It’s the most wonderful time of the year! In this special edition of the Core4Life Podcast, we sit down to talk through some of our favorite (and least favorite) things about Christmas. 

Bourbon: Woodinville Private Select

Laugh along as we discuss our favorite traditions, both old and new. We share our favorite Christmas movies… and our not-so-favorite Christmas movies. We ignite the debate between real and fake tree-ers. Then finally, we jump into the real meaning of Christmas and cover practical ways that we can make it meaningful and special for ourselves and our families.

Podcast Transcription:

Hey everyone, glad you could join us for another episode of core for life. Where your hos Andrew Ryan, Matt and Mike, we bring you another episode every Thursday to discuss four key pillars in our lives, be fit be driven by Noble and Beach shell and how our faith is a backbone behind each of these pillars, will be talkin to some awesome. Guess, as we tackle different topics, at stay accountable with each other to live our lives. The way God intended. Tune in each week to see if they may be something missing in your life. Lets jump into todays episode after quick, add for our sponsor. Have you ever thought about making podcast with thought, probably too hard to get started. Couldnt be further from the truth when you use anchor. First of all, its free. So check off box. Number one, thats easy to use creation tools on your browser or your phone, Acura distributor podcast for you and you can make money. No matter how many listeners you have, it really is a One-Stop shop for all of your podcast needs. So stop delaying and download the free anchor app or go to Anchor. FM to get started. Hey, welcome back. Everybody to the core for Life podcast. We have a very special episode here for you guys today, we havent done a lot of themed episodes, but today, we are talkin Christmas tradition. A very core for Christmas. A very core for Christmas. Thank you. Brian. And we are drinking a little bit of bourbon as normal. So we have a Woodinville Straight bourbon whiskey. It is a private gift from a previous guests and show them at Des Moines. Thanks buddy, this is a private, select Single Barrel, Bourbon from Woodinville. So you still doubt, the state of Washington is good to spicebomb in the title and it is delicious. It doesnt have AC on the on the end does not disappoint, it does provide the spice at the end there. Cool. Thank you Dan. And yeah, lets just dive into it. So Christmas traditions, we all have them with all grown up with some kind of come up with our own, with our current families were things. We did with our buddies, maybe in college. So just wanted to talk through a lot of those traditions and well hit on some different topics here today and everything Christmas today all Christmas holidays themes. So buckle up, its going to be a good one. The one we start off. Just growing up. What were some of you guys favorite Christmas traditions? Ive got one. I dont know if it counts as a tradition but this will actually get into something that I think will discuss a little bit later in the real versus fake tree discussion. That ring to have to make. I know we have several people on both sides of the stand in the corps for itself. So tradition actually formed later like As I was in high school, I think, but my, my Dad decided to buy a tree with a ball on it, so you can get a live Christmas tree. That still has the ball, like the RuPaul, and you have to get that into your house. So its up in a bucket. Ive heard of Heavy Haul it where it needs to go, but the idea is that you can then plant the tree after Christmas. So I think I think we did it for 3 or 4 years, like, towards the end of the time that I was living at my parents house. And so, yeah, we got this live tree and they all wait till the spring to plan. It steps to that, though. So you have to like its inside for a while, then you have to move it to like the garage where its a little bit. Quarter. Lets say like you to acclimate it to the weather. Before you plant. Its all right. With the erratic Lee, theyre probably steps to it, but you just dig a hole in you, stick it in. You ever heard of that. Its a thing and we always underestimated. It is a thing that the height of the tree. So it would always like, scrape, the signatures you have to have to account bit above the ground. Now, you got a whole extra foot on there and its its a very, very heavy thing. So thats where you got your deadlift skills from hauling that thing into the fryer on Christmas, come grab this. So we did that three or four years and it was a good idea to dig the hole before the ground froze. So thats a great as a great way, how I feel a whole lot of thought. Best if you dont dig the hole, then youre in for back-breaking work, trying to dig through the Frozen, how you draw. But it grows in Arctic Northeast Ohio Tundra for 3 or 4 years and we ended up playing the trees along the line. The property line like between are ours and our neighbors house. And we actually drove by there earlier this year and the streets are huge. Now theyre like 30 minutes. So it is a thing we did. It was actually pretty fun, a lot of work, but thats what they like to move things that are a lot of work. Like theyre really memorable the same time so its not know. Its a pain then. Like you remember its something you remember for Ryans, Ryans back when I remember the back pain associated with pulling that thing cuz you had to get under the tree to like it wasnt a y. I knew a family kind of an opposite tradition to that but they would save the tree in the garage. Let it dry out and then burn it later on and it goes up. Now to go fast is a pretty cool. Johns house at the end of CLC and John Raza and then got