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Episode 41: It's Christmas time with Brian and Tom
39 Plays2 months ago
Brian and Tom join us to discuss Christmas, masculinity, traditions, and way way more.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:31
Speaker
Everybody ready? Everybody good now? Tom, you good? Let's do this. yeah get those Hey kids, welcome to toxic masculinity with Ian and Stuart. This week we thought we'd have a few extra people odds. We have Tom and Brian back to hang out and talk to us for this little Christmas thing that it was really Stewart's idea. I'm just here for the ride. How's everybody doing? Hey, happy holidays guys. Feeling overly festive. Yeah. Are you? No.
00:00:59
Speaker
well Just look behind me. I did that for you, Stuart. That's nice. All that's missing is the, there's a giant, we have a giant Yoda tree topper that goes on. So oh nice we got to put that on. That's how we feel in Festive.
00:01:16
Speaker
ah humbug ah I mean, you' you've got a fucking green screen behind you. We can literally put Santa, some elves. If only I was recording video, then we can really fuck with him. Grinch. He is the Grinch. Don't take my role. yeah All right, Stuart, you got any ideas? What do you want to talk about today? and Well, I did have a load of happy thoughts and I don't.
00:01:43
Speaker
ah yeah ah I hate everything.
Christmas Traditions and Masculinity
00:01:48
Speaker
ah The world is shit. People are stupid. And fuck it all. I'm going to flip the Christmas tree like the table that it is. Yeah, what brought that on?
00:02:01
Speaker
ah
00:02:05
Speaker
That's too early for that conversation. um No, the reason I was like, I wonder. um It's coming up to Christmas, obviously.
00:02:17
Speaker
And I did ask the question on our ah Blue Sky account, but we had excellent uptake on answering my question. um I personally love Christmas. I like the songs. I like the movies. I like the decorations. I like the hanging out with my kids and all that kind of stuff. But it's not really seen as a very manly pursuit.
00:02:46
Speaker
if you know what I mean. And I wonder what anyone else's thoughts are on that. I get the feeling that Tom hates Christmas, i just from his happy disposition right there. and But it just kind of i had i had a strange thought from a sense of masculinity.
00:03:11
Speaker
Does loving all things Christmasy Festive make me less of a man? Obviously, no. And that's this week's show. Dude, what do you mean? Like you literally like it, you're supposed to go and cut down a tree and drag it in your house. What do you mean? not It's like trudging through snow and stuff, depending on where you live. What do you mean it's not manly?
00:03:32
Speaker
Well, okay. But I mean, you're also covering it. There's all kinds of stuff, dude. What do you mean? You're also covering it in fairy lights and glitter? Jesus. Fairy lights? Dude, it's an electrical hazard in your house and outside, especially for sleep and lights. Well, maybe how you do it. Not how I So I would just say this to that point is a part of that is spending time with your kids that you created but did not give birth to. I don't know what could be more masculine than that. Yeah. Wow.
00:04:11
Speaker
it like a the v That is the pinnacle of masculinity, I think. Yeah. Awesome. Oh, man. Brian, what are you thinking? Wow. I'm just taking in what Tom said, which is the most concise summation of this holiday that I've ever heard. oh i I think I've think It's stewart is's just nuts this time.
Family Christmas Traditions
00:04:34
Speaker
um Christmas is on on my list of top three holidays. For me, it's it's Mardi Gras, it's Halloween, and it's it's Christmas. And part of what I love about Christmas is I had such a great example set for me by my dad. um And he didn't quite Clark Griswold it. you know We didn't go cut down an actual tree, but that's a good masculine reference for Christmas. so
00:04:55
Speaker
But it's a time where if you needed to dress up as a man and have you know a funny hat on or wear fur or be covered in in glitter or sprinkles or something, you could totally pull that off. um But he always made a big deal out of giving things for Christmas. um And he would go all out sometimes even when we didn't have a ah ton ton.
00:05:21
Speaker
um you know We always had gifts under the Christmas tree and so I always took that responsibility really seriously. One of my favorite things that he did was he always paid attention to the stockings, which doesn't sound like a very dad.
00:05:36
Speaker
thing to do. One of the coolest things that he did that I like have passed on to my kids and I hope they'll pass on is he stuffed our stockings full of scratch off lottery tickets. Oh yeah. Yeah. It was totally his thing. And you know we'd we'd like you know have breakfast Christmas morning and then open gifts, the you know zealous little monkeys we were, and then we'd be like, oh yeah, stockings.
00:06:02
Speaker
And you don't put all the other stuff in your stockings right you know yeah your mom would get you deodorant and you know socks and all that and then we'd be like oh and we have twenty scratch off lottery tickets in here and that was that was a really good time and i am very proud to say that my my dad taught me to gamble.
00:06:22
Speaker
um but Pass that on to my my kids here so i do it for them every year and it's it's just kind of fun like even though there's there's been a couple times where i've i've skunked so you know you can't predict what's gonna happen. but i've ah I've always associated that with my dad and and the funnier thing was like he still carries around the money clip to this day.
00:06:44
Speaker
We got, I don't know who does that, but after we scratched it off, he would like pay us out on the spot, like start thumbing cash. money i'm I'm not doing that. I draw the line there. I'm like, give me your tickets. I'll go, I'll go take them up and then I'll give you, the but I'm like, Ted, what are you carrying $1,000 in cash around for it? In Christmas, 2008, like nobody needs that. But yeah, I've always, I don't know. I've always felt, um,
00:07:13
Speaker
a a positive sense of masculinity around the idea of like giving people gifts, like trying to provide in that way, like thinking of something really interesting or different. Like, yeah, there's a list, but I'm going to find something really good. And I had a great role model for finding gifts that were kind of unique or interesting. um and And I love that part of the holidays.
00:07:39
Speaker
You brought up Clark Griswold. Is the humor in that because of how like hard he tries to do what you're talking about, like make his family's Christmas nice? Is that like the whole humor? Is that what you would take from that? I don't think so. I think the humor in it. Yeah, that's a steward's tie. But you have to admit he's trying so hard to make it so good. You know what I mean? Like he's trying to make the lights the best. See everything he does, he's trying to do the best and it like always blows up in his face.
00:08:06
Speaker
You know what I mean? Had he succeeded at that, it would just be your average Hallmark movie. Yeah, exactly. But to Stuart's point, because he fails so spectacularly that it's hilarious. Yeah. But some of the failures come from outside forces like Uncle Eddie. You know what I mean? Your cousin Eddie. If only we could control everything. It's kind of funny you said about traditional things in stockings. So you had scratch cards.
00:08:36
Speaker
as a traditional thing in your stock. And in my stock and growing up, we had, well, when, and when I was very young, it would have been a pound newt. Cause we had paper pounds back then, but now it's, and then as I got older, it would have been a pound coin and a Clementine orange. And then a lot of other random deodorant and whatever, but I now still in my children's stock and put It's now a ยฃ2 coin, a ยฃ2 coin and a Clementine orange. And without fail, every single year, Cora doesn't swear, but if she could swear, she would take the orange out and go, why the fuck is there an orange? I was just thinking like, yo, I would turn that to a fucking mad ball and start swinging it.
00:09:27
Speaker
Every time she goes, why is there an orange? is it's trip Shut up. Yeah, what the fuck dude? You're giving your kids clementines. Well, I think it comes from like, I think it won't cause my dad's parents did it for him. And that would have been post war Britain. So an orange would have been, you know, pretty extravagant.
00:09:57
Speaker
and Keep the scurvy away. yes um thats source of Vitamin C to avoid rickets. Anyway, it's a tradition
Commercialization vs. Family Time at Christmas
00:10:05
Speaker
I have. you have you have ah that's That's the only stocking based tradition that I have that I carry on from my dad.
00:10:13
Speaker
I'd rather have the fucking lottery tickets. Well, I mean, you don't need to be an asshole. I'm sure Cora would too. No, I was just confused by the Clementine, you know what I mean? Yeah. Well, in the UK and Ireland, Clementine is a festive fruit.
00:10:31
Speaker
I don't know if it is in America, but it is here because you would like it when you're making stuffing, you would put clementine juice in it and or you do your vegetables and the juice and, you know, all that kind of if you're kind of a fancy cook, it's. ah Do we have festive fruit? Uh, Chris, I saw.
00:10:54
Speaker
o crom wow hey and guess That was a weird dick cranberries Tom, what do you think? Is there a festive fruit in your house? I don't know. oh I mean it's fruit. You eat it so you don't die.
00:11:10
Speaker
but
00:11:14
Speaker
That's fruit. Fuck you. Forget it. so's so the fucking Let me say something that isn't totally curmudgeon. So I could totally get like, I don't have kids, but if, you know, I could get like putting on staging Christmas for your kids, I'm sure as can be enjoyable. But I mean, I'm, you know, not a parent. And so I still pretend like I'm 20. And I just walking, Christmas music makes me want to hurt myself.
00:11:42
Speaker
and and just like generally everything about Christmas like the you know obviously the over-commercialization is like annoying but I can hide from that but just like I got stuff to do and I don't like I don't it's just in in the way of stuff because I'm over you show us on the doll but I mean, you know, family I particularly like to drink on Christmas day, which is enjoyable. drink on I literally my first drink every Christmas day is a espresso martini at about seven o'clock in the morning. That's the way to do it. Jesus. Not an Irish coffee.
00:12:26
Speaker
No, no, that's later at night. I think I prefer the coffee personally, but so tom where do you start what do you start drinking with? and Um, I mean my, my, my, my drinking portfolio. Well, I was, firstly, I was going to say, uh, 7 a.m. He's Irish. That's every day. That's not just Christmas. No, it is every day.
00:12:46
Speaker
Um, but, uh, uh, my, my drinking is pretty limited. Uh, you know, my, my, my DOC is, uh, uh, Captain and Coke. Uh, but I mean, it's usually shots with my family. So that could get ugly. That, that sounds like a really fucked up TV program.
