Tag: Christmas

Two former Saints players will be on the Netflix Christmas broadcast

Two former New Orleans Saints players will be part of the star-studded on-air talent group for the Netflix Christmas Day doubleheader:

This year the NFL will be treated to something a little different for the Christmas Day football games. The two games on the day of Christmas will be shown on Netflix in 2024, and with that, they had to form their own broadcast crews made up of a conglomerate of reporters, former players, and pretty much anyone they thought would be a good fit.

With that, the New Orleans Saints had two former players tied into this list, with quarterback Drew Brees and linebacker Manti Te’o joining the 22-person on-air talent crew. While it is unclear what role everyone will be joining in, the group they put together is quite impressive.

The double header will consist of a Noon CT/ 1 p.m. ET game with the Kansas City Chiefs traveling to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then a 3:30 p.m. CT/ 4:30 p.m.. ET game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. We will get to see Drew Brees get back in the booth finally, and a debut for Manti Te’o in the NFL media landscape.

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Get It While You Can: Helmut’s Strudel

Seasonal items are a fact of life in the food world. When you have a favorite, you know the rule: Get It While You Can! That’s one reason we wait longingly for apple strudel season. While you can make it at home, there’s something about getting a …

Seasonal items are a fact of life in the food world. When you have a favorite, you know the rule: Get It While You Can!

That’s one reason we wait longingly for apple strudel season. While you can make it at home, there’s something about getting a traditional strudel to celebrate the holidays.

OK, we admit we got a bit ahead of the game this year, thanks to a trip to Germany, where we took a break in the Martins-Viertel neighborhood of Cologne. After a traditional German meal at Peter’s Brauhaus, we topped it off with a slice of amazing apple strudel.

But we don’t live in Germany, and so–that pleasant moment aside–we wait for our strudel. Our favorite comes from Helmut’s Original Austrian Strudel. If you time it right at any of the markets where they sell, you may be able to get it not only in apple, but in cherry, cheese, or almond apricot (a new favorite!).

Helmut’s is not sold online, as far as we can tell, but it is available at various holiday markets in the U.S. Coming up you can find it here:

Nov 17 – Dec 24 The Peoples Gas Holiday Market Pittsburgh, PA More Information Get Directions
Nov 22 – Dec 24 Christkindlmarket Chicago Chicago, IL More Information Get Directions
Nov 23 – Dec 24 Philadelphia Christmas Village Philadelphia, PA More Information Get Directions
Dec 7 – 8 Yuletide in the Country Hamburg, NY More Information Get Directions
Jan 10 – 12 Bass And Salt Water Fishing Expo Raleigh, NC More Information Get Directions
Feb 1 – 2 Carolina Chocolate Festival Morehead City, NC

It’s worth the trek if you are close to any of those areas, and a bit closer than either Austria or Germany! The strudel also freezes and reheats well (in the oven, please, not the microwave, for best retention of flavor).

What are you waiting for? Get it while you can…and, if you prefer to bake your own, we recommend the recipes found at Little Vienna or House of Nash Eats.

Photos by Paul K. Logsdon

The 10 worst Christmas songs of all time

Simply having a terrible Christmas time.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We wrote this back in 2021, but with the holiday season back once again we felt like it was the perfect time to update it.

It’s the holiday season and you know what that means? It’s time to break out the Christmas songs!

From the classics and the songs we grew up listening to throughout our childhood to more modern songs that have been accepted into the Christmas music lexicon, listening to holiday tunes always feels like putting on a cozy sweater with a hot cup of tea and watching a snowstorm. Well… mostly.

For all the great Christmas songs there are out there, there are some really, truly awful ones. Whether they’re bad from a pure musical standpoint or they just really get on your nerves for some reason or another, I get it completely.

And that’s why I’ve put together this list of the top 10 worst Christmas songs ever created, so you too can feel validated in your music taste! Or you can be upset that one of your favorite songs of all time, that you’ve cherished since childhood, is actually bad. Let’s dive in!

