Today on something you should know the I think you're, a good driver put what do other people think find out. Then standing the science of happiness and what it really takes to make people happy for the long term, relatively speaking, who took the garbage out. It is not that important, but you know who made some one feel love there who made somebody feel unwelcome Is everything also the best for questions to ask on a first date to see if there should ever be a second day? fascinating evolution of christmas, I'd like to say to people, I think, there's a christian christmas and a cultural traditions and the cultural christmas just has grown and grown over the years, and you know what most striking examples. I think that this is in japan. Half of the homes have christmas trees, but in japan two percent of the people are christian, all this

today on something you should know. Something you should now fascinating, enter the world's top experts and practical advice. You can use your life today, something you should now make progress I like to think of myself ass, a pretty good driver, I've only had one ticket in my entire life. I was when I was nineteen and I've only been in, I think in one car was it just one year. I think one. car crash. I also was nineteen at the time so that year that year was not a particularly good driver. But since then I ve really stepped up my game because I haven't had a ticket or an accident since then, Ruth is most of us think we're good drivers, but the fact is

You and I may be doing things without even knowing it that make other drivers think we're not such good drivers, for example, crowding the car in front of you want an appeal: stop sign or stoplight This is annoying because, between the time the driver in front of you takes his foot off the brake and moves to the gas pedal. His car may start rolling backwards a little bit. if he has a manual transmission it all Surely, Wilson, to roll back, and you look a jerk. If you stop to close behind him and you, jerking. This rating doubles even more. If you then, the guy for rolling back when the light changes cause he's getting who close to your car, which was he here. All in the first place, here's another one this one really drives me crazy is when people yield the right of way when it's there too to go sure you're, being nice to let people go in front of you, but it throws off

rhythm, it creates confusion and anger. So when it's your time to go, go off Oh revving, your engine at a traffic light I know this is a guy thing, I guess, but really no one's impressed. It's not. tony it's just a neighborhood street and Everyone who hears you revving your engine at the stoplight really just this thinks you're a maura, not you In your turn signal, What is so hard about letting people know what you intend to do. So you your turn signal, when you're changing lanes are turning, it's really easy. Just don't do it too late or too early, because you know when you signal for blocks before you really intend to turn. Nobody really knows what you're doing here is the last one people forward at a red light, and we ve all done- but why? What

Do we really think that those extra inches will somehow pay off later when the light turns green and really people just laughing at you in that. Something you should know so? Who doesn't want to be happy? We all want to be happy, but this happy come by chance or is it deliberate? Do happy people make a conscious effort to be happy or are. Just that way,. What about the science happiness has been studied a lot and, and apps? There are some things we can take from that science and apply to our own lives to be happier for years. David Niven has studied the research and publish several books about this, including one hundred simple secrets of happy people. One hundred simple secrets of happy families and several other books as well

he does is he translates the the scientific findings into practical actions that we can all take to be happier. Welcome David thanks very much mike. It's a pleasure to be So I think that everyone has heard that happy people in attendance optimistic that they that they have strong relationships, but beyond that one of the other things one of the things that may be. We ve missed that happy people do we have a general. You know tendency to exaggerate the importance of what's happening immediately around us, and so you know everybody falls victim to all man, I'm stuck in traffic. This is the worst thing with ever happened, kind of kind.

Thinking and the folks who argue on a on a on a kind of a healthier happier. Plane are able to to sort of step back from that a little bit and put that into perspective and not let those little frustrations that absolutely everybody encounters not let them stand for the day, not let them dominate their thinking, and you know that's one of the things that I think shocks. you wanna talk about you happiness. Research is a general notion that happy people have some kind of magical existence where they they float between. You know quit sundays and and and other delights, and in reality you know happy people get stuck in traffic and happy people, you know have some unpleasant coworkers and happy people have all the same kinds of frustrations but they're better at not letting those frustrations block out everything else, they're better at you know being able to put things in just the tiniest bit of perspective to see it say that you'll, even if traffic is really frustrating

it's not more important than the other twenty three and a half hours every day, and we all know people like that. But do you think, or does the science say that those people are why word that way or that's a deliberate thing that they try to do. Well. I think there's there's kind of a combination here. I think that, as we get smarter about the building blocks of a have a good life that people can see the way, the the path to that you know, I think some people are blessed to be wired that way and- and they can

