Evil_eric, that’s a Dr. Seuss reference if I am not mistaken. Both that toast story and this episode are pretty soapboxy. I can agree.

@Background Pony Number 17
 
She didn’t know the family very well. It would be like if I went to visit a religious family who voluntarily live without electricity. Of course I’d think my way of living is better, but I wouldn’t try to change them.
 
There wouldn’t have been any real conflict in the episode if there were no misunderstandings. I’ve tried to get people to try new things before too, and boy did I mess that up.
 
Applejack did make some mistakes this episode, but I think she learned from them.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but in this episode Applejack came across as kind of a bigot. Cconsider the way she suggested the Pie family traditions could be “so much better” if they were shown the way the Apple family does things. It’s not the first time she’s been portrayed as narrow-minded and cocksure of her own family’s superiority (as Zecora could testify).
 
Bottom line, redneck pony’s gotta redneck.

Also Austere Amish Tradition

@Ferrotter  
And this episode was written by the same writer as the yak episode. Perhaps Noelle Benvenuti (the writer of “Maud Pie”) could have done a better job with it?

This not Apple tradition! Apples destroy!!

This not Pie tradition! Pies destroy!!!

If Twilight had been there, she would have suggested that Pinkie and Applejack should have fully explained their family traditions to each other before going on the trip.

Please. Have you never had a situation exactly like this, OP? Like, not even an allegory for it. Surely you’ve celebrated Christmas or some other holiday with people who don’t celebrate it like you do, and there’s a disconnect you feel.

Also, super obvious symbolism that I somehow missed before I rewatched the episode.
 
AJ causing the boulder to fall down a hill. Her ignorance caused a rift that led to catastrophe.

@gittonsxv  
also the reason they hide the presents is same as the reason they do everything else.  
the ancestors lived in a time of hardship, maybe because they had nothing to give to others that had to go out into the world and find something of value, aka finding a present.

@Background Pony #B916  
the thing is that in reality one tradition can come off as massively worse than another.  
to somebody who celebrates xmas every year with massive meals, singing, tons of presents the idea of not doing that seems terrible but that is the thing with tradition, it is often outdated and a bit raw.
 
i really loved having an insight into what seems to be very old earth pony traditions, everything is efficient, not based on money and candy and wealth but having just enough to scrape by,  
you remember the tale of how equestria was founded? earth ponies made food for EVERYBODY which means they had to work the hardest out of everybody to even feed themselves, this type of mentality must have been passed down, what do you do if you have a tiny amount of food and rocks?  
you carve rocks into gifts, you make rock soup, you make games that anybody can play.
 
arguably the pie family has equally the right idea as any other, they do not stuff themselves with luxury and material possessions, they instead remember that the founding of their world came from starvation, hardship and trials.
 
the pie family could be seen as the classic earth pony xmas,  
the way that everybody does it might comes from the unicorns, unicorns are always a bit stuck up and have a focus on wealth and power.

“THAT SENTENCE HAD TOO MANY SYLLABLES! APOLOGIZE!”
 
I’m pretty sure Pinkie Pie’s family had lots of reasons for why they celebrate Hearth’s Warming Eve the way they do. I’m sure if Pinkie Pie could actually explain her family’s customs, or if Applejack could ask politely about them and be more accepting of other peoples traditions, it would have gone a lot better.
 
I would have done just as bad, if not worse if I was coming to visit D: Probably wouldn’t even know what kinds of gifts the Pie family would enjoy.

Actually I said lighthearted lesson regarding how to go about sharing important traditions as told through a universally understood “different worlds” experience, i.e., the extended family gathering.
 
@Background Pony #B916  
I wouldn’t say they’re worse. The food is very different, obviously, but the Pies clearly consider it a normal meal and likely don’t understand that it wouldn’t be for everyone. And while they might need to work harder at making the presents easier to find, Applejack does seem to come around in the end to the idea that a surprise gift can feel more meaningful.

@Background Pony #B916
 
Well the Pies liked the food. So it can’t be entirely awful. I think that particular scene was meant to show that AJ wasn’t trying to learn about the Pies’ culture. She just took it on the chin until it reached a boiling point. More humouring the family than trying to make a proper connection.

@Background Pony #B916
 
Maybe it’s secretly a proclamation of the superiority of western materialistic culture disguised as a heavy-handed lesson about cultural relativism. Quick, someone rally the social justice warriors!

No.

@gingerninja666  
The weird thing is how far out of its way the episode goes to portray the Pie traditions as being outright worse than the Apple ones, aside from Holder’s Boulder. The food isn’t just different and unfamiliar, it’s actively disgusting. And the present hiding usually results in not just a few missed presents, or them collecting the leftovers after, but ponies usually getting no presents at all.

@Background Pony #AEBF  
Basically, there’s no one truth about one’s culture. The point of view is relative.

what does this ism mean

It’s weird what some people consider heavy handed and what others consider perfectly sound.
 
For my two cents, I wished we’d actually learned more about those traditions by the Pies. Because they honestly do come off as pretty shit.
 
Though I guess us not being told them was the point. We’re supposed to assume there’s an explanation first before just assuming the tradition is crap.