
It's Week 3 of your November Book Lisp. With no book spoilers until week 4, Jon & Sarah discuss topics inspired by this month's read, “Twelve Days of Christmas” by Debbie Macomber. Jon starts off with important Christmas decorating updates, then we are all over the map. Snowed in with Crown Royal during a Seahawks game. Making dinner reservations using someone else’s name. Don’t turn down nice gestures, watch your White Russian intake, favorite Holiday songs & more. Enjoy!
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A
Hi, I'm Sarah Colonna.
B
And I'm John Ryan.
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And you're listening to the Book List. The Book List.
B
The Book Lisp.
A
Oh, that's right. You're listening to the Book List. Hello and welcome to the Book List with John Jonathan Robert Ryan and Sarah Noel Colonna. Yes, it's a Christmas theme book, so I wanted to throw in my, my middle name to really gained some favors with the folks out there.
B
Yeah, very Christmassy middle name you have.
A
Yeah, well, I was born on December 29, and so my middle name's Noel. And when I got baptized, the guy said Noel at a church. And I thought, I feel like he should know Noel. I feel like at a Methodist church, the guy. Was it a Methodist church? I forgot. Anyway, he said he's not a reverend like you, John. You know how to say Noel?
B
I do.
A
Correctly. Welcome, listeners. It's week three of your November Book Lisp. While we are discussing, say it again.
B
John, 12 days of Christmas. But Debbie Macomber.
A
Yes, that's right. We are discussing that. And it's a, it's a good time. This book. It's, it's a very, it's like a Hallmark movie in a book.
B
Yes.
A
Yeah.
B
Speak. Speaking of which, it looks like Hallmark movie in our, our house right now.
A
Oh, yeah. Watching this, guys, There's, I've been posting on my Instagram stories that John's decorating. It is, it is full out. It. I go home, I leave to go to the grocery store and two hours later I come back and there were five trees up. And yes. Yeah, there's a lot happening and they're not all decorated yet. However, the one in our, the main one in our living room just got decorated today when I left for another two hours and came home.
B
The big one that really takes time is decorated now. The big one in the corner, 11ft tall, really takes some time.
A
And what happened? What happened, John, is you're doing something. I'll post some photos when it's all done. But he's, he's doing our railing, our staircase railing with a bunch of small ornaments. Basically turned it into a garland with ornaments. Right.
B
It looks like garland, but it's like it goes all the way around the railing and it's going to take. Right now I have about what, 12ft of it done, and that's, I think that's about 500 ornaments so far. So when it's all done, it'll be at least 2,000, maybe 3,000 individual bulbs going all the way up the stairs.
A
And he's calling it as Mona Lisa. I posted it on Instagram. I got ever. All these people want to know how you're doing it. And I just write back. I don't know. I go, I go to the store and I come back and it's done. I can't tell you.
B
I'll show people. I'll give them a little insight on how it's done.
A
Okay. Okay.
B
It's not that hard, but it's very tedious.
A
Yeah, I think we should pro at this point we probably need a whole Instagram account dedicated to your Christmas decorations. Because I get a lot of questions and then people think I have something to do with it. I'm like, no, he doesn't want me to have anything to do with this is all him. So. But it's. I reap the benefits because it's lovely in our home and it'll be nice to have it decorated for Thanksgiving. So that's what we're a much better.
B
Organized this year because it seems to be going very quickly. Like last year or last week I went and got all the stuff out of the, out of the storage unit and have it organized very well. So just took six carloads and our storage unit is only a block and a half away. Six full car loads get all over here. I put in the garage and then I put. I had a schedule this year.
A
Oh boy.
B
So you know, what's the schedule I'm on? Well, the first day I just want to get all the trees up and fluffed if you will. That's the boringest job is to like fluff up all the branches on the tree after they've been laying in storage all winter.
A
And you wear gloves for that? Correct.
B
You gotta wear long sleeves and gloves. But literally this little part of my wrist that was exposed is all cut up.
A
Okay.
B
Yes. It's not for the weak apart this.
A
Decorating and then what happens? What's the next thing on the schedule? I mean I was.
B
I'm working on the railing as the bulbs I have. I have 1200 more bulbs coming today. So I'll work on the railing a little bit later on today. Put a little time into that. And now I have the hardest tree already up. So then I'll put up, I'll decorate the other four trees today and tomorrow and then I'll start with the garland on different places and then the, the, the wreath will go up inside. And then I ordered, I ordered two six foot tall nutcrackers also coming and a four foot wreath that's going to go on our front door, because we have a huge front door. And then the last step is usually the three. The three villages that I set up.
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Okay.
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We're talking like we're gonna be. We're gonna be done by the time this airs. It will already be done.
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This.
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I'll be done by Sunday.
A
That's crazy. Okay, well, I will. I will be sure and post some photos. The Book Listeners is our Facebook group at. The Book Lisp is our Instagram. Join us on Patreon. There's always a little more details on there of things we do. Short stories. This. This. What do you call it? Month. Yep. Well, you would have already. You would have already heard it by the time this podcast comes out, if you're on there. But it's the Yellow Wallpaper is the short story. It's by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. And it's. It's an older book. It was first published in January of 1892.
B
Oh my.