00:13:01
Speaker
charles which i normally him with jesus yeah but i mean you know What do you guys take shots of? Sambuca. Black. Fucking Italians dude. Jesus Christ.
00:13:13
Speaker
fuck you. Sam Booker can fuck off.
00:13:21
Speaker
but it's rough to be shakeking three sure i most I can drink most things. If someone hands me a shot at Sam Booker, I'll drink it, but you will get a very stern look afterwards.
00:13:34
Speaker
and perhaps another vicious shot right into face. Do you know what I mean? Something particularly fucking nasty, like really cheap tequila. I go, you're drinking that now, you can't. Do you know what I mean? Because it is the very essence of fucking heartburn and pain, horrendous.
00:13:55
Speaker
It's pretty rough, man. Oh, it's bad crack all around. like Have you gotten Malort in your house yet, Stuart? No, you can't buy it here. I've been trying to get a bottle the bottle of Malort. I read a review of Jepsen's Malort the other day, and it said it it ah tastes of, what was it? Citrus. Orange. Yep. Orange and burnt carpet.
00:14:18
Speaker
um like but I've heard it described as gasoline and fertilizer. Jesus. I mean, it's rough. You ever had Malort Tom? Brian, anybody? No. That's how you ah the how you make your family hate you real quick. Yeah. I think it's a, it's it's a, it's a, it's a, one of the bitter fucking drinks kind of like Campari or Aperol or something like that, but it's like to the extreme. Um, uh, I think it's made in your neck of the woods, Tom.
00:14:50
Speaker
ah thought it was like I thought it was Midwest for some reason. No, I think it's like Boston area, somewhere like that. Don't drink it, kids. i am ah Allegedly, ah an uncle of mine, allegedly, ah when I don't remember where he went, but he said that ah you know when when the guy was pouring the moonshine out for him into one liter water bottles, it was like outside ah in a you know in a fermenting whatever and like you know cracked it and just and you know came back with 10 one liter bottles of you know homemade moonshine. And i'm like I was so scared of it, because my face is going to melt off when I drink that.
00:15:28
Speaker
It was so tasty. It was not so easy. and then like Eight seconds later, the sweat started. we We get it here only we call it patching, and which is it's ah it's essentially potato vodka. So you make beer out of potatoes because we're Irish. It's what we do. And then you basically get the alcohol of it. And I have got drunk on it twice in my life.
00:16:02
Speaker
And both times it came in a very small bottle and I have never been so shitfaced. It was insane. Real moonshine tastes good. It goes down easy, but it'll also burn the fucking fur off your face.
00:16:17
Speaker
Yeah. that's touching to read it i I'm not saying it wasn't like, whoa, but it way it wasn't like, oh my God, I'm going to die. No, it's fine. Their experience was more, I mean, I said, that's not alcohol, that's drugs. Your body has an reaction that is not alcohol-like. Brian, have you had real moonshine? Like, made it just still like somebody's house? Yeah. Yeah. but Fortunately, here in in North Carolina, we have an industry for that out in the mountains. So I think most recently I had apple pie moonshine. Nice. And then before that, i we had cherry moonshine, which was too
00:16:51
Speaker
too sweet for me. there's a um so fucking i've never tried I would like to try proper moonshine in America from some dude that I can't understand what he's saying. I would really like to try that. That would be nice. There's also another drink. It's a very old drink that you fuckers make over there um called Apple Jack.
00:17:13
Speaker
And it uses a weird process. So they make cider, they ferment cider, and then they don't use a still to get the alcohol out of it. They freeze it. and that So freeze it, take the water ah take the frozen chunk away, then freeze it again. And every time it freezes, you're just left with more and more alcohol.
00:17:35
Speaker
And it makes the spirit more concentrated by freezing the cider. But because you're freezing it by making the cider, it doesn't take the... If you've ever if you ever know if you ever go down the rabbit hole of how to use a still, and there's a thing on when you're stilling out alcohol, spirits, called tails and legs.
00:17:57
Speaker
And the reason they take the tails and the legs away and you only drink the middle bit of the alcohol is because the tails and legs will make you go fucking blind. So because with Applejack, they yeah it's it's like fucking pure pure ethanol. It just fucks your shit up. Apparently, it is it is a very excellent fucking drunk and I would really like to try it.
00:18:20
Speaker
I've never tried it, but I know you're talking about. yeah yeah yeah yeah it's right um I've had proper moonshine like people made out of a still like that. One of the ones that I got it from was somebody from Florida that that lived, that moved to Connecticut and they made it for me. His version of Apple moonshine was to peel an apple and drop it in the moonshine jar he gave me. That was Apple moonshine.
00:18:39
Speaker
but What's, uh, what's your Christmas drink in there? Uh, whatever's handy. I don't know. I usually go to Tom's and Tom's house. The tradition is margaritas margaritas and beer all day. Yeah. Usually do some breakfast beer and keep going. Nice i'm bri Christmas drink.
00:18:56
Speaker
ah i ah i I don't know that I have a particular Christmas drink. Our Christmas tradition, and this this will ah so go back to what you were saying before Stewart, which I really appreciate because the ability to sort of inflict tradition on your kids I think is requires permission sometimes because we spend so much time trying to raise them like compassionately and effectively and make sure they have like great schooling and you know good health care. But then there are times where as a parent, you're just like, no, we're fucking doing this. ah You're getting the goddamn Clementine whether you like it or not, because I'm in charge of these stockings. so
00:19:38
Speaker
You're getting a pre-teen Gamla addiction. That's exactly right. And so for Christmas morning, we do, my mom always did sausage biscuits and she was not an amazing cook at all, but she made like homemade sausage biscuits. And so that's a tradition. Is that biscuits and gravy?
00:19:57
Speaker
No, not so. My family is is from the the Northeast also. So it's it's more of like a um ah traditional like small biscuit with a sausage patty.
00:20:08
Speaker
um Oh, it goes in between. and it and Oh, like some so like a like a like a like a like a sausage biscuit mix. often fucking say almost Yeah, with a little little less spread to it. And so I always would make those. And then my, nice my oldest who you guys met Andy took over making those. So I've I've inflicted that tradition on on on him. um And so that's just always what you're getting. We might make something else. you know We might make French toast or casserole or hash browns or something for Christmas morning. ah But that's that's how we always start out Christmas. it Inevitably, we will end up drinking, but you know I'm pretty equal opportunity there. So whatever anybody has around well will get consumed.
00:20:54
Speaker
I have a lot of weird Christmas based traditions, strangely a lot of them are alcohol based. I don't know why that is. Every year probably just a coincidence ever it's just every year I do a beer advent calendar.
00:21:10
Speaker
um and So that's ah that's a new beer every day that I've never had before. And I post them for my adoring fans. And I've been doing it for so long now that if I didn't do it, I think people would get it fronted. And so yeah, and that's always fun. And I do enjoy the festive drinking period.
00:21:33
Speaker
It's like socially acceptable. but you're You're just drinking a bottle of wine at nine o'clock in the morning. Yeah, it's Christmas. And you're like, all right, that's fine. is it I'm assuming it's not the same all over the world. It's the way it is here. like When is it not socially acceptable to drink in Ireland? a I think that's a shorter answer. It used to used to be Sundays.
00:21:58
Speaker
Dirty church hours. Has he changed that? Yeah. So is there not is is there is there ever a time that is not acceptable to be drinking? No, not anymore. No. and See? Shorter answer. Well, it depends whether or not you're a dick or not. so and How so? How so? There's caveats there. I mean, you can be a drunk. You can't be a drunk asshole.
00:22:22
Speaker
sort Yeah, well, nobody likes nobody likes the drunk assholes. Very much. There's very very much difference between the two. Happy drunk, everyone's like, yeah, he's is's dead on. He's a happy drunk. We'll kind of like him. He's not ruining the world. um An angry drunk is no fun to be around. Nobody likes it. Tom, are there any traditions you came up with that you miss as an adult?
00:22:46
Speaker
No, I mean, I kind of, you know, been doing the same thing since I said, no, I've never been doing the same thing I've ever said with a kid, right? It's, you know, mid afternoon, end up at, at you know, the dad side of the family's house. <unk> Obviously. Yeah, right. I mean, you can't be in the house for more than six minutes without doing a shot or they throw you out. And then, ah I mean, and then does the amount of food is just, ah you know, I usually don't get drunk because I eat too much, you know? Yeah. So I mean, it's an overall good day. um But I mean, you know, it's it's ah been doing the same things as a kid. So You know, it's kind of like, don't even have to talk to my old man. I know I'll pick him up whenever I get there. We'll get there whenever we get there. And then hopefully one of us can drive home. What about you, Brian? Is there anything you miss as an adult from when you were a kid that you, that you didn't keep up with or, you know, that you couldn't keep up with? Cause it was special to you like a parent or something. Good, good question. Um, you know i I think to some extent I miss the element of surprise.
00:23:46
Speaker
I am fortunate enough now where you know I put so few things on my Christmas list. like This year, I couldn't even do one. I was just so caught up in work stuff. I didn't even get to make it a Christmas list. So it'll be a surprise this year. But normally, if I put something on there, like Oh you know i want this this dnd book or these pop figures are you know what is lego set like it shows up under the tree but as a kid there was always a little mystery to it you know i'd be like shaking the presence underneath um and so there's there's a little bit of wonder i think and that may just be nostalgia but but it was,
00:24:23
Speaker
It was a surprise because there were some years where my parents were like, no, you're not getting any of this shit. And it was like, but ah here's in here's four sweatshirts and 18 pairs of tidy whiteys. Yeah. You're wonderful. That's exactly right. Don't tell that to Andy. What about you, Stuart?
