IS NEW YEAR'S EVE THE WORST HOLIDAY?

Summary

---

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.

---

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly.

[B]

I love football.

[C]

You're so into it.

[B]

No, it's giving, like, Dancing with the Stars to me. And I just love being a part of something.

[C]

And Liz, one of my goals for 2026 is to finally finish Desperate Housewives.

[B]

Oh, my gosh, Elizabeth.

[C]

I'm on the last season. I just, like, I want it to be done. I'm like, honestly, so sick of it.

[A]

Your mom time off starts.

[B]

Welcome back to the Garble podcast with Kelly and Liz and happy New Year's Eve. A little Nye.

[C]

Probably the most overrated holiday in my opinion. I've never had a fantastic New Year's Eve.

[B]

I'd rather be celebrating President's Day, like, or what's always, like, worst holiday. It's the worst holiday.

[C]

I always have the highest hopes. I'm like, this is going to be the best night of the year and maybe things will be different now that I have kids because, like, I'm not just trying to, like, have like, the craziest party night of my life. Because that's what it. Like, that's literally all that New Year's Eve is and has been like, a Christmas Thanksgiving. Like, drinking is involved, but, like, it is the entire new. It's. It's all that New Year's Eve is about is drinking.

[B]

I've never had a good New Year's Eve, even prior to kids. I post kids. It's just 50 of the time we do nothing. 50 of the time we do something that's cold and we're up too late. And I think I'm just, like, really disappointed in us, like, as a culture and as a country. Because that's like, how do we not have kids? Better traditions than drinking for the last day of the year till midnight. Like, where's the amazing food cuisine? Like, the only foods I can think of are black eyed peas and collard greens that you eat on New Year's Eve. Like, and that's fine. Like, I've had those before. They're good. We have better cuisine in America that, like, should. That in my opinion, should be like a traditional thing that we do. We don't have any traditions in this country on that day. I guess the ball dropping. But, like, what even is. What is the ball?

[C]

I don't know. And I'm not staying up late enough to watch it. And that's, that's partially the problem. I'm partially the problem because I don't like staying up late or drinking anymore. But you know what? Mom and dad used to do that, actually. Maybe as our kids get older, we could start a tradition for them is, I remember one New Year's Eve, they had our older cousin babysit us, and some of our other cousins that were our age came over and we had so much fun with, like, our older cousin watching mom and dad, like, had plans. Of course our older cousin was watching us. We had, like, pizza. We had, like, sparkling grape juice. And, like, our cousins came over, and it was actually so probably the best New Year's Eve I've ever had.

[B]

I do remember that now. You're jogging my memory in, like, 2007. Sure. But it begs the question, like, what. What were mom and dad doing? I guess it'd be like, I'm just kind of in no man's land right now. Like, no one's having a party. I. I mean, we're going to.

[C]

I'm not gonna invite anywhere.

[B]

No, not to brag, but I actually did get an invite somewhere to Tyler's sister's house. But we're going to mom and dad's house. And actually, I think we're gonna have a good New Year's Eve. So, like, what's on our docket is we're going to the farm with our parents, but actually, like, our younger siblings are all coming too. Grayson and Craig are both coming. Sydney's back in Australia. Bummer. But we are doing smash burgers. I'm getting my fryer back out and I'm frying potatoes.

[C]

Love it.

[B]

And I told mom I would dip some strawberries because chocolate covered strawberries did feel kind of nye coded.

[C]

I agree.

[B]

And then we're just gonna, like, you know, be with the kids. And we'll get the kids some Welches. Sparkling. Mom says she's gonna get us some voodoo, which is like that fancy champagne. Love it. So I guess, come to think of it, like, we do have a good New Year's plans. And, like, actually, it's kind of going to be really fun.

[C]

I am looking forward to it this year. Just historically, it hasn't been the best. And I don't know if this is universal feeling or we're just like New Year's Eve Grinches. Here's the thing. I love New Year's. I love a new year.

