More Happier: Deck the Halls! 24 Quick Tasks to Get Holiday-Ready [Revisited]

Summary

Podcast Summary: Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Episode: More Happier: Deck the Halls! 24 Quick Tasks to Get Holiday-Ready [Revisited]
Date: November 8, 2025
Hosts: Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft

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Episode Overview

This "More Happier" episode revisits Gretchen and Elizabeth's much-loved “Deck the Halls” episode, offering 24 quick, practical tasks to reduce holiday chaos and make the season smoother. The hosts encourage listeners to complete manageable, one-minute-ish tasks—actions your future self will thank you for. Their aim: to help listeners move from overwhelm to enjoyment as the holidays approach by focusing on preparation, intentionality, and a few fun traditions.

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Main Themes & Purpose

• Reducing Holiday Stress: Break down preparations into bite-sized, actionable steps.
• Cultivating Happiness: Practicality makes for a happier, less frazzled holiday.
• Gamification: Encouraging the use of a bingo card to make tasks more engaging.
• Togetherness & Intention: Emphasize connecting with loved ones and embracing traditions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Deck the Halls: The Concept

• This episode revisits a previous “Clear the Decks” exercise (from episode 443) but with a seasonal twist.
• The 24 quick holiday tasks can be followed in real time or later; a bingo card is available for gamification at happiercast.com/deckthehalls.
• Most tasks can be done in about a minute, but some are more involved—listeners should interpret them flexibly.

“Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time.”
— Gretchen Rubin [05:03]

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2. The 24 Tasks: Highlights & Notable Insights

[08:16–29:03]
The hosts alternate, explaining each task with personal anecdotes, why it matters, and tips for making it easier.

1-6: Get Ready & Get Organized

• Set a date for decorating — Put it on the calendar to avoid last-minute scramble.
• Take inventory of baking supplies — Avoid mid-bake panic.
• Declutter decorations — Donate what you won’t use; don’t let storage become a hassle.
• Connect with a childhood friend — Send a note, text, or email.
• Clear fridge/freezer — Make room for leftovers and incoming holiday foods.
• Plan holiday outfits — Check for gaps ahead of time.

7-12: Proactive Planning

• Identify five gifts to buy — Start your list early.
• Sign up as an organ donor [11:13] — Takes seconds, can save lives.

  “You do not need one minute to do this. Go to donatelife.net... You can do it from your sofa or your desk.”
  — Gretchen Rubin [11:18]

• Check gift wrap supplies — Include tape, tags, and ribbons.
• Buy batteries — “So many gifts require batteries...good to have all the different sizes.” — Elizabeth Craft [12:31]
• Make year-end charitable contributions — Get it done before 12/31.
• Add items to your own wish list — Help others shop for you.

13-18: Mood & Meaning

• Create a Five Senses portrait of your ideal holiday [17:59]
  • For example, a “Kansas City Christmas.”

  “One thing I love about doing the portrait... is it gets you in the holiday mood.”
  — Elizabeth Craft [18:04]

• Listen to your favorite holiday song — From traditional carols (Gretchen loves “Good King Wenceslaus”) to pop favs (“Santa Baby” for Elizabeth).
• Take the Gift Giving Quiz (gretchenrubin.com/quiz) — Get inspiration for gift ideas.
• Add a fun seasonal activity to your calendar — “Escape room” is a Craft family holiday tradition.
• Order holiday card stamps (if you’re a cards person).
• Bonus: Free space on the bingo card — Add your own essential task.

19-24: Festive Flourishes

• Choose a theme word or phrase for the season

  “Ring a ling from Silver Bells...that’s going to remind me to have fun.”
  — Elizabeth Craft [22:15]
  “Mine is the phrase ‘laughing all the way’ from Jingle Bells.”
  — Gretchen Rubin [22:22]

• Write a ‘to do’ or ‘could do’ list — Rebels may prefer “might-could” lists.
• Finalize any undecided holiday plans — Solidify travel, guests, etc.
• Buy seasonal greenery or flowers — Poinsettias for Elizabeth; narcissus is Gretchen’s perennial internal debate.
• Eat a holiday treat from your childhood — Family favorites include peanut butter chocolate cookies and Topsy’s popcorn.
• Pick a holiday movie in advance — Prevent the group indecision!

