December 24, 2025 • 24 mins
The primary focus of this podcast episode revolves around the cherished traditions and memorable experiences associated with Christmas celebrations. We engage in a heartfelt dialogue encompassing personal anecdotes, from favorite holiday songs to nostalgic recollections of family gatherings that have left an indelible mark on our lives. Throughout our conversation, we reflect on the unique quirks and humorous incidents that often accompany festive dinners, revealing the complexities and warmth inherent in familial interactions. Additionally, we take a moment to celebrate the culinary arts, emphasizing the importance of cooking as a means of fostering connections and creating lasting memories. Ultimately, this episode serves as a poignant reminder of the joy and camaraderie that the holiday season inspires among families and friends alike.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- AmazingRibs.com
- Marshall Fields
- Macy's
- General Electric
- Edison Electric
- Campbell's
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Barbecue Nationwith JT and Leanne After Hours, the
conversation that continuedafter the show was done.
Okay, everybody, it's time forAfter Hours here, the Christmas Edition
2025 with Meathead fromAmazingRibs.com and Leanne from Florida
(00:20):
today, co host of this showfor this, what, five years and rolling
along.
Yep, rolling along and hall of Fame.
Both of them.
Okay, I'll give you some easyones up front.
Okay, these are.
Now you're gonna make us lookstupid because we can't answer the
(00:42):
easy ones.
Always dread this.
What's your favorite Christmas song?
I.
Years ago, I was supposed tobe cooking the prime rib for Christmas
(01:05):
when I had kidney stone.
Oh.
And it flared up and it wasChristmas Eve, and I was getting
everything organized, and theyhauled me down to the hospital to
have my kidney stone removed.
And they tell me that as I wasgoing under, I was singing I'll Be
(01:27):
Home for Christmas.
So I guess that has to rank asmy I'll be home for Christmas.
Leanne, I like the twelve daysof Christmas.
That's always a fun one.
People like to sing that together.
I think I like Silent Night.
Course, Jingle Bells.
(01:47):
Well, that leads me to anotherquestion, because you just led us
into that little.
Well, I gotta.
I gotta insert.
At both Christmas Eve andChristmas Day, my wife's family insists
on doing 12 Days of Christmas,and I hate it.
Now.
(02:08):
Speaking of which, on thesixth day of 12 days, what is giving?
What.
What is given on.
Is that 6 Gieseling, 6 Geese Lane?
There you go.
Very good.
That was one of the easier.
Well, I get it twice a year.
Yeah.
You should know it by now.
(02:29):
Yeah.
What?
Sure.
With the listeners, if youhave a favorite memory from.
From Christmas, can be thedinner, could be just the gathering
of the family, could besomething under the tree, whatever,
it doesn't matter.
But do you have a favoritememory as a kid?
(02:53):
And I know, Leanne, it has tobe when you got your little cowgirl
outfit.
No, no, it was my sister andI. I will never forget it.
We were really young.
Gosh, probably under 10.
But I remember it vividly.
We got those little handheldtransistor, like, radios.
Radios.
And I just remember listeningto it, like, all night long.
(03:18):
We just love those little radios.
That stands out.
Not that it's funny oranything, but.
I just remember that thatbrings back great memories.
I used to have one, too.
It was pink.
And I had a little earbud andI'd listen to Yankees games.
No, my.
My.
My.
My favorite.
You said as a kid when I,when, when you said favorite memory,
(03:38):
I.
My memory popped right into mine.
It wasn't when I was a kid,early in my marriage, I used to have
a pretty big beard and I wouldspray paint it white and slip out
the back door and put on theSanta suit and stuff.
A pillow, I needed a pillow inthose days.
Donated now.
(03:59):
And, and, and I'd wait for thesignal to go in and ho, ho, ho.
And the kids would sit in mylap and I give out presents.
And it was dragging on and dragging.
I was cold.
And my wife's family lived ina classic blue collar neighborhood.
And there was a bar rightacross the street.
(04:21):
So I wandered into the bar andI discovered something powerful in
Chicago.
It.
If Santa walks into a bar, hedrinks for free.
Drinks for free.
And I'll tell you, every yearafter that, I made sure to slip out
early.
And then, you know,fortunately, none of the kids say,
mom, why does Santa smell funny?
(04:43):
But that was, that was my, Iwould always slip out and, and hit
the bar across the street.
I, I, evidently I was toldthis, that one of my uncles would
do that at our home.
And I was probably about 4 or 5.
(05:04):
And we actually hadfireplaces, but they made sure there
were fire in the fireplaces.
So, you know, Santa had tocome through the back door, but you
could see him walking down the driveway.
We had big picture windows inthe front of the house.
And he'd walk by and he'd tapon the windows and he'd wave and
he came in and did all this stuff.
And when he got ready toleave, I said, bye, Uncle Walt.
(05:28):
That kind of ruined it.
That kind of ruined it.
Something strange, a memorythat is strange about a Christmas
dinner.