[B]

I love a vision day, a goal New Year's Day. Incredible. The. The first Monday of the year, the fifth was. Watch your. Watch out, everyone.

[C]

Love it.

[B]

That is my favorite. The fifth. January 5th, like, the Monday after New Year's Eve might be my favorite day of the year. I Can feel the productivity in my veins.

[C]

Yeah, totally.

[B]

You know now.

[C]

Totally.

[B]

We had such a great holiday season, mainly because, not to make everyone jealous, but the stumpy crew survived. Every Thanksgiving and every Christmas thing that I wanted to do. We, without being sick, didn't miss a single thing, which could be a record. I don't know if since I had kids, I've been able to make it to every little function, every party, every this. We haven't been sick. Flu, A and norovirus have not found us yet. I am so scared. I have such fear of it this year. I don't know why. I think it's just really bad this year.

[C]

You should have fear of it.

[B]

A healthy fear is good. I think a healthy fear of getting sick is good.

[C]

We're. We're prepped.

[B]

I've got everyone, you know, I. I have myself, my family, as prepared as possible. We've got freezer meals. I've got a third. I ordered a new thermometer for the occasion. I've got Tylenol and Motrin. I've got barf bags. I. I located my air mattress in case I, like, I need to blow that up for a kid to sleep on. Like, I am ready if it happens. And I'm grateful that I was able to have a good holiday season. So what else is there to do in January except for get sick? Bring it on.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, but it still have to stinks. And, like, I would not wish it upon anyone, but if you're gonna get it, like, whatever, so you get it in January. It's fine.

[B]

Thinking of all of you, though, who have had it so scary this year. Not like, not a fan.

[C]

It was so scary. So scary this year. No. We had a wonderful Christmas. I had a wonderful birthday. I'm 31 now. My birthday's two days after Christmas. Something so sweet that happened at Christmas is Charlotte asked me, Kelly, and Grayson to be bridesmaids. And our brother Craig asked our sister Sydney to be his best man. And I posted this on my stories. And everyone's like, I'm so confused. What does this mean? Okay, Craig doesn't have any brothers. He only has four sisters. He chose one of his sisters to be his best woman.

[B]

It's darling is what it is.

[C]

It's darling. If I have to explain it to you. It's cute and it's sweet, and everyone.

[B]

And it's so Craig and Sydney coded. Like, the people. People were asking me on my stories, like, if they're as close as me and you. And it's like, no, of course not. But like, they're as close as Craig could be to anyone, you know?

[C]

So true. And Charlotte was Sydney's friend. That's how they met.

[B]

Yeah. That's so fun.

[C]

So, can't wait.

[B]

It was, it was a very sweet moment. I wasn't expecting to be a bridesmaid because, like, that's a lot to like, you know, he has. I mean, she still asked three of us. Like, she has. He has four sisters. Like, that's crazy. And I was like, oh, she's not gonna want me. I'm just like this, like, I'm an old woman now. She's gonna want our like 20 year old friends. And she asked all three of us. It was so kind.

[C]

Yeah, it was really sweet.

[B]

And I'm ready. But we still have so long. But I'm excited for the wedding festivities to start. You know, like a, like a shower and like, I guess we'll go on like a bachelorette maybe. Like, I don't know. So crazy.

[C]

I mean, we're. We're bridesmaids, so I think we're expected.

[B]

So what did you get for Christmas?

[C]

So I got a vacuum sealer. I got a vacuum sealer too, and a coffee maker. Charlotte was my secret Santa. She got me a really fuzzy blanket, which I love. And I got a griddle.

[B]

We had the kind of year where mom gets me and Elizabeth basically the same thing. That's like a funny Elizabeth right now going on social media. It's like I've seen we're sisters and it's like they hold up the same stuff. So us. Because I also got a griddle and a vacuum sealer. I'm so jazzed for my vacuum sealer. I need to start watching some tutorials on it. I think it's going to change everything. I think I know about freezing food because I think you can do so much more when you vacuum seal it. I. Priority number one is I want to get my butt to Costco. I want to get four rotisserie, four $5 rotisserie chickens and spend $20 and I'm going to shred them into like six or seven bags of like rotisserie chicken that I can just throw in whatever I need to throw in. Like, I cannot wait to do that. I want to do it. I'm more excited than vacuum sealing than I have ever been about canning my own jalapenos. Like, I'm honestly about to. I'm about to sail that ship because I think this vacuum sealer is going to change my Life.

