The Chevy Christmas Commercial – The Music, The Location, and the Truck

The Chevrolet marketing department has prioritized Christmas and if they keep creating ads like this one (or this one from last year), they will always be received with arms wide opennnnn (Creed reference). Grab a cup of egg nog and watch the ad they call “The Sanctuary,” then scroll down for more…

The Location. The commercial was filmed in Chelsea, Michigan and if you scroll through various social media comments, the locals there are very proud of their town. Here’s a Google maps image showing the Jiffy plant and the clock tower, which you can see in the commercial as the father and son drive down Main Street. Small world, I just used Jiffy to make my vegan cornbread dressing!

The Music. The song in the ad is “Time In a Bottle” by Jim Croce in 1972. Here’s the full track…

The Truck. A lot of viewers are so happy to see the square body of the 1978 Chevy C10, some even imploring Chevy to return to the boxy truck aesthetic. I’m a Chevy guy myself, and while some brands go for flashy, curvy style, I appreciate the workhorse quality of my Silverado… and to be totally honest, I appreciate it very, very much.

-Out of the Wilderness

Five Great “Little Drummer Boy” Covers

One of my favorite songs around the Christmas season is “Little Drummer Boy,” probably the most well-known version is by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. But since their duet back in the late 1970s, many (and I mean MANY) covers have been recorded so I thought December 1st is the perfect day to list a handful of my favorites. Let’s just start at the top. Justin Bieber is my favorite track while For King & Country has my favorite music video/song combo.

Justin Bieber…

For King & Country…

There’s also the Jars of Clay version, recorded in the mid-1990s.

And you can’t think about Christmas music in 2024 without mentioning Pentatonix.

Honorable mention goes to the “There I Ruined It” YouTube channel for their mashup of the song with “Apple Bottom Jeans.” You might not ever not be able to hear this version so proceed with caution.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Google Pixel 9 Gemini Live Commercial – The Music, the Dog No One Saw, and More

If you would’ve told me the music in this commercial is from a Grammy Award winning group, I would’ve been very skeptical. I wouldn’t have ended our friendship but let’s just say my Google history might include “how do I tell someone they’re loony but in a nice way”… no offense…. but the truth is it IS a Grammy Award winning group and I’M the looney one! Go figure.

Gemini, Google’s version of Siri (or should I soon say Siri is Apple’s version of Gemini?) is on full display in their recent commercial featuring the “live” function. It’s like a conversation with your friend, only more mature (right?). Take a look at the ad then scroll down for more about it…

The Dog. Did you notice the dog? I didn’t, until I watched the ad again. Easily my favorite part of the entire commercial.

The Music. The song used as the soundtrack for this commercial is “Praeambulum (Partita No. 5 in G, BWV 829)” by The Swingle Singers. The performance of this Bach composition was released as part of a Grammy-award winning album in 1964 called “Going Baroque”… here’s the full track.

The commercial provides real-life examples of when Gemini Live can be useful but all I know is, I’m here for the dog.

-Out of the Wilderness

Vegan Cornbread Dressing Ingredients…

Having a traditional Thanksgiving meal as a vegan is not the easiest thing. In fact, the turkey part is not possible. It’s meat, after all. But! There’s plenty more that is safe to eat, even if it’s not the healthiest meal ever. Mashed potatoes, green beans, and my favorite is cornbread dressing/stuffing.

[before baking]

Instead of eggs, I used flaxseed. Instead of dairy milk, almond milk. Swap out the chicken broth with veggie broth and that’s basically it. Here are the measurements:

3 cups Jiffy vegetarian cornbread mix (with almond milk, flaxseed instead of eggs)

bread pieces (3 cups)

chopped onions (1 cup)

cut celery (1 cup)

flaxseed (3 tbsp)

poultry seasoning (to taste)

veggie broth (1.5 cartons)

water (3 tbsp)

I also added mushroom gravy which consisted of sliced mushrooms, flour, and veggie broth. Super easy to make even for someone like me who is terrible in the kitchen.

If you try it, comment below and chime in with any other ideas you’ve tried for a vegan Thanksgiving!

-Out of the Wilderness

Happy Thanksgiving from Out of the Wilderness

I had the opportunity to go out on my dad’s boat with a few family members and had an impromptu photo shoot. This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful that I’m good at other things besides being an international supermodel.

-Out of the Wilderness