September 5, 2025 • 16 mins
Ever felt like a fish out of water during the holidays? In this episode, we're joined by Albert G. Thayer to explore the heartfelt stories and surprising traditions behind his book, Christmas for a Fish Out of Water. Discover how one man's journey from New England to Germany—and beyond—can help you turn homesickness into connection, wherever you are. Dive in for real talk, laughter, and a fresh perspective on what it means to celebrate away from home.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey is Benji col Son of Alcohol from CBS Radio
and host of the syndicated.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Talk show People of Distinction.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
The talk gives you an in depth view of some
of the most dynamic, intelligent, and successful people on the planet.
Run to our website Alcohol Enterprises dot com for more info.
Email me through Benji at Alcohol Enterprises dot com if
you'd like to get involved with what we have going,
and as always.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Please continue to like and follow our broadcasts.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
People of Distinction is internationally syndicated solely due to the
love and support that you all continue to give. We're
available across all major distributors and as long as you
keep following, we're going to continue to put out the content. Now,
sit back and strap in because on the line with
us today.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
We have the impressive Albert g there and we're going
to be discussing his incredible book, Christmas for a Fish
out of Water. It's Amazon, Barnes and Noble Man, it's
a lot of other places, and once you start to
do research on it, you're gonna realize why this is
a book you need to add to your shelf and listen.
(01:11):
It is an absolute pleasure to have Albert here on
the line. Fable. Let me ask, man, have you ever
been the American abroad during the holidays where every tradition,
if it feels just a little bit off, that disorienting
feeling is exactly what we're gonna be tackling here today. Okay,
(01:31):
now follow me, because we're gonna be speaking with the
author of Christmas for a Fish out of Water. It's
a book that acts as as a lifeline in a
sense for exchange students and service members stationed overseas, and
we're gonna unpack the unique customs so that they can
trade that feeling of being lost for one of genuine connection.
(01:56):
And now all we've all been there, man, the holidays
they give such a warm and homey feel. But when
you're overseas, or even if you're not overseas, maybe you're
here in the country, but you're just around slightly unfamiliar territory.
This is something we've experienced, and this book is gonna
help you bring things back home, even if you may
(02:20):
not actually be there. Sit thag strap, then have your
notebooks ready. There's gonna be some education that you're gonna
receive as well. And by the time we've concluded, you're
gonna run and purchase your copy so you can fill
in the gaps and do it all yourself. On that journey.
Let's jump right in Albert First and foremost, Welcome to
people of distinction, and thank you very much for being
(02:41):
with us. How you doing today, sir.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
I'm doing fine.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Listen man, we're looking forward to this discussion. I think
this is an incredibly unique book, something that is it's
about a very particular subject matter, but something that a
lot of us experience. So we're looking forward to this discussion.
First and foremost, start off at the foundation, man, tell
us more about yourself.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was born in Massachusetts, and I grew up in
the New England States, and I've always been interested in
the outdoors. So I majored in forestree at the University
of Vermont, and I worked a while with a small
lumber company in Vermont, and after that I moved to Texas,
and of course I was in the eastern part of
Texas where the forests are, not the western desert, and
(03:26):
I again went to forestry school at Steve and Iva
where we go Stephen F. Austin State and Acadochi's at
a mouthful of Acadochis And after that I worked for
a while with Kirby Forest Industries in the East, Texas
and Louisiana, and while being in Texas, I met my wife.
So I maned to stay awhile in Texas, but that
(03:47):
was interrupted I joined the US Army. I spent ten
years in the Army, and seven of them were in Germany.
So that's where I learned most of the information you
have in this book about the holiday customs from outside
of the United States.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Love it? Okay, all right, listen before we dive any further, Albert,
I gotta ask, man, because here's the thing you mentioned.
