Skip to main content

Christmas Online 2020

Podcast - Christmas Online . . .

Time flies! We’re already into November, Thanksgiving just five days away! Black Friday - a thing of the past, at least this year with the COVID pandemic still a reality.

Now it's ALL about Online shopping. Including cherished TV specials that have always aired free on broadcast television. For example, did you know that a Charlie Brown Christmas will only be available on Apple TV+ streaming service this year? In 2018 Apple purchased the rights to the Charles M. Schultz Peanuts specials.

Update: 12/4/2020 - Watch it live on Sunday, December 13, at 7:30/6:30c on PBS and PBS KIDS.

Still, “Christmas - is - just around the corner.”

As a youngster - just around the corner - meant Main Street on the square; Marshall’s Hardware, climb the stairs to Santa Land. My brothers and I would take a walk to town to check out all the toys we wanted Santa to bring. Day-and-Palin’s had the only Christmas tree lot that I remember in our small town. Waiting for Christmas back then seemed like an eternity.

Shopping for this year's tree? L.L. Bean has some fresh beauties available for home delivery. What about toys for the kids? The days of toy stores are also a thing of the past. Don’t worry, you can always have Amazon deliver just about anything else.

Hmmm, the “toys” have morphed somehow, instead of a Red Ryder BB gun, or a G.I. Joe, now it’s the newest smartphone, iPad, gaming subscriptions, gift cards, and luxury automobiles.

And yes, all available online!

Come to think of it, how would Charles Schulz have written A Charlie Brown Christmas today?

“I suggest we try your iPhone, Charlie Brown.”

“Hey, Siri we need a Christmas tree?”

“I found a few Christmas tree farms near you, the first one . . . Use Apple Pay and get FREE delivery to your GPS coordinates (the auditorium).”

Can you believe A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired - December 1965? It’s still my favorite holiday program. I watch it every year. Good thing we have Apple TV.

Now the statement, “Christmas is just around the corner.” is accompanied by “Have you upgraded to the latest streaming platform? It’s only $4.99 more per month.”

Has multimedia marketing persuaded you it’s about shopping till your debit is unbearable, sorry? These monthly subscription fees can get out of control quickly. Of course, they’re not that transparent.

I’m convinced, we need to be reminded of simpler times. Please take a few minutes this holiday season to dust off a book from your shelf and read from the Gospel of Luke; Chapter 2 Verses 8 through 14:

Allow me, 

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.”


 . . . As Linus reminds us, “That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”


This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening, see you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Resurrecting the '90s Graphite

Let’s face it, there’s a certain danger in reading John Gierach's Trout Bum . His wit, self-deprecation, and sharp, effortless satire are entirely infectious. If you aren't careful, his words will inspire you to drop everything, wade into a freezing river, and try to outsmart a creature with a brain the size of a lentil. In my case, re-reading Gierach recently didn't send me straight to the river. It sent me digging through the dusty, spider-guarded corners of my garage. In the early 1990s, seeking a natural escape from Manhattan's concrete canyons, I decided to learn to cast a fly rod. I bought an Orvis Rocky Mountain —eight-and-a-half feet, three ounces, built for a five-weight line—and had absolutely no idea how to use it. To avoid aimlessly whipping the water like scrambling eggs, I took fly-fishing lessons from Al Cucci, co-author of Hatches , on the Delaware River. With his guidance, I fished renowned waters: the AuSable in New York and Michigan, and New Jersey...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Mailbox to Microphone

In this episode, catching up with Sierra . What happens when you combine a little imagination, modern digital tools, and the willingness to make a glorious, muddy mess? You get our guest’s latest project. I’m Patrick Ball. Welcome back to On the Fly . Today, we are diving into the world of native plants and guerrilla gardening with twelve-year-old creator Sierra. After watching her impressive, self-produced tutorial on how to make ‘Seed Balls,’ I had to know how she did it. It’s incredibly inspiring to watch Sierra evolve from a young artist wielding crayons and stationery into a savvy digital creator. She’s writing scripts, mastering voiceovers, and editing—all to make a positive, green impact on her local community. “She shoots, she scores, and she’s here to tell us all about it.” Please welcome Sierra to On the Fly ! Let’s get into it. Audio interview . . . For more blog posts showcasing Sierra’s talents, see: The Mailbox Surprise . . . and The Summer Surprise I’m Patrick Ball. Sta...
Post a Comment
Read more

The AI Debate Was Settled in 1954

In this episode, what a 70-year-old sci-fi mystery teaches us. Welcome back to On the Fly. I’ve been looking for a clear way to explain how we should be handling Artificial Intelligence today. I finally found the answer hidden in a book I just finished. The twist? It was written more than seventy years ago. Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel was published in 1954, when a computer filled an entire room, consumed enough electricity to dim the neighborhood, and had roughly the computing power of today's microwave. Yet Asimov set his story nearly 3,000 years in the future—a world where humanity lives in sprawling enclosed cities (New York) and depends on advanced technology for nearly every aspect of daily life. The remarkable part isn't how much of the technology he imagined. It's how accurately he predicted us. In Asimov's future, society struggles with the introduction of highly sophisticated humanoid robots powered by "positronic brains." Naturally, a lou...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Birth of a Cubs Legend

In this episode, The 162-Game Exhale — and the Birth of a Cubs Legend There’s a hush in the baseball world on Game 162 — a collective breath drawn in and slowly released. Scoreboards stop flipping. Dugouts empty. For six months, the game has been our steady heartbeat, pulsing from the cherry blossoms of Tokyo in March to the crisp, playoff-charged winds of late September. And now, as the regular season exhales, baseball fans everywhere pause to absorb the story we’ve just lived. For me, that story has been deeply personal. This season unfolded in the rhythms of my daily life. It was the summer soundtrack echoing beneath the constant turmoil of politics and sensational headlines. It was a handful of carefully chosen ballpark pilgrimages stitched together with countless nights in front of MLB.TV. And at the center of it all, for a lifelong Cubs fan like me, it revolved around one name — a young center fielder who turned hope into history: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2025 season didn’t begin...
Post a Comment
Read more