Call It Holidays and the City

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Call It Holidays and the City"

Host/Authors: Jessica Capshaw & Camilla Luddington
Podcast Series: Call It What It Is
Release Date: November 25, 2024
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

---

1. Introduction

In this festive episode titled "Call It Holidays and the City," Jessica Capshaw and Camilla Luddington dive into the spirit of the holiday season while navigating the bustling streets of New York City. The episode kicks off with both hosts joining forces in the studio after previously being apart, setting a warm and collaborative tone.

• Jessica: "Hello, hello, hello, hello, Call It Crew. And welcome to another episode of Call." [01:46]
• Camilla: "It what It Is." [01:53]

2. Strolling Through New York City's Holiday Wonderland

Jessica and Camilla recount their enchanting walk from Grand Central Station to the iHeart studios, capturing the magic of NYC during the holidays. They share their anticipation and mild disappointment in witnessing the Rockefeller Christmas tree still under construction.

• Camilla: "The walk was so magical... It’s like, come here, take a picture." [02:47-03:46]
• Jessica: "I think it is the holiday season already in New York. There's no way you can't come into the city and feel so festive." [03:52-04:05]

3. Embracing a Festive Episode Theme

Deciding to immerse themselves in the holiday spirit, Jessica and Camilla dedicate the entire episode to festivities, traditions, and the varied experiences that come with this time of year.

• Jessica: "We have decided to dedicate this episode to being a festive theme." [05:46-05:58]
• Camilla: "Yes. Because it's never too early to start." [05:58-06:02]

4. Thanksgiving Traditions and Culinary Adventures

The hosts delve into their Thanksgiving traditions, sharing humorous and relatable stories about cooking mishaps and favorite dishes. Jessica recounts her disastrous attempt at roasting a turkey from scratch, leading to an unintended food poisoning incident.

• Jessica: "The turkey I got that year was an... And took... And I gave food poisoning that year to everyone." [07:16-08:14]
• Camilla: "I have a butter turkey. Nobody's, but no." [10:23-10:24]

They also discuss the importance of preparation and managing expectations to reduce holiday stress.

5. Navigating Holiday Stress and Gift-Giving Pressures

Camilla shares her strategy for staying calm during the holidays by starting preparations early and managing her gift lists effectively. This approach helps mitigate the overwhelming pressure that often accompanies the festive season.

• Camilla: "I start preparing early... Either cutting the list meaningfully or giving one universal gift." [25:52-27:34]
• Jessica: "It’s so much pressure." [36:11]

6. Listener Submissions: Diverse Holiday Traditions and Challenges

The episode features heartfelt listener submissions that showcase a range of holiday traditions and the challenges some face during this season.

• Isabelle: "I always learn a Christmas piece on the piano and buy tons of Christmas candles." [30:58]
• Jenny: "We do a gingerbread house competition with my kids who are in their 20s." [43:09]
• Reina: "We blast Christmas music and put up our decorations way too early." [45:17-45:19]

These stories highlight both joyous celebrations and the emotional complexities that holidays can bring.

7. Coping with Family Dynamics During the Holidays

Jessica and Camilla openly discuss the difficulties of maintaining family relationships during the holidays, especially in cases of divorce or strained connections. They offer empathy and reassurance to listeners navigating similar situations.

• Lizzie: "Holidays are hard for me because my parents divorced and my dad moved out." [34:14-34:27]
• Camilla: "Being around a big family can have its challenges, but also tremendous togetherness." [39:29]

8. Celebrating Diverse Cultures and Traditions

The hosts honor various cultural celebrations, emphasizing inclusivity and the importance of recognizing different traditions, such as Hanukkah.

• Eden: "For Hanukkah, we light the menorah together and eat and sing. It makes me so happy." [38:43-38:52]
• Camilla: "We sang a lot and we danced. It was a Jewish conga line." [39:29-40:27]

9. Encouraging Acts of Service and Community Involvement

Camilla highlights the significance of community service during the holidays, sharing her family's experience of serving Thanksgiving meals to those in need. She encourages listeners to find ways to help others, fostering a sense of connection and purpose.

• Camilla: "We have gone to serve Thanksgiving meals to those who are party of ones... It feels good and distracts you from your worries." [41:30-42:26]
• Jessica: "Just know that there's millions... feeling the same way." [35:02-35:26]

10. Closing Thoughts and Positive Messages

As the episode wraps up, Jessica and Camilla offer uplifting messages, reminding listeners that challenges are temporary and encouraging hope for positive change. They emphasize the importance of community and mutual support during the holidays.

• Camilla: "Nothing stays the same forever... We are here with you." [50:07-51:30]
• Jessica: "Bigger picture. This too shall pass." [51:35-51:45]

They conclude with a playful nod to their ongoing celebration of the holiday season, dancing in the streets of New York City and inviting listeners to share their own festive moments.

• Camilla: "Lovin' being with you here... Send us all your things." [47:00-50:19]
• Jessica: "We’re gonna be dancing in the middle of the street... Call it the end of the episode." [49:50-52:09]

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jessica Capshaw:

  • "Hello, hello, hello, hello, Call It Crew. And welcome to another episode of Call." [01:46]
  • "The turkey I got that year was an... And took... And I gave food poisoning that year to everyone." [07:16-08:14]
  • "Bigger picture. This too shall pass." [51:35-51:45]

• Camilla Luddington:

  • "It what It Is." [01:53]
  • "I start preparing early... Either cutting the list meaningfully or giving one universal gift." [25:52-27:34]
  • "We have gone to serve Thanksgiving meals to those who are party of ones... It feels good and distracts you from your worries." [41:30-42:26]

---

Conclusions and Takeaways

"Call It Holidays and the City" offers a heartfelt exploration of holiday traditions, the joys and stresses they bring, and the diverse experiences of individuals celebrating during this time. Jessica and Camilla provide a blend of personal anecdotes, listener stories, and practical advice, fostering a sense of community and understanding. The episode emphasizes the importance of preparation, inclusivity, and acts of service in navigating the complexities of the holiday season, ultimately delivering a message of hope and solidarity to all listeners.

---

For more insights and episodes, tune into "Call It What It Is" by iHeartPodcasts, where Jessica Capshaw and Camilla Luddington continue to share their friendship journey, offering support, laughter, and real-life advice.