Be sure to check out our other lists: 

Commanders-Falcons is one of 5 candidates for Saturday flex in Week 17

Washington’s Week 17 game vs. Atlanta could be moved to Saturday.

Could a Week 17 showdown between Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders against Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons be moved to prime time?

Week 17—Christmas week—has NFL games on four different days: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, and Monday. However, that’s the current schedule, as the league can flex multiple games to Saturday. The Commanders’ game against the Falcons is one of five games under consideration.

Washington has had two prime-time games this season: Week 3 against the Bengals on Monday Night Football and Week 11 against the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Both games were on the road, with Washington going 1-1.

The NFL wanted to flex the Commanders’ Week 6 game against the Ravens to Sunday Night Football, but CBS blocked the move. That week’s Sunday night contest was the Bengals and Giants. Several around the NFL weren’t happy with CBS.

The Commanders did have one of their games flexed this season. In the Week 8 meeting with the Chicago Bears, the No. 1 overall pick (Caleb Williams) faced the No. 2 overall pick (Daniels), and the game was moved from 1 p.m. ET to the late afternoon 4:25 p.m. kickoff.

Here are the five games under consideration to be flexed in Week 17:

  • Atlanta Falcons at Washington Commanders
  • Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
  • Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals
  • Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants
  • Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots

The NFL has a tripleheader scheduled for Saturday, with three games on that day. Of the above games, Washington-Atlanta seems to have the most playoff implications. The Commanders hold the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture, while the Falcons are one game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South.

The Cardinals-Rams is also a meeting with playoff implications for both teams, as they are locked in a battle with the Seahawks and 49ers to win the NFC West. The Chargers, Broncos and Colts are all in the playoff mix, while the Bengals are on the outside looking in. The Giants and Patriots are two of the NFL’s worst teams.

As it stands now, it looks like the Commanders and Falcons will meet on Saturday.

Destination: Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Chicago knows how to do Christmas. There’s a parade and light festival. There’s a Gourmet Dinner Cruise on Christmas Eve. You can see the holiday windows at Macy’s. And there’s the Christkindlmarket. We managed to get there on the very first day …

Chicago knows how to do Christmas. There’s a parade and light festival. There’s a Gourmet Dinner Cruise on Christmas Eve. You can see the holiday windows at Macy’s. And there’s the Christkindlmarket.
We managed to get there on the very first day this year, when crowds were relatively small and vendors were excited to be set up and open. The food is the star—although the ornaments and nutcrackers are fun competition. Here are our recommendations:

The Strudel. Any flavor works, but apple is traditional. Cherry. Almond apricot. Cheese. You can’t go wrong, or get a variety box.

The Hot Cider. It doesn’t matter what stand, really, but we liked the one from the German Brothers stand. (They were also selling the best German pancakes.) The cider was less sweet and hotter than others we sampled, but, really, they are all good. You can get yours in a paper cup or one of the three collectible mugs they sell to commemorate the market.

The German Pancakes. We like them with applesauce, simple and flavorful, but you can also get sour cream or other combos. Slightly crispy, completely tasty. Don’t forget the cider.

The Raclette Sandwich. Oh, you have to see it to believe it. The baguette. The hot, melty cheese. The delight in people’s faces as they dig in.

The Donor Kebab. You’ll get it with plenty of seasoned rotisserie meat, onions, cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, all piled into a large wrap. We first tasted this in Germany, and the market stand, Donermen, does it justice.

Moral of the story? Get to Chicago to find your Christmas spirit. It’s an easy train trip on the Blue Line; get off at Washington and you are there!

Photos by Paul K. Logsdon

Drew Brees could be returning to the broadcast booth

Report: Netflix is in conversations to add former Saints quarterback Drew Brees to coverage for their Christmas Day double-header:

Drew Brees has expressed his desire to step back into the broadcast booth. The opportunity appears to be presenting itself. Brees along with NFL Redzone’s Scott Hanson are in conversations with Netflix to be a part of the international broadcast of the streaming platform’s Christmas Day double-header.

