- 6 weeks ago
In this episode, we explore the delicate balance between cultural traditions and the commercialization of holidays. Join us as we explore personal stories and reflections on how these celebrations have evolved over time, the pressures of consumerism, and the enduring value of togetherness and family. Whether it's the warmth of Thanksgiving gatherings or the commercial frenzy of Valentine's Day, we uncover the impact of these dynamics on our lives.
The impact of commercialization on holiday traditions: Personal stories of Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, the pressure of consumerism during Valentine's Day, and reflections on the true meaning of holidays.
Join us as we reflect on the evolving nature of holidays and the importance of preserving cultural traditions. Don't forget to subscribe for more insightful discussions!
Memorable Quotes:
"As I'm getting older, I dislike it more... anytime there is a holiday or something that prescribes what we should be doing on a particular day, I don't like it." "Thanksgiving was the end all be all for the food. It was the food, and that was the center point."
The impact of commercialization on holiday traditions: Personal stories of Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, the pressure of consumerism during Valentine's Day, and reflections on the true meaning of holidays.
Join us as we reflect on the evolving nature of holidays and the importance of preserving cultural traditions. Don't forget to subscribe for more insightful discussions!
Memorable Quotes:
"As I'm getting older, I dislike it more... anytime there is a holiday or something that prescribes what we should be doing on a particular day, I don't like it." "Thanksgiving was the end all be all for the food. It was the food, and that was the center point."
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello, everyone. This is Phil. I know you've heard about Christmas in July.
00:06Well, here at What Do You Have to Say, it's Christmas in August.
00:11In this episode, we're talking about cultural traditions and why are we seeing Christmas trees already.
00:19Take a listen and let us know what you're thinking.
00:22Good. What is it? Good evening.
00:25Good evening. Good evening.
00:27Good evening.
00:27It's interesting that I'm having to get used to say good evening. We're in the same time zone now.
00:33We are. We are. Which makes it much easier. But good evening. It's good to see your smile.
00:41I'm just glad to see that you are warm. And I know the weather is, you know, warm because the weather is changing.
00:53I'm getting used to the weather here in Kansas. I think I've known it before.
00:57Yeah, yeah.
00:57I had the heater off and I was freezing. So I have my jacket on. I'm going to keep it on.
01:03I got you. I would, too. I'm warm and toasty. It's cold outside, but I'm warm. And I got a little space heater right here, too, for my feet.
01:14So I have a good day.
01:16Were you working today? Were you teaching today?
01:18No, no, no, no, no. We took, had weather day because we have inclement weather in other counties, higher counties up north where they have snow and sleet. We just have, it's just a rain event here.
01:32Okay.
01:33But where I work, I work 50 miles north.
01:36Okay.
01:36So it's, you know, it's a totally different story, you know, because I can leave here and it's one temperature, maybe it's 38 or something like that in the mornings.
01:47And then I get to Auburn and it is 30, 27, 25. So even those degrees can cause.
01:56Changes things.
01:57Yeah, changes things. So they, the whole state was a state of emergency. So I'm praying that everybody is okay. But I know up north, they, they got it. You know, snow, sleet, just everything.
02:10All of that stuff. Same here. It's a big, it's a big difference coming from California to this weather. But I, you know, those fires, I am thinking a lot and I'm, you know, praying for the people that are dealing with all that craziness right now.
02:31But I, I will take the snow and the rain and the ice right now.
02:38Right, right.
02:40Right now I will.
02:40I'm glad everything is going good. What do you have to say about cultural traditions and the commercialization of holidays? I'm ready for this today. So, yes.
02:55As I'm getting older, I dislike it more. Like anytime, anytime there is a holiday or something that prescribes what we should be doing on a particular day, I just, I don't like it.
03:19Like I was thinking about this a couple of days ago before all the snow came in, I went to the grocery store, like everybody, but I just realized on that one row, all the Christmas stuff is out, but you can imagine what's just taking its place.
03:37Valentine's.