You're a New England boy, born in Rest, born and raised,
and so I knew that there was a reason why
we had a connection. Myself. I am also a New
England boy. Now I've lived in Los Angeles now for
almost twenty years, but born and bred in Providence. I'm
(04:23):
actually you are I alum, and you're from my neck
of the woods. Now here's the thing, Albert, when I
was speaking to you on the pre screen and call,
I'm not picking up on any of those regionalisms.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
New England dialect is usually a pretty strong accent and
is very identifiable, but you sound like you're from the South.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Now, I tell you. When I'm here in Texas, a
lot of people will tell me, yes, you sound like
you're from here, but every once in a while, sound
like you're from there. And if I go back to
the Northeast, I hear almost the exact identified words. Plus
being stationed German so long I can speak with a
(05:02):
German accent. And I don't think anyone wants to hear
me do that right now, but I don't really have.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
We'll take your word for it out there, you go, there,
you go. No, of course, I'm just bringing it up
for levity. It's my background is in filmmaking, so I've
spent a lot of time working out those regionalisms there
because you want to have more of a universal sound
in that particular industry. But that was yeah, man, that
was something that it caught me by surprise because I
(05:29):
was like, wait, hold on a second, my my new
England isms, I guess, and they come out from time
to time, usually more so when I've been drinking Albert.
Just between you and I, it takes takes the marriers away.
But that's for another time. Let's dive into this book. Man,
let's keep it honed in here. Christmas for a Fish
(05:51):
out of Water. Tell us a little bit more about
the book.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
The book didn't actually get started as a book. I
wrote essays, and these essays were meant to essentially go
with my Christmas cards. A couple of times I thought
about publishing in a magazine that didn't get very far
while my wife was still alive. So they're living. Hey,
this is pretty good. Maybe we get together. Have your
daughter illustrated my daughter's version of illustrations, by the way,
(06:16):
But that never really worked out. So I had two
essays which I had written over the years, and essentially
they were just included with my Christmas cards. One felt
about eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day in Texas,
which wouldn't be of any interest to anybody in this
part of the country where I am in Texas, but
to there be very strange and bizarre. And of course
(06:41):
the other essay was called the Three Christmases of Bavaria,
and having been stationed in Germany close this seven years,
I could tell you about this. There's three basic celebrations.
One is about Saint Nicholas Day and that's early in December.
One is the access celebration of Christmas, which is not
exactly like what we used to do in the United States.
(07:03):
And the other is three Kings Day or Epiphany, and
that's almost two weeks after Chrystals. So those are the
two West Days. That was the foundation that I had
in all, and then we had a pause on that.
Twenty twenty twenty two, I went back to Germany because
(07:24):
my son is now in the Army station in Germany,
and he's not a young man. His oldest daughter was
graduating from high school there, so we're doing all the
usual high school graduation things and all, and of course
let's do some sight seeing. And I've been in the
very south of Germany here, Switzerland and Austria up here
(07:44):
a little bit further north. In fact, his house in
Wiesbaden is closer to the airport to Frontford than downtown Frankford.
Did the little sightseeing and one place we went wasn't
too far fromward. The station at Wisbaden is the Southern
or South Cemetery, and we saw the grave of the
Red baron of course the pictures. The other place that
(08:07):
went was the cathedral and Cologne, which has an absolutely
enormous reliquary for the Three Kings, and of course I
heard a lot of comments after took a picture about
what's this about the about three Kings? How do we
know those are the ones there? And I can tell
you right now, I'm not an expert on holy relics.
Someone tells you a piece of wood came from the
(08:27):
True Cross, Hey, don't ask me. And that was a
big matter of discussion. So we had two pictures, one
from the grave of the Red Baron, one from the
cathedral and Cologne, and the other which everyone found absolutely
totally insane. I had a picture from outside the cathedral
(08:48):
and mice of the statue of the Saint Bonifas and
of him because he has a dagger picking through his Bible,
and people were not familiar with German history, German custom
anything about this. It's that's this guy with a dagger
sticking out of his bible. Weirdest thing that I ever saw.