Transcript

[Homes.com Representative]

Homes.com knows having the right agent can make or break your home search. That's why they provide home shoppers with an agent directory that gives you a detailed look at each agent's experience, like the number of closed sales in a specific neighborhood, average price range, and more. It lets you easily connect with all the agents in the area you're searching so you can find the right agent with the right experience and ultimately the right home for you. Homes.com we've done your homework.

[T-Mobile Representative]

If you love your phone but not your carrier, just switch to T Mobile. You can keep your phone, keep your number and we'll help pay it off up to $800 per line. You can also use our savings calculator to compare our plans and streaming benefits against Verizon and AT&T. So switch and keep your phone, keep your number and keep more of your moolah. @t mobile.com up to 4 lines via.

[Camilla Luddington]

Virtual prepaid card allow 15 days qualifying.

[T-Mobile Representative]

Unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days with device into eligible carrier.

[Camilla Luddington]

And timely redemption required card has no cash access and expires in 6 months.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Cheap Caribbean is celebrating more than just the new year in 2025. Cheap Caribbean Vacations is celebrating its 25th birthday too. You're invited to join in on the birthday fun and book a beach vacay with more savings.

[Camilla Luddington]

Now through February 3rd, you can unlock up to $250 off site wide vacation packages. Celebrate these awesome savings at your favorite beach and book your next all inclusive [e-mail] your $250 off is waiting.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Call it what It Is with Jessica.

[Camilla Luddington]

Capshaw and Camille Ludington and iHeartRadio podcast.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Hello, hello, hello, hello, Call It Crew. And welcome to another episode of Call.

[Camilla Luddington]

It what It Is.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Why are we yelling?

[Camilla Luddington]

We have an extra peppa. Our step, it might be from the brisk breeze outside the walk from Grand Central station to the iHeart studios here in New York City. Yeah, where I have you in person. Irl.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I have.

[Camilla Luddington]

How's it feel to be with me?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Decided to grace you with my presence in person. And we're having, we've been talking, we've been having a little Mary Kate on Ashley Morning.

[Camilla Luddington]

Our New York minute.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Our New York minute.

[Camilla Luddington]

Or maybe many minutes. Hours.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, we are.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Perfect time of year.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, my gosh, the walk was so magical. You get out of Grand Central, you get out of the train and you go into that big, grand room that's been there for. I mean, this is where I sound not smart. How long has Grand Central been around? I'm gonna call it hundreds of years.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's thousands. Been around for thousands of years. It's actually in Gladiator 2. They come out from there, they travel from there to the Coliseum.

[Camilla Luddington]

They take the horse and buggy downtown.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Get on a ship, crossovers on the tracks.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay Being a full blown tourist in New York.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Because even when I lived here, I never stopped taking pictures. Yeah. The city is like, come here, take a picture.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. And you. Because every time you turn a corner, you're like, what?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, it's so good.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. The light, the lights.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

You're wearing a red snowflake on your sweater.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So I wore my holiday sweater. This is the first time I'm wearing one this year. Actually, I saved it for New York.

[Camilla Luddington]

It's not even Thanksgiving.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Does it matter? No. But the city is telling me it's Christmas.

[Camilla Luddington]

Actually, you know what, though? It's only halfway there, really, because. So we come out of Grand Central, we exit, we start walking up Fifth Avenue. Some of the storefronts are ready for the holiday season. Some of them are not. So some of them are still in progress, as you might say, in England. I was a little bummed. We came around the corner and I actually was really waiting for the aha moment of the Rockefeller tree having gone up. Because I follow the Instagram account where I saw it being like, truck loaded on the truck and driving through the city streets. So I saw the tree on its way here, and I thought we were gonna come around the corner and the tree was gonna be lit up and you were gonna have this.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. You were, you know, you were hoping for the Paris mountain moment.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah. With Eiffel Tower.

[Jessica Capshaw]

With Eiffel Tower is all sprinkly.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sprinkly or twinkly, but yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

A sprinkle, twinkle and it was not.

[Camilla Luddington]

And it wasn't. She was. Yeah. She's still naked. She's got scaffolding all around her. And it looked like there was a bunch of people getting her dressed.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

There'll be a reveal.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

You won't be here for it. I'll take a video. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So then we kept going and then like all the department stores, the fancy department stores, like Saks Fifth Avenue, the windows still have, like the blackouts up.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

That'll get revealed. There was a lot of stores. I mean, like, there was. Anyways, pick your pleasure. All the fancy stores are starting to come alive with the holiday spirit.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Sorts.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yes. Because it's never too early to start.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Clearly not.

[Camilla Luddington]

I mean, Josie decorated her room before Halloween for Christmas.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

The lights are up.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

So let's go. Yeah. I've already listened to Mariah Carey All I Want for Christmas multiple times in my house. And so we're ready. So we came in New York City. It's feeling festive. We get to be together and, you know, we got Thanksgiving coming up in just a hot minute. In a New York minute. So what do you do for the holidays? Do you have things that you always do?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Well, here's what I love about Thanksgiving. I didn't grow up with it, so I just got to inherit all of, you know, friends giving traditions around me. And I love cooking the turkey on the day. I say cooking, but really I get it from home Whole Foods and I get the one that's pre cooked. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you just shove that bad boy. You can't go wrong. Honestly, you could serve it as is cold and then it's almost like a microwave situation.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

And the reason I did that is because one year I was cooking a turkey from scratch. I actually have pictures of that year, so I. I'll post them on Instagram. Um, and I was the. They absolutely lie to you on a package for how long the turkey's going to take.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Multiply that by three. They're like, it's going to be three hours.

[Camilla Luddington]

Well, but, but okay, wait, pause. Because it's my understanding that actually to understand if you've cooked a turkey properly, you need to have an internal thermometer.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. And I have, like, you need to.

[Camilla Luddington]

Be Able to register the inside temperature of the turkey to understand if salmonella is not in your future.

[Jessica Capshaw]

But the pack. No, 100%. But the packet is assuming that you have the thermometer. And they're saying, hey, guess what? It's a quick three hours, that 20 pound turkey. And you're like, great, great. So we're having dinner at four. Yeah, I'll put it in at one and it'll be done. Lies.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

The turkey I got that year was an. And took, I don't know, 12 hours. And by like the 12th hour, my family members and, and friends that had come over were over it. Yeah, it was a 10. I was like at 10pm I'm not even kidding. It was like that late. And I was like, it, I'm taking it out. It is what it is. It's been. Whatever. It has been cooked is cooked.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

And we're all going to eat it. And I thought, genuinely, there's no way that people are going to actually get sick. I gave food poisoning that year to everyone that had the turkey. See, I'm not kidding. I've never given food poisoning to anybody before. But people were throwing up that night.

