Call It Holidays and the City

Call It What It Is with Jessica Capshaw and Camil Luddington, an iHeartRadio podcast.

Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello Call It crew, and welcome to another episode of Call It What It Is. Why are we yelling?

We're we're an extra pep in our step.

It might be from the brisk breeze outside the walk from Grand Central station to the iHeart studios here in New York City. Yeah, I have you in person, I r L.

I have how's a feel to be with me?

Decided to grace you with my presence in person and we're having we've been talking. We've been having a little Mary Kate and Ashley.

Morning, our New York minute, our New York minute or maybe many my it's hours and in the.

Studio and we haven't been together in the studio since well since you came to LA for something. So it's been a hot second.

Yeah.

And when we got to when we got to talk to Beanie and Julianne.

Yes, that's right, exactly right, And now we're here together.

Yeah, we are.

Perfect time of year.

Oh my gosh, the walk was so magical. You get out of Grand Central, you get out of the train and you go into that big Grand Room that's been there for I mean, this is where I sound not smart.

How long has Grand Central been around. I'm gonna call it hundreds of years.

It's thousands, been around for thousands of years. It's actually in Gladiat or two. They come out from there, they travel from there to the coliseum.

They take the horse and buggy downtown on the tracks. Yeah. Suit.

Anyways, we uh we we got derailed during that story. Come out into that beautiful room, and we took a lot of pictures with ourselves and with others.

I'm okay. I'm okay being a full blown tourist in New York. Yeah, because even when I lived here, I never stopped taking pictures. Yeah, the city is like, come here, take a picture.

Yeah, and you because every time you turn a corner, you're like.

What, oh, it's so good.

Yeah.

The light, the lights. I just I also think it is the holiday season already in New York. There's no way you can't come into the city and feel so festive.

You're wearing a red snowflake on your sweater side holiday sweat.

This is the first time I'm wearing one this year. Actually, I saved it for me.

Thanksgiving does it matter no, but the city is telling me, actually it's it's you know what though, it's it's only it's only halfway there really, because so we so we'd come on a Grand Central, we exit, we start walking up Fifth Avenue. Some of the storefronts are ready for the holiday season, some of them are not, so some of them are still in progress, as you might say in England.

I uh, I was a little bummed.

We came around the corner and I actually was really waiting for the Aha moment or the Rockefeller Tree and having gone up because I followed the Instagram account that yeah, I saw it being like truck loaded on the truck and driving through the city streets. So I saw the tree on its way here, and I thought we were gonna come around the corner and the tree was gonna be lit up and you were gonna have this.

Yeah you were, you know, you were hoping for the Paris Mountain moment. Yeah, yeah, with the towers all sprinkly yea yeah, yeah.

Yeah, sprinkly or twinkly, but.

Yeah a sprinkle twinkle.

Yeah. It was not and it wasn't that she was she's still naked, she's got scaffolding all around her, and it looked like there was a bunch of people getting her dressed.

Yeah, they'll be a reveal.

Yeah, I just won't be here for it.

You won't be here for it. I'll take a video, yeah yeah. Yeah. So we kept going and then like all the.

Department stores, the fancy department stores like Sasmith Avenue, the windows still have like the blackouts up.

That'll get revealed. There was.

A lot of stores, I mean like there's anyways pick your pleasure, all the fancy stores. Yeah, are starting to come alive with the holiday spirit.

Yeah.

So we got here today and this is it's perfect timing because we have decided to dedicate this episode to being a festive theme.

Yeah sorts, yes, because it's never too early to start, clearly not. I mean Josie decorated her room before Halloween for Christmas.

Yeah yeah, the lights are up. Yeah yeah, so let's go.

Yeah.

I've already listened to Mariah Carey all I Want for Christmas multiple times in my house.

And so we're ready. So we came in New York City. It's feeling festive. We get to be together and you know, we got Thanksgiving coming up and just a hot minute in a New York minute.

So what do you do for the holiday? Do you have things that you always do?

Well, here's what I love about Thanksgiving. I didn't grow up with it, so I just got to inherit. All of you know, friends giving traditions around me. And I love cooking the turkey on the day. I say cooking, but really I get it from Whole Foods. I get the one that's pre cooked.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, because you just shoved that bad point. You can't go wrong. Honestly, you could serve it as is cold and then it's almost like a microwave situation.

Uh huh. It'd be hard to fit it in there. But yeah.

And the reason I did that is because one year I was cooking a turkey from scratch. I actually have pictures of that year, so I'll post them on Instagram. And I was, they absolutely lie to you on a package for how long the turkey's going to take? Yeah, multiply that by three. They're like, yeah, it's gonna be three hours.