A
Regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its illustration the attitudes towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century. So I'm actually quite excited to. To have. To have to do that one on the 15th, even though by the time you guys hear this, that will have happened because we're recording from the past. But. So you guys should definitely join us on Patreon. The short stories are fun. We do Those on the 15th and then on the 5th and the 25th we do random podcasts and we do them also as videos so you can watch them on there, but also listen to them because we upload them as to the book list as normal. So that if you're just wanting to listen and not watch, you can. But it's a lot of fun over there and we'll probably just do some real random. I gotta follow John around for Christmas because a lot of you have questions. So I'll do. I'll do as much as I can on. On our Instagram, but also on Patreon. And yeah, join us there. And listen. Just real quick. Snowmass, Colorado, December 17th. I have a show. I don't think tickets are on sale yet, but keep checking and I'll. And I'll tell you. But my website, Sarah Colona.com has all my dates. I've got a busy. Like, once I kick back up on New Year's Eve in Spokane, John will be with me at Spokane Comedy Club. Tacoma Comedy Club, January 2nd and 3rd. I know a lot of Seattle people are here. Come see. Or in Washington people are here Come see us. And then February I'm gone. I think I have shows every weekend. I'm doing three different cities in Iowa at the Wild Rose Casinos and resorts. Jefferson, Clinton and Emmitsburg. I think question mark on my site we moved. My Valentine's weekend is now in Springfield, Missouri at the brand new Springfield Comedy Club. It is owned by the same people who do Tacoma who have the Appleton one. A bunch of their fantastic clubs. So asked me to do that since it's a brand new club. So I am going to do that for Valentine's weekend. And then 20th I'm in Chicago. 21st I'm in St. Louis. And then, and that's in February. And then they moved my Appleton skyline dates to March 26th through the 28th. And then I've got Arlington, Virginia April 10th and 11th. So I'm adding a lot of dates. Go to sarah colona.com and the sooner you buy tickets, the more shows I can book. I don't know, I just made that up. But.
B
But also we have the Portland Cherry Bombs. I want to tell everyone about if we haven't already talked about it, babe, our new, our new soccer team in Portland that we introduced last week, the Portland Cherry Bombs fc.
A
I think we only talked about it on Patreon because we did it right after you got back. Yes.
B
You can get Merc. The merch is really cool. You get on the website. The Cherry Bomb's name is a nod to the female punk rock scene in the Portland, Oregon area in the 90s. So it's as a kind of like a story to it and it's going to be really fun. We start playing in May.
A
Yes.
B
So if you're the Portland area, if you want to see a baseball game, come to the Portland Pickles. We have a USL2 team called the Portland Bangers FC on the men's side and a USLW team called the Portland Cherry Bomb. So we got your sports covered in Portland right now.
A
Covered. And they coolest merch it make. It makes for cool gifts too too. For sure. Okay. So as we're reading Debbie McComber's the Twelve Days of Christmas. Oh and then don't forget your December book is Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger. I have not read it. I wanted to get a Christmasy murdery thing. I hope it's great. I think it's a little bit different than my normal ones. Right John? Because you've read it.
B
Yeah, no, it's great.
A
Yeah, but it's a little different. It's not as like psychological it's more just like, who done it Kind of thing.
B
Right.
A
Okay. Well, I'm excited to read it. And. And so that's your December book. And anyway. Okay, here we go. Let's talk about. So you know that we, we just pull things from the books until we do the full review, which is already coming next week. Which is crazy that we're almost at the end of November. But I had a few things that I pulled up. John, this book is based in Seattle.
B
Yes.
A
Somewhere that you were based for a very long time.
B
10 years.
A
And I, I spent a lot of time there. We love our Seattle. And they. There's a, a moment in this story where she talks about Kane taking her to a restaurant. Now this is not a spoiler. I'm. I'm assuming everyone understands at one point these guys are going to go to a restaurant. So that's. It's kind of obvious from the way the book is written that somebody's gonna probably make out at some point too. Right. So I'm not done with it yet, by the way, but I have a lot of thoughts about it for next week. Anyway. Seattle she talks about. He takes her to a fancy restaurant where it is hard to get a reservation. And he gets one last minute right after she wasn't feeling too well. He pulls right in, gets a reservation. I had a guess that perhaps this was based off the restaurant Canless. Remember, Canlas can is one of my.
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Favorite restaurants in the world. Top five restaurant in the world for me.
A
It's beautiful. It's still, it's got to still be open, right?
B
Oh, yeah, yeah.
A
And I thought since they discussed a, a reservation that maybe you could share with the fine folks. How, How? One of your teammates got a reservation there one time. You don't have to say who if you don't want to.
B
Well, I, I kind of got a reservation there as well.
A
Yes.
B
Do I tell that one or do you want to tell them? Both?
A
Tell them both.
B
Okay. Well, this restaurant was. It's very hard to get into. We're talking like a three month wait list. And it's like, it's one of the classiest restaurants you ever been into where you pull up in your car, they just come, they grab your car. Welcome, Mr. Ryan. Come in. Like, they don't give you a, like a number. They don't give you anything. You go in, they take your jacket, they don't give you a coat check number. They just got it. Mr. Ryan, here's your table. I believe you sat here last time with your Mother, whatever. They sit you down. I took my mother one there one time. I think you were there too. I'm not. I can't remember. But as we were finishing our dessert, my mom looked up and they were warming her jacket up by the fire. Oh, everything's like seamless. There's no. There's no coat check. There's no waiting for your car valet. We're done eating. We walk up, they put our jackets on us, we walk out. Our car's waiting for us right there with the keys in it. You drive like it's. Everything is perfectly seamless, unlike any restaurant I've ever been to. And I feel like I've been to a few nice restaurants.
