← The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast
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- [00:00]
A
Every holiday shopper's got a list. But Ross shoppers, you've got a mission. Like a gift run that turns into a disco. Snow globe, throw pillows and PJs for the whole family. Dog included. At Ross, holiday magic isn't about spending more. It's about giving more for less. Ross, work your magic. So good, so good, so good. Score holiday gifts. Everyone wants for way less at your Nordstrom rack store. Save on Ugg, Nike, Rag and Bone, Vince Frame, Kurt Geiger, London, and more.
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B
Because there's always something new.
- [00:29]
A
I'm giving all the gifts this year with that extra 5% off when I use my Nordstrom credit card. Santa who join the Nordy club at Nordstrom Rack to unlock our best deals. It's easy. Big gifts, big perks. That's why you rack. Today we're gonna talk about the year that Jeremy ruined Christmas.
- [00:50]
B
Okay, so here's the thing, though. So I ruined Christmas. Kind of that one year. I want to talk about some controversial spicy hot takes around Christmas and the holidays. You ready for this?
- [01:02]
A
I don't know if I'm ready for you. Tell me. We're excited to jump into today's episode, but before we do that, we want to tell you about Storyworth.
- [01:13]
B
Yeah. Today's episode is all about Christmas. We're going to be answering some of the most controversial questions about Christmas. It's a ton of fun, but we wanted to let you know about an incredible gift, especially for you last minute gift shoppers to get for your loved ones. Storyworth helps you capture memories with your loved ones to enjoy for years to come.
- [01:32]
A
This is one of those gifts that is an heirloom. It can be passed down from generation to generation.
- [01:37]
B
So what Storyworth does is it will email your loved one a question that you pick. Your loved one has the option of writing an email back or calling a number and they will actually transcribe their answer and then put it at the end of a year into a beautifully bound book for you to have forever. It's wonderful. Give your loved ones a keepsake that you'll all cherish for years this holiday season. Storyworth Memoirs right now save $10 or more during their holiday sale when you go to storyworth.com ginger that's storyworth.com ginger to save $10 or more on your order.
- [02:12]
A
Now let's jump into today's episode.
- [02:15]
B
What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Ginger and Jeremy podcast.
- [02:20]
A
Yeah. Today we're gonna talk about the year that Jeremy ruined Christmas.
- [02:27]
B
Okay, well, I Didn't. I didn't completely ruin Christmas. It was technically Christmas Eve.
- [02:32]
A
Close enough.
- [02:34]
B
And I near about derailed the entire holiday.
- [02:38]
A
Let's get into it.
- [02:39]
B
So what did you do? This was before I met you, before your sanctifying presence was in my life to help me out. I was in college, and I think it was the first year that our family was celebrating Christmas, where my brother, I think, wasn't living at home, or he had just moved up to Boston. He had started working for Harvard. Right. And so he's wicked smart up in Boston. And he was coming down, it was a blizzard, and he was driving, like, eight hours down. And Christmas Eve for us as a family was really special. That's when the siblings would give each other our gifts, and then the next day, our parents would give all the gifts, and we'd give everybody gifts, but we'd give mom and dad our gifts that we got as siblings, and then each other. And so we're waiting for Chuck to drive down, and my mom is already emotional because it's just a different season of life, Right. She's worried about my brother because it's a blizzard and he's driving eight hours, and so she's a little frazzled emotionally. Hadn't seen him in a long time. And so there's all this anticipation. So I had just come back from college. I was on college break.
- [03:56]
A
And you weren't in your best season of life.
- [04:00]
B
No, wasn't in my best season of discernment.
- [04:03]
A
Yep.
- [04:05]
B
I was a sophomore, so maybe a wise fool, you know, around then. And I had just watched a movie, and I thought, this movie's great, and we should watch it as a family. So I tell my mom and dad and my sister, guys, why don't we watch a movie while we're waiting for Chuck? He's gonna be here in a couple hours. It'll keep, you know, get Mom's mind off of it.
- [04:24]
A
My goodness.
- [04:26]
B
So they're like, great, let's do it. So we put on Mr. Brooks, which, if you don't know Mr. Brooks, it is about the man of the Year, actually. Let me see who the actor is. Really famous actor, Mr. Brooks. Kevin Costner. Yeah, Kevin Costner. So he's Mr. Brooks. He's like Time magazine Man of the year, Fortune 500 CEO or something like that, but secretly he's a serial killer. And so the movie is so dark.
- [05:00]
A
You thought that would be a good movie for Christmas Eve.
- [05:03]
B
It is so twisted.
- [05:05]
A
You're supposed to watch, like, even if something's kind of, like, you know, there can be a tiny bit of suspense. I mean, like, a fun home alone, like, kids movie basically, is the level of entertainment.
- [05:15]
B
It's Christmas at Christmas.
- [05:16]
A
You need, like, a Hallmark movie.
- [05:18]
B
Yeah. And this movie opens up first, maybe three minutes. We're like, okay. And then the first murder scene. And Ginger, it is graphic. No, gruesome. I remember sitting there looking at the tv, going, oh, I don't remember that part in my head. You know that feeling?
- [05:38]
A
Cause your parents are sitting there, and you're just thinking, my mom does not want to be watching this.
- [05:43]
B
And we're watching, and, like, my dad looks over at me, what are we watching? I'm like, I don't remember.
- [05:52]
A
And now they're wanting to watch it to see. What were you watching? That's terrible.