out and he had his Christmas stuff. Like a match is awesome. Fire School. I was going to say Christmas tree, oil, get into that little bit later. We always did stocking. Did you guys do stockings? Sure. It was two stockings before we open presents. Not sure if thats, if you guys. I love these stocking duties for the family. So I dont have much responsibilities behind presents for the kids. I always have to get something for Laura, but going in finding all the stockings is kind of Mite. Anything you can shove into a Dollar Tree. In my dad, I think usually did all the stockings for us as well. So its kind of a Simmons hand-me-down trait. Five Below is the real winner there every day. I figured pretty expensive. Yeah, I guess for us. I mean growing up, I just like the whole yet, the Christmas Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, Traditions that we had, you know, it all started on Christmas night. At midnight, our church has midnight service which is always fun to go to, especially as a kid Elena play. Hold a candle to hold a candle. I think we might have dropped it one time it was something on fire, but that was always fun to not to do that and obviously, you know, that youre up late and come home and would love to be would leave the cookies and milk out for Santa have at least for a while. I forget when we stopped it and I might have been 16 or 17, but why would you stop here? But so that was the start of it and which was fun. And then I just waking up the morning and my dad would always read the Christmas story from Luke as a. We would do that first. Im sorry, we would get a picture on the stairs. Every year was They made you do that before you open the presents. Oh yeah, so you had to act like he had, created a picture on the stairs and then the Christmas story from Luke, you know, it cant cant touch anything up until then, right? And then we would do that. We would do the stockings open up the stockings and do one gift. And then we would have a Christmas brunch and do a casserole and sticky buns, every year of my favorite things in the world. Still, I dont think Mom, I dont remember much else of what you cooked, but I remember that. Sarah is taking that recipe and we continue to use that to this day, so those are great. And then after brunch, its the, you dont know, we open up the rest of the gifts and we would always do youngest to oldest and we go one at a time. I went around through yet. Got to rotate through. Yep. So thats what that was a tradition. So it for me is not one thing that stuck stuck out. We did all wait, well talk about their live a real Christmas tree. I will say we did always get the live Christmas trees growing up. So that was the other tradition but so it was more of just a consistency of what we did a stuck out to me. Yeah, Im similar a lot of the same things that you mention as well. We didnt have a church that did like a late service will utilize, do you like an earlier service? And then come back when you like one gift on Christmas Eve night and then wed stay up till midnight playing with that. And then crash on the go to bed, you got the pic, like, whatever it was, Mom would sometimes be like, I like that gifts me and maybe too good yesterday that for tomorrow morning. When you pick the socks, you just go on and go right to bed then hope for a better better tomorrow. I never knew you got your ornament that you and you open that you really are now. Its its like not the gift you ever look forward to opening, but its kind of cool. Now, it will come back on like all those years and remember me each of those years. But Im sure my kids hate that I get more diamonds to pick up like super early and when I was young but then but then I had to wait until like a certain time and my parents got up finally. And then they like okay well now were going to take some pictures and you know you can you have to wait for us that we have to brush your teeth in like get ready for the day and like they just made torment with a bunch of stuff to like make you wait. Until now I do it to Mike I got to turn it on. I like the break for breakfast. Yeah I remember that. I try to do that as well things. And then were going to have breakfast and as a kid you hate that but I feel like I got older and I will kids Milton town later on. I will say we do that but not at a prescribed time like not one present. But we usually do cinnamon buns for Christmas. What about another classic I think tradition is always like leading up to Christmas. Maybe not so much on that day but like that the Christmas movie. Marathons got any, any favorite Christmas movies out here, guys. Before that real quick just cuz I was feeling like going this direction to what about what about now? I mean, what things have changed from your growing up Traditions to what you do now with your family is anything changed. Have you carried over? Some of those Traditions have you gone away from some of those Traditions? Like what do you, what do you guys do? Now thats different or the same. What we do now, I think something Civ carried over like Ive gotten ideas. I think of something different though, that we do, you know, now play Christmas day is kind of the same. You leading up to it. Will try to do some different things. And well go out to like, one night with done, like a golden ticket and I will, do I put a golden ticket on their pillow? Like, try to put her to bed like a curly fake early, then the find the golden ticket and itll be like a tick and what make popcorn in the candy canes ago, and like, drive around. Look at Christmas lights us fun over there today. So thats a new tradition for us. Is that the Christmas light viewing? And so, we just give everybody hot chocolate, throw them in the car and drive around