Holiday Dinner 2025

Summary

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Episode: Holiday Dinner 2025
Date: December 17, 2025

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Episode Overview

The "Holiday Dinner 2025" episode is Armchair Expert’s annual festive gathering, where Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Kristen Bell, and their close-knit group of friends celebrate the holidays—filled with candid conversations, laughter, personal stories, and playful debate. The group digs into lighthearted holiday traditions, deep confessions, and “fun dinner party” questions sent in by listeners, all while sharing a meal. The tone is warm, honest, slightly chaotic, and consistently funny, capturing the essence of chosen family during the holidays.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing the Holiday Dinner (02:10)

• Monica welcomes listeners, joking about the noise of dinner chewing for those with misophonia.
• Everyone jokes about their "nicest friend," "worst friend," and that the audience needs to guess who's who.

"We invited some of our closest and most eccentric friends...our nicest friend. Yeah, our worst friend and our best friend."
— Monica Padman (02:15)

• Listeners’ “fun dinner party” questions will structure the night.
• Dax: “We’ll let the listener decide who was the nicest and who was...they need to guess the meanest.” (02:38)

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2. Family Holiday Blow-Ups (02:53)

• Dax prompts Eric to tell stories about family chaos at Christmas.
• Eric recalls Christmases marred by drinking and arguments, but also extra presents to make up for guilty parents.
• Reflects how chaotic family events shaped his adulthood: "It definitely gave me the ability to deal with chaos...and cause chaos." (04:05)

"You tell a story that you thought was funny for the last 20 years, and then you tell it. You're like, wait, that's a terrible story."
— Dax Shepard (03:36)

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3. Honeymoon Brawl at an Upscale Restaurant (04:08)

• Eric shares a wild honeymoon story: he brought his parents, dinner spiraled into drunken insults ("worm bait"), and then a physical fight with his father broke out—at a fancy Lake Como restaurant.

“We just get on the floor and we’re just like, wrestling...my dad and I yelling at each other and my mom yelling something, and Molly’s crying.”
— Eric (06:48)

• Everyone laughs at the “Beverly Hillbillies have come for dinner” vibe.

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4. Unexpected and Awkward Public Encounters (07:09)

• Jess recounts being punched by a homeless man while being filmed for a documentary, briefly fearing it was an elaborate prank.
• Leads into a discussion on how susceptible they are to pranks and awkward social situations.

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5. Facial Hair and Physical Preferences (09:04)

• Dax notes Jess’s new mustache and the group discusses grooming, mustache trends, and personal preferences.
• Dax shares a story about an older actress who adamantly preferred seeing men’s upper lips, prompting him to change his grooming.

“She grabbed my chin and she said, ‘Listen, I like to see your upper lip. You’re not shaving this up high enough. I want to see the outline of your upper lip because that’s what we want to see because we like that part.’”
— Dax Shepard (10:48)

• Kristin and Monica discuss what physical features attract them most: lips, eyes, hands, skin, feet, etc., leading to good-natured teasing.
• Monica shares her fascination with guests’ hands: “We had a guest on...I was like, oh my, he has such nice...they were strong and big. They had some veins.” (13:48)

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6. Holiday Feelings: Joys, Grievances, and Traditions (19:55)

• Dax asks everyone to rate their love for Christmas from 1–10 (Jess is a 79, Amy a 10, Dax and Monica high scores; Jess opens up about sadness and loneliness around holidays).
• Holiday traditions: Monica & Jess buy and co-parent a Christmas tree each year ("our Christmas baby"), delighting and confusing the group with complicated family-tree metaphors.
• Heated debate: what’s the right way to put lights on a tree—top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, or zig-zag?

“We have a tree baby once a year, and it ages quickly...like, right now, our baby is, like, 34.”
— Monica Padman (22:01)

• Amy, the group’s practicing Christian, talks about the spiritual dimension of Christmas, and everyone affirms the joy of sharing traditions across belief systems.

“I wish that they got to experience the joy and the hope and the peace that is brought with this gift of Jesus. But yeah, might as well celebrate away.”
— Amy (25:11)

• "Chesters"—term from Kristin for those who only go to church on Christmas and Easter (27:03).

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7. Listener Questions: Ethical Dilemmas and Hypotheticals

A. Who Would You Eat First if Stranded? (28:29)

• Fun, irreverent debate about who in the group would be most “nutritious,” factoring in size, muscle, and “niceness.”
• The conversation elicits surprisingly sweet (and hilarious) assessments of each other’s qualities—physical and otherwise.

"I'd want to eat her [Monica]...I'm really, I thought for sure no one's gonna really? Yeah.”
— Dax Shepard (30:10)

• Monica nobly volunteers: "I would sacrifice myself if we were really in this scenario. I would have to sacrifice myself cuz I don't have kids." (31:18)

B. Stay in the Closet for an Inheritance? (38:24)

• A listener asks: If you stand to inherit a lot of money by not coming out to family, what do you do?
• The group debates authenticity vs. financial comfort. Eric: “If you’ve got rich relatives, you have got to kiss their ass for the inheritance.” (38:43)
• Monica and Kristin push back, arguing for autonomy and the baggage of “blood money.”
• Dax: “You’re not straight because they wanted you to be straight...this handful of knuckleheads doesn’t know it because they wanted you to lie to them.” (40:30)
• They consider race as a factor, and agree that nobody owes bigots the “performance” for a payout.

C. If You Could Commit Any Crime... (43:57)

• Kristin: Would be a (playful) thief—stealing what she likes off people.
• Dax: Would assassinate Putin.
• Amy & Jess: Lean toward "Robin Hood" redistribution of wealth or tax fraud.
• Eric: Insider trading—minimal harm.

D. Can You Pass Off Take-Out as Homemade? (49:40)

• Most agree: It’s a white lie, but feels wrong if you're claiming credit for "effort."
• Kristin bends if extenuating circumstances exist: "If you were to say, like, lying about a meal—no, I probably wouldn't do that...but if you're going to tell me that the girlfriends are going to host a Christmas for their families and this is their coming out party and they're going to do it really peaceful...let’s just say we made it and then they plate everything..."

E. Worst Gift Ever Received (51:37)

• Jess: Childhood memory of giving her stepdad a gag tie and being shamed for it in front of everyone. ("He really made me...I was mortified.”)
• The bittersweetness of holiday memories and family quirks is a central theme.

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8. Looking Ahead: What Are You Letting Go From 2025? (53:14)

Each person makes a “letting go” New Year's commitment:

• Eric: No more caffeine after 6pm: “I want to leave the caffeine at the table at 25.” (53:34)
• Jess: Considering dating (and sex) again after a year of celibacy.
• Kristin: Letting go of judgment, especially after feeling more vulnerable and judged this year.

"I'm not going to be in an invisible war with anyone...I'm just losing all judgment. It's not fun."
— Kristin Bell (55:44)

• Amy: Letting go of busyness—aims to say no more and embody Sabbath rest.
• Monica: Letting go of fear of change—“It's very hard for me. But I’m gonna try to just ride the wave a little more.” (62:37)
• Dax: Letting go of having too many opinions and working on ADHD-related impulsiveness.
• The group affirms each other's resolutions, with Dax gently ribbing and celebrating everyone.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self-Discovery:
  “You tell a story that you thought was funny for the last 20 years, and then you tell it. You’re like, wait, that’s a terrible story.”
  — Dax Shepard (03:36)

• On Holiday Happiness:
  “I just go in liking things...I really do see the best in everything.”
  — Jess (20:25)

• On Inheritance and Ethics:
  “Fuck you. Take the money. Take the money. It’s ridiculous, this principle that you’re not gonna be nice to the in because they’re not right politics or whatever it is when you can get all that money.”
  — Eric (38:43)

• On Compassion and Judgment:
  “I know that I’m loved. I feel it so deeply. I genuinely love to create. I love to have things in order...But it’s also okay if the floor doesn’t get mopped and that there’s extra laundry to do.”
  — Amy (59:15)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Holiday Dinner Begins: 02:10
• Family Holidays Gone Wrong: 03:04
• Honeymoon Restaurant Fight: 04:08
• Mustache/Grooming Debate: 09:04
• Physical Preferences/Attraction: 12:07
• What’s Your Christmas Score?: 19:55
• Debate: Lights on Trees: 23:17
• Christian Perspective on Christmas: 24:44
• Who Would You Eat? 28:29
• The Ethics of Staying Closeted for Inheritance: 38:24
• If You Could Commit Any Crime: 43:57
• Passing off Take-Out as Homemade: 49:40
• Worst Gift Received: 51:37
• Letting Go of 2025: 53:14

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Style & Tone

The episode is breezy, with lots of crosstalk and gentle ribbing. There’s no shyness about sharing foibles, insecurities, or moments of vulnerability. The group embodies holiday spirit—a little messy, a lot honest, never mean. Their generosity to each other and the audience shines, turning even silly hypotheticals into windows into their real personalities and values.

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Final Thoughts

"Holiday Dinner 2025" is a delightful blend of playful banter, real talk, and holiday warmth, providing laughs and comfort for listeners reflecting on their own traditions, complicated families, and personal growth at year’s end. The group’s willingness to tease, disagree, and show up honestly makes the episode a feel-good treat for new and longtime fans alike.

