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Welcome back, friends. This is our next Q and A, our our Winter December Q and A. We're so excited to have you joining us from whatever cozy corner you're in in the world.
Are we going to end this episode with with your Christmas songs?
Joy?
Please?
Those should play us out?
Sounds great? Yeah?
Did you record any new ones this year?
I didn't.
I've been I've been so slammed. I really planned to actually, but I just is not and it was not in the cards for this year.
Okay, Yeah, I do have me some Christmas music.
I know you do. That's why I'm like, I feel like every year, if you just drop one song every year until we die, that's a hell of a library. Like Mariah carry can.
Just that is a lot of Christmas albums. I know I should. Maybe maybe there's still time. You never know. I am, I am in the last minute.
I'm just a little impulsive.
You do well.
Actually, in that vein, what are you guys's favorite Christmas albums? Do you have favorite holiday albums that you love listening to?
This is an Elvis house, yes, yeah. I mean it's like it was one thing when it was just Jeff and I and we were into the Elvis of it all. But then Gus watched that Boslerman Elvis movie every day for three months and went as Elvis for Halloween, and so now like that child is all Elvis. Oh, and then George just became obsessed with Lee Lo and Stitch, So now she's obsessed with Elvis. Amazing Elvis Christmas.
I like all the old school stuff, Like I want to listen to Louis Armstrong and Sam and HeLa Fitzgerald and like, you know, like I can get on one of any music app and be like, give me a Mariah Carey holiday Radio for a.
Little bit, because I gotta break it up.
She launches Christmas every year, but I always want to go old school. After after a couple.
Of songs, Yeah, I love all that old stuff too. That's my go to the forties radio station on serious act time. I always I'm like, just hit play. Leslie Odom Junior did a Christmas album. I don't know if it was last year or the year before. I think it was the year before.
It's beautiful.
It's so the music is so interesting and his voice is like butter and Yeah, that one surprised me.
I really love that album.
All right, ladies, Owen wants to know if there had been an opportunity to do an episode abroad, where would you pick m.
In the later years Hill when you had gone. They took us to Puerto Rico for an episode, which like isn't technically abroad, but felt pretty fun.
Really like it was more abroad than which where we would just go when I was there, Yeah.
Exactly, but I feel like abroad means, you know, truly you have to go to I know you need you need a passport, right, Like, I don't know. I always have so much fun when we all go to Paris together, Like, wouldn't it have been fun to shoot an episode there and just like sit in cafes and eat macaroons together?
Yeah, Paris and London. That would have been fun.
I actually I would have loved to have gone to Italy for an episode. We really would have had a ball if they had taken us to Roam or Lawrence or something. That would have been really fun.
My favorite place that we've ever gone. Jeff and I we don't know how to vacation. Just like vacation. We only go places for work and then spend a couple extra days. Like, I don't know how to vacation. I've never done it. Uh. When he had to go shoot a commercial in New New Zealand, Gus and I tagged along, and it's a hop getting there. I mean, that's a long flight. But once you're there, that Lord of the Rings energy, those trees and the waterfalls and like the
mountains and like all that Hobbits was so awesome. And I haven't even watched Lord of the Rings. It was just such a majestic environment. Literally every day Gus and I went and did the most interesting thing that we've ever done in our lives.
You know.
We were taking those crazy little speedboats under waterfalls and going to see where sea monsters live and just it was so gorgeous and so wild, and everyone there that like that New Zealand sense of humor that like Flight of the Concords had. Yes, I just I was so won over by New Zealand going to shoot our show in the you know this magical green.
Country, just beautiful. Yeah, I would love to shoot there, Thank you Ewen. So okay, when the show was airing, would your parents and grandparents watch? This is from Carla, Hi, Carla, did your parents and grandparents watch the show? And what did they What did they think of it? Was the feedback? I don't my grandparents didn't. I think my grandma might have watched it, but I don't remember hearing much feedback. My parents probably did for a minute, but then I
think it was like any other job. They were like, yeah, good job. I mean I know what you I know what you do, I know what you look like when you talk.
You're fine.
I know what you look like when you talk. I'm not impressed.
So you need to see this every day?
Yeah that's hilarious. Yeah.
I think the novelty wears off pretty quick and then they're like this is weird. Mine were like, we'd rather talk to you than watch you pretend to be someone else and like make out with people we're good.
I don't really have like family is a weird thing for me, So I don't have relationships with grandparents or anything. But in the last month, when I've been doing this book tour, I've been spending a lot of time with all my old high school teachers. And those were like adopted relatives, you know, Like that's like the ant tribe. All those chicks were in charge of raising me. Yeah, and they have strong opinions about all the boys I kissed on the show, and like the mischief I got into,
and like how I dressed and stuff. Just hearing their commentary has been a delight because they're like, Hillary, seriously kissing your best friend's boyfriend. That's ridiculous. Sorry, ladies, I didn't make that decision.