A
Makes me want to go back.
B
But this place is like three month wait list. So one time Sarah was in town and we tried. I tried to get a reservation and just call, do you have anything available? They're like, no, we don't. I didn't say my name or anything. So Sarah calls back two minutes later and goes, hi, I'm calling on behalf of John Ryan after the game tomorrow night. His was. His fiance's in town. He'd love to take her to your restaurant. Would you happen to have a table? Oh, yes, we have a table. They give us also. They gave us, like. I didn't think I was that famous, and I guess I am in Seattle because they gave us, like the best.
A
Table, really nice table right by the window.
B
I'm not gonna lie, babe. I think we might have done that a couple times.
A
I. There was a. I was like, listen, this isn't going to last forever, okay? We. We all know this. And I just thought to myself, I says to myself, sarah, I says, john Ryan has played for the Seahawks for a long time. He's beloved in this town. He's. He's still playing at this moment. And I thought, this guy's. There's no way they wouldn't want to give him a reservation if they knew who it was. So I called. I did, I did say that I was calling on behalf of him. I didn't say I was you. I think I, as you had an assistant kind of, which is. I mean, probably some football players do that. Do a lot of, you know, it's.
B
It's. Overall, football players aren't as rich as most people think they are. It's like the top, like 20% have a bunch of money, and the other ones, like, are just doing okay. So there's like the top 20. There's probably like a few guys that have assistance. Few guys have bodyguards, but it's like less than people think.
A
And for the most part, like, what do you need an assistant for? I mean, I think, listen, Travis Kelsey's probably got an assistant because he's got his big podcast, he's got TV deals coming in, he's got all these things to manage, whatever, so. Or his people are taking care of it. I don't know. But just point being Russell and Sierra, I'm sure of assistance, I think they walk around photographers at this point. So it's like there's. There's different levels of it all. But I was, Yeah, I was just pretended for a second that John Ryan had had an assistant. And so I just said I was calling on behalf. Maybe they thought it was from the Seahawks, I don't know. And then I panicked that when we got there that I was like, hi, nice to meet you guys. They were probably like, that sounds like the same. That called.
B
So a. A teammate of mine, Michael Bennett, wanted a reservation there for like six people, which is hard, almost impossible to get. But instead of just calling and saying, hi, this is Michael Bennett. He calls. He had this. He had this impersonation of Russell Wilson that wasn't accurate, but it was hilarious. Like, hi, hi, this. Hi, this is Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Like, it didn't even sound like Russell, but just his impression was so hilarious.
A
So he comes, made everyone laugh, including Russell.
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Yes, this is Russell Wilson. I'd like to bring in my wife Sierra and baby future and a few other friends to establishment on Saturday night and like, oh, yes, Mr. Wilson, no problem. We got you, Mr. Wilson. Blah, blah, blah. So Michael Bennett shows up. He goes, they have like. They have like flowers on the table, bottle of champagne ready to go. And he just walked in, looked and like, gotcha, fuckers. Took the table at 8. I was like, well played, buddy, well played.
A
Well, it's so funny because Michael Bennett, for those of you that don't know, is a huge name in Seattle as well and would probably easily have gotten a table on his own, but it.
B
Was hilarious in his own way.
A
He had to do it that way just to have some fun. God, that restaurant is so good. Remember, didn't we go there with Lindsay, Lindsay and Melanie, too, for my birthday.
B
That's right.
A
Yeah. Lindsay and Melanie, two good friends of ours. My. She's my literary agent and her wife and. And one of my closest friends for years. So anyway, great restaurant.
B
Some people were mad last year because they did a fundraiser and they painted the entire restaurant bright Pink. And it was like a Barbie fundraiser.
A
Oh.
B
And some people didn't think it was classy enough for the restaurant. And there was. They raised a fricking boatload of money for Susan G. Coleman.
A
I was going to say it's probably for breast cancer. Chill out.
B
People they raised there is a bunch of money. But people are like, this isn't up to their standard. I'm like, screw off. Shut up.
A
Yeah. And they're not keeping it that way. And even.
B
Pretty cool though, even to see it. They painted the entire thing like bright pink for like a week. It was crazy.
A
Oh, that's crazy.
B
It was really cool.
A
I'll look up photos of that. Yep. Another thing that happens in this book that's Seattle based is there's. There's just a little part where she mentions that they're in the Pacific North Northwest and they don't get that much. They don't get that much snow. Now that probably used to be true. Right.
B
I would say, like the 10 Christmases that I spent there, I think we probably had snow for at least three, maybe four of them.
A
Okay.
B
It would always be hovering right around 32, right around the freezing point. And it was always raining. So it was like. It was always threat of. Of snow around that time.