I can happily go about. You know sort of shaking off the frustrations, and then you know, a lot of us can can learn to approach things that way and I'll I'll. Give you a perfect example of this. You breaking a routine, no matter how trivial, no matter how small breaking a routine you know, contributes to have a positive outlook and a and a more creative approach to what you're doing so. So what does that mean? Well, if you eat the same sandwich, you know at lunch five days in a row break the routine. If you

go to work. The exact same way every day break the routine go a slightly different way. If you know if, if these are your, you know this is the the stuff that you wear to work. You know every monday break the routine and wear a different shirt. You know little things like that that anybody could learn and put into practice and all of a sudden contribute to a slightly more positive approach to what they're doing and- and so I think, I think the bottom line answer is it's both. It's there's some people who happened upon this. You know by you, know by nature and there's some people who happen upon a better approach to life by you know, by reading books, by by listening to your show by you thinking through what do you know what they could do very easily? That would make them their lives just little better there. So much talk about the need for relationships, human contact, all of that, but why is that? What is it that people get from that? That makes them happy what people everybody needs, including the introvert. What everybody

We need is the human reinforcement. They need a sense of themselves relative to other humans, that you know that that puts them in something of a positive light. So what does that mean? Well, I give you my favorite example of something tiny that will contribute to a positive outlook and inherently human. Do something could be a minor is holding the door open the next time you you're walking into a convenience or do something kind for someone and everyone I don't care. How introverted you are. Everyone gets this this this little

pink of pleasure from this notion that, even in the tiny lack it's a reinforcing notion that I'm a good person, look at that look what I have just done for somebody and you that's the kind of thing we say relationships come in all different shapes and sizes. Families do personal lives do, but everybody has that need for that. Little bit of of reinforcing human contact and that's why you know research is really not uniform on there's one thing that everybody needs except this. You know they need. They need that human reinforcement, no matter which way you access it and and the holding the door open, is just one little thing that happens to apply and work for absolutely every talk a bit about families and and what the secrets are for free

We used to get along with each other and and be happy as opposed to individuals. Well, you know again in the family dynamic what the research is is very clear on the incredible value of seeing something, that's larger than yourself and you know not being stymied by a winner. Take all of me: vs them mentality. You know the that that the key to to a fulfilling family life is that is that capacity to to put yourself into that context, and so you know when you think about people who are arguing with each other one of the things that research finds his step away. From that argument, you know for a few weeks or months, and a lot of people will forget what the actual subject was.

what you know. What got us started on that argument, but everybody will remember the feelings that that came up during the argument, the feelings that you know that that you experienced that somebody was telling you how wrong you were, or you were saying how wrong they were. So the point of that is, you know to be able to step back and see winning. The argument is actually not all that productive and thinking about the larger purpose of what you're doing is quite productive, and so you know that that very first step, you know, regardless of whether it's it's a love relationship or a parenting relations support or what you that very first step is the biggest one is not interesting, and everyone has experienced that that when you recall that you had an argument with someone in your family, you and don't remember what it was about. You just remember how mad you worry

arabs at edwards or the you know how terrible you felt or how terrible you made them feel and and and that kind of feeling can you know, can last forever and it it really does put into perspective. You know, relatively speaking, who took the garbage out. Is is not that important, but you know who made someone feel loved there who made somebody feel unwelcome is. Is everything, and so you know that kind of of understanding to be able to step back and and even as you're frustrated, to be able to see something, bigger and something more important than the moment and again when it comes back to that that capacity to see something bigger than the moment whether you know whether you stuck in traffic or whether you having an argument about whose turn it is to take out the trash it it. It is a true source of of a power and stability to be able to see something. Bigger

my guess is David livin. He is the author of one hundred simple secrets of happy people, one hundred Simple secrets of great relationships and other books about happiness. You know freelance business person, knows that one of the most important and time consuming tasks is finances and fresh, looks, makes ridiculously easy cloud accounting software for freelancers, who know that making every moment count is crucial by drastically simplifying things like invoicing, tracking expenses getting paid online fresh books has fund italy changed how more than ten million people deal with their paperwork. For example, expenses you can link your fresh books account to your credit and but card. So the next time you expensive business, launcher tank gas show up automatically in your fresh books account and if you have any, questions whatsoever. Fresh books are Lord winning customer service is super friendly plus.