I love.
Yeah, it's funny, You're like, it wasn't my choice.
No, And they knew me as this like super studious, Like I was a school nerd. I loved school. Yeah, Like the fact that Peyton saw I didn't go to college like that was also problematic. Yeah, it's cool. I think it's funny. Especially the people who are watching it have the freedom to make fun of you and call you on your Those are fun phone calls to get Yeah, yeah.
Oh, this is a good question from Susan. I feel like we talk about this a little bit. But Joy and Hill, would you let your kids following your footsteps and go into act?
Sure? Yeah, but they just have to take it seriously, like I don't.
Uh, it's not a hobby, like I mean, it can be a hobby, but not like as a you can't make a career out of it if you treat it like a hobby. It's has to be something you really take seriously. Otherwise I think there's just no, there's no hope. It's such a miserable existence as an actor.
Without but you know what I mean, Like the sacrifices are so huge, and it's this constant rejection and constant criticism.
No, it's terrible.
You have to really believe in the work and really believe that you're meant to do it. And if you do and you take it seriously and that's who you are, then great, do it. But if not, like, go go please go find something else to do.
I mean, Gus just started acting last year, right, He really had it in his head that he wanted to be a director, and so he was making all of these movies at home, and he was writing scripts and he would always get like the little storyboard notebooks and he would just storyboard movies for hours and hours and hours a day, Like, oh yeah, Gus really puts so much thought and effort into the production side of things.
This is a child that will like take budgets and go through budgets just to see what those look like. He was so well. As I was producing more and more, he really immersed himself in that side of it. And so last year he was like, well, I'm just going to do a play just so I can understand actors, you guys, I mean, So he did a Christmas Carol. He played Jacob Marley and he did a really really good job, but he had to sing in front of people, which was like totally new and when you're like a
twelve year old boy, it's so hard. And so then this year, our town does this play every year. He since played Oberon in Midsummer and he went into the audition process and he came home and I was like, how was it, And he was very just like, you know, I don't want to jinx anything, but I did my best, Like I know that I showed up and I'm like, that's all it it And so he Scrooged this year and carrying that little show. It's the first play I
ever took him to. I think when he was like two or three years old, I took him to this town production and it was his first time in a theater, first time in the little fall down seats. And so to have him play Scrooge this year is a nice, big full circle moment, except now he's like, but where do I go from here? Like, what's next? Mummy? Good? It's very serious business. Great, But I don't know that I would let him do like TV that seems different, so diffnity theater.
Yeah, yeah, I would that. I feel the same way. I think I would probably reserve that for when she was eighteen, Like, okay, you're on your own, you can go do that. But now learn, learn in theater, Learn with other kids. Learn ye god, they're so cute. Learn where nobody's waiting on you hand and foot.
Yeah. Man, no, it's a community theater, such a good space for kids to figure out who they are, and like, you have adults validating you in that space. So when you go back to regular school and like pissant, kids are making fun of you. You're like whatever, I'm best friends with Peggy.
Yea.
My best friend in sixth grade was Peggy. She was a banker. She would call me from the bank be like, oh my god.
It does kind of give you a bird's eye view of high school problems, though, like the kids that you really get sucked into feeling like it's the end of the world, like everything that you're experiencing, because when you're in high.
School it is your whole world.
Yeah, But to be able to have a life outside and like you said, have adults that are that you look up to, who respect you, and just give you a perspective outside of the world that you're immersed in every day. I think that's so valuable.
Is that the only.
Space when that happens.
Because I'm thinking about middle school and high school sports, Like when you're fourteen, you don't go play sports with thirty year olds, Like you don't go play sports with like sixty five year olds. But if you're a kid doing theater, you're doing your club activity with like a huge age range of people.
Was actually a huge reason probably why high school drama. I'd always sort of had this perspective of it's gonna be okay, Like, as soon as I get out of here, everything's going to be fine.
Because I knew I.
Was joining a world that I had already been a part of and exposed to for a long time, but I was fully going to be joining that world as an adult, and so it it did make make high school hard times feel like this too shall pass. And that's interesting that you're saying that I had never thought of that before.
I think that's really true.
Yeah, I was always able to be friends with people much younger and much older because that was a part of the theater scene as opposed to like my brothers played baseball. They're not playing softball with a bunch of dads on the weekends the way that we were so interesting. Hmmm, Yes, we want well rounded children that can hang out with anybody. Okay, So now we're gonna pivot, guys, let's go holiday. Let's go holiday.
Okay.
Cody wants to know what is your favorite holiday food or what's the weirdest dish on your table for the holidays.