Any, it doesn't matter whichdinner it was, but maybe something
happened.
Maybe Uncle Wilbur, you know,passed out on the Christmas goose.
(05:51):
Whatever.
You've asked me that beforeand I didn't have one.
I should have thought of one.
I've got one I can't repeat.
But there was just awful,awful family, awful family fight
one year.
There's, there's, there's amember of this family who is just
very contentious and argumentative.
And she and her mother went atit and it was just embarrassing to
(06:15):
everybody.
But was it related to politics?
Usually that gets, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And, and, and other things,you know, mother, daughter stuff.
And it was just, it was terrible.
That's not good.
And it, it went outdoors.
Yeah, I'm not gonna go there.
What was the question again?
Something strange or odd at aChristmas dinner.
(06:40):
I can Tell you one whileyou're thinking.
Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
I said it on the golf show yesterday.
I said it was Thanksgiving,and I remember now was actually Christmas.
When my dad got older, he hada little dachshund.
He just adored that little dog.
And now they call themcompanion animals and all that.
And fine, you know, and hername was Misty.
M I S, T Y.
(07:01):
But Everybody called her Ms. Tfor Ms. Tracy.
Right.
So the dinner's over.
My dad's sitting down at theend of the table like that, and he's
holding the dog, and he getskind of this reflective look on his
face.
And my dad was really quite a character.
And he said, you know, I'mgetting up there.
(07:22):
And so when I die, he goes, weshould probably put Misty to sleep
and have her buried with me.
And my sister looked up fromthe other end of the table and said,
what happens if the dog dies first?
Right.
That's a good question, actually.
And.
And everybody just busted up,laughing and dancing.
(07:45):
Yeah.
No.
So anyway, that was it.
Okay, Meathead, did you comeup with something there?
No, they've.
They generally run, you know,and there's two meals.
There's Christmas Eve, whichis the feast of seven fishes, and
there's calamari, there'ssquid, there's salmon.
(08:05):
There's pasta with salmon in it.
And they all, you know, exceptfor the occasional squabble.
And we're getting pretty goodabout keeping politics out of the
conversation, so nothing.
Nothing really disastrous thatI can think of.
They're always just really alot of fun.
(08:27):
My wife has two brothers, andso Christmas eve is at 1, and Christmas
dinner is at the daughter of one.
So we see both halves of thefamily, and they're both huge.
So it's just really importantfamily gatherings.
That we've got a.
A benchmark.
This year, our daughter ishosting Christmas Eve for the first
(08:51):
time.
Oh, wow.
That's a big deal.
Her partner, Oliver.
So, yeah, it is a big deal.
I'm very proud.
That is.
The pressure is on.
How old is she?
She's 32.
Oh, she can handle it.
Yeah, she can handle it.
She's been.
She used to work with me inthe catering biz.
And, I mean, she can cook.
Oh, she'll be fine.
She'll be fine.
But I'm just so proud of herthat she stepped up, with no prompting,
(09:15):
and said, we' to hostChristmas Eve.
I'm like, yes, yes.
One meal.
I don't have to cook.
Okay, here's the fun part.
Go ahead.
Oh, I was just Thinking.
Keep trying to.
There's exchanges of gifts atboth events, right?
And.
And, and there's now this tradition.
It actually is now.
It's been going on for a while.
Nobody knows what to buy me,so I get the gag gifts, right?
(09:38):
And I've had some funny gag gifts.
I mean, some.
Some really crazy ones, youknow, and so I always look forward
to that.
I've got a very special onecoming your way, by the way.
Oh, no.
Oh, yeah.
No, you'll think it's appropriate.
By the way, that book that yourequested for one of your followers
went in the mail last week.
(09:59):
Oh, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Okay, here's the fun stuff.
When is National UglyChristmas Sweater Day?
Ooh, I'd say it's right aroundthe 20th.
Well, it's actually a day ofthe week.
It doesn't have a.
(10:19):
The date changes every year.
Okay, so it's kind of likeChristmas Eve.
This year, I believe is onWednesday and Christmas is on Thursday.
So give me a weekday in thecalendar month.
That's as close as I'm goingto give you the hint.
No looking it up on.
No, I'm not looking.
(10:40):
I'm looking something else up.
It's gotta be Monday orTuesday because you gotta wear it
all week.
Me?
Dad, you know, I have no clue.
It is the third Friday every.
Okay, here's it.
I got one for you.
All right.
When is Festivus?
(11:04):
Leanne, you have a blank lookon your face.
You know that come from theSeinfeld Show?
Yeah, yeah.
Festivus for the rest of us.
Yeah.
Oh, I don't know.
It was.
It was George's father whostarted the holiday and Kramer was
in on it.
It was.
It's a.
It's.
It's a holiday for airing of grievances.
Oh, yeah.
Yes, it's a Christmas alternative.
(11:26):
Okay, well, maybe you should.
We.
I have some relatives, too, and.