00:24:44
Speaker
um i miss the I miss the excitement of kind of being a kid and that that not being it. Cora was talking about it tonight. So and last year was the first year really Cora got up and down all night like every hour. She was like, Santa.
00:25:06
Speaker
So even though she's 11, right? I do that too. prefer I didn't, never really. She always used to just fucking sleep. We had to wake her up. But there last year, for and and she was talking about it today or yesterday, she was going, I just kept waking up last year. It was very strange. I goes, you were excited? She goes, I guess I was. It's so wonderful to be excited this year. I think you probably will. You're talking about it already. And ah it was kind of that, that kind of, I miss that feeling myself, but now I get to enjoy it.
00:25:35
Speaker
through my children, so that's fun. Do you know what I mean? So that's kind of cool. um ah When did everyone find out about Santa Claus?
Santa Claus and Christmas Origins
00:25:54
Speaker
What do you mean? Find out what? Do you know? Tom, where did you find out?
00:26:06
Speaker
go to the curmudgeon first let's see how it is i i don't know that i'm agree i but did i find out about santa claus i mean when they told me when i was just die a big how high old were you
00:26:19
Speaker
when ah i found when i heard the rumor that may i not be like might just be a myth um i don't know 10 11 i mean i i think i if i remember i caught ryan putting the stuff you know putting putting the stuff out and i was like oh i get it now yeah yeah yeah see i it's that's a bit the same age as me but it was my brother told me because he thought it was hilarious
00:26:41
Speaker
I just eventually figured it out. I caught my parents. I was guessing, but you don't want to let on in case fucking the presents stop. Fuck me, Jesus. No way.
00:26:55
Speaker
Don't fuck up the presents. What about you? what is um remember i I was always a pain in the ass kid and a lot skeptical. You know, I got thrown out of CCD multiple times as kid what's what ccd it is this catholic school essentially your sunday school for the oh working i was working outside the class and education Yay. We're a bunch of failures at CCD. so but No, I never failed any of the exams. I mean, this shit was easy. Yeah, of course. But we were all, we're all in trouble. I didn't fail the exams. I got thrown out for asking things like, Hey, there are trees older than 6,000 years old. So yeah, this does not make sense. Like this makes no sense to me. And so it it was probably, you know, seven years old that I found out and I just, I like put it together. And I was like,
00:27:52
Speaker
To Stewart's point, I was like, I'm not going to say shit because then what if I don't get presents? That's a weird thought to have as a kid, right? It's so self-serving. Yeah. I've discovered this massive secret about the world, but I'm going to pretend like nothing has changed because it it might not get me what I want. do What I do enjoy about Christmas as an adult is all the adult horror and and like violent movies have been making for us.
00:28:19
Speaker
Yes. Which one did we watch last year? Crampus and Violent Knight. Oh, it's Violent Knight. That's the David Barber one. Yeah. Have you seen that? Yes. Tom, did you see that? You should watch that. I did not. I did not. Dude, it's pretty hilarious. Last year, it was epic. We watched Crampus this year and had a great time. Crampus is fucking hilarious. It's a really fun film. Dude, Violent Knight is so good. Go ahead, Tom.
00:28:45
Speaker
but I just want to go back to, I got a great CCD story real quick, Sunday school story. but please vi me i was put I pretty much was just like, this is all bullshit, what am I doing here? Right like right in the middle of the class.
00:28:57
Speaker
sam And it was like, if I like refused to, you know, go the to ah ah to be confirmed, like, you know, my mom might unalive me. So it was like, my only hope was to get thrown out. And they made me stay back a year.
00:29:13
Speaker
you um let me tell that shot up quick like Jesus. Well, no, they didn't do that shit to me. That would fucking no way. I mean, it was the right strategy because my mom was going to keep making me go. And I, you know, if they they didn't find a way to shut me up and that would that shut me up quick. I think I can remember that. I think the question I asked was, hold on a minute. Adam and Eve were the first man and woman and they had two sons.
00:29:42
Speaker
hi the A lot of logic, right? like Yeah, I figured this out pretty early on. I was like, who did the rest of humanity get here? I was like, so did Adam and Eve's sons sleep with their mother to populate the earth? Go and stand outside.
00:30:01
Speaker
um
00:30:05
Speaker
ah With your fucking logic. yes Immediately. Yeah, it's fucked up. Yeah, it's a weird book. It's very weird. and But you know, guess I guess those those stories are Christmas adjacent.
00:30:18
Speaker
Do you know what I mean? actually, that was kind of funny. My nephew was like, yeah, I was like, well, a nice Christmas tree. He goes, yeah, I love all that, you know, all that Jesus stuff. I want Christmas trees fuck all to do with Jesus. He went, what do you mean? I went, well, tell me what on your Christmas tree is Jesus iconography there. He went, ah I went, no, no, that comes from North missol mythology and bringing the Yule log in to fucking aid us up through the winter. It's a pagan thing. And he just like, what's happening?
00:30:49
Speaker
like It just makes me laugh that people don't get it, you know what I mean? ah it Time for Uncle Stuart to drop some knowledge on you. a mean boy I mean, there's so so many. it's it's It's shocking the amount of fictional deities had their birthday on the 24th of December.
00:31:04
Speaker
and It's just kind of weird. um But the other side of that is, I still say Happy Christmas. And because it doesn't bother me, i as far as I'm concerned, it's all look they all that bit of it's a load of oil bollocks. But the bit it does for making people a little bit happier in the dark of winter, and be a little more friendly and hang out with their family in a nicer way, I think isn't too bad.
00:31:32
Speaker
It's going to be fucking 80 degrees here in a couple of days. I can't relate, dude. Sorry. 80 degrees is nothing to do. I mean, you chose to live in fucking Satan's armpit. I'm not going to be cold. It's going to be nice. I like cold. I don't like heat. Heat can fuck up. 80 degrees is not hot, sir. That's very nice outside. 80 degrees. There'd be dead people in the street here.
00:31:57
Speaker
um to be Very nice out here, sir. Fucking serious. We get 17 degrees, 18 degrees in July and people are gonna fucking die. Is that freedom units or Celsius? Celsius. real money this This idea, this idea of moving to Florida, like let's let me go to a place where it's going to be 120% humidity in February. And oh, by the way, they have native swimming dinosaurs. yeah we lots We have lots of horrible things down here. We call it, I call it Australia light. It's way worse than that. We have, we have free range wild monkeys now.
00:32:28
Speaker
Weird. Mm hmm. Well, is that for some silly content having in them as pets? I can't even know the full story. probably There's a whole bunch of them now. I think they escaped from a lab or something. Oh, even better. I've seen that movie. I think I think also now we don't just have American crocodiles. We have Nile crocodiles.
00:32:47
Speaker
Those are the swimming dinosaurs and that shouldn't exist. And anyway, they do exist as a place for humans to live. They're fucking angry is what they are. Crocodiles are not to be messed with. Living in Louisiana for so long. Alligators kind of didn't mess with you. We could fish into the bayou all the time and they kind of let bygones be bygones. But crocodiles, I've, I've, I have not encountered personally fucking wild, but I've heard that they're aggressive. and They're mean. Right. I also have, when it gets cold too, we have lizards falling out of trees, which is great.
00:33:17
Speaker
It's kind of funny. But the iguanas. The iguanas get cold and freeze up, like lock up, and they just fall out of the trees. There's just falling from the sky. We're back to the Bible stories again. Yes, we are. yeah a lot ofs around Except there's no rational explanation for it, Stuart. Oh no, mean nobody's ever heard of a fucking earthquake. It had to be an act of God. Affirm, I derain.
00:33:43
Speaker
Do you know what I It's a fucking flood. You mean it was a fire about to rain? The drunk guy down in the fucking tavern, who'd been on the wine for a while, was fucking every cunt died. There was that much rain. If I can tell you, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. It was fucking wild. There's a load of bollocks. And that's my sermon over.
00:34:06
Speaker
Happy Christmas, everyone. great Yeah, great. And yeah, I'm glad we take the you know the cold and the winter over, you know, living where Ian lands where, yeah I mean, and and now it's it's even more frequently. It's like every five minutes you get, you know, the hurricane from hell and, you know, more California earthquakes. I'm never living in a place that has earthquakes. That's insane. No, earthquakes are no go for me. Yeah, tornitoes tornadoes and hurricanes are getting a scarier. That whole Pacific, ah the what is it called? The Ring of Fire. Ring of Fire. Fucking hell.
00:34:40
Speaker
No, just no.
Extreme Weather and Systemic Failures
00:34:43
Speaker
Do you know what I mean? It's like the people who live in the middle of your country, I know they're not. Well, based on their voting history, history they're not the world's shiniest bunch of pennies, but hey remember the thing about getting cancelled? It is part of the show. Anyway, i am comment commented on on the Blue Sky account. or story anyone who chooses to so i can watch Anyone who chooses to live in a place called Tornado Alley?
00:35:12
Speaker
is seriously mental and and and and only got to the second page of the little three three little pigs and still builds their fucking house out of sticks. Bro, we get tornadoes. Yeah, but you didn't used to. They've they've migrated south because of ah that thing that a lot of your people don't believe exists, climate change. and What? I was going to say health care, but OK, climate change. Going to get Stuart going now. It's going to be great. No, we have we've had hurricanes or last like the seasons getting longer and tornadoes. I got like I get tornado warnings all the time in the fall here. Yeah. Like in my town, one of them hit like we had a couple of hit this year.
00:35:59
Speaker
Yeah, but I mean, feel like it's different there than like, you know, totally allowed where it's like, I got up today and went to work. I can't get up until I went to work. And when I came home, my neighborhood was gone. Yeah, no, we don't get like EF fives yet. Knock on wood.
00:36:11
Speaker
For the festive season, I'm going to have another drink. I'm getting my breasts out. This is a rare breast thing. I heard that correctly then. I like how his pictures froze like that. I was paying really good attention to the camera there. He was getting his breasts out.