Transcript

[Dax Shepard]

Wondry plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and ad free right now. Join Wondri plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Audible for supporting this episode. Armchairs. Audible's best of 2025 collection is here. The year's top audiobooks, podcasts and originals across every genre. Their editors spent countless hours listening and debating to hand pick this year's must listens. If you want to finish the year with something you know is going to hit, check out Audible's best of 2025 and discover why there's more to imagine when you listen. Go to audible.com bestof2025 we are supported by ServiceNow. You know what I love? Not having to do boring, repetitive stuff. I want to focus on the interesting conversations, the creative work, the things that really matter to me. And apparently that's exactly ServiceNow does for entire organizations. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into. Here's the thing. ServiceNow has basically become the operating system of AI. Instead of Frankensteining together different tools, ServiceNow unifies people, data, workflows and AI connecting every corner of your business. That's why it's no surprise that more than 85% of the Fortune 500 use the ServiceNow AI platform. Talking HR, customer service, every department you can think of. And here's what's cool. They got Idris Elba as their brand ambassador. I mean, come on, if you're going to have someone represent your company, might as well be the guy who's basically the CEO. Everyone wants to be, right? With AI agents working together autonomously, anyone in any department can focus on the work that matters Most. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for [e-mail] he's an upchurch.

[Monica Padman]

So welcome to our holiday special. If you have misophonia.

[Dax Shepard]

Sorry, yeah, this is the wrong app.

[Monica Padman]

This isn't the right app for you. But we have a delicious meal and we invited some of our clothes. Closest and most eccentric friends. And our nicest friend.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, our worst friend and our best friend.

[Amy]

Yeah, exactly.

[Monica Padman]

To even it all out. And our wife is here as well. And Wobby wob. Who's going to be in and out.

[Dax Shepard]

And we'll let the listener decide who was the nicest and who was.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, they need to guess the meanest.

[Dax Shepard]

And maybe in the comments, you know.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly. And then we're going to go through some fun questions that the listeners. Yeah, listeners sent Questions. Questions in that are like fun dinner party questions.

[Dax Shepard]

Eric, your dad's wonderfully colorful. Like, I'm gonna try to use euphemisms and not use the word nuts, but was there any in your childhood big blowups at a family Christmas gathering?

[Eric]

Well, every Christmas, I mean, it would start nice, and then drinking would come, and then it would be a big sort of blowout. But then it was great for me because I was an only kid, and they'd feel guilty, and then I'd get a lot of stuff didn't make up for it, which was fun.

[Dax Shepard]

So you was hoping he would have a real embarrassing episode so he'd have to apologize with G. Well, Eric's, like, crying. He never saw this side of him. I know. Like, oh, no, this stuff does hurt, Eric.

[Monica Padman]

That's what happens on this show.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. You tell a story that you thought was funny for the last 20 years, and then you tell it. You're like, wait, that's a terrible story.

[Monica Padman]

Were you embarrassed or did you find it funny?

[Eric]

I don't know if it was embarrassing embarrassing because it was family, so it wasn't like there were third parties there, but it was kind of predictable. It was really fun. At the same time, it would get a little bit scary.

[Monica Padman]

And you're attracted to that a little bit now as an adult.

[Eric]

It definitely gave me the ability to deal with chaos a lot better than.

[Monica Padman]

And cause chaos.

[Eric]

And cause chaos, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Can you tell the 32nd story about you and Molly being on your honeymoon and you bringing your parents along for some of it, and then you guys being at an insanely fancy restaurant in Europe in tuxedos?

[Eric]

Oh, yeah. We were at Via De Este, which is a well known hotel in Lake Como, and it's very European. And so we're staying there and we're down at the restaurant. And I think it was the night we had checked in, and my parents were already there and they were sitting down. Then Molly and I came later, and I can tell they were a couple Manhattans ahead of us.

[Dax Shepard]

Of everyone.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. My mom was kind of given Molly kind of a look that I knew was gonna be dangerous. My dad would do this thing where he would. Jose, what are you doing over there? Jose? I never figured out who Jose was.

[Monica Padman]

He was kind of delirious.

[Eric]

Well, it was like a. Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

Or was it vaguely a burn on her being Ecuadorian?

[Monica Padman]

Oh, yeah, Molly's from Ecuador.

[Eric]

No, because it was pre Molly.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Monica Padman]

It was like a. What's it called? A imaginary friend a bit.

[Eric]

He Would. So he starts looking at Molly. He's like, you're. You're a worm bait. You were worm bait. And I'm like, dad, stop it. You know, this isn't cool. Molly's just sitting there. She doesn't know what's going on.

[Kristin]

Let's remind everyone, I think we've really, really sped fest the fact that he called her worm bait. Has anyone ever heard that insult before? I had never heard it.

[Eric]

Well, I mean, what's lower than a worm?

[Kristin]

That's how you explained the bait, I guess.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

The degree of the burn was.

[Monica Padman]

It's really rough. And for the listener, Molly is our second nicest friend after AI.

[Amy]

Molly's the first AI.

[Dax Shepard]

She's so nice, beautiful and regal and actually hovers above everyone. So the notion that she was worm bait is pretty funny because it's almost the opposite.

[Eric]

So he keeps doing it. And I'm like, look, man, you can't do this. You do this, you know I'm going to hit you.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, you're not at your best either. We should add.

[Eric]

No, I mean, I'm. I'm taking.

[Dax Shepard]

Not sober yet.

[Eric]

I'm taking pills, and I don't even what I was taking at the time. So we're at this restaurant and all the waiters have their little tuxedos on, and it's very nice. And the guests are carrying on very politely. So my dad just keeps doing it. And so I just decked my dad and then he decked me. And then we pushed the table over and all the drinks and everything. Be a dance day.

[Dax Shepard]

The Beverly Hillbillies have come for dinner.

[Eric]

Yeah, the Beverly Hills.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly.

[Eric]

And so we just get on the floor and we're just like, wrestling. Yeah. Hitting each other on the ground for some reason. I had a video recorder on, like, on the way home that I still have. And it's just my dad and I yelling at each other and my mom yelling something, and Molly's crying.

[Dax Shepard]

Everyone's dream honeymoon.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Speaking of getting hit. Yes, Jess.

[Jess]

Oh, wow.

[Monica Padman]

You got hit today.

[Jess]

I was just having lunch with the restaurant owners. Also funny, one hour before, she's like, do you mind being filmed? My dock. People are following me around. I'm like, okay, that's fine. Great.

[Dax Shepard]

Perfect.

[Jess]

So I looked cute. Walk up. She's talking to someone. Right? When I walk up, camera on a homeless guy in a wheelchair comes straight up. Jittery little. I'm six, five looks over at me. Hey, can you buy me a T shirt over there? And I go, what no, man, I'm so sorry.

[Amy]

Can.

[Jess]

He punches me right in.

[Eric]

Right here in my elbow.

[Dax Shepard]

And that was as high as he could go. Yeah.

[Jess]

Thank God I didn't fl. I. Okay. That was my reaction. Just because it was crazy. And then the owner goes, you got to get out of here, man. And so he rolled a little further and looked at a lady and called the lady. And then I got a little bit more aggressive, and then he rolled away.

[Dax Shepard]

And it was all on video.

[Eric]

Yes.

[Dax Shepard]

At any point did you think this woman's. Whatever show she's making, this is part of it.

[Monica Padman]

I know. Like, she planted him.

[Dax Shepard]

Like, what if he turned the corner and then you saw him get out of the wheelchair?

[Jess]

Yes, because the owner did say at some point about the homeless guy, he's really tall. I go, how would you know he's.

[Eric]

In a fucking wheelchair.

[Monica Padman]

That's true. Oh, that was. That was.

[Jess]

Oh, no.

[Dax Shepard]

Now this is weird. You're gonna be in a prank mockumentary.

[Jess]

I'm so susceptible.

[Kristin]

You are.

[Monica Padman]

Yesterday we talked about how susceptible you.

[Jess]

Are, but buy me a shirt. Buy me a medium.

[Eric]

Like, what?

[Jess]

It was so specific. But they're like, are you all right? I'm like, yes. I Forget that I'm 6'5,220. Like, it just helps sometimes. And she would have been at his level.

[Monica Padman]

Monica, the punch.

[Jess]

Monica's.

[Dax Shepard]

He could have got her in the face.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, yeah.

[Jess]

Neck, anything.

[Dax Shepard]

You got licked, right? Did a guy lick your back? Your.

[Monica Padman]

No, he just touched. Right? Yeah, he just touched the spine of.

[Jess]

My back in a weird. Like, put a spell on her.

[Dax Shepard]

And one other thing, before the questions, I think a lot of people, the last time they'll have seen you is you didn't have a mustache. And so you're in a new phase of your life. And I'm curious, how did you come to decide it? And then how's it been playing out?

[Jess]

It's been so good.

[Dax Shepard]

It is.

[Monica Padman]

It's been so good.

[Dax Shepard]

Tell me how.

[Jess]

Well, I worked at a restaurant for 26 years, and we had to be clean shaven every single day. It's kind of like never the vampire. Like, she cuts her hair and then it grows back. You have to look like you did when you get hired. However you got hired, you have to look like that every day, even 26 years later. So. Razor burn. Razor burn. Shavy. Shavy. So, yeah, I'm playing with the beard, but the beard gets a little gray and white. And this stays wet.

[Monica Padman]

The mustache stays wet.

[Jess]

Yeah, I shamed a little bit for the mustache for Monica in the beginning.

[Eric]

What do you mean it stays wet?

[Monica Padman]

Red.

[Jess]

Oh, oh, red. And I like it a lot. I think it's in now. Maybe I'm just seeing it more, seeing more mustaches.

[Kristin]

It looks handsome on you.

[Jess]

Thank you so much.

[Monica Padman]

When I first got in the car and he had a mustache, it was like when Delta said, you don't look like my daddy anymore. Oh, it felt like that. I think I did say, oh, what's going on?

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, are you covering something on your.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, what's that?

[Jess]

But then didn't you have like a gay icon on and they said it's part of the community and you felt bad?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Somebody told us that I went to.