found some pretty cool ones. This year, we went out last night and did that again. We left at like 6. Do those houses that have like the radio station coordinator with the life? We went to a couple of those this year and theres a theres a great one out in Streetsboro. We wind up out that way cuz I saw it on a friends Facebook page and if they have like a big screen TV basically and now in their yard and everything is synced like LED lights. That have a giant tree that can put pictures on it just pretty incredible and its a its a good one. Nice. Yeah, I agree with that. Thats probably the biggest thing that I remember that change. I dont know if its just because of things technology becoming better and better over the years. But I just dont remember doing that much growing up of going around and actually going to see different houses. And we do try to do that every year to go out. Pick the ones, you know, where were going to go map it out and go to all the different houses. And oh, so we we happened upon this street thats on 303 heading towards Streetsboro and 1/2. The name of the right now, but the entire Street, bigger, houses are like $750,000 million-dollar houses and they like the entire Street was decked out all of the houses and professionally in like, you know, how you have some of it. Sometimes you see, like the string of lights going from one tree to another tree and these were just like professionally wrap. Each branch each like playing an all the houses were completely decked out. It is a really cool Street to go down. That always makes me think youve got to believe that when one of those houses are for sale, thats written into the contract that they have to do that. Every every house, had some type of late, so I think that they, they went went in on a contract together with a professional lighting company and just decked out the street, it was amazing growing up. I remember some houses in a nearby neighborhood at a competition and that was really cool logo on every year. And they would just every year it would grow, it have more features. You got out of an to the end where it was like, you know, this is absurd, the amount of light with the sawesome sauce at other than that, it has the biggest thing that sticks out to me. Thats thats changed on me now. And we dont have that midnight service which I liked, but we always doing something with Sarah, my wifes family, and then we always now and get up, and well do things with our family, similar to how we did Growing Up. But then, well, well go to Burger your parents on on Christmas day as well. After we kind of do that family time in the morning, nice car. Now we can go to the movies. So back to the movies. Yeah. Movie marathons, always loved. That is a kid ton of different movies. Any classic that you guys either grew up on or love now. now that you got to watch this Christmas, I think the obvious for me some might my Dad loved it and so Ill I love it to is Christmas Vacation. Yeah, I guess just, you know, so many quotable lines from that movie. I am just constantly remember remembering things that reference it throughout the year and I dont know. Its just a just a classic that always makes me smile. It keeps on giving. Now maybe perhaps Christmas Means just a little bit more to your Grinch guy. Huh? Yeah, we were always Grinch. Yeah. We watched a lot of the original Grinch growing up. Jim Carrey Grinch, yay, or nay. Thats the thing is Im a big Jim Carrey guy. Have you guys know you know I am too but I hate the movie. I dont know. It does hurt a little bit to watch the whole thing. Yeah, Ill still want. I mean Ive watched it a couple times baby and its still like Id miss a Christmas movie is Jim Carrey. Ill watch it. But it could have been a lot better than where you at. Its questionable rolls-royces. Im a, Im a big fan of the Santa Claus. Im not sure if thats really a 10 L. Exactly at Tim Allen, Theaters. I remember I feel like its not really appreciated the interesting movie. I love Tim Allens getting fat like turning into Santa shaving his belly. I remember that dude, dude. Dude, dude, I just think its a classic. I tried to get my kids into it this week recently, we watched a half of it. Its like everybody. We just did it last week for the first time and like, anytime we do a movie night, we call it a movie night, Mom, and Dad took the movie. So the boys dont get the pictures of the same thing we watched. Libre Nacho Libre, Nacho Libre for a while, but we havent been there for a while. So yeah, we did. So our choice was Santa Claus. And as normal Riders, like, I dont want to do that. Lets do this. Like nobody does has mom and dad ever steered you wrong? No, lets watch it and see how it is and they always loved it. And they did they loved it? Our boys loved it and now they watch Santa Clause 2 since then, without me, I dont even know when they watch it, but yeah, they sound better. I like the new movies. I like to watch with them like that, you know. And so they they liked it. But I was re-watching it at that point had been probably 10 years since I have seen it. As always, always fun. Watching those movies again. And seeing some of it. Im like, I dont remember this. Its weird how they did some of the scenes in the movie but it was it was intriguing was interesting immense, good movie overall. How they do it and they liked it and its a two, two thumbs up for us to watch her this weekend. I hadnt seen it before but kids and seeing that we have been calling each other angry elf say, every time when the kids freaks out, we watch, we watch Elf and angry elf. We watched it when the Twins were like, Three or four and they just didnt understand it. So, Ill be actually watched it with all the kids just this past week and theyre like, I