Favorite holiday food always is stuffing and it has to have raisins in it. Don't talk to me stuffing has to have raisins in it.
Wait, you're saying it has to have raisins in it?
Yes, yeah, interesting, Bring me stuffing with no raisins.
Huh.
Yeah, that's probably my favorite stuffing. Maybe pecan pie ooh, pecan nut, Yeah, weirdest dish.
So my favorite's Virginia ham. And this is the barometer for how much I love my husband because I don't eat turkey. I think it's gross. I've always thought it was gross, but when I met him, I had to forego my ham holidays because that man loves turkey more
than anything on the planet. And so up until recently, I have pretended for like a daycade and a half like, mmm, I love this because he spends like all week working on this thing, Jen Like, I love it when all I want is a tacky little honey baked ham with that sugar glaze on there, that spiral cut.
The Christmas with the cranks honey baked ham that she goes and gets run over by a truck about big tin of ham.
Yeah, ham is I'm from Virginia. Virginia ham is legendary. It's in my DNA, and so Jeffrey, like in our gift of the magi situation. Recently started buying just like little half hams and just kind of squirreling them away and surprising me with a little half ham. That is so sweet because then the day after you get to fry it up like it's bacon and it's delicious, and you get to eat it on a little Hawaiian roll sandwiches for the next week. I love it. I don't
think it's it's weird. The weird thing is that I used to make a really fancy cranberry sauce, like a beautiful Martha Stewart looking gorgeous thing, and that man only eats cranberry sauce out of the can, like the Shelley Cranberry sauce, and he doesn't even want me to put it in a dish. He's like, Hillary, just leave it in the can so I'll have all my pretty li crusades out. And Jeff's just like, where's my carron? Like a caveman, what are you gonna do?
I love it.
I don't know what's weird, but yeah, you're right, Joy when you asked earlier, like what might seem weird? Culturally? There's a there's like a big Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and.
I, oh, yeah, I started doing like really wild, like you know, branzino stuffed with like herbs and olives and like Linguini Vangelis, and.
People are like, is this holiday food?
Like I don't know, but it's seafood and it's delicious.
So this is what we're having.
Yeah, that makes me happy.
I've never done Feast of the Seven Fishes. What's the background, Like, what's come over? Yeah?
I want that, Honestly, I couldn't even tell you. I don't know. I should probably look it up. I don't even know where it came from.
There's gonna be some Italians that walk us through it. Yeah.
It's just like a thing we've done in my family for so long that I've never even asked why. And then like I was, I think we talked about this in our last in our last one. But when when Christmas and hanok a week overlap, I always do one of my seven fishes. I do get filter fish from the deli. People are like, wow, you're really going in on this theme. I'm like, yeah, so we got to have seven kinds of fish on the table. So everybody gets a little something. It's really I find it very fun.
It's a little stressful to prep seven dishes, but once you figure it.
Out, it's great.
Yeah.
I did that last year at a Frand's house. I didn't prepare it, but I went and it was really fun. All the different you know, they were like cracking open the muscles. They had muscles and clams and like, yeah, it's great, really fun.
I just love it. It sounds like a fun contest. All right, I'm a convert. I'll make one of the fishes. We'll all make a fish. Come over, we'll make fish. All right, you guys, we are gonna go finish decorating our houses. We're gonna go finish wrapping presents. We're gonna go busy ourselves. But we hope that wherever you are, you are having a lovely and cozy and safe and frivolous holiday season. Just take care of yourselves.
Guy, I'd be holidays.
I see lights on the movets up everywhere I go. It's that time of you. I see smiles on the faces of everyone I meet.
Such holiday chin.
I want to lay it all like a seven year old. I want to wrap you. Ben and kiss under the mistletoe.
It's that time again.
Let it shine again, snow from mowingdoor.
I'm watching as I'm watching my pumpkin pie.
And with you.
It's a thrill escaping the chill. Here by the fire, I wane. I'm dancing it all like a sugar plum doll. I wanna wrap you. I've been a kiss under the mistletoe.
It's that time again. Let it shine again, snow.
Donn kiss me good night yet? Everything's fine. Let's wait for the sun. The chambers through the cotton candy clouds, over the gun drop cramps. Have you ever seen a more enchanting Christmas towel? Don't you fall asleep yet? Said old peep. Here's bright rosy cheeks in soon He's bound to arie. It really is a wonderful life in the Essa. Oh the snow, snow. It's snowing on the rooftops everywhere I go. It's that time of year.
I see smiles on the faces of everyone I meet.
Such holiday chi.
I won I'm playing it all like a seven year old honey raped me on medicis.
Under the mistletoe.
It's that time again. Let it shine again. It's that time again. Let it shine again.
Oh it's that time again. Let it shine again.
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