Lit for Christmas

Welcome back to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits flow all year long!

For this little pre-LFC party, Marty imbibes in some Fireball Hot Chocolate and shares his essay "Spooks of Christmas."  The big LFC party will commence in a few days.  In the meantime, enjoy a little Christmas ghost story.

BONUS POINTS:  Contact Marty and tell him how much you love his essay.

RECIPE FOR FIREBALL HOT CHOCOLATE:

Ingredients:

Hot Chocolate

3 oz. Fireball Whiskey

Directions:

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek.

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, also on 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.

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.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

Additional Episode Music:

"Angels We Have Heard on High Grand Piano French Christmas Carol from the 18th Century 1881" by Julius H, used courtesy of Pixabay.

The Muppet Christmas Carol sound clip from:

The Muppet Christmas Carol.  Directed by Brian Henson, Walt Disney Pictures, 1992.

This episode's Christmas lit:

Achatz, Martin.  "Spooks of Christmas."

Welcome back to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits flow all year long!

For this sixth episode, Amanda and Marty get hammered on peach schnapps and orange juice while talking about Truman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory" and the wonder (or curse) of fruitcake.  As they navel themselves into incoherence, they discuss yoga and Chippendale dancers and whether to go hairy or fuzzy.

BONUS POINTS:  Count how many times Marty tries to get Amanda to eat fruitcake.

RECIPE FOR FUZZY NAVEL:

Ingredients:

Ice

3 oz. orange juice

3 oz. peach schnapps

Directions:

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek.

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, also on 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.

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.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

Grandma's Killer Fruitcake sound clip from:

"Grandma's Killer Fruitcake."  Abrams, Rita and Elmo Shropshire.  Dr. Elmo's Twisted Christmas, Audio & Video Labs, Inc./Orchard, 1992.

This month's Christmas lit:

Capote, Truman.  A Christmas Memory.  Perfection Learning, 1956/2000.

Welcome back to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits flow all year long!

For this fifth episode, Amanda and Marty travel back to land of gin and get lit on the French 75 while taking on Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust:  All Others Pay Cash, the book that was adapted into the classic Christmas movie A Christmas Story.  As we get blitzed, we talk about Blatz, growing up as Yoopers, and Martha's Vineyard.  We also tackle the eternal question--to fruitcake or not to fruitcake?

BONUS POINTS:  Count how many bad quotes from A Christmas Story Marty manages to squeeze in.

RECIPE FOR FRENCH 75:

Ingredients:

Ice

1 1/2 oz. lemon juice

3 1/2 oz. gin

2 dashes of simple syrup

6 oz. champagne

Directions:

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek.

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, also on 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.

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.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

A Christmas Story sound clip from:

A Christmas Story.  Directed by Bob Clark, MGM, 1983.

This month's Christmas lit:

Shepherd, Jean.  In God We Trust:  All Others Pay Cash.  Broadway Books, 1966.

Welcome back to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits flow all year long!

For this fourth episode, Marty flies solo and gets more than a little lit on Marty Schnog as he talks about his Christmas essay, "Gloop Christmas."  See if you can lay your hands on some eggnog, sit back, and let Marty tell you the story of how a certain yuletide tradition started in his life.  Plus, you'll learn what kind of freak Marty really is.

BONUS POINTS:  Can you name Marty's least favorite ingredient in any chocolate confection?

RECIPE FOR MARTY SCHNOG:

Ingredients:

4 shots Butterscotch Schnapps

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 butterscotch schnapps and stir.

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek.

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, also on 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.

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.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

Pure Imagination sound clips from:

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.  Gene Wilder, Warner Brothers, 1971.

In Dreams, Wesley Keys, 2018.

This month's Christmas lit:

Achatz, Martin.  "Gloop Christmas."  2008.

Welcome back to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits flow all year long!