- [05:56]
B
No, they're just like, this is. My mom's like, jer, why are we watching a serial killer? Like, slitting throats? Like, this is horrible. And I'm like, well, no, it gets better. You know, it doesn't get better.
- [06:09]
A
Oh, my gosh.
- [06:09]
B
Mr. Brooks does not get better.
- [06:10]
A
That's terrible.
- [06:12]
B
The movie ends with, like, his daughter killing him or something. Sorry for the spoiler, but it came out, like, 15 years ago.
- [06:18]
A
That sounds like. I don't even want our podcast. People have to listen to this.
- [06:21]
B
Don't go watch it. Don't. It's a holiday season.
- [06:23]
A
Was your mom in a puddle of tears?
- [06:26]
B
My mom starts crying, and then my brother walks in. So at some point in this whole thing, I think they were probably like, jeremy, what is wrong with you? And I'm just like, yeah, I'm an idiot. So my mom's all emotional. Eventually, my brother gets in, walks in, my mom starts crying, runs up, gives him a hug, and my brother's just looking around like, what did I walk into? What did I walk into? Like, what happened? And I'm just like, my bad, bro. I just completely killed the vibe.
- [06:55]
A
That's terrible. They wait all year for that.
- [06:58]
B
And it was like, that special night. You should be having eggnog, laughing around the fire.
- [07:03]
A
Oh, my word.
- [07:04]
B
Not watching Mr. Brooks.
- [07:06]
A
That's terrible. Like, I mean, you couldn't have gotten any worse. That's so bad. Did you exchange gifts or were you done? You're like, let's wait. Let's wait till the next day. Let's wait, actually, three days. We need to clear our palate.
- [07:19]
B
Ginge. I do not remember.
- [07:21]
A
I hope that they, like, turned on something like, chill, you know? That's insane.
- [07:26]
B
Did you ever have those Moments where you're just, like. You're in the moment, very aware that you've screwed up the moment.
- [07:33]
A
You don't know how to get out.
- [07:34]
B
You don't know how to get out. You are also aware, like, one day we'll laugh about this.
- [07:38]
A
Oh, my God.
- [07:38]
B
But that day is not today. You know what I mean? Have you ever felt that?
- [07:42]
A
Oh, yeah, for sure. And your mom pulls out her violin, plays a song just to decompress. I mean, is that. I don't know what she did.
- [07:50]
B
I do honestly think it was like, okay, we need to take a beat here. Like, And. And part of it was they didn't just go, jeremy, you idiot. I think most nights, like, most fam. They would have been like, jeremy, you idiot. Like, what are we.
- [08:02]
A
We're not watching the stress of this.
- [08:03]
B
Situation, but the whole stress blizzard outside. First Christmas, my brother's coming in from Boston. She's worried about. It was just like, it was the perfect storm.
- [08:14]
A
That's terrible.
- [08:15]
B
And I just. I just. I do remember sitting there very consciously thinking, like, yeah, I didn't think this through.
- [08:20]
A
Oh, my goodness. Well, hey, on. On a positive note, there was one time. I remember that you made my Christmas season. So this was. This was. Was it last year already or the year before? Because my memory's so bad sometimes. But I do remember I was feeling really homesick. I was missing my family. It was close to my birthday, and I was like, okay, I really wish that we could have visited my family around the holidays. And we had some time off. You had time off from work. And I was like, why didn't we just plan something around Christmas to go visit my family? So you bought expensive tickets last minute and said, we're going in, like, two days. And it was over. My birthday. My birthday is four days before Christmas, and so you wanted me not to be sad around my birthday and Christmas. And so you literally were like, pack up. We're going to Arkansas for a week. And it was the best surprise. So you totally made my Christmas that time. I mean, you do every Christmas, but.
- [09:20]
B
And we didn't actually stay for Christmas that time.
- [09:22]
A
No, we didn't.
- [09:22]
B
We came back because I think my parents were coming into town.
- [09:24]
A
Yeah. And your family was coming, so we just.
- [09:27]
B
Well, again, that was one where, because of your influence in my life, I've grown a little bit of discernment muscle. And so we don't always plan the best.
- [09:37]
A
Yeah.
- [09:38]
B
And so it'll get to, like, December 15th and us going, what are we doing for Christmas? Or Something. And so I just realized you were having a really tough season and very homesick feeling. Feeling it. And you never. You would have never been like, jeremy, we need to drop the money and, like, get these tickets or whatever. So I just remember thinking kind of opposite of the day I ruined Christmas with my family. Like, oh, what should I do here that we'll, like, we'll look back on and be grateful for? And so I had called James and said, james, could we get some of the family to fly out here? And James, of course, being James was like, dude, yeah, I'll go right now. But then we realized I was like, well, how many people can I get to fly out for the week? And then I realized, like, wait, why are we putting the burden on all of them to drop their life and come out? Why don't we just drop ours and go out there? And so that turned out really sweet.
- [10:34]
A
It was perfect. It was the most, like, memorable time. We did topgolf with the family for my birthday. Almost all my siblings were there. It was so special. It was just like, it was perfect. And I could not believe that all that happened within two days. I mean, we did drop a lot of money. Like, we're going to Disney. Maybe not that much, but, well, last.
- [10:58]
B
Minute tickets are expensive.