Sounds like you do, too, meathead.
That we could send them and wecould even cook for them, but not
attend a Festivus dinner.
It's a decent.
It's on December 23rd.
Okay.
All right.
Which department storeintroduced Rudolph the Red Nosed
(11:49):
Reindeer?
Oh, I know this marketing campaign.
I know this.
What.
What year and what company?
Don't know what year, but youcan take a shot.
Leanne.
What department store?
Yeah, what department store?
I'm gonna.
I'm gonna say Macy's justbecause you're.
You.
You.
You are close.
Yes.
(12:10):
That was Marshall Fields herein Chicago, which is now Macy's.
Oh, okay.
So that counts.
Marshall Fields.
And it was just a littlepromo, and it blew up.
And Marshall Fields is now Macy's.
Actually, it was MontgomeryWard in 1939.
Oh, you may be right.
Which is also in Chicago,wasn't it?
(12:30):
Yeah, yeah.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I verified all these.
Okay, well, I stand corrected.
I think you're right.
I think I've read that.
But it, like so many things,one store did it, and then all of
a sudden, you know, a bunch ofthem do it.
In which ocean is Christmasisland located?
Well, that's Pacific.
(12:52):
Leanne.
Is it.
Well, he seems pretty.
Or is it the Indian.
It's not the Indian Ocean.
I'm gonna say Atlantic.
Oh, it's the Indian.
It's the Indian Ocean.
Really?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, they kind of.
You know, that's one of thosethings, like, where's the line between
the Indian Ocean and thePacific Ocean?
Where's the line.
Okay, where.
Where's the town of Christmas?
(13:16):
There may be more than one,but I'm thinking of one in.
Is it in Oregon?
Is it in your state?
We have.
We have a.
We have a town here.
There's one in one.
There's, like 17 of them.
Are there really?
Yeah.
Yeah, I know.
There's one in Indiana.
Indiana, right.
Yeah.
What does the word Noel mean?
N, O, e, L. It's easy.
(13:37):
1.
I'm trying to make up a jokeabout the Alphabet real fast, and
it's not working.
Just think of the song.
First thing that popped intomy head was Sleepy.
I don't know why.
Means Christmas.
Oh.
Remember the song, the Furs?
Noel Angels did sing duringChristmas season.
How many Lego sets are soldevery second?
(14:03):
Oh, my God.
You know, Legos were reallybig when I was a kid, and then they
kind of fell off the radar,and now they're back.
Back on it.
So I would say two.
He did.
How many sets are sold every second?
A thousand.
28.
(14:24):
Okay.
You know, and they replacedthe fire and brimstone in hell, and
they put Legos on the ground there.
So you should know this.
In A Wonderful Life, the movieA Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart and
all that.
What happens every time a bell rings?
Oh, Zuzu.
(14:48):
An angel gets his wings.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah.
Okay, we're all.
Of this age bracket.
What Christmas song waswritten during the Cuban Missile
Crisis to promote peace?
Ooh.
You know, I think I heard thisonce, and I haven't.
(15:09):
I can't remember.
I have no idea.
Do you hear what I hear?
Really?
Yep.
Okay.
Okay.
We already did Six Keys of Lane.
What holiday song Was.
Was the first one played inouter space.
(15:30):
I'm going to say jingle bells.
You are correct.
Oh, good work.
And it was in 1965.
Yeah.
Why was.
Why was the snowman rummagingthrough a bag of carrots?
He was looking for the right nose.
(15:51):
He was picking his nose.
Oh.
How many points does asnowflake traditionally have?
Is it six or eight?
I say six.
Six.
Six.
What does the X stand for whensomebody writes Xmas instead of Christmas
(16:13):
Christ?
I've heard this, too, becauseI once on social media abbreviated
Christmas Xmas, and a bunch ofreligious fanatics jumped down my
throat and told me howdisrespectful that is, and I forget
what the answer.
Actually, it's.
It's not disrespectful if theyknow the history of it.
(16:37):
Is it to symbolize the crucifix?
No, but you're close.
It's the Greek letter chai.
Chi.
And that represents Christ,isn't it?
Chi.
Pronounced Chi.
Chi Omega.
It was a chi.
Omega.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Which U.S. president bannedChristmas trees from the White House?
(16:59):
Really?
Yep.
Roosevelt?
Yep.
Which one?
Theodore.
Which one?
Franklin.
Teddy.
Teddy.
Wow.
I'm on a roll.
Really?
Teddy, go play the lottery.
Yeah.
What color was Santa's suitbefore red became popular in the
images?
(17:19):
I've seen lots of pictures ofhim in.
In Europe, and I thought.
I thought he was always.
And red, orange, brown.
Yeah, yeah.
Which.
Now, meathead, you should.
You should get this.
And so should you, Leon.
Which we only got a coupleleft here.
Which country believes Santaenters through a window instead of
(17:43):
a chimney?
Oh.
And is across the pond.
And you've both been there?