a real live person usually answers the phone in three rings or less declaim your month, long, unrestricted, free trial, no credit card required go to freshbooks dot com, slash something and enter something you should know in the. How did you hear about a section? That's fresh books, dot slash something so David, in all the research you ve done on all of this through all of these books. What are a few things, What you found most surprising that the science says well I'll, give you an example from more recent book called it's not about the shark, which is about solving problems, the gist of the of the research on this is kind of fascinating. If you start out focused on a problem that you're trying to solve, if you start out with a laser focus on the problem itself, you're less likely to be able to come up with the

solution? Then, if you start out thinking about what could I do about this situation? What can I do? What can I do to make this better? So if you start off on focused on what's wrong, you're never going to get past it, and this started as as a research project, they showed engineers they showed engineers a challenge- and these were these- were folks who are getting ready to go out into the world and and design all kinds of products, and they

You know we want you to make the ultimate bike rack for a car in the first group of engineers. This thing they gave him this task and they said here's how other engineers have failed at this. Here's, where this is where they ve gone wrong and have been able to solve this and the second group they said, build a bike rack for the car. We want you to make it as best as you possibly can, and it didn't tell them anything about how other people had struggled. They didn't. They didn't say how this was hard and it turns out. The second group came up with vastly more ideas and better ideas for the bike rack and the difference was. The second group was trying to come up with the best idea possible in the first group of trying to solve the problem, and so that applies who, regardless of whether we are talking about personal lives or professional lives, you.

You start by working towards what you want, not working against what you don't want, if you can, if you can think through where, where do you actually want to be, rather than how do I solve the thing I don't want, you are going to be more creative and more passionate you're going to come up with better ideas and you're going to take this farther. So I mean that as a as have a starting block for whatever it is you're encountering in life. I think, is a surprising to a lot of people, because I think our our tendency is, you know if there's a problem, then I'm going to I'm going to put all my effort into that problem. I'm going to focus on that and nothing else in the world and and that's actually the worst way to I'll do anything, and yet that is that is the problem. Solving way to fix, what's wrong,

you're right and the bigger the problem, the harder you work at it, and- and so you know, the more important thing is that the worse it is, and this could be a problem at work. This could be a problem at home. You know the worse, it is the more you just you know. You redouble your efforts and, and the next thing you know you, you block out the sun with regard to what you would do, and you know I I it's not about the sharks and starts with an anecdote about Steven Spielberg, making the film jaws- and it was his first major movie, and it was incredibly critical. you're his professional future. If this failed, he was going to be a failure and he had spent most of the films budget on a mechanical shark and the endemic Nicole shark, for jaws, didn't work. If you know it it puffed up, so that it look

a giant see marshmallow it didn't move when they told it to move it. Couldn't it couldn't many swimmers because it was, it was just a dead until he was looking at a whole host of butter, active options. He could try and build another shark, but there was no money for it. You could try to fix the shark, but he didn't have time to because the movie at all production had already begun he had. If he had focused on, I have a broken shark. How am I gonna fix it? Jaws would never have been made, and instead he focused on how can I make this movie as good as possible any hit upon the idea of, for the most part, don't

Show the shark give people the chance to imagine the shark is coming for them. Let them fill it in, and so that's where he came up with that idea of the the camera being half above and half below the water and and using that music to suggest the shark is coming and that that idea is the whole magic of the movie. That's what it's remembered for, and that's you know, that's why it became a classic and it was only possible because he didn't focus in on what am I going to do with it in shark and steady focused on? How do I make the best movie possible and then that's really the approach whatever it is. You're are up against that actually produces great idea. What else work, but one that does that's a home, run right there I mean that that could that's a game changer, but but