- [10:58]
A
It's a lot when it's over the holidays. Traveling around the holidays is always expensive, no matter when you buy the ticket. But it was. Yeah, it was one of those things where, I mean, it just meant the world.
- [11:09]
B
Yeah.
- [11:11]
A
We want to take a moment to tell you about Brooklyn Betty. Okay. I literally was climbing into bed last night after staying up late watching a Christmas movie with my mom friends. And I got in bed and I was like, oh, my goodness. This is the most comfortable bed ever in four years. I did not feel that way about my bed.
- [11:30]
B
You've complained about our beds since we've been married because it's too soft, it's too firm, it's too small, it's too big. Until Brooklyn bedding. Genuinely, we love their beds. My parents have gotten a bed from them. So many others. It's so comfortable. And let's be honest, the holiday season is about snuggling in bed, watching a Christmas movie movie, staying in bed, you know, not having to wake up early. You want that thing to be comfortable.
- [11:56]
A
It is definitely the most comfortable bed. And you guys need to get one as well.
- [12:01]
B
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- [12:19]
A
That would make a great Christmas gift. We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about function health.
- [12:25]
B
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- [13:02]
A
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- [13:19]
A
Now back to the episode.
- [13:22]
B
Okay, so here's the thing though. So I ruined Christmas kind of that one year. I want to talk about some controversial spicy hot takes around Christmas and the holidays that I think our listeners are asking maybe themselves some of these questions. These are good questions, Ginge. And I've got some questions that I think will get us right into the heart of the controversy around Christmas.
- [13:47]
A
I haven't heard these, so I'm actually very excited to jump in.
- [13:50]
B
You ready for this?
- [13:51]
A
I don't know if I'm ready for this.
- [13:53]
B
You tell me, should adults exchange gifts or is Christmas just for the kids?
- [13:59]
A
I think that adults should. Adults can exchange gifts. They don't have to. Like, my parents would get us kids gifts and then I remember they would maybe get each other something little. Like my dad would get something very practical because that's what he wanted. He was like, just get me a new razor, Michelle. He'd always ask her for a new razor. So she'd always get him a new razor. One of those like tri blade razors. I just remember it. It was electric, like Phillips or something. So funny. So yeah, that was what he'd get a pack of new T shirts. He's so happy. He just likes the practical gifts.
- [14:35]
B
The gifts do get simpler as you get older.
- [14:37]
A
Yeah. So that's part of it. Right. So I think that we didn't have, like, I don't know, extravagant Christmas for so many years now. The older we got, we would exchange names, like, all the guys buy for each other. All the girls buy for each other of the older kids. And my parents would be thrown into that. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa or whatever. But then from there, it's like the kids are buying each other things of the cousins. And it's kind of fun because then there's something to look forward to for everyone. So in my family, I thought it was great. So should they? I don't know if you should, but I also think that that part of the magic of Christmas is when you're really young.
- [15:13]
B
Yeah.
- [15:13]
A
But also, everybody likes getting a gift. Everybody likes a good surprise.
- [15:17]
B
That's true. So the. Like, I was talking to my mom, and obviously Grandma and grandpa are going to make a big deal for the kids.
- [15:25]
A
Yeah.
- [15:26]
B
Give them gifts. But then she just said offhanded, like, we don't need to get each other gifts this year. Right. Like, as adults in the family. And I was immediately like, yeah, no, totally. But then you think about it and you go, like, I got a little bit of that consumerism, you know, Christmas consumerism in me, where I'm like, I do enjoy waking up and getting a gift.
- [15:45]
A
Yeah.
- [15:45]
B
And like, being surprised by something.
- [15:47]
A
Yes.
- [15:47]
B
Even if it's like, I love these socks.
- [15:50]
A
Yeah.
- [15:50]
B
You know. Cause that's the stage of life.
- [15:51]
A
Something little. But you know what I think is also cool? So I would lean even more towards this. So I would like a small gift. I definitely do want something. If I have nothing on Christmas, I'm gonna be a little sad. You're gonna be a little sad. We like gifts. So I think that having a gift, it depends on the person is great. But, like, Christmas morning, open something. Yes, that's great. But then also, what we've done, even with your family. I remember one year, our big gift was going skiing. Oh.
- [16:22]
B
So it was like an activity.
- [16:23]
A
That was an activity. Do you remember that? And that was so much fun.
- [16:27]
B
Okay. I saw this on a reel or something recently.
- [16:32]
A
Oh, yes. It's going round.
- [16:33]
B
Yeah. Your kids aren't gonna remember the toys. They're gonna remember the memories. So, like, invest in memories as gifts.
- [16:40]
A
Gifts, gifts.
- [16:41]
B
Yet at the same time, I wouldn't take away that moment of being Running down to the tree, opening a gift.
- [16:46]
A
Yeah.
- [16:47]
B
Because. Yeah. You don't remember the gift, but you do. The church itself is a memory.
- [16:50]
A
That's exactly right.
- [16:51]
B
Right.
- [16:51]
A
I like it.
- [16:52]
B
So I think, like, this year I want to get Felicity, surprise her with ballet lessons. So, you know. Yeah, it's not going to be something in the moment, but it'll be, hey, we signed you up for the next five months to take ballet every year.
- [17:05]
A
She's going to love that.
- [17:06]
B
And I think she's old enough to, like, have delayed gratification.