So I got an idea for another essay. Of course,
(09:10):
it took me forever. In a day, I was the
title of let's just Saint Bonapas and the Christmas Tree,
and that of course went along with the Christmas essays.
But I never quite got it done in time to
send out with Christmas cards another year. But the weird
thing that year, I submitted some things to the local
newspaper about my son in Germany, and so they would understand,
(09:32):
I included a couple of articles from other people. Plus
I included my thing from the Christmas Cards about the
three Christmases of Bavaria and behold Christmas Eve. Open up
the newspaper main featured essay. They have my article on
the three Christmas and Bavardist. I think I'm good enough
to be publish and maybe I want to go somewhere.
Plus I had this essay which I think I finished
(09:54):
maybe a day or two before Christmas Eve, so I
couldn't go out with the Christmas cards. I got the idea,
I think I'm going to try and put this together
to write a book. And I know what I was
getting into.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
I don't know if i'd have gone through all everything.
It's like more than I ever expected. But the book
has been published, it's been illustrated, and then actually has
things to give people for close roatives for their birthdays
and other occasions. So that's pretty much the way that
I went.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
People not only is this a great book to add
to your shelf, but it's a great gift to add
to someone else's as well. So I'm going to say
it again. It's Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Remember it's entitled
Christmas for a Fish out of Water. This is one
you're going to want to embark upon. Written for children,
but I promise you adults out there listen and then, man,
this is going to be a fantastic education for you
(10:43):
as well. And I want to go into a little
bit more of that education now, Albert, because listen, your
book meant it covers a wide range of traditions, from
the deeply sacred right Saint Boniface, like you've just mentioned
a little while ago, and also to the seemingly superstitious
when you're talking about the Texas Black Eyed Peas. I'm
(11:05):
curious to know, because from an outsider's perspective looking at it,
their great stories, very knowledgeable, but a wide array and
very eclectic. From your perspective, what is the common thread
that you find ties all of these diverse customs together
into the tapestry of Christmas?
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Okay, this thing, of course, is the time of the
year is to take place Saint Bonifas is, at least
according to legend, uh the one who started the custom
the Christmas tree, and I was pretty straightforward, having known
the legend until I did research, and it's not but
that's all in the book. It's New Year's Day for
the Black Eyed Peas. So all of this centers around Christmas.
(11:49):
I also wrote about just across, I wrote about Silent
Night and how it came to be a priest named
Joseph Moore that spelled the same Joseph in English. But
Joseph Moore wrote the poem, and there's a couple of stories. Essentially,
the organ and the St. Nicholas Church broke down. They
(12:09):
weren't going to have any music for Christmas Eve, so
we've got Franz Ruba to write a song about that,
or write the music rather for the poem, and they
sang it for Christmas Eve, and eventually it became famous
worldwide and all and a lot of people aren't familiar
with this Christmas carol at all times sing it in German.
(12:30):
I was like, oh, you're singing a song strange, weird
foreign language. It was written in German. But all of
these take place at Christmas and where I'm originally from
the New England States. At one time or another, he's
being a fish out of water. Never eating black eyed
teas before I came to Texas, and I had never
heard of eating them on New US Day. But they
(12:52):
were all tied up right to the season, and all
of them can make you feel like a fish out
of water.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I love that you ended talking about the black eyed
peas story, because I know in the book you end
on that one as well, and I'm curious, man, was
it just by happenstance or was there a particular reasoning
behind closing out with that particular American custom.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
I think part of the reason I wanted to do
that was that it wasn't the first chance that I
wrote it was. But it takes place on New Year's Day,
so it's after Christmas, so trying to keep some kind
of rhyme and reason and chronological order. Now you end
up with that for your holiday story, being thee the
black Eyed.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Piece Albert throughout this entire writing process, because of course,
a lot of this coincides with your journey, right and
as you have been traveling in different things that you've
picked up along the way, culminating all of this into
this book. Was there a particular highlight for you or
maybe something that surprised you that you weren't anticipating before.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I think initially going to Germany realizing it's going to
be different, but I didn't realize how different, and a
lot of people just don't seem to understand that. And
as the Army, some people have a long tour of
Germany and hardly ever go off base. And they realized that,
find out how much it costs to take the two
or three weeks to vacation to Europe sometimes and maybe
(14:15):
you ought to get off base and see something. And
of course it's not just learning about the customs. Help
still learn about the language and to totally immerse yourself.
