Podcast Summary: The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

Episode: Is New Year’s Eve the Worst Holiday?
Date: December 31, 2025
Hosts: Kelly Stumpe & Lizz St. John

Episode Overview

Kelly and Lizz, sisters and millennial mom automotive reviewers, dive into whether New Year's Eve is an overrated holiday, explore personal and family traditions, reflect on holiday highs and parenting challenges, recap favorite Christmas moments, and share what’s on their minds for the new year. With their trademark warmth and candid banter, they weave in football fever, practical mom hacks, and reflections on self-care for 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Is New Year's Eve the Worst Holiday?

• High Expectations, Low Returns:

  • Lizz brands NYE as likely “the most overrated holiday” ([00:41]), lamenting its reputation for forced fun and lackluster traditions.
  • Both recall rarely having a “fantastic New Year's Eve” and prefer even President’s Day over NYE ([00:50]).

• Tradition Deficit:

  • Kelly expresses disappointment over the lack of meaningful American NYE traditions besides drinking and the ball drop.

    “How do we not have better traditions than drinking for the last day of the year till midnight? Where’s the amazing food cuisine?” – Kelly ([01:28])

  • Discusses the limited traditional foods (black-eyed peas, collard greens).

• Nostalgia for Childhood:

  • Lizz recalls her best NYE being a kid’s pizza-and-grape-juice sleepover with cousins, supervised by an older cousin ([02:20]).
  • Both reflect on possibly starting new family traditions as their own children grow.

• This Year’s Plans:

  • This NYE: family farm, siblings gathering, smash burgers, fried potatoes, chocolate-covered strawberries, and kids’ sparkling juice ([03:20]).

2. The Best of New Year’s (That Isn’t NYE)

• Both hosts love the concept of a new year:

  “I love a vision day, a goal. New Year's Day. Incredible. The first Monday of the year... I can feel the productivity in my veins.” – Kelly ([04:24])

• January 5th, the “Monday after New Year's,” is crowned their favorite “productivity day” ([04:35]).

3. Surviving the Holidays & The Fear of Winter Illness

• Kelly is grateful her family made it through holiday gatherings without anyone getting sick:

  “We haven’t been sick... Flu A and norovirus have not found us.” ([04:50])

• Shares “prepper mom” strategies: freezer meals, barf bags, new thermometers, ready to face the inevitable January bugs ([05:27]).

4. Sweet Family Moments & Unconventional Bridal Parties

• Lizz talks about turning 31 and shares a touching moment:
  • Her sister Charlotte asked her, Kelly, and Grayson to be bridesmaids; their brother Craig chose their sister Sydney as his “best man” ([06:13]).
  • Explanation for listeners confused by this gender-bending choice:

    “It’s darling. If I have to explain it to you, it’s cute and it’s sweet.” – Lizz ([06:51])

• Emphasize the importance of creating family-centric memories.

5. Christmas Gift Recaps: Vacuum Sealers, Griddles & Sock Obsessions

• Kelly and Lizz both received vacuum sealers and griddles—reflecting peak mom energy ([08:18], [09:10]).
• Socks from Bombas (“a low lift luxury”) and a new beauty product from Living Proof ([09:16]).
• Lizz: “We could not have such a boring set of Christmas gifts, but like, I’m so jazzed about them. What a sign of just being so old.” ([09:58])

6. Holiday Season Notes & Parenting Realities

Kelly’s Reflections:

• This year, a busy baby (Libby) thwarted her holiday cooking creativity.

  “Libby allowed you to cook nothing. …If I’m in the kitchen, Libby is destroying the pantry, crying at my leg…” – Kelly ([11:14])

• Notes for next year: accept seasons where less is possible, give yourself permission to scale back.

Lizz’s Reflections:

• “Don’t delay the joy”—do the festive things early, as sickness can strike unexpectedly ([12:26]).
• Christmas décor goes up early, comes down early—no shame!
• “Screw you, I’m putting them up... It doesn’t matter. When they go up, they’re coming down the same time.” – Lizz ([12:26])

Organizational Hacks:

• Consider a dedicated holiday perfume for memory-marking ([13:49]).
• Maintain an updated Christmas card address list ([14:59]).
• Assess and plan kids’ holiday clothing better (casual tees, festive headwear) ([15:23]).
• Pack Christmas overnight bags by activity/day for smoother transitions ([18:54]).