- [17:09]
A
Yeah, for sure. And then maybe get her, like, other, you know, other little things. Like, I think part of it is too. It's not about the amount you spend. Like this massive gift. Like, a lot of the years it was something small. I remember from my childhood. The year that my parents got us a Rubbermaid container, and it was like a shoebox size, and it was like, full of candy and snacks, and on top, I remember, had it like a toothbrush and toothpaste. And it was our Christmas gift. And that was in Little Rock. I must have been six years old. And I still remember that. And that's pretty impressive for me because I don't remember a lot of things.
- [17:49]
B
You claim to not remember a lot of things, but you do it.
- [17:51]
A
Like, these little memories come back here and there, and I'm like, I better grab onto that one while I remember it. But I think I still. I had that container for years. And that's probably why I remember I would eat my candy slowly. And that was a memory. I was like. Cause we, you know, we tried not to do a lot of extra sugar. And so that was like a really special thing that I got a container full of candy. And then like, I remember little gifts throughout the year that my parents would get us. It was like if we went on a road trip, they would get us a Cracker Barrel. It was like a jawbreaker, one of the huge ones. And we would just lick on that thing. The entire drive. It was like your tongue would be raw because it was like, so special.
- [18:33]
B
Like, sour raw. But you still.
- [18:35]
A
Yeah, it was so great. And we, like. That was a memory, you know, something that we did a couple times on road trips.
- [18:42]
B
Has consumerism in America ruined Christmas?
- [18:45]
A
Like, the spirit of Christmas, I mean, it sometimes can. And this is why, because if we are able to, at the click of a button, order something, sometimes I feel like you lose the deep thought that you put into it. So maybe back in the day, it's like, you're going to the store, you're looking, you're making something. We made A lot of our gifts. And I think that was special. I remember my mom making me a panda dress. And I still have it and I want, you know, my kids to wear it because I'm like, that's so special. She would get the fabric, make gifts for us. We had like a pillowcase, things that were like, homemade. There's something special about that. And actually I have a sewing machine. I should make the kids gifts this year. That would be really fun. I should.
- [19:35]
B
So you're saying, like, we need to get back to the heart of gift giving.
- [19:39]
A
Yeah. And I think part of that is because you can get something really cheap that lasts for two minutes and it breaks and things are just cheaply made. It's easy to just do. It's like, oh, no, I didn't get a gift. Ah, here's something. And I think that part of it is the thought that goes into it. So for me, the gifts that you've given me have been thoughtful. They've been like, so sweet. I was looking through my keepsake box like for five minutes the other day, literally five minute window, and I opened it up and I was like getting emotional over it. It's like that you have handwritten notes even in my Bible that I use every day. It's like a cheap ESV Bible. It is cheap, but it's really sweet because in the front cover you wrote a really sweet note to me. And I was looking at that. That was when we were engaged and I didn't have an ESV Bible. So you bought it for me.
- [20:26]
B
And I was King James only, baby.
- [20:28]
A
Yeah. But then like the little things that you would get, you got me a tiny coffee necklace and it's since, you know, like rusted, it was like, probably cost $10. But things like that. See, I'm always emotional. I gotta get over it. But it's like I like sentimental things. You write me long notes. I have letters like that that I've saved and those things mean the most to me. It's not about like getting, you know, this gift. Yeah, in the moment I'm excited, but I think that the care and the thought that you put into something matters more. We wanna take a break from this episode to tell you about Cozy Earth.
- [21:04]
B
You guys know we love Cozy Earth. And let me just tell you, Cozy Earth loves you. They are in a giving spirit. They're going to give away three gift cards to three of our listeners. So here's what we need you to do. Comment below. Whether you're on Apple, Spotify or YouTube, I love cozy earth. And we will pick randomly three of you to receive a Cozy Earth gift.
- [21:28]
A
Card and what you can buy with that gift card we've told you about, Cozy Earth, you know all about it. You can get a bubble cuddle blanket, you can get pajamas. You can get a sheet set for the ones that you love or for yourself. A little selfish at this time of year, but I'm telling you, you're going to love it. You're not going to regret it. So comment below to enter.
- [21:46]
B
Okay. And for those of you who don't win the gift card, don't worry, you can go to cozyearth.com get up to 20% off using our code ginger. So head to cozyearth.com use our code ginger and if you get a post purchase survey, tell them that the Ginger and Jeremy podcast sent you. Gosh, we are just giving you guys the greatest ideas for gifts because if you again want to get a gift that's not just stuff laying around the house. Get your loved one Nutrafol. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. You'll see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months. This is the gift that keeps on giving. Do you like that?
- [22:23]
A
I like that.
- [22:23]
B
I like that.
- [22:24]
A
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- [22:40]
B
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- [23:05]
A
Now back to the episode. So like one year I got my mom a locket because I was thinking, man, she had, you know, her dad was so incredible, so sweet. We love Grandpa Ruark. And so I thought her mom passed before I got to meet her. So I got her a locket with, it was like a tiny dainty locket that had like her parents pictures in it. And so things like that where it's like it has meaning. Yeah. You can buy it, but there's something about having a connection there that's deeper than just, like, a quick fix on a gift.
- [23:43]
B
Yeah. Wow. That's special.
- [23:46]
A
Also, one of our friends gave the kiddos handmade quilts. And it's so special because now they'll have those from our dearest friend who's more like family, and they'll know Aunt Barb made that for me. And it's just. There's something sentimental and deep, and maybe we're both sentimental. Like, we.
- [24:06]
B
We are very sentimental.
