Skip to main content

A 5G Christmas

In this episode - A 5G Christmas . . .


Eureka! Did you know, that YouTube still archives the Norelco Santa commercials for all to enjoy during the Christmas season! What? Who cares?

Face it; there's comfort in cherished memories that make the holidays special. Was it that long ago? I remember when you could turn on the TV and catch Santa cruising down the snow-covered slopes riding his triple-head Norelco electric shaver.

Ha, ha, before your time? No problem, just say, "Hey Siri, show me Norelco Santa commercials on YouTube.

How can you help but notice, that this year, the commercials are all about 5G! "Black Friday is better with our 5G phones." Thanksgiving is now a memory, and Yes, "Christmas - is - just around the corner."

During my kid days - just around the corner - meant Main Street, and our local stores on the square – Ben Franklins, Marshall's, Coxs Corner, and of course, there was Santa Land. Walmart, no such animal.

We would step into Christmas by first mailing our letters to Santa at the local Post Office (keep in mind "uptown" was only a few blocks). Starting at $9.95, you can order a letter from Santa at Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska.

The days of visiting the local post office, holiday shopping on the "square," and ogle through holiday window displays are over. The toys we wanted Santa to bring are gone. Well, not completely you can still find them on e-Bay.

Beware, the toys have morphed, instead of a Daisy BB gun, Hot-Wheels track, Easy-Bake Oven, or a G.I. Joe, now it's the latest tech, a streaming subscription, underwear, airline tickets, socks, and home appliances.

And what about Christmas decorations? Thankfully, there are no more timers to mess with; just plug your Holiday lights into an automated plug controlled by your smart device.

"Shopping Online" that's such an outdated practice; 5G cellular has replaced Wi-Fi, "Who has time for the internet." Check your e-mail inbox; I'll bet it's flooded with holiday promotion ads. "Extended Black Friday: Can't-Miss Deals – Shop Now!" For deep discounts, click here.

And a tree? Order your fresh Christmas Tree from your phone and have it delivered, set up, and decorated right in your home. Don't believe me; search for TaskRabbit.

Come to think of it, how would Charles Schulz have written A Charlie Brown Christmas in 2021?

"I suggest we try your iPhone, Charlie Brown," "Hey Siri, where can we get a fresh Christmas tree?" GRABHUB!

Ok, ok, reality check, A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired - in December 1965. I'll admit, it's still one of my favorite holiday programs. With 5G, you can stream it on your tablet or phone from anywhere. Yes, things have changed a lot over the years, but not the commercialism that Schultz depicted.

Now the statement, "Christmas is just around the corner," is followed by "Get it in gear, Turkey, finish your Christmas shopping!"

So, as you step into Christmas, do yourself a favor; please take two minutes this holiday season to listen to Linus as he recites from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2 verses 8 through 14 from the Authorized King James Version:

"Lights, please. 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, 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 goodwill towards men."

. . . "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

When Fear Becomes the Default

In this special episode, When Fear Becomes the Default. Early Sunday morning, I was cycling past a small veterans’ pocket park in San Marcos. The air was still, the streets nearly empty. On one corner stood a young woman, alone, holding a hand-painted sign that read: “Be ANGRY. ICE agents are murdering people.” I pedaled past, but the words stayed with me. I knew the context—the footage and headlines from Minneapolis the day before, already ricocheting through the country and hardening opinions. Even in the quiet of the ride, the noise followed. Two miles later, I stopped at a red light. A black car with dark windows pulled up inches from my bike. My heart jumped. My first instinct wasn’t neighbor —it was threat . I found myself bracing, scanning, and wondering if the person inside was angry, armed, or looking for trouble. Then the door opened. A well-dressed young woman stepped out, walked to the trunk, and pulled out a sign that read “Open House.” She turned, smiled brightly, and sa...
2 comments
Read more

The Language of Home: Building a Sanctuary

This episode is  for anyone trying to find their footing in a new place—whether it’s a new city, a new job, or a new country. The light in Florence, Italy, has a way of making everything feel like a Renaissance painting—the golden hue on the stone, the steady rhythm of the Arno River, and the feeling that you are walking through a history much larger than yourself. I was there to give a presentation to a class of Gemology students. I was prepared to discuss color grading and refractive indices, but not to be outed as a language tutor . Feeling very much like a guest in a storied land, a hand shot up enthusiastically. "You’re the guy on the podcasts," the young woman said, her eyes bright with recognition. "You’re the one teaching us English." I laughed nervously. If you know my flat Midwestern accent, you know the irony here. I am hardly an Oxford professor. But later, as I wandered the cobblestone streets beneath the shadow of the Duomo, the humor faded into a powe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sweden Called . . . They Said No.

Have you ever wondered about  the Nobel Prize? Let's look at Where Genius Meets “Wait—Where’s My Medal?” Every October, the Nobel Prizes are announced, and humanity pauses to celebrate the "greatest benefit to mankind." And every year, like clockwork, a specific type of person appears online to complain—at length—that they were robbed. (Well, maybe this year more than most.) The Origin: A Legacy of Guilt The prize exists because Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor, had a crisis of conscience. Nobel held 355 patents, but he was most famous for inventing dynamite. When a French newspaper mistakenly published his obituary, calling him the " Merchant of Death, " he decided to buy a better legacy. In his 1895 will, he left the bulk of his massive fortune to establish five prizes (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace). Because he was Swedish, he entrusted the selection to Swedish institutions, such as the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The only outlier...
1 comment
Read more

On the Fly–Taking Flight

In this special 500th episode,  On the Fly  is moving to a new home. Here’s why—and what’s staying the same. For a very long time (since April 2012),  On the Fly  has lived on  Blogger . Blogger has been a reliable host—dependable, quiet, and never complaining when I arrived late with another half-baked idea, a guitar riff, or a story that needed a little air. It faithfully archived my thoughts, my music, and more than a decade of curiosity. But the internet has changed. It’s louder now. Flashier. More insistent. Every thought is nudged to perform. Every sentence wants to be optimized, monetized, or interrupted by something that really wants your attention right this second. I’ve been craving the opposite. So today, On the Fly is moving to Substack . If you’ve been with me for a while, you know my quiet obsession: the A rt of Seeing . I’m interested in the moments we rush past—the Aversion Trap, the discipline hidden inside a guitarist’s daily practice, t...
Post a Comment
Read more