do, thats why you say that it now has Madrid for a while. Thats a lot of funny things and then theyd watch the movie. Be like, oh wait, no. Thats where you said thats it. Its a constantly quotable movie though. You havent not at Christmas. So what else we got? I mean, we got elf Grinch, Santa Claus. Stirring around. What about the least, favorite? We dont, we talk about it a little bit beforehand. Ill start it off with a controversial. One that I absolutely hate. Its a Wonderful Life. Terrible movie, you take that back. Its such a good mood and raise my hand is have never seen it. So I wish I was still in that camp because its like one of my wifes favorite movies and she tried to make me watch it like, early on in our relationship and I fell asleep, like could not lie, awake. Its so boring and its really for an elevated level of individual or do you got to have a heart to write a my heart? And now Im some but maybe I can come over whenever she wants, Got it. My one that I hate is Love. Actually terrible, Christmas movie. Call another call. I didnt I dont know if Ive seen it. I just seen it. I didnt know. It was considered a Christmas movie though. Maybe I feel like Ive only seen it around Christmas tree, Christmas, just like credit lease. Its like all the wrong reasons about Christmas and all the terrible messages about Christmas or what that movies about. Ill be sure. Not to watch that one. What about anybody else got anything? Can you put much thought into this matter? To me it was one of my sisters favorite movies. I feel like maybe thats just the movies that your sister loves that you just could not yet, you cant like it at. Theres a couple of it. Thats not a Christmas movie that I hated that movie, Secret Garden, other one could not stand that freaking butt while you were sleeping cuz ever watch. That is one of my moms favorite movies and again questionable whether the Christmas movie or not but definitely Christmas movie. Christmas is all in the movie but absolutely horrible. Sandra Bullock back in the day, will you hate Sandra Bullock overall set? I just cannot stand it part of it was that movie just came up every year and just love you, Debbie. Kind of a weird just a weird story. Now I mean, do we get into the is Die Hard? A Christmas movie too, cuz I think we can. All agree that it is for calling while you were sleeping or Chris, while you were those both took place at Christmas. So does Die Hard. Therefore, its that hard. As a problem solve, we watch the Harry Potters tradition of the Rings one of those. So, it traditionally, a Star Wars movie will come out around Christmas, and it hasnt know this year, but to be a lot of releasing Spike. The big Marvel movies or Star Wars would be around that. So I would go ahead with my brothers and go and see him there. So, Im actually starting starting through the Star Wars. Series with my twins started with my twins. Now its just Lincoln was Hannah peaced out during Empire. Strikes Back the hall at the beginning of a little too scary for her. So So Im just, Im just trying to think through cuz its hard because it when I think about Christmas, I think about Joy. So Im not trying to think about like bad thing. Im looking at the worst Christmas list, right? And some of them pop out to me, hear that I was a big thing in the back. I was a big home alone. Guy help. Then, I watched Home Alone. The first one. I think it ended up being a hundred fifty-three times when I was a kid and kept track as I kept tract. So, watch that and Home Alone 2 both great. So, that number one on this list here, right now, is home alone with three and I disagree is a good movie. The worst Christmas movies. Remember Home Alone, 3. Well, there was a wreck so Home Alone, 3. But then theres a four and five is well, I know they should be because Im home alone, 3, I appreciated. 4 and 5, cuz now our boys have been watching those over and over again. And now I dont know if were going to talk about this. What the gifts that kids want or not? But Ryder wants a bouncy house with an upstairs where he has bouncy guys. That move around that you can throw down the stairs and Im like okay this is coming from Home Alone Oh yeah so fantastic. Just tell him to get some paint cans and some ropes and Im on 3 with solid to home alone for if I got weird at the other day. It said, Kevin McCallister that was his characters name it, he could have called the cops and anytime he wanted the mess though, you could have done this I think weve been over in fine, but it would have been a good movie ever. Give a shout out to my name is Jared Williams favorite Christmas movie? Cuz its a, its a fantastic body movement is like the first year that we were together for Christmas and we still reference it if were somewhere and we want to leave, we say mist. For sure, love the gray ones. Everybody should watch that at the next one on yours, Ill Be Home for Christmas at Jonathan Taylor, Thomas one and Ill give a shout out to Sarah cuz thats one of her favorite, another great one. And then it, what else could I see on here that the Democrats have made a terrible though? I havent really wrapped up with my worst ones are cuz none of them really stood out to me, but one that I also liked was a jingle bell. Jingle all the way. Oh man. Oh man, yeah, yeah, theyre all good as well when youre in a dog, but I havent seen that a long time, but I just watched that we just watched the other night still great actually funnier than I remember. Yeah, thats awesome. All right, will. Lets Circle back till at 1. Ryan mentioned in the beginning here. Real vs. Artificial Christmas tree Ryan. You kind of said which side youre a hundred know. If that was just you growing up or what you do. Now I like to have completely flipped