Episode 041 - "Christmas Episode - Traditions"

DLH, David, and Jaime host a Christmas Special.

• Traditions
• Christmas Trees
• Santa Claus
• Christmas gift you wanted as a kid

Issue a Verdict.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:15

If by some chance, some stroke of luck, or some act of God, you have stumbled upon this broadcast, you are listening to the Chivalry Chronicles with your host, Dr. DLH.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

I'm a damn doctor, David, we're gonna bring the team to not drink during the podcast.

SPEAKER_05 0:35

Yeah. And me, Jaime. They need to make uh podcast equipment a lot more expensive to get some of these clowns off the air. Gather around as we discussed a modern manly approach to chivalry. So I hope you're ready, because I know we are. So let's get into it. Yeah. And we're back here with the Chivalry Chronicles.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

More crudos than never.

SPEAKER_05 1:12

It's the holidays from the friendly confines of the Chivalry Studios, aka my office upstairs, right? DLH? Yeah. So, Chivalry Studios, we're here. DLH is back, David is back. We I know we it's been a couple episodes that we haven't had the crew together, but now we're back. Episodes come out every two weeks on Tuesdays. Usually I try to send them out like at 5 a.m., but sometimes it takes a little bit longer. But definitely on every Tuesday, or every other Tuesday they come out. How what are you doing? Oh you could, I guess you could hear that. But but we're we're wrapping up the year. I think it's been August of last year's when we started it. It's been, I guess, over about a year and a half, and we're getting into December. Christmas right around the corner. We just are getting done with Thanksgiving. And we want to talk about Christmas. David was he wanted to talk about Christmas and nothing else. And so David, tell us something about Christmas. Like, what what are your traditions? What do you do? Do you have a tree up in your house? Do you put a tree up? Because last episode, Letty was on and we put a tree up on November 1st. What about you?

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Well, I've had a tree up for two years now up in my attic.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Is it at least a pre-lit tree? It is. Plug and play. It's good, it's good that it's not a real tree. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 2:52

Have y'all ever had a real tree?

SPEAKER_01 2:54

I will never, yeah. I that's a not since youth. Yeah, that would that I was traumatized because of damn real trees. Why? Because they were always stabbing you. Yeah, they would stab the head. So when you're What are you doing with the trees?

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Like, you're doing something weird with the trees. It didn't require much. You just put you you go to put a an ornament just a little too far in the bushes and it and you come out with scratches all over your hand and wrist.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Yeah, well, I just remember it would it it was throwing it away that was the sap.

SPEAKER_05 3:22

Yeah. The sap and all that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

You'd get that, but you'd I don't know if it was like a slight allergic reaction or whatever, but I'd have like little whelps all over my arm.

SPEAKER_05 3:31

Well, I mean, the the trick is like you you put the bag under the tree, right? The bag. The bag. Like a bag whenever you throw it away. So you buy a mid and you put it at the base. You fancy you got a pretty big thing. And then when when you just pull the bag through it and then you throw out because you don't okay, because we got Letty wanted real trees back in two early 2000s, because we you know we lived over there at one off a woodlawn. Yeah. And we had a you know, the houses, the living room was huge, and so we could have a big ass tree. So she's like, I want a real tree. And I was like, fuck, okay. So we went and got a real tree for a couple years, and it sucked because you gotta put water in it, you gotta have the you know, like a little pan full of water, it dries, and trying to get it out is just going through the door, quills everywhere, and yeah. So by the second or third time, you kind of start figuring stuff out, but it's never again. It's terrible. I hate it. I hate it. GDLH, no real trees.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

No, I mean I haven't had one in years. I I don't remember it being I do remember getting all the scratches and stuff. I do remember having to the sap, all that to sweep constantly. Yeah, I I remember, you know what it's kind of funny. I remember being like almost scolded all the time about how these trees were you don't put fire around these trees because we have flames. But we didn't have a fireplace, we were never playing with fire. We like, you know, and we're like, okay, why when those PSA messages that they would show with the the more you know? I guess. I'm like, when have you ever seen me play with fire though? Like, we don't bring fire around the tree. Anyway, but I I knew from an early age don't bring fire around the tree.

SPEAKER_05 5:19

You know, only you can prevent a fire knowledge.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Um yeah, so I you know, I would say that like in in later years, it wasn't like trying necessarily to stay away from a real tree, but when you get a fake tree, especially one that's pre-lit, it's just fascinating.

SPEAKER_05 5:35

It's so better. It's it's just everything's better with the pre-lit tree. We used to have the just a regular old tree that you do the lights and all that shit, and then I don't know, 10-15 years ago they came out with the pre-lit trees, and that's the best thing.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

I mean, well, it is up to a certain thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

I think the only downside of a fake tree is if you do if you want to do like one year where you put that fake snow on it, that spray snow. No, why would you do that? Yeah, why would you do that? Because it it it comes in comes in and out of fashion or you're you're into it.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

No, you only spray that on the windows.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

No, we we we would we would spray it on the on the tree. No, we only sprayed on the windows. We sprayed it on the windows, and we've never done that, yeah. But yeah, I mean there I don't think it's as popular right now, or maybe it is. I hadn't really paid attention, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

If if you want to do that, you know what? If we could find it, I would totally get that for my kids at this point. What fake snow? Yeah, because they always want snow at Christmas, right? But they're it's not likely. You just spray them with the toxic toxic. I don't care. Give me the give me the lead fill.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Here, go write your go put your face in the window.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Spray this on the window. I bet that would be.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