Well but okay, wait pause, because it's my understanding that actually, to understand if you've cooked a turkey properly, you need to have an internal thermometer. Yeah, and I had you need to be able to register the inside temperature of the turkey to understand if salmonelle is not in your future.

But the pack one hundred percent, but the packet is assuming that you have the thermometer. And they're saying, hey, guess what, it's a quick three hours that twenty pound turkey, and you're like, great, great, so we're having dinner at four. Yeah, I'll put it in at one and it'll be done live.

Yeah, yea yeah yeah yeah.

The turkey I got that year was an asshole and took I don't know twelve hours, and by like the twelfth hour, my family members and friends that had come over were over it. Yeah, it was a ten I was like at ten pm. I'm not even kidding. It was like that late. And I was like, I'm taking it out. It is what it is, it's been whatever, it has been cooked as cooked, yeah, and we're all going to eat it. And I thought, genuinely, there's no

I'm so glad I wasn't there.

So now I get the ready the cooked turkey.

Yes, let's yes, get it done right. Yeah I have.

I hosted it when or I cooked when you're And I thought, especially with my Missouri roots, having washed my grandma ny and to make mashed potatoes five trillion times, to which, by the way, go get a video, it looks really easy. Not for me, wallpaper paste like the actual really discuss every time. I don't know if my ratios were off, I don't know if my my my my method, I don't know what it was, but it was truly disgusting mashed potatoes.

And I wouldn't think you could mess those up.

Do you do like the instant package on Thanksgiving?

No?

No, no, are you at are you really cooking on Thanksgiving?

No? No, no, yeah no.

I just realized in this moment that this you don't cook for that.

In our family we have, We've done it a bunch of different ways.

We we will cook some dishes.

And sometimes certain members of our family will get you know, you'll get allocated like you're on the mac and cheet it cheanges a lot too, Like we we definitely give like the feedback. There's feedback, there's there's a suggestion box at Thanksgiving.

Oh really Yeah for people that are like, oh I really didn't like that.

Oh, they'll tell you. They'll straight up it's Almoso the Olympics. Like they'll throw up a number.

Yeah, yeah, meshed potatoes. Yeah no, no, no, that's stressful.

No no, no, no, it doesn't feel like a stressful experience. It's more just like what did we get right? And what could we where could we improve? That's just it's just, you know, simple, it's not personal the spirit of Thanksgiving. Yeah, you know what's surprising to me when I cook for Thanksgiving is just how much.

Butter is involved. I love butter.

I know there's so much good, but it's every dish, yeah, I mean really everywhere.

Yeah, you can't go wrong, though.

I could have a butter turk.

Nobody's but no. Oh I put a lot of butter on that turkey.

I'm serious.

You gotta smother the turkey and butter, and you gotta do a little salt pepper, and you gotta throw those herbs on to make it all goll pretty and throw it in see.

I could talk about this forever because truly I love the holidays me too.

I really do.

They were a magical time When I was younger, it felt like such just ugh, exciting, full of possibility, a little magic in there.

Yeah, so much that I love the holiday movies. I could watch the same ones over and over again.

What do you think it's like Thanksgiving movie for the holidays?

I don't know that.

I have a Thanksgiving movie that comes top of mine. I was thinking about The Family Stone.

Do you see that one? Really that's holidays? Yeah? I think it is it Christmas?

I don't know. I think of trains, planes, and automobiles.

First. It's been a while, it's been it's been a while since I've seen that.

That's kind of a yeah, we need more Thanksgiving movies.

Oh, new genre. I'm on it. Yeah, don he's watching Christmas movies. Listen.

I would watch you stuff get cape.

Over stuffing a turkey this opening scene.

Yeah, I'm in told me your sister. Yeah, I love this.

Okay, great, I will get onto the genre of a Thanksgiving movie.

So much to be grateful for. Yeah, I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas.

What's the dish you could do without.

Hmmm, let's name them. I love mashed potatoes when done correctly. Do you my favorite?

The hero dish is stuffing for me. Hero.

I could eat stuffing all day long. Stuffing with a little bit of cranberry. Yeah, like stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes.

And gravy.

I don't I Actually this is gonna be sound crazy. I could do without a turkey on.

I was gonna say the turkey can get a little dry. I absolutely hate the cranberry sauce that has it berries in. I don't want to see you at the.

Want the canned one, the clear can. Yeah yeah, I.

Want to be able to see through it. Jelly.

You wanted to you wanted to move and yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah.

I'm in. I'm in.

New Year's is where.

You start to lose my holiday spirit.

Get it out of here.

I just am like, h it's you're done.

A kin to It's a kin to Valentine's Day, A little bit like the expectation versus the event.