A
I'm sure I've told this story in some fashion before to some of you, but it is, it just reminded me of that. So for those of you that maybe have heard it before, here it is. But also, maybe not. I don't remember, but John and I went. So I was at. I was at his house in Seattle for Christmas Eve one year because they were playing on Christmas Eve, but they were playing in Dallas and so there. And it was an evening game. So if I had gone with John, I would have, you know, he flies back right afterwards with the team. I think I've told you guys this stuff before. But they have to fly back with the team on the team plane. And it's not like you can hitch a ride with them. It's not allowed.
B
No.
A
So I, I would. There was no flights out at 9, 10 o' clock at night back to Seattle. So I would have had to stay the night there and then fly back to Seattle on Christmas morning. And we didn't want that to happen. A, you never know with. With weather. B, we wanted to wake up together Christmas morning. So he was like, don't come to the game Christmas Eve, just watch it from the house in Seattle. So I did that. And then John's old teammate Tyler Ott who's still. I think he's with the commanders now. Is that right?
B
Yeah, he's still playing.
A
Yeah. Long snapper, great guy. And his wife Ashley, who is awesome. So Ashley. So Tyler's. Tyler says to his wife, hey, Sarah's at John's house. They want to know, do you want to come up? You know, you go over there and watch the game with her. So she comes over and we start watching the game and it's not snowing. It wasn't snowing at that point and I don't think we really knew that it was going to, but we, you know, we had like a drink or something at that time. She was going to. Intended to go home, so I was probably drinking and she wasn't really. Or something. And then we look out and I don't know, 1. A quarter into the game and it's just dumping snow.
B
Like, and, and that's another thing is we live at the, like, literally we're the highest house on the hill, like overlooking Lake Washington. We were the highest house up, so I don't know what. We were probably 5 or 600ft in elevation. So a lot of times when we have a little bit of snow up there, there'd be none on the ground. So even though they weren't necessarily like forecasting snow on the ground up at where we were, we'd get like a. We get dumped on. And that happened that night. There was being. There's snow everywhere. But it hit them. Hit you on top of the hill first.
A
Yes. And on top of that hill when there's snow like that and ice and all these things. I mean, I looked at Ashley and I said, you, I. You don't want to. You're not going to drive back down the hill in this, right? And she said no. And I said, well, we got some crown apple and. And she was like, yeah, crack it open. I'm not going anywhere. So we, we just start drinking crown apple because it's. Tis the season. We're watching the snow dump, we're watching the Seahawks. And I texted John and I said, when you guys get back, I think Tyler's gonna need to give Ashley a ride home. Or what? However you, however you guys are gonna do it. Cause he had a truck and he was confident to drive.
B
Yep.
A
Once. Once they landed. Anyway, these two come back and Ash, they're like thinking that we're gonna be up waiting for him or something. We're just both crashed, just passed out on the couch with an empty bottle of Crown Jack sitting in front of us.
B
We were, like, looking for you. You have, like, a sectional couch, so it's kinda like an L. And they were just, like, kind of like head to head with their leg going the other way. Just. Oh, cool. But it was also funny because we get. We land, and it's just snow everywhere. And it's like, guys can't drive in that. Guys are driving Rolls Royces. Guys are driving Bentleys. Luckily, Tyler had a. Like, a Yukon, and I had. At the time, I had a Maserati. And guys like, you're not going to. And because it's the steepest hill in town, the first hill they closed down when it starts to snow in Seattle was the hill from our house. But there's a little bit of a back road up. Guys, like, you're not going to get up that hill in your Maserati. I'm like, I'm from Canada. Don't worry. So Tyler's behind me. I'm going. And I know, like, what the biggest mistake people do is they slow down. So I'm like, behind. Like, there's, like, eight guys on the team that live on this hill. And I see, like, right in front of me. I think it was Cam Chancellor goes off the side of the road and his Rolls Royce. Then someone else goes off the side. I'm like, I can't stop. I have. Sorry, guys. I got to keep on going. And I made it all the way up to the top of the hill. And Tyler's like, that's really impressive. I'm like, I grew up in Canada. I drove this shit all my whole life. But, yeah, when we walked into the house, we're like, hello. Hello. All the lights are off. Like. Like, is anyone.
A
Where.
B
Where did they go? They couldn't have gone off this hill. Where are they? And we found them between a bottle of Crown. Empty bottle of Crown Royal.
A
Yeah, we sure had fun.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah. Okay.
B
We also had a lot of fun in that house. I missed that house.
A
I know. That house was really great. Really. Whenever we. Whenever we moved, remember somebody like the kid that moved in or something, DM'd you on Instagram, was like, hey, I moved into your house, bro.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah. He was all excited when he found out it was your house or something.
B
That's right. Forgot about that.
A
I. I wanted to say really quickly in the spirit of giving. I know a lot of people do that thing in Starbucks line where they buy the order for the person behind them. Right. Paying it forward, backwards, whatever you call it. And in this book, it's Kind of towards the beginning, but again, it's not a big spoiler or anything, but that there's a moment where she tries to buy Kana a coffee at Starbucks because she runs into him. We talked a little bit about the Starbucks thing last week on last week's episode, but I don't think we talked about this part. She tries to buy him one, and he just. And he turns it down.
B
Yeah, don't be a dick.
A
Don't be a dick. Like, what do we do? And if someone wants to buy you a coffee, I mean, if. If the person is. If, you know, the person's really struggling and hurting for money, and they're doing. They're trying to do something, and you're like, no, no, no. No need to do that or what? Okay, I get it. But some. Somebody just wants to buy you a coffee. Don't be weird.