[C]

No, I think so too. I'm really excited. It's gonna change the way we cook too.

[B]

It's gonna totally change the way we cook. I like, I seriously am so happy for it. So I got a vacuum sealer, a griddle, and then I really wanted some socks. And I asked mom for bombas because I've heard amazing things and I'm so sad to report they are better than I was expecting. And I will slowly be transitioning. I will slowly be transitioning all my socks to bombas. They just like put pressure on your feet in like certain spots. They're just so comfortable. And I find a sock to be such a low lift luxury. Like a clean, new, fresh, good sock. Incredible. Incredible.

[C]

Like, we could not have like such a boring set of Christmas gifts. But like, I'm so jazzed about them. Like, what a sign of just like being so old.

[B]

I know I had some fun with Sydney, had me for Secret Santa and Cindy gave me this blow dry cream that she's obsessed with from Living Proof and it's amazing. So, like, that was like fun to like try a new beauty product. I had fun with that. And yeah, tell her to give me a pair of earrings.

[C]

So let's go over our Christmas notes.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What are you taking away from this season?

[B]

Well, I have copious notes. I have not yet organized them. So probably like next year leading up to Christmas, I'll be able to give you like a more organized, like what I'm planning on doing. But just like off the bat, one of my biggest takeaways was, and I mean, this was such love to my daughter Libby, but she really limited my creativity in the kitchen. This year in 2024, I had written down all these things that I made. Like I made my Chex mix, I made these cookies for the neighbors. I made amazing sweet potato goat cheese, caramelized onion quiche. Like I did all these things last year in the kitchen because I had a 10 week old baby who was probably asleep the whole time. This year I accomplished none of that because Libby refuses to let me be in the kitchen. She literally refuses it. I have never had. I think it's a combination of Libby is a climber and a busy baby. And my new house is so much different than my old house where the old house, it was so much more like open concept. Like if she was in the living room, I was in the kitchen, I could see her. My new house just isn't set up like that. I cooked nothing. I literally couldn't eat. I could barely get My life together to make pigs in a blanket for mom's house. Like, it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing. So my note for myself was, in terms of food, see, 20, 24 notes. Because Libby allowed you to cook nothing. Okay, so that's good. I mean, I don't know what your kitchen experience was this year, but if I'm in the kitchen, Libby is destroying the pantry, crying at my leg, and it's hard. It's hard to cook. Like, I have a baby there. Like, I can't be, like, doing things on the stove when a baby trying to crawl up my leg. That's stressing me out. She won't sit in her high chair anymore. She screams and then starts throwing food. Yeah, no, she is. It was not my year. It was not my culinary year, thanks to Libby.

[C]

Okay, well, a couple of notes that I have is just the constant, like, don't delay the joy. Like, you never know. Like, we never gotta see Christmas lights because we got sick. So you just, like, never know if and when you're gonna get sick. So just, like, don't wait. Do it all. I'm also just, like, I'm. Doesn't matter. When I put my Christmas decorations up, like, the day or two after Christmas, all of it is coming down. I can't stand to look at it. So put it up early because you're excited to do. I'm so excited to put it up. I'm so excited to take it down. Like, it's just two very enjoyable things. So I'm not gonna be, like, bullied by people on the Internet who are like, why are you put so early? Like, that's so annoying. Like, screw you. I'm putting them up. I'm gonna be happy. Because doesn't matter. When they go up, they're coming down the same time.

[B]

I. I started putting mine away on Christmas Day. Like, the evening of the 25th. I was. I took the stockings downstairs. Like, I. You know what it is?

[C]

It's all of the presents and wrapping paper and everything. Like, your house feels so much more full that you're like, I have to take down something. I had to put something away, and I don't know where to put these toys. So I'm putting my Christmas decorations away.

[B]

Do you want to, like, popcorn? Or, like, do you want to go or do you want me to go?

[C]

Oh, well, you can say one now.

[B]

Okay. I kind of had, like, a crazy thought, but I'm a really big perfume person, and I like to get perfumes. Like, Mark. Mark. Certain areas of My life. So I thought, what if I got a perfume that I only wore during the Christmas season? And, like, every time I smelt it, like, it would remind me of Christmas. Like, it doesn't have to be an expensive one. Like, just like a body spray. But, like, I only spray it from Thanksgiving to New Year's, and then it's like, go on till next year.

[C]

That's an interesting idea.

[B]

I know. I thought it'd be something fun for me, so I think I might do that. I wrote that down. I said, get a perfume to wear during the holidays, question mark. We'll see.

[C]

It's the holidays.

[B]

I know. That's what I'm saying.

[C]

I pulled my Christmas cards out, my framed Christmas cards, and I. The last three years I have gone vertical. And the first year I went horizontal. So I said, I need to do a horizontal Christmas card next year. So just make sure you're getting the photo to do a horizontal one.

[B]

Yeah, I need to go back. I need to go back to horizontal, too.

[C]

You should add that to your list because she'll forget. You're right.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

I also just like going off the Christmas cards, I also just, like, wrote in anyone's address who, like, sent me a card, and they weren't in my minted calendar or my minted address book. And I, like, I wrote down their address and their name and, like, who moved. And I'm going to add them to my minted for next year. Love that.

[B]

Okay. One thing that I wrote down is I think I already did kind of like a. A mini recap so far. How I need the boys to have long sleeve red Gap T shirts or green T shirts that just, like, go with the girls. More casual dresses. But on the same sense, I wish I would have had some more festive headwear for the girls. Like, I didn't have any Christmas headbands for Hattie, and she's so cute in headbands. And I, like, couldn't find, like, the red bow. So just like, taking inventory before the Christmas season, making sure I have the right headwear to go with their outfits is a note that I have for myself. And just overall, like, my kids needed more casual Christmas clothes. I had way too many. And of course, you don't need to do this, but this, I just have fun with this. Like, I. They had, like, three nice outfits to wear to, like, a church, a Christmas, the concert. Like, we had three nice outfits. But then it was like, oh, we're going to, you know, a friend's house tonight. Like, I would have loved to put all my kids in, like, a casual Christmas T shirt. And, like, yeah, like, only Fred had one that fit him this year. Like, had. He had no casual Christmas clothes. So just need to make sure I do that next year.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. You know, the rest of mine are pretty just like, you know, your Christmas lights. All your lights are out on your tree. So just, like, remember that.

[B]

Yeah. Good for you.

[C]

You know, whatever. I don't really have many more other than that. So that's. Those are my takeaways.

[B]

Okay. I do have just two more. So in terms of stockings now, I don't know who, like, does stockings in, like, your house, as in, like, you listeners at our house. Santa does our stockings. So I will be writing to Santa and I'll be requesting that stockings only contain consumables because the last thing we needed was more stuff. Like, little trinkety stuff. I just didn't like it. I know. Like, I feel like. Even though I feel like I always am scaling back what I'm getting my kids, things are just popping out of nowhere. Like, it's still. They still have too many things. And I also kind of had the realization this is just for me. I would rather, like, when they do open presents, it's like, really exciting things rather than just like, wrapping stuff. So it looks like they have more presence because then it just takes longer. It's more trash. Things get overlooked. It's more overstimulating for everyone. And I. I may feel differently when my kids are older and they start asking for, like, more specific things. But, like, for example, one of my kids got new underwear. I'm not sure I needed to wrap that. Because you're right, I'm telling you, like, I mean, no shade if you do. But, like, for just me, I'd rather them have two presents at their opening. And they're two things that are really cool because kids were not excited to open up underwear. Like, it just wasn't exciting for anybody.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So then in terms of the stockings, I just felt like old Saint Nick, like, put extra junk that we didn't need. And I think, like, my new tradition is going to be. It's consumable. So a consumable to me are bath bombs. I love putting. I love when they get bath bombs in their stockings. Like, that's really fun. And treats and candy. Because, like, that's fun. That's fun. Like, treats and snacks that I would never give them. And, like, that's just kind of going to kind of be our new stocking tradition. I'M done with the quote unquote stocking stuffers. I honestly hate that word. I hate that term because it's just so. It's just a bunch of crap. Mm. So stockings are consumables.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