Oh, you've both been there.
London, England?
No, I'm guessing France or Italy.
Italy.
(18:04):
Oh, really?
I never knew that.
Yeah, really.
And the last question in thisyear's trivia for Christmas.
Oh, I got two more.
This one and one.
The last.
This and not the last one.
What company invented theelectric Christmas lights?
General Electric.
(18:26):
Edison Electric.
Oh, of course, Edison.
And finally today, for yourlistening pleasure, the first artificial
Christmas tree was made of what?
Plastic.
I'll go with that, too.
Goose feathers.
(18:46):
Really?
Yeah.
Goose feathers.
How on earth would they get.
I get it for the.
The little leaf thing.
The little.
And it's kind of fluffy, you know?
Yeah.
I mean, it would look cool,but what's the base of it?
I mean, what do you do?
Just, like, you don't want toput candles on it?
Because I. I often go toantique stores.
(19:07):
I love shopping in antique stores.
I buy furniture in antiqueStores, rather than buying new furniture.
And they have the most beautiful.
Many of them have all theseold ornaments, and a lot of them
have these candle holders.
They.
The little clamp that clipsonto the tree and candle in it.
Yeah.
And I believe they were thesource of many house fires.
(19:30):
House fires.
Yeah, probably so.
Yeah.
Well, that's going to wrap upour after hours for Christmas.
2025.
Meathead from AmazingRibs.comby the way.
You see over his rightshoulder, camera left here, the Meathead
Method, his latest book, available.
Everywhere.
(19:50):
Everywhere and great Christmaspresent, Leanne and.
I thank you for saying so.
Yeah, it's very good.
And if you have any cookingquestions about everything we talk
about the regular show.
I was gonna say call me dad.
You can definitely email him.
(20:12):
Yeah.
I think any one of us canhelp, but my guess is, is that Leanne
is probably the best cookamong us.
Oh, that's so sweet.
Yeah.
Really.
I would guess that you're.
You've been.
Well, I mean, you.
You've run restaurants, you'vewon every competition.
I appreciate that a lot.
(20:33):
I love to cook.
So when you.
When your heart and soul's in it.
So do I. I think all three ofus love to cook.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
What I can't figure out, medad, is why you and I look like we
do.
And she's a little tiny toothpick.
Well, no, the other thing is, is.
And she likes to eat, too.
I know that in this day andage, this is probably inappropriate,
(20:54):
but she's always been gorgeousand she's never aged a day.
Wow.
You're after something, me pet.
I'm wondering, do I owe you a gift?
No, you recall.
I.
Know.
She's.
She's really a special lady.
Yeah.
And from Leanne, pig powdermakes a great stocking stuff.
(21:18):
It does.
And as we've talked many timeson the show, I've used it.
Of course, Leanne and her dadinvented I cannot Wait.
And I want honest opinions.
When this spicy pig powderhits and you guys try it, I really.
I'll get some to you all, too.
I really want your honest opinion.
Yeah.
And really it's pig powder.
But just amped up becausepeople love the base of pig powder.
(21:40):
I mean, they love pig powder,but this just makes it a little.
People wanted spicier, sothat's what I did.
And I'll tell you what I didlast night.
I trying to finish productionthis week, and we're all busy and
this and that, and I wastrying to make a quick meal and I
had Some pork left over, justa little pork roast.
(22:08):
And so I dice that up, and Ibrought out a couple of cans of Campbell's
chicken gumbo soup, and I hadsome rice left over.
So I'm always doctoring thingsup, just messing around.
So I. I did that.
I put it in there, and it was okay.
It was not that.
And I used pig powder in it,and that brought it to life.
(22:28):
Oh, that's good.
We had to add in some homemadebiscuits for dinner last night, and
it worked really well.
Spices and herbs bringeverything to life.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And.
And I got to tell you, folks,I went over running over here, but
if you have the.
Any kind of property behindyour house, in front of your house,
(22:48):
alongside your house, it'seasy to plant rosemary.
And it's a beautiful bush,too, and it's very hardy, and even
I can grow rosemary.
And you walk.
You walk past a rosema bush,and you just touch it, and.
Oh, it smells so good.
I agree.
And.
And.
And.
And.
And basil and oregano.
(23:08):
It comes back almost every year.
Oh, yeah.
You can't hardly kill it.
And.
And.
And if you want to put them inpots and put them on a windowsill,
time.
Time grows like crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thyme is my favorite.
All purpose.
I mean, we throw it in everything.
My potato leek soup last nightand threw some thyme.
(23:30):
Yeah, perfect.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
I'm a. I'm a. I like them all.
I think basil is probably my favorite.
Go to just because of the wayI cook.
But I. I do rosemary, I do thyme.
I use oregano.
I use all those things all thetime, and that just elevates things.
Anyway, so.
And.
And make your own spice rubs.
(23:51):
I mean, pig powders of special rub.
I have recipes on my websitethat you can start with and customize
them to your own taste.