B
I understand.
A
Like, that was weird to him.
B
If you're in a bar and a creepy guy wants to buy you a drink, and sometimes guys, when they buy girls drinks, it's like, it's implied that they get to come and talk to you and.
A
Oh, creepy.
B
Totally, Totally different. At a Starbucks, just take the free drink.
A
Well, and also because. And she wasn't even there. It was like she got it with a gift card or something so that next time he came in, it would be paid for. I'm like, she wasn't even there, so it's not like she was gonna go sit down at his table and yap his ear off afterwards. Even though she's capable of that. Yeah. A little bit annoying, this one. I'll be honest. I'm more of a cane, I think, unfortunately.
B
Yeah, but.
A
But, yeah, just be nice. Someone wants to buy you a coffee. Don't make it weird. And then make the Starbucks guy be like, what? I got to give this back to her tomorrow. It's hard. Tough enough out there for everyone. Especially. I can't imagine Starbucks during the holidays. All those ridiculous drink orders, and I got to put whipped cream and peppermint.
B
Mocha sprinkle freaking peppermints on top and crush up a can. It's like. It's like Mr. Bean wrapping that president love, actually.
A
Yes. It's just like. Yeah. I think the point is, just if someone wants to do something nice for you, don't make it someone else's problem, because now you've made it the guy at Starbucks's problem that he has to tell her that she. He turned it down. So that. And he's gonna have to tell her because he doesn't want her to think that she. The guy accepted it and then didn't thank her for it. And now it's a whole thing. And you got. You dragged other people into your bullshit.
B
You know. You know what's exciting? There's a new coffee shop in our area. I know as we live in the Valley, we know every single new restaurant or anything that goes up in this area and within about a two mile radius. And there was a new right by your eyelash place or eyebrow place. Which one? Right, right by my hairdresser called Crema. It was in like an old abandoned building. They fixed it up. Anyways, very exciting news for us.
A
That's exciting. Yeah, I love a mom and pop one. We never go to that one that's right across the street from us too. Like the. Oh yeah, Tara or something like that. I don't. Not right across the street, but down Ventura.
B
Well, two blocks.
A
I, I usually, I just. First of all, we get our coffee. We drink our coffee at home in the morning for the most part. And then if I get something, I. There's a Starbucks inside the pavilions. And so sometimes when I do my grocery shopping, I grab myself a little treat. Sometimes I like to get myself a nice green tea. Venti ice cream tea, no sweetener. I don't like any sweetener in my tea. It's the unsether. It's the one un. Southern thing about me. Well, there's probably a few unsettling things about me, but that's the one. I grew up in Arkansas. Everyone likes their sweet tea. Bullshit. Keep your sweet out of my tea. So that's when I usually like to get something. And then I see, and then I see all the like fun options. And I'm like, why am I just getting a plain green iced tea?
B
But because those other people are basically drinking a milkshake. I know there's 5 or 600 calories of liquid sugar, liquid.
A
And I got no extra, I got no extra calorie room at this time of year. It's, it's. It's wine at five o' clock season.
B
Little. Some white Russians to end the night. Nog.
A
Don't even mention white Russians yet. Because I thought about them last night.
B
Right after your Christmas drink, and I love it.
A
It is. And I don't make them.
B
I just get it right of the damn can.
A
Cut water. I'm telling you guys, you know, we don't have sponsors here yet. We'd love to, but we don't. But cut water makes these really good White Russians, and they're canned. And you just pour it in your cup and you sip it with the fireplace on, and it's lovely. I'm not starting that until at least after Thanksgiving, because there's. There's nowhere we. I think I've talked about. Wait, John, I've. I've told you this story before, but there was a phase when I was in my, like, 20s with our friend Jen. You know Jen?
B
Yes.
A
We went on a White Russian kick, but it was in the summer. It didn't make a lot of sense. And the last drink I want to.
B
Have in the summer.
A
Yeah. Well, we were drinking them at this place called the Starlight, and it was a real dive bar, so it. You've been there before. Like, last time I went in there, there was like a hole in the floor. Just a big, giant hole. And there wasn't even a side. Yeah. There wasn't even like a sign that said, watch your step or anything. It's now something else. It's not there and it's not the Starlight anymore. But last time I was in the actual Starlight, it's also one of those places that, like, they had Monday Night Football and they'd have, like, some. Some hot dogs in the corner and some pizza in the corner.
B
Like, serve. Serve yourself hot dogs.
A
Oh, yeah. And I'd eat them. That wasn't. It was not. I can't really fathom what. How I've. How I've come out not looking 87 years old at 50. Because I. There are some things I ate and did in my 20s that are just like, ew. Anyway, so. Oh, yeah. So we were on this White Russian kick, and so we go to the Starlight and order. Well, he didn't have, like, you know, options for milk behind the bar at the Starlight. They had a hole in the floor and hot dogs in the corner. You know, it's not like. So he would just. Would take those little, like, creamers for coffee, like the little tiny half and half things, and he would just open a bunch of.
B
Pour them right in.
