From Cricket media. This is unholyer than now. I'm your host Philip Picardy. Well everybody, deck the halls, light some candles, and cue the Mariah. It's officially the holiday season.

This year though we're gearing up for a holiday season like no other before. A

troubling rise of coronavirus infections

across the nation threatens to seriously impede travel plans

as Americans all over do their part to prevent the spread of our ongoing pandemic.

So as long as we're reimagining our holiday traditions, today's guest would like us to rethink just one more.

Shopping for gifts.

No, no, today's guest is not the Grinch or Scrooge for that matter.

His name is Matt Rissano and he's a professor of psychology at South Eastern Louisiana

University and the author of five books.

Lately, Matt has been exploring the concept of human rituals and how throughout history, humans have upheld

certain symbols and traditions as sacred.

Matt is concerned that we've replaced sacred symbols that uphold ancestry, community, and family

with more material things like Chanel. Guilty.

To Butress's argument, he points to the wild lines and chaotic scenes at Black Friday sales all over the country.

Now all of you by now certainly know that I'm no big fan of institutional religion,

but I am a big fan of fashion.

So Matt and I got the chance to argue, I mean talk, about the rituals and

symbols we build for ourselves and how to find meaning among it all. And later we'll be joined by the comedian Brian Safi for a special

holiday edition of Am I Going to Hell for this? But in the meantime let's talk to

Matt. Matt, thanks for joining me. All righty well good to meet you. I'll jive right

in. You once jive right in.

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