[Camilla Luddington]

I'm so glad I wasn't there.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So now I get the. Ready the cooked turkey.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yes. Let's. Yes. Get it done. Right. Yeah. I hosted it. Or I cooked one year. And I thought, especially with my Missouri roots, having watched my grandma Nina make mashed potatoes 5 trillion times. To which, by the way, go get a video. It looks really easy. Not for me. Wallpaper paste. Like the actual. Really disgusting. Really?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Every time.

[Camilla Luddington]

I don't know if my ratios were off. I don't know if my, my, my, my method. I, I don't know what it was, but it was truly disgusting mashed potatoes. And I wouldn't think you could mess those up.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Do you do like the instant package on Thanksgiving?

[Camilla Luddington]

No, no, no.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Are you at. Are you really cooking on Thanksgiving?

[Camilla Luddington]

No, no, no.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I just realized at this moment that this, you don't cook for that.

[Camilla Luddington]

In our family, we have, we've done it a bunch of different ways. We will cook some dishes and sometimes certain members of our family will get, you know, you'll get allocated. Like you're on the Mac and cheese. It changes a lot too. Like, we definitely give like the feedback. There's feedback. There's a suggestion box at Thanksgiving.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

For people that are like, ooh, I really didn't like that.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, they'll tell you they'll Straight up. It's almost like the Olympics. Like, they'll throw up a number.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Yeah. Mashed potatoes. Yeah. No, no, no.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Wow, that's stressful.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, no, no, no. It doesn't feel like a stressful experience. It's more just like, what did we get right? And what could we. How. Where could we improve? That's just. It's just, you know, simple. It's not personal.

[Jessica Capshaw]

The spirit of Thanksgiving.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. You know what's surprising to me when I cook for Thanksgiving is just how much butter's involved. I love butter.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I know.

[Camilla Luddington]

There's so much, but it's every dish.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

I mean, really, everywhere.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. You can't go wrong, though.

[Camilla Luddington]

I can have a butter turkey.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Nobody's. But, no. Oh, I put a lot of butter in that turkey. I'm serious. You gotta smother the turkey in butter, and you gotta do a little salt and pepper, and you gotta throw those herbs on to make it look all pretty and throw it in.

[Camilla Luddington]

See, I could talk about this forever because truly, I love the holidays.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Me, too.

[Camilla Luddington]

I really do. They were a magical time. When I was younger, it felt like such. Just exciting, full of possibility. A little magic in there.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

So much that I love the holiday movies. I could watch the same ones over and over again, pretend like I don't. What do you think is, like a.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Thanksgiving movie for the holidays?

[Camilla Luddington]

I don't know that I have a Thanksgiving movie that comes top of mind. I thought I was thinking about the Family stone. Did you ever see that one? Really? That's holidays.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Is it Thanksgiving or is it Christmas?

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's kind of. Yeah. We need more Thanksgiving movies.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, new genre. I'm on it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, Done.

[Camilla Luddington]

Everybody's watching Christmas movies.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Listen, I get that. I would watch you stuff.

[Camilla Luddington]

Jessica Capshaw stars.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. I would fall in love over stuffing a turkey for. Yes. Opening scene.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm in.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Totally.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Your sister.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Perfect. Done.

[Camilla Luddington]

I love this. Okay, great. I will get on to the genre of a Thanksgiving movie. So much to be grateful for. Yeah. I love Thanksgiving. I love Christmas.

[Jessica Capshaw]

What's a dish you could do without?

[Camilla Luddington]

Hmm. Let's name them. I love mashed potatoes. When done correctly. Do you have to. The hero dish is stuffing for me. Hero. I could eat stuffing all day long. Stuffing with a little bit of cranberry. Yeah. Like stuffing, cranberry sauce. Mashed potatoes and gravy. I don't. I actually. This is gonna be. Sound crazy. I could do without a turkey on.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

You want the canned one? The clear canned. Yeah, yeah, I get that.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I wanna be able to see through it.

[Camilla Luddington]

The jelly and you want it to sh. You want it to move in a jiggly way.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, I want it to shake.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm in. I'm in. New Year's is.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Where are you?

[Camilla Luddington]

I start to. I start to lose my holiday spirit.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Get it out of here.

[Camilla Luddington]

I just am like, it's.

[Jessica Capshaw]

You're done.

[Camilla Luddington]

Akin to. It's akin to Valentine's Day. A little bit like the expectation versus the event.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I kind of do like Valentine's Day, though.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh. I decorate and I get all excited about it for my kids now, but. But it was never like. I was not. Yeah. I'm not like, making like a cozy romantic dinner for two somewhere out on February 14th. Like, nothing's driving me towards that.

[Jessica Capshaw]

No, no. Matt and I actually, like, two years ago, forgot it was Valentine's Day and the only place that could take us was the bar at Benihana's.

[Camilla Luddington]

That sounds delightful.

[Jessica Capshaw]

She was great.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

The cocktails were strong.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

And the sodium was giving.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Giving an extra £20.

[Camilla Luddington]

You had some shrimps.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I have some shrimp.

[Camilla Luddington]

And.

[Jessica Capshaw]

And. And I thought love's all about.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yes.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Okay. Do you have a favorite holiday song? I do.

[Camilla Luddington]

I. Well, I've succumbed to them. I. I've succumbed to them. I've just given. I've surrendered to Mariah Carey.

[Jessica Capshaw]

You have to pick something other than Mariah.

[Camilla Luddington]

All I want for Christmas, I have to pick something different.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh. I mean, I go old school then.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Like. Like. Oh, gosh. All the names have escaped me right now under pressure.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I love Silver Bells.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, yeah. Silver bells. I sang a Christmas song. Krista Vernoff wrote me. Singing a Christmas song with Jim Pickens and Kevin McKidd on the couch at Meredith and Derek's house one year. And I was just a regular. Like maybe like my. My first season as a regular or maybe second.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Did it get cut out?

[Camilla Luddington]

No, did not. Camilla.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, no. I was.