A
Yeah. And he would open like, six or seven of them until it looked wide enough, and. And then we'd drink those. And I'll tell you what, it was so funny. It was like somewhere towards the end of the summer or something, Jen was like, I feel like I've really gained some weight this summer. And I was like, I know, me too. What's going on? And then I was like, oh, I think it's all that heavy cream. We're drinking at Starlight six nights a week or whatever we were doing. Yeah. Anyway, that's not what.
B
Big Labost. You drink White Russians?
A
I think so. Right?
B
I said, this is when, you know, it's decorating season, babe. I got a notification on my phone that we had 13 boxes of Christmas ornaments delivered. And then I went, look, our mailbox is, like, about 4 or 5ft tall. The boxes are stacked up higher than the mailbox. You know, they send you the p. They send you the picture.
A
They're.
B
They're stacked at least until the top of the mailbox, at least.
A
Are those the rest for the. For the railing? The stereotypes.
B
1300. 1300 came today.
A
You know, our cat likes to walk on that railing sometimes. So I was wondering. But they're so smart. They know what they see that when they see something, they can't jump on. So I don't think she would jump on it.
B
Now, the cats are loving this because it's like a. It's like you put up a little forest in their house, four trees they can hide under, and you'd think they'd climb the hell out of them. They don't.
A
No. I remember all three of them are really good. Yeah. There was when we first. When we first got Ralphie. He's the OG in our family. He. I remember, messed with a couple things. We talked about him last week. Last week on the podcast, too, breaking a couple ornaments. But he would, like, kind of get into the trees a little bit, but nothing crazy. Nothing you see like, them. And then Cindy, I don't think ever has, if I'm correct. And then I remember one time. Ruby. Ruby sue is the newest one. So last year was her first Christmas with us. And I remember last year, the. The tree that's, like, just right by the. Where. That. Where. Trying to think of how to describe it to you. Anyway, it doesn't matter. But the other tree in the living room, but not by the window. I remember last year. I remember seeing her go up it a little bit, and I got real scared. I was like, oh, no. Because she used to live out, and she's wiry.
B
I guarantee you she can climb the. Out of anything.
A
Oh, yeah, she's a little. She's a little, like, spider. Spider cat or whatever. So I was so nervous, but she. She. She kind of went up in it. She came back down, and I've never seen her do it again.
B
No.
A
Other people are messaging me. They're like, how do you guys have all this with the cats? I'm like, I don't know. They just. They just don't do it. Everyone's.
B
Oh, Jesus.
A
Yeah.
B
Because every once in a while, relatively, like, pot. The. The bottom, like, low hanging ornaments. That's. Yeah, that's the most they do.
A
Yeah. I think. I think I remember last year you learned you had to stop putting on the very. On the very last. On the very bottom rung because they like to. Mostly they like to just lay into them. Anyway, enough about cats now.
B
Oh, so hold on. One more thing about cats. I was decorating today with all these ornaments, and I was doing this thing with his ornaments, clumping them, if you will. But they're all, like, sparkly, so there's sparkles everywhere. And Ralphie decided to jump in the box with all the sparkles and go to sleep. Now he looks like he's like, sparkle cat. He has sparkles everywhere, all over himself.
A
Oh, really?
B
Yeah, it's hilarious.
A
Oh, my God. Glitter cat. I know. We have. There's so much, like little sparklies and pine needles that just. Just. And like. And the hooks for ornaments for ones that came off or whatever. We find those up until, like, July in this house, and then we start over again.
B
Yep.
A
I did want to mention that they. She talks about her favorite Christmas songs in this one day when she's singing along to her favorite Christmas songs and Kane comes banging on the door telling her to shut her Christmas mouth. That's not what he says, but it's what he wants to say. She talks about how she's singing. First of all. Listen again. I get. This girl's nice. She does a lot of charity work. I'll get my full feelings out next week. But you live in an apartment. You got. You can't be scream singing all the time. Okay. You got to respect your neighbors. Now, is he a little bit too grumpy? And should we allow. We. Should we allow for some singing during Christmas? Of course. But I just have a feeling she might sing a lot, even when it's not Christmas happening. So she talks about her favorite Christmas song. She says her. She was doing her favorite. She was singing Silent Night, oh, Little Town of Bethlehem, and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, which I feel. I know, but I can't.
B
I know real religious ones.
A
Yeah, yeah, she has those. And I. I wonder what your favorite Christmas songs are. I know your favorite Christmas movies are. We can talk about more later.
B
So I like all the. I like the classics. And even though I'm not religious, I don't even mind the religious ones. But I think I like, like Michael Buble came with the CD about 10 years ago. It's, it's a plus. And then Mariah Carey's Christmas City as well. A.
A
Listen, All I Want for Christmas is a phenomenal song. It is the greatest song of all time. It's, it's a wonderful song. It is. There's no way not to just enjoy the hell out of it when it comes on. There's that. I mean she, it's turned her into where they defrost her in, in after Halloween and call it Mariah Carey season. I've seen her singing at the Hollywood Ball, which I mentioned last week. But I mean that song is, is a bop.
B
Yep.
A
Anyway. Yeah, I love that song.
B
I remember when we were kids, we used to have the, the week leading up to Christmas, the last five days after morning recess. That would have been it. Come in at 10:45. 10:45 to 11:45, we'd all go to the gymnasium and we'd all sing Christmas songs for an hour for five straight days. Oh, and I didn't like singing, but I always loved that. You're.