And essentially just when you go outside the gate of
the base, it's realized you're inning a different world and
you're not having to pay for airport there, you're not
having to deal with jet lag, and you're going to
(14:36):
get to see this. And of course, as far as
I put the Black Eyed Teas for Christmas, my wife
was originally a Texan asked on about four years ago,
and of course this was a customers Oh, it's about
black eyed teas for New Year's Day, and it's like,
I mean there born in Massachusetts, it's what are black
eyed peas? They needed a part of why I learned
(14:58):
all this stuff and to pass it on.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, people, listen, man, this is a fantastic education. But
it's something that is so deeply personal to Albert. But
I can already see when you add it to your shelf,
you embark upon it. The stories and the journey that
you're going to be able to memories rather that you're
gonna be able to create with those around you. I
think it's such a gratifying piece to all of this.
(15:22):
Like I said, man, you're gonna learn things, You're gonna
develop new customs and traditions hopefully within your family that
are based on these, and you're gonna be able. You're
gonna be able to develop and grow from it. So
listen for any American out there finding themselves overseas this season,
remember this book is it really is? This book is
(15:42):
your secret weapon, right. It's about replacing confusion with confidence
and transforming that that quote unquote fish out of water
feeling into a truly meaningful adventure. Because that's really what
this book is is it is. It's a celebration and
an invitation to embark upon an adventure of your own
(16:04):
with those around you and listen. Around the holidays, man,
who doesn't want that? Right, it's going to be giving
you a connection back to home. Head on over to Amazon,
Barnes and Noble and pick up your copies today. And
of course a huge thanks to Albert G. Thayer for
creating it and even bigger thanks Albert for being a
guest with us here to discuss it all through People
(16:26):
of Distinction, you are welcome
Hey is Benji col Son of Alcohol from CBS Radio
and host of the syndicated.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Talk show People of Distinction.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
The talk gives you an in depth view of some
of the most dynamic, intelligent, and successful people on the planet.
Run to our website Alcohol Enterprises dot com for more info.
Email me through Benji at Alcohol Enterprises dot com if
you'd like to get involved with what we have going,
and as always.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Please continue to like and follow our broadcasts.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
People of Distinction is internationally syndicated solely due to the
love and support that you all continue to give. We're
available across all major distributors and as long as you
keep following, we're going to continue to put out the content. Now,
sit back and strap in because on the line with
us today.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
We have the impressive Albert g there and we're going
to be discussing his incredible book, Christmas for a Fish
out of Water. It's Amazon, Barnes and Noble Man, it's
a lot of other places, and once you start to
do research on it, you're gonna realize why this is
a book you need to add to your shelf and listen.
(01:11):
It is an absolute pleasure to have Albert here on
the line. Fable. Let me ask, man, have you ever
been the American abroad during the holidays where every tradition,
if it feels just a little bit off, that disorienting
feeling is exactly what we're gonna be tackling here today. Okay,
(01:31):
now follow me, because we're gonna be speaking with the
author of Christmas for a Fish out of Water. It's
a book that acts as as a lifeline in a
sense for exchange students and service members stationed overseas, and
we're gonna unpack the unique customs so that they can
trade that feeling of being lost for one of genuine connection.
(01:56):
And now all we've all been there, man, the holidays
they give such a warm and homey feel. But when
you're overseas, or even if you're not overseas, maybe you're
here in the country, but you're just around slightly unfamiliar territory.