[Camilla Luddington]

And I white knuckled throughout that entire experience. I never sang on film.

[Jessica Capshaw]

What was the song?

[Camilla Luddington]

Baby, it's cold outside.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I love silver bells I love rah rah ruda da da da make it to town.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, that would be my least favorite. That felt like wow. No, no, no, I'm not. No, no, no. I'm saying.

[Jessica Capshaw]

No.

[Camilla Luddington]

We're comparing notes. I love that you love it. It's not my favorite.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So I just happened to pick your least. Of all the hundred Christmas songs. I just sung a song. You're like, that's the absolute least. My.

[Camilla Luddington]

I have to disagree sometimes. It's the spice of life. We cannot agree on all things. I know, but it's inevitable. It's more entertaining.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That kind of.

[Camilla Luddington]

When you make fun of me and when we disagree. Once in a while I just felt.

[Jessica Capshaw]

A little disrespected, you know, like after I sang it.

[Camilla Luddington]

I'm sorry.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's okay.

[Camilla Luddington]

I'm sorry. I do, I do.

[Jessica Capshaw]

We'll talk about it later. When do we decorate?

[Camilla Luddington]

For what? Christmas. What do you.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Easter. What do you think I'm talking about? Literally, like, I just told you we are.

[Camilla Luddington]

I just told you we already decorated for Christmas in Josie's room. That will just spread like a contagion throughout the whole house.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I'm asking when the contagion starts.

[Camilla Luddington]

Okay. The Christmas tree gets picked up on the day after Thanksgiving if I'm in my own home. But if I'm at.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So the Friday, Black Friday is Christmas tree day.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, you just bought it. You mean. You made it sound dramatic, but you just bought a tree.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, no, no.

[Jessica Capshaw]

You mean you had a living Christmas tree.

[Camilla Luddington]

It's potted. It's alive. You don't have to kill. Think about all the Christmas trees that get kill during Christmas.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

The die. For your entertainment. This one got to live. I said to this Christmas tree, after we took off all the ornaments, we went back into the ground.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's cute.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's my point.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That is very cute. So how big is that bucket? You gotta save the roots.

[Camilla Luddington]

It's really big. Yeah, it gets. It comes and again. We don't live in a city. So they deliver it and it's like if you bought a eight foot tree, it's like the roots all wrapped in the.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That is really cute. I like that.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, it's fantastic.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Name everyone and every single Bob is.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

I think Bob is still at my house, just replanted. I don't know. This is a good question. Can you dig Bob?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Wait, hang on. You don't know where he went.

[Camilla Luddington]

That project? I don't remember where he went afterwards.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's a little bit. The elves.

[Camilla Luddington]

The elves took him away.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Okay. I mean, what if he's unhappy? What if they just shoved him outside a Walmart and he's like, no, he's.

[Camilla Luddington]

At my house, like, in the ground, on the property that I own.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Okay, okay, okay. But what. Okay, yeah, no, I just have questions about, you know, his safety.

[Camilla Luddington]

Bob is fine. Okay. And Bob might just get. Be picked up by its roots again. His roots again?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

And come back inside.

[Jessica Capshaw]

He gets picked up again. He's like, oh, for sake.

[Camilla Luddington]

Do I have to go back there? And they listen to that one song so much.

[Jessica Capshaw]

He's like, yeah, yeah. Silver Bells, whatever. Moving along.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What about you? When do you get your tree?

[Jessica Capshaw]

I honestly. Okay, I'm ferocious about getting a tree. I like a very specific, specific shape, a very specific needle. You know, when people, like, smell, you know, they're smelling their wine, then tasting. That's like me looking at trees. I'm smelling, I'm touching, I'm whispering to it.

[Camilla Luddington]

It looked like you were fingering it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Well, it gets a little of this. I like to see how it responds, you know, does he have a sense of humor or not? And I'm like, so ridiculous the way I am an insane person. If you see me picking out a Christmas tree on a Christmas tree lot. It is a military operation.

[Camilla Luddington]

I just got a sample of it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Serious. I'm like, Matt, north, North to the left. You know, it's like, I'm crazy about it.

[Camilla Luddington]

So you're asking. You're asking the people at the tree lot to pull the ones that you're. You're. Oh, yeah. I'm one of those people.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Like, pull that out. Pull that out. You know, they've got, like, six of them lined up, and I'm like. And I still. And then I had them spin them.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Because you got to see, like, the side. Like, that side's Jan. This side's good. So it honestly was so stressful for me that I ordered a tree from. This is Not a plug from King of Christmas. And. And so now I'm not stressed. So that bad boy sits in our. He's very cozy in our garage. And I will try and pull him out the weekend after. I mean, a lot of times it's a Friday. I'm away this year too.

[Camilla Luddington]

Wait, this is a fake tree.

[Jessica Capshaw]

This is a fake tree because this. The stress of the real tree, the tickling, the. Oh, the dinner, the other stuff. Yeah, all the other things. The shenanigans was. I would literally be on the floor. Like I had a nervous break down the middle.

[Camilla Luddington]

Okay, okay, okay. So you.

[Jessica Capshaw]

All right.

[Camilla Luddington]

But you know what I got.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I think I have a fake tree that looks beautiful.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

It's a perfect looking tree.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's perfect.

[Camilla Luddington]

It. I have scented.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's not scented.

[Camilla Luddington]

Okay.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

I put smaller trees and my kids rooms, the ones that want them. Josie and Poppy still want them this year.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. And so they get that feeling.

[Camilla Luddington]

But that makes me feel so spoiled. Like, that is just like to have a mini tree in your kid's room. And there's just something about you. And I talked about this because when you walked into Josie's room last night and she had decorated, you said something that you and I agree on that I didn't know, which was you have to have the right Christmas tree lights because the LED Christmas lights, I cannot.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's not the same stand the LED lights. The colors are off. The blue is gross.

[Camilla Luddington]

Gross.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I hate it. It has to be the. The. The. I'm going to give you an example of what they look like. They look like the twinkle lights in Stranger Things. It has to be a pinky color. It has to look like 90s warm. Glowy warm. Literally.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, I know. So Josie has them all.

[Jessica Capshaw]

She has them everywhere.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

And I had to Lie. I said they look good.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, you did. You lied because she's, you know, she's cute.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I was like, they look good over there. And then I was like, lied to a child.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, I get it. She appreciated, though.