  “My own personal favorite is the original Miracle on 34th Street. I tear up every time…”
  — Gretchen Rubin [28:06]
  “We often watch Elf. This year we’ll watch Die Hard.”
  — Elizabeth Craft [28:28]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you do this along with us, by the time you finish listening, you will have accomplished a lot.” — Gretchen Rubin [05:16]
• “Give yourself credit. Even checking off one or two things can make a real difference.” — Elizabeth Craft [29:03]
• “Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That is a secret of adulthood from Voltaire.” — Gretchen Rubin [29:09]
• “The best time to start a happiness project is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Gretchen Rubin [29:27]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [05:03] — Introduction to the deck-the-halls bingo card and one-minute tasks
• [08:16–29:03] — Walkthrough of the 24 tasks (with reasons and anecdotes)
• [17:59] — The “Five Senses Portrait” activity
• [21:55] — Choosing a seasonal word or phrase
• [28:06] — Discussing (and debating) holiday movie picks
• [29:03] — Encouragement to celebrate even small wins

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Tone & Style

Warm, practical, and accessible—Gretchen and Elizabeth are supportive, a little self-mocking, and enthusiastically festive, always focused on ways to make happiness attainable.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode equips you with a concrete list of 24 quick holiday “to dos” designed to reduce stress and increase joy—backed by the hosts’ lived experience and a bit of humor. Whether you use the bingo card or just pick one or two tips, the goal is to feel “a little less overwhelmed going into the holidays.”

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Tip: You can find the bingo card and more resources at happiercast.com/deckthehalls.

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End of summary.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Infants are ready to learn sign language, 2 year olds are ready to learn the basics of science, and 3 year olds are ready to learn coding? Your child is ready to learn, and at Primrose Schools, teachers make the most of this time by creating a joyful, purposeful learning experience unlike any other.

[B]

For instance, have you heard of the Primrose Friends? In every Primrose School, classroom, teachers use these 12 lovable puppets to make character development joyful, meaningful and memorable. From exploring generosity with Benjamin the Bear to practicing honesty with Peanut the Pony, every friend plays a special part in helping children learn important values while having plenty of fun along the way. We could all use some friends like that. You can learn [e-mail] now enrolling infants through children age 5. That's primroseschools.com for more information. Lemonade hello, we're here for More Happier A podcast where we get happier Elizabeth it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I can already feel the chaos of the holiday season looming. So we thought what might actually help. Let's revisit the Deck the Halls episode we did a few years ago.

[A]

Yes, the one where we each suggested a bunch of quick holiday prep table tasks like gathering the gift wrap, checking the pantry, clearing space in the fridge.

[B]

Yeah, this was all small things, nothing major, just manageable steps to help you feel like you're moving forward instead of falling behind. One of my favorite happiness hacks is to do something that your future self will thank you For. And this episode is all about that.

[A]

And after this aired, we heard from so many people who said it gave them exactly the kind of structure they needed to get going on their holidays.

[B]

Yeah. And now that we're heading into our first holiday season with Taffy and our second holiday in the open door phase, I am trying to stay steady and still yet say yes to the season. So it feels like the right time to bring it back.

[A]

So here we are in 2023, walking through how it works.

[B]

Okay. This episode was inspired by the very enthusiastic response we got to our. Our unusual episode 443, which we called the Clear the Decks episode. And Elizabeth, I don't know if you remember, but in the Happier Ladies podcast, one of the sisters referred to this as a strange episode. It was a little strange, yes.

