What Christmas Was Really Like in the 90s with Special Guest: Josh's Mom

In this nostalgic and lighthearted episode of Clarksville Insider, host Josh Atkins sits down with his mom to break down some of the “pillars” of the classic 90s Christmas experience. Together, they compare 80s vs. 90s Christmases, share a few family stories, and reflect on how holiday traditions have changed in the age of Amazon Prime. It’s a warm, funny conversation that will instantly transport you back to Christmas mornings of the past.

Transcript

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Welcome to Clarksville Insider. I am your host, Josh Atkins, like the diet. And today we're changing things up a little bit, just for today. Well, maybe another time, but specifically for today, because we are not living in the Clarksville experience or anything like that. Although I do live in Clarksville. We have a rear treat because my very own mother, my mom is in town in Clarksville. Here's the connection. and we were talking about Christmas stuff, Christmas back in the day, and we thought it would be fun. I did, and she relented. She caved, she caved in. But I thought it would be fun if we got on here and talked a little bit about what it was like, what Christmas was like back in the 90s when I was a kid, because I've got kids now 11 and 8, and so they are experiencing all the things and... wanted to get a little bit of a different perspective on my Christmas experience. And so my mom is on here in a little bit, and she's going to be talking about oh just kind of what we were experiencing and going through uh back in the 90s for the Christmas experience. uh that's going to be something to look forward to. can check that out. yeah, so without further ado, here it is. So here we are as promised, a rare treat in town, in the state, in the area, in the studio. My mom is here hanging out as best we can talking about just, you like you just get to talking. And so first of all, uh mom, thanks for appeasing oh just. Relenting whatever it took to actually get you in here with some headphones in front of the microphone So whatever whatever sacrifice you've done up to this point in life. This is definitely up there And I'll just add it to the list. Yep, and I'm I'm still paying and we'll be paying off that list but I think It's funny. We were talking just in general. We were talking about Christmases and just kind of how things have changed for my kids who are 11 and 8 and we were like man it wasn't like that back when I was a kid and we started to hit this concept of the 90s Christmas versus the 80s. I feel like each decade had its own not theme but almost like personality and do you feel like like the 80s and 90s, that was like my full Christmas experience. Do feel like there's a difference even between like 80s Christmas and like a 90s Christmas? I do. I think oh 80s was more, I don't know, more calm and packaged and whereas 90s was getting more techno, more uh stuff that was happening digitally and it was like we're right on the edge of all the cool stuff. video games were ramping up, whereas instead of just Mario boop boop over the thing, it's now big time stuff. Yeah. And yes, it definitely felt differently in that sense. And I was trying to come up with, and we were kind of working on this together, this idea of the essence. of 90s Christmas experience for somebody who didn't go through it or went through it a long time ago and is like, oh yeah, forget about that. There's plenty of nostalgia podcasts and episodes and blah, blah. So we're not going to spend all day on it. But I felt like for us in our house, we had a couple things. what we broke down, me and you, to share is the what we're calling the Pillars of the 90s Christmas Experience. Three pillars. And the first one was uh kind of interesting because this is something I didn't have anything to do with. I mean, I was experiencing it, but I feel like it was your, you you and dad's kind of collection. This idea of like having two trees, two Christmas trees. Explain or just kind of... set up the idea of having two Christmas trees in your house or our house? Yeah, that kind of evolved and I think part of it was the idea of houses having specified family rooms and uh instead just having the tree, uh you had the living room tree which my husband lovingly called our Lazarus tree because Lazarus was a big department store back in the day, probably long defunct, but uh that's where they had the really classy trees and decorations and you had to have a theme. And uh 90s was real colored, like dark green, hunter green, kind of a burgundy red. so we had a Lazarus tree, my husband called it, in the living room where the kids didn't get to decorate it or touch it and didn't want to. And then we had the tree in the family room, was, of course, we still had colored lights on it, we had all the kids' ornaments they made, all the great, lovely crafts they made at school, all the fun things, and that was the family room tree. And then there was, my husband called it the Lazarus tree. I feel like there was a little bit of a tone when you were mentioning the crafts. I'll skip over that. Oh, they were special. tongue. They were special. yeah, so we had the fancy tree and the family tree. it was funny because like I can see it in the corner. mean, we had like a train around it too. a little train. And then we had to get another train for the family tree. the fancy tree had the better train. Yeah, it was just the little one that went around the circle. That one, but the fancy tree had the puffs of smoke that you could put in there and the circus. I mean, it was a big, uh it's an LGB for all you people that know trains. So it was an LGB train. So this thing was pretty big too. But yeah, so that was, if you're remembering on your own, the listener, oh with all the colors and those kinds of things, that was the separation. It was almost the... the way to have both feelings, but we were still pretty much almost always around the other tree. That's where we open presence was with the family tree, the colors in the living room, that was where all the activity was. Right, the living room tree had the white lights, and