This is something we've experienced, and this book is gonna
help you bring things back home, even if you may
(02:20):
not actually be there. Sit thag strap, then have your
notebooks ready. There's gonna be some education that you're gonna
receive as well. And by the time we've concluded, you're
gonna run and purchase your copy so you can fill
in the gaps and do it all yourself. On that journey.
Let's jump right in Albert First and foremost, Welcome to
people of distinction, and thank you very much for being
(02:41):
with us. How you doing today, sir.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
I'm doing fine.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Listen man, we're looking forward to this discussion. I think
this is an incredibly unique book, something that is it's
about a very particular subject matter, but something that a
lot of us experience. So we're looking forward to this discussion.
First and foremost, start off at the foundation, man, tell
us more about yourself.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was born in Massachusetts, and I grew up in
the New England States, and I've always been interested in
the outdoors. So I majored in forestree at the University
of Vermont, and I worked a while with a small
lumber company in Vermont, and after that I moved to Texas,
and of course I was in the eastern part of
Texas where the forests are, not the western desert, and
(03:26):
I again went to forestry school at Steve and Iva
where we go Stephen F. Austin State and Acadochi's at
a mouthful of Acadochis And after that I worked for
a while with Kirby Forest Industries in the East, Texas
and Louisiana, and while being in Texas, I met my wife.
So I maned to stay awhile in Texas, but that
(03:47):
was interrupted I joined the US Army. I spent ten
years in the Army, and seven of them were in Germany.
So that's where I learned most of the information you
have in this book about the holiday customs from outside
of the United States.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Love it? Okay, all right, listen before we dive any further, Albert,
I gotta ask, man, because here's the thing you mentioned.
You're a New England boy, born in Rest, born and raised,
and so I knew that there was a reason why
we had a connection. Myself. I am also a New
England boy. Now I've lived in Los Angeles now for
almost twenty years, but born and bred in Providence. I'm
(04:23):
actually you are I alum, and you're from my neck
of the woods. Now here's the thing, Albert, when I
was speaking to you on the pre screen and call,
I'm not picking up on any of those regionalisms.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
New England dialect is usually a pretty strong accent and
is very identifiable, but you sound like you're from the South.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Now, I tell you. When I'm here in Texas, a
lot of people will tell me, yes, you sound like
you're from here, but every once in a while, sound
like you're from there. And if I go back to
the Northeast, I hear almost the exact identified words. Plus
being stationed German so long I can speak with a
(05:02):
German accent. And I don't think anyone wants to hear
me do that right now, but I don't really have.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
We'll take your word for it out there, you go, there,
you go. No, of course, I'm just bringing it up
for levity. It's my background is in filmmaking, so I've
spent a lot of time working out those regionalisms there
because you want to have more of a universal sound
in that particular industry. But that was yeah, man, that
was something that it caught me by surprise because I
(05:29):
was like, wait, hold on a second, my my new
England isms, I guess, and they come out from time
to time, usually more so when I've been drinking Albert.
Just between you and I, it takes takes the marriers away.
But that's for another time. Let's dive into this book. Man,
let's keep it honed in here. Christmas for a Fish
(05:51):
out of Water. Tell us a little bit more about
the book.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
The book didn't actually get started as a book. I
wrote essays, and these essays were meant to essentially go
with my Christmas cards. A couple of times I thought
about publishing in a magazine that didn't get very far
while my wife was still alive. So they're living. Hey,
this is pretty good. Maybe we get together. Have your
daughter illustrated my daughter's version of illustrations, by the way,
(06:16):
But that never really worked out. So I had two
essays which I had written over the years, and essentially
they were just included with my Christmas cards. One felt
about eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day in Texas,
which wouldn't be of any interest to anybody in this
part of the country where I am in Texas, but
to there be very strange and bizarre. And of course
(06:41):
the other essay was called the Three Christmases of Bavaria,
and having been stationed in Germany close this seven years,
I could tell you about this. There's three basic celebrations.
One is about Saint Nicholas Day and that's early in December.