the script so it was real all the way grown up. The original one with the country. You now that you have to pay for it, the only one carrying it in with a cut trees and then we switch the ball trees. You can replant. And now Im fake tree all day. Like we may have a nine and a half foot fake tree. Thats it. Thats actually funny story to do a cam with 2300 lights on it so they dont work it. And so last year we bring the tree up Miranda is very pregnant. Shes do like any day, bring made her bring it up at the tree. So shes like, right, Im going to cut the lights off and Im going to restring it. So her and her dad, how long did that take several days terrible. So she cut they have to cut off all the lights and theyre like, zip tied to the branches. Theyre wired through the little sprigs and stuff. So she takes all of them off and shes like, Im going to put them back, put some new lights back on. So they start wiring the tree running back and forth. They get like half way up and theyre already at 2600 lights and so by the time theyre done there are four thousand lights. It got to the point, we plugged it into the ball like 17 missing for the live to regret this but at 4 and left it on for a couple minutes and one of the extension cord started melting rigged up, a dimmer switch like an industrial dimmer switch with a heat sink. We could control this tree but then we ended up cutting all those lights off again this year and just kind of string it more ration. Why did you have to cut those off? Because they zip tie those out and we put back on 2400 lights. So now our tree has a hundred more than it came with. But yeah, its dont still very bright by next year, you probably restring it all over again. And I might be that we talked about just going with a real tree this year. Just because we knew that the 4,000 light atrocity was waiting for us to come out in the basement. Yeah. But, but you want to put lights on the live tree to, so, I miss you colored lights or white lights. We have we have white lights, white lights, white lights, sorry. I mean, mister is Hawaii. Dash right now. I feel like white lights are the worst. Three of the other one is class E2 over it. Very classy. It is a crap ton of Life. Yeah. It sounds like youre on the fence as far as a real tree and fake tree. Im solidly on the Fig Tree Side. Just because we didnt have to deal with the amount of light, the current Victory. All right, so for the real tree side, I will I will step up I feel like colored lights Eureka canister. Im Im a fan of colored lights on the blinking do also, I dont know why the light in my house in the tree anymore. All this point, I think its on a timer at is so weve done Weve not just done Realtree. So we have also done fake trees but Laura had never done a real tree when we got married. So that was the one of the first things I want to do is go out and get a real tree. So we did we started doing you did that all grown up then, right, for the most part. But once again, not always, we did both. We had a fake tree, I think for a while, and then we went and got a real tree, but I feel like when I, when I think back on the memories of Christmas trees. So in those memorable trees, are the real ones that I do remember, going out as a family with my dad, I remember Ill never forget the year that the tree. We got it up in the stand which is always mean its always a pain. You never fun, theres no stand that works. We got it up and got it completely dressed. We always did, you know dressing the tree was a big? Do you call it a big deal? So we put the lights on. We put all the ornaments on. I remember going in the upstairs and taking a shower for whatever reason, coming back downstairs and the tree was on the ground, but looking back on it. And then I think we only lost like we do you see it in the ornament, every year, from the only ornament that shattered was the ornament. I got that year, which we already talked about you werent excited, but I love going out and we usually when we go out and get the tree, now we invite friends. So weve had friends come with us actually Mike. Robertson came out with us this year. He brought his Girls workout, workout, buddy, workout buddy. We went out. Im he got, I think, I think it was his first tree that hes got a real one and its just fun. I like the experience. Much more than the result. So the experience of going out just feels like Christmas to me. You cut down the tree. Emorys, you smell, you know that Pine smell. Its a hassle. You know, theres needles everywhere. You got to wash, you know, you got to clean up the needles. You got to water the tree all those things, but I totally think its, you know, its worth it. So thats my thats my pitch minutes. You summed it up cuz it its a hassle for sure. But hearing you talk about it its having three boys and you got for boys and I feel like its something about going and chopping down your own tree around Christmas. I mean, maybe add that into our repertoire and put a tree outside or something like that. I think I did it too early for the kids cuz they were miserable the whole time. Everything that you said, we got to stand from marks that ended up cracking, water leaks everywhere and it fell over almost hit Grandma. When shes been with us we had like all grandma got ran over by your Christmas tree. Do we like all of that? And if the kids were young but now, Im like, as they get older, Im like, maybe that would that be something they would remember? Now, why can some of those memories still would be a hassle but I would consider doing it again cuz it smelled really good. I feel like I remember, I feel like maybe I overpaid for it by, like, paying those. I like somebody could be like a Christmas gift for someone, youre so free things to