00:36:30
Speaker
Let's see if I can get a picture of Stuart holding his breasts frozen like that. Yeah. So. Oh, did I get it? Yeah. Just in time. Did you? You froze. Yeah. I got a picture of you holding your breasts. So what I was saying there was for the first of season, I'm getting my breasts out. It's a red breast, single pot still, Irish whiskey. This one's sponsored by the rookie who sent it to me. I know how we drink. Fuck, rookie didn't send me one. Fuck you, rookie. It's Christmas. A little more expensive to get it to me, but whatever.
00:37:02
Speaker
Cheers, bitch. Slรกinte, everybody. May your glass be always full. so
00:37:12
Speaker
Scull, slรกinte, salud. Cheers. Whatever. All of the above. Yeah. Oh, that's nice. um Speaking of alcohol, I was listening to something today that they said mead was very likely that the first thing after water that ah humans drank ever.
00:37:32
Speaker
Well, I mean, that makes sense. Honey would have been, uh, honey would have been the probably the first quick or the intense sugar. Mead can make itself though. That's what I mean. So if you, if you get honey and then store it and then, oh, that's been sitting there for a while, I should fucking take it anyway. Or if you just leave all the honey's still in there, dude, and you just fucking walk across and take a drink out of that shit, you'd be fucking lit.
00:37:58
Speaker
Have you guys thought that was pretty interesting before? Oh, lots of times. He loves it. I've had it once before. You've done mead. I have not. Really? I'll tell you my quick mead story, um, from, from New Orleans when I was in grad school there. Um, I had a friend who was that, that friend who was going to be the distiller. So he was determined to learn how to make bourbon while while we're like 23 years old.
00:38:27
Speaker
um But the closest he could get on the budget we had was was Mead, and so for Halloween, um he he made homemade Mead in a in a giant batch, and we brought it with us to the um the the grad school Christmas party, which was, of course, unofficial, but all the professors showed up and all the students showed up. um And I decided it would be a good idea um at the time to dress up in the same costume as ah my wife at the time, which was as a geisha. Amazing. So she and I wore the same costume, had the same makeup. um And we drank mead all night.
00:39:13
Speaker
And I don't, I don't know that I've ever been more messed up. It's fucking strong shit. But i I remember on my, on the way home, and this is weird that I can remember this, ah but we were driving through a really bad neighborhood called the Magnolia projects. And I was like, you need to pull the car over right now. And she was like, Oh God, are you going to be sick? And I was like, pull the car over.
00:39:39
Speaker
And she pulled the car over, and I got out and ran in front of the headlights, and then peed all over the front of the road. Why did you run in front of the headlights? You want to give her a good show? He's fucking lit, dude. Still dressed as a geisha? Still dressed as a geisha. Do you pull it up or open it? I came with the skirt. The skirt went up. It came apart nicely. And then I ran back and got in the car.
00:40:09
Speaker
Oh man, that's great. and that like that was That was also the last time I had mead. There's some, ah there's a there's there's there's mead that comes, like pretty commercial stuff that comes with ceramic jars and you can get it pretty much anywhere. um There's one called Odin Skull and it's apple cinnamon and it tastes so fucking good, but you get so fucking drunk off like a few glasses of it. How strong is it? I don't even remember, dude. I'll look it up real quick. That sounds festive.
00:40:39
Speaker
It's really good. It's it's dangerously tasty, to be honest, even though it's like a it's mass produced. let's Yeah. So we've done Christmas alcohol, Christmas gifts, Christmas stockings with and gambling and fruit. um Oh, oh, what other What other festive things do you like about Christmas? I quite like, for some weird reason, it's the only time the whole family gets together and plays games. And I really, I really enjoy that. Odin's skull really quickly is 19% ABV. but Yeah, that makes sense. That'll do it. Yep.
00:41:27
Speaker
Stewart, what games do you guys usually play at Christmas? Obviously, there's the standard you know charades and all that shit. But normally, we'll look for one every year. And we got that one that was out a few years ago that was you wore the dental retractors. Oh, yeah. We talked about that. And had to yeah um had to say the thing in the card for everyone else to guess what you're saying. And
00:41:58
Speaker
Because you're pissed. you my I have a video of my mother that ah every time I watch it, it makes me laugh. Because the more we didn't understand what she was saying, the more annoyed she got with this dental retractor. in It was so funny. And you're kind of going, everyone has a good time. Everyone really enjoys it. Why do we not do that more often? But maybe you have a good time because you're only doing it once a year.
00:42:26
Speaker
Do you know what I mean? Does there anyone else enjoy that part of Christmas? I i don't think so. i I think it's just our most honorable excuse to do it. You know, um, I'm lucky enough to have a few times a year where I get together with some folks and do like hardcore board gaming or card gaming for yeah a couple of weekends and it's just as fun. And I always say afterwards, I'm like, why don't we do that more often? But to your, to your points or like it's,
00:42:54
Speaker
you know I think for a lot of us, you know may and three you know those who aren't hardcore gamers, you know that's a really noble excuse to like get together and do that or try out that game you got in your your Christmas stocking or or you know under the tree or whatever. And it's such valuable family time. yeah i love playing I love playing board games, but if I tried to pull out any of my board games,
00:43:16
Speaker
to the wider family on Christmas. I think they might freak out. um you know um ok the you They'll get behind Cards Against Humanity.
00:43:28
Speaker
But that's about as far as it'll go. I mean, if you try and get any of the other games out to them, they're just like, no way. Dungeons and um what? No. It's not going to happen. So it's normally something simple and and funny, or ah quiz-type games is always good, and things like that. got And I really enjoy it. The kids enjoy it. And it's it's kind of it's kind of fun. We play this game, and it goes like this. Do you want another beer?
00:43:52
Speaker
Okay, good. Yeah, but that's not a game. We don't play games. You sit around and drink. No, we drink. Americans need games to drink. No, no. we've talked about You're missing the point store. It's not even a game. We don't play games. I don't play games like Christmas at Tom's. We just sit around and drink and eat food. And dude, his family is fucking entertaining enough. Okay. But he got fucking introduced a new tradition.
00:44:18
Speaker
He was drunk while his wife was yelling at him to help. And at one point, at one point on Thanksgiving, his wife yelled at him to come in and get the butter. Right. And she had heated up. He puts his hand out for the butter. It's scalding hot out of the microwave. She's got the edges. She puts the flat part right in his hand while he's drunk. And he just goes, take it back while he's holding it.
00:44:44
Speaker
I don't need games. I have the family antics to watch while Tom's fucking shitfaced. It's hilarious. so Apart from shots, Tom, do you play any Christmas games?
00:44:59
Speaker
um I don't know if you've ever heard of LCR, it's like a dice game where you play for dollars and it goes around and you can fill up the pot. oh some yeah um so so Some of that usually breaks out at ah you know my family's house. That's nice.
00:45:13
Speaker
yeah Nice. There's one I've seen that seems to be doing the rounds online that I'm going to do this year, which is you basically lay out 10 bottles of booze. There can be a soft drink or two you in there for shits and giggles um just to give someone a break, but I don't think I'll play it that way. and So 10 bottles of booze and then 10 candles, like tea lights or candles beside each bottle.
00:45:43
Speaker
you have to take a very deep breath and try and blow out as many candles as you can. Whichever candle it stops on, that you have to take a shot from that bottle. Oh, okay. Wow. Doesn't that sound like a great gift? Now the video I seen on on the TikTok was an Irish lady, I believe, who took her teeth out to take her deep breath. I was like, that is some funny ass shit right there. And this is why our people will conquer the world.
00:46:13
Speaker
I was like, it just looks like it that's that's my kind of game. I think that seems like the kind of game you could introduce into into your household, Tom. You get shots and you get the fun of entertainment. Do you know what I mean? That's why I was looking at Butler Jepsen's Malort to put it a around three or four.
00:46:36
Speaker
At one point do you start breathing and the alcohol breath just catches on fire? well you have to yeah You incinerate the table. Yeah. kind oh Yeah, I don't know. Was there anything else going on right now? was about What about some like events going on, some current events right now? Tom, you got anything as a journalist? You got to do something dark.
00:46:58
Speaker
um Kind of bullshit you see lately. How about the assassination of a United Healthcare care CEO and the internet's reaction to it? Because i'll I will tell you, among the doctors at our clinic, we've had nonstop conversations. So we brought this up on the last show, but we like we did not bring up the whole like I did hear about dos like a whole doctor's Reddit thing getting removed. I have not discussed about him since he's been caught.
00:47:30
Speaker
and whatever else the internet, I don't think we talk much about the way people reacted. sam Tom, what do you think about that since you're the journalist? I mean, I think it's kind of unsurprising.
00:47:40
Speaker
like yeah i mean not you know ah my My dear Senator Elizabeth Warren, you know like I'll take her over with most others, but i yeah I also don't think she's the greatest thing since sliced bread. But she said something in the media about, you know it's terrible, it's horrible, we never endorse violence, but people can only be pushed so far. yeah She had a lot of shit for saying it, and I was kind of like, what'd she say that was so wrong? No, I know. People don't like hearing the truth, my friend.
00:48:07
Speaker
ah facts And that that is the problem. I said in the last show, I am not fucking surprised that this has happened. I said when they catch him, I won't be surprised if either him or someone close to him has been very ill. Turns out he was very ill. So is his mom. Yeah. Yeah. So I will say this as far as the reactions go.
00:48:38
Speaker
I think that it was pretty telling that the general public was like backing the dude. and that all the people with all the money were standing up and talking about how atrocious it was, including political pundits, other CEOs, et cetera. Stewart, I think I messaged you this, but you always asked me about why I bring up class, and that was a that was a pretty clear picture of class divide in this country. Yeah, it's very strange. Because nobody in the news was talking about like, oh, I get it. They're all like, it's atrocious. like They were talking about like it was so horrible when everyone's like, the fuck?