[Jessica Capshaw]

She did.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Ooh, eggnog. Interesting. And whiskey. I love it.

[Camilla Luddington]

This makes sense.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Spiked eggnog. What about you?

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

What about a peppermint martini?

[Camilla Luddington]

I'll take one of those. Yeah, for sure.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Duh.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Okay. And when do you do your shopping? Do you do online? Do you go in person? Do you know what? Do you go to a mall?

[Jessica Capshaw]

I'm gonna tell you what really, like, an outdoor mall has pissed me off. And this whole.

[Camilla Luddington]

You look serious.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I am really serious.

[Camilla Luddington]

I know your eyes are narrowing.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I am so mad that Toys R Us does not exist. Because as a kid going to Toys R Us, going through those aisles, and it was like the most. It was like being in Toyland. Like, it was like, oh, my gosh.

[Camilla Luddington]

Well, take that experience. And if you compared it to Fao Schwartz, New York City, like, early 2000s.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yes.

[Camilla Luddington]

Like, it was. I mean, and they. That Tom Hanks, that. That lasted a long time.

[Jessica Capshaw]

But now I do feel like. Like you could have gone into Toys R Us and you could have gotten a Buzz Lightyear, a little Hot Wheels, a Barbie. If you go in there in New York City, it's a little like, here's a really cute bear. That's not true.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, no, no, no. There was a whole bunch of Buzz.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Lightyear and Hot Wheels. No way.

[Camilla Luddington]

I'm trying to think of where it is now. Cause now it's near Rockefeller Center. Well, it honestly, it genuinely. I'm answering this question actually, like, legitimately. Like, seriously. It depended because FAO Schwarz went through an evolution.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, no, I'm talking about now. If you go in now.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's what I feel like, too.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, so they do, like, the baking department is like, buy FAO shorts and the BE department is.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's what I'm saying.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah. No, I. Yeah. Okay. I'm with you. I'm on board.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Back in the Day maybe different. I didn't know, but I. But I. But I don't. I don't want to Amazon the toys.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, I know it's hard. You know, it's a great, great shopping experience. And I'm not paid to say this.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Walmart American Girl doll, okay? My daughter does not give a. About dolls. It's great if you have that kid, but my daughter just does not.

[Camilla Luddington]

Has she ever gone to the beauty salon with her doll and gotten the same hair?

[Jessica Capshaw]

And I'm gonna tell you exactly what happened. We went to this really cute American Girl doll birthday party, right?

[Camilla Luddington]

She had lunch with her doll.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So we didn't have a doll. In fact. No, that's a lie. We had a doll. I'm gonna post a picture on Instagram. That doll looked like she'd seen some it. Okay. She's been through it. She. First off, she was naked and her hair looked like. She just looked like she'd been electrocute. Like, she can't. She like weird Barbie. 100%. We are Barbie. Okay? I have the picture. And I was like, we can't bring her. And so she's. We got.

[Camilla Luddington]

Not early.

[Jessica Capshaw]

No, she was not appropriate. She would have ruined. She was a tea party. She was like, I'm. She needs tequila. Right? So that doll's out. We arrived early. We bought a new doll. Hidden, got the doll's hair done, and then two seconds later, we had lunch. It was such a cute birthday party. We had lunch at the Grove at. No, it wasn't the Grove. It was in Sundry City. And she had the doll and she thought it was really funny to just like throw the doll on a bush.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So we just go from getting his hair done, and then the doll's like, sticking out, legs upside down, like this underwear showing. And that doll, I mean, so she's.

[Camilla Luddington]

A tune of about 200 plus dollars.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, yeah. Because she's like, oh, she's real expensive.

[Camilla Luddington]

Toss into the bushes.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's. It is no little game for us.

[Camilla Luddington]

Please come back, Toys R Us.

[Jessica Capshaw]

What is your best tip to stay calm and unstressed during the holiday?

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, this answer is very easy for me. And I. It's come. Oh, really hard one. But I'm very proud of it. It's not gonna surprise you. Preparation. I start preparing.

[Jessica Capshaw]

You're a psychopath. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

I start preparing for the holidays quite early because when I was just in charge of, you know, myself or like my family members when I was younger, that seemed manageable. And then you have kids and it's like baby's first Christmas. It's so exciting. Whatever. Then you have another, and then you're working outside the house, and you've got your family life, and then they start school. You go from taking care of, like, I don't know, for people during the holidays, as far as gifts go to. I mean, it becomes. I mean, depending on, like, choose your own adventure, it could be plus. It could be 40 plus.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, it's so much pressure.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Or you're gonna start earlier. And so I went with starting earlier.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

I started. I started a couple weeks ago.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's not too early.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

I don't think so. I've already started Googling some stuff.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

And then I do. And then I do. I do end up getting similar things for, you know, the teachers. And although last year, I do remember I should. I forgot to follow up on this. I do actually think that teachers and that kind, like, teachers. Teachers and coaches and all that. I feel like you really should just give them money.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Well, let's ask.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

What do you guys want?

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I always get stuck.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

I don't know, though, because, like, does a gift card seem like kind of like, whatever.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, it does it for sure it does. But it also could be like, whatever I want.

[Jessica Capshaw]

True.

[Camilla Luddington]

Right. They get to get whatever they want.

[Jessica Capshaw]

True, true, true. Well, okay. If you are listening to this and you are a teacher, please help Justin. I know.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yes, please.

[Jessica Capshaw]

What you guys really do want.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Because we will give it to you.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Homes.com Representative]

Homes.com knows having the right agent can make or break your home search. That's why they provide home shoppers with an agent directory that gives you a detailed look at each agent's experience, like the number of closed sales in a specific neighborhood, average price range, and more. It lets you easily connect with all the agents in the area you're searching so you can find the right agent with the right experience and ultimately the right home for you. Homes.com, we've done your homework.

[SelectQuote Representative]

This new year, I want to spend more time with my family, get healthier, and make sure my finances are in order. That includes finally securing life insurance. My friend recommended select quote. They've helped more than 2 million people find coverage in the last 40 years. In 15 minutes, a licensed insurance agent found me a $500,000 policy for only $16 a month, and my husband got a $500,000 policy for ONLY $18 a month. Plus, we qualified for same day life insurance, no medical exam required, and we recovered by the time we hung up with Selectquote. Even if you have a health concern, be it high blood pressure, diabetes, even heart disease, their experienced agents can find you the right life insurance policy at the lowest price. Make life insurance the first resolution you check off your list this year.