Favorite flavors in therecipe, and try it.
Yep.
So we want to wish everybodylistening and all that a very merry
Christmas and a happy New Year.
And on my heartfelt wishes, goout to, of course, Leanne and Meathead
(24:15):
for their holiday and withtheir family and friends.
And remember our motto here,turn it, don't burn it.
Have a great Christmas, everybody.
Yes.
Take care.
Holidays, everyone.
Welcome to Barbecue Nationwith JT and Leanne After Hours, the
conversation that continuedafter the show was done.
Okay, everybody, it's time forAfter Hours here, the Christmas Edition
2025 with Meathead fromAmazingRibs.com and Leanne from Florida
(00:20):
today, co host of this showfor this, what, five years and rolling
along.
Yep, rolling along and hall of Fame.
Both of them.
Okay, I'll give you some easyones up front.
Okay, these are.
Now you're gonna make us lookstupid because we can't answer the
(00:42):
easy ones.
Always dread this.
What's your favorite Christmas song?
I.
Years ago, I was supposed tobe cooking the prime rib for Christmas
(01:05):
when I had kidney stone.
Oh.
And it flared up and it wasChristmas Eve, and I was getting
everything organized, and theyhauled me down to the hospital to
have my kidney stone removed.
And they tell me that as I wasgoing under, I was singing I'll Be
(01:27):
Home for Christmas.
So I guess that has to rank asmy I'll be home for Christmas.
Leanne, I like the twelve daysof Christmas.
That's always a fun one.
People like to sing that together.
I think I like Silent Night.
Course, Jingle Bells.
(01:47):
Well, that leads me to anotherquestion, because you just led us
into that little.
Well, I gotta.
I gotta insert.
At both Christmas Eve andChristmas Day, my wife's family insists
on doing 12 Days of Christmas,and I hate it.
Now.
(02:08):
Speaking of which, on thesixth day of 12 days, what is giving?
What.
What is given on.
Is that 6 Gieseling, 6 Geese Lane?
There you go.
Very good.
That was one of the easier.
Well, I get it twice a year.
Yeah.
You should know it by now.
(02:29):
Yeah.
What?
Sure.
With the listeners, if youhave a favorite memory from.
From Christmas, can be thedinner, could be just the gathering
of the family, could besomething under the tree, whatever,
it doesn't matter.
But do you have a favoritememory as a kid?
(02:53):
And I know, Leanne, it has tobe when you got your little cowgirl
outfit.
No, no, it was my sister andI. I will never forget it.
We were really young.
Gosh, probably under 10.
But I remember it vividly.
We got those little handheldtransistor, like, radios.
Radios.
And I just remember listeningto it, like, all night long.
(03:18):
We just love those little radios.
That stands out.
Not that it's funny oranything, but.
I just remember that thatbrings back great memories.
I used to have one, too.
It was pink.
And I had a little earbud andI'd listen to Yankees games.
No, my.
My.
My.
My favorite.
You said as a kid when I,when, when you said favorite memory,
(03:38):
I.
My memory popped right into mine.
It wasn't when I was a kid,early in my marriage, I used to have
a pretty big beard and I wouldspray paint it white and slip out
the back door and put on theSanta suit and stuff.
A pillow, I needed a pillow inthose days.
Donated now.
(03:59):
And, and, and I'd wait for thesignal to go in and ho, ho, ho.
And the kids would sit in mylap and I give out presents.
And it was dragging on and dragging.
I was cold.
And my wife's family lived ina classic blue collar neighborhood.
And there was a bar rightacross the street.
(04:21):
So I wandered into the bar andI discovered something powerful in
Chicago.
It.
If Santa walks into a bar, hedrinks for free.
Drinks for free.
And I'll tell you, every yearafter that, I made sure to slip out
early.
And then, you know,fortunately, none of the kids say,
mom, why does Santa smell funny?
(04:43):
But that was, that was my, Iwould always slip out and, and hit
the bar across the street.
I, I, evidently I was toldthis, that one of my uncles would
do that at our home.
And I was probably about 4 or 5.
(05:04):
And we actually hadfireplaces, but they made sure there
were fire in the fireplaces.
So, you know, Santa had tocome through the back door, but you
could see him walking down the driveway.
We had big picture windows inthe front of the house.
And he'd walk by and he'd tapon the windows and he'd wave and
he came in and did all this stuff.
And when he got ready toleave, I said, bye, Uncle Walt.
(05:28):
That kind of ruined it.
That kind of ruined it.
Something strange, a memorythat is strange about a Christmas
dinner.
Any, it doesn't matter whichdinner it was, but maybe something
happened.
Maybe Uncle Wilbur, you know,passed out on the Christmas goose.
(05:51):
Whatever.
You've asked me that beforeand I didn't have one.
I should have thought of one.
I've got one I can't repeat.
But there was just awful,awful family, awful family fight
one year.
There's, there's, there's amember of this family who is just
very contentious and argumentative.