03:37It's all red and they're preparing for Valentine's Day. And I was like, see, I just don't like that because they're telling people, you got to buy a card, get this bear, get some candy.
03:50What else do they tell you you got to get?
03:52Right. Candies, perfume, all of those items, the commercialization of everything.
04:03I hate it. I hate it. When I worked in the restaurants for a while, of course, the 14th was a very busy day. You couldn't get a reservation.
04:11Right.
04:12And it was one of the worst days to work because people were trying to get in on that particular day at the last time.
04:21And if they couldn't, they were acting crazy with you because they forgot.
04:26Right. Right. I got you. I got you.
04:29Well, you know, speaking as I mature, things have changed.
04:34Even I was thinking about Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Christmas, which were, you know, probably my favorite holidays to celebrate just because of the gathering of Thanksgiving and the food, of course.
04:52And just the feel of Thanksgiving, not necessarily about the pilgrims and all of that, but just the togetherness of family and those cultural traditions in my house, you know, and probably in yours.
05:10Because, well, I spent a few Thanksgivings in Kansas, so I can remember just the cooking and the recipes and the sharing and it was-
05:28The laughing.
05:28The laughing.
05:28The laughing and just being, just being together was incredible.
05:36And I miss those moments, but I do have those memories to cherish that, you know, where we lived, where all of us lived, you know, and Granny coming down, you know, when she was coming down the alley.
05:55We would call her the alley, carrying a pan of rolls or, you know, just coming down there or, you know, I would just wonder how many times did she say, here, run this up to your, run this somewhere, you know, because we were all just, just right there.
06:16And that's the same vicinity.
06:18And those, that's holidays to me, you know, and that's what I would miss that closest and togetherness, Christmas as well.
06:28And just the, the other holidays, I don't think we celebrated too much Memorial Day and July 4th, because we, my parents didn't like firecrackers.
06:41So, we didn't spend money on firecrackers.
06:45So, they wouldn't do that?
06:46Yeah.
06:46I was just thinking, because we're talking about holidays and stuff, people who know that Philip and I are cousins.
06:52Right.
06:53Right?
06:54Yes.
06:54Right, right, right, right.
06:56Our families lived in the same towns.
06:59Right.
07:00For a while.
07:01Sometimes a little bit thin.
07:02It's a little bit thin, but we lived apart from each other, but we're cousins.
07:07We're talking about across the alleys.
07:09Across the alleys.
07:10I didn't, thank you for clarifying that.
07:13Yes.
07:13We are cousins, yes.
07:15And just stuff like that.
07:16Right, right, right.
07:17So, when we're talking about, let's stick with Thanksgiving just for a second.
07:20Yes, yes, yes.
07:22I have, one of my, when I think about Thanksgiving, one of my memories is Mother, your Aunt Bev, cooking the night before.
07:33And we stand up late, and one of my favorite things to this day is, she's making pies, but was, that refrigerator was full, but one of the things it was full of is Coolwood.
07:47And I love Coolwood.
07:51I don't care about no fresh whipped cream.
07:54I don't.
07:55I'll eat it.
07:55But Coolwood is the thing, and I can remember, they had to stop me, because I would, even when it's frozen, give me a spoon, and I would eat almost a whole tub.
08:05But that's one of my memories is.
08:07Wow.
08:08Potato pies and prepping all the stuff the night before.
08:12The night before.
08:14It seemed like it, that ritual, you know, and that tradition of that, the night before, putting the turkey in, just that whole ceremony that they went through preparing those dishes, you know, it's not going to go, those traditions are not leaving us.
08:39And, you know, they are just, I keep saying, they're woven into who we are.
08:44Yeah.
08:44And it's across cultures that celebrate like that.
08:52And just Thanksgiving, it is means that your feet are under somebody's table, blood family or not.
09:01Or not.
09:02Or not, you know, and all of the things that have come out of that, Friendsgiving and some other things that just focus on the togetherness around those holidays, especially that one.
09:19Well, I'm thinking about in your family, can you remember, and in general, do you think, well, not do you think, was Thanksgiving the more centerpiece or was it like the Christmas?
