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“Ron & Jen’s Great Escape” – 11-17-2021 – Ron St. Pierre & Jen Brien
by Ron St. Pierre & Jen Brien
BAD YEAR FOR SANTA
Santa might not be coming to town as we’re still recovering from the pandemic. Last year, lots of Santa’s helpers lost their gigs thanks to COVID-19. This year? While there is a demand to go back to the traditional visits with Santa, unfortunately, Santas are a bit hard to come by. The website HireSanta.com (yes, Virginia, there IS such a website and service) says demand for Santas is up a whopping 120% FROM PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS. Unfortunately, like seemingly everything else, demand overwhelms supply. On the morbid side of the tote board, About 700 Santas have gone to the North Pole in the Sky, around 500 of them due to the Coronavirus. Santas are typically older which places the Jolly Old Guy in the high risk category of complications from COVID-19.
DECORATE AND BE HAPPY
In last week’s commentary, we encouraged you not to take any grief if you’re Christmas décor is already proudly on display. A study in the JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSCYCHOLOGY, which is a must read for RON AND JEN, found that people who put up their Christmas decorations early tend to be happier and friendlier. Decorations spark nostalgia and good feelings about happier and simpler times. It might be good to break out your favorite Christmas movies, too. One of our favs is A CHRISTMAS STORY based on Jean Shephard’s book, IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH. Shephard himself narrates the 1983 movie and he also has a cameo. He’s the shopper at HIGBEES department store who tells Ralphie and his brother, Randy, where the line to see Santa starts.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LEFTOVERS
A new survey finds that more than two-thirds of Americans believe Thanksgiving leftovers taste better than the original meal. 72% saying they prep their Thanksgiving feast with the intention of having leftovers.
RESESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUP LOVERS REJOICE
Just in time for the holidays, Reese’s has got a new 9-inch peanut butter cup in the size of an actual pie. It’s actually a supersized cup that weighs in at over 3 and a half pounds. It costs $45 dollars and is only available on the Hershey’s website. If you’re interested, you’d better hurry as only 3,000 pies will be available. Before you order, consider the fact there are 210 calories in ONE Reese’s Butter Cup. What the heck, it’s the holidays.
BAD WEEK FOR RHODY
Two surveys weren’t kind to the Ocean State this week. Wallet Hub says we’’re the 46th most charitable state while 24/7 Wall Street lists us as the 18th laziest state in the union. Salvation Army kettle workers better ring those bells aggressively.
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Ron St. Pierre is a veteran broadcaster whose career has spanned over four decades. Ron has programmed, performed on and managed WHJJ, WPRO, WWRX, 790 The Score in Providence, as well as WBZT and WKGR in West Palm Beach and WABC in New York City. Ron also anchored sports on WPRI Ch 12 in Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He was born and raised in Pawtucket.
Jen Brien has over 20 years of radio broadcast experience having hosted shows on WPRO and WHJJ with Ron as well as her own shows on WRKO and WBZ in Boston, WXTK on Cape Cod and WHAM in Rochester, New York. Jen was born and raised in Woonsocket and served six years in the Army MP Canine Unit.
Hazel, Ron’s dog, makes regular appearances.
“Ron and Jen’s Great Escape” podcast, a more lighthearted reaction to the events happening around us, can be found on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes premiering Mondays and Wednesdays.