Do you like Valentine's Day?

Though?

Oh?

I decorate and I get all excited about it for my kids now, But it was never like I was not yeah, I'm not like making like a cozy, romantic dinner for two somewhere out on February fourteenth. Nothing's driving me towards that.

No, no, no, man.

I actually like two years ago forgot it was Valentine's Day and the only place that could take us was the bar at Benny Hottoes.

That sounds delightful.

She was great.

Yeah.

The cocktails were strong, yeah, and the sodium was giving, yeah, giving an extra twenty pounds.

You had some shrimps, and this is what loves all about.

Yeah, yeah, yes.

Could you a favorite holiday song?

I do well, I've succumbed to them. I've succumbed to them. I've just given a surrendered to Mariah Carey.

You have to pick something other than Mariah all I went for Christmas.

I have to pick something different. Yeah, oh, I mean I go old school then, yeah, like like, oh gosh, all the names have escaped me right.

Now, silver bells.

Oh yes, I sang a Christmas song. Krista Vernoff wrote me singing a Christmas song with Jim Pickens and Kevin McKidd on the couch at Meredith and Derrek's house one year, and I was I was just a regular, like maybe like my first season as a regular, did it or no?

Did not?

Camilla and I white knuckled throughout that entire experience. I never sang on films song baby it's cold outside.

I love silver bells, I love rude to make it to down.

Oh, that would be my least favorite. That felt like.

Wow, no no, no, no, no, no no, I'm saying no, we're comparing notes.

I love that you love it. It's not mine.

So I just happened to pick your least of all the one hundred Christmas songs. I just sung a song like, that's the absolute least.

Have to disagree. Sometimes it's the spice of life. We cannot agree on all things. It's inevitable. It's more entertaining that when you make fun of me and when we disagree.

Once in a while.

I just felt a little disrespected.

Oh I sang sorry, it's okay, I'm sorry. I do I just friend, we'll.

Talk about it later. When do we decorate for what?

Christmas?

What do you Easter? What do you think I'm talking about? Literally, like, I.

Just told you we are. I just told you we already decorated for Christmas. In Josie's room. That will just spread like a contagion throughout.

The while I'm asking starts. Okay, the Christmas tree gets picked up on the day after Thanksgiving if I'm in my own home.

But if I'm out Friday, Black Friday is Christmas Tree Day if I could.

But I'm usually not home then, so I'm usually with family and usually away. So then I usually come home on Saturday or Sunday night, and then the first thing on Monday, when the kids are at school, I am at.

The Christmas tree.

Oh you know what we did last year that was actually fantastic. I'm gonna need to make a note about this because I want to do it again. We had a living Christmas tree.

Yeah, you just thought it.

You mean, you made it sound dramatic, but you just bought a tree. No living. It was a tree.

It's potted, it's a live You don't have to think about all the Christmas trees that get killed during Christmas. Yeah, yeah, the die for your entertainment. This one got to live. I said to this Christmas tree after he went back into the ground.

That's cute.

That's my point.

That is very cute. So how big is that bucket. You got to save the root.

It's really big.

Yeah, it gets it comes and again we don't live in the city, so they deliver it and it's like if you bought a eight foot tree.

It's like the roots all wrapped in the That is really cute. I like, yeah, it's fantastic.

But then do you get to pick him again? And you're like, Bob, why.

Do you name everyone and everything?

Bob is? I feel like you're a little bit jealous of the name. Why is Bob?

Can Bob come back? I think Bob is still at my house?

Just replanted, I don't know. This is a good question. Can you dig Bob hang on?

You don't know where he went.

Un manage that project. I don't remember where he went afterwards.

That's a little bit about elves.

Be elves took him away.

Okay, I mean what if he's on What if they just shoved.

Him outside a Walmart and he's like, no, he's at my house, like in the ground.

Oh okay, okay, okay, but what okay? Yeah, No, I just have questions about, you know, his safety.

Bob is fine, okay, And Bob might just get picked up by its roots again.

His roots again and come back and I.

Just picked up again.

He's like, off, ao sake, I have to go my share. And they listened to that one song so much.

He's like, hey, yeah, sill bells whatever.

Along, Yeah, yeah yeah.

What about you?

When do you get your tree?

I honestly, okay, I'm ferocious about getting a tree. I like a very specific shape, a very specific needle. You know when people like smell, you know, they're smelling their wine then tasty. That's like me looking at trees. I'm smelling, I'm touching and whispering to it, fering it. Well it gets a little of this, I can see how it responds, you know, gonna sense of humor or not. And I'm like,

I'm like Matt.

North North to the left to you know, it's like, I'm crazy about it.