I bet that would be fun. But the but the the pre-lit trees, they're great up until a certain point, but they but they are also they cost a bit, right? Like when you Yeah, but I mean the cost of convenience, right? So when we get to when we get to this point, like I've had the same, it's no longer a pre-lit tree. Oh, you keep messing with it. Yeah, I got a pre-lit tree. This is now uh maybe 2013. So I've had it for 11, 12 years, and and probably for at least the last five or six years, we take it out and then have to like, is this is this it? Is this the final year? Like, we should throw this tree away and get another one. And we say that every year, but do it, but I keep putting it up there, and I remember now two years ago when I was like, I'm not gonna do it this year. Let me just get some some you know string lights and I'll take out the pre-lit lights in there. And that took like a day and a half because why why take them out? Because they didn't work. So not like none of them worked. Okay, and then I spent hours trying to replace all the bulbs and do all the things that you would normally do. Yeah, no, no, no, no, it's the wire. I don't like it.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Was it an all or it's so it's an all or nothing strand? Yeah, like one bulb is out, the whole thing's out because the whole section of it was out.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

You don't buy the little gun that you just put in the light, but when it lights up, but now you're talking about the the scratches that you get from a real tree. Yeah, you get a shit ton of those when you have a pre-lit tree and you're trying to find the one defunct bulb, right? One at a time going through trying to get all these things done because they're they're like green zip ties, so you can't see them. Yeah, and there are like 2,000 of them within that pre-lit tree.

SPEAKER_05 8:25

Throw that tree away, dog. Get another one.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Well, it's too late now. I already went through and clipped them all. I tested all the things, I got new lights.

SPEAKER_05 8:32

It's okay to spend a little bit. Well now it's okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Now, but now that big doctor money, though. No, I don't. I'm still searching for that doctor money. It is elusive and it is really good at hide and seek.

SPEAKER_05 8:46

So so we we've never had the the white tree. Like I know have you seen those, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Well, the white tree is basically what I was talking about with the with the fake snow. We would we we we would spray it so it's white, and I know you can buy the plastic white ones, but then you're stuck with that white tree the entire time.

SPEAKER_05 9:04

So like we have three, yeah. We have three of them. Like one in the foyer, one in the living room, and then one in the keeping room. And then we have another one in well, you got one in the restroom.

SPEAKER_03 9:15

Yeah, there's one in the restroom. Yeah, so he's got that Dr. Money.

SPEAKER_05 9:20

No, I ain't no doctor. But you got Dr. Money. No, Dr. Money's up there. So here recently, I would say the last maybe five years, we've had the double trees. And then this year, yeah, it is a it is a hotel. Uh the cookies and then known for the cookies. Here recently, we got the the that tree that's in the living room because it let you want another tree. I think it's just one of those things. I know we used to go to my aunt's house who loves Christmas, and her house is basically Christmas town, like everywhere. There she has, you know, like the white, foamy covers that look like snow. The fake snow, yeah. Yeah, but the little houses on it. And huge trees.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Like something DLH would want to see. Uh-huh. Well, yeah, Hallmark movies.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah. That sounds awesome. If I ever find that Dr. Money.

SPEAKER_05 10:23

Yeah. So what are your like what are your traditions? Because I'll tell you mine first. So, you know, what what we used to do is everybody would come over on Christmas Eve. And my mom would, you know, you'd make in tamales or bunhuellos and that type of stuff. We'd play loteria. All my aunts and uncles would be over. We hang out till midnight, you know, and then we'd open gifts and that was it. Christmas. Boom. Done. Yep. You play with your stuff till like three, you know, like all the stuff that you opened up. You're up till two, three a.m. Everybody leaves the next day, they come back, we eat. It's all done, right? So I come to San Antonio, we we let the and I get married. And so I was like, okay, so what do we do? Like, who where are we going? Like, and she goes, Oh no, no, we're we're going to church Christmas Eve. I was like, What? Church. What that like? What that mean. So we'd go to church, like either midnight mass or 10, or and so we'd go to church, right? And then we'd go back to my mother-in-law's, and then we're just talking, and then I was like, So, when does Christmas start? When does it start? She's like, No, no, no, we're Christmas is tomorrow. And I was like, So nothing happens today. You just go to church and that's it. She goes, Yeah. So then we'd come home, and then the next day, I was like, This ain't fun.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

The joy out of Christmas.

SPEAKER_05 11:52

So it was a little bit different, and it got better with the kids, right? Because with the kids, we did the same thing, but with them, we had certain rules, and I think I've said it on the podcast before. We'd go to church, we'd go to our mother-in-law's, they'd open her gifts, and then we'd like, okay, kids, we gotta make it home by 10. If you're not in bed by 10, Santa ain't coming to the house. And so we'd be hauling ass back to the house, right? Because one thing about kids, like at that age at five, six, you know, that they don't want to go to sleep. And so if we so what that one wouldn't one of the first couple years we were here at this house when the kids were little, we're coming down the street and there's a Santa at the corner right here in front of our house. I mean, full Santa suit with a bag, and he's just kind of looking around. And we're like, what the hell? And the kids are like, Dad, you gotta get home. That's happened maybe a handful of times around that time, around Christmas, Christmas Eve, between 10 and 11. There's a there's somebody that dressed up as uh Santa and just kind of walks around the neighborhood, which is kind of cool because we saw them and yeah, it is creepy. But the kids, man, everything we were saying like super reinforced it, and so they come home and and uh they went to bed really quick. So with the kids, you know, Christmas Day, they get up and all the gifts are so I would spend pretty much all Christmas Eve wrapping gifts because you can't have them out. Yeah, so that that's what we would do. I mean, I gave you two versions of it, like I kind of like the other one because it's a party the whole day and then you open gifts, but they don't do that here. So what what did y'all do, DLH? Is there a difference between how you grew up and what you do now?

SPEAKER_00 13:37

Yes, but only I think similarly, like things changed a little after I got married, right? And then of course, again, after we had kids because growing up, like my my family, we always got together on Christmas Eve, and that was the party, right? So, like my my parents are the ones who would host the Christmas party every year, all the time. And then, you know, so Christmas Eve we'd all get together, I don't know, in the afternoon at some point, and then everybody I think all the adults would try their best to hold off on drinking some until food and all this stuff. Until they woke up. But but yeah, there was I mean, there was all the food, there was all the fun, there was all the all the things, and and you know, it was just a party until midnight.