00:49:12
Speaker
I know the american people were on like one side so i want to be able to find is not the answer obviously i want to get brian's reaction is it as medical professional though it's well on what have you been i would i will tell you it split the class divide um my my reaction personally which is a hot take sure to get me cancelled was at any given day in the united states of america i will take.
00:49:37
Speaker
that situation over a five or six year old being gunned down in the classroom. yep so so we If we could just shift American behavior to gunning down billionaire CEOs instead of like school children.
00:49:52
Speaker
This this would be ah a net positive for our our country in a lot of ways. um I'm sorry. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice if we stopped killing each other. fucking i In general, like but if I had to choose the lesser of the evils, assuming Americans won't do that. that the 350 plus years of our country, we're not going to stop killing each other for no damn good reason. If I had to choose who was going to get killed, that would be it. But I will tell you, our our doctors were pretty sympathetic towards this. And I think because most of us have dealt with the healthcare care industry, it takes up so much of our time.
00:50:34
Speaker
Like I have had to hire full-time staff professionals just to negotiate with the insurance companies. Yeah, exactly. but A comment from the outside, we don't hear that bit. um And that the fact that that happens is and insane. it's it's just ah How this hasn't happened before is shocking.
00:50:59
Speaker
My question would be just as a little bit of a thought experiment, just thinking out loud, just like I understand the mechanics, everything, but just as a thought experiment, at what point are you not a mass murderer as an insurance company when you keep denying claims that you know are going to end somebody's life? Well, well, and and even beyond that, you don't know the class as people when they want to be. Yeah, I'm just saying just as a thought experiment, like I understand the legal, the actual legal things, but it's just like a little thought. What are we saying, Tom?
00:51:28
Speaker
and Well, I just wanted to add that UnitedHealth is like the the worst offender too. They're a huge company and they you know I think they're... I think I saw this week or last week that their claim denials are like 10% higher than everybody else. I mean, they're just awful. Yeah. they're the one of the They're one of the worst, if not the worst from what I saw too.
00:51:46
Speaker
But like honestly, like you are literally killing people by denying claims and you're denying claims without a medical professional when you do it. From their point of view, they'll say, but that's our, that's our, that's our business.
00:51:59
Speaker
It's just so heartbreaking to do. I think an argument with actual doctors is fucking unreal. And they will do it. And they will do it. That's insane. Someone doesn't even have a bachelor's degree. There should be laws put in place against that. That's what the fuck are your government for, if not that.
00:52:18
Speaker
Well, that's the thing. It's not just that kind of behavior is not directly related to just health it like a roofer. I know. If you have housing, like homeowners insurance and a roofer is doing repairs, you get they'll send somebody out that doesn't know shit about roofing. And they'll just try to fucking pick their way through stuff. That's the way insurance works here. so You don't have to be professional to evaluate the need of something. So weird. Um, the other side of this is that although obviously violence is never the answer, um, except when we're dealing with Nazis, always bunch of Nazi, um,
00:52:50
Speaker
um
00:52:53
Speaker
it is starting a conversation that I have wanted to hear in America for a very long time. Well, I think you guys led the way on that in a lot of ways. We had one, one doctor, really one out of the the whole, maybe 27, 28 of us that, that was kind of deeply disturbed by this in, in the other direction, you know, like we could be at risk and, and I was like, I don't, I don't think so. I think we're doing the best we can to take care of our patients and he, you know, they don't hold us responsible. But I was like, have you ever heard of Guy Fox? Um,
00:53:28
Speaker
yep and And she was like, no. And so I had her look that up um because you know I think that's a good example of of you know maybe somebody with good intentions that that attempts to do a horrible thing that starts a conversation that creates some positive change in the world. And she was shocked to learn that this is celebrated yes later on. This guy tried to take down the entire government by blowing it up. yeah And I was like, yeah, and these are the people we consider the most civilized in the world because of course they are, Stuart.
00:54:06
Speaker
um But yeah that that that was the analogy that came to mind when when I thought of this as maybe that's a catalyst for You know Some positive change going forward. It is definitely a conversation that needs to be had in Your high I mean and people have been sharing the list of countries the list of countries that don't have health care ah proper ah But ah
00:54:37
Speaker
single payer, paid for by your taxes, healthcare. It's very, very small. oh yeah yeah and it's um i mean 1946 in the UK was when we did it. 1936, New Zealand. I think that's the earliest least one that I noticed on the big list. And you're kind of going, it's 2024 and you fuckers are still going, but we need to make money.
00:55:09
Speaker
We need to make money. It's depressing. You know what I mean? We're the number one country in the world at being absolute fucking cunts. You're welcome. I'm kind of okay with that. We little bit make everyone else look better in a lot of ways. Well, I guess that is true. If we were number one in everything. We are number one in everything. We're the best. Yeah.
00:55:34
Speaker
yeahka Tom, give me your thoughts, man. Give me your thoughts on the whole situation and what you saw with like the news and the way people reacted and um you're give me your thoughts, dude. Yeah. I mean, you know, I don't know about like openly celebrating it. Like the dude, you know, I mean, he might've had a scumbag given the company that he runs is pretty scummy, but I, you know, I don't know if that's all, you know, all that's necessary. I don't know. I can get behind that. Like, you know, kind of knocking the guy off. Uh, but yeah, no, I kind of agree. I mean, it's, uh,
00:56:04
Speaker
probably bound to happen. Mm hmm. I don't agree with what he did, but I can totally understand how he got there. That was my take. Like, I don't think violence is necessarily the answer, but I get it. And I kind of a small part of me kind of cheered because I get it as someone who has been able to 3D print a fucking gun. That's messed up. I mean, that's the software fix. That's easy.
00:56:26
Speaker
You don't, what do you mean? So you could still, you could, you could still do the parts and blender or something and put them together. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But it's, I mean, you can see the way you'd have to limit printer knows if you print out photographs that you shouldn't be printing out.
00:56:41
Speaker
Yeah, but you could do it in pieces and put it together, dude. and um a Doesn't necessarily have to look like a like a pistol. It's just fucked up. It's that's a really that's a really hard. I think that would be a very hard thing to block printers from doing. It's just it's just fucked up. But it is something that people worry about from the start. Yeah, yeah of course.
00:56:59
Speaker
I mean, that that dude was literally mad because his mom wasn't being taken care of. He wasn't being taken care of. That dude was literally mad. yeah and i i What do you guys think about the ah the whole, like there's no way that dude, like like he he was caught. like He definitely was trying to be caught.
00:57:14
Speaker
in mcdonalds with his manifesto and the gun on him so that that's that's i mean i'm i'm not one for i'm not one for tinfoil hats but that's the lee harvey auswald book yeah yeah yeah that's what i'm saying what do you guys think about all that he was covered in tattoos of cuba and then and then The person that made the phone call didn't even get the reward, I guess, from what I heard. I don't know if that's true. I haven't looked into it yet, but there was a technicality, so they didn't give them the 50 grand for turning. We are actually the greatest country on Earth, for real. Who can unmute that now? I mean, I don't know. I didn't look into that to see if it's a fact, but I did see that in passing today. We offered the reward. You caught this dude. You snitched. You hit nothing.
00:57:57
Speaker
So he didn't, so is this like FBI line type situation? is up and and so we should but So what's the technicality? that is technical He told the person at the switchboard first. What? The technicality was, it was normal. I was human. Oh, right. Okay. I'll pass you through it. You can tell them that goes, Oh, we already know he's in your McDonald's. run we buy nothing else though tom You didn't like anything about the class divide stuff. You got nothing else that you saw with that come out of it. That was interesting. Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. No. I mean, I think there's a definitely like a class analysis to make here. I mean, obviously, you know, it was somebody suffering and and in a lower class ah lashing out at the upper, a member of the upper class, right?
00:58:41
Speaker
I mean, like yeah, so I guess it was class analysis, but I mean, I don't think that was like a product of, you know, class awareness or anything. No, but it was definitely, I saw the line. Like it was clear. Yeah. And I don't think most people see that, especially outside of the country. Like Stuart asked me once, like, why do you always talk about class? I'm like, cause it's kind of a thing here.
00:59:00
Speaker
yeah I mean, it's a thing here. We have actual royalty. Yeah, we have actual royalty, but we have we have three people that control more wealth than 50 percent of the fucking population. So we've got rich bastards, too. But not that rich. They're still conflict. Not that rich, though. If we have billionaires to decade, you don't have an Elon Musk, though, do you? You really don't have any Elon Musk either, to be fair. Unfortunately, we do.
00:59:27
Speaker
I mean, we do, but we not really as money. No, but I'm saying I'm saying we do what we don't just happens to stay there. You can fucking and keep them and fund politics and things. But, you know, can can I ask you guys a question? This is just a personal favor.
00:59:45
Speaker
um So, you know one ah one of the things I love the most about this show is how many recommendations I get for other things, like I've got some great music and some amazing movies that I never would have watched otherwise, video games, um etc. So, I'm going to bring us back to Christmas here a little bit and I wonder if you guys would share with me your favorite favorite Christmas memory.
Memorable Christmas Moments
01:00:12
Speaker
Your favorite christmas song and then your favorite christmas movie cuz anyone that's not on my list already i'm gonna listen to and watch crampus is on there cuz i have not seen that so i already noted that but i love the show for that reason cuz i get exposed to so many other cool cool things from you guys favorite christmas memory I did totally in this during the week. was I think it was bound to be about 1985 and I got Castle Greyskull.