For this third episode, Amanda and Marty get lit on Irish Roses and also get down and dirty about Seamus Heaney's poetry collection Wintering Out for National Poetry Month.  Get out your Irish whiskey, put on something green, and join us in the kitchen for some bad Irish puns, Heaney hero worship, talk about Amanda's cake-making skills, and the answer to the eternal question--did Marty take his Christmas tree down yet?

BONUS POINTS:  Count how many times the jingle bell fairy steps in to wash out Marty and Amanda's mouths.

APOLOGY:  Marty apologizes for his terrible attempt at an Irish accent.

RECIPE FOR THE IRISH ROSE:

Ingredients:

Ice

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. pomegranate syrup

1 oz. Irish whiskey

6 oz. of ginger ale

Directions:

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice until 1/3 to 1/2 full.
• Pour in lime juice, pomegranate syrup, and Irish whiskey.
• Shake mixture.
• Add ginger ale and stir.
  

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek.

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, also on 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.

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.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

To-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral sound clip from:

Swinging on a Star.  Bing Crosby, Decca Records, 1944.

This month's Christmas lit:

Heaney, Seamus.  Wintering Out.  Faber & Faber, 1972.

Welcome back to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits flow all year long!

For this second episode, Amanda and Marty get lit on French martinis while they slur through a discussion of Philip Van Doren Stern's short story "The Greatest Gift," which director Frank Capra adapted into the film It's a Wonderful Life.  Grab your cocktail shaker, mix yourself up the Spirit of Martini Present, and join us in the kitchen for some conversation on the gin versus vodka debate, whether Donna Reed is the perfect wife, how to get someone to pay $10,000 for a Christmas card, how to make Marty schnog, and, of course, the perennial question at all Christmas parties--how hungover we're going to be in the morning.

BONUS POINTS:  Count how many dramatic pauses Amanda takes the drunker she gets!

RECIPE FOR FRENCH MARTINI:

Ingredients:

Ice

4 oz. premium gin

3 oz. fresh pineapple juice

1 oz. Chambord liqueur

Small pinch of fine grain sea salt

Directions:

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek.

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, also on 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.

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.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

It's a Wonderful Life sound clip from:

It's a Wonderful Life.  Directed by Frank Capra, performances by Jimmy Steward and Donna Reed, RKO Studios, 1946.

This month's Christmas lit:

Van Doren Stern, Philip.  The Greatest Gift.  Simon & Schuster, 2011.

Welcome to the Lit for Christmas party, the podcast where the Christmas spirits are flowing all year long!

In this inaugural episode, your hosts, Amanda and Marty, get lit on White Russians while they talk, argue, and write about Joseph Brodsky's book Nativity Poems.  Grab some vodka, Kahlua, half-and-half.  Pour them over ice, and join us in the kitchen for a little conversation about a Russian love shack, the definition of Christmas lit, poetry, and, of course, the perennial question at all Christmas parties--how drunk we really are.

BONUS POINTS:  Count how many times Marty says "you know" during the episode!  (In his defense, he WAS drunk.)

RECIPE FOR WHITE RUSSIAN:

Ingredients:

Ice

2 oz. Kahlua

2 oz. vodka

2 oz. heavy cream (or half-and-half, or milk)

Directions:

Fill a rocks glass with ice.  Pour Kahlua and vodka into glass.  Pour heavy cream/half-and-half/milk over top and serve.

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Amanda got her undergrad at U of M in English, MFA from Goddard College, and JD from Wayne State University Law School.  She's a writer, fleece-legging addict, private poetry hoarder, public child herder, heirloom seed collector, candle dripper, cocktail mixer, and Christmas geek. 

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, also on 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.

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.

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:

Brodsky, Joseph.  Nativity Poems.  Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002.

Join poets Amanda and Marty for a NEW Christmas podcast where they talk about Christmas books and Christmas cheer!  On each episode, they will get drunk, share a recipe for a new Christmas beverage, and get down and dirty about a work of Yuletide literature.  Every episode is a Christmas party!

Grab a glass of something strong!  Find a seat on the couch!  Let's get lit!

Marty is a poet, MFA program survivor, English professor, Christmas geek, and eggnog guzzler.