- [24:07]
A
I am not. I don't want to be a pack rat, but when it comes to things that, like, really matter like that, it's harder for me to get rid of something if it's handmade and it has that meaning. So I'll put it in a keepsake box. I have, like, a baby blanket with my name embroidered on it, and it's really sweet, so things like that.
- [24:27]
B
You know, Speaking of sentimental, do you have to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Day?
- [24:32]
A
Because, oh, my goodness.
- [24:33]
B
The other day, we were talking to my family, trying to arrange flights to come out, and my family's kind of like, oh, well, we'll celebrate the next day. Like, let's organize whatever's most convenient. But you and I, I think, are on the same page of, like, no, but Christmas morning is Christmas morning. Like, it has to be the 25th.
- [24:53]
A
Yeah. We are both deeply, like, convinced that Christmas Day needs to be Christmas. And it's. You know, it's one of those things. I think I get a little sad if were having thought where, oh, no, it's gonna be a day later or two days later. That just doesn't work for me because.
- [25:12]
B
The whole world pauses collectively. Maybe not the whole world, but a.
- [25:17]
A
Lot of stores are supposed to be closed. It's like, it's supposed to have that magic of, like, the day. And so part of it is, like, with kids, our kids, at least they don't keep track of the calendar. Felicity a little bit more these days, but they're not like, oh, what day is it? Exactly? But now Felicity's asking more. But back in the day, it's like, we could have tricked her into, like, oh, yeah, two days later. Now it's Christmas. We're gonna celebrate.
- [25:43]
B
Yeah, but she's at an age where we've got the count. I mean, you've had the countdown since November around that. Yes.
- [25:48]
A
She wants to know, and she'll ask Siri what day it is.
- [25:51]
B
Oh, every night before bed, how many.
- [25:53]
A
Days till Christmas Yeah, so it's really sweet. And I think that you can celebrate other things on other days. Like if it's our birthday. Birthdays. Actually, I'm kind of the same way. Christmas, birthdays, but then our anniversary or something. For instance, we'll be like, okay, we need to get a babysitter. And we're gonna have to find a day that works between your work schedule and whatever we're doing. We'll be like, okay, we're gonna celebrate our anniversary on this day. So we'll go out to dinner or go do an activity, and that's fine. But Christmas, Thanksgiving, you gotta celebrate it on the day.
- [26:30]
B
Yeah, I agree. Okay, here's a controversial question, Ginge. And I think this is really gonna blow this thing cold open here. Is eggnog actually good, or do we just. Is it like fruitcake? No, you know what I mean? Like, do people really like eggnog?
- [26:47]
A
I mean, some people hate it, some people love it. It's that way with anything. I think broccoli and asparagus are great. I think Brussels sprouts are great. Some people hate it. Fruitcake is mushy, isn't it? I think I went to a place once with my family, and they were, like, known for their fruitcake.
- [27:04]
B
So what a thing to be known for.
- [27:07]
A
Oh, it was in Arkansas.
- [27:09]
B
Can we just plead with our listeners, like, if you are the aunt who brings fruitcake to the gathering every year, can you comment on this podcast and let us know the thought process?
- [27:21]
A
Tell us what's appealing about it?
- [27:22]
B
Or is it like, you know, it's going to be kind of universally rejected, but somebody's got to bring it because of tradition.
- [27:30]
A
It's probably one of those traditions. But honestly, eggnog, you are the one you need to speak to this, because I had never had. I don't remember ever having eggnog before meeting you.
- [27:40]
B
What?
- [27:41]
A
So then I don't think I ever had it.
- [27:43]
B
Seriously.
- [27:43]
A
I was thinking raw eggs. It's raw eggs. It's going to make me sick. I was also like that about sushi. I'm very careful about food poisoning. You know it.
- [27:50]
B
Very careful.
- [27:51]
A
But you are like, I love eggnog. You get so excited. You're like, okay, when you go to the store, can you make sure that there's eggnog Check and make sure you get eggnog and see if it's out yet. Like, you are so all about that. Like, people are about their pumpkin spice season. You're like that about your eggnog?
- [28:08]
B
Yeah, big time.
- [28:08]
A
And you Will drink it as long as you can before Christmas comes. And even after, like, if it's in the stores, you're going to be drinking it.
- [28:15]
B
Yeah. Now, I would never. I'm not a psychopath. So drink it in July. No, like, that's.
- [28:20]
A
They don't even sell it in July.
- [28:21]
B
No. Which, by the way, is ridiculous. They act like these things are seasonal. Coffee beans are seasonal.
- [28:28]
A
That's actually funny.
- [28:28]
B
And yet we drink coffee all year. We can have access to. We could have pumpkin spice in March.
- [28:34]
A
Eggnog is a recipe. You can make it any time of year, but you're only supposed to have it.
- [28:39]
B
There is, like, a atmosphere to it. And so I'm a big eggnog supporter. But I do know there are some people who are. Who are anti eggnog. And I'm shocked that you had not hear.
- [28:50]
A
No, I had heard of it. It was in all the Christmas songs.
- [28:53]
B
But you'd never had it.
- [28:54]
A
I don't ever remember having it before we were married. I think the first time was probably, like, at the Christmas celebration with your family. That was probably the first time I ever tasted it. And I like it now.
- [29:06]
B
Interesting.
- [29:07]
A
Yeah. It's like a thousand calories for, like, half a cup, but it's really good.