One is the access celebration of Christmas, which is not
exactly like what we used to do in the United States.
(07:03):
And the other is three Kings Day or Epiphany, and
that's almost two weeks after Chrystals. So those are the
two West Days. That was the foundation that I had
in all, and then we had a pause on that.
Twenty twenty twenty two, I went back to Germany because
(07:24):
my son is now in the Army station in Germany,
and he's not a young man. His oldest daughter was
graduating from high school there, so we're doing all the
usual high school graduation things and all, and of course
let's do some sight seeing. And I've been in the
very south of Germany here, Switzerland and Austria up here
(07:44):
a little bit further north. In fact, his house in
Wiesbaden is closer to the airport to Frontford than downtown Frankford.
Did the little sightseeing and one place we went wasn't
too far fromward. The station at Wisbaden is the Southern
or South Cemetery, and we saw the grave of the
Red baron of course the pictures. The other place that
(08:07):
went was the cathedral and Cologne, which has an absolutely
enormous reliquary for the Three Kings, and of course I
heard a lot of comments after took a picture about
what's this about the about three Kings? How do we
know those are the ones there? And I can tell
you right now, I'm not an expert on holy relics.
Someone tells you a piece of wood came from the
(08:27):
True Cross, Hey, don't ask me. And that was a
big matter of discussion. So we had two pictures, one
from the grave of the Red Baron, one from the
cathedral and Cologne, and the other which everyone found absolutely
totally insane. I had a picture from outside the cathedral
(08:48):
and mice of the statue of the Saint Bonifas and
of him because he has a dagger picking through his Bible,
and people were not familiar with German history, German custom
anything about this. It's that's this guy with a dagger
sticking out of his bible. Weirdest thing that I ever saw.
So I got an idea for another essay. Of course,
(09:10):
it took me forever. In a day, I was the
title of let's just Saint Bonapas and the Christmas Tree,
and that of course went along with the Christmas essays.
But I never quite got it done in time to
send out with Christmas cards another year. But the weird
thing that year, I submitted some things to the local
newspaper about my son in Germany, and so they would understand,
(09:32):
I included a couple of articles from other people. Plus
I included my thing from the Christmas Cards about the
three Christmases of Bavaria and behold Christmas Eve. Open up
the newspaper main featured essay. They have my article on
the three Christmas and Bavardist. I think I'm good enough
to be publish and maybe I want to go somewhere.
Plus I had this essay which I think I finished
(09:54):
maybe a day or two before Christmas Eve, so I
couldn't go out with the Christmas cards. I got the idea,
I think I'm going to try and put this together
to write a book. And I know what I was
getting into.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
I don't know if i'd have gone through all everything.
It's like more than I ever expected. But the book
has been published, it's been illustrated, and then actually has
things to give people for close roatives for their birthdays
and other occasions. So that's pretty much the way that
I went.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
People not only is this a great book to add
to your shelf, but it's a great gift to add
to someone else's as well. So I'm going to say
it again. It's Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Remember it's entitled
Christmas for a Fish out of Water. This is one
you're going to want to embark upon. Written for children,
but I promise you adults out there listen and then, man,
this is going to be a fantastic education for you
(10:43):
as well. And I want to go into a little
bit more of that education now, Albert, because listen, your
book meant it covers a wide range of traditions, from
the deeply sacred right Saint Boniface, like you've just mentioned
a little while ago, and also to the seemingly superstitious
when you're talking about the Texas Black Eyed Peas. I'm
(11:05):
curious to know, because from an outsider's perspective looking at it,
their great stories, very knowledgeable, but a wide array and
very eclectic. From your perspective, what is the common thread
that you find ties all of these diverse customs together
into the tapestry of Christmas?
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Okay, this thing, of course, is the time of the
year is to take place Saint Bonifas is, at least
according to legend, uh the one who started the custom
the Christmas tree, and I was pretty straightforward, having known
the legend until I did research, and it's not but
that's all in the book. It's New Year's Day for
the Black Eyed Peas. So all of this centers around Christmas.