So you're asking, So you're asking the people at the tree lot to pull the ones that you're you're one.

Of those like pull that out, pull that out. You got like six of them lined up and I'm like I still and then I had them spin them because you got to see like the side, like that side's YANKI this side's good. So it honestly was so stressful for me that I ordered a tree from This is not a plug from King of Christmas. And and so now I'm not stressed. So that bad boy sits on our he's very cozy in our garage, and I will pull him out the weekend after. I mean a lot

Wait, this is a fake tree.

This is a fake tree because the stress of the real tree, the tickling, the dinner, other stuff, yeah, all the other things, the shenanigans was.

I would literally be.

On the floor like I had a nervous break down the middle.

Of you know what I got.

I think I have a fake tree that looks beautiful.

Yeah, I think that I would.

I think former Jessica would would have had an issue with a fake tree, and current Jessica evolved. Jessica would say, I think that's actually great because you're not killing a tree.

Yeah, it's a perfect looking tree.

It's perfect. It I scented, it's not scented, Okay, But to be honest that I do love the scent because growing up never a fake tree wouldn't have come within six feet of the house, you know, it wasn't even in consideration. And I do love the tradition of going out and picking the tree. I do too, and so there's a little bit of that missing. So sometimes we'll just go out and get a mini tree for their room. That's real, right.

I put smaller trees in my kids' tree, the ones that want them, Josey and Poppies still want them this year.

Yeah, and so they get that feeling. But that makes me feel so spoiled, like that is just like to have a mini tree in your kid's room.

And there's just something about you and I talked about this because when you walked into Josie's room last night, yeah, and she had decorated. You said something that you and I agree on that I didn't know, which was you have to have the right Christmas tree lights because the Led Christmas lights.

I cannot It's not the same stand in the Led lights. The colors are off. The blue is gross. I hate it. It has to be the I'm going to give you an example of what they look like. They look like the twinkle lights and stranger things. It has to be a pinky color. It has to look like nineties warm.

Glowy warm. Literally, yeah, I know. So Josie has them all.

And then over one window there wasn't a plug, so she had to get the led and they stick.

Out like that.

I had to lie. I said, they looked good.

Yeah, you do? You like because she's you know, she's cute.

And I was like, they look good over there, and then I was like, lie to a.

Child, Yeah, I get it. Does she appreciate it?

Though?

She did?

Okay, Well, I do have a question because I think a lot of money is made around this. What is your favorite winter beverage?

Oh, eggnog and whiskey? I love it?

This makes sense.

Spiked, what about you?

I was you went to alcohol. I went to more like, you know, like a peppermint mocha.

What about a peppermint martini.

I'll take one of those, yeah for sure? Yeah? Okay? And when did you do your shopping? Do you do online? Do you go in person? Do you know, go to the mall.

I'm gonna tell you what really pissed me off, and I mean this whole heart look serious, I am really serious.

I know your eyes are narrowing.

I am so mad that Toys Rust does not exist because as a kid going to Toys r Ust, going through those aisles, and it was like the most it was like being in toy Land, Like it was like.

Oh my gosh.

Well take that experience, and if you compared it to Fao Schwartz New York City, like early two thousands, yes, like it was.

I mean and they that time that lasted a long time.

But now I do feel like like you could have gone into Toys r Us and you could have gone a buzz light Year, a little Hot Wheels, a Barbie. If you go in there in New York City, it's a little like here's a really cute bear.

That's not true about time, No, no, no, no, there was a.

Whole lot of buzz light Year and Hot Wheels.

No way, I'm trying to think of where it is now because now it's near rock Flower Center. Well, it's honestly genuine, I'm answering this question actually legitimately, like seriously.

It depended because the Fao Schwartz wants are an.

Evolution I'm talking about now. If you go in.

Now, my last experience was that they have they kind of. I could be using this the right way or the wrong way. Don't hold me to it. I feel like they private labeled all the toys they sell. Now that's what I feel like too.

Yeah, so they do.

Like the baking department is like by fo shorts and the department is That's That's what I'm saying.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, I'm with you. I'm on book ye yeah.

Back in the day maybe different. I didn't know, but I but I but I don't. I don't want to Amazon the toys.

No, I know. It's I don't want.

You know, what's a great, great shopping experience. And I'm not paid to say this. Walmart American Girl doll. Okay, my daughter.

Just not give as dolls. It's great if you have that kid, but my daughter just does not.

Hash. Were gone to the long with her doll and got this and I'm.

Going to tell you exactly what happened. We went to this really cute American Girl doll birthday party, right, so she had lunch with the doll. So we didn't have a doll. In fact, no, that's a lie. We had a doll. I'm going to post a picture on Instagram that doll looked like she'd seen some it. Okay, she's been through it. First off, she was naked and her hair looked like she looked like she'd been electrocuted. Right, So we were like, she can't she's one hundred percent.