And she and her mother went atit and it was just embarrassing to
(06:15):
everybody.
But was it related to politics?
Usually that gets, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And, and, and other things,you know, mother, daughter stuff.
And it was just, it was terrible.
That's not good.
And it, it went outdoors.
Yeah, I'm not gonna go there.
What was the question again?
Something strange or odd at aChristmas dinner.
(06:40):
I can Tell you one whileyou're thinking.
Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
I said it on the golf show yesterday.
I said it was Thanksgiving,and I remember now was actually Christmas.
When my dad got older, he hada little dachshund.
He just adored that little dog.
And now they call themcompanion animals and all that.
And fine, you know, and hername was Misty.
M I S, T Y.
(07:01):
But Everybody called her Ms. Tfor Ms. Tracy.
Right.
So the dinner's over.
My dad's sitting down at theend of the table like that, and he's
holding the dog, and he getskind of this reflective look on his
face.
And my dad was really quite a character.
And he said, you know, I'mgetting up there.
(07:22):
And so when I die, he goes, weshould probably put Misty to sleep
and have her buried with me.
And my sister looked up fromthe other end of the table and said,
what happens if the dog dies first?
Right.
That's a good question, actually.
And.
And everybody just busted up,laughing and dancing.
(07:45):
Yeah.
No.
So anyway, that was it.
Okay, Meathead, did you comeup with something there?
No, they've.
They generally run, you know,and there's two meals.
There's Christmas Eve, whichis the feast of seven fishes, and
there's calamari, there'ssquid, there's salmon.
(08:05):
There's pasta with salmon in it.
And they all, you know, exceptfor the occasional squabble.
And we're getting pretty goodabout keeping politics out of the
conversation, so nothing.
Nothing really disastrous thatI can think of.
They're always just really alot of fun.
(08:27):
My wife has two brothers, andso Christmas eve is at 1, and Christmas
dinner is at the daughter of one.
So we see both halves of thefamily, and they're both huge.
So it's just really importantfamily gatherings.
That we've got a.
A benchmark.
This year, our daughter ishosting Christmas Eve for the first
(08:51):
time.
Oh, wow.
That's a big deal.
Her partner, Oliver.
So, yeah, it is a big deal.
I'm very proud.
That is.
The pressure is on.
How old is she?
She's 32.
Oh, she can handle it.
Yeah, she can handle it.
She's been.
She used to work with me inthe catering biz.
And, I mean, she can cook.
Oh, she'll be fine.
She'll be fine.
But I'm just so proud of herthat she stepped up, with no prompting,
(09:15):
and said, we' to hostChristmas Eve.
I'm like, yes, yes.
One meal.
I don't have to cook.
Okay, here's the fun part.
Go ahead.
Oh, I was just Thinking.
Keep trying to.
There's exchanges of gifts atboth events, right?
And.
And, and there's now this tradition.
It actually is now.
It's been going on for a while.
Nobody knows what to buy me,so I get the gag gifts, right?
(09:38):
And I've had some funny gag gifts.
I mean, some.
Some really crazy ones, youknow, and so I always look forward
to that.
I've got a very special onecoming your way, by the way.
Oh, no.
Oh, yeah.
No, you'll think it's appropriate.
By the way, that book that yourequested for one of your followers
went in the mail last week.
(09:59):
Oh, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Okay, here's the fun stuff.
When is National UglyChristmas Sweater Day?
Ooh, I'd say it's right aroundthe 20th.
Well, it's actually a day ofthe week.
It doesn't have a.
(10:19):
The date changes every year.
Okay, so it's kind of likeChristmas Eve.
This year, I believe is onWednesday and Christmas is on Thursday.
So give me a weekday in thecalendar month.
That's as close as I'm goingto give you the hint.
No looking it up on.
No, I'm not looking.
(10:40):
I'm looking something else up.
It's gotta be Monday orTuesday because you gotta wear it
all week.
Me?
Dad, you know, I have no clue.
It is the third Friday every.
Okay, here's it.
I got one for you.
All right.
When is Festivus?
(11:04):
Leanne, you have a blank lookon your face.
You know that come from theSeinfeld Show?
Yeah, yeah.
Festivus for the rest of us.
Yeah.
Oh, I don't know.
It was.
It was George's father whostarted the holiday and Kramer was
in on it.
It was.
It's a.
It's.
It's a holiday for airing of grievances.
Oh, yeah.
Yes, it's a Christmas alternative.
(11:26):
Okay, well, maybe you should.
We.
I have some relatives, too, and.
Sounds like you do, too, meathead.
That we could send them and wecould even cook for them, but not
attend a Festivus dinner.
It's a decent.
It's on December 23rd.
Okay.
All right.
Which department storeintroduced Rudolph the Red Nosed
(11:49):
Reindeer?
Oh, I know this marketing campaign.
I know this.
What.
What year and what company?
Don't know what year, but youcan take a shot.
Leanne.
What department store?
