We hope you're enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday! As a way to say thanks for your continued support, here's a bonus episode featuring our friends from Christmas Past, Can't Wait for Christmas, Tinsel Tunes, Weird Christmas, and Christmas Creeps. Enjoy!
We're sticking with our "Christmas Classics" this week as the elves discuss the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Jingle All the Way. Julia, Anthony, and Thom discuss this movie, Sinbad the Entertainer, Black Friday mayhem, what they miss from bygone Christmases, and much more. Cozy in up in that favorite chair, next to your tree, which is now doubt lit already, and enjoy!
Our two months of "Christmas Classics" continues this week, as the elves revisit the Home Alone franchise (for the first time since the podcast's third episode!) and cover Home Alone 2: Lost in New York . Julia, Thom, and Anthony join Kevin McCallister as he takes a holiday journey into the New York City of Christmases past - back when airline travel was still lax, the World Trade Center was still standing, Manhattan was much scarier in the dead of night, and before Donald Trump moved into the W...
Happy November, Christmas Fanatics! We are officially in the Christmas season ( Finally! ), so if you haven't decorated yet or started your shopping, you better get on it! To celebrate the holiday season finally being upon us, Julia, Thom, and Anthony kick off two straight months of "Christmas Classics" with a return to the world of Rankin/Bass by covering 1974's The Year Without a Santa Claus ! Will the hosts hold this annual staple in a higher regard than they have other Rankin/Bass production...
This very special episode is 1/2 of a Christmas crossover partnership with our friends at Christmas Past . In this episode, the elves are visited by Dr. Tara Aveilhe to discuss the history of Christmas ghost stories and the inspiration behind Charles Dickens' iconic novella, A Christmas Carol. Be sure to check out the very special episode of Christmas Past and hear Julia and Anthony talk about the Geroge C Scott film adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Happy Halloween!...
Happy Halloween, Christmas fanatics! Spooky month draws to a close this week, as the elves discuss Season 3, Episode 8 of the television show, Supernatural , entitled "A Very Supernatural Christmas"! Joining their conversation is special guest Joanna Wilson, of ChristmasTVHistory.com amongst many other things. Much like the Winchesters' classic 1967 Chevy Impala takes them to many unexpected places, talking about the brothers' hunt for an "Anti-Claus" this week steers the discussion to down many...
This week, the elves are back talking about the 1984 cult classic, Gremlins . Set at Christmas time, is this movie a Christmas movie or does it fall short? Get some intense Gremlins history, learn about it's connection to other 80's films, and find a hidden Christmas movie alum hidden in the film. In additon,we continue our countdown to Christmas, discuss where the ghosts of Christmas past and future would take us, and start chatting about Christmas music. Light up the fireplace, put on some coz...
This week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony discuss the iconic, 1982 cartoon "The Snowman", based on Raymond Briggs' children's book of the same name. While beloved by many, especially in the UK where it is to Christmas what classic holiday specials like Charlie Brown and Rankin/Bass are to those Stateside, how will it hold up when it comes under scrutiny from the elves? Is it even a Christmas movie? In additon, this episode featues a discussion about the trailer for Kurt Russell's new, Netflix original...
It's October which means it's time for our annual Spooky Month here at Tis the Podcast. This week, the elves cover 1974's cult classic "Black Christmas". During the episode, they discuss the horror genre, movies they loved, ones they didn't, tropes found in horror films, and the impact of this film on the future of cinema. Turn out the lights, set the alarm, and sit back for another dose of Christmas cheer.
Happy October, Christmas Fanatics! And welcome to the start of "Spooky Season"! To kick things off this week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony cover ABC Family's 1996 original movie, "Christmas Every Day" which has one foot in spooky month, and one foot in literary month, as it is loosely based on William Dean Howells' 1892 short story of the same name. So settle in, let that cool autumn breeze wash over you, and enjoy as you listen to our discussion about this holiday-themed groundhog day that would be...