A
Wow. You. Maybe you should have found yourself at Julia.
B
No, I didn't enjoy the singing. I just enjoyed being part of that. You know, it's real Christmas. And do you remember Christmas concerts when you were a kid at school? Did you have like a Christmas concert?
A
I mean, I don't really remember doing it. Things like that. We must have. I know we must have, but we. There wasn't a lot of like performances I don't see.
B
I remember we had to do a Christmas concert every year. All freaking 27 classrooms in our school or whatever would have to go up there and perform. And it was, it was. Here's the thing. They don't make every kid play on the basketball team. They don't make every kid play on the freaking football team. Why do they make every kid go and sing in a concert?
A
It's a good question. It's not. Right.
B
So I hated it because it was like I always hated being at school on non school time unless it's for a sport.
A
Right.
B
So even when I was a kid, like I had to go back to school at seven o' clock at night, seven until nine o' clock at night. When. That wasn't my. I wasn't getting paid for that. It wasn't, it wasn't. I wasn't punching the time clock then like I was during the day at school.
A
You were getting paid at school?
B
No, but you know, I'm just punching the time clock. I was getting paid with. I was getting paid with education. Okay. I wasn't getting paid with at night.
A
Yeah, that's true. It is weird when you think about all this stuff. They. I. It's. I. I'm sure my mom would probably tell you that I did that. There was more of that than I remember, but I really don't think. We didn't. I didn't really do plays or anything in. In junior high or high school because we didn't really have. Really didn't have the department that did that. We didn't have.
B
Oh, we had, like.
A
I graduated with 70 people, you have to remember. Yeah, we just have, like, an art school. We had an art class, but we didn't have a drama. We didn't do plays. The only thing I really remember doing that was my favorite thing was our. The senior jam where we would. Oh, the senior jam was every. Every year the senior class put on a jam and they would. We would lip sync. You would. We were. When it was our. When it was my turn, I believe my best friend Amy and I sang I'm a Joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a Steve Miller band.
B
Yep.
A
You know, you just lip sync it. But we, like. We put on, like, wigs and hippie outfits and I don't know, we thought we were. We thought it was fun. And then we also did, like. And we did like a motley crew or something like that and dressed in some of that.
B
So it was like an air. It was like air bands.
A
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Anyway. Okay. Well, it was fun. It was the one thing that was fun I had fun with in high school. Thank you for letting me. Sounds like.
B
Sounds like a blast. Glad you had that moment in your life.
A
Well, I'm sorry I didn't stand in a gymnasium and sing Christmas songs with a bunch of friends.
B
We sat.
A
Okay.
B
That was only in elementary school. It wasn't in high school.
A
Okay. Well, anyway, I don't even. Oh. Because we were talking about favorite Christmas songs, so I Do. You know, I love Silent Night. It has, like, a little special place in my heart because my mom. So I would go home for Christmas every year up until I met John and I 12 years ago. Her favorite thing was is to go to church the night before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, they would like to go to the afternoon service. It's at a Methodist church. And when they played Silent Night, they always have these little tiny candles and they pass it, and then you light the person next to you until everyone in There is holding a little candle and singing it. And I would always make me emotional because I just thought it was so nice. Like it was just such a nice community thing. And everybody's. I don't know, I just always liked. It was a nice memory. So I like the first guy.
B
The first guy would start with a candle and pass it to the second person. Like, like light the second person. So the time I got to the back of the room, that poor guy that lit his first. His hand just burning because it's dripping down hot wax all over his hand because he's been holding on to it for an hour while everyone lights their freaking candle around the room.
A
Well, way to make it dark. I think it would actually go pew by pew. I think what the first person in the pew. So it would.
B
So when you'd let it go, pew.
A
Pew, pew, pew.
B
Light.
A
Right, babe, Are you done?
B
I don't know.
A
No, it was like each, I think that. So you got one when you came in.
B
Yeah.
A
And then it was like the first person on at the aisle of every pew started like. So it's not like, oh, one person lit the whole church. Okay. It was like one person each. And then it would go down the row and. Thank you. They had a little cone thing around it. So the wax didn't burn your hand on. Yeah, so it didn't burn your hand. So they did.
B
Babe, when someone says pew, it's hard not to go pew, pew, pew. It really is.
A
It really is hard for you, apparently.
B
Yes, yes. Very hard.
A
You're so dumb. Yes. And then so, but now how do you feel about like the, like the kids Christmas songs, You know, we got your Frosty, your Rudolph.
B
I'm all for it. I'm really all for it. Yeah. You know, those are the classics. I mean, Rudolph the Red Nose. Right. It's like the all time classic, right. For kids. Frosty the Snowman. Those are like the two real classics that I can still, I think I still remember the, all the words too.
A
Yeah, I know. I, I, well, and then of course, I always think of like the, like a light bulb and all that stuff. You know, all the dumb things that you would do.
B
What I like, you know, in love, actually how they have that, they turn that song. Love is All Around Us, so let the feeling grow. And then the movie, I would say Christmas is all Around. It's like the theme song of the whole entire movie. You know, the guy sings it and now let's actually become a Christmas song. It's like on the radio and Stuff which I really appreciate.
A
John, actually, you know who played that?
B
You know that played that song for me the other day. Yeah, Woody at the bar in Austria.