[A]

So what we did is we just. We went through a list of things to do to just clear the decks, and we suggested everybody do them as they listened to the episode. So we suggested people pause the episode and go do the thing. Of course, many people just listen and then did it, but it was fun for those who wanted to sort of play along, so to speak.

[B]

Right. Yeah. The idea with episode 443 is September is the other January. And so to help everybody get ready into the post Labor Day reentry, it was like, okay, here are a bunch of quick tasks that we can all do to clear the decks.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But because people really wanted us to do it again, we wanted to keep going with the deck theme. So instead of. I am very proud of us for this, Elizabeth. Clear the decks is now Deck the halls.

[A]

Yes. Which several listeners suggested.

[B]

That several listeners suggested. And also the fact that even if you don't celebrate kind of the holidays, it's December.

[A]

Oh, great.

[B]

So we got a deck if you mispronounce December. So the idea is we will pause the show as we go to allow you to run and do a manageable, quick, one minute, ish task to help you get ready for the holidays. So if you do this along with us, by the time you finish listening, you will have accomplished a lot. So if you are in the car, if you were walking your dog, whatever, you might want to save it and listen to it when you can run around. Or you might want to listen to it now so you can be thinking of the kinds of things that you'll do and then re. Listen to it and follow along. Yeah.

[A]

And Gretch, some of these are not a minute, like figuring out what you want to donate as you put up your Christmas decorations will take more than a minute, but many of them can be accomplished in a minute.

[B]

True. I think of that one as being a minute. Ish. Because you're already doing your decorating, and so it's just take that minute as you go to say, hey, am I realistically gonna ever use this again? No, I'm not. I'll put it in a donate pile. So in that way. So the decorating could take a long time, but it's the decision of a minute. But point taken. Some of these are more than a minute. With Clear the Deck, there was a couple things where people were like, come on, this is not. I think it was clean your car or something. Like, people were like, this is not a minute. So poetic license.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You know, you get it. And the reason that this is a happiness exercise is that, first of all, it's so energizing to get things crossed off the list, to make preparations that save us time and hassle later and live in the atmosphere of growth. Elizabeth, you're always talking about the atmosphere of growth we get when we get things done.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And also, things that can be done at any time are often done at no time. And so if you are the kind of person who just needs somebody to say, like, okay, do it now. Here it is.

[A]

Absolutely. And, Gretchen, we should mention that some of these items require a purchase. So when we say buy, obviously, you know, you can't go to the store and buy something once again in a minute, but you can add it to your shopping list.

[B]

Yes. Again, these are one minute ish things. And as we go, if there are things that you don't get to do not worry about writing them down or noting them in any way. I'm gonna make this into a bingo card. Love the bingo card, which you can [e-mail] deckthehalls all lowercase. Just deckthe halls. And so you can do it as a bingo card if that kind of gamifies it for you rebels or other people who like to gamify it. Oh, and you know, Elizabeth, what I noticed is because it's a bingo, we made the list of 24 for a bingo card, and we're heading into 20. 24.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Which is just a happy accident, but it's fun.

[A]

Yes. Incidentally, it's also the 50th episode of More Happier Today.

[B]

Yay. Really? We've done 50?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I would have said, like, 25. I would have had no idea. We've done 50.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, happy anniversary, everybody.

[B]

Coming up on two years yeah. Well, Chuck, thank you for that. Ta da. We love it. Ta da.

[A]

Ta da. Thank you, Chuck.

[B]

And a great number. Excellent. Okay, so, Elizabeth, let us launch in. Deck the halls. Get yourself ready here. The quick, easy task. Follow along, and if you get to the end, you will have made a lot of headway into heading into the holidays.

[A]

Yes. So, number one, set a date to put up holiday decorations.

[B]

Yes. Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time. So if you're a person who likes to have something on the calendar, put it on the calendar so that you don't get to the day before and realize that you haven't put up your.

[A]

Decorations, as I did with Halloween.