[T-Mobile Representative]

Go to selectquote.com for your free quote. That's selectquote.com selectquote.com details on example [e-mail].

[Jessica Capshaw]

Cheap Caribbean is celebrating more than just the new year in 2025. Cheap Caribbean Vacations is celebrating its 25th birthday too. You're invited to join in on the birthday fun and book a beach vacay with more savings.

[Camilla Luddington]

Now through February 3rd, you can unlock up to $250 off site wide vacation packages. Celebrate these awesome savings at your favorite beach and book your next all inclusive vacay at Cheapcaribbe. Your $250 off is waiting. All right, call it crew submissions.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Call it crew submissions. Okay. Isabelle says I always learn a Christmas piece on the piano and buy tons of Christmas candles.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's really cute. I wish you were in my family because I would like to hear you play that Christmas piece on the piano. And I do, and I do love a Christmas candle.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I have so many Christmas candles.

[Camilla Luddington]

I like the ones that smell like something real, though. Like ones like the. You know, the ones that are like gingerbread spice pumpkin latte.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Love that.

[Camilla Luddington]

With a dash of mocha. Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yes.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, that's not a real scent.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah. What. What do you need? Depression? Like, what are we talking? What's what's real. You need that. That's what you need.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, I like a cedar candle.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Fine.

[Camilla Luddington]

Okay, well, Gianna wrote in, and she said, I make a Google Doc with Christmas list, decorations needed, and links and photos.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's fun. Yeah, that would bring me joy.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Love it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Okay. Jesslyn said my anniversary and birthday are in November, so we don't decorate or get into the spirit until after Thanksgiving. I think that's pretty common.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Tradition for a lot of people.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

We have.

[Camilla Luddington]

We.

[Jessica Capshaw]

We have tradition like this in England.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

You put a little in the Christmas pudding.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's not a cake. It's an actual pudding.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's like. It's confused, you know, it's kind of like a fruitcake almost. And then light it on fire. Oh, yeah. And you shove like, 10p in there or 20p in there. And whoever finds it.

[Camilla Luddington]

She's talking about. Doesn't choke a pens.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

You just. You said a P. You're not talking about, like, a round, green pea. You're talking about a pence.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, but we call it 10p. 20p.

[Camilla Luddington]

I was just trying to help the American listeners.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Okay. Sorry. You don't. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, I don't know how I.

[Camilla Luddington]

Feel about money in my food.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It's gross. But growing up, like. I mean, you. It is gross. And we. I. There's no way my dad washed that penny.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's what I'm.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Worried about.

[Jessica Capshaw]

So you're like.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Irene says I dress my kittens up like their little Christmas elves.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's cute.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I love that. That's cute. That's really cute. I think the dogs are gonna be Christmas elves now. This year, I've been inspired.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

No, no, no. I'm not writing it down. I. I tweeted this out into the Twitter sphere, and there was very, really, really cute. On this subject, Danielle wrote, every year on Christmas Eve before bed, I used to get to open one present that would always be new PJs. It's something my nan My grandma always did. And when she died, my mom started doing it. And I'm 36 now and I still get them. That's really. I like the PJ gift before Christmas. I might have to do that because.

[Camilla Luddington]

This reminds me, I love traditions. I love something that happens every year and that you can rely on it. You do it, you know it, you see it coming, you look forward to it, you cherish it. It's great.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. I. I also think sometimes you take comfort in just knowing, like, listen, today is gonna be not the best. Not so fun.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Take the pressure off it being perfect.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

And just know that there's millions and millions and millions of other people sitting here on this day feeling like this is annoying.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Like, I find comfort in thinking, like, listen, I'm not the only person. Person in the world going through this for sure. By the way, there are people that are together, their families are not divorced.

[Camilla Luddington]

And it's still super annoying and they're miserable.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. Just a little light hearted comment for the holiday season.

[Camilla Luddington]

No. But I think it's worth saying that people talk about what it's like to still be in their situations or in their. And they're still dealing with the same issues that they're dealing with any other time of the year, but during a time of the year that everyone wants everybody to be happy and sometimes you're not happy and that's okay. If you're buoyed by the Christmas spirit and you can sort of like, park those problems somewhere and be like, I'm gonna get back to you after the new year, then great. But if they're still there and they're still, you know, holding onto you, then you have to just sort of honor that moment too, and try your hardest to be around people who make you feel good.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. I think it's. I think Chris says it's hard because of the pressure. Right. The pressure to Feels so much.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Two things can be true. Nayak said Argentinian traditions are epic for Christmas because it's summer here. You need to look it up on Tik Tok.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I've always wondered what the.

[Camilla Luddington]

The summer.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Well, just the summer Christmases look like. Yeah, yeah, I know it'd be very weird to. It just not. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Jay said every year my family does filet mignon and baked potatoes for Christmas dinner.

[Camilla Luddington]

Ooh, yum.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Well, we were talking. We were talking about the turkey not being our fave, so maybe it's a filet mignon change out. Oh, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Morgan wrote in, said, getting older, realizing your family is toxic and still having to spend Christmas with them sucks again. There you go.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Noggin Whiskey. Morgan makes everything a little bit nicer.

[Camilla Luddington]

You're not alone. See, this is where you can come to understand that all perspectives and feelings are welcome.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I. I gotta say, I've just. So that I'm relating and being honest and calling it what it is. The. The biggest arguments my family has had. Not me and Matt, like, I'm talking about, you know, your family of origin, the Ludingtons.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yep.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Have always been on Christmas Day.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

In fact, I mean. And they're ridiculous. Like, I remember there was an argument that started over whether the Beatles or Oasis were better. And I'm not kidding. What?

[Camilla Luddington]

Subjective.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It got dark. Oh, yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's unfortunate.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I know.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Well, it's funny. I mean, I'm glad that people wrote in about their. Their real feelings and their real experiences, because it is reminding me that I can definitely do a little revisionist history because I like to move towards the light and the joyous. But, yeah, yeah, there were some dark.