01:00:45
Speaker
That thing was amazing. In fact, it was so amazing. I looked it up on eBay the other day. I meant in a box, it's going for 800 quid. Jesus. God damn. But I was like, oh, fuck yeah. that but that's like That's the one that stands out for Christmas. Do you know what I mean? yeah right Yeah. Favorite Christmas song is um ah White Christmas Bing Crosby because I used to have it on vinyl record and and I used to play it all time as a kid and Favorite Christmas movie
01:01:30
Speaker
There is many, but I really do like, it's a wonderful life. It makes me cry every time. You're such a softy. I know. No, i that one makes me cry too. Well, I'm also a softy. True story. But but they I don't know. It's because of my mental health issues and having What I've said before on the show, I have had and dark thoughts.
01:02:03
Speaker
It's a wonderful life really speaks to me. Yeah. Seeing someone stare at the the precipice literally. Do you know what I mean? And then coming back from it and realizing actually the people around him do love him. And there is a reason to fucking not jump off the bridge. That's, that's some heavy shit that needs to be said right around Christmas. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, no, it's a good point, Stuart. And I don't know if we discussed this before, but there was, there was some work done on this.
01:02:32
Speaker
research wise and something like of the people that survived suicide suicide attempts like so eighty plus percent sort of within the the first seventy two hours or so kind of realize that had that kind of epiphany also and i don't know there's anything magical about that but it's maybe the fact that everybody rallied around them, yeah or or they got to rethink that issue. But that that is a powerful moment, and and that's one of the first movies I can remember that actively depicted suicide in a way that wasn't just overly dramatic or negative. But it's a funny one because if you actually speak to people, go, I love that movie, and you go, yeah, yeah, but you know that that bit of the storyline, they go, what?
01:03:20
Speaker
The amount of people that skip mentally gymnastic themselves away from the fact the start of that film is he's standing in an upgrades going, I'm going to jump. Yeah. And for some reason they completely blank that bit out. It's kind of interesting as well. I wonder if it hits too close to home for a lot of people that aren't willing to talk about it. It really does speak to me that, and I love that film. I watch it every year on Christmas Eve while I'm peeling my sprouts and preparing my vegetables.
01:03:51
Speaker
and have a wee cry to myself. Tom, you're up. what about What's the question? favorite Favorite memory, Christmas song, Christmas film. um Christmas song is absolutely grandmother ran rain over by a reindeer. Stounder's. Not Dominic the donkey. Oh, that's such a good one. So many people don't know that. What's Dominic the donkey? Jiggity jig.
01:04:18
Speaker
No, very, very, it's a very Esteban song, I will say that. So good. Wow, I'm gonna make the Christmas donkey. Anyway, go ahead. Christmas donkey. Oh, Jesus. Go ahead, Tom. Sorry. ah Memory, nothing specific. I mean, just the kind of the you know tradition I talked about earlier, though you know the the the Christmas day afternoon of of ah drinking with, ah you know,
01:04:41
Speaker
I got a big family on that side, so it's usually a bunch of people there. and you know I mean, just just that, right? That kind of annual thing we do is is ah is good stuff. um And what was the other thing? I forgot. Movie. Oh, oh definitely. Chevy Chase, ah Christmas. That's only for Christmas. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. I thought Tom was going to go with Die Hard, but...
01:05:05
Speaker
So here we are in this debate. It's not a Christmas movie. You're just looking at a Christmas movie. It happens at Christmas. It happens at Christmas. Christmas party. At a Christmas party.
01:05:17
Speaker
He's flying home to be with his family for Christmas. It's a fucking Christmas movie. First of all, it's not Christmas Mooney. I think it's a Christmas movie, but it is a Christmas movie. First of all, this knows fuck all. um Yeah, except for that. Never mind. Never mind. Exactly. Yeah. And renowned for being a fucking cunt. So anyway.
01:05:37
Speaker
So I did mine last time when Stewart and I talked on the last show. It was a bike, a BMX bike I got that I wanted. Song is probably Oh Holy Night, even though I'm not religious. I just think it's a really, really cool song. And movie, I'm not going to do my favorite. Brian, instead, I'm going to suggest you watch Fat Man. Okay. All right. yeah That is Mel Gibson as Santa Claus and a kid puts a hit out on him.
01:06:00
Speaker
have not seen this yeah um right um'm adding up to my list man i said she watch his most like fifteen ten years ago was so we turned with gym rat Since you already watched violent night we'll go with fat ah I'll suggest the fat man for you. I've never seen that that i should watch it it's it's fun Tom you're missing out on in these violent Christmas movies. I'm just saying yeah Is that really a Christmas, like really though? They're Santa, so yes, it's Christmas. Look, I'm not a- I'll be honest, the violent because the violent angry, slaughtery Christmas movies sound more like your Christmas time than ours, but-
01:06:43
Speaker
Hey, listen, I'm entitled to the thoughts in my head. yeah Obviously. and But yeah yeah. I mean, I'm a little more on Tom's team, like I'm much more of a Grinch. so Which is weird because you seem so kind of happy and jolly most of the time. Yeah, I just don't care about Christmas anymore. and It sucks. You don't know, like yeah the the like the juxtaposition that really irritates me is like when you run into like one of the six actual religious people that still exist,
01:07:08
Speaker
Right? And they're not like, you know, out buying crap and like, you know, they're being like, actually religious. um And it's just like, you kind of just like. This is a bunch of commercial garbage and like this person's actually, you know, a real person that of actual faith is like, you know, celebrating their faith and whatnot. And everybody else is like, let's
Faith, Morality, and Commercialization of Christmas
01:07:28
Speaker
buy shit. Yeah, but they're they're celebrating they're celebrating their faith on ah on on ah on a pile of lies because Jesus wasn't, Jesus isn't real. Jesus wasn't born in December. this There's no way. Shepherds don't watch their flock in the middle of winter.
01:07:44
Speaker
What's that have to do? Listen, listen, listen. It's Saturnalia, Roman festival. There's so many festivals around the same time of year. And, you know, they're all about, I mean, the, the, the the Roman festival was like, um ah Eating drinking gifts fucking mad orgies. That sounds like christmas to me like the christians christians the roman christians were the ones that started to try like the church and i'll try to figure out how to like wedge.
01:08:17
Speaker
the Christian holiday. Let's use this one. Let's use this holiday we already have to wedge our Christian holiday in. Trying to kill people away from being pagans. Yeah, yeah because we can't that we can't do away with their favourite holiday of the year, which took over 12 days. I wonder where that came from. Do you know what I mean? so can't They really like fucking and drinking for 12 days. We can't do away with that. We need to put a holiday at the same time. Here's here's something interesting for you though, speaking of ah hardcore Christian people, Jehovah's Witness does not celebrate Christmas or their own birthdays.
01:08:51
Speaker
They also let the children die for need of fucking... I'm not talking about that. I'm just pointing it out. I understand. Actually I know one and she's actually really nice, but still. She had a pacemaker put in. She had a pacemaker fitted. Yep. She had one. Was that before she became a Jehovah's Witness? Nope. Nope. I mean that's counterpoint to her belief system. No, it's not. You don't fit a pacemaker without getting a fucking blood transfusion. You don't have to get a blood transfusion for a pacemaker.
01:09:24
Speaker
You don't. I don't know what to tell you, man. Yeah, I mean, you know, so what? She's like God, and but she was like, I don't fucking die. Yeah. So, Ericko, your system of fifth is horse shit. You know yeah only believe in it when it's switching.
01:09:43
Speaker
I don't know make any i don't know that of i know things that of all the people I know. She talks to me the least about her religion, which is something that people would not expect. That's probably a good thing. Yeah, she's cool. I would object to. Very cool, actually. Your your faith is bullshit because you're like, oh, shit, I'm going to die. I think that's a little harsh. Nah, fuck them.
01:10:06
Speaker
but Here's the thing that I always. Always the counterbalance to this from fucking. No, no. If Jesus Christ. If you're such a Christian right and you believe in what the book tells you, then you believe that your loved ones, you'll see them again in the afterlife. Why are you crying at funerals? good why do you Why do you cry when you have to leave somebody you're not going to see for a long time? Oh, don't fuck them. They're dead to me.
01:10:34
Speaker
and So I'd be dead to you if I was going to see you again or talk to you again for years, you fucking motherfucker. If people aren't in my general eye line, I completely forget they exist altogether, but that's a whole other mental capacity thing. But no, no, i I do like bringing that one up because it really fucks people off. I mean, to be fair though, it is, it is, it is, it is weird. I don't, I just don't, I i don't understand it. I don't get it it at all. It has never made any sense to me. So i it's kind of, um, here we go.
01:11:08
Speaker
No, no. And then it's actually and i'm I've considered myself very much agnostic, you know, I don't know. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We're the floppy ones who won't make a decision, right? Nice. I don't know. i you know When religious people have to be like, well I'm like, well, I'm just over here sitting in the fence in case I'm wrong or I'm not. I have no overwhelming need to scream at religious people and tell them that they're wrong. I do.
01:11:33
Speaker
I don't until they start knocking on my door and then I just like, fuck you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure. um I do think it takes some strength to have faith because like that's why they call it faith. And because I can respect that doesn't mean that I agree with your wisdom. It's kind of how I feel about veterans, honestly. like I respect your ah your decision. I don't know how wise it is. Yeah.
01:12:00
Speaker
Yeah, well, some of them didn't have a choice either, but even though that's been like, I respect that you're willing to do it. i know you know So for me, so for me, I just don't care. Like I'm an atheist. I don't care if you're not hurting somebody. I don't really care what you're doing. If you want to be Christian, unless you start using that book to like eight people or twist things, then I will have a confront conversation with you. But the problem is how often do they not use it to hate people and twist things in this country a lot more often. Well, I'm just, um I don't speak for other countries, man. Okay. I don't know everywhere else in the planet. So I only speak for what I know. And I don't play the fucking door once in a while. like Yeah. But I know plenty of Christians that are not fucking evil dicks and actually stand up for the things that others use the book to fight against. So.