Yeah, what department store?
I'm gonna.
I'm gonna say Macy's justbecause you're.
You.
You.
You are close.
Yes.
(12:10):
That was Marshall Fields herein Chicago, which is now Macy's.
Oh, okay.
So that counts.
Marshall Fields.
And it was just a littlepromo, and it blew up.
And Marshall Fields is now Macy's.
Actually, it was MontgomeryWard in 1939.
Oh, you may be right.
Which is also in Chicago,wasn't it?
(12:30):
Yeah, yeah.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I verified all these.
Okay, well, I stand corrected.
I think you're right.
I think I've read that.
But it, like so many things,one store did it, and then all of
a sudden, you know, a bunch ofthem do it.
In which ocean is Christmasisland located?
Well, that's Pacific.
(12:52):
Leanne.
Is it.
Well, he seems pretty.
Or is it the Indian.
It's not the Indian Ocean.
I'm gonna say Atlantic.
Oh, it's the Indian.
It's the Indian Ocean.
Really?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, they kind of.
You know, that's one of thosethings, like, where's the line between
the Indian Ocean and thePacific Ocean?
Where's the line.
Okay, where.
Where's the town of Christmas?
(13:16):
There may be more than one,but I'm thinking of one in.
Is it in Oregon?
Is it in your state?
We have.
We have a.
We have a town here.
There's one in one.
There's, like 17 of them.
Are there really?
Yeah.
Yeah, I know.
There's one in Indiana.
Indiana, right.
Yeah.
What does the word Noel mean?
N, O, e, L. It's easy.
(13:37):
1.
I'm trying to make up a jokeabout the Alphabet real fast, and
it's not working.
Just think of the song.
First thing that popped intomy head was Sleepy.
I don't know why.
Means Christmas.
Oh.
Remember the song, the Furs?
Noel Angels did sing duringChristmas season.
How many Lego sets are soldevery second?
(14:03):
Oh, my God.
You know, Legos were reallybig when I was a kid, and then they
kind of fell off the radar,and now they're back.
Back on it.
So I would say two.
He did.
How many sets are sold every second?
A thousand.
28.
(14:24):
Okay.
You know, and they replacedthe fire and brimstone in hell, and
they put Legos on the ground there.
So you should know this.
In A Wonderful Life, the movieA Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart and
all that.
What happens every time a bell rings?
Oh, Zuzu.
(14:48):
An angel gets his wings.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah.
Okay, we're all.
Of this age bracket.
What Christmas song waswritten during the Cuban Missile
Crisis to promote peace?
Ooh.
You know, I think I heard thisonce, and I haven't.
(15:09):
I can't remember.
I have no idea.
Do you hear what I hear?
Really?
Yep.
Okay.
Okay.
We already did Six Keys of Lane.
What holiday song Was.
Was the first one played inouter space.
(15:30):
I'm going to say jingle bells.
You are correct.
Oh, good work.
And it was in 1965.
Yeah.
Why was.
Why was the snowman rummagingthrough a bag of carrots?
He was looking for the right nose.
(15:51):
He was picking his nose.
Oh.
How many points does asnowflake traditionally have?
Is it six or eight?
I say six.
Six.
Six.
What does the X stand for whensomebody writes Xmas instead of Christmas
(16:13):
Christ?
I've heard this, too, becauseI once on social media abbreviated
Christmas Xmas, and a bunch ofreligious fanatics jumped down my
throat and told me howdisrespectful that is, and I forget
what the answer.
Actually, it's.
It's not disrespectful if theyknow the history of it.
(16:37):
Is it to symbolize the crucifix?
No, but you're close.
It's the Greek letter chai.
Chi.
And that represents Christ,isn't it?
Chi.
Pronounced Chi.
Chi Omega.
It was a chi.
Omega.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Which U.S. president bannedChristmas trees from the White House?
(16:59):
Really?
Yep.
Roosevelt?
Yep.
Which one?
Theodore.
Which one?
Franklin.
Teddy.
Teddy.
Wow.
I'm on a roll.
Really?
Teddy, go play the lottery.
Yeah.
What color was Santa's suitbefore red became popular in the
images?
(17:19):
I've seen lots of pictures ofhim in.
In Europe, and I thought.
I thought he was always.
And red, orange, brown.
Yeah, yeah.
Which.
Now, meathead, you should.
You should get this.
And so should you, Leon.
Which we only got a coupleleft here.
Which country believes Santaenters through a window instead of
(17:43):
a chimney?
Oh.
And is across the pond.
And you've both been there?
Oh, you've both been there.
London, England?
No, I'm guessing France or Italy.
Italy.
(18:04):
Oh, really?
I never knew that.
Yeah, really.
And the last question in thisyear's trivia for Christmas.
Oh, I got two more.
This one and one.
The last.
This and not the last one.
What company invented theelectric Christmas lights?
General Electric.
(18:26):
Edison Electric.
Oh, of course, Edison.