[Jess]

A barber for the first time two years ago in Florida. So now I actually do that. And then they just trim so that you see my lips still.

[Dax Shepard]

They shave here or you're going to have that professionally groomed?

[Jess]

Sometimes. Yeah, sometimes it's really nice.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow.

[Kristin]

Seeing your lip is a thing. This just came up.

[Jess]

Yeah. Oh, it is.

[Monica Padman]

What happened?

[Kristin]

Dax had an experience, a passionate, aggressive experience.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. I was on set and I happen to know this older actor from another movie I did 20 years ago. So I know her a little bit, but I haven't seen her in a decade or more. And I was on set and she came up to me and she got really close to my face and she grabbed my chin and she said, listen, I like to see your upper lip. You're not shaving this up high enough. I want to see the outline of your upper lip because that's what we want to see because we like that part. So I need you to shave differently. It was very flirty and fun and direct and I loved it. And I did trim differently, which Kristen observed. And then I told her why? Because my new 82 year old lover prefers it that way.

[Kristin]

I do love an older woman who's so come into her own and stops dealing with most insecurities. I know they never go away, but just was like, no, I'm going to tell this young man something he needs to hear about his face that I.

[Dax Shepard]

Feel, you know, you would be fuckable if you.

[Kristin]

I just don't respect the fact that she just came up and was like, listen to me, you didn't give a shit. Here's your notes.

[Dax Shepard]

And I took it to heart.

[Amy]

Yeah, I've seen men that they chomp on it, like eat it, like, is it tick or. No, it just has grown there and then they won't know anyone's looking at them. And like Ryan's uncle, even Ryan sometimes gets too long, and you kiss it, and you're like, you gotta cut that back.

[Monica Padman]

Jess's favorite quality in a person, physical trait is having a top lip that's as big as the bottom lip.

[Jess]

I love lips.

[Monica Padman]

That's rare.

[Dax Shepard]

It's so rare.

[Jess]

Yeah, but she's so pouty and so.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's what you're supposed to do in my face.

[Kristin]

I heard the supermodels, they go, yours is close.

[Jess]

I remember Dax's bottom lip clearly when we were at the Groundlings together.

[Dax Shepard]

It's asymmetric. My top lip doesn't really right fit. The bottom was thick enough. It got you past the skinnier upper lip lips for me.

[Jess]

Mouths.

[Kristin]

Mouths.

[Jess]

Top.

[Monica Padman]

What's yours, Kristin?

[Kristin]

My favorite physical feature of someone. Eyes, for sure. And it's not even about the shape, because there's so many shapes that are pretty. There's so many colors that are pretty or appealing, but there's micro muscles around the eye that tell you a lot about someone. I think either invite you or windows to the soul. Windows to the soul, Amy.

[Amy]

Well, my initial thought was obviously the.

[Monica Padman]

Butt, but obviously, really, it's the eyes.

[Amy]

And she kind of said it too.

[Monica Padman]

Tell us about the butt.

[Kristin]

That's nice.

[Dax Shepard]

I think there could be two different categories. What brings you in, like, what gets your attention first, and then what part are you most pumped about?

[Monica Padman]

Interesting.

[Amy]

I mean, eyes definitely say so much without saying anything.

[Monica Padman]

It's funny. I'm not an eyes girl.

[Amy]

I like eyes.

[Dax Shepard]

Well. Cause you can't see, my friend.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, yeah. I have bad eyes also.

[Amy]

Arms are real nice. I can visualize even, like, Ryan's arms back in high school being like, those.

[Monica Padman]

Are some nice arms. Arms are mine. And hands. Oh, I'm very into hands. We had a guest on. I won't say who it is.

[Dax Shepard]

Portugal, the man.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, fine. Portugal, the man. We were in the middle of the interview, and I was like, oh, my. He has such nice. He was kind of meek, I would say. He was very, very sweet. And he had sort of this meek, sensitive soul. Yes. But his hand said otherwise. They were strong and big. They had some veins. And I was like, oh, it's not like. I'm like, that's the penis looks. Yeah, yeah, I know that, but it is. No, a lot of people say that.

[Jess]

Yeah, they miss.

[Dax Shepard]

It is.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, but I don't think that's what's happening for me.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, right, right. But you might know on a primitive level, even though you don't know maybe.

[Monica Padman]

I don't know what I know.

[Jess]

I know your body knew it my body.

[Amy]

Now.

[Dax Shepard]

Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert if you dare. Thanks again to our presenting sponsor, Audible for their support. So Audible just dropped their best of 2025 collection and I gotta say, this is one of those things that actually makes your life easier. Monica Their editors have been doing the heavy lifting. We're talking countless hours of listening, heated debates, and the whole thing they've handpicked pick the year's top audiobooks, podcasts and originals across all your favorite genres. And what I love is that they're not just highlighting the giant releases, though those are in there. They've also dug up some real hidden gems, the stuff that might have flown under the radar but totally deserves your attention. I love a good recommendation. My cue is out of control, so anytime there's a curated list like this, I breathe a little easier. Two titles I'm excited about Sunrise on the Reaping Anything Hunger Games related is an automatic ad for me and Someday now, which everyone says is incredibly warm and reflective. If you want something solid to close out the year, this is a great place to start. Check out Audible's best of 2025 and discover why there's more to imagine when you listen. Go to audible.com bestof2025 we are supported by Empower. See, you've always wanted to take that bucket list safari trip where you hop in a Jeep at Sunrise and cruise the Serengeti. Here's the thing. If you invest well, you could do things like that. With Empower, you can get your money working for you so you can go and live a little. Isn't that why we work so hard to splurge at certain moments? Maybe it's those concert seats that don't require binoculars or taking that trip to Athens in Greece, not Georgia. No disrespect money. So use Empower to help you get good at money so you can be a little bad. Join their 19 million customers [e-mail] not.

[Jess]

An Empower client, paid or sponsored.

[Dax Shepard]

We are supported by Hills Pet Nutrition. Something we celebrate here on Armchair Expert is that we all have juggles, struggles, faults and flaws because we're human. Those of us with pets know this all too well. We are their whole world and that can be a lot of pressure. Things are just going to go wrong sometimes, and we can only plan for so much. Pet Parent guilt is unavoidable.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, like when you left one of your dogs when you went traveling, you probably had guilt I did.

[Dax Shepard]

Whiskey wasn't fit to make the trip, but I was relieved that he's having such a great time with Peggy at home. But yeah, because you're only human. There's hills. Science does more. Find the right food. @hillspet.com Dax we are supported by quints. So I'm standing in my closet the other day and I realize I'm reaching for the same three things over and over again. And they're all coming from quints. Which got me thinking, when did I become that guy who actually cares about where his clothes come from? I'll tell you when. When I discovered quints.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly. I was at a happy hour a couple days ago with a very cool woman name, Margot. Very chic. And I was like, ooh, I love your pants. I love your sweater. And she said, quints.

[Dax Shepard]

Boom.

[Monica Padman]

And I was like, I should have.

[Dax Shepard]

Known, should have known. Turns out Quinn's cracked the code on something I didn't even know was broken. They partner directly with these ethical factories. Cut out the middlemen. So you get the same Mongolian cashmere that cost 200 bucks elsewhere. 450, same quality, none of the markup. Perfect timing too, because holiday shopping is coming and I actually have good answers for once. Not just clothes either. They've got home stuff, travel gear, all of it. Give and get. Timeless holiday staples that last this season with quince. Go to quince.comdax for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's q-u I n c e.comdax free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comdax.

[Monica Padman]

Eric, what about you?

[Eric]

Well, one of them is skin.

[Monica Padman]

Uh huh.

[Amy]

Oh boy, here we go.

[Monica Padman]

We're getting in the controversy immediately.

[Eric]

That's what I noticed first.

[Monica Padman]

I think for the listener, Eric is the one that has given me some tough compliments over the years on my skin.

[Eric]

I apologize yesterday.

[Dax Shepard]

I mean, not feet.

[Eric]

Feet are more. Because I sold women's shoes for like 10 years and I've saw some gnarly feet, some gnarly women's feet. So I really appreciate a good foot, a good woman's foot.

[Dax Shepard]

You kind of became a connoisseur, basically.

[Eric]

Yeah. I wouldn't say I'm like sexually attracted to feet necessarily. It's more that I could really appreciate a nice, pretty little foot.

[Dax Shepard]

And would ugly feet be a deal breaker?

[Eric]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay. I mean, but we could never date.

[Eric]

If Molly was three sizes bigger and had some corns and, you know, some bunions. Yeah.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Eric]

We wouldn't be married.

[Monica Padman]

Rob, these cookies are so good.

[Kristin]

You couldn't pay me to get within 10ft of a nut or a dried fruit in a cookie. And I tasted them to be polite one year and they are my absolute favorite. I don't know how he does it.

[Monica Padman]

They're incredible.

[Kristin]

But they're incredible.

[Dax Shepard]

My hair's soaking wet.

[Eric]

I know.

[Dax Shepard]

Look at the back of my head. I've been wiping consistently this whole meal. An astute person might think, oh, fuck, he's on meth. But you'd have to say, look how much he just ate. He's not on meth.

[Kristin]

Unreal.

[Monica Padman]

Bobby, well done.

[Kristin]

Really well done.

[Dax Shepard]

Before we get into the questions, I have one last question and is basically, I want everyone to tell us, out of 10, how much you love Christmas. Like, is Christmas your favorite holiday? Is Christmas a mid level? I think, out of 10. Jess, you can use the 100 scale. I know you prefer that. Jess, where do you put it? Don't say 92.

[Jess]

No. What?

[Eric]

No.

[Dax Shepard]

What do you mean? Why would you say 92? Every movie you've ever seen, ever seen is 92.