A
Oh, right. That's right. At Woody's bar in Austria.
B
He played it for me.
A
If you're up. We talked a little bit about that. We did a. We did a Patreon from Austria from our hotel room in Austria. So we probably talked a lot about Woody there as well. As long as. Along with my newfound love for schnapps.
B
And drinking like a schnapps and limoncello spritz.
A
Limoncello spritz, girl. But yeah, and then I. We went. We bought some limoncello the other day at the grocery, at the. At the liquor store. Just doesn't hit the same, really. It's probably just not a very good brand. Maybe it's a little bit too syrupy, but it just doesn't hit the same as it did when I was drinking it in Verona.
B
But I will say, when you go to countries, now that I've. Now that I'm well traveled, when you go to countries and have their thing, it tastes better there. Like in the US I don't really like col beer. When I was in Cologne, all they drank was Cole Speer everywhere in Rhine, in Frankfurt, it was all cold spear and it was delicious. Like, incredible right off the tap. I loved it. Can't drink it in the US and people also say the same thing about Guinness in Ireland. Like, Guinness in Ireland is like the most. The greatest thing you ever had. We're here.
A
It's just.
B
It's. I mean, it's fine, right? But everyone says it's way better there. Where. I wonder if also stuff like lemon cello or Jagermeister, stuff like that also hits a little different when you're there.
A
I guess so. And they probably make it better or make it more pure or there's probably. Or I'm just buying like a cheap. A shitty brand and I don't know what to buy. If any of you listeners are lemon cello fans and you want to tell me what brands. You know Frola's wife, Liz, she makes delicious lemon cello because they have these. These big meers, lemon trees, and they make fresh limoncello. Remember she made us some that one year?
B
Yeah, right off the freaking trees.
A
I need to hit her.
B
What does she do? Does she add the alcohol? Well, she doesn't ferment it and stuff. I think that's illegal.
A
I don't know.
B
You might have just turned her in.
A
I don't I truly don't know how. How. I don't have the answers for any of that. I think she must add something to it. I don't. I don't know. I just know it tastes real good.
B
Yeah.
A
Now, the other thing I want to say about Christmas songs. I know we're almost done here. I would say other than All I Want for Christmas and then my sentimental Silent Night thing. I love a Last Christmas by Wham.
B
Oh, yeah. That's such a great song. In Seattle, they had a vote for the greatest Christmas song of all. I forget what it was. A Seattle radio station, they had a vote for the greatest Christmas song of all time. And you know what it was? What? Wham. Last Christmas, they had to vote for the worst Christmas song of all time. You know who won it? Wham. Last Christmas.
A
No way.
B
Yeah, because you either love it or you hate it. Like, it was voted the best and the worst song by a fan vote, which is hilarious.
A
How could anyone hate that song? And listeners, don't tell me if you hate that song, because I don't want to know, because I don't want to have to block you from listening to this podcast, and I don't know how to do that Anyway.
B
Also, you know that Christmas movie that came out about four years ago called Last Christmas, and the whole entire thing is just George Michael and Wham songs, and people said it was, like, the worst movie ever. Y' all are fudgeing wrong. It was a great movie. Go back and watch it again if you think it's bad because it's a great movie.
A
I thought I wasn't going to like it, and then we watched it, and I like it, and now I do. We do watch it usually once a year around this time. And, I mean, there's probably a little bit of that being because I love me some George Michael rip.
B
I know, but, like, so the soundtrack alone is amazing.
A
I know. That's what I'm saying.
B
All George Michael and bam. People.
A
Okay. Preach. All right, John, do you have anything else to add before we say goodbye this month on this Monday?
B
Got a lot more decorating.
A
He's got a lot more decorating to do. I have no decorating to do. And thank you for being here. Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is your December book. The Yellow Wallpaper is your short story for Patreon, if you haven't already read it. And. And listen to the. We just did it on Saturday on the 15th was when that came out on Patreon. But get yourself some Patreon and join in on that fun. We also do podcasts on the 5th and the 25th over there. And then also next week is the full review.
B
Let's go.
A
Debbie McComber's The Twelve Days of Christmas. Twelve Days of Christmas. Can't wait.
B
Yes.
A
Say goodbye, John.
B
Goodbye.
A
I thought you were going to say goodbye, John.
B
Pew, pew, pew, pew.
A
Bye. The book list.
B
The book lisp.
A
The book list.
B
The book lisp.
A
To the book list.
Release Date: November 17, 2025
Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna, the hilarious husband-and-wife hosting duo, gather for the third week of their November Book Lisp to discuss festive traditions, decorating mayhem, Seattle memories, and their impressions of Debbie Macomber’s Twelve Days of Christmas. The episode weaves personal anecdotes, holiday nostalgia, and behind-the-scenes stories into their ongoing book club banter, with classic comedic chemistry.
On Christmas Decorations:
On Getting a Table at Canlis:
On Holiday Charity:
On Accepting Kindness:
On Holiday School Traditions:
On Christmas Songs:
The episode is cozy, festive, and full of authentic married couple humor. Both hosts riff off holiday traditions, laugh about their quirks, and connect family memories to the current book. The banter is genuine, playful, and peppered with loving jibes.
For the full deep dive on Twelve Days of Christmas, tune in to next week’s episode!
Pew pew pew!