Couple more of those kind of little insights would really be cool, sure sure sure your here's, here's a good one. Optimists literally walking down the street spend less time looking down and pessimists spend more time looking down and- and so you know, here's a little thing, but it affects everything that you see in every that you feel if you're looking down you know, you're seeing you know, idol outcome on the sidewalk and and- and you know nothing- you know nothing of of any great hope and wonder if you're looking up the skies. You know the sky is welcoming you. The world is welcoming you, you little things like this. You know that do every day that you do all day long are reinforcing positive or negative feelings and an regardless of

everything else is going on all the things that are outside of your control. You know, I think we underestimate, sometimes the value of the things that are that are perfectly in our control, and so you know I would very much encourage folks. You know to to understand that you know that yes, there's going to be frustrations, but there are little things each day that you can do you hold open, that door take a take, a look up at the sky and not just down at your shoes that are going to reinforce. You know positive feelings that you have about about everything in the open yourself up to positive experiences and not not leave you, you know kind of kind of, I was off from things in that sounds good, but is there real science behind the there is there's real science behind it and that's why I say you know some of these things and you

instant earlier that the m don't wear the same clothes to work every monday, there's there's real science behind this we've. You know the host of studies that have been done in this in this area, where a group will be encouraged to do

one of the things to change their routine, and then the scientists bring a man and give them a little task. Give them a little. You know, like one of those word puzzles test or creativity tests and the folks whose routine has been changed do better on these tasks. This there's real science behind it, and you know I'll give you one of my favorite examples of of the shocking power of doing something. A little bit more pleasant, a group of researchers created a a medical file for a patient, and it described an array of of symptoms, symptoms and conditions that gave the file to to practicing physicians, and they said, okay, diagnose this person and half the physicians that gave them the file and and those instructions half the physicians. They gave them the file and a a chocolate bar, and so that literally the it was describing the same patient with the same

and the chocolate bar doctors did better on the you know on the task of chocolate, bar doctors were more likely to successfully diagnose the patient. So what does that mean? A little bit of joy, a little a little momentary bit a joy and in these highly trained professional life and all the time they were better at what they're doing and that's why I say we have great great science on the power of these little actions that make you a little more open to positive outcome that make you a little bit more. You know open to trying harder that make you just a little bit more open. To enjoying what you're doing and it can change everything though it is, listing how we sort of squeeze the joy out of life and in many ways at an end, yet putting it back in has real benefits besides just you know feeling good. That's why I say that

is along the lines of breaking out of of routines or breaking out of things that that kind of close you off. You know there is an enormous power in that you know in in seeing yourself, not simply, as you know, a widget, as you know, as another cog in in some larger larger machine, but but really taking some human moments into this you know, and and on one level it sounds kind of frightening that my doctor is going to do a better job figuring out. What's wrong with me, if if he or she has a chocolate bar before they see me, but on the other hand, you know that is really just testimony to the power of human feeling and that caring for the whole of ourselves is is actually every bit as important every bit as critical as as all the other things that we think of as the essence,

of providing and protecting for life that you providing and protecting for that joy join and that human connection is every bit as critical as, as you know, as food and shelter it seems like the message. Yeah happiness takes a little work, but it's just a little work and that, with a little effort we I'll be a lot happier David nick he's been my guest. He is a researcher and author of several books on happiness, including one hundred simple secrets of happy people and a hundred symbols. grids of happy families, and the book he mentioned in our discussion. It's not about the shark there's a link to him page on amazon has all of his books about happiness in the shark and everything else in that's in the show notes for this episode. Thanks are, being there David, my pleasure

christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and clearly it is for a lot of people, because christmas is a big deal here in the u s and in other countries as well, although we all have different ways of celebrating it for people who celebrate christmas. There are some things about where this holiday comes from and why we celebrated the way. We do that, may surprise you and some what you're about to hear. I suspect you have never heard before bruce for but it is a professor of religious studies. At morning, side college ensue city, iowa and he's off of a fascinating book called christmas. handed history. High bruce welcome pleasure to be with you think so I take it this book that you have a real interest in this holiday. A notch ass, though a religious the holiday, but all aspects christmas and how we celebrated and why we celebrated and where it came from, so what