SPEAKER_05 14:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

As the years go on, like several years later, it went it went from midnight to 11 30 to 11 to 10 30 to you know, it went a little bit earlier when we had when there were more kids present, I think, is where that really took place. But because we're always there, my in-laws they celebrate, I think they just they just adapted. So we we would celebrate at their house. We do celebrate at their house all the time on Christmas Day. So now that's how we do it. So there's there's completely separate parties.

SPEAKER_05 14:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

So still every year, like my parents now, they're phasing out of hosting it, but my brother lives right next door to them. Oh. So he's taken on that that Christmas Eve mantle, right? So now we go over to his house, they host it. We still do all of the same stuff we did before at at their at their house, Christmas Eve. And then we go home and on Christmas morning, you know, my kids they get to open their gifts at home. We have like a good chunk of the morning where we get to do that sort of traditional Christmas morning stuff, right? They open their things, and if anything ever required assembly, I would put it together. They would play with it. We start getting everything ready to go over to my in-law's house, and then we'd go over there, and then essentially, like right afternoon, they would then get to open presents over there at their house. And we spend the rest of the day over there. Yeah. More food, more drink, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Absolutely. David? Uh, with with me, probably probably the whenever I was younger was where there was more tradition, more I guess traditional, because otherwise it it's evolved to you meet up on either Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, just depending on when my folks or everybody they wait for Isaiah and I to get up and get over to my brother's house, and then we just open presents and the kids play, and we're just watching TV and that's an eating, and that's it. Right. But when we were growing up for a good chunk of years, I don't know if it was five, six years in a row, our tradition was six, seven. Yeah, six, seven. Oh my god. Don't do that.

SPEAKER_03 16:37

That's the dumbest shit ever. It's ruined this episode. There we go, guys. Where's the gallow? Bleep that out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Well, my kids say this stuff all the time, so I just had to get it in. Yeah, don't do that.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

But uh, yeah, we we we what we would do is we would take off to El Paso, the Christmas Eve Eve. We would we would take off after my mom got out of work, we'd go to El Paso, so six hour drive. We'd go and eat, go to Juarez and eat cocktail de camerón, shrimp cocktail. Really? Uh-huh. And then after we would eat that, we'd go across the uh we would technically eat that as our appetizer, and then we'd go around to around the corner to eat at a pollo asado place. And we would do that Christmas Eve Eve, then Christmas Eve, and then we'd drive back home on Christmas Day, and then as soon as we got home, we'd we'd open our presents, and then that was about it. Okay. But we did that every year. So what about now? Fond members with uh fond memories with border patrol agents pulling us over at number 12. Yeah, that's uh just because we said our only reason for going to Mexico was to eat. Eat, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:55

Yeah, we we used to go to Mexico when I was a kid, so that was the other thing that we would do if we weren't at home. But do you do something different? Now we know with Isaiah was now like 15, 14, yeah, it's 15.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

So yeah, kind of what I was saying at the get-go. We we just pretty much get up whether it's Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, go over to my brother's house. And that's it. They they host. But it it's I guess it's it's just simplified. It's just yeah, we eat, there, we're not really playing. Well, we we've we've played games like left, right, center, that kind of but it kind of sucks when in if there's not like a big group, and I think that's that's what lacks with ours, is there's it's not like a huge group of people.

SPEAKER_05 18:39

I gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

So it's not like, oh, let's you can't play Loteria whenever there's three. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 18:44

Yeah, no, we we would have I mean my aunt and my uncle, which I've said it before, like their brother and like my mom and her sister married my dad and his brother. And so they would always come over, and so it's them, and then we'd always have 15, 20 people, yeah, like and and so it was just it was those those are probably one of the best memories of that time. And but that happens in Dallas, so I I don't go to Christmas a lot in the because we spend it here. Yeah, we just kind of whenever we were we got married and we moved here, I was like, Well, I need a holiday, so why don't we spend Thanksgiving in Dallas and Christmas here? And that's we just kind of you know kind of made that decision. But then it got to where my kids are getting older, and it's like it's a lot of traveling, which kind of sucks, you know, because you don't want to stay with people, and then the cost of getting a hotel and and all that shit, it's like, you know what? Especially when when you want to create memories here in your own house, right? Because the kids don't want to drop to Dallas. Yeah that's what I want to do, right? But so we started just saying, well, let's spend here, both holidays here, and that way they have something that they'll remember as well. This house and all this and that. I was gonna ask you though. So you were married. Was it different when you were married? When it was just you and your wife and Isaiah? What did y'all do things differently? Because I know that causes.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Yeah. I I think uh it depended on on the year. It wasn't like a consistent we're doing this, but there were some years when her family was in in Amarillo. Her family lived there in Amarillo for a time being, and then they would kind of go to another live in another town as well. So we would either be at my folks' house with my brother, that type of thing, or we would go over to her family's house and they would have something. And their their theirs was more festive in the sense that there were there were a lot more kids, there were games being played, music was playing, that type of stuff. So just kind of just weird. It is weird. That is weird.

SPEAKER_05 21:07

So I because I know that I when we would go up to Dallas every once in a while for Christmas, it was always like, okay, when is so-and-so getting here? Well, they're they're spending time with with family. Yeah. And it's maybe it's a little selfish on my part, but it's just like I know that's an issue, and I know the times that I went up there, you know, because we had the same issue here, is like, but here is like we go to her family. And I would it would cause I think it would be more problematic if both our felons were here. Oh, yeah. No, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 21:41

And I get what you're saying because that that was you just integrate them. I well, I don't I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_05 21:47

Because it it's different vibes, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Yeah, there it's the dynamics, and that that's the that's kind of the way when when we would have to bounce around. I know for her it was more of a stressor. Yeah, it was like, well, uh we gotta do that, and it's like, well, we just go to my we'll go to my folks whenever I don't I don't really care. But for her, it was yeah. Well, maybe I mean maybe we just need to choose one spot, maybe that's part of it, right?