[B]

Yes. This was partly inspired by your experience. Number two, take an inventory of holiday baking supplies if you know you're gonna be doing a lot of baking. Do you have your vanilla? Do you have enough sugar? Do you have sprinkles? All those things so that you can put them on your list and get them conveniently the next time you go to the store.

[A]

Number three, as you decorate, identify and donate anything you don't use.

[B]

This is really good, I think, because storing all this stuff can be a nuisance. And why store and move around every year? Take it out, put it back in if you're not using it. So consolidate, and then also get those things to someone who will enjoy them. We just did this in Kansas City with our parents, and first of all, it was super fun to do. And also they really consolidated, and I think it's gonna make it a lot easier for them. Cause holiday decorating in our household is a super big deal. So anything that makes it easier is very welcome.

[A]

Yes. Number four, send a note to a childhood friend. Well, I love this. I love connecting with my old friends. Gretch, I've been talking about that lately, and I mean, I would say you could just even text. Doesn't have to be an actual note, right?

[B]

Send a note in whatever format suits you. Absolutely.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Number five, clear your freezer and fridge to make room for leftovers. Or also things that you're getting ready to serve. Because the holidays tends to be a time where we're dealing with a lot of things going in, things coming out, things going back in.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I just cleaned out my condiments, by the way. Just today. Got a little clutter clearing.

[A]

Gold star for you.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Number six, figure out your holiday outfits. Oh, that is always a question, isn't it? And in la, I don't know if it's going to be you know, 65 or 85.

[B]

Right. And if you, if there's some little thing you need again, it's just nice to do it in a leisurely way and not realize day of that you've got to run out and get some whatever it might be to complete your outfit.

[A]

Tights.

[B]

Number seven, identify five gifts to buy. Elizabeth, you are doing your holiday Christmas shopping early. You're inspiring me. So I've started a list and I want to add five gifts to that right away.

[A]

Number eight, sign up to be an organ donor. Gretch, you feel strongly about this?

[B]

Yes. My husband Jamie had hepatitis C, and thanks to science, he is now cured, which is miraculous. But it got me very focused on the importance of organ donation. And this is something you can do in 10 seconds. You do not need one minute to do this. Go to donatelife.net sign up and tell everybody in your life that you would want to be an organ donor so that if the situation arises, they know what you would wish. This is a way you could save many, many lives and improve the lives of many people. And you can do it from your sofa or from your desk. And it's a really important thing to do that can be done very quickly.

[A]

So important, Gretch.

[B]

Number nine, check your supply of wrapping paper, gift bags, tape, ribbons, all that stuff. Again, if you know that you need something, you can get it in a leisurely way instead of realizing at the very moment that you need it that you do not have it. So doing a little bit of evaluation now can make it much easier to do that later.

[A]

Yeah. And I will add, Gretch, those little stickers that say to and from, I am a big fan of those, and I always make sure I have a whole packet of those.

[B]

See, I'm a big fan of the gift bag because you can reuse the gift bag so easily, but sometimes, you know, you need all sizes. So I would say that, yeah.

[A]

Number 10, buy batteries, especially for those of us who have children. So many gifts require batteries. It's good to have all the different sizes that you are going to need on hand.

[B]

Coming up, we have more ideas for how to deck the halls. We will be back in a minute. Now, Elizabeth, you know that I am not a cook. Just the thought of cooking stresses me out. But fortunately, there is a solution. SUVI is a smart countertop oven and a flexible meal delivery service. I have tried it, and it only takes a few minutes to get a meal ready. And the coolest part is that the SUV kitchen robot has built in refrigeration so I can set up dinner in the morning and Suvi will keep it cold until it's time to cook. I don't even have to be home in time to start it. And one thing that I love is that they have Keto friendly category. So there are so many options of Keto friendly, which is what Jamie and I like and chef crafted meals are delivered right to our door.

