Ten News Holiday Special 🎀
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The Ten News Season 3: Episode 23
🎁 Ryan gets crafty when he forgets Pamela's present for the Secret Friend Holiday Gift Exchange ❄️ Find out why the Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year with correspondent Kenny Curtis 🦀 We're headed to Christmas Island for the crab migration with correspondent Sarah Namias ☀️ Trivia with Tessa: what famous ancient structure aligns with the Winter Solstice?
Links
History of Stonehenge | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)
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TRANSCRIPT:
Pamela Kirkland 0:01
Good morning, Ryan. Are you excited about the secret friend holiday gift exchange?
Ryan Willard 0:07
Wait, what?
Pamela Kirkland 0:08
You know, the secret friend holiday gift exchange? Who did you get?
Ryan Willard 0:13
Um, well, if I told you it would be a not-so-secret friend holiday gift exchange.
Pamela Kirkland 0:19
You're right. I want to tell you who I got, but I'll wait till later.
Ryan Willard 0:24
Yeah, that's definitely the move. Give me one sec, Pamela. Tessa, help, I have a code purple emergency.
Tessa Flannery 0:34
Did you forget to wear socks again? And now your feet smell like spoiled milk?
Ryan Willard 0:37
No, I forgot to get a gift for the gift exchange.
Tessa Flannery 0:40
Oh, my goodness. And, you drew Pamela, she'll be so sad if she doesn't get anything.
Ryan Willard 0:46
I know. Can you meet me in the snack room? I think it's time to...
Pamela Kirkland 0:49
Ryan, we've got to start the show. I'm Pamela Kirkland.
Ryan Willard 0:52
And I'm Ryan Willard. It's Wednesday, December 21st.
Pamela Kirkland 0:55
This is The Ten News.
Sound Bit 0:59
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ryan Willard 1:06
Hey, Tessa, you ready to...
Kenny Curtis 1:08
Her, Ryan, happy holidays!
Ryan Willard 1:10
Oh, hey, Kenny. I thought you were Tessa. I've got a code purple right now.
Kenny Curtis 1:14
A code purple. Oh, no. Did you eat Pete's lunch again? He said he'd shave your eyebrows off. If you didn't learn your lesson, man.
Ryan Willard 1:20
No, I've been so busy with work that I forgot to get Pam a secret friend holiday gift.
Kenny Curtis 1:25
Well, you know, the days have been getting shorter. So it's understandable that you were so busy that you forgot.
Ryan Willard 1:30
Really? I need you to explain this. So, I can see if this is an actual excuse I can use.
Kenny Curtis 1:35
Yeah, well, today is actually the Winter Solstice, otherwise known as the shortest day of the year, womp, womp, womp. You see, the winter solstice occurs every year on December 21st, or 22nd. And it marks the official beginning of the season of winter. And while winter can be fun, you know the holiday’s snowball fights, and snuggling by the fire. The worst part about it? Well, for me anyway, is the lack of sunlight. And unfortunately, that is what the shortest day of the year is all about. Oh, man. You see, this is the day of the year that receives the fewest hours of sunlight, at least for folks in the northern hemisphere. This is because the Earth is tilted as far away from the sun as possible at that point. And like I said earlier, I'm not exactly a fan of the shortest day of the year. I mean, you know, who wants to spend all that time in the dark? But after doing some research, I actually learned that for many people, the winter solstice is actually something to celebrate. Really, instead of complaining about all the darkness, they focus on the fact that the light is coming and that from here on out, the days are only going to get brighter. Now that's a very glasses half full way of looking at the shortest day of the year. But many cultures around the world choose to celebrate the winter solstice and consider it a very important part of the holiday season. They even have their own special holiday rituals and traditions which admittedly sounds a lot more fun than complaining about how dark it is outside. For example, every year in England on this day, people go to Stonehenge, the famous stone monument, and watch the sunrise in the morning after the winter solstice. This is an ancient tradition that celebrates the sun coming out after the longest night of the year. It is a truly magical event that has actually taken place for 1000s of years and attracts people from all across the world cool. Iran also has an ancient tradition called chab, a Yalda that occurs every year on the winter solstice. It celebrates the victory of light over darkness. It includes family gatherings, candles, poetry, and a feast for everyone to eat during the longest night of the year. They also have a tradition of eating summer fruits like watermelon and pomegranate to help protect them from winter illnesses. And in Vancouver, they have this special Solstice lantern festival where people can make lanterns listen to live music, and watch exciting fire performances. There's also a special labyrinth of light that features a maze made up of more than 600 candles, it's supposed to symbolize letting go of old patterns and embracing new possibilities. Nice. So there you go. Even though the shortest day of the year can still feel sad and dark. I guess it doesn't have to be depressing. If we change how we look at we can choose to let it symbolizes the end of the darkness and the beginning of something better the light. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go light a candle and eat some pomegranate because I'm going to need all the help I can get. You know what I'm saying.
Ryan Willard 4:43
Thanks so much, Kenny. Now I know why December 21st is the shortest day of the year, aka the Winter Solstice, but I still have my gift problem.
Tessa Flannery 4:57
Okay, Ryan. How can I help?
Ryan Willard 4:59
Okay, Tessa. I need you to bake a dozen cocoa cookie bombs or maybe some baklava.
Tessa Flannery 5:04
Yeah, no, I don't have any of the ingredients, but I brought some art supplies and recycled paper and I have a basket you could put things in.
Ryan Willard 5:13
I can't just give Pam art supplies and an empty basket.