do in another one. Like theres value in that in, in the obtaining, the tree, like going to get it and Hardware, strapping it on the car and the smell and the adventure of that. I can see the value in that, but I dont know. Im good with that. I just absolutely love. Its not your store-bought perfectly strung perfectly shaped tree. Like ours is a glorified Bush right now. If that if not as tall as you wanted to be, it looks nice. But I like that, I think it does represent something a little bit more than, you know, like a Christmas tree is almost like a metaphor me now, theres no Perfect Tree. Everyone is a little bit different there. A pain to deal with a little bit like me a little bit. Yeah, its Scotch. Pine like, what, what type of them were going in first time? They were like, what do you want this? This, Douglas, whatever. And I was like, I have no idea. I forget tree. Give me a. I have anyone to look at the hotel for the tree losing its needles. Their man with you, we grew up always getting a a live Christmas tree and thats all I ever knew whether or not live there going to die. OK freshly killed Chris. Make you okay great. You murdered. The tree is a live Christmas tree when we get out of it actually know youre right. It was already dead, but you know what I mean? And so, I didnt do anything in this. So the first time having Christmas with Sarah and her family. They never had live Christmas trees. Well, I dont know all the way back, but at least at that point, they didnt at all artificial. And I was like, medicine Christmas. You cant have Christmas without a live Christmas tree and it took me a little bit to come full circle on that I guess. And then once youre paying for it and Im like, okay, I can go on Craigslist and get a 7/8 foot. Beautiful artificial Christmas tree, that looks real and then maybe we get like a Christmas candle that smells like Evergreen Christmas trees or something. And Im like, wait, we can do this every year and have a Christmas tree that looks real and smells real in here. And not have to pay $60, every year, $70 whatever it would be to do that in. Like now sold more than that. We have to pay this year. How much is that? How much does a tree like that cost? I had one picked out for $60. That one didnt make the cut. OK, Google one is 85 hour like its not if youre looking at it right now its not $85 and its worth every penny cut it down. So thats where Im like you know cuz Im a Frugal guy as myself and you know, I think I paid I might have paid 80 bucks on Craigslist for this. 7/8 ft big for tree and that was maybe ten years ago at this point, you know, and weve used it every year since and it was one of those pre-lit ones none of the lights work. So wed even bother trying to go through and we started trying to take some of that off. And I was like, no, its not worth it. So weve all the pre-lit lights are still on that. Dont work. And now we usually go to Marks get those 299 ones are going to Mom, but then next year, you got to get a new one. So, this year was the first year, we like strung them up for like he has a big all good. We lit up in like half of them work. So we had to redo it and with this year, we won with the LED. So we spent the extra five bucks. Each strand. At the end of the day, we spent like probably seventy bucks this year on new lights. But again, I know where do great on your Realtree next year in the, right? Right, yeah. So, I dont know. Im too worn out. I do like that experience. Maybe when the boys now can Really get into that and experience going out and chopping down your own tree, and a wild bunch of Evergreens on the back of your car. There for privacy. I know where to go and kill. You all Merry Christmas guys from the tree itself to just Christmas decorating, whats whats your guys house will ruin? We might offend some of the wives years far as this topic as well. Free decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Yay, or nay in your house. Yes, strong those Mike strong day. And this is the first year that Lord did it, and I was not happy and Im home. It was decorated, theres no going back obviously. But yeah. Lord jump the gun and do the decorating of course, it looks fantastic. Way to go honey. But wait. Way too early. I like to hold off till after Thanksgiving. So traditionally we do too. Its kind of a kind of rule that you know nothing. Nothing comes up until the day after Thanksgiving, but Im going to go in the trash and neither of us was really feeling it. I know its not feeling it throws everything out the window so we didnt end up whatever you need to do to get through this. We going to put Christmas lights up in July, go for it until I think we can have to eat. Happy Thanksgiving. Wow, thats opposite for Laura. Shes like, all right, this year sucked and Im getting Christmas stuff. Bring some joy into this house and I understood it but we try to hold off. Sometimes shell take her out a little early but yeah this year she was just like let me do what I got to do and I was like, all right sounds good, same boat. We will never do before Thanksgiving. We havent done before Thanksgiving this year and we still didnt, but it was very quick after were like were ready to turn this thing in the Christmas season and get stuff up. But yeah, I havent gotten too much into the outdoor side of it yet so I dont know where you guys are with that as far as or some mats outdoor decorating, its not bad. I keep it low. So I do the low-hanging fruit Is in the bushes. Literally low-hanging, Ive held the ladder for you before I let him this year, but I think last year maybe Ill ask you, you came and held the ladder. And this year, I wont even hire. We have the, the peak above our foyer, which is probably 20 to wish feet. And yeah. So I