09:35I mean, there are two different things like, but mainly for like the celebration of eating and food.
09:40Which one took precedence?
09:42Because I know Christmas for you all, I'm sure, looked different for a lot of different reasons.
09:46Yes, Thanksgiving was the, it was the end all be all for the food.
09:54That was it.
09:55It was, it was food.
09:57Christmas, there was food, but that was not the focal point because it was gift giving.
10:04It was centered around that.
10:07And it really wasn't like a commercialized gift giving.
10:12Um, we got what we needed.
10:17Um, and I always was wondering, why am I getting underwear and, and, uh, undershirts and socks for Christmas?
10:26And it's like, I miss that because I need, um, underwear and socks.
10:35And I guess we just knew that that's when we were, that was going to be replenished, but Thanksgiving was it.
10:42It was the food and that was the center point.
10:45And then Christmas, yeah, it was, it was different, um, around.
10:50But what about you at your house?
10:52Well, for Christmas, I don't know what my mom's deal with Christmas was, but the Christmas tree, I don't, I don't remember.
11:04Did it go up right after Thanksgiving, shortly after Thanksgiving, but when Christmas day was over, that tree came down.
11:15And we didn't have a, we didn't even have a, a real tree.
11:19Literally, I remember like, mother, can we just leave the tree up for just a little bit longer?
11:25And sometimes, you know, she would say yes, but then we go to school and she would bring it down.
11:31Yeah.
11:31You know what?
11:33I have to say that about my mother as well, about Christmas tree.
11:40It was not, I don't know what it was about Christmas and maybe, uh, maybe it was something, you know, from their childhood that, that, you know, it was not, she didn't make much ado about Christmas.
11:56It was not Christmas and, and, and decorations and, and had a tree.
12:01Yeah.
12:02She didn't, that really wasn't her thing.
12:05She did not like to go shopping.
12:07Oh man.
12:09She didn't want to go shopping or just Christmas shopping, Christmas shopping, dealing with people.
12:14And do you know that has rubbed off on me because people are in my way.
12:20I mean, I'm like, I know what I want, I know what I need and they are just thinking my way and my temper is short.
12:31And that's why I see people are ordering online and, uh, because, Oh, that's why I don't like going.
12:40I don't like shopping.
12:42Period.
12:43Even the grocery store, because I'm thinking about where it's at.
12:47How quick can I get to it and how do I get out of it?
12:50People just walk around.
12:52Have you been to like Costco or the big box store?
12:55I, I, Sam's is saying I have a membership at Sam's.
12:59So, uh, Sam's when I go, I haven't been in a while.
13:04Um, because it's everybody in my way.
13:10Everybody.
13:11They're just, they're just buying stuff.
13:14They don't have, I, I shop buy list.
13:17So number one, so I won't overspend and buy things that I don't need, you know?
13:22And so I have a list.
13:24I know what I have.
13:25I know where it is.
13:26And like you say, I know how to get there and y'all in my way.
13:30Well, they got them big ass cars.
13:33And I just hate seeing people.
13:35They're like mesmerized in, in these big box things with like, they're just walking around.
13:42I was like, let me through.
13:45And it's families.
13:47And I mean, anyway, it's a lot of, you know, but.
13:52Well, that's a different story.
13:54It really is.
13:56It is.
13:56So you were mentioning.
13:58So we're talking about those big primary holidays and we talked a little bit about Valentine's Day, but Fourth of July Memorial Day and all the like St. Patrick's.
14:10Are those things that you really get into celebrating?
14:13There's not as significant.
14:15Even Memorial Day, I respect the, what it means.
14:22But I believe some, it has kind of gotten diluted from honoring who we honor, you know, military service.
14:33At least that's what my thoughts were, that it was about military service, but we have turned it into honoring our lost loved ones, you know.
14:43And it's, growing up, it never really was a lot.
14:51It was just a day off.