- [29:13]
B
Yeah, that is. I do think about that, but then I also think it's Christmas time, so that's another reality. Do you think collectively is this kind of, like, a known where we just throw out our, like, health consciousness and go, it's Christmas. So of course I'm gonna have more cookies. Of course I'm gonna drink eggnog. I'm gonna eat things that I shouldn't eat later than I should eat them.
- [29:36]
A
That's not. I saw reel, though. It is known that that's kind of what people say. Like, I'm gonna throw everything out for Christmas. But I don't always do that. I really don't. I kind of stay trying to stay to my healthy thing. And the only reason is because I know I'm gonna feel terrible if I don't. Like, I might have blood sugar. Like, it's gonna crash. I'm gonna feel like garbage.
- [29:58]
B
It depends on your age, too, because that's. When you get older, you start. Things that you eat start affecting you.
- [30:03]
A
Yeah. And I want to be able to, like, fit into my clothes after the holidays. So I'm like, let's have it in moderation. But, yes, we do. We definitely allow more sugary things around in our house or at Christmas. I'm gonna eat that piece of pumpkin pie. I'm gonna eat it every day because it's so good and I'm not gonna feel bad about that. So, yeah, I think that it's kind of known. But also, like, I was thinking I saw a reel, as we keep saying we see reels telling us what's happening, but it was just talking about the reason we get sick. And I'm like, is it the cold weather or is it our sugar intake? Is it what we're eating around the holidays? So much sugar and junk. And then we're like, oh, we feel so bad. But like, in the summer, I eat so much fresh stuff and I serve us fresh stuff. We're eating fresh, you know, salads, all of that. In winter, we're wanting more carbs and things that are more like, I don't know, comfort food. And so it would make sense.
- [31:02]
B
Yep. That sounds like a question for Dr. Beach Gym.
- [31:05]
A
Mm, I think so.
- [31:06]
B
Dr. Beach Jim is a listener of our podcast and she has millions of followers on social media. And she provides insight for parents in their parenting that are really helpful.
- [31:18]
A
It's another real one.
- [31:19]
B
If you followed her along. Those are some. That's good content. So, Dr. Beach Jam, we need your input on this one. Is it the cold weather or is it the eggnog and the sugar intake that's making us sick?
- [31:29]
A
What is it?
- [31:30]
B
I don't know. Now, real quick, if you are listening with your children of a certain age, this question has to do with the magic of Christmas, the magic of St. Nicholas. Yes, I think we gave.
- [31:45]
A
That's a good pause.
- [31:46]
B
That's a good pause. That was like a two second pause. Yes, I like that. Is Santa real to our children?
- [31:54]
A
We started out saying we're not gonna just tell our kids that we're gonna do the whole Santa thing. But then they started seeing Santa around, and immediately they were like, santa, Santa. And they were just so enamored by it. So we didn't say, santa's not real. We're not gonna do that. We kind of just let em, like, think whatever they think. But we weren't giving them gifts and saying, this is from Santa or doing the milk and cookies thing.
- [32:22]
B
Yeah, we didn't come out the gate. Hard line like, Santa's not real and he's stealing our parents. The thunder of the parents. But I think we've let Santa live in the same category as like, Elsa.
- [32:35]
A
Or like the tooth fairy, which was.
- [32:39]
B
Funny when Felicity found out. So she starts losing her teeth, Money's showing up under her pillow. Cause we Say, put the tooth under the pillow. She's all excited. She hears about the tooth fairy, and she starts.
- [32:50]
A
She came to us talking about the tooth fairy. It wasn't even one of those things where we're like, we're gonna do the tooth fairy. We didn't even talk about it.
- [32:55]
B
Yeah.
- [32:55]
A
But she was like, if I put the money under my pillow, I think I might actually get something.
- [33:01]
B
And I remember when I lost Steve, we had a great tradition. My dad would always make a drawing. He'd incorporate money into the drawing and then put it under the pillow. And Felicity picked up pretty quickly. She's like, daddy, you know, is Mommy the tooth fairy? I'm like, no, Mommy's not the tooth fairy. But then she's like, no, no, no. You know what she said? She said, daddy, I don't want you to be the. Yeah. I don't want you to be the tooth fairy. I don't want you to put the bunny under my pillow. I said, oh, baby, no problem. So I had you do it.
- [33:29]
A
Yes.
- [33:30]
B
And then she became wise after, like, tooth two or three.
- [33:34]
A
Three.
- [33:35]
B
She was like, daddy's tooth fairy. I was like, I'm the tooth fairy, baby. And she gave me the biggest hug. She was, like, super happy about that.
- [33:41]
A
That you told her. Cause she's smart. She just thinks about everything.
- [33:45]
B
But she also was excited about me being the tooth fairy. So, like, we make that really special. But we've let Santa live in the category of, like, known fiction. But here's the problem, and you've been really wise about this. You said this the other day. Because we were gonna go to lunch with friends who I think their kids do believe in Santa. Cause St. Nick's a real cat now. He's not coming down chimneys. But you told Felicity, don't tell them that Santa's not real. Cause we don't wanna spoil that for them. Let their parents enjoy that with them. And so halfway through lunch, we're sitting there, I'm talking, and I hear, dad. Dad. So I turn, and it's Felicity and the little girls, like, all intermixed at the end of the table. And she looks at me, and the other little girl's looking at me of her friend. And Felicity goes, dad, is Santa real? And I go. I turn to the rest of the table and look at a friend and go. I don't know what to do. How do I answer this?