have a ladder Thats rated for 200 lb solid 230 generally speaking. So, its a little dicey, Matt, Matt helps me out and came over and held the ladder last year. Little more worried about myself at the bottom of the ladder that Ryan up top. But whats funny is I got that letter from from my uncle and they were moving so hes like hey I have this really long letter I dont need anymore and so sad I think 28-foot Max Li Creech ladder and previously I had a 20 foot ladder that I would use and So, it would go like, I had to put it on our porch and it would be almost vertical. So I would go up to like the top wrong and just not have anything to hold onto. So I just know Brian hole. Like reach down to hold on to the top of the ladder and just my hand off to try and get the thing on the roof, but sounds like solid form to me. Yeah, well, this year, I climbed up on my roof a little bit and I was terrified that some profanity fly. When I slipped a little bit on the roofs. Im a chicken man. Ive never do that again but theyre so we all agree. Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving. Unless your wife tells you otherwise then its happy wife. Happy life. Got it enough that weve been talkin decorating, Traditions movies, all these things getting to the to the heart of it. All, what are you guys doing to you to prepare yourself your family? Your kids for the real meaning of Christmas. That if were talking Jesuss birth celebrated Matt what are you guys doing to to keep that as a focus, amongst all the other stuff thats going on? Thats a great one, we all have kids so I think part of it as well as trying to get our kids ready for it as well. And Ive been really, really happy are our kids, I feel like her and Ive got six year old or soon-to-be six-year-old four year old and a one-year-old and of course you know Dean is got no idea whats going on but the girls I know they have been excited about Christmas but I feel like they may, I ask him tonight over dinner and what are you excited about? And youll guess are definitely in the mix but thats not the only thing. So I feel like, you know, Laura is doing a good job. As far as you know explain him at Christmas isnt part of that is you know Church. You know, were going to church right now theyre talking about, you know, the message and theyre getting that but we also do advance. So thats been a really cool kind of season. We do nighttime devotionals with him, you know, Bible story before bed. And so we swap that out for an advent and we havent found a great one, so actually listeners. If you guys have something that youre going through, you know, Im posting, wed love to know. But were just going through kind of an adventure to, you know, month leading up to Christmas and it in at least, leads up to the Christmas story. And thats been meaningful mean, Im at least starts conversation starts with a focus on it, you know, when the kids new kids are like sponges, so, whatever you talking about, whatever youre focusing on Dairy. The reiterating those things, theyre forcing those things Elaines. Also in school, right now, shes at a Christian School, so its getting hammered in there as well. So you know that its cool to see The focus, you no more on Christ, the real meaning of Christmas. And I dont think thats necessarily easy for kids, but Im just trying to balance and not trying to take some of that, the fun stuff out, but you will not get the key that just just tripping on that as well. Like you were talking presents and the decorating, all those things with Advan. So I love with Advent that its a month-long basically in and you could talk about that and not that we hit it every night, but dripping on that kind of keeping that in their mind, as well as we talked about all these other things and stuff that they want, fun things that were doing, just keep dripping on that and let them soak up that as part of the the whole process. So not to take things for for granted here. I mean, youre saying its a what what does that mean? Celebrating the real reason for Christmas? What is go back to sew in? A really just know the whole story of of Jesus birth you know, coming as a child. I mean in even the whole story leading up to it, you know. Its your thinking back to what was it like in Upper Merion Joseph and I think its just a fascinating story. I feel like Im learning or no having to do that with my kids. Really helps me as well. UPS me focus on it. I dont think I spoke with Hannah this much, unless I was trying to leave my kids in that way. Yeah, yeah, I think its its still hard cuz I mean weve got three boys and seven 5 and 2 at this point and they just care about fighting video games and whatever, you know, so its still tough to try to get them to focus in on certain things and bought it is it is exciting to hear when you ask something like a wire from your guys. Why we really celebrating Christmas and I say, well, because Jesus was born and he lives in our hearts, you know, say something like that. It shows that at least, hopefully theyre listening to something that were telling them. Its the thing sticking something sticking out side of, you know, the gifts and the Christmas lights in the decorations and everything like that because I think, you know, as parents in America, there is A couple different components. I guess we, we live in this world and we want them to enjoy Christmas and to live and understand, like, yeah we can celebrate Christmas and get gifts and have fun. But for us, there is a much bigger purpose in a meeting to why were celebrating, you know, and it doesnt stop at Christmas lights and decorations in and presents, you know, we want to, we want to instill in them, the reasons to why this is even important. And why were, you know, celebrating