they were the tiny lights, and everything was all cool. And then in the family room tree, that's where, hey, that's where life is. That was fun. And that was, well, and the fancy tree, too, was in the room that you could see from the road. Like, it had the windows. Oh, you always had to have it in front of window. So that was like, hey, this is our tree. Gotcha. Just kidding. We actually have another tree. And I would imagine there were a lot of neighbors had the window tree and then the real tree, I guess. Oh, sure. Yeah. And the kids could help decorate the. family tree if they still were doing it. and because we have it's weird because ours is a mix of both like we have the white lights but we have the fun ornaments. Yeah it's a hybrid. Yeah and so we I like that. We've kind of mixed it mixed it up but I think for us and I think I had a lot of friends who had the two the two trees kind of thing too. It's just what you did. Yeah another thing that we were discussing, and this kind of goes into the number three, but this idea of in-person shopping, was like the idea of ordering something was like, why would I do that? And this is my retroactive interpretation of what it must have been like. So when you were looking at like the idea of, I gotta get these things, was there ever any thought to looking at a catalog or just even getting something in there or was it more like, um well, I have to go get it. Everything on this list, I've got to go and get. Was it more like that? Well, a lot of stores didn't have a catalog ordering then. Sears was probably famous for that. Maybe Montgomery Awards, which no one has heard of anymore. But you went in and it was more like a wish book and you had to go through it and you had to pick it out. I think service merchandise used to be like that where you would go in and look at a catalog, but most of the time I just wanted to see it. I needed to get it and I wanted to bring it home. I didn't want to have this disappointment like, oh good grief, what did I get? Or that is not what you promised. So yeah, was the in-person and it was the hunt, the chase, the got it. I got those gifts that I wanted. Now the kids made the list, but you didn't always know if you were getting the stuff. Yeah, and you had mentioned just as we were chatting around before like just the idea of going out into the fray. Oh yeah. because we had, well, yeah, this was the era of the mall reigning supreme and it seemed like all the stores around it benefited but the mall was the heart and So we were in Mansfield, Ohio, going out to Ontario, going right up the road. And so I like, we're going to the mall. Here we go. And as soon as you hit that, you knew you were coming up to it. Traffic started to Over a mile away. Yeah. It was like light to light. And you were in it. And then it was fine to parking spot. And so getting that wasn't just like, going out it was like crack your knuckles, tie your shoes, I'm getting after it. It's on. And well for me, I was probably sending you in the 90s, I was probably sending you to, I don't know if it was the toy store, I might have grown out of that, nine, 10, I might have been just on the cusp of like the finish line. Champs like yeah, so so but there was no It seems like if you were looking at a catalog, you were trying to find uh something that you couldn't get in person. like, OK, stores around here don't have this item right here. I have to order it. But everything else, was like, god, I'm going to get it. got to go get it. Yep. Got it. And so as we were into that, I feel like the gifts were different. And of course they change with the era, know in the 50, you know people getting pop guns like Not a hot item now, so of course they change but just We were we were talking about you know our My kids, you know grandkids gifts and just what they're looking for and wanting and Another thing that's changed is you know When I made a list, I probably wrote it down on some sort of paper and just said, okay, me, or not give me, but give me now. just, this is what I, yeah, hopes and dreams, here it comes. And now, well, how do you know what the kids are wanting? Well, they aren't writing a list, they're going on Amazon. They're making an Amazon wish list. And then it gets shared with grandmas and family. then some of those things on there are like, okay, ask the parents, is this something they really should be having? Is this something that would be a good gift or whatever? And then it's like, okay, who's gonna get that one before? the other side of the family who shops. Oh no, I was gonna get that. Everybody's got access to it. so everybody's got access to this one list. And they have these wild things on there, which I won't mention, but some of them are fun and some of them are like, so I try to get an idea of what they need, what they want, different kinds of things like something to read, they gotta. As a teacher, I gotta get them a book, something to read. Something to wear, something they want. It's just kind of slightly outrageous, but why not? So yeah, grandma's looking at Amazon list now. And I have to get Prime, know, so I can get the stuff. You gotta get it here on time. I know. And I have to look at it to make sure that everything on the list is something that they should get. Like I've got to proofread it after we're going, no. You mean. No, they're not getting that no, I don't want them you mean the human dog bed. Yeah, I've got a proofread a little bit I know they're not gonna get everything but I'm like, I sure hope they don't get this. Let's just take that off the list um but But yeah, it was pen and paper. I would look at the catalog. I might even go to the toy store you go to the Go to Walmart you go to the video game section where they got that the in-store consoles that you can play. I want King Griffey Jr. Baseball for Super Nintendo. Yeah, you want to see what it is that they're thinking and does it fit with the other stuff they have? it a wish? Is it a hope? A dream? No, there is no actual way that you're getting that type thing. Yeah, sure. And so with this in the same vein of gifts, There was a time where I had to have something. This is setting up a story