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Because my my my in-laws, they're they're really cool, we'll go with the flow. Because if they had been like, no, we need to do Christmas Eve, we would have had a problem because they're both here. Yeah, right. Both of my families are here. But when they were like, okay, well, you go over to you know, when they were when they were talking to us, they were like, you go over to your your parents' house and they have this big party. So why don't y'all just do that? And because we're a smaller group go into their house and they're like, we'll just do Christmas Day. And it yeah, it worked out. They were they were good with that. So that worked out just fine. But also, like, there have been some Christmases, they don't go every year because sometimes Christmas Eve, my in-laws, they're like, Yep, we don't have any plans, we'll just go and you know, because they're always invited, right? Yeah, they'll just come with us, but then other years they're like, No, no, no, since y'all we know y'all are busy, we made plans with other friends and they'll they'll go do a Christmas Eve thing with their group of friends or you know, whatever whatever it is that they do.

SPEAKER_05 23:13

Because I I know now that our kids are older, right? Like my daughter's 23 and lives two hours away. So now we're getting the other side of it, right? Because now as parents, we're like, are you gonna come home for Thanksgiving? You know, are you are you spending you know, what what are you doing? And she's got her own things that she needs to do, right? So yesterday she came down for Thanksgiving and spent the day and then left Friday. And because she was gonna go hang out up in Austin, and then like today she's going to to Houston because one of her friends is getting engaged. And so there's stuff that she's doing, and so now I now I I get my mom and my dad's side of it or their point of view to where they're like, Are you gonna are you coming home? You know what I'm saying? Are you are you gonna be here? Are we still important enough? Yeah. And I was like, damn, I never I never thought about it that way because you're always in your head, right? You're always like, I I can't, you know, or whatever, right? Now it's like, ah, I I get that you don't want to be like, hey, and you need to come home, right? Because you you don't want to be that dude, but but you also was like, you're not coming home.

SPEAKER_01 24:24

Well I you know, I was already I think as Isaiah gets older, because I I've already been dosed with that, you know what I mean? Right. Like that that that feeling has already come. I'm I'm kind of accustomed to it at this point, which sucks. I don't think that I would want others to experience, but it's a reality for for many people. But yeah, that it is tough because you're you know you know they have other stuff and in their mind it it's a priority for them. Not that they're deprioritizing you, yeah, but at the same time, they're like, oh well mom or dad, they'll be there. Yeah, they're always gonna be there. Yeah, they're always gonna be there. I'm gonna go have fun or I'm gonna go do this.

SPEAKER_05 25:10

So is there something that you were when you were a kid, let's say anywhere between seven and fourteen, fifteen, is there something that you wanted as a Christmas gift that you never got? Or is there something that you you got later? Like now you can buy whatever the fuck you want, right? If you want that, yeah, if you want that that transformer, like just go get it. But is there something that you wanted? I know we talked about it kind of before we started the podcast. We didn't do a lot of gift giving. I was telling you, like we just I just got lumped in with my two older brothers, and you know, they would just buy us a baseball uh or a football, a soccer ball, and a basketball, and they're like, here you go. Community gift, yeah. Which, like I said, one one time it was a basketball goal, which was great. The other time was a VCR, which was badass, you know, because we didn't have one at the time. So like we kind of for some reason my mom was really good at getting those gaming systems. I don't know how she did it, you know. She knew people that knew people that robbed people.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

Well that's you know, I my my uh the thing that I was gonna bring up was Nintendo. Yeah, like we had an Atari, yeah. My dad liked Atari, and that's why we had it. But when Nintendo came around, all my friends all had Nintendo, but whenever I asked for it, I couldn't get it. And Christmas came and went, didn't get it. Nintendo 2 or whatever comes out, same thing, didn't get it. PlayStation comes out, didn't get it. But fast forward maybe six months after Christmas or something, and we're outside working on one of the cars. Yeah, and this random guy pulls up in his car, hey, hey. My dad's all, what's up? Hey, I got a PlayStation. You want to buy it? My dad's all how much? And then he asked me, How much, how much do these things sell for? And I said, I they're I think they were like about$100 when they came out or something like that. And my dad said, I'll I'll give you$20. And that guy's all, all right. So it was a PlayStation, two controllers, yeah. Like six video Carlos on it. And that that's that's how I got encountered my first my first uh nice play console. Not like Christmas. Anything else?

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Like it I think it was the same kind of community gifts.

SPEAKER_05 27:39

Yeah, I I don't But it was was there something you wanted?

SPEAKER_00 27:41

No, I like when I when I think back to that time, I you know I grew up, we didn't have a lot of money, but I think my my parents, and I really got to give a lot of credit to my dad, right? Like my dad was always really crafty, he was a hard worker, and he always had a way of making things enough at the right points where we just we didn't feel like we were dealing without. Really? Yeah. And and I'm just now getting that, like looking back on a lot of that. I I really don't look back and think of No, give us give us an example. Well, so so like I if I were gonna if I were gonna say anything that I I remember really wanting, right? I I was young, let younger than 10. And he would always have to work more. So he would work more, pick up extra shifts because that year, maybe I don't know if it was me or my brother or whatever that you know wanted a bike. And so he picked up all the extra shifts. He was always working his ass off. And then that Christmas he made bikes happen. Really? Yeah. He I mean, and he just always found a way. And then every and it wasn't like, and then the next year we want something big or grand. We just didn't feel like that. We were always fine. And then the next time I think anything ever came up was when consoles came up, right? A big gaming system. Yeah, we knew at that point we were getting to an age where we can understand we couldn't afford it. But then there's my dad, he would pick up another job and another shift and another whatever, and he was like he would be gone. And then Christmas came, and then he he gave us a console, and that was our console. He would always make it happen, and then he would continue working those shifts, I think, because you like the money coming and during. But he was working so many hours, and then he would he would come and sit with us, like we're during the holidays and we're playing this new game, and he would get home at like two in the morning from whatever job he was just working, and would sit with us to doing air quotes here, play the video game with us. He would mainly just watch and enjoy seeing us play, yeah, fun. And we would do all of that, and then we had to do all the things of nudging him because he fell asleep in the chair he was in, you know. Yeah, like go to bed, and he was like, What are you talking about? I'm not asleep. You know, it was always that sort of stuff. He he was always really good at just kind of coming through and then making you feel important, yeah. You know, and then he he did that all the way until of course his his health took a hit and then he couldn't work like that anymore.