[A]

The Sous Vide kitchen robot fits on the counter and has 15 cook modes including air fry and slow cook. You can use it to cook any recipe. Go to suvi.com happier to get 16 free meals when you order. That's S u v I e.com Happier. Save time. Eat better with Suvie Elizabeth, you know.

[B]

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[A]

And an added bonus, wasting less food feels really good. All the guilt and stress I used to feel when cleaning out my fridge is gone. Mill makes it easy and even joyful to reduce food waste, taking a global problem and turning it into a simple daily step at home.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Number 12, add three items to your own wish list.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Our family are big believers in making list of what you want for the holidays. And it's very helpful to others to add items and you don't wanna have to sit down and do it all in one stretch because you never remember. Yes. It's like the 24 for 24 list. You don't wanna sit down and do it all at once.

[B]

Yeah, it's very hard. And Elizabeth, I would say in our family it's almost considered an obligation, like it's poor family decorum not to give a wish list because then it's saying that other people have to do all that work instead of you doing the soul searching of what it is that you want. In my family, I'm like, do not buy yourself one single thing. I'm scolding Jamie if I see him buy something like, you know, a portable umbrella. I'm like, that's supposed to go in your stocking. Don't buy that for yourself. So starting in October, number 13. Okay, Elizabeth, I am so excited about this one. Okay. This is to create a five senses portrait of your ideal holiday. So it could be your ideal holiday, like if you had every element that you wish, like there was snow on the ground. Or it could be sort of your most quintessential holiday. And Elizabeth, we've talked about this. We are going to do a Kansas City Christmas portrait. Because Kansas City Christmas always unfolds in this very, very classic way, which as somebody who loves traditions, I always wanted to be exactly the same. So I'm so excited to do this.

[A]

Yes, I'm excited too. And you know what? One thing I love about doing the portrait and just the whole deck the halls of it, Gretchen, is it gets you in the holiday mood.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You know, yes.

[B]

Well, and also that you don't think, oh my gosh, we forgot to go to Andre's and buy gingerbread cookies or whatever because, oh, that's part of Kansas City Christmas or whatever it might be. So we will share that once it's done. It could be a fun thing for all of us to do around the table, too.

[A]

Yes, that would be fun. Oh, and by the way, Gretch, don't you have a space for a Five Senses portrait in the Five Senses journal?

[B]

Yeah, no, it's the Five Senses journal. It's daily noting of your five senses. But you're right, there's many places where you can do different kinds of Five Senses portraits, so, yeah.

[A]

Oh, that'd be fun.

[B]

We'll do Kansas City Christmas in my journal.

[A]

Number 14. Listen to your favorite holiday song.

[B]

I love this one.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You know, I'm not a music person. I realize that I'm a song lover, not a music lover. That was one of the things I learned about myself in writing Life in Five Senses. And one of the things I realized is I truly love carols. I really, really love traditional carols.

[A]

Do you have a favorite?

[B]

It could be Good King Wenceslaus. It could be Carol of the Bells. I like a kind of melancholy, almost sort of eerie.

[A]

I think I gotta go with Santa, baby.

[B]

Oh, so you like the more pop, upbeat. Okay, well, we'll play them all in Kansas City. Number 15, take the gift giving quiz. If you are struggling back to the idea of making a list. If you're struggling with figuring out ideas for someone on your list or you want to get more ideas about yourself because you don't really know the kind of thing that you would want to add to your list. If you take my gift giving quiz, which [e-mail] quiz it will give you an analysis. Is this a tried and true, easy to please, enthusiast connoisseur? And it will give you ideas like, Elizabeth, you told me that Adam is a connoisseur, and that was, like, very clarifying for me in terms of, okay, what kinds of things would Adam like to get?

[A]

Yes. And I am an easy to please yes.

[B]

Which is a very popular category, especially during holiday times.

[A]

Number 16. Add one fun seasonal activity to your calendar.

[B]

Is there anything you're thinking about doing?