14:53And Memorial Day, I think it's, all of these days are, as far as I'm concerned, consumerized, consumerized, consumerized, it's all about drinking.
15:08Memorial Day is a day people go out and get drunk.
15:11Labor Day, they're off and they get drunk.
15:15Fourth of July, for certain you're getting drunk.
15:19Oh, oh, oh yeah.
15:20St. Patrick's Day.
15:22Oh, you're drinking.
15:23You're drinking.
15:24Oh, green whatever.
15:26You're drinking.
15:27Yeah.
15:27You're drinking.
15:28And I watched this channel on YouTube and they go like, St. Patrick's Day is more popular in the United States than it is in Ireland.
15:36In Ireland.
15:38Wow.
15:39Can you imagine?
15:40Can you imagine?
15:41Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:43But the commercial, let's see, whatever, St. Valentine's Day, not a big thing, just with the candies and, but the pressure that comes, or the pressure that is created from the commercialization of these holidays, that you have to do this.
16:03You are, you've been told this is what you do.
16:07Like you were talking about the eating of the food and the making the reservations for Valentine's Day.
16:13And, you know, and flowers and, you know, just helping industries, you know, and when I was trying to get some facts about Christmas and where Santa Claus and how, you know, the commercialism really started.
16:32And it said that it started 1840s at Macy's, introduced 1840, well, 1862, Christmas Santa.
16:45They had a Christmas Santa at Macy's in New York City.
16:48And that kind of started, they, the retailers found, kind of knew that they, it was, they could make money because people were selling, I mean, buying things and buying gifts.
17:02And the commercializations began then, and look at it now, it, it just blows my mind that we have houses full and closets full of things.
17:17Of shit, shit that you don't need.
17:19Of shit that we don't need.
17:22And, you know, I'm looking at stuff right now behind this camera that is stacked up in this room.
17:28And I'm like, when I moved out here, I gave away, I had, I had a storage and I gave almost 80% of that away.
17:39And then I gave another five or 10% of some of the things that I had before I moved.
17:46A, because A, I didn't need it.
17:49And they say, if you don't use it within a year, if you haven't missed it, it means you don't need it.
17:56Right.
17:56And, you know, all these holidays, especially Christmas, tell us we need to buy something, especially I'm, I'm, I'm negative on Valentine's day.
18:06Cause it, it tells you, you need to buy something rings.
18:10Oh, great.
18:11And when you said pressure, this is what first on Valentine's day that came up to me is, can you remember being in grade school?
18:21I don't know if they do it so much now, but in grade school, you were getting those be my things.
18:27And it was expected that you gave everybody in the room of Valentine's.
18:31Valentine's.
18:31Everybody.
18:32And.
18:33Yes.
18:36I didn't even know what that meant.
18:38And you feel bad if somebody didn't give you a Valentine's.
18:41I know.
18:41Or if they gave you the one, the ugly one in the, of the stupid one in the little box of cards.
18:47In those boxes of, yeah, it's all coming back.
18:50Yes.
18:50In the box.
18:51Well, I teach third grade.
18:53Well, I did teach first grade.
18:55And so, you know, they love to give Valentines and everything.
18:59And parents are, they're, they are aware of that.
19:04They're under pressure as well to give everybody in the class a Valentine.
19:10If they're going to give one, they have to give it to everybody.
19:13So no one is left out.
19:14And so a lot of parents, you know, they'll, they'll ask me how many students, how many boys, how many girls are in the class because they want everyone included, but they'll give out Valentines.
19:25And then I have noticed that some of the boys, they'll give out their own Valentines to another Valentine who they want to give it out to.
19:34But that pressure that everyone should receive a Valentine.
19:41And it's.
19:43That's too much, I think.
19:43It is too much.
19:45It really is.
19:46And it, it, it doesn't diminish.
19:48It just keeps on growing, you know, as they get older, those, um, um, I can't think of the word, but things are reinforced that this is what you need to do at this time.
20:00And, and, um, and even, uh, having a girlfriend or boyfriend, it's like, or my, a Valentine at that time, that's a lot of pressure.
20:11A lot of the boys, the boys, they, you know, they may want to give a boy Valentine just because they, that's how they are at developmentally at that age.
20:26But it is not, um, really looked upon as something that you want to encourage.
20:33And, um, wow.
20:35That's a horse.
20:36Yeah.
20:36Well, you, as you were talking about, um, well, we were talking about Christmas and we went to Valentine's Day.
20:42Yes, yes, yes.
20:43But when we were talking about Christmas, this isn't all necessarily about consumerism, but, um, I just want you to look up.
20:50Are you in front of your computer right now?
20:52I am.
20:57I want you to look up the Dutch Santa Claus.
21:02Uh, you know, um, uh, man, um, um, I already looked it up and it was.
21:09Look at my, I want you to see his face right now.
21:12Oh, okay.
21:13Dutch Santa Claus.
21:15Dutch.
21:16Dutch.
21:17Dutch what?
21:18Santa?
21:18Santa Claus.
21:19That, that should have pissed you off.
21:21Okay.
21:22Well, it was called Santa, Santa Claus.
21:25No, look at.
21:26That's, I-N.
21:27Okay.
21:27Duarte P-I-N.
21:29Oh, okay.
21:30This is not what I, okay.
21:32This Santa Claus thing that's on, um, that's not how it started out, man.
21:38No, I just, did you see Z-W-A-R-T-E?
21:41yes yes yes yes associates oh of course that's of course i told you wow that's today philip
21:59that's because well that's blackface that's what i'm telling you yeah that um that's how it began
22:07um yeah after they um i can't think of a word for it but you know yeah that's that's right right but
22:18even um saint nicholas in basilica he was let's see it was another man that i had looked at that
22:30they had co-opted you know to meet their european needs and values and they had to
22:39when i was a child i was afraid of santa claus you were afraid of santa claus uh-huh any almost
22:47anybody or anything that was behind the mask i couldn't have yeah i didn't like santa claus
22:54but maybe i didn't like santa claus for other reasons anyhow right yeah just because yeah and
23:00that's a whole another topic about um how things were co-opted or are not presented as they were
23:13originally were and um for whatever reason uh for whatever reason they believed that it was more
23:21palatable and more sellable um even jesus christ you know and the images that we see from that but um
23:34the most celebrated holiday is christmas um uh in the world it doesn't matter what religion you are
23:43if you celebrate christ or not you know yes the gift giving that's where they sing the cha-ching
23:50and see all the money because it is and it's not um i looked at something that said uh they start
23:58christmas in at the end of september they i mean it's already they're ready they already have the
24:05rollout it the companies that yes yes they already have they're preparing for christmas right now you know
24:13so they can have by july they have everything all their print all their promo everything for you know i think
24:20about um when i was recording music and if i wanted to put out a christmas song i had to really know
24:28that i had to have it ready in august yeah or before you know and i mean the print the chance ready to
24:37roll out um you know by october no that's late that's really late well think about the one thing about
24:46the holidays and we're really focused on christmas is christmas lights i people spend if you go on
24:54youtube you can see lights that are coordinated with music they they are digital lights i love the
25:02lights but that's a big business too it's business there are neighborhoods where people all of them do it and
25:12people drive through the neighborhoods just for the right in every town in every town in the united
25:19states i mean i'm sure and in the world there are neighborhoods and and um they take pride in how
25:27many people come through and i have even seen donation boxes in neighborhoods you know i'd love
25:34i love the christmas lights i do too i really do i think it's beautiful am i putting up christmas lights
25:43i'd be the kind that if i did have a tree i would probably have more lights on the tree
25:49than the limbs on the tree it would be like all lights i don't know leaving lights and this and
25:57that and i love it oh man oh man i know i know and you know i i would i would spend money you know
26:06and this is a milestone or no this is i think something turned for me this year because i did not put up
26:14up anything and i'm just gonna say that low because i'm not proud what do you mean love you're not proud
26:22i'm not proud that i did this ain't love this ain't saying hello
26:30and it's only between me and you right okay that's right that's right it's just it's just me and you
26:35that i i did not pull anything out of my attic no christmas tree no nothing not even my stockings
