RISK! Podcast — Holiday Stories #4 (December 18, 2025)

Main Theme:
The episode explores real-life, personal, and emotionally charged true holiday stories told live, with a focus on family, faith, traditions, and the complex mix of joy and heartbreak that the festive season can bring. These stories, told with humor and candor, range from the hilarious to the deeply moving—embodying the spirit of RISK!: daring, uncensored storytelling on the holidays.

Host Introduction [02:14]

Kevin Allison Sets the Tone

• Opening the episode with jovial energy, host Kevin Allison introduces the fourth edition of Holiday Stories, originally aired in December 2013.
• Kevin playfully references the power of holiday music:

  “They are just discoing the shit out of Jingle Bells here, and boy, is it a force to be reckoned with...this song will beat the crap out of all of us with joy and good tidings.” (02:25)

• Announces the storytellers: Alex Edelman (“A Very Kosher Christmas”), Jude Trader Wolf, and Danielle Kramer.

Story 1: Alex Edelman – “A Very Kosher Christmas” [04:17–14:18]

A Comedic and Heartfelt Tale of an Orthodox Jewish Family’s Christmas

Key Discussion Points:

• Contradictions of Modern Orthodoxy
  Alex humorously introduces himself as a “modern Orthodox Jew” who’s never tried bacon but has tried cocaine:

  “Let’s put it this way, I’ve never tried bacon, but I have tried cocaine. So I’m a modern person.” (04:43)

• The Christmas Announcement
  At age seven, Alex’s parents announce, much to his delight and little brother’s confusion, that “We’re having Christmas this year.” (06:03)
• Why Christmas?
  Alex’s mother invites her grieving friend Kate (who lost her entire family) to celebrate with them, leading the Orthodox Jews to stage a highly modified Christmas—tree in the garage (not the house), no ham, yarmulkes on during dinner, Hanukkah gelt in the stockings.
• Santa Claus, Eliyahu Hanavi, and Cultural Mashup

  “We have a shitty version of Santa Claus called Eliyahu Hanavi. But he doesn’t leave you presents, he just comes and drinks your wine.” (08:18)

  • The bizarre juxtaposition: “a small Jew decorating a Christmas tree while listening to an Old Testament musical sung by a Mormon.” (10:30)
• The School Fallout
  Alex’s younger brother AJ brags at yeshiva about having a Christmas tree, leading to accusations of “a lying problem.”
  • The principal scolds the father for letting his children experience Christmas:

    “You’re gonna give them Christmas and take it away...that’s not a Jewish thing to do.” (13:21)

  • Alex’s father’s final word to the rabbi:

    “Well, clearly you don’t understand the meaning of Christmas.” (13:58)

Notable Quotes:

• “For Chanukah you get bupkis. Like, it’s bullshit.” (05:45)
• “My mom used to take a lot of pictures, but she only took like two of them this time, perhaps fearing they would be used as evidence in some rabbinical court later on.” (09:22)
• “Especially people like modern Orthodox Jews...they just know someone quantifiably more religious than them is crazy. And anyone less religious than them is Episcopalian.” (10:52)

Segment Highlights:

• [04:17] – Story start: Jewish family Christmas announcement.
• [10:30] – Surreal photo: decorating Christmas tree listening to Donny Osmond.
• [12:19] – The principal’s call about “a lying problem.”
• [13:58] – Father’s mic drop line to rabbi.

Story 2: Jude Trader Wolf — Driving Home for Christmas [14:56–31:40]

A Wintry Journey, Familial Tension, and Hard Truths

Key Discussion Points:

• Holiday Exhaustion and Rituals
  Jude paints a vivid picture of being burnt out from finals, driving home with her sister for the traditional Christmas gathering.
• Family Dread and the Weight of Tradition
  The picturesque, unchanging family home comes with familiar interrogation:

  “‘Why do you have to live so far from home? Why can’t you get a job here in Berlin?’...then it gets to really interesting conversations—‘the moon landing is a hoax,’ ‘seat belts are a communist plot.’” (16:20)

• Facing Change
  Jude’s real challenge: telling her staunchly traditional parents she's moving to Australia to live with her boyfriend.
• Candy: The Legal Emotional Drug

  “Candy is the greatest, safest, legal drug. It stops everything...and we were poor, so we got cheap-ass candy in enormous volumes.” (18:32)

Memorable Car Ride Scene:

• As the sisters drive through a raging Wisconsin blizzard, a long-repressed argument erupts about their diverging lives and missed opportunities:

  “I just wanted one thing that we’d do together...and you couldn’t be bothered to do that.” (22:28)

• Jude realizes:

  “She feels like she’s going to fall apart if I leave, and I feel like I’m going to fall apart if I don’t.” (23:50)

• The storm outside the car mirrors the storm inside.
  • “All you can hear for about an hour...is just silence. The crunch of the tires, the slip, slip, slapping of the windshield wipers, and the beautiful Christmas music about peace on earth playing on the radio.” (24:16)
• Solution: chocolate binge from the Whitman’s sampler in the back seat.

