On The Fly

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . .  (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...

In this episode, Ghost Town Before Christmas . . . According to the headlines, the world was jammed solid. Freeways locked. Airports bursting. Humanity is on the move in what the news helpfully labeled a Holiday Travel Apocalypse . So at 9:00 Sunday morning, we rolled out on our bikes expecting chaos. Instead, we found… Nothing . The San Luis Rey bike path was empty, as if we’d pedaled through a rip in the fabric of time. The air had that rare late-December clarity—cool, clean, almost polished. Trees along the path dropped gold and amber leaves that skittered across the pavement like small, polite ghosts. The sun wasn’t loud or demanding—just warm enough to make the world feel calm and contained—a private trail of asphalt and light. By the time we reached Oceanside Harbor, the travel warnings felt almost absurd. While the news promised mayhem, the harbor delivered stillness. The water rippled, reflecting the sun. The Pier stood against a deep sapphire sky brushed with thin, quiet cloud...

🎧 In this episode, How to Catch A Reindeer Merry Christmas, everyone — and welcome to this year's special holiday edition of On the Fly! Since 2020, Lori and I have been happily creating a special Christmas gift for our nephews, nieces, and close friends: a children's story recorded in our voices, filled with delightful sound effects, music, and just the right touch of seasonal magic to make Santa smile. It's become one of our most cherished traditions — and honestly, it's way easier than trying to wrap a real reindeer! Over the years, we've shared some favorite classics: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Night Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Santa's Toy Shop. (We've created our own North Pole audiobook library.) This year, we're excited to introduce a new book:  How to Catch a Reindeer  by Alice Walstead. And let me tell you — this one is a ride. It's a high-flying, whimsical Christmas Eve chase starrin...

In this episode,  How a Mother’s Love Built My Memories– A Holiday Reflection As this holiday season approaches and the world buzzes with shopping, planning, and busy schedules, I find myself embracing something wonderfully simple: taking a moment to pause. Not to check off a list or recharge devices, but to breathe deeply, remember fondly, and honor the person and place that have shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it. This year, after regaining my strength from a lingering post-travel fog, my mind didn’t wander to exotic destinations or future adventures. It drifted backward—across oceans and time—to Cuba, Illinois, in the early 1960s, and to the woman whose love built the foundation of my world: Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom . We came to Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition so dramatic I only appreciate its enormity now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped off that plane and into the Midwest with a courage that s...

In this episode, 2024 Holiday’s Rumination's . . .   Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah! Did you know that Christmas Day this year is also the first day of Hanukkah? While watching Sunday Morning, our go-to news program, they did a segment on the fact that these two holidays will occur this year, 2024, on the same day. This is due to the different calendars used to determine the dates for each holiday: the Gregorian calendar for Christmas and the Hebrew calendar for Hanukkah. According to AI, In recent history, This has happened only four times in the last 100 years. The next time Christmas and Hanukkah overlap is in 2035 and then again in 2054. I hear you asking, so what? Over the past two years, I’ve met with Dr. Don Hanley—a former priest who left the ministry to marry. We meet biweekly for lunch, discussing topics from religion and philosophy to science, history, politics, and human nature. He was raised in the strict Catholic tradition in the 1940s, while I was raised ...

In this episode - How the Grinch Stole Christmas . . . by Dr. Seuss Did you know that the Grinch first appeared as a 33-line illustrated poem by  Theodore Geisel - “Dr. Seuss" titled "The Hoobub and the Grinch?” Originally published in the May 1955 edition of Redbook magazine? Dr. Seuss began work on How the Grinch Stole Christmas! a couple of years later, in early 1957. This children’s classic was first published as a book by  Random House  on October 12, 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of  Redbook . Based on a 2007 online poll, the  National Education Association  listed this book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children”. “Maybe - Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!” Stay safe this Christmas season. Feel free to share this Podcast with family and friends; your joy may grow three sizes today. Merry Christmas! I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for lis...

In this episode - Little Golden Books . . .   Experience the magic of Christmas this season with our audio rendition of "Santa’s Toy Shop" (circa 1950). This delightful tale, inspired by the Little Golden Book and illustrated by Walt Disney Studios, takes you on a journey to the North Pole, where Santa Claus and his merry elves work tirelessly to prepare for the holiday season and create toys for children worldwide. Readers get a glimpse of the magical toy-making process as the elves work diligently to craft gifts for children. Each toy is made with care and imagination, showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of Santa's workshop. Amidst the cheerful chaos of preparing for Christmas, the story highlights the joy of giving and the spirit of generosity that defines the holiday season. As Santa and his team work tirelessly to ensure every child receives that special gift, the book captures the warmth and wonder of Christmas. A little background - George Duplaix created ...

In this episode - Tracking Santa . . . This Christmas Eve, people worldwide will download the NORAD Tracks Santa Claus app from iTunes or Google Play to follow his progress through U.S. military radar. This all started in 1955, with a misprint in a Colorado Springs newspaper and a call to Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup’s secret hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command, now known as NORAD. The story has it a young boy dialed the unlisted phone number of the Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, believing he was calling Santa Claus after dialing a number from a promotional Sears ad in a local newspaper. The commander on duty that night, Colonel Shoup, quickly realized the mistake and assured the youngster that Air Command would guarantee Santa a safe journey from the North Pole. “So asked him, “Have you been a good boy and, ‘May I talk to your mother?’ The mother got on and said, ‘Have you seen the paper yet? There’s a phone number to call Santa. It’s ...

In this episode - Frosty the Snowman . . . Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 American animated Christmas television (TV) special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It’s the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. The program aired on December 7, 1969, on the CBS network in the United States, broadcast immediately after the fourth showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Frosty the Snowman has been televised annually for the CBS network’s holiday season ever since. Based on the Walter E. Rollins and Steve Nelson tune of the same name, the TV special featured the voices of comedians Jimmy Durante as the film’s narrator, Billy De Wolfe as Professor Hinkle, and Jackie Vernon as Frosty. Durante was one of the first  to record the original song released in 1950 (though, at the time, the song had slightly different lyrics); he re-recorded the music for the TV special.  TV Guide  ranked the special number nine on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list. ...

In this episode - Christmas-Eve Day . . . When was the last time your neighbors surprised you? Ours did this past weekend. One young family who passes by our home every day around 5:00 p.m. came to our door, dressed in red, (the little guy peeked in our window) holding a tray of Christmas treats. “You did get Snoopy up for the Holidays, we love Snoopy, thank you.” “Merry Christmas,” he said while extending his platter wrapped in foil. This reminded me of a Holiday poem we recorded to share with our family. We want to share it with you - enjoy. Christmas-Eve Day . . . “Twas the day before Christmas," and all through our house, The kitties were stirring, in search of their mouse. With Missy on guard, and Junior prowling ‘round. We were watching TV, not making a sound.   The stockings were hung on the mantel with care, In hopes that Junior would not go on a tear. Filled with ornaments and lights, to brighten the season, Our house was all warmed . . . 'gainst the chill was the rea...

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. Wai...

In this episode  Twas the Night Before Christmas . . .  by Clement Clarke Moore Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature  was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. When out on the roof, there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window, I flew like a flash, tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of midday to objects below, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles, ...