You did all this research. What was most surprising to you? One is to realize that A huge amount of what we consider christmas is really typical. Winter celebrations and doesn't especially have to do with Jesus. The second big surprise for me is that the least, christians did not have an annual celebration for about the birth of Jesus. They focused for two Three hundred years on the fiction and resurrection of Jesus, and it's only the author, hundred years or so into the religion that they finally decide let's have an annual celebration for the birth about the birth of Jesus and they put it right. in the middle of pre, existing midwinter parties. All kinds of cultures had, and especially in europe. So yes, it's about Jesus bud jones. Took a while, they decide to do it when did

christmas start to look like what we consider christmas. Now we and others, kind of a evolution along the way. I would say the way we look at christmas now. Famine centred about general city. A lot of the other it's really a product of the eighteen. Hundreds and more recent the eighteen hundreds is a period. You hear people talk about the victorian christmas because pretty much through that century, queen Victoria was cleaning

there's a longer story about earlier puritans tried to get rid of christmas because they said early, christians didn't do it. They were right and so puritans discouraged christmas in england and in the american colonies for awhile, and then the people who brought it back and what they brought back as something very much like our christmas today is Charles dickens, with his story, a christmas carol and queen victoria and prince Albert and they're having a christmas tree and the family gathered around it. A lot of what we do now comes out the eighteen hundred we continues today. What we ve added is more and more presents all along the way right. So in the in the story, a christmas carol about scrooge Jacob marley. all those people? Was he creating a christmas or was he reflected what was really going on excellent

because when I you know what I mean seen it or read it? I thought I d was telling us kind of what chris it was like at that time, and that's not the case. Christmas had been discouraged and dickens wanted to revive So you have to say he revived christmas or helps reinvent christmas? It, for instance, scrooge, who was such negative negative figure until his heart is changed, he represents alive the people of the time who, yes, everybody worked on christmas day and you weren't supposed to do these other things. Charles dickens wanted to bring it back in so he's an advocate with this story very sexy so etiquette. Isn't that interesting, because when I watched the movie and I ll of the movie, the one with Alistair swim in it as scrooge when you, when you see them, you know decorating the tree in and you know having their dinner and all that

just assume that that was what life was like, then not that he was, he was trying to create and encourage that life that that he was reflecting enron, you're, saying not not necessarily saw atmosphere and and scholars call the sun and invented tradition, because his soon takes off. We think it's always been that way. Grand in fact he helps reinvented one interesting tibby appears as the norm was with the puritan discouragement. People should be working on christmas day. be holiday. You'll notice that even in the christmas carol story when scrooge so the next morning and his heart is changed. Any float, throw open the window and ask them in the street: what what day is it? Mrs cresson? so good, I haven't forgot, I haven't missed it and then what does he do? He sends the boy to get the goose or turkey together, heard for tiny james family right, which means the store

open thought about that, but you're right yet so he's he's tried. to get that changed and that's why he wants scrooge to be of one and to have his mind because he wants to culture to change in that way, so When did we who'd, whose idea was to say hey, let's go out and chop a tree down and bring it in the house at christmas, three tradition. This problem sleep german start in the fifteen hundred and sixteen hundreds, but back them up. The point I made earlier about predictable things and midwinter festivals, midwinter, festivals, law before genus, walk the earth. They usually had candles and burning logs of light to push back the darkness of winter and they usually had evergreens because it looks like you know, evergreens or something something's stays alive when it looks like everything else has died, and so evergreens had been part of these midwinter celebrations for a long time, but the tree comes out of

urban tradition, and it then, through queen victoria, gets very popular in england and through that popularity, gets very popular in the united states. The reason it goes from many to england is that I don't know all that this royalty. I get confused about this, but I could this I mean the clinic as part of the house of hanover in the house of hair rivers of german background, so those people I queen Victoria would marry a spouse from germany who was prince albert and guess what he brings a christmas tree out of his tradition and its parted with. Windsor castle people love queen Victoria. Everybody wants to do with that family doesn't off, we go. What mark did americans make on christmas. How have we changed it? Well, I think one of the big ones is agreed evolution of santa claus, because if you can and that's one of the most fastened