this day in this season, you know, its a much bigger thing than decorations and Christmas lights and Christmas presents. Its a, we got the biggest gift of all that, you know, we wouldnt be here today without God putting us here for a reason to celebrate his sons birth and Essentially, the reason why were able to have eternal life with him someday so its its a its a huge thing that we can very much take for granted through this time of year and I think the the pile onto your point it is such a huge thing that it doesnt just impact this time of the year. I think that thats guys for all of us were constantly trying to teach our kids constantly trying to find points in our day that we can relate back to ultimately the gospel. Ultimately what God says about these things. So I think thats kind of my main takeaway is that if you are preparing your kids throughout the year and teaching them throughout the year and pointing them back to the gospel pointing them back to. This is the reason why we do we do, this is the reason Why were were Christians in this is the time we get to celebrate it and that we can show it to the whole world. Besides just the the trimmings and trappings of Christmas. So I think its your point. It is a big thing and its a big thing that needs to be reinforced throughout the year. Like you said, you always switching to an advent during during Christmas, is a good way to take what youve already been teaching them and then kind of focus it on Christmas. So thats, thats a cool idea. Yeah, for sure. I mean you it is the time of the year that that kind of stuff can come to a, a front, I guess. But yeah. Its got to be throughout the year for sure. When it comes to your kids and this is the time of the year that they want to, you know, get involved with all the presents in the Christmas lights and all that kind of stuff, but to do those kind of things. Like, yeah, we do a, a devotional, a Christmas Advent with them every night where were going through different stories throughout the Bible in a kids version to lead up to the the Christmas story. And you know it is fun to see them listening to that and understand what it really is about. No matter if theyve a hundred percent, get it or not. One of the funniest things that my four-year-old Caitlin has been doing lately. Shes very extroverted. So, she is always talking constantly talking, and shes always very like reaffirming. She comes over and give you a hug and like, I love you Daddy. Like I love, you might like this very, very outgoing and, and so shes tired. She started saying, like, I love you daddy, she comes over and tells me I love you. Dad is going to the big hug just like but I love Jesus more. That is perfectly way to go. I love that. And so shes now. She says that for everything I love Lukie so much but I love Jesus. OK, Google My boys to do something similar, not related to Christmas really at all, but if were like doing some few strength or something like that, you nobody can beat that in there. So itll be like, talking to me and trashed, and Im going to keep her there. Play stronger than you Dad in this season where again, it is from a society and cultural standpoint. Its very focused in on materialism and, you know, decorations and Christmas gifts and all that me. What do you say to people that dont have that same kind of backing that we do in faith and the real reason to why were celebrating I think if you have a good enough relationship with somebody, you can Broach that subject. But if youre just talking to somebody on the street and I or even if you are not talking to him now is the perfect time to just be weird like be different like the other from Christ Community, Chapel Hudson days like that youve been gifted thing where you just randomly pay for somebodys dinner. Are you randomly? Give a huge step and you leave a little card that says, you know, youve been gifted. But the real gift is Christ. Just those does ways to as Christians. We should be weird. I like, we should have weird traditions. This is technically a weird holiday. Were celebrating the birth of our savior who came as a child like Its this weird. So like, lets lets be different. Lets, lets give unflinchingly and just stand out in that way. I think thats a good way to wrap it up. Be weird and different. You know, weve been gifted with that gift. Share that gift. Show that gift them, you know, preaching at somebodys going to rent a show that love to like be generous. Show that love to others. Yeah, yelling at somebody. Preaching it. Somebody talking down to somebody isnt going to show them love but you know, it will show them love. But why did you do that for me? I love you and care for you and we want to see you someday and Eternity. Thats real weird. Yeah, but well see you there. Hopefully get your kids on board with right. You know, we tried to do that little bit with you. No buying gifts for your brother or sister so like, yeah, youre going to get a lot more joy out of giving, and receiving the season thats hard for a kid to understand, but modeling that and give him those opportunities. Thats pretty cool. Thanks for the discussion, thanks for going to join us and everybody have a safe and Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, and lets cheers. To the end of the end of the year here. In tears of 2020, going away. Merry Christmas. Alice, Merry Christmas listeners. Glad you could join us for another core for Life podcast. If you like what youre hearing, please share this with your friends and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at core for life or check out the website core for life.com. Thats core four life.com to next Thursday for another brand new episode. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays.