Welcome back to this Lit for Christmas vacation party!
In this episode, Marty and his wife, Beth, drink way too much spiked eggnog, reflect on whale sperm, and talk about writer/producer/director John Hughes' short story "Christmas '59," which was adapted for the silver screen into National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
BONUS POINTS: Count how many times Marty says "whale penis."
SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT:
SPIKED EGGNOG
Ingredients:
4 shots Butterscotch Schnapps/Peachtree Schnapps/Bailey's Irish Cream/Rum/Whiskey of Choice
4 oz. eggnog
6 oz. heavy cream (or half-and-half, or milk)
Directions:
Mix eggnog and heavy cream. Pour over ice, if you like. Add liquor of choice and stir.
SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT NONALCOHOLIC ALTERNATIVE:
Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:
Marty has an Master's in fiction writing, MFA in poetry writing, and teaches in the English Department at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He served two terms at Poet Laureate of the Upper Peninsula, and has published the poetry collection The Mysteries of the Rosary from Mayapple Press. For more of Marty's thoughts and writing visit his blog Saint Marty (saintmarty-marty.blogspot.com) or listen to his other podcast Confessions of Saint Marty, alsoon Anchor.fm. Marty is a writer, blogger, wine sipper, easy drunk, and poetry obsessor who puts his Christmas tree up in mid-October and refuses to take it down until the snow starts melting.
Beth has a BS in English Secondary Education. She has worked as a substitute teacher, medical transcriptionist, medical office receptionist, deli counter attendant, and Office Max cashier. Currently, she is the front desk clerk at a hotel and enjoys discussing/arguing about literature with her loving husband.
Music for this episode:
"Jingle Bells Jazzy Style" by Julius H, used courtesy of Pixabay.
"A Christmas Treat" by Magic-828, used courtesy of Pixabay.
Other music in the episode:
"Christmas Vacation." Staples, Mavis. Warner Bros. Records, September 1989.
A Christmas Carol sound clips from:
The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.
This month's Christmas lit:
Hughes, John. "Christmas '59." National Lampoon, 1980. <http://web.archive.org/web/20010223220801/www.nationallampoon.com/flashbacks/xmas59/xmas59.html>
