One of the sweetest cats we've ever had.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

How funny.

[Holly Fry]

And when I awakened him from his slumber, which he had had to thread himself through some branches because so many were missing at that point. Like, he had to do acrobatic work to find a place that would support his weight because he also was not a tiny cat. And it was not Mr. Burns. Don't anybody think it, um, it was one of our lovely Siamese. And when I awakened him, it was one of the only times he was ever insolent. And he looked at me like, what are you doing? Call the manager. Like, he was just, like, irritated at me for being mad that he had destroyed the tree and made it into his clubhouse. We eventually started putting up a tree when. When those cats, our Siamese were quite young then. They were only like two, and when they hit about seven or eight, they had chilled out a little bit. And so we started putting up a tree again. And it's been fine.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

And now we just have the two boys left. And I. This is where I confess to, like, a problem in my life.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Fry]

Okay. First of all, I love our Christmas tree. It's purple and it's fun, and we put toys on it and it's great, but I like other colors. And apparently in a fugue state, which sometimes happens to me, I get up in the morning and while I'm waiting for my coffee to be ready, I get on my phone.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Oh no.

[Holly Fry]

And I do things that I I'm not even aware of and don't remember.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right.

[Holly Fry]

Long story short, I now also have a pink tree and a black tree and I don't know where they're gonna go.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

That's great.

[Holly Fry]

We have no idea where there's those are gonna go, but we'll find a space somewhere. But it's. We're gonna have fun.

[Unknown]

It's better over here now. AT T Mobile get four 5G phones on us and four lines for $25 a line per month month when you switch with eligible trade ins all on America's largest 5G network.

Minimum of 4 lines for $25 per line per month with autopay discount using debit or bank account, $5 more per line without autopay plus taxes and fees and $10 device connection charge phones via 24 monthly bill credits for well qualified customers. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue bill credits or credit stop and balance on a required finance agreement. Due bill credits end if you pay off devices early.

CT mobile.com introducing signals the next generation of platforms for investors designed to elevate your trading strategy by giving access to insights used by Wall street pros to dominate the market. Signals uses its proprietary data of $70 billion in consumer spend across North America to spot market trends before they make the headlines. We bring you the alternative data that drives decisions at top hedge funds, allowing you to carve your own edge in the stock market. Join the insider circle who are already transforming their investment strategies. Visit joinsignals.com to start your free 14 day trial. No hidden fees, no gimmicks, just pure actionable insights. End your reliance on outdated information with signals. Invest like a pro, make informed decisions swiftly and stay ahead of the curve. Uncover tomorrow's market moves with today's real time data. Visit jointsignals.com to today.

Head over to NFL shop.com for the largest collection of officially licensed gear from all your favorite brands. NFL Shop is your ultimate gifting destination for jerseys, T shirts, headwear and more. Take your game day style to the next level with the best selection of NFL Gear anywhere. Show off your team pride this holiday season season with styles fit for the whole family. To shop now, go to NFLShop.com this.

[Danielle Robay]

Is Danielle Robay from the bright side because you're worth it. Growing up, I remember hearing that famous L'Oreal Paris tagline and feeling empowered with those four words. L'Oreal Paris broke the mold beauty was for all of us. For me, knowing my worth means being able to be my authentic self. It's more than just getting that perfect lash. Knowing your worth is embracing the things that make you beautiful inside and out. With a commitment to innovation and quality, L'Oreal Paris delivers groundbreaking products that help you take on the world. Through their Women of Worth program, they recognize 10 exceptional female nonprofit leaders each year, offering grants, mentorship and a platform to share their inspiring stories. Discover more about these extraordinary women, and embrace your beauty with L'Oreal Paris, because you're worth it.

[Unknown]

We have one more act for you this evening. I don't even need to say his name.

Mr. Bob Dylan, a complete unknown, is now a Golden Globe in critics Choice nominee for best picture.

[Holly Fry]

Bobby, what do you want to be? Whatever it is they don't want me to be.

[Unknown]

Timothy Chalamet astonishes as Bob Dylan in one of the best performances of the year. And critics rave. Edward Norton is absolutely, absolutely fantastic.

[Holly Fry]

70,000 people are here and Bobby is.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

The reason for it.

[Holly Fry]

They just want me singing, blowing in the wind for the rest of my life.

[Unknown]

Don't miss the movie. Critics are healing. Five stars. It's pure cinematic magic.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Turn it down.

[Unknown]

Pay loud and named to AFI and the National Board of Reviews. Top 10 films of the year.

Make some noise. BD track some mud on the carpet.

A complete unknown now playing only in theaters. Rated R. Under 1790. Middle without parrot.

[Holly Fry]

Now this brings us to the important grown up part of the discussion. I did not realize until I was working on this episode how much vehement arguing has gone on since the 60s and continues to go on about whether it is better for the environment to have an artificial tree or a natural tree. Both sides of the argument. Continue to be so completely confident that I don't know because. Right. Like the various parts, there's more to it. I'm certainly not gonna be able to parse out the whole thing quickly and casually. But like, obviously, like the idea of cutting down trees is part of what people are like. We are destroying a natural resource. Why would you do that? The earth needs trees.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

They're being grown for that purpose though.

[Holly Fry]

Right. And also, like, then you have to throw it away and it becomes a trash thing. And yeah, there. Which again, that there are other things that can be done with that. A lot of places like chip it and use it for mulch or whatever.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Um, yeah, my community has a tree pickup day that then gets mulched.

[Holly Fry]

Whereas, you know, artificial trees People are like, well, yes, but that is part of big industry. It's creating, you know, industrial waste and manufacture. And now most of the trees you would get in the US Are made overseas. And not only is that, like, does that mean we don't necessarily know about all the regulations around how they're made, but also you have a pretty significant footprint in terms of transporting those items to homes in the US and that is bad. Now, there are still companies in the US that make artificial trees. And there are people that are like, no, but that has created a lot of jobs. Listen, there are arguments on both sides. I just wanted to acknowledge that people argue about it.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. The tree that we are using, we bought the year we bought this house, and we are going to continue using it until it's no longer functional. Like, yeah, like, that's how that's going to work. And occasionally I will see arguments about whether something is really sustainable in quotation marks that goes into something like the amount of energy it takes to make a reusable coffee mug versus the amount of energy it takes to make wax lines or whatever. Paper coffee cup.

[Holly Fry]

Right.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And it's like, okay, but did you factor in the fact that people are gonna use that mug until they die?

[Holly Fry]

Right. That's the thing. There isn't a lot of good information on usage cases that extrapolate along, like, the potential lifetime of such a thing. We had. The artificial tree that we had for a long time was the one that I grew up with.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

And we inherited it. And frankly, we finally got rid of it because. And when I say I grew up with it, I mean, that thing was probably made in maybe 1975.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

It had taken on a weird odor, like, not musty, but a unique. The way plastics breaking down start to smell. And it had started to melt in places when it was around lights that weren't even necessarily that hot.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

And I was like, safety gone, like, Right.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

We have gotten, you know, 35 years out of history. I think it's okay to say goodbye. Yeah. So, yeah, I. I like the fantasy colors is my problem.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. I think that sounds very fun.

[Holly Fry]

I love a pink tree. I love our purple tree very much. Can we talk briefly about the German pickle situation?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Fry]

You know about the pickle, right.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Hiding the pickle in the tree ornaments.

[Holly Fry]

Right. Which I had always heard. You know, if you go to Epcot in the Germany Pavilion, they'll sell y'all the pickle ornaments. But I was reading a blog written by a German person who claims that is baloney. And that if you ask anybody who is actually from Germany, they'll be like, we don't know where this pickle thing started.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

So that leads me to the question of then, is it a German American thing?

[Holly Fry]

I don't know. Which is really why I'm putting this at the end of our discussion, because I'm putting a call out.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. If you know the history of the.

[Holly Fry]

Pickle ornaments, you have delivered on smart orange cats, you have delivered on fabulous personal ghost stories. Do you know a German person that knows about the pickle ornament? If you don't know what we're talking about for context, just as many glass ornaments, you will sometimes see one that looks like a pickle, and you're probably like, what does pickle have to do with Christmas? Although now you can find a glass ornament of anything. Of anything. Here's a cheeseburger. It's a pickle. Same thing. But allegedly in the tradition that people claim comes from Germany, or possibly German Americans, like, the kid that could find the pickle ornament kind of hidden in the branches of the tree would, like, get a special gift or something. And then sometimes there's the addendum of, like, the first adult to spot it will have extra good fortune in the new year to come. Like, there are other things. But that's the German pickle. It. Just in case anybody listening had not heard of it before. And I. I found this person writing a German blog and claiming they really did not love the German pickle story because it seemed to them like a bunch of stuff people in the US Made up. It's not even appropriation. It's what.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

So if you know the real, real. If you are from a German household, I want to know if you know about the pickle.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

If you're from a German American household, I want to know if you know about the pickle. Yeah, I just want to. I just want experiential evidence of actual human beings.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right. And not catalogs.

[Holly Fry]

Correct.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. I will say I will sometimes see discourse on whatever app about whether this or that thing actually comes from a place. And a lot of times it's like, yeah, that doesn't come from that place. That is something that has developed within the communities of immigrants from that place living in the United States. And that has its own worth and value.

[Holly Fry]

100%. 100%. And it does. I mean, I start to think of it in terms of, like, how could this have played out? And, like, at a time when, you know, Christmas ornaments Also not cheap, right? For a long time. And even now, like you can buy cheapy ones, but like nice ones can be really pricey. And I could see a family being like, this would be a fun way to add something special to our tree that costs next to nothing. It will be a fun thing for an hour on Christmas morning or Christmas Eve or whenever they do their tradition.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right?

[Holly Fry]

That's the other thing. One of the things that people say is the detractor is that the way that story is told, often in the U.S. it is when the kids wake up on Christmas morning, blah, blah, blah. But in Germany, you don't usually do your gift thing on Christmas morning. That's a Christmas Eve situation. And so they're like, that's your first clue that this is wrong. So again, you've delivered on the orange cats that are smart, I believe now. Now for the German pickle. We are now past Christmas. So I hope that if you celebrate Christmas that you had a very beautiful Christmas that was filled with love and joy and delicious sugar cookies if you're in Tracy's and many other families or other delicious things. Because the best part of Christmas is feasting, in my book and that you feels that you've gotten some rest and relaxation out of the deal. If you are headed into your weekend right now, I hope you get a little more of that. And if you're not headed into your weekend, I still hope that you find some time to recharge and that you have had great holidays and that the new year, which is coming up quickly, will also be good. We will be right back here tomorrow with a classic episode and then on Monday with something brand new.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Stuff youf Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite show. Here's to the season. From hanging ornaments and matching pajamas to building gingerbread houses with extra icing and staying up late to wrap gifts and watch movies, these traditions make the holidays truly special. And through it all, the Chinet brand is there to share in the joy. With the Chinatte crystal collection, holiday tables are perfectly coordinated, allowing for excellence with less cleanup so everyone can focus on what really matters. Here's to the traditions that bring everyone together year after year. Here's to us, all of us. Find a local [e-mail] youm wake up.

[Unknown]

Put on your Ray Ban meta glasses. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee, so you.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Say hey Meta how do I make a latte?

[Unknown]

Brew two shots of espresso After Meta.

AI gets you caffeinated, you're ready for some beats.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Hey Meta Play hip hop music.

[Unknown]

You head to meet some friends but can't remember the place.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Hey Meta Call Eva Ray Ban Meta.

[Unknown]

Glasses the next generation of AI glasses. Just say hey Meta to harness the power of Meta AI shop [e-mail] smartglasses.

We'Ve all got a thing, an obsession. For some of us, it's vintage fashion, our cars, anything we can collect, they all live under one. EBay. It's where closets get filled with statement pieces and vintage finds, where must have sneakers wait for you. And designer handbags are the real deal on ebay. Doors open to stacks of the rarest trading cards and a garage stocked with all the car parts you need for any DIY job. EBay's home to whatever thing you're into that keeps you up at night. Ebay Things people Love with Kroger brand.

[Holly Fry]

Products you can get all of your favorite things this holiday season. Because our proven quality products come at exciting, exceptionally low prices and with a money back quality guarantee, every dish is sure to be a favorite. From sweet sugar cookies and holiday ham to that perfect slice of pie. Whether you shop, delivery, pickup or in store, Kroger brand has all your favorite things.

[Unknown]

Kroger Fresh for everyone Boost your trading strategy with signals. Unlock the powerhouse of insights that Wall street pros use to dominate the market. Signals helps drive higher returns using predictive analysis from $70 billion in consumer spend across North America to help you capitalize on every investment opportunity. Don't wait on outdated reports with signals. Observe the impact of real time spending as it unfolds. Uncover tomorrow's market moves with today's real time data and transform your investment approach with us. Start your free 14 day [e-mail].