Tessa Flannery 5:16
When it comes to giving gifts. It's the thought that counts. Why don't you make her something?
Ryan Willard 5:20
I am a terrible artist. But if you think it's the thought that counts, I've got plenty of those.
Tessa Flannery 5:25
You've got this, Ryan. I'm gonna go give Pete the hammock I got him.
Ryan Willard 5:28
You Pete a hammock? Okay, I gotta get to work.
Pamela Kirkland 5:35
Hey, Ryan? I guess he's busy. Hey, Ten'ers, have you ever wondered if animals celebrate the holidays? Other than your pets of course. Well, Ten News Correspondent Sarah Namias is here to tell us about some wintertime animal activity on a unique island. Take it away, Sarah.
Sarah Namias 5:55
Tis the season to be jolly. Unless you're 1 of the 2,000 or so people who live on Christmas Island located off the northern coast of Australia, in which case it is the season to be crabby. Why? That's because every year between the months of October and January, one of the most extraordinary animal migrations on Earth occurs on this tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It starts with the first rainfall of the wet season. That's the cue for millions of large bright red land crabs to emerge from the rain forests and begin a roughly 12-mile trek to the coast, all for a single purpose to breed and lay their eggs at the ocean's edge. Their journey from forest to sea is a jaw-dropping site. Up to 120 million crabs overtake the small island creating a stunning sea of red Wow. The eight-legged creatures blanket roadways, bridges, sidewalks, and homes. But thankfully, residents of the island take lots of measures to ensure safe passage for the crabs, including building fences to help guide them in rerouting car traffic and even building bridges for them to safely cross that's great. The trek to the sea takes roughly a week. And amazingly the crabs note the time of their arrival with the receding ocean tide, which is all dictated by the cycle of the moon. Once they reach the beach, it's go-time. Male crabs dig holes in the sand for the females to lay their eggs. Once their job is done, the males make their way back to the forest while the females stay behind until they release their eggs into the ocean. A single female can lay up to 100,000 Eggs no way the eggs released by the females immediately hatch upon contact with seawater and clouds of crab larva get swept out to sea where they remain for three to four weeks. The young crabs emerge from the ocean and make a nine-day journey to the center of the island. Pretty crab-tastic if you ask me.
Pamela Kirkland 8:11
Thanks, Sarah. I'd love to go to Christmas Island, but I'm not sure I want to see that many crabs. Maybe I'll wait till the new year. Until then, I think it's time for trivia.
Tessa Flannery 8:27
Welcome to the trivia room.
Sarah Namias 8:30
I think it's finally my turn for trivia!
Tessa Flannery 8:32
Sarah, it's certainly your turn. So, we'll hop up on the trivia throne for today's trivia question. Are you ready?
Sarah Namias 8:40
Absolutely.
Sound Bit 8:45
What is going on here?
Tessa Flannery 8:54
The Winter Solstice is December 21st and there's a famous ancient structure that aligns with the winter sunset. Do you know what it is? Is it a) Manhattan Hinge, b) Bunny Hinge, or c) Stonehenge? Ten'ers, did you guess it? Sarah? What's your answer?
Sarah Namias 9:14
I'm gonna go with b) Bunny Henge just because I kind of like anything with bunnies.
Tessa Flannery 9:19
The answer is C. Stonehenge is a 5,000-year-old massive stone circle in England, where the setting sun on the shortest day of the year shines through the monument.
Sarah Namias 9:38
Pretty cool.
Tessa Flannery 9:40
Sure is! Ten'ers, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your trivia knowledge? Visit thetennews.com/contact to get in touch then we might have you on the show.
Pamela Kirkland 9:51
So, Ryan, I drew your name in the secret friend holiday gift exchange. Here you go.
Ryan Willard 10:00
What the what? Pokemon Scarlet for my Nintendo Switch? Thank you so much. Hello, this is over the price limit.
Pamela Kirkland 10:09
I know, I know. But you've been working so hard and I thought you needed some game time over the holidays. Besides giving gifts isn't about how much you spend.
Ryan Willard 10:19
It's the thought that counts. So, on that note, I drew your name, and I kind of just made you a gift. It's a little silly, but...
Pamela Kirkland 10:29
I love homemade gifts. Oh my goodness, a coffee mug. And you hand-painted the world's best co-host on it? And look inside the mug. And a friendship bracelet? This is the best secret friend holiday gift I've ever gotten!
Ryan Willard 10:47
Really? Well, I'm so glad because you're the best co-host I've ever had and you deserve it. Should we give our Special Ten News snaps to some of our listeners now?
Pamela Kirkland 10:55
Yes, but before we do, here's a quick note for the grownups.
Ryan Willard 11:00
It's time for the Ten News Snaps.
Pamela Kirkland 11:05
Ten'ers, we're giving snaps to all of you and we want to say happy holidays.
Ryan Willard 11:12
Thanks for listening to The Ten News. You are the reason we make this show. Ten Things You Need to Know drops every Tuesday and our in-depth reports drop every Wednesday. But if you want some bonus content, you can join the Ten'ers Club on our website or on Apple podcasts. Club members get special bonus content and more.
Pamela Kirkland 11:29
The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.
Ryan Willard 11:33
The Ten News creative team is going on a sleigh ride through the office and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, and Tessa Flannery. Special thanks to Sarah Namias and Kenny Curtis for contributing to this episode.
Pamela Kirkland 11:45
Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
Ryan Willard 11:52
I'm Ryan Willard. I hope you have the happiest of holidays.
Pamela Kirkland 11:55
And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. We'll see you next year.