26:45for my dogs you know that have passed i didn't well if you remember you asked me
26:52and i said oh you said they were no you said the ones that were outside your house
26:59or outside on that porch that they i was like that's
27:06what are those oh i forget my uh my my lights because i have a lot of lights in my house
27:15you know i think this sort of goes around with consumerism but
27:21my favorite one of my favorite all-time stories is called the little fir tree have you heard it
27:27i have it this might be good for your okay okay it gives you more but i love the story it's a story
27:35about um a fir tree in the forest that every year they see that all these other trees are getting
27:46cut down and they're going somewhere and that little fir tree is like i want to go where they
27:51go and why don't they come get me year after year after year after year and then finally that fir
27:58tree rose up to be something that somebody wants to chop down for christmas they come and they chop
28:04this fir tree down and that fir tree is happy oh i'm going now i get to see where everybody's going
28:12it gets it gets put in this house people are saying how beautiful it is puts trinkets and back in the
28:22day when i wrote this candles but lights and all this it's fancy it's by the fire it's beautiful
28:28i'm not cold anymore i'm in this warm house people start putting gifts underneath it it's getting pretty
28:34prideful look at me i look good and people are putting gifts underneath me this is great
28:40and this happens you know for all the month christmas happens and the the fir tree is over the moon
28:49because everybody is coming down looking at them and they're joyous taking the presents well
28:57christmas day happens i feel you i see you i see you the next day happens and they're like well
29:04what's happened where's everybody next day happened the next thing like are you gonna water me and
29:10the tree goes like well i'm i'm drying up what's happening then it's things start uh the things
29:15there's needles needles needles uh this particular story which i don't know why they put the fir tree
29:22up in the attic but they take the fir tree up in the attic instead of tossing it out and that virtue is
29:27like uh ain't nobody ain't nobody ain't nobody ain't nobody ain't nobody coming up
29:35see me no are we gonna have another celebration yes
29:43they a little bit later they come and they when it's warm outside they get that fir tree and they put the
29:50fir tree out on the pot on the fire and then burn it
29:57and they burn the fir tree hey well the moral of that story and i think it has to do with
30:02how we spend and the things we do and what we buy like listen you better be good with what you are
30:08and what you have right now because all of that can be over very quickly very quickly what you're gonna do
30:15right right so you better be happy out there in the woods that's right nobody cuts you down
30:21right and you're growing just right there and thriving and yeah wow it's my favorite fable that's
30:30that's great that is a great story and definitely i will share that um when it's time um the little
30:37fir tree absolutely i have a recording i'll even send you uh i was looking for the old record that i
30:46used to listen to and i found it and i bought it and then i digitized it i will send you okay wow that's
30:54a great that is a great fable and definitely um um that moral that you know just be happy with what you
31:02god we got because i mean as quick as christmas 25th came i mean december 25th it was a wrap it was
31:12on december 26th over i mean it they they were putting out they were putting out valentine's day
31:20uh i went to one department store or one store and they already had valentine's um and this was the
31:28week this was before new year's that week in between christmas and new year's they had already had
31:36everything 75 off christmas you know and all that 75 off christmas
31:48the day after you know and i mean and let's okay all righty we i buy valentine's candy
31:57the day after valentine's i buy halloween candy the day after if i buy candy i really i'm really not
32:05buying a lot of candy but if i do i'm buying it the day after and a lot of other people they're doing
32:11the same thing it's like oh it's uh the commercial commercialization of holidays and uh it's not
32:20diminishing we just scratched the surface we just yeah yeah because and then we um different cultures
32:30have different traditions as well but uh this is great this is great yeah what do you what do you
32:36have to say what do you have to say about commercialization yes yes of the holidays it's good
32:43well we're going to do right absolutely we have to you don't have a choice thank you wow
33:01that's like go time right now whatever
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