Bad on Paper Podcast

Episode: "A Very Festive Three Things"

Hosts: Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Date: December 10, 2025

Episode Overview

In this holiday-themed "Three Things" episode, Becca and Olivia dive into their annual festive feelings, swapping stories about holiday highs and lows, gift exchange sagas, favorite (and least favorite) traditions, and merry pop culture debates. The episode is an upbeat and cozy mix of personal anecdotes, humorous gripes, and thoughtful reflections, perfect for anyone looking to bask in some December warmth and camaraderie.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Festive Highs and Lows (00:31 – 13:00 approx.)

Becca’s High:

• Relief and peace after finishing her book manuscript, freeing her from an ever-present sense of guilt and pressure.
  • Quote: “That vest that they used to take X-rays at the dentist just got lifted off of me.” (00:54, Becca)
  • Becca reflects on how not meeting her original one-year timeline compounded internal expectations and stress. She’s determined to reset her approach to deadlines for her next book.

Olivia’s High:

• Small but meaningful joys: getting a “nicer advent calendar” and finding the perfect spot for a secondhand dresser used as a nightstand in their newly updated bedroom.
  • Quote: “There’s no better feeling than when you get something secondhand and it just fits in the right spot.” (05:09, Olivia)

Becca’s Low:

• A rough reaction to a flu shot and COVID booster; 36 hours of chills and aches.
  • Quote: “I was down for the count for 36 hours.” (06:49, Becca)
  • Despite misery, she’s glad to have done it, viewing short-term pain as better than lingering illness.

Olivia’s Low:

• Morality and rage at concertgoers who ignored a performer (Billy Martin) in a tiny venue in favor of their conversation.
  • Quote: “I was approaching a level of anger I have not known.” (10:44, Olivia)
  • Olivia debates whether to confront them but ultimately restrains herself, expressing the importance of respecting both performers and fellow audience members.

2. Holiday “Three Things” Segment

White Elephant & Gift Exchanges
(14:30 – 21:30)

• The duo discuss favorite white elephant gifts—ranging from Olivia’s “critter catcher,” a bug-catching tool amusingly referred to as "the mechanism", to stories of Costco rotisserie chickens and even a live goldfish being exchanged.
  • Quote: “I just love that I don’t have to feel the body of an insect in like, a piece of tissue.” (15:22, Olivia)
  • Quote on wild gifts: “It was heavy. It was really heavy. And I think she'd written fragile on it too...inside it was a goldfish in a goldfish bowl. Oh, I think that's so funny.” (17:54, Becca)
• Discussion of the best white elephant discoveries: five-year journals, unusual ornaments, and the perennial popularity of practical or hilarious gifts.

Holiday Wishlist & Anticipation
(21:31 – 27:30)

• Becca shares excitement for Secret Santa exchanges, a calm Christmas in New York, and her New Year’s Eve plans in Maine.

  • She looks forward to treats like Williams Sonoma peppermint bark and peppermint ice cream, declaring, “Who hates peppermint?” (24:00, Becca)

• Olivia’s looking forward to “movie and hot chocolate nights,” revisiting comfort movies like The Family Stone and contemplating a holiday cookie bake-and-share.

• Bonus tangent: Which celebrities have probably never eaten at Taco Bell?

  • “Mariah Carey has never been to a Taco Bell.” (28:46, Becca)
  • Discussion devolves into playful guesses and Taco Bell takes.

"Festive Fuck, Marry, Kill"
(29:15 – 32:39)

• A holiday twist on the classic party game.
  • Christmas movies: Elf (marry), The Holiday (fuck), Love Actually (kill).
  • Festive beverages: Peppermint mocha coffee (marry), eggnog (fuck), candy cane martini (kill).
  • Characters: Bernard the Elf, Carl from Love Actually, the ghost from The Spirit of Christmas.
    • Surprise disagreement when it comes to Bernard vs. Carl—Olivia is unimpressed by Love Actually, while Becca swoons for Carl.

3. End-of-Year Reflection and Productivity Talk

Admin “Advent Calendar” & Lingering To-Dos
(34:42 – 43:00)

• Inspired by Becca’s “admin advent calendar,” both enumerate their “boring but real” tasks left before year-end—from unpaid parking tickets to closet clean-outs.