stories for me. If you talk about the roots of santa claus, it's really rooted in traditions, about saint nicholas and across europe. In a way we ve made these interchangeable now saint nick cetera But there are all these traditions from the early church and then through the middle ages, about ST nicholas, sousa gift, giver and a protector, but he's a bishop and his birthday, while his death day the day that they would celebrate ST nicholas day would be December. Sixth, which is not exactly christmas, but it's in the period leading up to it. When those traditions about ST nicholas come over to the united states, it is not one simple shift in the chapter I have about this. I have six stages. Were sixth different people contribute things that slowly morph ST nicholas into what we now see as santa claus, and that includes some writing by washington irving. You know the same guy who did rip van winkle and so on. He's got Saint Nicholas.

Riding through the sky and slay pulled by a horse wearing knickers, which is not a bishops, rome and later the famous poem that you and I know about the night before christmas. That's the same kind of story is what we just said about dickens. That poem is, does not reflect what people thought about saint nick at the time he's creating something it. First of all, it happens on christmas eve, saint Nicholas day? Secondly, we ve got a whole bunch of reindeer who get names. A whole bunch of what we think about- and this is a christmas tradition now and the author of that poem helped shift things. A big super this year by the way is, I know, you buy a children's storybook that poem. Now we know image of santa claus was in there. If you read the words of the poem at that point in the morphing he's not full size, tat he's

else right right, jolly old ass. We are even more as a miniature slay, a tiny reindeer. Those words are all the way through he's, an ally which would help explain how it goes up and down the chimney by the way, rather, but then end the first time that poem is published. Anonymously first republish, some the first time of has ever published with an illustration the illustration: looked like a scruffy leprechaun, nothing out. We picture him today and the poem. The word is saint nick, it's not santa claus, but again in them morphing? The dutch who really bring this tradition over? It would call him a sock, sock, the class and that's a short trip to a santa claus, so that name starts to stick. Another person who adds things as thomas nast, the commercial artist for harper's, who you know, did, did work with them for about thirty years, helped create the.

elephant in the donkey for the political parties uncle sam, but his most famous illustrations are about something that looks more like our modern santa claus and he is in his artistry, creates the north pole creates elves creates children writing letters to santa our that adds up with thomas and asked It continues until I think that the person who help Freeze in our mind, the image we have now is an artist. hadn't son bloom, who did the advertisements for coca cola, more than thirty years he did all these paintings and on every bilbil. every magazine that that the image we when someone says santa claus? I know what image will come to people's mind and it's really.

that artistry of sun blunt that kind of wrapped up the same class who is developing and throws it in our minds. So it's it's hard to change. Central, interesting and every, but every bit of that is america, and most of it happened in new york city and this idea of gift giving has that always been a part of it or is that? Is that a just a way to sell stuff, well gift giving of minor lit token things even in the late middle ages, but that first of all was associated with Saint Nicholas day, which is early december, not christmas. When It comes over and we morphine the santa claus it. The gift giving becomes more and more associated with christmas day, and then I think the other thing that

partners, the shift from homemade presents to produced presence, and once you do, that it becomes part of the economy, and so the gift giving really taking off is something that happens in the eighteen hundreds and just keeps growing ever since then in and it has grown hasn't. It means kind kind of taken over a perfect one. Symbol of this is this early. I mention the victorian christmas tree is a famous print that, find easily of queen victoria and prince albert around. Tree with their children tree is shorter and it's on a table and the early christmas tree. early america. They were, they were small trees on a table. You know what's happened now the tree is moved to the floor, usually its floor to ceiling and because you need a tree at big to handle all the presents were producing now has it evolved in a way that like? If, if we were to go back in time to even the fifties or the forties, we would see a noticeable difference in the way

