The right seasoning to welcome the newborn

This week, #ScaiPod is taking a close look at how Arlington celebrates the holidays.

I don't mean to ignore Grapevine. The State legislature declared Grapevine the Christmas Capital of Texas back in 2009. I even have a bottle of wine from the Grapefest vineyards at the house.

Arlington just happens to have some events that can appeal to my love of both barbecue and double entendres.

Arlington's Christkindl Market (Now Texas Christkindl) is open in the Entertainment District. I'm not an old man, but I discussed with the organizer how I've been coming since the market first started 15 years ago. It had previously been just north of the old ballpark and next to a lake.

"You remember that wind coming from the north, " Henry Lewczyk said after I suggested the current location was a bit better protected from the frigid Texas wind. He also pointed out the wind might be frigid sometimes, but it was just as likely to be sultry and in the 90s... and on the same day.

He said Chicago and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania both have Christkindl markets, so when visitors come here, even on a cool day, it's usually warmer than their hometown.

Now that they've moved onto the plaza outside Globe Life FIeld, the stands are closer together and protect people from the elements, giving me more time to comfortably chat up a gentleman who was introducing visitors to his barbecue seasonings.

He asked where I was from. When I told him Ohio, he said he used to frequent a show in Dayton. He said they always drew good crowds and a lot of military from the air force base.

"That was a blast up there," he said.

"We love Dayton," his wife said.

But hearing about that success, Dayton then discontinued the event.

In the podcast, he walks me through the right seasoning you'll want to use for Christmas dinner.

Next to Rib Rangers is, I swear I'm not making this up, Your Nuts.

They were calling folks over with phrases that included, but were not limited to, "That's my nuts you smell," and "Who wants the largest sack?"

I explained I have childhood memories of an uncle delivering a sack of nuts to my parents as a gift and yelling, "Nuts to you!"

The nuts themselves, though, were declicious. Their manager says they do a lot of renaissance fairs and Christmas shows.

"We took a few years off, then Henry talked us into coming back so we could bring our wonderful smell."

She walked me through why the nuts smell so delightful.

Their stand does smell very much like Christmas, and I learned they stand out because pralinating is the easy way out if you're going into the nut game. She said their preparation leads to crunchier nuts. You can hear, as the greatest radio reporter in Texas, I investigated this matter to confirm.

She said she hands out a lot of samples to introduce passersby to how their product is different.

"That's the secret of getting people to buy is getting a nut in people's hand," she said.

Lewczyk says this might be a market, but the name, Christkindl, refers to an angelic gift giver which is part of European traditions. As more people move to the Metroplex, he says this can introduce them to the Czech, German and Polish heritage of a lot of families that arrived in Texas through Galveston.

"It's a very positive holiday message," he says. "That's what we're trying to keep alive, that message of giving. We can't forget the real meaning of the holidays."

Part of that positive message is we might feel divided right now, but we've come a long way from seasoning our prime rib with frankincense and myrrh.