here. There was a time where I had to have what was sweeping, think I was probably 12 or 13 at the time. Going in junior high. Seventh grade. This is when the starter jacket, the starter jacket was tops, was king, and everybody had one. So I was like, well, I've gotta have one. And at the time, I was a big Hornets fan, Charlotte Hornets. I Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, Del Curry, just gimme all the Hornets stuff. I got hats and whatever. The Holy Grail was this Hornet's starter jacket. And how much did I talk about it? oh Pretty much all the time, yeah. And it was not cheap. I mean, it's like they knew that they had you. Yeah. And you needed that jacket. They could have called it a status jacket instead of a starter jacket. like, OK, you got to have one and then you can reach this. So Christmas morning, I popped this thing. it looks like it's in a box where you'd get a sweater. Something that's not as cool, not as fun, not as exciting. And then this thing, like when Indiana Jones finds the arc, the glow coming from this thing, I put this thing on, there's a picture of me wearing it somewhere. And I've got this thing on, and I might not have taken it off for an hour. I'm not sure, but it was... I think you walked a little bit off the floor. So I get this thing and it could not be better, could not be. It fit, it was the right size. And so I could not wait. You get it on Christmas break, so the first chance to show off what you got for Christmas was right after break. So you wear that thing. And I don't know if I was one or two days into school going back and. Did I come home and say something about it or did I just say I don't want, like what was, I'm trying to remember, maybe you remember, like what did I, how did, because something changed. How did you know that something changed? uh I think you came home and you were like, I don't know if I could get another, could I get it, exchange this or I'm like, what? this is what you've been wanting for a while, blah blah blah. so we had to do a little digging and then we found out it was somehow a girl jacket because you saw some girls have it on. They liked the colors because they were that blue that. Some girl had it. the funny part, it. Well, it wasn't like necessarily a girl's jacket. No, it was not. It was just a girl had it. And so I was like, I can't, I can't wear this is 13 year old me. I've moved. I've progressed and blah, blah. But they're doing me. was like, there's no way I'm wearing this thing. And I can only imagine having kids now. I can only imagine your. emotion, like feelings, thoughts and feelings in that moment. And is there, cause I'm sure you went through multiple ranges. um So what are we going to do with the situation? And, um, and you couldn't even say, well, you know, your birthday's coming up. your birthday. It already passed. before Christmas. Yeah, 11 days prior, had birth, so I would have to wait another... Yeah, oh so we, you know, we did a little... I don't know if there was a bargain there or something was made, but we kept the jacket, I think, and then we... I said, well, what is acceptable? What is... Yeah. And you'll have to explain. So we eventually found one, but it was just like the ultimate... Not a starter, Jack. Yeah. And if you've ever experienced that where you got something and it was That's what you always wanted. And then just even a little bit of time, it's like, can't. But I'm putting myself in that situation now if we spent... I this thing was... I'm sure it was over $100 because that's just what they were at the time. spending that much money on something that the kid declared the love for. It's one thing if I like go out on a limb and get something, but you're like, this is exactly what you wanted. The big gift. Yeah. This is the one. And like, well, you're wearing that thing. That was my first thought. Yeah. I don't care who's got it. And I don't care if the teacher has it. Like every... I don't know. I don't know how long it took to come to an agreement or to a solution. Or to speak to me. even... I was just like, you're kidding. All this time and I was thinking, wait until he sees that jacket, it's gonna be awesome. It's weird and funny, it's all the things to put myself in that situation. Now you're barren. Yeah, and I'm like, what are you talking about? Nowadays you would say... Yeah, that was on your Amazon list. Yeah, that was on your Amazon list. We got it. We cannot send that back. So, but it's just, it was a funny moment just because that kind of sums up the whole thing. Yeah. And is that I'm sure you had to go out and get it. Like there was no two day prime. And not every store had them. Yeah. So you had to look for it. I finally found it. I got it. I folded, I pack it, I wrap it. Here it is. And so it's all of two weeks or so later, uh oh, I can't wear this. But really, the fun part is just talking about that kind of stuff. And don't know if you, the audience, have gone through that, or you've got family members that have, or you've got the 90s experience, but we went through it. was born in... 80s, but you know had those formative years in the 90s and stuff and just getting getting to that point and we're just we're having fun here in in Corksville doing that with like I said our kids and having that experience, but we were just chatting about it. Mom, we were sitting around and it's like man, it'd be funny to just kind of hash this out. So uh thank you audience for letting us talk about this the 90s experience, the pillars of the 90s Christmas experience and mom again I'm in your in your debt for putting the headphones on and actually coming down here and doing this so thank you I guess I'll use that I guess I owe you lunch at Black Horse or something so thanks yep Well, thanks for going on that journey with us all the way back to the nineties. Talking about Christmas and Lazarus trees and double tree and just all the things. so you can find us on the Clarksville Insider on Instagram. can email if you got any questions or got any suggestions on guests or topics or anything like that. But just thanks for listening. Hope you all have a great Christmas season and we'll catch you next time.