And finally today, for yourlistening pleasure, the first artificial
Christmas tree was made of what?
Plastic.
I'll go with that, too.
Goose feathers.
(18:46):
Really?
Yeah.
Goose feathers.
How on earth would they get.
I get it for the.
The little leaf thing.
The little.
And it's kind of fluffy, you know?
Yeah.
I mean, it would look cool,but what's the base of it?
I mean, what do you do?
Just, like, you don't want toput candles on it?
Because I. I often go toantique stores.
(19:07):
I love shopping in antique stores.
I buy furniture in antiqueStores, rather than buying new furniture.
And they have the most beautiful.
Many of them have all theseold ornaments, and a lot of them
have these candle holders.
They.
The little clamp that clipsonto the tree and candle in it.
Yeah.
And I believe they were thesource of many house fires.
(19:30):
House fires.
Yeah, probably so.
Yeah.
Well, that's going to wrap upour after hours for Christmas.
2025.
Meathead from AmazingRibs.comby the way.
You see over his rightshoulder, camera left here, the Meathead
Method, his latest book, available.
Everywhere.
(19:50):
Everywhere and great Christmaspresent, Leanne and.
I thank you for saying so.
Yeah, it's very good.
And if you have any cookingquestions about everything we talk
about the regular show.
I was gonna say call me dad.
You can definitely email him.
(20:12):
Yeah.
I think any one of us canhelp, but my guess is, is that Leanne
is probably the best cookamong us.
Oh, that's so sweet.
Yeah.
Really.
I would guess that you're.
You've been.
Well, I mean, you.
You've run restaurants, you'vewon every competition.
I appreciate that a lot.
(20:33):
I love to cook.
So when you.
When your heart and soul's in it.
So do I. I think all three ofus love to cook.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
What I can't figure out, medad, is why you and I look like we
do.
And she's a little tiny toothpick.
Well, no, the other thing is, is.
And she likes to eat, too.
I know that in this day andage, this is probably inappropriate,
(20:54):
but she's always been gorgeousand she's never aged a day.
Wow.
You're after something, me pet.
I'm wondering, do I owe you a gift?
No, you recall.
I.
Know.
She's.
She's really a special lady.
Yeah.
And from Leanne, pig powdermakes a great stocking stuff.
(21:18):
It does.
And as we've talked many timeson the show, I've used it.
Of course, Leanne and her dadinvented I cannot Wait.
And I want honest opinions.
When this spicy pig powderhits and you guys try it, I really.
I'll get some to you all, too.
I really want your honest opinion.
Yeah.
And really it's pig powder.
But just amped up becausepeople love the base of pig powder.
(21:40):
I mean, they love pig powder,but this just makes it a little.
People wanted spicier, sothat's what I did.
And I'll tell you what I didlast night.
I trying to finish productionthis week, and we're all busy and
this and that, and I wastrying to make a quick meal and I
had Some pork left over, justa little pork roast.
(22:08):
And so I dice that up, and Ibrought out a couple of cans of Campbell's
chicken gumbo soup, and I hadsome rice left over.
So I'm always doctoring thingsup, just messing around.
So I. I did that.
I put it in there, and it was okay.
It was not that.
And I used pig powder in it,and that brought it to life.
(22:28):
Oh, that's good.
We had to add in some homemadebiscuits for dinner last night, and
it worked really well.
Spices and herbs bringeverything to life.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And.
And I got to tell you, folks,I went over running over here, but
if you have the.
Any kind of property behindyour house, in front of your house,
(22:48):
alongside your house, it'seasy to plant rosemary.
And it's a beautiful bush,too, and it's very hardy, and even
I can grow rosemary.
And you walk.
You walk past a rosema bush,and you just touch it, and.
Oh, it smells so good.
I agree.
And.
And.
And.
And.
And basil and oregano.
(23:08):
It comes back almost every year.
Oh, yeah.
You can't hardly kill it.
And.
And.
And if you want to put them inpots and put them on a windowsill,
time.
Time grows like crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thyme is my favorite.
All purpose.
I mean, we throw it in everything.
My potato leek soup last nightand threw some thyme.
(23:30):
Yeah, perfect.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
I'm a. I'm a. I like them all.
I think basil is probably my favorite.
Go to just because of the wayI cook.
But I. I do rosemary, I do thyme.
I use oregano.
I use all those things all thetime, and that just elevates things.
Anyway, so.
And.
And make your own spice rubs.
(23:51):
I mean, pig powders of special rub.
I have recipes on my websitethat you can start with and customize
them to your own taste.
Favorite flavors in therecipe, and try it.
Yep.
So we want to wish everybodylistening and all that a very merry
Christmas and a happy New Year.
And on my heartfelt wishes, goout to, of course, Leanne and Meathead
(24:15):
for their holiday and withtheir family and friends.
And remember our motto here,turn it, don't burn it.
Have a great Christmas, everybody.
Yes.
Take care.
Holidays, everyone.
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