SPEAKER_05 30:13

So y'all being good good sons and shit.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

Like we we didn't we didn't feel like we were without we just all kinds of shit, dog.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

I wanted a transformer. You know what? Did you have a did you get a teddy rub skin or rup skin or what? No, I never got ruck spin. Yeah, I never got that.

SPEAKER_00 30:28

I never got that either. I think my brother had one. Really? Yeah, my youngest brother had had a teddy rux spin.

SPEAKER_05 30:34

But I would tell you, like, my mom bought us, I want to say it was probably the original Nintendo. And she said, Okay, look, I'm gonna get you this. If your dad comes home, you gotta put that shit up. He can't know. He can't know. And we're like, done. We're we're good, right? And so we would do that. We'd bring it out, we'd play and shit, and then we know my dad would get home like at six or seven or eight or like at night, and then we'd hear the truck, we're like, fuck. You know, you'd like kind of pack it all up and put it in a drawer, and then we just go just chilling there watching like you know, like nothing. So we're we're playing video games, and then one day we fucking somebody somebody dropped the ball, dog. The the lookout guy was and then we're just man, we're having a good old time. It had to been probably in the weekend or something, or a Friday, and we're having a good old time. And then, if I remember correctly, dog, I just I just remember like uh like that on the window, and we're like, what the fuck? And then we turn around and it's my dad like looking at us with like oh shit.

SPEAKER_01 31:42

Why was he tapping on the window? Because he came from around the back. Oh, and he needed somebody to open the door, or was it or was it a tap to say I got you?

SPEAKER_05 31:50

Yeah, it was a tap to say, Yeah, but she got your ass, mom.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

But I it sounds though that him doing that, he didn't he didn't necessarily care, but he did care. That we were hiding it, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:04

We were hiding it from him, and then he had to go probably go talk to my mom and be like, What are you doing? Like, but my mom was always like, Yeah, she was just like, Look, I'm gonna do it, but don't get caught. And so we're like, damn man, we've kind of we've I at least I felt. I don't know when I need to talk to him about that, about my older brothers, see how they felt about it. But I felt like, damn, we just we messed up. We kind of left my left my mom out to dry and shit. And so that that was one like you know, I remember well we I worked when I was like 13 with my dad. And so we would kind of buy our own shit. But even my dad would get mad at that stuff, right? Because I remember being like 12 and 13, and and I bought a key man with with Battle Cat. It came as a set. And I want to say it was like you were 13, still playing with April, and it was like third, it was like$12,$13.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

That makes a lot of sense.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Yeah, they used to, yeah, the the the monos themselves were about five, six dollars.

SPEAKER_05 33:06

And with the cat, yeah, it would make sense around. Maybe I was younger because it started working at at 10.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

With there was a lady that was that that I give you a pass at 10, but 13.

SPEAKER_05 33:16

But I want to say it was it was my own money. It was my own money, right? Because I I was working and then I bought it, and my dad like looked at me like, What are you doing? Like, that's$13,$14.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

And I was like, Yeah, motherfucker, it's my money. Like, yeah, I was always like, That's my money.

SPEAKER_05 33:33

Like, what like not only do I have to go work, you know, and get money, but now I gotta I gotta hear shit from you out of the shit that I'm buying. Like, I could I could burn this shit and say, you know what I'm saying? Like, and so he was always very like I I know what he was trying to do now. He was like, he wanted you to like save money, he wanted you to like kind of you know think, and but you're 10, 11, 12, 13. You don't give a shit about the future, man. I was like, I want this, you know. It's like I think I told this story too. Like a like that leather jacket I bought, I was probably about the same age, 13 or 14. That leather jacket was like 250 bucks, dog.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

It was like a and you bought that on your own at 13 or 14? Because I was working with my dad.

SPEAKER_05 34:14

They had a He-Man patch on the front. Yeah, why? No, it was uh it was a biker jacket, you know, the one with the Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Well, I mean, I I bought my own leather jacket, but I was 16.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Yeah, I think uh I don't even remember if I bought my I remember getting it from Wilson's leather.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Yeah, that's exactly that's where I got it too.

SPEAKER_04 34:31

It was always the place to go right there, Wilson's leather.

SPEAKER_05 34:33

And so I my dad called wind of it, right? That I was gonna go get it. And he's like, You're not buying that jacket. And I was like, Yeah, I am, and he's like, You're not buying that jacket. That's almost a I don't have a goddamn$250 jacket. You ain't you ain't got no. I was like, all right, cool. I'll go buy it, right? And then we had a what's called a shotgun home, right? Because it's a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bedroom, and so we're our bedroom is walking through it. Yeah, and so I hung that motherfucker right there right in the middle of the hallway.

SPEAKER_06 35:03

It was like 14, 15 with the receipt clipped.

SPEAKER_01 35:09

Damn.

SPEAKER_05 35:10

Yeah, my dad.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Just asking for it. Yeah, I was gonna say I'd bust out my leather belt on you big time.

SPEAKER_05 35:16

Don't worry, don't worry. That happened a lot too.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

No, we never, I mean, I you know, I I I had I think as we got jobs when we were teenagers, we helped pay bills. There was that, I guess that was the trade-off, right? Like we helped to pay some of the bills, but when it came to Christmas time and and like my dad always, he was always working more, picking up more shifts, doing whatever it is that he felt, you know, to get us whatever he felt like we wanted. But there was yeah, I don't I like looking back on my childhood, I don't I don't ever remember feeling like we were without. There could have been plenty of things to want. Yeah. That's just not how we no, there's plenty of shit I wanted.