(11:49):
I also wrote about just across, I wrote about Silent
Night and how it came to be a priest named
Joseph Moore that spelled the same Joseph in English. But
Joseph Moore wrote the poem, and there's a couple of stories. Essentially,
the organ and the St. Nicholas Church broke down. They
(12:09):
weren't going to have any music for Christmas Eve, so
we've got Franz Ruba to write a song about that,
or write the music rather for the poem, and they
sang it for Christmas Eve, and eventually it became famous
worldwide and all and a lot of people aren't familiar
with this Christmas carol at all times sing it in German.
(12:30):
I was like, oh, you're singing a song strange, weird
foreign language. It was written in German. But all of
these take place at Christmas and where I'm originally from
the New England States. At one time or another, he's
being a fish out of water. Never eating black eyed
teas before I came to Texas, and I had never
heard of eating them on New US Day. But they
(12:52):
were all tied up right to the season, and all
of them can make you feel like a fish out
of water.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
I love that you ended talking about the black eyed
peas story, because I know in the book you end
on that one as well, and I'm curious, man, was
it just by happenstance or was there a particular reasoning
behind closing out with that particular American custom.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
I think part of the reason I wanted to do
that was that it wasn't the first chance that I
wrote it was. But it takes place on New Year's Day,
so it's after Christmas, so trying to keep some kind
of rhyme and reason and chronological order. Now you end
up with that for your holiday story, being thee the
black Eyed.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Piece Albert throughout this entire writing process, because of course,
a lot of this coincides with your journey, right and
as you have been traveling in different things that you've
picked up along the way, culminating all of this into
this book. Was there a particular highlight for you or
maybe something that surprised you that you weren't anticipating before.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I think initially going to Germany realizing it's going to
be different, but I didn't realize how different, and a
lot of people just don't seem to understand that. And
as the Army, some people have a long tour of
Germany and hardly ever go off base. And they realized that,
find out how much it costs to take the two
or three weeks to vacation to Europe sometimes and maybe
(14:15):
you ought to get off base and see something. And
of course it's not just learning about the customs. Help
still learn about the language and to totally immerse yourself.
And essentially just when you go outside the gate of
the base, it's realized you're inning a different world and
you're not having to pay for airport there, you're not
having to deal with jet lag, and you're going to
(14:36):
get to see this. And of course, as far as
I put the Black Eyed Teas for Christmas, my wife
was originally a Texan asked on about four years ago,
and of course this was a customers Oh, it's about
black eyed teas for New Year's Day, and it's like,
I mean there born in Massachusetts, it's what are black
eyed peas? They needed a part of why I learned
(14:58):
all this stuff and to pass it on.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, people, listen, man, this is a fantastic education. But
it's something that is so deeply personal to Albert. But
I can already see when you add it to your shelf,
you embark upon it. The stories and the journey that
you're going to be able to memories rather that you're
gonna be able to create with those around you. I
think it's such a gratifying piece to all of this.
(15:22):
Like I said, man, you're gonna learn things, You're gonna
develop new customs and traditions hopefully within your family that
are based on these, and you're gonna be able. You're
gonna be able to develop and grow from it. So
listen for any American out there finding themselves overseas this season,
remember this book is it really is? This book is
(15:42):
your secret weapon, right. It's about replacing confusion with confidence
and transforming that that quote unquote fish out of water
feeling into a truly meaningful adventure. Because that's really what
this book is is it is. It's a celebration and
an invitation to embark upon an adventure of your own
(16:04):
with those around you and listen. Around the holidays, man,
who doesn't want that? Right, it's going to be giving
you a connection back to home. Head on over to Amazon,
Barnes and Noble and pick up your copies today. And
of course a huge thanks to Albert G. Thayer for
creating it and even bigger thanks Albert for being a
guest with us here to discuss it all through People
(16:26):
of Distinction, you are welcome
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