Chapter 47 - The Christmas Times Part 3 Greg Heitmann continues the Colonel and the Kid memoir with a photo-rich Christmas chapter centered on family tradition, his grandfather Lieutenant Colonel Edwin P. Hagen Jr., and the values he ties to those memories. The episode also branches into recurring segments on baseball, sports headlines, a found object, a personalized license plate, and a TV recommendation.This is a solo episode with Greg as the only speaker. He mixes memoir reading, personal reflection, and commentary, with the main themes landing on Christmas memories, family heritage, and American civic values. Key topics In this episode, Greg opens Chapter 47 of the memoir, “The Christmas Times Part 3,” and explains that the project exists to preserve his grandfather’s memory and family history.He frames the chapter as both a written and audio record, emphasizing the memoir’s role in capturing family tradition before it gets forgotten.He walks through a series of Christmas photographs from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, describing his grandfather at the Sisseton, South Dakota Country House opening gifts, sitting with family, and surrounded by holiday clutter and classic decor.Greg highlights recurring visual details across the photos: the orange velour chair, wood-paneled interiors, Ducks Unlimited art, old spice aftershave, a cuckoo clock, and a Siamese cat figure or statue.He reflects on how the family’s Christmas trips to grandma and grandpa helped shape his sense of citizenship, belonging, and “Americanism.”He quotes the American Legion mission and values as a kind of framework for the life lessons he says his grandfather helped instill.He compares the original photos with AI-enhanced versions, commenting on the tension between authenticity and perfection.He gives a personal update on summer, hats, and his haircut, then transitions into the podcast’s recurring segments.In the MLB update, he reports the Minnesota Twins as 64 and 68, two games out of the wildcard, and expresses skepticism about their baseball talent despite their athletic ability.In sports headlines, he notes the NFL season starting on Wednesday, September 9th, and says football will likely take over his attention.In big news, he discusses the reported death of Dolly Parton at 80, praising her positivity and cultural legacy.In “Look What I Found,” he shows off a broken tow hook he picked up off the street, jokingly framing it as a “hooker.”In “License to Podcast,” he analyzes a personalized plate reading “THEZOHAN,” explaining the meaning of Zohan in Urdu and Arabic contexts.In “The Antenna,” he strongly recommends the TV series The Lioness, praising Taylor Sheridan’s writing, the cast, and the show’s spy-thriller premise.