- [34:38]
A
Because their kids were asking Felicity.
- [34:40]
B
So their dad goes, yes, St. Nick is real. And I go, yep, St. Nick is a real person. She goes, yeah, but is Santa real? And I just went, hey, Felicity, we'll talk about this at home. And I gave her a wink and.
- [34:50]
A
She, like, she picked it up.
- [34:52]
B
Yeah, she picked it up.
- [34:52]
A
Because we've had this conversation. It always happens, you know, like. And I feel like every setting, school, church, kids will talk about it. And at some point, parents are like, oh, no, did somebody tell my kid? So we told Felicity. We said, you're not allowed to talk about that with other kids because she will say things about, you know, the tooth fairy or whatever. So even after the tooth fairy thing, she said, oh, yeah, I don't wanna. I don't wanna say that because my little friend James, he might not know. And she thinks it's cute. Cause she's like, in. On the. You know, on the other side now. Like, she wants them to have the magic of it. So I think she kind of does get that. And we don't wanna ruin it for any other families who think that's fun. Tradition.
- [35:39]
B
What about reindeer? Are reindeer real?
- [35:41]
A
Yes, of course they're real.
- [35:44]
B
I think some people think they are included in the mystical, magical Santaland. But reindeer are real.
- [35:50]
A
They're real. They are. And yes and no. Like, they're real. They don't. They don't fly. Reindeer do not fly, though. That's where they are included in that. But they are definitely real. We've had one even in our. Our little town lighting of the Christmas tree every year. They have reindeer.
- [36:09]
B
So I've encountered reindeer in the. In the wild.
- [36:11]
A
Oh, yeah, tell us about that.
- [36:13]
B
So I lived in Finland for a year when I first out of college, played my first professional contract there.
- [36:18]
A
I sometimes even forget that I.
- [36:20]
B
Well, first of all, I've met Santa.
- [36:22]
A
So he met real Santa.
- [36:24]
B
I met real Santa. So you guys who are like, santa's not real. I know, we just talked about this. So it's a little contradictory. Yeah, I did meet Santa. Rovaniemi, Finland. It's the third northernmost city inhabited city by humans in the world. It's on the Arctic Circle. And it was about an hour and a half from where I was in Oulu. So I would drive up there. We played in Rovaniemi, but we also. I took my parents up there. And driving up in the middle of the road, you see, would see a few lines of cars and even ones directly in front of us. A reindeer just in the middle of the road.
- [36:59]
A
That's insane.
- [37:00]
B
And it would move so lethargically, like, so slow. And then it would look back at you kind of slow. It's like the sloth of deer sometimes. And we would just sit there, and people would be honking, and it would just sit there in the road.
- [37:13]
A
You know why they're moving so slow?
- [37:14]
B
Why?
- [37:15]
A
Because it's like minus 20 degrees in Finland.
- [37:18]
B
So I showed up to Finland. It was negative 33 degrees.
- [37:21]
A
My word.
- [37:22]
B
And so preseason in January is inside. I mean, it's, like, brutal. You would go outside, only your eyes would be showing because it's, like, freezing cold. I would go down to the restaurant, quarter mile down the street. In the winter, you get a taxi. You don't walk. It's like your eyes are showing. That's the only thing. You're bundled up.
- [37:40]
A
How in the world would you find motivation to work out or anything? Like, I mean, when it's freezing, all I want to do is like.
- [37:47]
B
So that's a real question. There's actually. And I wonder if this is, like, backed up. I wonder if anybody would have insight on this. Dr. Beach, gym. I don't know. But there is, like, depression in areas where it's dark all day. You get a few hours of sunlight. It's freezing cold. There's, like, a settledness where you go, okay, October's here. So it's about to get dark and cold and snowy. And I think it does have an effect on the consciousness of the nation where there is depression, there's alcoholism, there's that sort of thing. And I think it is affected by that. Now, I don't know all the, you know, research backing that, but it is interesting because when you go into six months of darkness, that's freezing cold. Yeah. That you could really. You could really struggle. But I remember going up and seeing the reindeer. It was fascinating seeing them in real life. And then you go to Santa's village in Rovaniemi. Look this up. I mean, I walked through. At first, I was skeptical. I'm with my mom and dad. I'm a pro soccer player. I'm like, whatever. Santa. You walk through the. Like, the doors, you know, the hallways to get to his room, where you're gonna hang out with Santa. And you start feeling the magic. And an elf comes out and asks you, have you been naughty or nice before? He lets you in or she lets you in.
- [39:02]
A
You were like.
- [39:03]
B
I was like, nice, nice. I've been nice. And then you get in, you meet Santa.
- [39:08]
A
Did you sit on Santa's lap and get a picture?
- [39:10]
B
I will put the picture up here. Tell our editor, Mark, let's put the picture up here. Right here in my hands. I'm with my mom and dad, hanging out with Santa. It was magical.
- [39:22]
A
That's crazy.
- [39:23]
B
It was mystical. Magical.
- [39:25]
A
Wow, that was good. Ben.
- [39:26]
B
Simone. You know it was. Thanks. You know, it was.
- [39:29]
A
Most impressive part is that I know the artist's name.
- [39:32]
B
That's because we went to a Ben's Moon concert. So you might get canceled from a speaking engagement if people know that. So what was very jarring, I will say, is in the gift shop, they were selling reindeer meat.