Christmas Day has long belonged to the NBA, but the NFL has attempted to stake their claim to the day in recent years. The New Orleans Saints have been a part of that history when Alvin Kamara dropped a gaggle of touchdowns on the Minnesota Vikings.

This year’s matchups pit the Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens versus the Houston Texans, both streamed live on Netflix.

As for Brees? The legendary quarterback has been primarily an in-studio analyst for NFL games, but he believes his best usage is in the booth for professional games. Brees told Front Office Sports, “That’s what I feel like I’m most qualified to do. That’s what I feel like I’m most passionate about. And certainly where my knowledge base lies, right?”

Brees getting this opportunity could initiate the comeback he is trying to make.

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Best Christmas music: The 10 best songs of all time, ranked

Does your favorite Christmas song make the cut?

EDITOR’S NOTE: We wrote this back in 2021, but with the holiday season back once again we felt like it was the perfect time to update it.

There’s nothing that brings the world together more than sharing opinions about Christmas music.

And why not? Christmas is a very special time of year for many — myself included! — and music is one of the most fundamental joys of life. So it only makes sense that people hold holiday music in such high regard, as it often formulates a major part of our lives growing up and sticks with us throughout adulthood.

Previously, I touched on the worst Christmas songs ever written, so why not try my hand at the best? The earworms, the nostalgia bringers, the tear jerkers, this list has them all, and then some! So sit back and relax as I list off the top 10 best Christmas songs of all time.

5 facts you didn’t know about Corona’s palm tree Christmas commercial that airs every year

Feliz Navidad!

Editor’s Note: This article originally published on November 30, 2023 

The general debate over when Christmas season truly begins has plenty of options. For some, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. Others say it begins earlier. For another contingent it’s the first snowfall or first day of December.

Then there are those who believe one specific commercial dictates the start of Christmas season: Corona Extra’s ‘O Tannenpalm’ ad.

You know the one, where the palm tree gets dressed up with Christmas lights while someone offscreen whistles ‘O Tannenbaum’.

The ad pops up every year without fail and without virtually any updates. It’s simple, it’s calming and it’ll play approximately 80,000 times during every sporting event from late November to New Year’s Day.

The commercial has been around so long and become such a staple that it’s worth knowing a few fun facts about it.

Christmas tree shipment in Hawaii contains slithery, alarming surprise

The discovery of a gopher snake underscores the heightened concern regarding invasive species as holiday deliveries ramp up.

It’s illegal to possess and transport snakes in Hawaii because if the non-native reptiles were to gain a foothold it could be devastating for native wildlife.

So when a gopher snake was discovered Saturday in a shipment of Christmas trees being unloaded at a store in Hilo, it sounded alarm bells.

“Store staff unloaded about half the container before they spotted the snake, then closed the container and called the Hawaii Department of Agriculture,” the agency stated in a news release. “Inspectors in Hilo responded and captured the two-foot-long snake. The inspectors checked every Christmas tree and the inside of the container.”

No other snakes were found, but the discovery underscored the high level of concern as Christmas trees begin to arrive for the holidays.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCnKX86SDNq/

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture stated that an estimated 135 shipping copntainers holding thousands of trees and wreaths will unload at Hawaiian ports this season. So far, about 46,450 Christmas trees have been delivered.

But for the Department of Agriculture, trying to control the presence of snakes, which have no natural predators in the wild, is a yearround effort.

Last April, a wellness check at an eldery resident’s home in Honolulu resulted in the discovery of a live python that measured 3-1/2 feet.

Last January, a 20-inch gopher snake was found in a shipping container that was being unloaded at a Molokai hardware store. Police arrived and killed the snake with a pellet gun.

Possession of illegal animals in Hawaii is a Class C felony. Violators face fines up to $200,000 and up to three years in prison.