[Jess]

I just go in liking things.

[Monica Padman]

He's just positive.

[Jess]

Boy, I really do see the best in everything. Also, I don't go to things that I already know that I'm not gonna like.

[Dax Shepard]

You only go and see movies you've already seen.

[Monica Padman]

He only goes to 92s.

[Jess]

No, 92s.

[Dax Shepard]

He's got an app on his phone.

[Jess]

I just saw Eternity. I really liked it. I cried.

[Monica Padman]

92.

[Dax Shepard]

92 all the way.

[Jess]

This is not great, guys, but Christmas is not one of my thingies. I get sad a little bit. I get a little lonely.

[Monica Padman]

That's common.

[Dax Shepard]

That's good. We needed a bah humbug and I.

[Jess]

Stopped kind of doing gifts with my family a little bit here and there. We hang out a little bit and it's good. And I enjoy eggnog. So the eggnog got me to in 79.

[Eric]

Oh, wow.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, so that's a C again.

[Dax Shepard]

You are a high score. Because from everything you just said, I'm waiting for a 60.

[Jess]

No, no, no. I live. I don't.

[Dax Shepard]

What is that? You've never.

[Jess]

Right.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. I can't imagine you've ever given anything a 60 I enjoy.

[Monica Padman]

His worst day is a 77. But I do think that you like some of the traditions around Christmas, so maybe that upped it a little bit. Like Amy and Ryan's Christmas party.

[Dax Shepard]

Love what we do.

[Jess]

We get our tree and we get our Kid. That was really, really nice. We have a really beautiful kid this year. This is our third baby.

[Monica Padman]

Do you want to tell them how the birth went?

[Jess]

It was geriatric.

[Dax Shepard]

I mean, we.

[Monica Padman]

It was a geriatric pregnancy.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

We're getting older.

[Jess]

We normally just go in. We immediately know this is our baby. And this one was rough to find.

[Monica Padman]

And the umbilical cord was a little stuck.

[Eric]

What are we talking about?

[Dax Shepard]

Our Christmas tree.

[Eric]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Dax Shepard]

No one knows. The listener doesn't know. We don't know.

[Monica Padman]

It's been so clear.

[Kristin]

They're baby tree.

[Monica Padman]

We have a tree baby once a year, and it ages quickly.

[Dax Shepard]

Like, by the time it has progeria.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, it does. By the time I come home from the holidays, it's dead. It's lived a long, long, long life. Like, right now, our baby is, like, 34.

[Jess]

Yeah. And we've had her seven days. Him.

[Eric]

He's a boy. Wait, how do you have a baby tree together if you don't live together?

[Jess]

Because I come visit.

[Dax Shepard]

Wow. A lot of people get people pregnant. They don't live together.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly.

[Amy]

They pick it out together.

[Eric]

Oh, you're acting like you had the.

[Amy]

Baby when they picked it out.

[Eric]

I thought you were talking like you went to a Christmas tree lot and picked out a.

[Monica Padman]

We did.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Eric]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

And that's their baby.

[Eric]

That's their baby. So it's like more of adopted baby.

[Monica Padman]

No, we had it.

[Jess]

And I have to put the lights on.

[Eric]

It's hard. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Even at 6, 5.

[Jess]

Yeah. Like, I'm sweating also. I can sense that I'm not doing it right. No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Dax Shepard]

You're really give and take.

[Jess]

You really make me feel safe.

[Dax Shepard]

You're the female equivalent of Ken Kennedy, which is like, he does everything right. He's kind of a perfectionist. And everything you're doing around him, you're like, I know I'm fucking this up by some measure.

[Jess]

I don't have a good eye for stuff like that.

[Kristin]

He's willing to. Can I ask you a question about how you do the lights? Because we recently got into this about how you do the lights. Because I did them this year. And do you go around the tree? You do.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

Don't you find that it's holding it.

[Jess]

And then stuff from the top and then dragging them and then top.

[Kristin]

You start from the top. That's insanity. So if she was looking at you.

[Jess]

Funny, I think you have to start on the top.

[Amy]

I have to start on the bottom.

[Dax Shepard]

There's no way you'll predict where it will end.

[Amy]

Yeah, but you have the judgment eye.

[Jess]

It.

[Amy]

Yeah, I have to explain it.

[Monica Padman]

But then you have to plug it.

[Amy]

Plug in the star at the top. You need the butt.

[Dax Shepard]

No, put the star on, then start your strand, go around, and then at the end, if you're running low, then you put the bottom one on and you can just tuck it behind the tree.

[Monica Padman]

That's what we do.

[Kristin]

I could see that. But my question about the either or is if you go all the way around, to me, that's so much more work than just going. How would you describe it?

[Dax Shepard]

Back and forth? Zigzag.

[Kristin]

Yeah, a zigzag. No, but you go all the way around to the back. But you don't have to actually physically go step behind the tree.

[Monica Padman]

That's interesting.

[Kristin]

And then when you take them off, you just pull.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, that's cool.

[Dax Shepard]

That's great. That part, I agree with you, is brilliant. But the back of it then looks like kind of a suture.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

Who's looking at the back of your tree?

[Dax Shepard]

Great point.

[Monica Padman]

Unfortunately, at my apartment, there's a mirror right behind the tree.

[Kristin]

You spend a lot of time staring into that mirror at the back of the tree. Okay, well, then. Yeah, you can't do it.

[Monica Padman]

I can't do it.

[Kristin]

Can I say one more thing about the suture? I don't think it's going to look like a suture because the cord is green and the lights are colored and bright, so they're spaced out and they're all scattywampus. Anyway, I don't think it.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, that's fair.

[Kristin]

I'm going to stand by it.

[Amy]

Ames, a 10 for me.

[Dax Shepard]

I'm with you.

[Amy]

Favorite holiday.

[Dax Shepard]

I think you're the only practicing Christian in the group. Unless. I don't know that Rob is. He doesn't speak often on his religious views. Do you have an extra gear? And I say this very sincerely because for me, it's all fucking 10 now, I imagine. If I really thought this was also the birthday of my favorite dude. Like, does that up it, do you think?

[Amy]

100%.

[Eric]

It does.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

You do feel like. Oh, yeah. I'm so glad he was born today.

[Amy]

Absolutely.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy]

It's like the most exciting gift the world's ever been given.

[Dax Shepard]

Nice.

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

That's so sweet.

[Amy]

And it's the whole point. We get to do all the fun things we love to do in celebration of it.

[Dax Shepard]

Have you ever been like, all these bozos and jambonis shouldn't be celebrating this if they're not down with the fact that this is all about this guy that you don't believe in. Like, you guys are all posers. Is that ever?

[Amy]

No, because I don't think that you're claiming to celebrate necessarily, that you're just celebrating all the things that come along with Christmas. I do maybe think like, oh, I wish that they got to experience what the joy and the hope and the peace that is brought with this gift of Jesus. But yeah, might as well celebrate away.

[Dax Shepard]

You've never been like, hey, get off my holiday. Either you believe or you don't. You don't get to like, that's cuz she's a real. But don't you agree to. What's fun is I can imagine believing in Jesus and I know what he's all about. So he wouldn't mind at all. He'd still want us to probably celebrate.

[Amy]

Absolutely.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Amy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, and me judging people, that wouldn't make anyone feel good. So what's the point of that? That doesn't make any sense.

[Dax Shepard]

But you could secretly.

[Amy]

No, Yeah, I would.

[Jess]

You would?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

I'd be like, well, yeah, because there was a peptide that's gonna make Eric and I your color. And you're like, this is.

[Amy]

That is not a strange thing at all.

[Kristin]

It's almost the same exact thing following that one as well. And I can usually follow you pretty.

[Dax Shepard]

Good because she's like, you don't get to be Indian when it's convenient to you. Like, you don't get to take a peptide to be Indian when you want to look tan. That's her point.

[Monica Padman]

That is my point. Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Which is that would be a good parallel to the, like, you don't get to be Christian on just this day.

[Monica Padman]

But people who like Christmas aren't necessarily saying they're Christian. If they on that day were like, yeah, I'm Christian, that would probably be bad.

[Dax Shepard]

We're not saying we're Indian. We're just saying we share the same beautiful complexion as Indians.

[Eric]

I'm Indian.

[Dax Shepard]

You did say you were Native American.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And you believed it in your defense, for a long time until 23andMe right.

[Kristin]

When I was growing up, there were a lot of religious communities intermingling of different sorts. And then some people who weren't religious and we called the people who went to church on only Christmas and Easter, we called them Chesters.

[Dax Shepard]

That's a good burn. It's a very Christian burn. The very PG burn.

[Monica Padman]

Rob Wobby Wob nine and A half. Nine and a half.

[Dax Shepard]

Nice.

[Jess]

Really strong high. As my scale goes. I think it's gone up since having kids. It was not always nine and a half. I take it pretty seriously. We have spreadsheets where here's gifts from Santa for the stocking that we're bringing. Is it arrived, is it ordered, is it wrapped?

[Dax Shepard]

You guys are so fucking organized.

[Monica Padman]

You travel?

[Jess]

We travel, we avoid. Very impressive family on Christmas.

[Eric]

Oh, that's nice.

[Monica Padman]

That's hard to do.

[Jess]

We leave LA and go see friends.

[Dax Shepard]

That's what we do for Thanksgiving.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, I want to lodge one complaint. I have a single complaint about Christmas, which was growing up, when I would go to these aunts and uncles and we would all get our presents, every one of them would go, hey, Daxter, I got you a Christmas and birthday present. Same. Cuz My birthday is January 2nd.

[Kristin]

That's tough.