SPEAKER_05 36:02

That's not how we wanted to.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

So what what has been your as a kid, what was your best Christmas gift? Like what what's the the toy or the thing that's just like that's that was As a kid, you mean like 18 and under?

SPEAKER_00 36:21

I think those bikes for me. The bikes? They're the they're the most memorable. Because I I told you about I told you well, I mean not in the episode, but prior. I told you about Santa coming over, right? Yeah. When we you know we were we were living in in Section 8 housing, we didn't have a lot of money. We had Santa come over. They gave my brother a a basketball, I got a football, my sister got a a doll. That was memorable because we saw Santa. We were like young, right? Yeah, we saw Santa come in. All the other Christmases, you know, even though you're young enough to not know that you don't have the money, there's something about the way that everything just functions that you know you don't have it. You just know you not to expect anything.

SPEAKER_05 37:07

No, absolutely. I think you you stop wanting stuff.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

Yeah, but at a certain age, you're like, we ain't getting it until So I but I I think that it it didn't hit us in like a negative way, right? Like, man, we can't never have no you know, it was not like that. We just made do with what we had and and and we were just kids, so all that stuff was good, and and I don't think that we ever really brought any attention to any of that. And when we maybe in passing talked about, man, it would be cool to have a bike, but there was never any expectation of getting it. You know what I mean? So when they brought us in, and and I remember, I remember, I remember seeing it. I remember where the way it was set up, I remember every visual element of that Christmas. That's how impactful that was. And I think that's the last time anything ever got me to that degree. Really? Because I I never I didn't realize how bad I wanted something until I saw it sitting right there. But you had already gotten it, and well, that because he bought it, yeah. And he brought it, and and then when we saw it in there, and I was like, what?

SPEAKER_01 38:11

And like you only know what you don't you don't know what you don't know.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

Yeah, I just did. I did not expect it ever. And so to see it like that was a total surprise. See, yeah, and that remains right now the probably the most impactful Christmas. Wow, shit.

SPEAKER_04 38:25

I bought my own bike now that I think about it.

SPEAKER_06 38:29

So so my two older brothers, right? They get wait a sec, wait.

SPEAKER_05 38:34

I bought my own shit, dog. Uh my two older brothers got bikes for their birthdays because their birthdays are like six days apart, right? In September. And they get these bikes, they identical, badass. I was like, shit. I was like, okay, all right. So he they got bikes. I'm gonna bide my time until I get my shit. And uh year came, nothing, year came, nothing. I was like, shit, all right. So they have garage shows all the time, right? This kid was selling a bike up the street, so I just go up there and and I bought it, right? I bought it off of them. Bought my own bike, you know, decked it out, it's badass, right? And then uh a year later, we're my little brother's birthday, he's like his sixth birthday. So then I must be probably 12. And then we're Western Auto, and and my dad's like, hey, hi man, uh, you know, get your brother, we're gonna go to Western Auto. And I thought we were just gonna buy whatever shit for his truck or whatever. And he's like, okay, he's like, all right, uh, help help Lel pick out a bike. And I was like, Hold up. I was like, he's getting a bike, and he's like, Yeah, his birthday's coming up, so he needs a bike, so go pick out a bike. I said, No, no, no, no. I said, No, no, no. I said, them two knuckleheads got bikes. I was like, I ain't never got no bike, you know? And he said, and he's like, But you have a bike. I said, But I bought my own bike. I was like, I want a bike. But you got a bike? No, I was like, I want a bike. And then he's like, all right, get a bite.

SPEAKER_06 40:10

I was like, I was so pissed off that I felt so disrespected, right? Because I was like, how are you just gonna bypass me? Like I'm right here.

SPEAKER_05 40:18

You know, I was like, that's that's the the the cross, the cross of middle child has to be.

SPEAKER_00 40:23

But you had a bike.

SPEAKER_05 40:24

Don't matter. I pay for that shit. I want a brand new one.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

That's that's your fault, sir. Is there is there anything that you do right now? I mean, I know that your kids, highmair, have flown the nest. But is there anything that you do now, you you too, Dave, the uh for Christmas that is still an ongoing thing, something that you look forward to? Like a specific thing. David? Not in general, a specific thing.

SPEAKER_01 40:54

No, not really. I I just holidays have always just been another day. You don't celebrate holidays, sir? No, I I I celebrate them, but uh to a mild degree.

SPEAKER_05 41:06

You don't celebrate them in your heart?

SPEAKER_01 41:08

No, not really. Not really.

SPEAKER_05 41:10

My favorite holiday in Hallmark Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

Hallmark Christmas movies. Like, like to me, my favorite holiday is 4th of July, but it's only because it's in the summer. Like all these other holidays, it's in winter, it's gonna be miserable. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

I mean, I love the day because that's the day my son was born, but but I only like it, I I guess fireworks and stuff like that too.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

Booching go. Yeah. But the uh the other I I mean Well, I I I I guess I I see your point of view.

SPEAKER_05 41:45

One, because you're single. And I think because if I was single, I'm trying to put my mindset if I was single, if I was single, I probably wouldn't do all the stuff we do, right?

SPEAKER_01 41:57

Yeah, because well that the the the tree's the prime example. Yeah, when Isaiah was younger, I'd made it a point to freaking put up the tree. Right. But he's not doesn't really care. Well, now you could just do it for yourself. Well, that's that's just that's pathetic. That's it's it's sad.

SPEAKER_05 42:12

Wait, wait, wait. I I just got a text from Isaiah. He says, I'd like a Christmas tree up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:17

So can y'all get my dad to do something?

SPEAKER_01 42:21

Hey, why why is his uh why is that Isaiah's name spelled different than mine?