most celebrated, then in its just kind of crept away or four or not sorry, are you: referring to that, we may be celebrated less now or nine alone. That's why I'm asking I mean? Is it just? Is it different than it was thirty forty fifty years ago, or has it stop after or is it still evolving? Well, I think of this mean that, exactly as your question, but I think what we have to realise that what has developed in the last for years, is more or a cultural christmas and I'd like to say to people. I think, there's a christian christmas and a cultural christmas and the culture christmas. Just has grown and grown over the years, and christians try that participate in that, but also want to value the christian christmas but

in a few are religious amene, almost everybody has friends who love christmas but never go to church, but it's a cultural thing, and you know one of the most striking examples I think of this is I have friends who are from Japan and they tell that in japan about half of the homes have christmas trees and they do have christmas shopping, although it's not as heavy as it is in the united states, but independent about two percent of the people are christian, which means that the cultural christmas has, you know, become a part of their traditions or from many of the people. That's what has grown immeasurably in just every every year. We just think of new products associate with it well for a long time, there has been criticism that christmas, is to commercial and that we need to put Christ back in christmas in what you're saying kind of Conceals that that in fact there are two christmases and you can keep Christ in Christ,

as in the religious celebration of christmas, and you have cultural celebration, which is not, ledges buddies anything else in the two can coexist: yeah em. For me, it's not just the commercialization, but the power that is a winter party. I understand that I mean I spend time in ireland minnesota we have winters, and winter is free a courier and I've frances kind of hard to survive, immediately scary, sometimes and it's cold and its dark. I get depressed at its dark so much now So what would human beings to do to try to survive winter? It's a great idea to have a midwinter party, where you could distract yourself for half of the winter preparing for it and you have lights and durations and gather together with people see you not isolated in winter, I understand all of em presence and singing and drinking advancing

I understand all of that as an understanding. Midwinter party. I have often said you know if I didn't and a culture that already had a midwinter party. I'd make one up, and so I dont mind that that's there and I think I can feel it he's knowing that I participate in that. If I may also cause in which I am I would like to have that other meaningful its place too, but I do recognise both of those things are going on and they happen not just because buddy imposed, it honours its because we like it or because we needed some The fact that christmas is celebrated in the winter, which was one of the big winter party, is really more coincide. Than anything else in that they kind of got thrown together. Just because yeah for reasons we and understand, because we just don't know when Jesus was born, I mean there's nothing in biblical materials that gives us the month or the date. It's not.

And clear the season, and so even in early christianity, there was speculation about when they thought the birth date of Jesus might have been in. It was all over the map. It was in the spring in march or April, it was in november, so we just don't know, and so, when we said I say we I didn't live back then, but when christian said Let's have an annual celebration yeah some people say: maybe they It was a good idea to have it in the middle of the winter parties baby people now what say, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, but it is fairly try to say december. Twenty fifth is it's as likely as december twenty fifth, as it is in April. Ninth, exactly exactly the one link we do know about is that there was some grass, god warrior, god kind of a combination, fused

how the unconquered son our myth, her mistress, the birthday of that sun. God warrior god was december, twenty fifth, and so Christians knew that. So why did they put the birthday of Jesus there? Some people being clever have said they changed birthday of the sun, god to god the sun right spelling each of those differently. It really works for christians because the sun- god it's about when things, stop giving darker and start lighter again, and christians talk a lot about. Jesus is the light of the world, so it works. This is so interesting casino. We have our customs and traditions and we celebrate christmas and. I often think about where it all comes from and what it all means and why it's here, but but clearly you ve done the research and- and it's really interesting thanks. I am fascinated by it and I hope others are too.

Bruce. Forbes has been my guest. He is a professor of religious studies. At morning, side college ensue city iowa, an author of the book christmas, a candid history there is a link to his book in the show notes for this episode. Thanks bruce merry christmas, merry christmas to you, did you dave, can tell you a lot about somebody, especially if you ask the right questions. Often the first date is skimming the surface, but psychologist diana kirshner of love in ninety days died. Com suggests you ask for genes on a first date, because answers will tell you a lot, including whether or not there should be a second date. So here the questions first Do you like adventure, one of the big fat, yours in compatibility, is your willingness to be spontaneous or not

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