[Dax Shepard]

And then I would look over, I'm like, that's interesting. My brother got the same present. Present. Oh, it's not his birthday.

[Eric]

It's a scam.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, there's a lot of that going on together.

[Monica Padman]

It's really upsetting.

[Dax Shepard]

So that's 91. My one grievance. Still a hundred.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, should we do a few questions?

[Dax Shepard]

Yes.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, let's start with this one. If you were trapped, slash lost in the wilderness with no food and had to eat someone who's currently present.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh yeah.

[Monica Padman]

At the holiday dinner to save everyone, who would it be? This is tough.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, I'll tell you why this is a complicated question. Because you could go either way. It's like, who would we least miss? And then who would be most delicious?

[Kristin]

When I was in college, my friends Ariel and Jennifer and I, when we'd go to a bar and there would be a lot of leering guys, we used to walk up to one of them at the bar, like all three of us, and be like, hi. And start a flirty conversation and be like, we just have a question. Which one of us is the prettiest? Just to get them very, very uncomfortable.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Eric would pass that in one second. Be for sure you.

[Eric]

There's also an efficiency answer, like who would be best to kill? So we'd kill Jess. Because you want to only have to.

[Dax Shepard]

Kill one person to feed everyone.

[Eric]

To feed everybody versus you and Kristen are like one Jess.

[Monica Padman]

That's what I'm saying.

[Jess]

I just really want to eat boobs though.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, really?

[Jess]

Your boobs would be delicatessen. They're so. They're so fluffy and meaty.

[Monica Padman]

Fatty.

[Jess]

I know, but I'm like, yeah, I won't take treats.

[Dax Shepard]

That's why ribeye's so good. So much fat. Just picked Monica.

[Monica Padman]

Wow.

[Dax Shepard]

I would want to eat her.

[Jess]

I think everything about you, like, I don't want some of Eric's face.

[Eric]

Yeah. I don't. You know, I taste weird.

[Jess]

I think you would taste gamey.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Because of that guy.

[Jess]

He would taste good. I really do. And I really would. But you don't think.

[Eric]

You don't think.

[Dax Shepard]

And then move to your vagina because.

[Monica Padman]

You'Re not for you.

[Jess]

No, I'd eat around it.

[Dax Shepard]

Rob, who would you like to eat?

[Jess]

I'm just going on about a meat. So it's between you and Jess.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, wow. I'm so flattered. I'm really. I thought for sure no one's gonna really? Yeah.

[Kristin]

I would pick you.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, you would?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

Because I feel like I know what you put into your body. I see how you take care of it. It's very muscular and I want a little meat on the bone. It's not that I don't want to taste your boobs, but it's just I would prefer the protein over.

[Dax Shepard]

You're on a high protein diet.

[Kristin]

I'm on a high protein diet. I'm trying to get through perimenopause, guys.

[Dax Shepard]

So raise your glass to that.

[Monica Padman]

That way. Remember we used to all say that we would eat Amy?

[Dax Shepard]

Well, I was gonna say we all said we'd have a fecal transplant if there was some one member of the pod we would all want a fecal transplant from. It was unanimously Amy.

[Kristin]

I'd eat her poop. Don't eat the poop, girl.

[Dax Shepard]

You just eat anyone.

[Amy]

You just put my poop up your butt. You don't actually eat it. You just put it up the butt.

[Monica Padman]

I think we might want to try it.

[Eric]

Yeah, Eric, I would definitely eat Monica.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. I mean, there you go.

[Dax Shepard]

In fact, I want her skin so nice.

[Eric]

Look at how nice her skin is.

[Jess]

I agree.

[Monica Padman]

What if it has zits all over.

[Kristin]

It at the end?

[Eric]

That dark skin. Yeah, yeah.

[Amy]

Feet are his favorite.

[Eric]

Those feet. Those nice little fives.

[Monica Padman]

I would sacrifice myself if we were really in this scenario. I would have to sacrifice myself cuz I don't have kids. I thought that was gonna come up.

[Dax Shepard]

No. Not even a ethical.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, it's more ethical. It's like if one of us has to get run over by car.

[Jess]

I'm older than you, I'll die.

[Kristin]

No.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Jess]

We both don't have.

[Eric]

It's logical for me because I'm the old oldest.

[Monica Padman]

No, but you have two children.

[Eric]

They're already grown.

[Dax Shepard]

Almost across the finish line. Yeah, they're both great.

[Eric]

Yeah. Oh, I got a big life insurance policy, so I would love better for them. I want to hit that. Life insurance policy expires when I'm 63, I think. So I'm coming up.

[Dax Shepard]

You're incentivized to be.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Something happens to Eric. Well, no.

[Dax Shepard]

Stay tuned for more Armchair expert if you dare. We are supported by skims. You know what, Monica, I have to talk to you about these skims pajamas they sent us.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, I was literally just thinking about how much I love mine. I think I've worn them every night since we got them.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, yeah, I barely was able to get out of mine to come in today. So I've always been that guy who just sleeps in whatever random T shirt. You know, old shorts, these skims jammies, first of all, they're in the pattern I love. They're in the checkered red and black.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And then the fabric is just snuggling me all night long.

[Monica Padman]

It's such a good product. And also for the women's ones, the one I have is so cute. I like after my shower, my routine to get into a cute pair of pajamas. And I feel like my my sleep is improved when I'm wearing cute pajamas. You eventize it.

[Kristin]

That's right.

[Dax Shepard]

And honestly, I feel more put together wearing matching pajamas instead of my usual mismatch situation.

[Monica Padman]

The timing couldn't be better either because it's holiday season and honestly, these would make incredible gift. They have options for women, men, kids, and even pets. That's so cute. Who doesn't want to feel this comfortable?

[Dax Shepard]

Sleeping shop the best [e-mail] after you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you're looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, the skims holiday shop is now [e-mail] we are supported by ZipRecruiter. Oh, get recruited. Not so. I was cleaning out my garage recently. You know that annual ritual where you pretend you're going to organize everything but really just move piles around. And I found this old laptop from like 2015. Tried to fire it up and it was painfully slow. Made me realize how much technology has actually improved in just a few years. So if you haven't tried ZipRecruiter lately, you're going to want to check it out. And if you're new to ZipRecruiter, you can try it for [e-mail] Dax their matching technology has gotten crazy good. It actually shows you how many qualified candidates are in your your area for whatever role you're trying to fill. Plus they've upgraded their resume database so that you can instantly access candidates contact info. No more waiting around hoping someone will respond to your job posting. See how ZipRecruiter's new hiring innovations are changing the game. 4 out of 5 employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And right now you can try it for [e-mail] Dax Again, that's ziprecruiter.com Dax ZipRecruiter the smartest way to Hire this podcast is brought to you by Squarespace, the all in one website platform designed to help you stand out and succeed online. When we were building the Armchair Expert website, Rob actually used Squarespace to get it up and running, which was a smart choice because they've got everything you need in one place to create something that actually looks professional. What really stands out is their blueprint AI feature. It's like having a design assistant that helps you build a site that doesn't look like every other cookie cutter template out there. Answer a few questions about what you're trying to do and it creates something that actually fits your vision. If you're someone who offers services, whether that's coaching, consulting, creative work, whatever, Squarespace handles all the business stuff too. Payment processing, scheduling, client management. No more juggling five different platforms just to get paid for what you do. The whole thing is designed so you can focus on your actual work instead of wrestling with website tech, which, let's be honest, most of us would rather avoid. So head to squarespace.comdax for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use Code DAX to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. The holidays are all about traditions, right? Some we inherit, others we create ourselves. And honestly, I've been thinking about what new traditions might actually serve us. Here's one I didn't see coming. Therapy as a holiday tradition. I know, I know. But hear me out. December can be intense. Family dynamics, year end pressure. All the reflection on what went right or wrong. What if instead of just surviving the season, we used it to actually understand ourselves better? We have talked numerous times about how the holiday season can be a activating event yeah. You're with your family.

[Monica Padman]

Exactly. Family dynamics. Also pressure. Moms have pressure. Dads have pressure for these children present. I have pressure for my gift guide.

[Dax Shepard]

Better help makes it simple to start. They've got over 30,000 licensed therapists who follow a strict code of conduct. And their matching system actually works. We're talking 4.9 out of 5 stars from over 1.7 million reviews. They've helped more than 5 million people globally figure things out this December. Start a new tradition by taking care of you. Armchairies get 10% [e-mail] Dax that's betterhelp.com Dax. Money. Who would you eat?

[Monica Padman]

I said Amy.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, you did?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

Okay, great. Clean.

[Monica Padman]

So clean. But protein. I really miss you, though. And the whole thing would fall apart because you're the one keeping everyone together and nice. So we'd all end up eating each other once you were gone.

[Amy]

Good thing this is not a real, real thing. You ever have to eat.

[Dax Shepard]

Amy. Did you pick?

[Amy]

I'll just let you guys eat meat. That would be the easiest, easiest decision for me. I don't think I could pick. I don't think I could.

[Eric]

You have to pick or all your kids die.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, okay. Now we're getting somewhere. Probably.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Amy]

Dax. Or just the most meat and the most sustainist. Yeah.

[Eric]

I feel a little insulted I didn't get picked or anything.

[Dax Shepard]

It's just.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, you're just not as big.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

I mean, we think we weigh the exact same.

[Eric]

Oh, yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Probably.

[Eric]

You're a little lighter than me, I think.

[Jess]

What do you weigh?

[Eric]

Like 194 and a half.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, no, you're lighter.

[Jess]

Oh my God.

[Dax Shepard]

You're like five pounds.

[Monica Padman]

It's because of all the peptides. You just put so much peptides in you. You do too. Kind of. Not as much as him though.