01:12:45
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's completely like whatever like people. It's the the unfortunate thing is these books are written by men, whether you like to admit it or not. And your faith is your faith. You fucking are going to see what you want to see. You know what I mean? You're going to take from it what you're going to take from it. It's not like it's written super clearly, you know?
01:13:07
Speaker
and as long you know In general, like as long as people you know any individual is trying to act right, regardless of the motivation for it, but if they're acting right, what's the difference? but What they're motivated by. I do always query the the notion that your morals come from your faith. I don't believe that. Because if your morals come from the fact that you're scared that God's going to smite your ass, you're fucked up in the head.
01:13:32
Speaker
If that's the only reason you're not raping and killing, then you're a fucking nutter. I think it's a lot of like other morals system only from fear. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's weird, right? that I think, I think people use it more to read. I think people use it to reinforce whatever they believe. Good or bad. Yeah.
01:13:48
Speaker
I think they take from it what they put into it. You know what I mean? So to speak. Yeah. Because nobody's out here. Nobody, nobody's out here talking about, well, I don't think my wife was a virgin. You got to go prove it in the middle of the public square. And if she's not, then we're going to stone her to death. Nobody's doing that shit. Yeah. and but i't know I sometimes have the mental, um, experiment,
01:14:13
Speaker
thought experiment that I wonder what it would be like to actually have that on questioning faith thing. Would you be happier? Do you know what I mean? Would you be going through your life going, I'm going to live forever. This is great. Blah, blah, blah. Do you know what I mean? Would you be happier and you kind of go fuck? But it's just not in my head to be able to make that decision. Well, there are people there. There's too many plot holes.
01:14:45
Speaker
And not everybody walks around blindly, just like believing that everything's going to be fine. Like they still have to be right. One of the tenets of faith is actually question it, but too many of them don't. And that's the problem. Right. But but i mean I mean, in the end, it is called faith, right? I mean, there is some lead there. Let's be clear, too many of the loudest ones don't. Yeah. Most of the Christians I know don't walk around like waving stuff and yelling shit in your face. They just do their thing like everybody else.
01:15:10
Speaker
I don't know. if any people sandwiches does that helps They do make really good sandwiches. do make really good so But I mean, honestly, I don't know. Like most of the Christians I know are walking around trying to convert me and throw fucking Bible verses at me and telling me I'm doing something wrong. They're just do their thing and let me do my thing. Yeah. and well you're you're in florida now So they might not let non-Christians across the state border. well yeah the country i live like No, which is kind of like the the the place that they would like to forget exists in the state.
01:15:38
Speaker
I don't know anybody that's religious that's like that, to be honest with you, that I like see in my normal face to face. No. And I know people that like have leaned on religion even for like um for like Alcoholics Anonymous and stuff like things like that. And they still don't try to convert me i had a gun to talk to try to convert me a few months ago. Well, I mean, it's a little more tense as well as you would expect.
01:16:00
Speaker
Well, it's a little it's a little different in your in your pink neck of the woods of this planet, sir. You guys had a little a little tiff about it. but the thing right this is that It was a father and son. It was a father and son combo, right?
01:16:13
Speaker
and they And basically through conversation, diddlydee, they were trying to see make me see the error of my ways. And I basically left the conversation with the two of them fighting because they had differing views because they're in slightly different churches. And I was like, well, my work here is done. and I'm going back to the bar for another drink.
01:16:37
Speaker
i mean right even i was gonna see the problem I don't have a problem if somebody is you know wants to talk to me about their, their I mean, I'm not interested, but if they want to try and talk to me about their religion, that's fine. As long as they're not, you know, after I say no, they're not trying to kill me. I'm cool. Yeah. Yeah. That that would that that would be extreme. Brian, what kind of kind of what kind of void do you think that stuff fills, like believing in a religion?
01:16:59
Speaker
i My brother and I had a really good conversation with this. He stayed with me him just about a month ago and I i told you guys he grew up just like me and then became ah hardcore religious after a really difficult tragedy in his life and ended up becoming a Baptist minister. um And for a long time, we we could almost not talk. um But about a month ago, he and his daughter came here on a college visit and We are on the couch watch movies together and talked a lot about it and i appreciate it being able to have a civil conversation with him about it you know he's very aware of my views on it and yeah yeah there there were times where he would send me emails or leave me voicemails about how i needed to like repent and save my soul and.
01:17:46
Speaker
He was worried about you know my future in the eternal afterlife.
Spirituality, Mental Health, and Religion
01:17:50
Speaker
um But I asked him the question the same question you just asked me, Ian, because you know I work with teenagers for a living and you know they they vary on the spectrum of faith. And I wanted to know the same thing. like What but void does this fill? and And I got to be honest, I think there's a role for spirituality. you know Your views on organized religion may sort of vary depending on your experiences with the fidelity, hypocrisy, judiciousness of that organized religion. But
01:18:26
Speaker
um you know i've I've had it play a big role in really helping save some some teenagers from a ah dark place. To your point before, Stuart, I always have appreciated your vulnerability about this. you know If you were in a dark place and an angel came down to you and was like hey you know like, I feel like I need that experience if I'm going to move forward in the spirituality phase. Like I have to have a visit from like God himself or Clarence. Yeah, like I may seek medical attention. right but But if I get better as a result. Yeah.
01:19:05
Speaker
But I think there's a role you you know that Tom made this point before. like There's some element of a ah belief in faith that that ignores empiricism.
01:19:16
Speaker
and right it comes just yeah i really I appreciate the value in that. like there There is a role for the believing in things that you may not have empirical proof for if it if it betters your existence and and if it betters the existence of other people.
01:19:32
Speaker
Well, I mean, i think I think if you need empirical evidence, that sort of defies the concept of it being faith. Yeah. right then Then it becomes science. yeah Yeah. And um I think that is the but the problem with my brain. It just does not compute and I can't work with it. like but ah that ah Something I was you actually, Brian, was because you're dealing with people on mental health issues, and the um correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of people who have substance abuse problems go to AA.
01:20:09
Speaker
And the 12-step program in AA, and one of the big things about AA is its religious component. Do you think that can cause problems when dealing with people that are having that particular mental issue?
01:20:30
Speaker
Ah, boy. Stu, you're about to open a can of, you're about to open a Brian Brandt here. ah Let me just pile on top of it and you can answer everything at once if you don't mind.
01:20:41
Speaker
on ah I don't think that, uh, you know, I don't think that that's, that's quite accurate. I mean, you know, it a is supposed to be non-denominational and it's really the kind of re requirement is that you're willing to believe in something higher power than you. And that I think is really about,
01:20:59
Speaker
accepting that there are things you cannot control, which is kind of the but kind of base tenet of A. um But to just pile on to the question, um is there any research, and maybe this is kind of outside of your expertise, expertise but is there you know psychological research or any scientific research on kind of the effect of faith on the brain and if that is different between people with and without faith?
01:21:23
Speaker
Well, yeah, Tom, Tom asked the right question. we'll We'll see if this gets good if I can stay on track. So I answer the first question first. um The 12 step programs um are the gold standard of substance abuse treatment here in the United States, and I don't know if they are in the rest of the world.
01:21:48
Speaker
And yes, one of the core tenets to to Tom's point to soften it, I think a little bit, which is good because a lot of people hear that and they immediately reject it because they're like, I'm an atheist or I'm an agnostic and I'm not turning myself over to a higher power. If you go to meetings, um which we had to do as as students and you know we have enough patients that go to it, they they don't emphasize that.
01:22:08
Speaker
as hardcore as you you might find when a Jehovah's Witness knocks at your door right or you know you end up in ah ah a church sermon or something like that. right it It is a core component. um The big issue is um it is the probably the single largest medical intervention in the United States that we have zero research data on because they won't let us conduct research.
01:22:35
Speaker
i They have never let us in. Do you think it would help? To do empirical research. and And it is the gold standard for treatment. Could you imagine if if I said, like, hey, Ian, you've got ah prostate cancer and we're going to do a da Vinci procedure on you. And Ian's like, okay, well, what is the efficacy of the da Vinci procedure? And we're like, we don't know. We've never studied it. No idea. We haven't been allowed to.
01:23:06
Speaker
And so in the in the field of of mental health, like we like we recommend 12-step a lot of times because it's it is, again, the most commonly referred to intervention.
01:23:20
Speaker
um but it really has a black eye for us because they won't let us empirically evaluate it. And if you have such a good treatment, what would it hold you like all these, we we were talking before about the healthcare care industry with these money grubbing pharmaceutical companies dying to get your dollars and they still have to go through an empirical evaluation process. And in the U S it's pretty rigorous. I'm not saying it's not, it's not flawless, but you it could take you 20 years to get a drug to market.
01:23:50
Speaker
um And AA is the gold standard treatment with zero empirical evaluation. That's crazy. That's kind of interesting. Yeah, it's it's it's ah it's a thing. um and And so more often what I look for is is like, okay, if this will work for you, great. If not, what are my other options? And and that's where we're we're short because a lot of those, because it's been the gold standard, a lot of people haven't invested in seeking other treatment options. you know We're starting to get some really interesting studies in like psilocybin assisted substance abuse treatment. And we've only been able to study that in the last three, four years. um and And the initial results have been really fascinating. um but But again, it's probably going to take 10, 15 years to get these drugs to market because they've have to go through the normal channels of full scientific vetting.
01:24:46
Speaker
um Whereas AA is, it's the only only area I can think of where this is the gold standard of treatment that has zero proven clinical efficacy. It's interesting. Why do you think they won't let you in? My personal opinion is because it adopts a cult-like mentality. it It would not be a cult, it would be a sect because there is no one a leader. but But again, the tenant of that is your exclusionary.
01:25:16
Speaker
Right you're either in or you're out and if you violate your out and and and i get it that they want that commitment from the people they're serving. um But i it's it's really hard for me to believe that a a treatment that we started to you know coalesce in the nineteen fifties and sixties with zero.