Two hundred plus dollars.

Oh yeah, because she's like, oh.

It's real expensive. Toss into the bushes.

It's it is us, please come back, toys or us. What is your best tip to stay calm and unstressed during the holiday.

Oh, this answer is very easy for me, and it's come hard one, but I'm very proud of it.

It's not gonna surprise you. Preparation. I start preparing.

Your a psychopath.

Yeah, I start preparing for the holidays quite early because when I was just in charge of you know, myself or like my family members when I was younger, that seemed manageable. And then you have kids, and I was like, babies, first Christmas, It's so exciting whatever. Then you have another and then you're working outside the house and you've got your family life, and then they start school. You go from taking care of like I don't know, four people

Plus, it could be forty plus. Yeah, because you.

Have teachers, you have coaches, you have people that are in your life every day that genuinely mean something to you. And I absolutely, so so much want to show my appreciation and my gratitude during a time that does feel so magical, and yet I was finding that this wonderful thing that I was doing started to feel really bad, like too much pressure.

Oh, it's so much pressure.

Like yeah, I just I was under it, not over it, and it was not working for anyone. And my answer I had to have a little talk with myself, and I was like, self, you're either cutting this list in a really meaningful way, or you're going with one gift that you give to everyone, right, yeah, or you're gonna start earlier.

And so I went with starting earlier.

What is the start time? Here? Are we talking about a July?

I started. I started a couple of weeks ago.

That's not too early.

Well that's before Halloween. That seems a little early.

I don't think. So I've already started googling some.

Stuff, okay, yeah.

And then and then basically I just have an area in the house that no one's allowed to go into, and you start like creating piles.

Yeah, and then I do, and then I do.

I do end up getting similar things for you know, the teachers and.

Oh the last year, I do remember I should I forgot to follow up on this.

I do actually think that teachers and.

That kind of like teachers, teachers and coaches and all that. I feel like you really should just give them money.

Well let's ask, yeah, yeah, what do you guys want?

Yeah?

I always get stuck.

How many robes? How many cups with their name on it? How many to go cups with their name on it?

I don't know though, because like, does a gift cards seem like kind of like whatever? Yeah?

It does, for sure it does, but it also it could be like whatever I want?

True?

Right, they get to get.

Whatever they want, true, true, true. Well, okay, if you are listening to this and you are a teacher, please help Justina, I know, yes, please what you guys really do want?

Yeah, because we will give it to you.

Yeah, all right, call it cru submissions, call it chritmsubmissions.

Okay. Isabelle says, I always learn a Christmas piece on the piano and buy tons of Christmas candles.

That's really cute.

I wish you were in my family because I would like to hear you play that Christmas piece on the piano.

And and I do love a Christmas candle.

I have so many Christmas candles.

The ones that smell like something real though, like once, like you're the ones that are like gingerbread spiced punkin latte with.

A dash of mocha. Yea, yeah, no, that's not a real scent.

Yeah, what do you need depression? Like what do we talk? What's what's real? You need that? That's what you need?

No, I like a cedar candle. Fine. Wow.

Gianna wrote in and she said I make a Google doc with Christmas list decorations needed at links and photos.

That's fun. That would bring me joy, love it, Okay. Jesslyn said, my anniversary and birthday are in November, so we don't decorate or get into the spirit until after Thanksgiving. I think that's pretty common. Yeah, tradition for a lot of people.

Mm hmm.

Jay roden And said, I'm from Poland, and we put a coin and a dumpling and whoever finds it will be lucky for the whole year we have.

We we have a tradition like this in England. You put a little in the Christmas pudding.

That's not a cake, it's an actual pudding.

Uh. It's like it's confusing because like yeah, it's kind of like a fruitcake almost, and then like light it on fire. Oh yeah, and you shove like ten p in there, a twenty p in there, and whoever finds that you're talking about doesn't choke pe a pence.

Yeah yeah, you just you said a pete. You're not talking about like a round green pea. You're talking about a pence.

Yeah, but we call it ten p p.

I was just trying to help the American listeners.

Okay, sorry you don't yeah, yeah, So anyway.

I don't know how I feel about money and my food.

It's gross, but growing up, like I mean you, it is gross, and I there's no way my dad washed that penny. That's what I'm so you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, Irene says, I dressed my kittens up like their little Christmas Eus.

That's cute.

I love that cute. It's really cute. I think the dogs are going to be Christmas elves now this year. I've been inspired.

O ooh abe.