My last thing is I just wish I would have been a little bit more organized in my bags. So, like, when we do go to Tyler's parents Christmas or to our mom's Christmas, our parents Christmas, we spend the night at both of them, which makes it really fun. But I should have the bags more organized by, like, the day that we need them. So, like, for example, on the 25th. So the 24th, we went to mom and Dad's house. The 25th, we went to church with them the next morning. I wish I would have had all their church clothes in a separate bag packed, because instead I'm rifling through their two. Their four overnight bags to find their. Their church clothes. Like, it was just too much. So. And then, of course, like, making sure you bring stuff home so you get all your pieces. So I did bring a laundry basket this year, and, like, as soon as they opened a present and went in the laundry basket, and then it went to my car, and that was helpful.

[C]

Yeah. That reminds me. One more thing. My kids are young, so this is why I'm able to do this. But, like, they got a lot of presents from, like, aunts and uncles, and I have already put a lot of them in the storage room because they're so overwhelmed by the amount. Like, they're not gonna play with them all. And on a rainy day in March, I'm going to pull out one of their. One of their presents, and it'll be a new, fun thing to play with. It's just. It's way too much all at once for them, and it's overwhelming for them. It's overwhelming for me. So I literally put probably half of their Christmas presents away in the storage room. They will see them in a few months.

[B]

Okay. One more thing I had that kind of goes off of that is I need to be more mindful next year about making sure my kids have. They're all opening presents that they can play with right away, or they're all opening presents that they can't play with right away. Like, for example, mom and dad got George a new fishing pole. Well, he couldn't play with that at their house. When Tyler and I gave our kids their presents, I got Hattie a slime kit, but, like, we were absolutely not opening the slime kit at that exact moment. But, like, George got a Lego set or George got. I don't. George got something that he could open right. Right away, and Hattie had something that she could open right away at mom and dad's house. So, like, I just need to make sure it's equal. Mm. Because that caused. That caused some friction, and that was just annoying. That was annoying for me because then, like, George can't play with his present, and Hattie wants to open everything she got, and then, like, what is George supposed to do?

[C]

Good notes. Good notes.

[B]

So that was a big thing, and that was Christmas. But, like, overall, like, first of all, the notes are just so helpful. Like, I love taking notes on my life. And Tyler kind of got into my notes this year too, because we would, like, leave some. Like, I have a lot of other notes that are just so specific to the event that we went to. You guys wouldn't take anything away from it. Tyler would be like, hey, add. Add this to your notes for next year. And I'm like, oh, you're into notes now, are you?

[C]

No, it's a. It's a. It's a fun. It's a fun thing. It's fun thing to look back on.

[B]

Oh, and I'm also just so obsessed with football right now, so. I love football.

[C]

You're so into it.

[B]

No, it's giving, like, Dancing with the Stars to me, and I just love being a part of something. So, first of all, you have to follow this girl named Simone's playbook on Instagram. She is so amazing. She makes it so easy, digestible, and so fun. My Lions are out of the playoffs, which is really sad for me. But again, I was happy. I was a part of it. And I forgot to say one thing I got for Christmas was dad handed me this, like, receipt, and he goes, here's $2,000. And I was like, what are you talking about? And he hands me this receipt. And last time he was in Vegas, he put $100 on the Lions to win the Super Bowl. This is when they were still in it. He's like, if the Lions win, you'll get 2,000 dol from this bet. And they got out summer, so you got nothing. I said, dad, next time, I'll just take the hundred dollars.

[C]

I'm not that big.

[B]

I don't like them that much. No, I would rather have 100 bucks.

[C]

That's cute.

[B]

I know. Wasn't that cute? Anyway, let me tell you what I was chat GPT yesterday because I think it's fascinating, and it's football coded. Here you Are. It's, like, not only industry news, but now it might be some football news. I had to redo it, though. Hold on. Which teams have never won a Super Bowl? How many NFL teams you think there are? First of all, I have.

[C]

I don't have a guess.

[B]

32.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

12 have never won a Super Bowl.

[C]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[B]

I know. Which is kind of crazy. And four have never been to the Super Bowl. Oh, my gosh. It's so funny.

[C]

Hold on.

[B]

You're gonna die. Hold on. Well, the Lions, which is so sad for me. I didn't know that. I don't know if I would have, like, picked them as my team if I knew. Like, they've really never been to a Super bowl before. The Browns have never been to a Super Bowl. The Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars, never heard of them. And the Houston Texans never heard of them up until, like, this year when I started to get into football. Now Here are the 12 teams that have never won. Arizona Cardinals. Atlanta Falcons. The Buffalo Bills. Now, the Bills are my new team that I'm cheering for because let me tell you something so sad about the Bills. I think it was, like, 1991 to 1994. There were four consecutive years that the Bills went to the super bowl and lost every single time. They went four years in a row and lost four years in a row. And they haven't been back this year. Both sense. And they've never won. And you know who the Bills quarterback is? This man named Josh Allen. And you know who Josh Allen's wife is?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Haley Steinfeld. So I'm a Bills fan now. You guys will be happy. That's who I've picked. The Panthers have never won. The Bengals have never won. The Browns, The Lions. The Texans. The Jaguars. The LA Chargers. The Minnesota Vikings, which is crazy. And the Tennessee Titans. Okay, so those are, like, your fun football facts.

[C]

So who's, like, looking like they're in the Super Bowl? Going to be in the super bowl this year?

[B]

Well, we're just in the playoffs. So the way the playoffs work is the AFC and the NFC both get to send seven teams to the playoffs. And. And most of those spots are clinched, except there's two spots open, and those are going to be, like, really big games in week 18. Yeah, that's right. I know things about football now.

[C]

Wow. You're. This is so. It is exciting.

[B]

It is my new. It's my new micro hobby.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And last night, Tyler's, like, not a sports guy at all, and I'm like, hey, I'm going To, like, turn on the game, like, the Bills. Because it was the Bills versus the Eagles last night. Oh, my gosh. The Bills lost because they tried to go for two instead of one. Crazy. I was there watching it, but it didn't really matter because they were still already in the playoffs anyway. Me and Tyler were sat on the couch. He acted like he wasn't into it. Fourth quarter rolls around. We are both cheering for the Bills, so that's fun. Yeah. So I'm just. I'm having fun being part of something. So I hope the Bills go, and I hope the Bills win. Like, that's who I'm. Right. That's who I want to see. Take this all the way.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And so that's what I. It's really just kind of, like, filled my dancing with the star void. Football has.

[C]

Well, you told me that you want to watch Masked Singer this season.

[B]

Well, it's just like, I want to watch Masked Singer. I possibly want to watch Traitors. Isn't that the show that Dylan Efron was on?

[C]

Yeah, but I don't know what it's about.

[B]

I don't know if it's traitors or traitors. Like, is it traitors like you're trading, or is it traitors like you betrayed someone?

[C]

I don't. I have no. I have no idea.

[B]

So much to get to. I'm so behind on, like, so much. I need to finish my book. I would like to. I'm gonna try to read more in 26. Yeah. I have a lot to do. I have a lot of content to consume.

[C]

Mm.

[B]

But my.

[C]

One of my goals for 2026 is to finally finish Desperate Housewives.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Elizabeth.

[C]

I'm on the last season. I just, like, I want it to be done. I'm, like, honestly, so sick of it.

[B]

Yeah, it gets long in the two, like.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Let me just put it this way. Like, your best episodes are behind you.

[C]

I'm bored.

[B]

Yeah, no, I. I was bored, too. By the end of it, it gets a little long.

[C]

I need to move on with my life.

[B]

And I don't know. I'm not, like, ready to, like, talk about all the things I want to do in 26 yet. Like, I need to kind of take today and tomorrow and kind of reflect on myself a little bit. Sure. Got to get my health in order a little bit more. I'm feeling better, but I'm still not 100. I still feel like I'm not 100 back. And, like, I started some new, like, supplements and some new medicine. And I'm also, like, not ready to talk about that if. I don't know if I ever will be. But I'm just trying to figure that out. But you just got to be the CEO of your health. And I always say that. I always say that.

[C]

You answered that in a while, actually.

[B]

Okay, well, I should start saying it some more.

[C]

You should. For someone. Yeah. You haven't said it in a while.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Well, I posted on my stories that I would love to hear some people's words. So let me read a couple of words that have been sent in case, because there's a lot of.

[B]

Oh, yeah, that's good. I like that. And if you guys don't know, we're talking about. Elizabeth and I are really big, like, word of the year people. So not so much like resolutions, but more just like, what's the word you're going to take with it? Take it to take into 26. And something that we've done in the past is then we get a mug, like a coffee mug that says our word on it. So, like, we drink our coffee out of the word that says the mug that says our word.

[C]

Yeah. So some that I have been sent on Instagram. Intentional is a lot of them, you know, like, disconnecting from your phone. Phone addiction being present. Resilience and discipline are appearing a lot. Slowing down balance, less just. I think we're all kind of feeling. I think we're all kind of feeling that, of course, a lot about taking care of your health. People are saying, I've had three kids. It's time to focus on me. Being content is. Is a big one, too. I think that we're all kind of feeling that.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Self, care, expand, curate, manifest, surrender, balance. Those are some of the. Some of the results that I got, which I just. I love to. I love to see. It also is just like, such a reminder that we're really all. You might feel alone in your feeling, like you're overwhelmed with your life or you're not content with your life or you're not healthy enough. Everyone's feeling that right now.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So you're not alone in that. We're all very much trying to figure it out.

[B]

I very much relate to, like, I feel like I. I don't want to say, like, my word is like me or like, I want to be selfish this year, but I do just feel like I've given so much to my children the last couple of years. And one thing about our mom is she always prioritized herself. And I have a Even more respect for her now because, like, I know that was probably so hard, and I'm so proud of her for choosing herself in the times where she could have chosen us, because also, we were fine. And I think it. It's really good for your kids to see you thriving. It's really good for your kids to see you thrive.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean. I mean, you have to lead by example. Like, you have to lead by example, because that's actually gonna probably, like. I feel like seeing mom and dad prioritize their marriage and their health so much in life has taught me more than if they were just gonna, like, tell it to me, you know? Like, you. You got. I gotta see it. I gotta see it in action. Yeah, I think that's a good one. Yeah.

[C]

I think 26 is gonna be a great year.

[B]

I am so optimistic. I always get optimistic, though, and 25 was a good year for me. I mean, it had ups and downs, as they do, but for the most part, mostly I feel good. Mostly.

[C]

Always.

[B]

Mostly ups. Well, guys, that's gonna be our episode for today. I. Oh, no. One of my kids is crying. TBD. If we have an episode on Friday. Question mark. Probably not.

[C]

Though I would say this is my only option with child care this week, so. Probably not.

[B]

But we'll be back next week with your regular two episodes.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And that'll be fun.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So thank you guys so much for listening to our episode today. We hope you guys have a fabulous New Year's Eve, a fabulous New Year's Day, and we will see y' all next week. Love ya. Bye.

[A]

Thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, tell everybody you know there's room in the car for everyone.