  • Quote: “One is getting my flu and Covid shots. …I have to call about this bill… I need to make a dentist appointment.” (35:20, Becca)
  • Olivia’s lingerers include a long-unaddressed second wedding dress, a chipped tooth, and 350 unread text messages.
  • Quote: “The dentist completes the set of medical appointments that I’ve been meaning to do for years. So proud of myself.” (40:52, Olivia)

• Power hour and “what can you do in 10 minutes” strategies for getting through draining life admin.

Year-End Reflection & Journaling Prompts
(43:05 – 47:22)

• Becca seeks advice for meaningfully closing out the year and planning ahead.

  • Olivia offers her favorite reflection: “What are the habits and situations and projects and behaviors that make me feel bigger... versus what are the behaviors or habits that make me feel smaller?” (44:17, Olivia)
  • Mood boards and Pinterest become tools for both vision and creative inspiration.

• Discussion of the differences between vision boarding on Pinterest vs. old-school magazine clippings—and how (dismal) printer quality shapes the experience.

4. Quick-Fire Holiday Movie Battles

(47:25 – 51:07)

• Lively, rapid-fire debates between Christmas classics:
  • The Holiday vs. The Family Stone: Both pick The Family Stone for its emotional resonance.
  • The Santa Clause vs. Home Alone: Both vote The Santa Clause; Home Alone is too scary for comfort.
  • White Christmas vs. It’s a Wonderful Life: Neither’s fave, but It’s a Wonderful Life edges out for its impact (even if traumatizing).
  • Christmas Vacation vs. A Christmas Story: Both prefer Christmas Vacation.
  • Elf vs. The Grinch (Jim Carrey): Elf reigns supreme, though Olivia notes The Grinch is close.
  • Becca has a soft spot for “While You Were Sleeping” and the delightfully awful Vanessa Hudgens Princess Switch movies.
• New holiday releases on their radar: Michelle Pfeiffer’s Oh, What Fun and the Hulu Jonas Brothers Christmas special.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On deadline anxiety:

  • “I think this was really a cumulative snowball effect that really goes back to my expectations... every month it got past that, the weight grew heavier...” (00:45, Becca)

• On the satisfaction of secondhand finds:

  • “It’s just a joy.” (06:07, Olivia)

• On frustrating concert etiquette:

  • “I hope they know what they did. I hope they felt my glare.” (11:38, Olivia)

• On white elephant gifts:

  • “If you took it out, it would be such a strange shape that I feel like would be a very compelling gift to select...” (15:41, Becca)

• On peppermint fans and haters:

  • “Who hates peppermint?” (24:00, Becca)
  • “I hear a lot of it tastes like toothpaste slander. To that I say no.” (24:01, Olivia)

• On year-end admin:

  • “Never underestimate what you can get done in 10 minutes.” (37:46, Olivia, paraphrasing an Internet post)

• On the emotional weight of wedding choices:

  • “It’s... representative of this... series of choices that felt so huge, and... you only do this once, and everyone is looking at you...” (39:57, Olivia)

What They’re Obsessed With

Becca:

• The HBO adaptation of Heated Rivalry, a "gay hockey romance" with explosive chemistry.
  • “Oh my God, it is like a chemistry pheromone explosion.” (55:57, Becca)

Olivia:

• Animal Planet’s The Incredible Dr. Pol, which she calls “compelling” and “soothing” despite sometimes being sad.
  • “This man is gonna live forever. I’m completely convinced.” (59:21, Olivia)

Recent Reads

Becca:

• And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens: A. I. dating premise, “charming and lovely and British.” (62:34, Becca)
• So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder: "Six friends, five parties, 20 years," received five stars and a glowing blurb from Elin Hilderbrand.

Olivia:

• Harmless by Miranda Schulman: Blurb-worthy, “girls” vibe meets suspense; about four childhood friends reunited by tragedy and new ventures.

Closing Notes

• No December book club; podcast on break Dec 24 & 31—next episode Jan 7 will focus on goals for the year.
• Preorder info for Olivia’s upcoming novel Little One with the promise of a Zoom call for early supporters.

For fans or new listeners, this episode is a dose of best-friend energy, relatable stress, and holiday whimsy. Perfect for anyone seeking book recs, pop culture debates, gentle life advice, or simply a laugh about the weirdest white elephant gifts and the magic of advent calendars.