This week, Tim Babb of "Can't Wait For Christmas" podcast joins Julia, Thom, and Anthony to discuss the 1983 Disney classic, Mickey's Christmas Carol ! Amid all of the laughs and behind-the-scenes trivia in this episode, there's a lot of love for this film to go around amongst all of the hosts, but is it enough to shake up the top of our Christmas Canon List? Throw open the windows and let in that Fall breeze (we're officially there!), settle in with a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy!...
Literary Month continues this week as Julia, Thom, and Anthony discuss the 2016 movie, The Christmas Projec t, based on Matthew Buckley's books Chickens in the Headlights and Bullies in the Headlights . Is this movie anything more than a weak attempt at trying to replicate what A Christmas Story did in 1983 in a much more juvenile fashion, or is there actually merit to this 80's set story about "elving"? Settle in with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and find out, and get excited because we are ...
Literary month continues this episode, as the elves board another train - though sadly, this one isn't taking them to the North Pole or to Hogwarts; this week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony discuss the 2017 film The Christmas Train , based on the David Baldacci book of the same name. How does the movie compare to the novel? Where does it rank next to other Hallmark movies we've covered thus far, and against Christmas with the Kranks/Skipping Christmas ? Sit back and relax with a cup of hot cocoa and ...
This week, the elves kick off Tis the Podcast's inaugural Literary Month with 2004's Christmas with the Kranks , based on the 2001 John Grisham best-seller, Skipping Christmas . We discuss several Christmas themes, including the idea of skipping Christmas altogether (spoiler alert: all the elves think this is a terrible idea). Grab your favorite Yuletide drink, turn the A/C way up, and ring in the Ber months with your favorite elves.
Happy One Year, everybody! Can you believe Tis the Podcast is already a year old? Julia, Thom, and Anthony sure can't! Instead of talking one specific movie this week, the elves take time to reflect on the year gone by, discussing what movies they were too hard and easy on, talking Rankin/Bass and the Grinch, and briefly reviving the Christmas in Hollis debate; they also reveal their own personal Top 10 and Bottom 5 lists! On top of this, they reveal some of their favorite memories and episodes,...
Join Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss the very Hallmark-esque, infamous, Netflix Original Christmas movie, "A Christmas Prince". Also in this episode, in honor of Tis the Podcast's upcoming one-year anniversary, Anthony bestows his co-hosts with an anniversary gift (which you can view on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit pages) courtesy of Rosie Baker. So settle back with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy! (And if you like Rosie Baker's artwork, you can view more/commission her...
We're back this week with the 2017 cartoon, All I Want for Christmas is You . The elves discuss their thoughts on Mariah Carey, her wildly successful Christmas song, the book based on it, and her movie based on the book. Sit back, grab some hot cocoa, and enjoy!
It's been a long time coming, but Julia, Thom, and Anthony are finally catching the train from Platform 9 3/4 and heading to Hogwarts to celebrate Christmas and discuss the holiday moments from the "Harry Potter" movies and books! After a month of underwhelming Hallmark films, the three hosts are enthusiastic and excited to geek out together about what is, unanimously, their favorite book series of all time. The elves talked for hours while recording this show, and though they managed to cut it ...
Coming in just under the wire is our first annual Christmas in July bonus episode! In it, the elves discuss the “worst” Christmas that every child eventually has to go through, and that every parent dreads. Excitingly, not only do Julia, Thom, and Anthony share their stories, but so do our listeners – including two elf spouses, and one elf sibling – via audio and text! Given the topic of discussion, it’s not nearly as much of a downer of an episode as one may suspect. In fact, it’s actually real...
Our first annual Christmas in July, Hallmark movie month comes to a close this episode in which the elves discuss the 2015, not-quite-Hallmark (but definitely one of those channels, most likely Lifetime) film "The Spirit of Christmas"! While atmosphere is in heavy supply this week, can holiday decorations, snow, and an extremely attractive man help this movie overcome a perplexing plot? While opinions about this movie range the entire spectrum, there is no daylight between our hosts who are all ...