Family Reaction and Aftermath:

• Jude faces her mother’s dramatic objections, including the “fainting couch” ritual and threats of divine disappointment.
• Her sister breaks the tension:

  “She’ll just say the rosary and pray to the baby Jesus and everything will be okay. Now, how about some Rice Krispie treats with peanut butter and fudge?” (29:53)

Reflections and Impact:

• Through the fraught night, Jude finds empathy for her family’s fear of change.
• Cites E.L. Doctorow:

  “There are times when it’s like driving on a treacherous road...but you can make the whole journey that way.” (30:48)

Segment Highlights:

• [14:56] – Story opens: Christmas Eve, work exhaustion.
• [18:32] – The power of candy as emotional medicine.
• [22:28] – Blowout argument in the blizzard.
• [24:16] – Silent truce, chocolate as peacemaker.
• [29:53] – Sister’s witty resolution.
• [30:48] – E.L. Doctorow quote and episode theme reflection.

Story 3: Danielle Kramer — “How I Used to Be Grinch” [34:10–43:23]

From Teenage Grinch to Keeper of Tradition

Key Discussion Points:

• Teenage Cynicism vs. Family Magic
  Danielle relates her days as a surly, NIN-shirt-wearing, Christmas-loathing teen:

  “I was the worst kind of Grinch...I can't even look at teenagers anymore these days because...oh, that was me, like tenfold. It's so embarrassing.” (34:17)

• Parents' Relentless Holiday Spirit
  Her parents ensured the holiday was “magic anyhow”—Santa sleighs, mountains of presents, and every inch of the house decked out in Christmas gear.
• Critical Adolescence
  Danielle describes becoming the family’s Christmas cynic (“Santa had black eyebrows!”) and resenting every “stupid” tradition.
• Circle of Tradition
  Despite moving away and “hating on Christmas,” she finds herself longing for family recipes, Christmas music, and old ornaments — unconsciously recreating her childhood traditions.
  • “Before you know it, everything in my house was replaced with a Santa or snowman...and I was the one driving too slow looking at Christmas lights.” (37:00)
• Loss and Continuity
  Family tradition’s deeper value becomes clear as loved ones are lost.
  • Grandfather’s death: “My dad...knew that tradition was really important. It was hard, but he was brave and put on the Santa hat, and we all cried our eyes out but we kept it going.” (40:09)
  • Her father’s passing: “Again, we find ourselves with that Santa hat, and my sisters and I, we had to be brave and strong.” (41:27)
• Hard-won Gratitude:

  “For as hard as I hated on Christmas, I came out in the end loving it that much more. So I have faith in the next generation.” (42:53)

Notable Quotes:

• “You just remember the good times, the memories you had, and that’s what they were giving me. But I didn’t let them give it to me. I had to find it on my own.” (38:18)
• “The only thing that you notice that starts to change is the people. And people start getting older and you start losing people. And that’s when tradition and memory suddenly become very, very important.” (39:41)

Segment Highlights:

• [34:10] – Teenage Grinch years and family traditions.
• [37:00] – Realizing she’s become her parents.
• [40:09] – Taking up the Santa hat after grandfather’s death.
• [41:27] – Passing the tradition forward after her own father’s passing.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “Clearly, you don't understand the meaning of Christmas.”
  —Alex Edelman’s father, on religious tradition vs. human kindness (13:58)
• “She feels like she's going to fall apart if I leave, and I feel like I'm going to fall apart if I don't.”
  —Jude Trader Wolf, on sibling bonds and diverging paths (23:50)
• “Being young and being a teenager, we didn't understand tradition because we didn't want for anything yet...the only thing you notice that starts to change is the people.”
  —Danielle Kramer, on why family rituals gain value over time (39:41)

Thematic Takeaways

• Tradition, Change, and Memory:
  All three storytellers grapple with the evolving meaning of tradition—how festive rituals hold families together even as members change, leave, or are lost.
• Empathy and Growing Up:
  Both Jude and Danielle realize, after strained family moments, new empathy for their parents’ (and siblings’) fear of change.
• Humor as Healing:
  Even as stories touch on grief, alienation, or generational conflict, humor provides relief and the ability to reflect without bitterness.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:17 – Alex Edelman: “A Very Kosher Christmas”
• 09:43 – Christmas morning aftermath; Christmas tree in the garage (Alex)
• 13:58 – “Clearly, you don't understand the meaning of Christmas.” (Alex’s father)
• 14:56 – Jude Trader Wolf: Blizzard drive home for Christmas
• 22:28 – Sisters’ car argument
• 24:16 – The silent chocolate truce
• 29:53 – Sister’s comic line, “She’ll just say the rosary...”
• 30:48 – E.L. Doctorow’s wisdom
• 34:10 – Danielle Kramer: “I used to be Grinch”
• 37:00 – Realization: She’s become her parents
• 41:27 – Passing on the Santa hat after family losses

Tone:
The episode is as candid, irreverent, and heartfelt as always. Stories blend hilarious observational comedy with poignant family revelations, staying true to RISK!’s mission: “people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public.”

End of summary.