01:25:39
Speaker
um evolution since then would still be the most potential effective treatment ever i mean shit ah the best example i can say this is wait watchers. Wait watchers also a cult sect whatever whatever you call it multilevel marketing scam depending on how you label it.
01:26:01
Speaker
But last year they 180 on drug before that they were like your weight loss is 100% willpower. And if you sign up for our program for $10,000 a year, we will totally help you lose 10 pounds guaranteed. And ah they they developed a ah successful business based on this. And then when we got some drugs that were the empirical efficacy of it was absolutely indisputable.
01:26:30
Speaker
The CEO was like, ah yeah, we were wrong. Came out on national radio and said, we're wrong. We fucked up. Our entire product has been wrong the whole time.
01:26:42
Speaker
And we're going to revise the whole thing. And I respect the shit out of that. That's pretty ballsy. um It was pretty ballsy, but it was in the face of overwhelming data. And if you're watching start selling is epic or yeah that's exactly what they did. yeah and And again, capitalism worked well in that regard. Like they embraced science rather than running away from it and or doubling down. Which which is the the problem with AAs, we can't get in there to help Either either evaluate or advise them because they they want nothing to do with the mental health industry.
01:27:19
Speaker
um I wonder if there's ah you know the and and the implied anonymity might be a factor there too. and ah I don't think so, Tom. the The reason for that is because in our field, anonymity is incredibly important. Not true. True. and and so you know Being able to keep things confidential is is really central to building therapeutic and even research relationships. you know In research, we're never going to out your data or you know at least not very highly sanitized.
01:27:48
Speaker
That's an excuse they've used over the years, but it's one I'm going to i'm to challenge because I think science does a pretty good job of of protecting the people that it evaluates for the for the most part. and And I wonder if there's like a yeah fear of, but you know, after it that you the, uh, you know, all the analytical, all the analysis has done, you know, the scientific community comes away and says, there's nothing to this. Right. And they're like, well, we have a bajillion people in recovery. So I don't know yeah you know. But again, that's science. And, and I feel the same way for like SSRIs, right? We've had a few of those over the years where, you know, everybody might be prescribed Prozac or Zoloft, but the evidence for those is, is so vast.
01:28:28
Speaker
and And the effect size is small but significant, but we've had other ones over the years that we just had to shelf because they're shit. And you're like, okay, this didn't work. No big deal. like what We'll evolve. It doesn't mean we don't learn something from it. There might be something of value to take from that. That's how we got to our frontline SSRIs. And that's ah how we got to better drugs, is learning from that.
01:28:51
Speaker
But to say that you won't allow yourself to be subject to the process of empiricism at all is to me is egregious it's it's a major red flag even though i will still support my guys doing it if if it helps right if it saves your life and it gets you off drugs or alcohol like i'm all for it.
01:29:09
Speaker
but i've I've always struggled with that issue. It does seem really weird. Tom, going going back to your your original question, um the evidence suggests that if you are um happy and supported by your faith, that it produces sort of a net benefit overall to your mental health. We've never been able to quantify what that means though.
01:29:32
Speaker
because there's so many subjective factors and that's the biggest weakness of our field, right? It's like every single term you have to define down to measurable quantities. And what does it mean to be happy with your faith? And if your faith requires you to wear, you know, a full hijab into a swimming pool and you're happy with that, is does that have deleterious effects on your mental health versus like your faith says like nude beaches are the way to go. um So we,
01:30:00
Speaker
We don't have it we like like we don't have any great data. um I mean, I'm willing to start one here, Stuart, if you feel- Yeah. Don't go to nude beaches. They're not what you think they are when you actually get there. Just don't. Just don't do that. I don't know. I mean, I'm willing to try. Go for it, by all means. Maybe. Maybe. Just as you walk around, yeah, just as you walk around during the day and you look at people, think about what I want to see them at a nude beach. And 95% of the answer is going to be no.
01:30:34
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, you don't walk around thinking that anyway. i i i yeah h I just had one more question since we're getting along in the tooth before Stuart asks his, um is there anything from like the spiritual or like a religious side that you guys have taken and made your own?
01:30:54
Speaker
in some way besides like a holiday. Like, um, if somebody passes away, I tend to light a candle for them anyway, just as like a little memorial for me. That's something I like to do. It has nothing to do with anything other than me just trying to remember them for a night for a little longer. That's it. I tend to, I tend to leave things behind. Um, so, um, I mentioned before my brother and I had some experiences with friends of ours dying really young. yeah Um, and, uh,
01:31:23
Speaker
you know if someone gave their life it always felt like it was right for me to give something up so you know putting something in their coffin with them or or giving something of my own up felt like i was acknowledging that loss or that sacrifice and there's no There's no rational reason to do that. In fact, I even get questioned about it one time. Like, why would you give that up? And I just, I don't know. To me, it felt emotionally right. Like this person has lost their life and I'm losing a material object, but it felt like some acknowledgement of that sacrifice. So Stuart, I, I kind of do that too. I would put something into the coffin. Tom.
01:32:06
Speaker
No, I don't think so. I mean, just I just approach, you know, I approach ah whatever lessons you might extract from religion as just philosophy. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, which is probably ah pretty typical amongst ah the nonbelievers amongst us. um But that doesn't mean there's like not good information or, you know, good lessons to learn or things we're thinking about, you know, yeah consider your fellow man. and but Yeah. Right. Right.
Personal Meanings of Christmas and Holiday Wishes
01:32:33
Speaker
Don't be a dick on Christmas. Don't be a dick.
01:32:37
Speaker
Yeah. Stewart, do you think? Well, I'm failing there. i was gonna I was going to change it up because it's our Christmas episode. Do your thing, man. I normally ask, what's the manliest thing you've done this week? But I'm going to ask you, what does Christmas mean to you?
01:33:01
Speaker
Everybody answer at once. Look at that. OK, Christmas to me. um means the only time i can safely visit the northeast. um without feeling like you are all assholes. so a so and that when i And also the the spirit of gifts. I love giving gifts and to your points, you're spending time with family and sort of making an excuse to do that. I love that. Like let's get together and play board games or let's get together and all play video games, but like all of us in the same room yeah at once. I love that.
01:33:38
Speaker
Yeah. See, uh, but you know, I mentioned my dad's side of the family is big and you know, it's a thing on Christmas day. I mean, I actually, one of the things I appreciate the most is like we stopped doing presents with those folks. Like I don't even remember the last time it's like, it's a little, it's about being there and not giving each other shit that we don't want. Right. And so that, that, that I actually much more appreciate than any, you know, I only have to buy for a few people, but it's like, Oh God, the kids dying nuts.
01:34:07
Speaker
yeah and ah you know even still at my advanced age my mom what do you want for christmas i don't only me alone she has ah no yeah um ah But yeah, I mean, I could give the crass answer of drinking, but, uh, no, honestly, uh, it is, down that's my answer it is that the same time I, you know, I explained, uh, that Christmas day afternoon and after kind of the formality of love, the Christmas, you know, ritual is done and it's just kind of time to kick it. Yeah. I mean, that all helps too. Nice. And in better days,
01:34:47
Speaker
Actually still, I still, it's an excuse just to hang out with family. It's all I look forward to. In better days, I used to really like to give, I used to get really excited to give somebody a gift that they really wanted, that they knew they wanted, or that I knew that they wanted really badly. yeah If I could swing it and then watch their face light up when I surprised them with it. That's always fun, but currently just an excuse to hang out with, uh, well, in this case, Tom and his family and, uh, I'm dragging a friend along that doesn't usually, that doesn't have anywhere to go. So.
01:35:17
Speaker
There's nothing ever stopping you from giving somebody a random gift, man. No, I do that anyway. That's why I'm like, Christmas is me. Just saying. You're a good gift giver and it once brought you joy. It'll probably bring you joy again. I'm not good at it. I'm just, I'm a good listener. Be good at giving gifts means having the intention of giving gifts. I'm not good. Who brought the healthy guy? I know, right? Who brought the healthy guy? Sickening, isn't it? For some reason he likes us. I don't understand it, but.
01:35:47
Speaker
We're doing it. We're doing important work here. For me, it's... His other half likes us too, which is even weirder. Family. Yeah. Family and joy and giving and all those things. That's it.
01:36:08
Speaker
It's just nice. You're the other dad here. So I love like the warmth of Christmas morning, like being in a room with your kids and like all the presents are there and you got like food and drinks and all that kind of stuff. And there's just like a, I don't, there's like an ethereal glow to it that it maybe is spiritual. I don't, I don't know. I'm not buying that it is, but like it feels like the whole is greater than the sum of the parts in yeah that moment. It's great. It's a, it's a buzz. It's an excitement. It's,
01:36:37
Speaker
and watching your kids get excited or like they can't they can't wait to get up or open stuff or once they start opening it they get fervent about it like yeah love that love that part of christmas. Yeah i can't wait i do like that but you you people that have kids and don't murder them i don't understand it.
01:36:55
Speaker
Well, I've got six, so give me give me a minute and we'll see we'll see we'll see we'll see who makes we'll see who makes it to Christmas. music like in the her
01:37:06
Speaker
It's a lot there's a lot to deal with. It's a lot of presents. I bet. I can only imagine. All right, guys. Thanks for coming back and hanging out with us. Yes. Hope you all have a nice holiday. I don't know if we're having another show before Christmas. Things are getting really tight around here. Yeah. So hope you all enjoyed this. Everybody have a nice Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. Yeah. Happy holidays, everyone. Have a great time. It was a pleasure to meet you. Yeah, you as well.
01:37:31
Speaker
Yeah, you see that now to making friends. ah Wait, what christmas everyone wait, my therapist to one day for wait seconds to look until the recording stops and watch how many questions I'm going to drill you with. Bye everybody. Merry Christmas. Bye.