Christmas Present Management:

• Only consumables in stockings (bath bombs, treats): abolish “junk” stuffers ([16:46]).
• Don’t wrap every practical item (e.g., underwear).
• Store away half the kids’ gifts to “reveal” throughout the year, curbing overwhelm ([19:45]).
• Ensure all kids have something they can play with immediately to prevent sibling envy ([20:26]).

7. Football Fever: From Casual Fan to True Enthusiast

• Kelly embraces football as her “new micro hobby”—it fills the void left by Dancing with the Stars ([22:00], [25:33]).

  “No, it’s giving, like, Dancing with the Stars to me, and I just love being a part of something.” – Kelly ([00:10], [25:33])

• Shout-outs to Simone’s Playbook on Instagram for accessible football content.
• Dad’s Super Bowl bet for the Lions (spoiler: they lost) leads to laughs ([22:48]).
• Fun facts: 12 NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl; 4 have never been ([23:16]).
• Kelly is rooting for the Buffalo Bills, partly because of QB Josh Allen and his wife, Hailee Steinfeld ([24:45]).

8. Pop Culture & 2026 Intentions

• Lizz still needs to finish “Desperate Housewives”—“I’m on the last season. I just, like, I want it to be done. I’m honestly so sick of it.” ([00:15], [27:06])

• TV plans: Masked Singer, possibly Traitors (confusion about the title’s meaning) ([26:20]).

• Holding off on declaring 2026 resolutions. Kelly plans to reflect and “be the CEO of your health” ([27:26], [27:59]).

9. Word of the Year: Crowd-Sourced Intentions

• Lizz shares follower submissions from Instagram for “word of the year”:

  “Intentional is a lot of them...Resilience and discipline...Slowing down, balance, less.” – Lizz ([28:41])

• Common themes: health, contentment, self-care, being present.
• Both echo the importance of leading by example—children benefit from seeing thriving, well-cared-for parents ([30:00], [30:35]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I always have the highest hopes. I'm like, this is going to be the best night of the year...” – Lizz ([00:58])
• “Where’s the amazing food cuisine? …We don’t have any traditions in this country on that day. I guess the ball dropping. But, like, what even is…the ball?” – Kelly ([01:28])
• “The first Monday of the year...I can feel the productivity in my veins.” – Kelly ([04:35])
• “Don’t delay the joy.” – Lizz ([12:26])
• “Screw you, I’m putting them up...It doesn’t matter when they go up, they’re coming down the same time.” – Lizz ([12:26])
• “Stockings only contain consumables because the last thing we needed was more stuff.” – Kelly ([16:46])
• “No, it’s giving, like, Dancing with the Stars to me, and I just love being a part of something.” – Kelly ([00:10] and [22:00])
• “Be the CEO of your health. And I always say that.” – Kelly ([27:59])
• “I do just feel like I’ve given so much to my children the last couple of years…It’s really good for your kids to see you thrive.” – Kelly ([30:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------| | 00:41–02:20| Why NYE is the most overrated holiday | | 03:20–04:14| This year’s low-key, family-centric NYE plans | | 04:24–04:45| New Year’s productivity and vision days | | 06:13–07:39| Family wedding party surprises | | 08:00–10:26| Christmas gifts recap (vacuum sealer, griddle) | | 10:31–14:49| Holiday notes & kitchen/parenting realities | | 16:46–18:53| Stocking stuffers—switching to just consumables | | 22:00–25:13| Kelly’s football fever and sports trivia | | 27:06–27:26| Pop culture catch-ups, “Desperate Housewives” | | 28:19–30:00| Word of the year submissions & reflections |

Summary

This lively episode sees Kelly and Lizz in full reflective mode—questioning cultural traditions, championing practical mom wisdom, and gently poking fun at themselves. The sisters encourage listeners to be honest about what traditions really matter, to focus on experiences over stuff, and to enter the new year with a commitment to self-care and small joys (like vacuum sealers… or maybe just fresh socks). Whether you’re a football convert or just ready to embrace your own “word of the year,” you’ll come away with laugh-out-loud moments, thoughtful takeaways, and the comfort of hearing two sisters figure it all out together.