I am aligned with your thinking. It's the first year that we are doing this. I give my nieces and nephews their Christmas gift after Thanksgiving and their new holiday pjs. So I think you get your holiday pjs after Thanksgiving so that you can wear those bad boys every single night up until Christmas.

You ran that down.

No, no, no, I'm not writing it down. I tweeted this out into the Twitter sphere and there was very really, really cute on this subject. Danielle wrote, every year, on Christmas Eve before bed, I used to get to open one present that would always be new Pj's. It's something my nan, my grandma always did, and when she died, my mom started doing it. And I'm thirty six now and I still get them. Really, I like the PJ gift before Christmas.

I might have to do.

That because this reminds me. I love traditions. I love something that happens every year and that you can rely on it. You do it, you know it, you see it coming, you look forward to it, you cherish it.

It's great.

Yeah, Lizzie said, holidays are hard for me because my parents divorced and my dad moved out, so it's always an awkward family reunion for us on Christmas Eve. I think a lot of people listening to this have this experience.

Yeah. I get that. Yeah, my parents were divorced, and I remember it could be a hard time of the year.

It could be a hard time of the year, and I remember still finding the magic in it and just sort of trying to stay hopeful that everyone was going to behave themselves and we were all going to be filled with the Christmas spirit and that it would be it would be okay, because everything's gonna be okay. Yeah.

I also I also think sometimes you take comfort in just knowing, like listen, today is gonna be not the best, not so fun. Yeah, take the pressure off it being perfect. Yeah, and just know that there's millions and millions and millions of other people sitting here on this day feeling like this is annoying. Yeah, Like I find comfort in things like listen, I'm not the only person in the world

Annoying and they're miserable. Yeah.

Just a little lighthearted comment for the holiday season, No.

But I think it's worth saying that people talk about what it's like to still be in their situations or in their in their you know, still dealing with the same issues that they're dealing with any other time of the year, but during a time of the year that everyone wants everybody to be happy and sometimes you're not happy, and that's okay. If you're bullied by the Christmas spirit and you can sort of like park those problems somewhere and be like, I'm gonna get back to you after

Yeah.

I think it's I think Christmas is hard because of the pressure, right, the pressure to feel so much.

People are spending a lot of money, which is hard. It's a lot. The holidays can be a lot.

Yeah, two things can be true, Nayak said. Argentinian traditions are epic for Christmas because it's summer here. You need to look it up on TikTok.

I've always wondered what the summer Well does the summer Christmases look like? Yeah, yeah, I know, it would be very weird to it's just not Yeah, yeah, okay, Jason. Every year my family does filet mignon and baked potatoes for Christmas dinner.

Ooh yeah, Well.

We were talking about the turkey not being our faves, so maybe it's a Filet Mignon change out.

Oh yeah, yeah.

Morgan wrote in and said getting older, realizing your family is toxic and still having to spend Christmas with.

Them sucks again. There you go, nog and whiskey. Morgan makes everything a little bit nice.

You're not alone.

See, this is where you can come to understand that all perspectives and feelings are welcome.

I gotta say, I've just so that I'm relating and being honest and calling it what it is. The biggest art events my family has had, not me and Matt, like I'm talking about you know, your family of origin, the Luddington's yep, have always been on Christmas Day. Yeah, in fact, and they're ridiculous. Like I remember there was an argument that started over whether the Beatles or Oasis were better. And I'm not kidding my subjective it got dark cool.

Yeah, that's unfortunate, I know. Yeah, well it's funny.

I mean, I'm glad that people wrote in about their their real feelings and their real experiences because it is reminding me that I can definitely do a little revisionist history because I like to move towards the light and the and the joyous, but yeah, yeah, there's some there were some dark. There's some moments, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And also when you get older because actually my grandparents and my parents were divorced, so I actually.

I bopped around. Yeah yeah, and when.

People are there's so much pressure for people to feel like they're with a ton of people during the holidays or be some part of some like you know, jubilant celebration that they've seen in a movie or television show.

But that's not everybody's reality. You know.

Sometimes you're alone and guess what it's. It's a Christian tradition. It's a Christian holiday. That's that's not what everyone else is celebrating. And so you kind of have to just make some room for where everybody else is coming from.

And that's okay.

Yeah, Eden said, for Honkah, we light the manora together and eat and sing. It makes me so happy.

These were some good.

Celebrate I do the whole thing, all of it, all of them, I know, some of my favorite favorite favorite memories as a teenager, especially because I was the oldest and so we always had it felt like all the youngers and the babies and just all the lights in their eyes and was celebrating Hanukah and.

I love love love, like right after you light.

The candles and and then there was just the singing it is we did, we did, We sang a lot and we danced and then we would get that dance. That dance would go on for a lot longer than just you know, the lighting of the candles.