[A]

Well, Gretch, I want to add to our calendar escape room. You know, I love us doing an escape room when we're all together in Kansas City. I don't know if that's strictly holiday, but it feels holiday to me because we always do it during the holidays.

[B]

We'll just declare it a holiday activity because it's something that we do together. Escape rooms have exploded in popularity like the first time we did it, we had one choice. Now we have so many choices when we go. And I want to give a shout out. If you're in the New York City area, if you go to the museum of the city of New York, you pay what you wish to go to that museum. They are having the great borough bake off for gingerbread. I love fancy gingerbread houses. I could look at them forever. And they're doing a competition, and they all look like famous New York City buildings. And it's super fun. It smells so good. They're so charming. If you're looking for an activity, a fun seasonal activity, I highly recommend the gingerbread competition. Super Fun at number 17 if you are a holiday cards person. If you send out holiday cards, order your stamps, get Those done.

[A]

Number 18, free space. Every bingo card needs a free space, and this is ours. Pick something that you need to do to deck the halls.

[B]

Yes. Number 19. Choose a one word or one phrase theme for the season. And we've talked about this in the past. Elizabeth, what do you think you're gonna choose for your theme this year?

[A]

All right, Gretch. Well, I want to, over the holidays, let go of all the stress of the past year and the strike and just focus on enjoying myself, enjoying loved ones. And something that embodies that for me is ring a ling from Silver Bells. You know, the bells go ring a ling, and I just think that's a fun phrase that I like to say and it's gonna remind me to have fun.

[B]

Oh, that's good. I like that. And mine is kind of in the same vein. It's funny. We're like, the holidays are so festive. We have to remember to have fun. Mine is the phrase laughing all the way from Jingle Bells. So, Elizabeth, we will remind ourselves.

[A]

Ring a ling. Laughing all the way.

[B]

Yeah, it's good. It's setting a nice tone.

[A]

Number 20, write a holiday to do list or a could do list or both.

[B]

This is something. It works for all four tendencies. Rebels often don't like a to do list, but they can do a could do list, Might could list, or maybe you want to do both. Some things that you need to get done and some things that would be nice to get done.

[A]

Fun.

[B]

And I love a to do list.

[A]

Coming up, our final four deck the halls items. But first, this break.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Yeah, Squarespace is the all in one platform to build and grow your online presence. You know, whether you're starting a passion project, you're promoting your comedy or your podcast, or you're turning a side hustle into a business, Squarespace makes it easy to stand out online. And if you offer services or run events, Squarespace lets you book clients, send invoices, and get paid all in one place. Head to squarespace.com happy for a free trial and when you're ready to Launch, use offer code Happy to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Elizabeth, you know I love this time of year, but one thing I do not love is how short the days are. I feel like I'm always trying to cram so many things into a limited number of daylight hours, but one thing that's helping me really stay on top of my routine during this busy time is the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus. Powered by Peloton iq, the Peloton Cross Training Tread plus is Peloton's most elevated equipment yet. With features that help you plan, stay motivated and achieve peak performance. You can let yourself run, lift, sculpt and push and go while Peloton handles the rest.

[A]

Peloton IQ creates a personal workout roadmap with weekly recommended classes led by instructors who match your mood, vibe and personality. Go on a 45 minute run on the tread plus or do a five minute stretch routine off of it. With just one smooth spin of the swivel screen, it offers endless ways to train for a well rounded routine no matter how busy you are. This is cross training reimagined. Let yourself run, lift, squeeze, sculpt, push and go. Explore the new peloton cross training tread [e-mail] all right Gretch, we are back.

[B]

With Deck the halls, number 21, finalize any undecided holiday plans. Do you know what days you're coming and you're going? It can make things a lot easier to do this planning early, especially if you have to buy tickets or make any kind of arrangements.

[A]

Number 22, buy some seasonal greenery or flowers, Maybe a nice poinsettia. I like to have two out front during the holidays.