[Jessica Capshaw]

There's some moments.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And also when you get older, because actually my grandparents and my parents were divorced, so I actually. I bopped around. Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

And when people are. There's so much pressure for people to feel like they're with a ton of people during the holidays or be some part of some, like, you know, jubilant celebration that they've seen in a movie or a television show, but that's not everybody's reality. You know, sometimes you're alone and guess what? It's a Christian tradition. It's a Christian holiday. That's not what everyone else is celebrating. And so you kind of have to just make some room for where everybody else is coming from, and that's okay.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

These were some good times.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I was gonna say you get to celebrate.

[Camilla Luddington]

I do.

[Jessica Capshaw]

The whole thing.

[Camilla Luddington]

All of it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

All of them.

[Camilla Luddington]

I know some of my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite memories as a teenager, especially because I was the oldest. And so we always had. It felt like all the youngers and the babies and just all the lights in their eyes and was celebrating Hanukkah. And I love, love, love, like right after you light the candles. And then there was just the singing. It is. We did. We did. We sang a lot and we danced. And then we would get that dance. That dance would go on for a lot longer than just, you know, the lighting of the candles. My mom. It was really a conga line. Going back to the conga line. I love it. It was a conga line. It was a Jewish conga line.

[Jessica Capshaw]

O, please take a video.

[Camilla Luddington]

I will. I've got some for sure. No, we made it the best. And you know what? My. My family just that going back to what I just said, right. It doesn't have to be a big family. Sometimes you have a small family. There were a lot of times I was around a big family. And so there's some. There's some that comes with that. Of course, you know, people disagree or whatever, but there's also just tremendous togetherness and light and everybody can pretty much hold on for that one conga. That line.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Just the conga.

[Camilla Luddington]

Just. There's the conga line to Honda.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Maybe that's what the Luddingtons were missing.

[Camilla Luddington]

Party will all dance a whore. I can't stop it. I'll give you a treat. Hey.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Amazing.

[Camilla Luddington]

Kristin. The day the tree goes up, we watch the 1951 black and white, A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. I love it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Those are great movies.

[Camilla Luddington]

Nostalgia.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I hate A Wonderful Life.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, hate is a strong word.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Makes you sad. Can't tell you the last time I watched it in its entirety.

[Jessica Capshaw]

There's a reason. Okay. Says you. Lily. Lily said my church has Thanksgiving and Christmas services and we serve food and sing. I always loved Midnight mass.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Did you do the midnight mass?

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, I loved it.

[Camilla Luddington]

We did all the masses in all the different ways. You know, something is brought up in Lily's write in and it's. We serve food I don't know if she's talking about just serving her family food, but one of the most rewarding things that I've done with our family, like now our Gavigan family, our nuclear family, is be of service. So we have gone to do serving Thanksgiving meals to those who are party of ones. Right. Where they go to a local place where they can be at a dinner table, and you dress up the table really nice. And the kids have been servers. And it's funny, they've always been really nervous about doing it. They've always been very nervous, like, am I gonna do it right? And pushing through that discomfort and not knowing or even just, you know, talking to people they don't know or whatever. I've never. My heart is so full when we leave experiences like that. I almost have been. I've almost had the thought that service might actually be selfish. Like, you feel so good about having helped someone else.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, I like that a lot, Jess.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Feels good.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah, I like that a lot.

[Camilla Luddington]

Distracts you from your worries, too. If you want to look for how it helps you.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Can I just skip straight to Natalie?

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

I wonder if Natalie always makes her flight.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I bet she does, and I bet she loves it. I just. There's nothing. There's no. We don't even need to make a comment on that. Good job, Natalie. As you should.

[Camilla Luddington]

Becca says, says, I just want to meet the love of my life so we can start our own traditions. Is that too much to ask? Nope. And guess what? You will get it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

It doesn't just have to be love of your life.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, for sure.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Jenny said we do a gingerbread house competition with my kids who are in their 20s. We love to bake. I love this.

[Camilla Luddington]

I do too.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I love it. I love it.

[Camilla Luddington]

Casey said I get two trees. A cute one for the living room and. And an ugly one for my kids room.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's cute. That's like. It's the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Right?

[Camilla Luddington]

That's very funny. That's cute.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

This makes me just think she's, like, licking, like, liking, you know, an elevator.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

All the things. Elevator buttons.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Maya, I'm gonna tell you a little secret. You can just say you have a cold. You don't have to get it. Oh, yeah. Here we have the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Ashlyn.

[Camilla Luddington]

Ashlyn. Yeah. Ashlyn says we purposely try to find a Charlie Brown tree that needs love.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I think I'm gonna get one. I think I gotta go get that tree.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Cutesy. Cutesy. So after eating, we all say one thing we love about the person to the left of us.

[Camilla Luddington]

Kind of like my birthday. But they're all about me.

[Jessica Capshaw]

They're just all about you. Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

No, justice is about other people.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, sorry. Anyways, Mimi says a shot of tequila before the family comes over. It's a must.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Agreed. Can't go wrong with a shot of tequila. Molly said we go to the cinema, the movie theater on Christmas Eve. There's no one there. And it's something we love doing. I can see that being really cute. Always good movies out at Christmas time. Great.

[Camilla Luddington]

Thelma says, growing up, I stayed up late making tamales with my mom. On the 23rd and 24th, Reina said.

[Jessica Capshaw]

We do our annual Christmas karaoke. We love it.

[Camilla Luddington]

That's fun.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's fun.

[Camilla Luddington]

Ella says, On December 1, my younger siblings sprinkle glitter outside to show Santa that my kids live there.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

There's not, like, a formal tradition around it.

[Jessica Capshaw]

There's not. Yeah. Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

And, you know, now that the world. I mean, as we evolve, things get a little more digital. I feel like I've got. You know what?

[Jessica Capshaw]

They're emailing Google Docs. What are they doing? Snapchatting Santa.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. They're snapping. Okay.

[Jessica Capshaw]

All right.

[Camilla Luddington]

Snapping them with a. With the Santa filter.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

I Hope Laura's under 14.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Sophia said, on Thanksgiving, we decorate paper turkeys with a theme, and we vote for the winner. Oh, I Remember making turkeys?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Really?

[Camilla Luddington]

Paper turkeys as a kid? Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Well, remember the ones with where your hand. You did, like, the outline of your hand and your thumb was the turkey head. I remember doing those and cutting it out. And then I remember getting paper. Tissue. Tissue paper. Yes, Getting tissue paper. And then getting little dots of glue and, like, you would, like, make it. The feathers.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yes.

