Episode Two: Love Martinis and Leo Buscaglia

Welcome to our Valentine’s Day Lit for Christmas party of Season Four!

In this episode, Marty and Beth guzzle down Love Martinis and discuss Seven Stories of Christmas Love by Dr. Love himself, Leo Buscaglia. 

BONUS POINTS:  Take a shot every time you hear our 15-year-old son in the background.  CAUTION: You WILL get very drunk.

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT:

Love Martini

(courtesy of https://picturetherecipe.com/recipes/valentines-special-love-martini-cocktail/)

Ingredients:

· 1/2 shot Malibu Rum (Substitute Coconut Cream for non-alcoholic version)

· 1/2 shot Peach Schnapps (Substitute Peach Nectar for non-alcoholic version)

· 1/2 shot Vodka (Substitute (Substitute Strykk Not Vodka for non-alcoholic version)

· 3 shots Cranberry Juice

· 2 strawberries, for garnish (optional)

· A wedge of lime (optional)

· Sugar to rim the glass (optional)

Directions:

1. To make strawberry hearts for garnish, cut a small "v" to remove the stem of the strawberry. Then cut it into slices.

2. Rim martini glass with sugar (optional).  Use a lime/lemon wedge along the rim of the glass to get it wet and dip the glass in a plate with sugar.

3. Gently mix the Malibu Rum, Peach Schnapps, Vodka, and Cranberry Juice together in a shaker over ice and pour it into the prepared glass.

4. Garnish your love martini with a couple strawberry hearts and a strawberry on the rim.

Directions for Non-Alcoholic Love Martini Recipe

Follow same directions as above, eliminating, substituting Coconut Cream, Peach Nectar, and Strykk Not Vodka for Malibu Rum, Peach Schnapps, and Vodka.

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Marty has an Master's in fiction writing, MFA in poetry writing, and teaches in the English Department at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  He served two terms at Poet Laureate of the Upper Peninsula, and has published the poetry collection The Mysteries of the Rosary from Mayapple Press.  For more of Marty's thoughts and writing visit his blog Saint Marty (saintmarty-marty.blogspot.com) or listen to his other podcast Confessions of Saint Marty, also on Anchor.fm.  Marty is a writer, blogger, wine sipper, easy drunk, and poetry obsessor who puts his Christmas tree up in mid-October and refuses to take it down until the snow starts melting.

Beth has a BS in English Secondary Education.  She has worked as a substitute teacher, medical transcriptionist, medical office receptionist, deli counter attendant, and Office Max cashier.  Currently, she works in a call center and enjoys discussing/arguing about literature with her loving husband.

Music for this episode:

"Jingle Bells Jazzy Style" by Julius H, used courtesy of Pixabay.

"A Christmas Treat" by Magic-828, used courtesy of Pixabay.

Other music in the episode:

Bieber, Justin. "Christmas Love." Under the Mistletoe. RBMG/Island Def Jam Music Group, 1 November, 2011.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

This month's Christmas lit:

Buscaglia, Leo.  Seven Stories of Christmas Love. New York, William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1987.