My mom, it was really a congo line. Going back to thee. It was a congo line. It was a Jewish congo line. God, please take a video. I will. I've got some for sure. No, we made it the best.

And you know what, my my family just that going back to what I just said, right, it doesn't have to be a big family.

Sometimes you have a small family.

There were a lot of times I was around a big family, and so there's some there's some shit that comes with that, you know, people disagree or whatever, but there's also just tremendous togetherness and light and everybody can pretty much hold on for that one conga that line just there's the conga line.

Yeah, maybe that's maybe.

Party all dance a whore. I can't stop it. The table, I give you a treat.

Hate amazing Kristen The Day the tree goes up.

We watched the nineteen fifty one Black and White a Christmas Carol, and it's a wonderful life.

I love it. There's a great business.

I hate a wonderful life.

Hate is a strong word.

I do.

I don't.

I find it so depressing, and some of my members of my family love it. I just can't.

I don't like it, you say, I can't tell you the last time I watched it in its entirety.

There's a reason, okay, as you Lily, Lily said, my church has Thanksgiving and Christmas services and we serve food and sing. I always loved midnight Mass. Did you do the midnight Mass? Yeah, yeah, I loved it.

We did.

We did all the masses in all the different ways. You know, something is brought up in Lily's uh right in and it's we serve food. I don't know if she's talking about just serving her family food. But one of the most rewarding things that I've done with our family, like now our our our Gabagan family, our family is

They've always been very nervous, like am I going to do it right? Yeah?

And pushing through that discomfort and not knowing or even just you know, talking to.

People they don't know or whatever. I've never my heart is so full when we leave experiences like that. I almost have been.

I've almost had the thought that service might actually be selfish, like you feel so good about having helped someone else.

Yeah.

I think there's a lot of opportunities to do that. I think there are a lot of opportunities to do that during the holidays. And I also think for those who are feeling a little lonely or feeling like maybe they don't have that you know, picture perfect holiday celebration ahead of them, I would encourage you to look for ways you can help people.

Yeah.

I like that a lot.

Jess yeah ood, Yeah, I like that distracts you from your worries too.

If you want to look for how it helps you.

Can I just skip straight to Natalie.

Yeah.

Nallie says I get drunk at the airport before I treat myself to a trip.

I wonder if Natalie always makes her flight.

I bet she does. I bet she loves it. I just there's nothing. No, we don't even need to make a comment on that. Good job, Nallie, as you should.

Becka says, I just want to meet the love of my life so we can start our own traditions. Is that too much to ask?

Nope, and guess what you will get it.

I think that like friends giving and friends miss you make, making the traditions with your friends is really fun too.

Though.

Yeah, it doesn't just have to be love of your life, oh for sure. Yeah. Jenny said, we do a gingerbread house competition with my kids, who are in their twenties. We love to bake. I love this too, I love it, love it.

Casey said, I get two trees, a cute one for the living room and and.

An ugly one for my kids room. That's cute.

That's like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, right, that's very funny.

That's cute.

Oh my god. Maya said, I try to catch a cold to avoid going to my family for the holiday.

This makes me just think she's like licking, like licking.

You know, an elevator, Yeah, all the things buttons.

Yeah, yeah, Maya.

I'm gonna tell you a little secret. You can just say you have a cold. I don't have to get it.

Oh yeah, here we have the Charlie Brown and.

Christmas Tree Aslan Ashlin. Yeah, Ashlyn says, we purposely try to find a Charlie Brown tree that needs love.

I think I'm going to get one. I think I gotta go get that tree. Yeah, cutesy, cutesy. After eating, we all say one thing we love about the person to the left of.

Us, like my birthday. But they're all about me.

They're just all about you know.

Yeah. I'd like everyone to go around the table and talk about, yeah, how much they love me.

Yeah, no justice about other people.

Oh sorry, anyways, Mimi says, a shot of tequila before the family comes over.

It's a must, agreed, can't go wrong with a shot aut tequila.

Mai said.

We go to the cinema, the movie theater on Christmas Eve. There's no one there and it's something we love doing. I can see that being really cute. Always good movies out of Christmas time. Mm hmmm, great.

Thoma says, growing up, I stayed up late making to Molly's with my mom.

On the twenty third and twenty.

Fourth, Rina said, we do our annual Christmas karaoke. We love it.

That's fun.

That's fun.

Ella says on December first, my younger siblings sprinkle glitter outside to show Santa that my kids live there.

That's very cute. When do your kids write their Christmas letters to Santa?

There's not like a formal tradition around it.

There's not.

Yeah. Yeah, and you know now that the world, I mean, as we have all things get a little more digital.