[Camilla Luddington]

Not that artistic.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I love the parade.

[Camilla Luddington]

You. How are we not hosts for the parade? That was like a bucket list thing for you. You really wanted to host, so you.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Guys started this podcast. I was like, I'm very excited about the podcast, but also, we need to be hosting the parade.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. We can make it happen for next year.

[Jessica Capshaw]

And then I think that. That's what I'm saying right now. I think this is 2025. We're gonna make sure that we're. We have a float if that's how it happens.

[Camilla Luddington]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jessica Capshaw]

God. You've not.

[Camilla Luddington]

I'm now shocked.

[Jessica Capshaw]

No. I want to be on the sidelines being like, and here comes the Barney. Like that. I think we'd be really good.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah. Start. Start writing in now.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Start a petition.

[Camilla Luddington]

Let's find the powers that be, and let's just start, you know?

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

A deluge of requests. Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I'm not like, how people, like, really want to be in Marvel movies, Jessic. I don't want to be on the sidelines of that parade. Yeah, we do, Jessica. Amazing. I'm not kidding. All right, you end with Charlotte.

[Camilla Luddington]

Charlotte says we blast Christmas music and put up our decorations way too early.

[Jessica Capshaw]

You know they're blasting Christmas music on the streets of New York right now.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, they are.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Jessica and I have full on. This is not a joke. We've been dancing in the middle of the street.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yep. Yeah, we do that.

[Jessica Capshaw]

We do do that.

[Camilla Luddington]

We say we want to live a low key life. We say we just want to blend in.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

And then that's what cut to us dancing in the middle of the street.

[Jessica Capshaw]

A lot of blending.

[Camilla Luddington]

No, no. You know what I'm remembering about the holidays and Christmas lists is that a lot of times they'll be. Well, I think it's probably a marketing scheme, but there's, like, the thing to get. And I remember when I was a kid, the thing to get there was a cabbage kid. I knew that. Do you know why I Know this.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I know this because Matt always talks about this, too.

[Camilla Luddington]

Mm. Mm. And they were nowhere to be found.

[Jessica Capshaw]

No.

[Camilla Luddington]

And my mother reports, like, going to. I mean, like, a secret room somewhere. Yeah, yeah. To get a. I mean, it was a. It was a. It was a. It was an official Cabbage Patch.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Doll, but it was like you couldn't find them on the. The shelves of Toys R Us, so you had to. I don't know how they did that.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Did you? Back Alley.

[Future Health Representative]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Back Alley deals with the cabbage patch again.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Cabbage patches.

[Camilla Luddington]

I love that doll, though.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Oh, yeah. They were huge. But I have the memory. This isn't something that I wanted, but I do have the memory of my little brother. He's born in 1990, so I don't know what this was. Maybe 95. Whatever. Whenever the first Toy Story came out, the Buzz Lightyears that Christmas, they literally did not make enough. And it was the toy. In fact, I think that's why they jingle all the way. The movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger is based on that Christmas. Oh, they're all after this, like, action toy. And it was the same thing. Like the lines outside Toys R Us to be the first one in there to try and grab a Buzz Lightyear.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah. It's real.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

Do it.

[Camilla Luddington]

No one makes me laugh like Will Ferrell and alf.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Really?

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

That's your very favorite?

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

This episode made me so happy.

[Camilla Luddington]

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

[Jessica Capshaw]

And we're gonna be dancing, and we.

[Camilla Luddington]

Can dance in the streets.

[Jessica Capshaw]

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

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, me too.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I know. Can you guys send us all your pictures? You want to see what you're decorating? Well, you know what? We'll. We'll put them on the Instagram.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Send us. Send us all your things. And you know what? Only because, you know, we started with the joy, and thanks to you all, we were reminded of some of the parts of the holidays that can be really tough. And I just want to. To say that it's very easy to think that something's going to be a certain way for forever. And when we're stuck in a thing, a fear, a challenge, a situation, a relationship that's not going the way we want it to it's just really easy to think it's going to be like that and it's never going to change. And I think one of the greatest things that we can remember is that nothing stays the same forever. Things are constantly changing and evolving and having hope is something that you can have in any situation and hoping for something that's better and closing your eyes and maybe even thinking about what it's going to look like when it's better or sound like is not a bad idea. And I also would love to say that we are all, we are here with you. So, yeah, whatever that means to you, please know that I feel that it's true.

[Jessica Capshaw]

I agree. I like that. I like that. For our sign off. Bigger picture.

[Camilla Luddington]

Bigger picture.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Bigger picture.

[Camilla Luddington]

This too shall pass.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

And for those of you that want to play Christmas music all year round.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

This too shall stay.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Yeah.

[Camilla Luddington]

Yeah.

[Jessica Capshaw]

All right, let's call it.

[Camilla Luddington]

I love being with you here. I know. All right, thank you all and let's.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Call it the end of the episode.

[Future Health Representative]

You don't just live in your home, you live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attraction, attractions, unique qualities, and even things like medium lot, size and a noise score. Homes.com we've done your homework.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Cheap Caribbean is celebrating more than just the new year in 2025. Cheap Caribbean Vacations is celebrating its 25th birthday too. You're invited to join in on the birthday fun and book a beach vacay with more savings.

[Camilla Luddington]

Now through February 3rd, you can unlock up to $250 off site wide vacation packages. Celebrate these awesome savings at your favorite beach. And next all inclusive [e-mail] your $250 off is waiting. Did you know that Future Health can help make weight loss resolutions come true? When it's about biology and not willpower, it's not your fault that the dieting just doesn't work. Find out if weight loss meds are right for you in just three minutes and for less than $3 a day. Eight out of 10 users say that using the Future Health program is more effective than anything they have ever tried.

[Jessica Capshaw]

Feeling good is so important and no matter what you do to be healthy or lose, we we get to utilize science and everyone wins. They give millions of people affordable access to weight loss meds for less than $3 a day. Just take their quick 3 minute survey from there. If approved by a clinician, you'll get prescribed and get meds delivered to your door within 24 hours.

[Camilla Luddington]

Find out if weight loss meds are right for you in just 3 minutes at try FH.com try FH.com try Fh.com futurehealth is not a healthcare services provider. Meds are prescribed at providers discretion. Results may vary. Sponsored by Future Health.