[Dax Shepard]

I don't know. We're pretty peptides.

[Eric]

Yeah. We're on the same cocktail.

[Monica Padman]

I'll pick you then instead.

[Eric]

Okay. Thank you.

[Monica Padman]

Huh? Wait. Okay. This is a question. Girlfriend and I stand to inherit a lot of money if we don't come out to our families. What do we do?

[Eric]

Oh, for sure. I have this conversation with people all the time.

[Monica Padman]

You do?

[Kristin]

I barely understand that question.

[Eric]

Yeah. These people who.

[Dax Shepard]

He has it all the time.

[Eric]

Yeah. These people who have in laws and they're hard to get along with their parents, but they're rich. And you look at it as you go to whatever, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and you just look at it as like an hourly wage. Let's say these people are worth $10 million to the PAR. So they spend 150 hours with them over the next 10 years. And I don't know what it breaks down to, but I'm sure it's over ten grand an hour. I mean, if you've got rich relatives, you have got to kiss their ass for the inheritance. And there's, you know, people are so proud. Oh, well, I don't need anything from my wife's parents or my parents. I'm gonna make it on my own. Like, fuck you. Take the money. Take the money. It's ridiculous, this principle that you're not gonna be nice to the in because they're not. Right. Politics or whatever it is when you can get all that money.

[Monica Padman]

Identity. It sounds like right now you followed it as well.

[Eric]

What do you mean, their identity?

[Dax Shepard]

Well, they're saying, we are only accepting of you if you're in a heterosexual relationship. We're only going to pass our money on to you if you're in a heterosexual. Let's say I'll even make a great argument for them. They're like, this is general, rational wealth. We want you to have kids and pass it to those kids, and they have kids and carry on the family name. And that's what we want.

[Eric]

So, yeah, act like you're straight or whatever. To get the money, you hire someone.

[Dax Shepard]

That person makes a ton too. Like, hey, you got to come to Christmas with me. It's just like you're trying to get your green card. It's all a ruse. And you pay them really good, right? Your fake wife or husband.

[Eric]

Right. I mean, if you had parents award with $100 million, you'd figure out how to get that.

[Kristin]

Yeah, but then you got to ask yourself, are you okay with reserving that portion of your identity to just yourself or your inner circle and not to those family members?

[Dax Shepard]

I think that's the counter argument, right? Is they would go like, I'm not going to pretend I'm someone else for money.

[Monica Padman]

Me.

[Dax Shepard]

I don't think it matters if those people are receiving a lie. They asked to be lied to with this preposterous condition. So it's like you're not straight because they wanted you to be straight. You're not straight. You know it. The person you love knows it. Everyone that you care about knows it. This handful of knuckleheads doesn't know it because they wanted you to lie to them.

[Monica Padman]

So then you have to spend time with them. I guess that's the other thing. Like, you're deciding to.

[Eric]

That's where you got to get to like $10,000 an hour is a lot of money to spend, like two holidays.

[Dax Shepard]

A year for most people.

[Monica Padman]

But there's something about having their money. It's like blood money.

[Dax Shepard]

No, you just make a mental decision. This really makes me feel fraudulent and betraying myself. Or you can decide I'm not betraying myself and I would just decide I'm not betraying myself. I'm getting $10 million for a few weekends a year and me and the person I love are going to have this great life because of it.

[Monica Padman]

I think whatever you choose choose is fine, it's ethical. But I don't think it's bad to decide not to take it. I understand wanting to be like free.

[Amy]

Also because it could come with so much more time if they expect them to get married to someone. It's not like they're getting the inheritance tomorrow. They have to make decision. They'll have to play the game for the rest.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, what if it's. Yeah, what if the game is that they now have to be straight and.

[Dax Shepard]

Start slowly poisoning them in a way that is undetected. Do you have a little time on your hands?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Does it change if we make it race? Like it's a white east coast blue blood family and they're like, we're only giving you your inheritance if you marry a white woman and then you're really in love with a black woman and then you got to tell the black woman, I have to take this white chick to the thing to get the inheritance. Does it feel worse or the same?

[Eric]

It does.

[Dax Shepard]

And why?

[Monica Padman]

Why?

[Dax Shepard]

Because you know, it shouldn't in a weird way.

[Jess]

No, that's completely worse because.

[Dax Shepard]

Well, we're saying racism's worse than homophobia, which is interesting.

[Monica Padman]

Some person on the other end of it. Like, I would never be okay with that. The person of color is going to be like you. Goodbye.

[Dax Shepard]

Right. And so the partner might feel that way.

[Monica Padman]

Well, we don't.

[Dax Shepard]

Unless they're both in that situation.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, if they have a.

[Dax Shepard]

Then it's apples to apples, really. It's like you're ashamed, you know, that's what you would think.

[Monica Padman]

Well, then, yeah, if that's true, if they have a partner, then no, you can't take the money. Like you can't then leave that.

[Eric]

The partner may want the money or I mean, think about who. The jokes on the parents.

[Kristin]

I more than anything want the parents to get fucked in this.

[Dax Shepard]

Right, Exactly.

[Eric]

That's what I'm saying.

[Monica Padman]

Amy's point, like, for how Long, the partner just sits at home for the rest of their life.

[Dax Shepard]

There's a third option that also might be true, which is like you could call their bluff. They probably are still going to give you your inheritance. You're their child. They've done this. They've threatened you. This is why money is cancerous in so many ways. Because the older folks tried to control the younger generation. Money leverage.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

But often it's bullshit. You're still getting the money.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Amy]

What brings you happiness at the end of the day? Is it the relationship or the money?

[Dax Shepard]

The real win might be like, no, I'm not playing that game. I'm going to go live my life and I got the money anyways, so that's likely and worth exploring.

[Eric]

And I think it's different if you have rich parents. I don't have rich parents. So I think if you have rich parents, there's a thing about them controlling you that you hate.

[Dax Shepard]

Right. That I don't have the baggage of either.

[Eric]

Right.

[Amy]

And that's giving the money the power.

[Dax Shepard]

At the end of the day to leverage that to control my life. And in that case, I would be like, fuck you. I won't be controlled for money.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. Okay, that was interesting. If you could commit any crime without legal or moral repercussions, what would you pick?

[Kristin]

I know what mine would be.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, right.

[Kristin]

I would be a thief. I'm going to use a perfect example. I would take that headband off your head and I would wear it and I'd put it in my closet and it would not be yours anymore.

[Monica Padman]

Is that what happened to the shoes you wear?

[Kristin]

Listen, I have definitely thought, I did say to Anna the other day, Monica's nuts if she thinks she's getting these shoes.

[Amy]

She knows where to get them. She needs them.

[Kristin]

But I did, weirdly, I did bring them the other day when we all hung out. I just forgot to give them to you. You will get them back. You will get them.

[Monica Padman]

We can appreciate.

[Kristin]

But yeah, I would take things off of people physically. Like a ferret. If I saw something shiny or that I liked, I'd be like, oh, I like those shoes. I like that earring. I'm going to take it.

[Monica Padman]

I like that.

[Kristin]

That's mine now.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dax Shepard]

That's unlimited gathering.

[Kristin]

Unlimited gathering.

[Monica Padman]

That's good. You also shoplift then. Let's add that to the mix. Cuz that's like you're in a store and you're like, I want it. Sure.

[Kristin]

But what's funny is I'm less inclined to do that because in a store, there's too many options. Again, you have to understand my brain works in a very specific way, that if there's too many options, I get overwhelmed really, really easily. And I really have to, like, sit there and stare at everything and process. I know that headband. There are a hundred thousand headbands to choose from. That one looks great because you're making it look great. And I'm gonna take it, and it's mine.

[Amy]

And it's like in the morning moment, you're just seeing it right there, and.

[Kristin]

You'Re like, I got to have it. Oh, it looks so pretty.

[Dax Shepard]

I have one. I would kill Putin.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, I was going to say, I imagine someone would kill, like, a leader.

[Eric]

That's not bad.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. I kill the out of him and I'd have a good time.

[Eric]

That could backfire big time, though, because you could have a worse person come in power, or you can have a nuclear. At least we haven't been in a nuclear war.

[Dax Shepard]

I mean.

[Eric]

I mean, what if you risk. What if you killed Putin and then there was a nuclear war?

[Dax Shepard]

That man will go down in history. Is one of the most successful administrators of power.

[Amy]

Power.

[Dax Shepard]

The way he has silenced the media and the way he's imprisoned his enemies, he is a genius on that level. I don't think he could be replaced by someone as savvy as him. I think there'd be a string of, like, their previous presidents. Right. I just think he is uniquely. He was raised by the kgb.

[Eric]

Right.

[Dax Shepard]

You know, he is a unique individual that has somehow kept power over that country like he was born a kid king. He's been in power for, like, 30 years. At this point. He's not going anywhere.

[Eric]

But at the same time, you're not really worried about being in a nuclear war.

[Dax Shepard]

I think a lot of us have been watching this Ukraine thing going, God, what's the limit to this? Yeah. Yeah. I have not felt incredibly at ease about that.

[Amy]

I mean, this feels impossible because they all feel like they have a moral repercussion. And I don't have a desire really in my heart to do that, but I did really love the cartoon Robin Hood. And I always thought it'd be fun to steal from the rich and then give it to the poor because they have too much.

[Monica Padman]

Even it all out. Even it out a little bit.

[Kristin]

However you do that.

[Dax Shepard]

And let's say you've got an all you can eat bar of billionaires, right? You've got Bezos you could knock off. You got Gates, you got Zuckerberg and you got Elon. It's like, I wouldn't feel terrible.

[Amy]

They would probably not even notice. And then you'd be do so much good with it.