SPEAKER_05 42:27

Man, there's a bunch of great things about Christmas that we still do, like decorating a tree. Like actually, Liana and Lethi decorate the tree, and they did it yesterday or Thanksgiving Day, right? Because that's when she puts it up. I think that's cool. We watch Christmas Vacation. Letty loves that movie, like loves that movie. We watch what is what is that one old ass movie? You know, when when the bell rings and angel gets his wings. It's a wonderful life. It's a wonderful life. We watch that movie. It's always on Christmas. We watch that movie all the time, like every Christmas. And Letty likes the other movie that's a Christmas movie with that little kid and Miracle on 34th Street. No, no. Matt Santa? That's Santa that was on trial. No, no, no. The one where that little kid gets once that gun?

SPEAKER_01 43:14

Oh, the the yeah, with the the lamp, the shade lamp with the leg. Yeah. Oh, a Christmas story. Yeah, Christmas story. That's what it's called.

SPEAKER_05 43:22

That that that movie gun. Don't shoot your eye out. Yeah, that movie's not good.

unknown 43:28

What? That movie's great.

SPEAKER_05 43:29

I and I had this discussion with uh with the fraternity brother because man, I love that movie. I was like, you know what? I never watched that movie as a kid. We never watched it. I never seen it till I was older, and I said it must be a thing where if you watch it as a kid, you kind of identify with it or you look forward to it. Yeah. But I watched it, I guess, about 10 years ago, and I was like, I always trash.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

I remember the first time that I saw it, I thought it was like a creepy movie. I don't know why I got that vibe. He thought it was a horror movie.

SPEAKER_00 43:57

Yeah, I don't know why either. That was I thought it was hilarious. He's in that big ass pink bunny suit that you don't find any of that. Or the lug nuts, and he says the F-word.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

And then they tortured that dang kid with the flagpole.

SPEAKER_03 44:10

Yeah. No, he puts a stunt.

SPEAKER_00 44:12

That was flick, and he did that to himself. He was dared to do it. Yeah, and he did it on his own. I just I but then they left him because the bell rang, and you gotta go and the bell rang. That's booming.

SPEAKER_05 44:21

Yeah, I I've never I I watched it and and Letty Letty loves that movie, Letty Loves Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, and that movie is funny. It is fun. Yeah, that one's okay. Uh it's a wonderful life, just a great movie, it's a great story. I don't think I've ever sat through that movie in the world. Man, it's cool. It's really good.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

Uh yeah, it is at the it ends well. There's a whole lot of sadness. It is a lot of sadness. Yeah, it's a whole lot of sadness.

SPEAKER_05 44:44

So so that that part of it is great. Like I know when the kids were younger. So I'm gonna ask you when when you did trees and stuff like that and gifts, did you have a gift from Santa for the kids?

SPEAKER_01 44:56

You mean we to this day. Oh, to this day. We yeah, it always has Santa on it. Yes, no matter who it came from.

SPEAKER_00 45:02

This is the first year where it may be different because my my kids have started to have specific conversations with us. Yeah, my you know, like my daughter's the younger one, she's 11. And uh very recently, because we're going into the holidays, she stopped me one time we were in the kitchen, just in passing. It came out of nowhere. Yeah, and then she was like, Dad, I want you to know that I know who Santa is. Oh shit. And I was like, Oh, really? You met Santa? How the hell did you met Santa? And then she's like, No, Dad. Really? You're Santa. And I was like, No, and you know, and of course, I'm always playing, so I was like, Well, that's ridiculous. I'm here with you. How could I possibly deliver presents all over the world and still be here with you? Yeah, and she's like, You know what I mean? And was like, I'm sure I don't.

SPEAKER_01 45:49

Well, I I told Isaiah whenever he was little, I told him straight up. Really? Yeah, and I didn't ruin the Christmas magic.

SPEAKER_03 45:57

You're ruining it again. No, David ruined Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 46:01

I wouldn't have done it, but I had a boss at the time, and I really have a boss now. Well I I remember But he was Scrooge back then. I remember him saying that he told his kids straight up. Why? Because he told him, he goes, he was like Ain't he goes as as somebody who's a Christian and believes in Jesus who you can't necessarily physically see, but you have to believe how am I going to tell them about Santa Claus and then they become 12 years old and they kind of figure out and they're supposed to now do this have that same belief in Jesus? He's a saint. He's Saint Nicholas. Yeah, that's I mean same thing with faith. It's the same Yeah, but Santa Santa's commercialized. So's Jesus. And so's the church.

SPEAKER_00 46:59

I mean, goddamn, what the well, but if your your kid I think you need to think on this premise a little bit more. Yeah, well, it's too late now, you done messed it up right now.

SPEAKER_01 47:07

Yeah, well, but I I also told him too, like he didn't he didn't go around telling other kids, like, hey, it's not real, that kind of thing. But all our gifts growing up to this day, all say from Santa. Yeah, which is kind of messed up. Santa's kind of jacked up. Kind of reminds me of like an administration that wants their name all over everything.

SPEAKER_04 47:25

I think I think this year they're gonna be able to do it. And they don't even build it.

SPEAKER_01 47:28

Yeah, they don't build it, but they want their name on it.

SPEAKER_00 47:30

Yeah, I would I would keep on I think I would keep on going with the with with the Christmas magic. But now that now that they both like my son is 14. No, no, keep it going. Keep it going. Well, see, here's the here's the thing that I've been thinking about. Our kids got Santa Gifts last year. For my daughter, do I keep it going like that? Because this is the only this is the only reason, and I guess I could do both, but it's trying to get them now to get out of a mindset of what am I gonna get, what am I gonna get, what am I gonna get? And how do you start thinking about others? Because Christmas now is about what are you going to thoughtfully gift those others who are important to you? You shame them.

SPEAKER_02 48:10

What kind of shit is this? This is a crap gift.