I feel like I've got you know.

What they're emailing Google docs. But what are they doing? Snap chatting?

Sannah, Yeah, there's nothing, okay, all right, snapping them with the Santa snap Sannah.

Yeah. Laura said, my mom makes my sisters and I sing Christmas songs on the video so she can send them to friends and family.

I hope Laura's under fourteen. Can you imagine?

But you know what's cute about this is like every year, if you do it as a tradition, you see yourself growing older. Like it could it could be a really cute little mashup later in life.

Hm hmm.

Sophia said on Thanksgiving, me decorate paper turkeys with a theme and we vote for the winner.

Oh. I remember making turkeys, real paper turkeys as a kid.

Yeah, I don't even know what that is. How do you make them? Well?

Remember the ones with the were your hand, Yeah, the outline of your hand. I remember doing those and cutting it out, and then I remember it's getting you paper tissue, tissue paper, yes, getting tissue paper and then getting little dots of glue and like you would like make it the feathers.

Yes, not that artistic.

I love the parade.

You how are we not hosts for the parade? That was what a bucket list thing for you?

You really wanted to host you guys giving this podcast.

I was like, I'm very excited about the podcast, but also we need to be hosting the parade. Yeah, and we can make it happen for next year. And then I think that that's what I'm saying right now. I think this is twenty twenty five. We're going to make sure that we're we have a float. If that's how it happens, Oh my gosh, god, I'm not sure I want to do on the sidelines, being like, and here comes the barney like that, I think we'd be really good.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think we would too. I think we would too.

Do you guys want to see us help host the things?

Yeah, start the start petition, Let's find the powers that be and let's just start, you know, a deluge of requests.

Yeah.

I'm like how people like really want to be in Marvel movies. I want to be on the sidelines of that parade. Here we do, Jessica, amazing, I'm not getting all right. You end with Charlotte.

Charlotte says, we blast Christmas music and put up our decorations.

Way too early.

You know, they're blasting Christmas music on the streets of New York right now. Yeah, then, Jessica and I have full on this is not a joke. We've been dancing in the middle of the street. Yeah, we do that. We do do that.

We say we want to live a low key life. We say we just want to blend in. Yeah, and then that cus to us.

Dancing in the middle of the street.

A lot of blending.

No.

No, you know what I'm remembering about what the holidays and Christmas list is that a lot of times they'll be well, I think it's probably a marketing scheme, but there's a there's like the thing to get and I remember when I was a kid, the thing to get there was a cabbage patch.

I know that. Do you know why I know this? I know this because Matt always talks about this too.

And they were nowhere to be found, no, and my mother reports like going to I mean like a secret room somewhere. Yeah, yeah, to get a I mean it was a it was a it was a it was an official cabbage patch, yeah, doll, but it was like you couldn't find them on the shelves of toys r us so you had to.

I don't know how they did this.

Back Alley, back Alley deals.

With the cabbage patch of patches. I love that doll though.

Oh yeah, they were huge. But I have the memory. This isn't something that I wanted. But I do have the memory of my little brother. He's born in nineteen ninety so I don't know what this was, maybe ninety five whatever. Whenever the first toy story came out the buzz light years that Christmas, they literally did not make enough and it was the toy in fact, I think

Yeah, it's real.

Yeah, we cannot end this episode without me giving a special shout out to my favorite Christmas movie.

Do it? No one makes me laugh like Will Ferrell Enolf.

Really yeah, that's your very favorite.

Well for comedy and for sheer enjoyment, and I could watch it a million different times.

Yes, this episode made me so happy.

Well you should be so happy because we get to leave this episode and walk out onto the streets of New York City where Christmas music is already blasting, and are going to be amusing dance.

In the streets.

But I'm just excited to spend it with the call it.

Yeah, me too, I know.

Can you guys send us all your pictures? Do you want to see what you're decorating? Well, you know what, we'll be on the Instagram.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, send us, send us all your things and you know what, only because we started with the joy and thanks to you all, we were reminded of some of the parts of the holidays that can be really tough. And I just want to say that it's very easy to think that something's going to be a certain way for forever, and when we're stuck in a thing, a fear, a challenge, a situation of a relationship that's not going the way we want it to, it's it's just really easy to think it's going to

And I also would love to say that we are all. We're here with you, so whatever that means to you, please know that I feel that it's true.

I agree, I like that. I like that For our sign off, bigger picture.

Bigger picture, bigger picture, This two shall pass YEA and for those of you that want to play Christmas music all year round.

Yeah, this too shall stay. Yeah yeah.

All right.

Let's call I love being with you here, all right, thank you all, and let's call it the end of the episode.