And we're back! We continue our Hallmark movie month this week by covering the 2014 film "The Nine Lives of Christmas"! Though a sweet story with cute cats, how will the movie hold up when ranking it on our Christmas canon list? And how will it fare against the three previous Hallmark films we've covered thus far - Mrs. Santa Claus, Pete's Christmas, and Northpole? Settle in with a cup of hot chocolate to find out, and enjoy the return of our "Question of the Week" segment! This week's question ...
This week the elves kick off Christmas in July with their first Hallmark Christmas movie of the inaugural Hallmark Christmas movie month with the 2014 film, Northpole . As Christmas spirit is failing across the globe, can one elf and her newfound friend work their magic to bring Christmas spirit back to the world and save the Northpole? Can Anthony, Julia, and Thom find the holiday spirit in Hallmark Christmas movies?
This week, the elves invite you to accompany them on a trip with Fozzie Bear and the rest of his Muppet pals in the 1987, made-for-TV classic, "A Muppet Family Christmas"! Long before Nick Fury began to assemble the Avengers on the big screen, but after Rankin/Bass ended up bringing together Rudolph and Frosty, this epic crossover event for the ages brought together the Muppets (and the Muppet babies!), the Sesame Street gang, and the inhabitants of Fraggle Rock for the holidays! As huge fans of...
Happy Leon Day, everyone! Come celebrate the fact that we are officially halfway to Christmas by joining Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they journey to the north pole aboard "The Polar Express", the 2004, animated-film directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted from the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. Will it fare better with the elves than Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" did, or will the same problems that plagued that Disney movie bring down the score of this film as well? Settle down and...
This week, the elves tackle the controversial, 2009, Disney-animated film, A Christmas Carol - the first true adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens' novella they've covered on the show so far! (Devoid of any Muppets, that is!) Though Julia, Thom, and Anthony all have differing opinions about this notoriously divisive movie, they're all in agreement that it's not a total write-off and about the fact that there is definitely good to be found within it. Join us as we discuss how good (or bad) o...
After an unintentional week off, we're back! In this episode, the elves discuss the spiritual sibling to A Bad Mom's Christmas - the 2017 holiday-comedy film, Daddy's Home 2 ! There are surprises aplenty in this episode, including right-off-the-bat when the hosts reveal where they stand on this movie. (Spoiler Alert: It's not necessarily where you think!) So sit back and enjoy this funny, wide-ranging, and personally revealing conversation about a pair of opposite fathers and grandfathers who ar...
Our annual television month concludes this week, and the elves could think of no better show to cover as a "last hoorah" than Friends ! In this episode they discuss the four most Christmassy episodes of the hit-comedy ("The One Where Rachel Quits", "The One With The Routine", "The One With The Holiday Armadillo", and "The One With Christmas In Tulsa"), but do these yuletide stories reach the heights of the iconic Thanksgiving episodes that the show is famous for? For that matter, does this sampl...
Television month continues this week, and we're discussing the four Christmas episodes of the musical, comedy-drama Glee ! Between "A Very Glee Christmas", "Extraordinary Merry Christmas", "Glee, Actually", and "Previously Unaired Christmas", there's plenty to like, plenty to dislike, and - of course - plenty of music! (Which, let's face it, is the real reason most of us watched Glee in the first place!) So kick-back with your favorite holiday-related beverage, blast that air-conditining to make...
Television month continues with this week's installment in which the elves discuss The X-Files episode "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas". (Season 6, Episode 6.) Not since A Charlie Brown Christmas has anything we covered demonostrated as well as this one just how lonely and depressing the holiday season can be for certain people. As huge fans of Mulder and Scully's early adventures, Julia, Thom, and Anthony have a lot of fun dissecting this story and talking about their histories with the show ov...
It's May which means it's time for our inaugural Month of TV Christmas specials, and we're kicking it off with a look at The Simpsons' first five Christmas specials. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and sit down for some conversation irreverent enough for America's favorite yellow family!