[Monica Padman]

That's the Jennifer. I think it's so funny because I think most people fantasize about the Robin Hood idea, but taxes is the Robin Hood idea. It is taking from the rich and trying to disseminate it out.

[Amy]

That's the part it misses, I think.

[Monica Padman]

And so, like, I think a lot of people who don't want taxes would also say like, yeah, Robin, not you. You aren't in that cap. I feel like Elon. Maybe Elon wouldn't say he wants a Robin Hood situation.

[Jess]

I would do the tax fraud.

[Dax Shepard]

Tax fraud.

[Jess]

I don't know. Is that illegal?

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, Y.

[Jess]

That's my friend taking that one.

[Eric]

You got to make a lot of money to have tax fraud, though, be yours.

[Jess]

I'm not making a lot of money.

[Dax Shepard]

But I'm already in a little bit.

[Eric]

Of tax stuff right now.

[Monica Padman]

You don't want it. You're not going to pay taxes.

[Jess]

I'm not paying taxes.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Good for you.

[Jess]

And I'm just going to.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah, right after the Robinhood coming.

[Jess]

I love it.

[Dax Shepard]

Like, I agree with that. And also I shouldn't pay taxes.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's what most people. I think that's what most people think.

[Amy]

Well, if they were distributed really well, that'd be nice.

[Dax Shepard]

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[Eric]

I definitely wouldn't steal from a billionaire because I would still feel bad. I'm trying to think of something I just wouldn't feel guilty about. I liked the Colombian drug. Like steal from drug dealers. I guess I was thinking steal from like the Federal Reserve, but then you're still stealing from the government. You could do something that didn't have. What's a financial crime that doesn't really have a victim. Maybe like insider trading. Oh, insider trading I like because nobody's really getting hurt doing it. Although I would never do it because it's illegal, but I know.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, I like that. I think shoplifting Is good. But part of the high from shopping is the payment. For me, it's like I have the power to own this.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, wow.

[Monica Padman]

Not the item. I mean, the items are great. I would pick out.

[Amy]

It feels good to be able to pay for what this thing you want.

[Monica Padman]

Like what it means.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Amy]

You earned this to get to that point.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Is it wrong to order takeout and then claim you made it? Rob says yes, and I think yes too.

[Jess]

That's lying.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, you.

[Eric]

I mean, who cares, right? I would lie about that. That's like a lie that it doesn't matter.

[Monica Padman]

But you don't cook, so you don't understand that it takes some real energy and effort and thought to do. So if you're saying I did that too and you didn't.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Jess]

And your aunt slaved away on something else and she brought this and it.

[Amy]

Doesn'T make you feel good. At the end of the day, you lay down being like, why did I do that?

[Jess]

For me, it's. Did they buy my lie? Because I only wouldn't say it because they were like, yeah, right, Jess.

[Dax Shepard]

They would see right through it.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

It would be unbelievable.

[Jess]

But if I really could pull it off, it's in these nice plates and it's not smokehouse garlic bread, but it's like, I made this and they believe me, then maybe I would.

[Dax Shepard]

This was all Stouffers, I should say now. And I feel like it's weird that.

[Kristin]

It'S interesting how not black and white these questions are to me. Like, I need so much more context. Because if you were to say, like, sure, lying about a meal. No, I probably wouldn't do that because I'd feel like an idiot. Cuz you're right, Rob, that's a lie. But if you're going to tell me that the girlfriends are going to host a Christmas for their families and this is their coming out party and they're going to do it really peaceful and say, we certainly hope we're not cut out of the inheritance. This is the girl I love. And they've been rushing around all day and they've both been incredibly stressed because they have to come out to their families and they go to Dinh Tai Fung up the street and they order it and they go, shoot, Aunt Carla loves home cooked meals. Let's just say we made it and then they plate everything. Those girls are on a trajectory where they didn't have the time to do that.

[Monica Padman]

I'm cool if those girls go, we.

[Kristin]

Made all of this for you. If the family Is like, oh, thank you very much.

[Dax Shepard]

And then the family is like, how did you make a fortune cookie dumpling?

[Kristin]

Say the lies were easy. Or that I had quick recall of restaurants.

[Monica Padman]

Great restaurants. Great restaurant.

[Dax Shepard]

I like. What's the worst gift you've ever received? I have a good memory and I can't think of one.

[Jess]

Maybe not me, but I did get my stepdad a joke topic tie and he. He shamed me in front of everyone. I was like 11 and I was mortified. He really made me. You got me like it was just really, just double down.

[Dax Shepard]

That was the worst gift he's ever.

[Jess]

Gotten in his life.

[Dax Shepard]

What was the joke of the tie? Did it water or.

[Jess]

No, it just looked silly.

[Dax Shepard]

Silly.

[Jess]

And I think it was. I got it at the mall and like I got him something and it.

[Eric]

Was just like poor little Jazz.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's. That's so sad.

[Jess]

Now, Joe. Bella, if you're watching this, I don't know my age. Really? Because if I was 16 maybe, but I'm remembering as I was a kid.

[Monica Padman]

I think you have to be like 30 or above to shame someone for a present they got you.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, a joke time.

[Eric]

Well, not 30.

[Dax Shepard]

I mean, what was Christmas in Sweden like? Because you had a bunch there, right?

[Jess]

Amazing, but very macrobiotic. And we didn't buy a treat. We had had a paper tree on the wall.

[Dax Shepard]

So it's a green tree and one wooden toy.

[Jess]

Yeah. And like we would eat carob, but.

[Monica Padman]

That'S more just cuz your dad not sweet.

[Jess]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're not gluttonous. Like it was all about. We're not going to kill a tree.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, that's why it was a paper. But that's made of paper. That's made of tree.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Jess]

I don't know, but lonely. I mean, but it was nice. Yeah, but I missed my dad so.

[Dax Shepard]

Like it was nice. It was lonely. It was. It was great. It made me sad.

[Monica Padman]

No wonder Christmas is sad. 79 for you.

[Dax Shepard]

Okay, I think this one be good. Name one thing you're letting go of from 2025, Eric.

[Eric]

Oh, that I'm letting go of. This isn't a New Year's resolution.

[Dax Shepard]

It kind is.

[Eric]

I want to stop drinking caffeine completely past 6 o' clock at night.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, there we go.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Please set realistic goals. So that's probably smart.

[Eric]

Well, yeah. And the amount that I drink, I was thinking today, like caffeine has a five hour half life. If I have eight espress in the morning at 10 o', clock, that's still Like, I was drinking an espresso right before I went to bed, but. And then I drink a celsius at like 2 and I'm wondering why my sleep is not great. It's just asinine that I do that. So I want to leave the caffeine at the table at 25.

[Dax Shepard]

That's great.

[Jess]

I'm opposite. I might pick something back up next year.

[Dax Shepard]

Smoking?

[Jess]

No, I haven't been on any apps for a whole year. Oh, yeah, one app. No dating and no sex for a whole year.

[Eric]

Year.

[Jess]

So maybe I will give up a little bit of my work addiction.

[Eric]

How's that?

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, interesting. What has been the result of celibacy for a year?

[Jess]

The cons is, oh, no, Am I ever gonna get it back? Is that part of me gonna ever get the desire? Yeah, the desire. Like, the more sex you have, the more you want it, and the less sex you have, the less you want it. So now I'm just not even thinking about it. I'm like, oh, my God, this was such a big part of my life. And the pros is what I'm doing, which is I have a career and I'm working and I'm getting self esteem from. From actually helping people and helping restaurants. So I'm loving that. But I do think it's become a little bit of a obsession too, thinking about that all the time. Just like, whether it's the apps or the job.

[Monica Padman]

What are you letting go of, Kristin?

[Kristin]

I know mine, and I knew it right off the bat when you asked the question, and I felt so excited. Judgment.

[Monica Padman]

Nice.

[Amy]

Of others or you're saying amen?

[Dax Shepard]

Both.

[Kristin]

I wouldn't say I'm a judgmental person, but I certainly form judgments and have judgments about people. It's not what I lead with. It's not like my first five instincts, but it's in there, especially if my feelings are hurt. If my feelings are hurt, I have noticed I will be much less likely to give the level of compassion that I know I want to give to someone else, mainly because they just hurt my feelings. But I have decided that that's just not serving me anymore, and I'm not going to be in an invisible war with anyone. And it doesn't make sense in my body or in my brain or in my heart. And so I'm just not going to judge anything anymore.

[Jess]

Did 2025 have more judgments than other years?

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah. Why do you think it's something you've become aware of that you're like, you know what? I'm going to Tackle this.

[Kristin]

I don't know if I was feeling extra vulnerable this year or if my feelings got hurt more this year or if I felt more judged this year, but my judgments were spiking. I felt like I didn't have armor on or something. You know what? Everyone is doing the best they can with what they've got, me included and everyone else on this planet, and I'm just gonna let that be. I don't need to have an opinion about what someone else is doing.

[Monica Padman]

It's hard when it's affecting you.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

But that's a beautiful goal. But it's funny because I would never put you in a category of needing to do that. I feel like you will always lend compassion.

[Kristin]

Thank you. I certainly try to, but I think when I can't or when it's not as easy for me, that's when I know I need to, like, make a statement to myself of, like, yeah, we're just not doing that anymore. We're not judging anybody. We're not judging the person that's speeding. We're not judging the person that's nasty on the Internet. We're not judging the grocery store clerk for doing this or that or not doing that. We're giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. If someone is going slow, they have a cake in the back of the car. If someone is going fast, they have a pregnant lady in the car. I can create scenarios to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I'm gonna do that. And I'm just losing all judgment. It's not fun. That's great.

[Eric]

That's funny, though, that she has that one, because she's probably, like, one of the best persons at having empathy for.