SPEAKER_00 48:12

So that's what I started talking about to them this year, right? So, like my my daughter, my daughter, when I'm talking to her about some of this stuff, and then and I tell her, I need you to put in a lot of thought. What are you what are you going to get your mother? What are you going to get your brother? Yes. Right. And then I have the same conversation with with my son. Right. What are you going to get them? I'm not worried about me. I don't really need anything. But when I start doing that, what are you going to like mindfully get them? This has to be with them in mind. So that's where I'm going now this year, because they're talking about this not being real. Now we we could probably still just label it that it's coming from Santa, whatever their gifts are, and just keep that. Continue it, dog.

SPEAKER_05 48:52

Continue as long as you can. Like I said, my kids had to be. I mean, there's no harm in that.

SPEAKER_00 48:57

Even if they know it, there's no harm in doing that.

SPEAKER_05 48:59

So I I think I think girls are a way smarter than boys. Because I think Liana figured it out a long time ago.

SPEAKER_03 49:08

Has he ever said that out loud?

SPEAKER_04 49:10

I don't know if he's ever said that out loud. Well, we never talk about boys and girls, right? Like Yeah, we have. Maybe not on podcasts.

SPEAKER_05 49:19

But they they are a little, they're a little sharper, right? Yeah. And I think Liana figured it out a long time ago. She just never said anything. She's really good at that, right? She never said anything. Joaquin, I remember, he's probably like 10? Nine? He comes home and he was upset, dog. He was mad. He's like, dad. Kid in my class said, Ain't no Santa. I told him there was a Santa. And I said, That's right, son. There is a Santa. You tell them I'm but he was like, he was upset, dog. Like he because he's he's into he wants to believe. And I'm like, believe it. There is a Santa. And but you know, my daughter's just kind of like that just gives you that. Come on.

SPEAKER_00 50:04

You should tell the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy because they're real good friends with Santa.

SPEAKER_05 50:09

Well that was that was a good thing, right? Whenever kids are like, hey, you better start, you know, behaving. I'm gonna call Santa. It's ringing.

SPEAKER_03 50:19

No. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 50:21

So what are we gonna approve? Get a Christmas tree and put it up in your house? No, we're not.

SPEAKER_00 50:28

Yeah. Well, I mean, I you know, I I don't know. I don't think we're gonna improve, but but I would say, I mean, I would really say I would encourage trying to come up with something that you can consider tradition, and even if it has to evolve, evolve over time, right? Do something. Do something. Like I I I've gotten to a point now with I I love like Christmas time, right? And what it represents. And so when we're gonna decorate and we bust out the tree, I don't want it to just be like, okay, well, this is a chore. We have to take this out, we have to decorate. Like, so I asked.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

Come on over to my house, set it up.

SPEAKER_00 51:02

So I well, and we could, yeah, you should bring the kids. You could go over when we when I bring the kids into this and I take all the stuff out, right? Like, I'm the one who takes on most of the work for it. But I bait them in with like hot chocolate and cookies, and it's like, what do you what do you want? What's gonna make you feel holiday-ish so that you're happy about decorating the tree? And then I it's not just for setting it up, but it's also for breaking it down. Let's celebrate that we had a good holiday season and we're gonna do the same thing. You want hot chocolate, you want cookies, you want like whatever it is you want. Let's get that here. We're gonna play music, we're gonna break everything down, and then it becomes an event.

SPEAKER_05 51:41

Well, part of it is like the ornaments too start representing like a snapshot in time.

SPEAKER_00 51:46

Yes, my wife does that every single year. She buys ornaments specific specifically to what we're all interested in or dealing with in that.

SPEAKER_05 51:55

We have the the ones that the kids made. I know one year we we were doing me and Liana and and Letty, and Letty had to because Joaquin was crying, so she had to go feed him, and I put on the back, you know, December, December 06th, you know, 2024. I was like, unfinished, lazy.

SPEAKER_06 52:16

Because we, you know, we were signing our and she's like, no, not Joaquin was crying, so it has all these things on the back. That this year, if you look at it, it's unfinished.

SPEAKER_00 52:26

This year when we took a we took a trip to New York City and and took my kids there. It's the first time they've ever been. We went down to Little Italy. There was a Christmas shop in the middle of Little Italy. I had no idea it was there. We went into that one and we got a custom like ornament that has us all on there, and it and it's you know, it's a New York City one, but has our names on it.

SPEAKER_05 52:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:48

So now we have that one, but then like Victoria, she does a great job of like finding whatever they're into for the year, and she buys everybody, yeah, an ornament for like that year, and she does this every single year. So now we've gotten to a point where we have so many ornaments. The we the kids have their mini trees, yeah, they set them up in their rooms, and all the ornaments are the years that they're gonna be. They got individual trees, they have their individual tree. That's doctor money, and all of those, all of those ornaments that now represent them throughout the years, they get to use those ornaments to decorate the trees.

SPEAKER_05 53:22

That's cool. That's a good idea. That's a good idea, because we, you know, as we were putting this stuff yesterday, or the kids were I rarely do it. I used to do it, but I'm like, I'm good. I'll just drink beer. It was funny seeing the ornaments, right? We had a Justin Beaver ornament, we had you know, a Zach Effron from high school musical, you know, just all these ornaments because that's what they wanted at the time. You know, that's what they were into. And so it was just funny going through each individual one, going, I remember this one, or I remember when we got that one.

SPEAKER_00 53:51

So yeah, that's fun when you're when you're decorating. And we do that with Christmas music playing hot chocolate cookies.

SPEAKER_05 53:57

That's what Letty does cookies. Yes, Letty loves Christmas, so it Christmas music has been playing all week. Yeah, I love it. So that that's maybe what we should. Well, that's a that was a long freaking motion. Well, we should do a board approved, just create your own traditions.

SPEAKER_00 54:13

Create your own traditions. But do something.

SPEAKER_05 54:17

Set up the tree.

SPEAKER_00 54:19

That's who we should motion on right there.

SPEAKER_03 54:21

Set up a tree.

SPEAKER_05 54:22

There you go. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on your social media, and or leave a rating and review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on Instagram and X. So thanks again, and we'll see you next time.