[B]

One thing every year. This is my under buyer self versus my life and five senses self. Every year I think I should buy narcissus plants because I love the way they smell and they're very holidayish. And then my underbuyer self is like, why buy them? Why buy them? And then my life and five senses person is like, buy them. Enjoy them out of splurge. You will love them. It's a holiday decoration. You love the smell. And then the underbuyer part of me is like, don't buy them. Don't buy them. So it's a battle. Each year we will see which little devil on my shoulder will win. This year, I'm Inspired.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Number 23, eat a holiday treat that you enjoyed as a child. Elizabeth, what would this be for us? What is something that we had as a child? Ooh, I have a thought. What would you say?

[A]

I'm thinking of all the different kinds of cookies that we would make. Like the peanut butter cookies covered in chocolate that dad would make.

[B]

Oh, those were so good. I was thinking of the coffee cake with the kind of brown sugar icing that our grandparents would bring when they would come for Kansas City. And that yellow tin.

[A]

Yes, of course. Topsy's popcorn.

[B]

Ooh, Topsy's popcorn for sure.

[A]

And finally, number 24. Choose a holiday movie. So. So often we all get together as a family and you know, you want to watch a movie, but then you have to have a half an hour to an hour discussion about what movie. It's great if you choose it beforehand.

[B]

Yeah. Or be thinking of some choices to throw out to the group. My own personal favorite is the original miracle on 34th Street. I tear up every time that little girl talk in Dutch. And Kris Kringle understands her. This is my question for you, Elizabeth. Maybe you know the answer. Why is Die Hard? A, am I right that it's a Christmas movie? And B, why in the heck is it a Christmas movie? I have never seen the movie.

[A]

Yes, people do think of Die Hard as a Christmas movie because he. Bruce Willis comes for Christmas and the whole thing takes place during an office Christmas party. Oh, but you and I, we're gonna watch it over break. That's our choice for a holiday movie. We often watch Elf. This year we'll watch Die Hard.

[B]

Okay. It feels like an untraditional choice, but I guess it's a traditional choice. Okay, so Those are the 24 things. We hope you all did them with us listeners, or even just a few of them, and that you got a lot of satisfaction out of it.

[A]

Yes. Give yourself credit. Even checking off one or two things can make a real difference.

[B]

Yeah, that's right. Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That is a secret of adulthood from Voltaire. The goal is just to feel a little bit more on top of things. Just a little bit more. Ready?

[A]

Yes. I will be very happy to be a little less overwhelmed going into the holidays. Bye, Gretch.

[B]

Bye, Elizabeth. The best time to start a happiness project is 20 years ago. The second best time is now from the onward project.

[A]

Hi, Gretchen. Craig Robinson and my little sister Michelle here. We host a new podcast called IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. We know you're the queen of giving advice, so we wanted to get a few tips from you. You know, Gretchen, a lot of our listeners are going through some major life changes. What advice do you have for folks who are trying to stay grounded in the midst of major life transitions?

[B]

Craig and Michelle, I am so happy to be talking to you. Here are a few questions that might help us gain perspective. So consider questions like this. What activities take up my time but are not particularly useful or stimulating for me? Do I spend a lot of time on something that's important to someone else but is not very important to me? If I could magically change one habit in my life, what would I choose? And here's a question. Would I like to have more time in solitude, restorative solitude, or would I like to have more time with friends? You know, just thinking about questions like this can help us start to figure out how we might make our lives happier. With greater self knowledge, we're better able to make hard decisions that reflect ourselves, our own nature, our own interests, our own values. In my own case, I have found that the more my life reflects my nature, the happier I get and the more grounded I feel when I'm going through a period of major change or transition. For more great advice, search for IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. Wherever you get podcasts, you can listen to Issa Rae on letting go of certain friendships. Keke Palmer on why disappointment is actually the key to career success. Seth and Lauren Rogan on caring for aging parents and so many more.