[Amy]

Other people, like, no matter who they are.

[Jess]

You're not in her mind.

[Amy]

I know.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Just kidding. Well, we have code words, really. I have learned that I've got a preface. I want to rant. I want to be toxic for a second. Right. Like, I want to call this person an. I don't want to hear about why it might not be their fault or it might not. They might have had this thing. Like, I need to express that I hate this.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

About this person right now. And I'm not really interested in making a case for them yet. I'll get there, but I'm not there.

[Kristin]

I feel like you've done me the same. Same favor.

[Dax Shepard]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

When you can tell that I just need to, like, rant.

[Dax Shepard]

I know what it's coming from, too. It's like, oh, they're struggling with this. If I can paint this other version, it might alleviate this angst they're feeling like. It feels like a solution. I think in the moment when you're delivering that, but when you're receiving it, you're like, well, I don't even want to tell you. I'll tell someone else that's willing to go like, yeah, they're a prick. And then later I'll think of it.

[Jess]

You know, what is it, comfort or advice? How do you want me to answer that? Isn't that what you're supposed to say something right. What do you want right now?

[Amy]

Solution or. Yeah, just in listening ear.

[Dax Shepard]

Amy, you're really hard on yourself, of anyone I know. You're always trying to be better and you've been perfect since I met you. So I know you have something even though you shouldn't.

[Amy]

The first thing that came to my mind was maybe like busyness saying no to more things and slowing down a little bit, which is hard to do.

[James Austin Johnson]

Great.

[Amy]

I like to be productive and I like to do things, but it's okay if they don't get done.

[Dax Shepard]

So I'll use this very public forum to ask this very personal question. Yeah. So I too, have to be very productive at all times. My kind of dream is that I can think I'm worthy of love without being productive and spectacular. I'm just curious if you know what this engine is in you. Are you just genetically born to be that hard working all the time, or do you have fear that if you're not spectacular and productive at all times, you won't be loved?

[Amy]

I don't think it stems from that. I feel like it stems from. There's just always something to be done with a house of three girls. And I have two jobs at the moment and my husband's gone, so there just always feels like there's something to be done. But it's also okay if the floor doesn't get mopped and that there's extra laundry to do.

[Dax Shepard]

But I knew you before you had kids.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

Before there was a circus.

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Dax Shepard]

And you were by far the most industrious person in that house of 12 people.

[Eric]

Right, Mama?

[Kristin]

When your oldest daughter was born, your water broke and you got up and made banana bread before you went to.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Amy]

Well, they told me it would take a long time, so I thought, why not distract myself with some banana bread? I don't think it feels like I need to get love from it because I know that I'm loved. I feel it so deeply. I think I genuinely love to create. I love to, like, make things. I love to have things in order.

[Monica Padman]

But I also build self esteem.

[Amy]

Well, yeah, but I also just enjoy it. I really love accomplishing things. I love learning new things. If something breaks, I'm like, let me see if I can fix it first. Cause it's exciting. I. My dad is really handy and loves to, like, figure it out for himself. And I would always go along with him and he'd teach me how to put the putty on the wall and sand it down. And I love to learn how to do things. I like to know how to do.

[Dax Shepard]

Stuff and not to embarrass Ryan or emasculate him for certain. Every time you come over and there's some project being done, you are doing it. He. I don't even know if he knows where the tools are. You are definitely doing all this.

[Amy]

He will hand me the tools. He will hand me the spatula and make me laugh the whole time. But no, he did not get kids given the, like, handyman trait. I was talking to Kristin a while ago. I've been reading books about the Sabbath and what that actually means and what I always thought it meant.

[Dax Shepard]

What does it mean? And what did you think it meant?

[Amy]

I thought it meant that you are forced to just read the Bible all day or something and have all these rituals. And it was a law that you had to live by that was more condemning in a way. And I'm learning that it's a gift of a day to delight in God's creation and like, be still and enjoy it. Enjoy it and do things you like. Which if it's a walk or a dinner with. Where we say yes to so much. Cause there's always something to do and a party to go to. And it's like, if you prep the week, then you can have a day where you don't have to do the laundry or any checklist stuff. And you can just read a book all day. You can just be. And so my heart has been craving that idea. Cause there's always something to do. But it's like if you allow time to just rest, it's a gift.

[Dax Shepard]

I knew that within an hour and a half, we would see on display that Amy's the most beautiful person in the world.

[Eric]

Yeah. She's so peaceful.

[Dax Shepard]

I know.

[Eric]

I want some of that peace. I need to find Jesus.

[Amy]

Pretty girl, right, y'.

[Eric]

All.

[Monica Padman]

You're selling Jesus really well.

[Eric]

You wear Jesus well.

[Dax Shepard]

I am a C H I am a C H R I S T I N I have The L R D in my H E a R T and a L o B. Love them on the T. That's the happiest I've made. Amy.

[Amy]

I think I was laughing so loud in the car. I think my version is a little different and I love your version even more.

[Dax Shepard]

Everyone corrected me. Where did I get. I have.

[Monica Padman]

It's so close.

[Amy]

I think it's. I'm a C h I s t. I have C H R I s t in my H E a r t and I will L o V e e T E r N a L o Y.

[Monica Padman]

That's hard.

[Dax Shepard]

What is that one? Longevity.

[Amy]

Paternally, I think I can't spell.

[Dax Shepard]

I can barely get spell either.

[Amy]

That's why it's a memorization from childhood. But it just made me laugh so hard. And then you got Monica to sing on the podcast and it was even.

[Monica Padman]

Know what was happening. I didn't do it this time.

[Dax Shepard]

It was a Christmas miracle and the Lord intervened.

[Eric]

Right.

[Amy]

Time intervention.

[Dax Shepard]

Do you know what you're giving up?

[Monica Padman]

Yes, I am going to try to give up Fear of change. That's a hard one. Yes. It's very hard for me. But I'm gonna try to just ride the wave a little more. Like it's okay that things are changing and feeling unsteady or unsafe is okay. It's gonna be fine.

[Eric]

The only certain thing is life is change.

[Monica Padman]

That's right. Good job.

[Dax Shepard]

Buddhist.

[Monica Padman]

That was very Buddhist. I was Buddhist a little bit this year, if you remember. A couple weeks intermittently. Yeah, yeah.

[Jess]

Intermittent Buddhist.

[Dax Shepard]

Like intermittent fasting.

[Monica Padman]

Yep. I'm gonna add a couple more weeks this year to Buddhism. What about you?

[Dax Shepard]

I think I'm going to take the cue from our 12 year old who said I just have too many opinions. And that's probably true.

[Amy]

You're giving up all opinions. Don't do that. We love them.

[Dax Shepard]

I have an opinion on anything. Anything you say to me within four seconds, I know immediately how I feel for better or worse.

[Eric]

You've been so good lately though at letting other people talk and not like you'll. You'll like there'll be a group of us.

[Dax Shepard]

A real time compliment.

[Monica Padman]

Been waiting all day.

[Eric]

Well, there'll be a group of people. I know I could see you and I know you have something and you don't say it and somebody like Molly or Amy or Kristin, somebody will say it and then you still don't talk. You do it a lot.

[Dax Shepard]

Oh, well, thank you. As controversial as it is, I am identifying greatly with this ADHD symptomy thing. And I am recognizing through these many memes. I see the interrupting thing. I'm just aware of, like, I can't resist saying, saying it. And then I interrupt and I do all these things. I'm just like, I gotta get my hands on it.

[Eric]

Yeah, but you've been working on that for a couple years, I think.

[Dax Shepard]

God bless you.

[Eric]

And I had one more because I told my daughter that I'm gonna go to the grave saying this. I'll be dying and I'll be saying, why did you worry so much? You worry so much about so many things and it doesn't really matter if these things happen or not.

[Amy]

You just live, fix the problem. Yeah.

[Eric]

And sometimes I'll think of you. I mean, you don't worry very much at all.

[Amy]

Try not to because it doesn't help any.

[Eric]

I think I can worry my way out of things. It'll lead to premature death.

[Kristin]

Yeah, he's worshiping the problem.

[Dax Shepard]

Really hit well, you guys, I love you so much. Wobby, thank you for making cookies.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, thank you for spaghetti.

[Dax Shepard]

The fact that we have this many good friends that we can call and say like, hey, come over and be on the show and eat spaghetti. And they go, absolutely. What time? Fuck, dude. That's better than everything else. I love all you guys so much.

[Jess]

Love you.

[Dax Shepard]

Love you.

[Monica Padman]

Thank you for having me. Happy holidays.

[Dax Shepard]

I hope this gets you from a set of 78 to an 81. All right. I love you guys. Merry Christmas, you guys.

[Jess]

Can I take the cookies to go?

[Dax Shepard]

Follow Armchair Expert on the One Driver app, Amazon music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to every episode of Armchair Expert early and ad free right now by joining Wondry plus in the Wondry app or on Apple podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short [e-mail] survey mom.

[James Austin Johnson]

And Dad, mom and mom, dad and dad. Whatever parents. Are you about to spend five hours in the car with your beloved kids this holiday season driving old granny's house? I'm set to scene. I'm picturing screaming, fighting back to back hours of the K Pop Demon hunter soundtrack on repeat. Well, when your ears start to bleed, I have the perfect thing to keep you from rolling out of that moving vehicle. Something for the whole family. He's filled with laughs. He's filled with rage. The OG Green Grump. Give it up for me, James Austin Johnson as the grand Grinch. And like any insufferable influencer these days, I'm bringing my crew of lesser talented friends along for the ride. With a list guests like Gronk, Mark Hamill, and the Jonas Brothers, whoever they are, there's a little bit of something for everyone. Listen to Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.