- [39:43]
A
That's wrong.
- [39:45]
B
So Rudolph, you know. No, but here's the thing. Here's the thing. I looked this up about reindeer. Here's some facts that are wild about reindeer. Same species as caribou. North America. Not wild. They live in arctic subarctic regions. Got it. Both males and females grow antlers. Unusual and dear. Yep. Females keep antlers through the winter. Rudolph and friends would be female. That's a fascinating. That is a fascinating little fact.
- [40:15]
A
Wait, Rudolph is a female?
- [40:19]
B
Well, because he's got antlers at Christmas, so he has to be female.
- [40:25]
A
I never thought of that. Well, I didn't because I didn't know that fact.
- [40:30]
B
Neither did I. Don't think the lore of Rudolph does, babe. I'm looking at the fact.
- [40:35]
A
Hey, hold on. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
- [40:40]
B
Nope. Blitzen, Rudolph, Vixen or Dixon or Dasher, Dasher, Prancer.
- [40:52]
A
Prancer and Comet and Cupid. Something. Donner and Blitzen.
- [40:58]
B
Oh, is there not a Dixon or. I don't know.
- [41:02]
A
That's from the song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but I don't know all the words.
- [41:06]
B
Good job. Their noses. Listen to this. Their noses heat freezing air before it reaches their lungs. It acts as a heater before it goes into their lungs.
- [41:18]
A
That's why he had a red nose. Cause his nose is a heater. Yes, she. Her nose.
- [41:24]
B
Her nose.
- [41:25]
A
Wow.
- [41:25]
B
Rudolph's nose. Eyes change color. Gold in the summer, blue in the winter. That's wild. They can run 50 miles an hour. So lethargic reindeer that I'm like honking.
- [41:40]
A
At it is because they were in cold weather. Google look up right now. If they move slow because they're in the arctic weather, because I guarantee you, the ones here in California, no reindeer, the ones that they transported here gotta move fast.
- [41:58]
B
No, reindeer don't necessarily move slowly because it's cold. They're built for it. But extreme cold makes them conserve energy by hunkering down and eating more. Yeah, I think hunkering down.
- [42:05]
A
They're hunkering down, Jeremy, because it's like if it's negative 30, whatever degrees.
- [42:11]
B
Yeah.
- [42:12]
A
I'm going to be moving slow no matter what.
- [42:14]
B
I like your theory. I'm with it.
- [42:15]
A
Thank you.
- [42:16]
B
They migrate 3,000 miles a year, among the longest land migrations. Their hooves adjust with seasons. Soft in summer, sharp in winter. They can see UV light, which helps spot predators and food in the snow.
- [42:28]
A
Brilliant reindeer.
- [42:30]
B
That's wild. That is really, really wild. Okay, let's get to the good stuff. Best Christmas movie ever.
- [42:38]
A
See, I'm taking a second.
- [42:40]
B
You go, oh, Die Hard. Just kidding. It's the. It's. Everybody says it every year.
- [42:46]
A
Yeah, but what I don't even think I haven't seen.
- [42:48]
B
You haven't seen that? It's not really your genre, Ginge, if I'm being honest.
- [42:51]
A
So what is the best Christmas movie? That's a real Christmas movie.
- [42:53]
B
I've got to go with Elf. I know what you're gonna say. You say it every year. I gotta go with Elf. And I say Elf because it's a Wonderful Life. I know there's some phenomenal movies. Lampoon's National Christmas Vacation is phenomenal. But Elf. I could. I could watch Elf on repeat and keep laughing.
- [43:12]
A
It's. It's amazing.
- [43:13]
B
Here's the test is, like, if you go to a Christmas party and they've got a movie on, are you just like, oh, whatever. Like, if it was A Wonderful Life, I'd be like, whatever. If it was Elf, I'd start watching it and start laughing and be like, engaged with the movie. It's a movie.
- [43:25]
A
It's a good one. It's a really good one. Okay, so Elf. And then I would have to say the one that we've been watching a lot. And I. For some reason, I'm having a moment of not remembering name. Felicity's wanted to watch it every night.
- [43:35]
B
Christmas with the Kranks.
- [43:36]
A
Christmas with the Kranks. That's one of my favorites. Yeah, it's not going to be my favorite after this Christmas season because of Felicity wanting to watch it almost every night.
- [43:45]
B
Yeah, that's true. It is going to. But then you kind of, you know, refresh after that.
- [43:51]
A
She told me the reason that she likes it so much. She said, well, mom, if we were to watch another Christmas show that's kind of funny, like, Charlie Brown is good. She said, but the reason I like this is because she said every part has me laughing. She said, I'm looking at it, and then something funny happens. She gets her. She said, she gets her honey ham. And then it goes. And it Gets smashed. And then she said, then he doesn't want a Christmas tree. And then he falls off the house with Frosty. So that's why I like it, because every part keeps me laughing.
- [44:21]
B
That's awesome.
- [44:22]
A
She was trying to explain why she wanted to watch it for, like, the fifth time in a row.
- [44:25]
B
That is so cute.
- [44:26]
A
Sweet.
- [44:27]
B
Here's one of the things that we have to consider, Ginge. It's like the home loans are going to enter that upper echelon of favorite Christmas movie for us when we are comfortable with our girls watching it. Not that there's bad content, but we don't want them thinking about that.
- [44:44]
A
That's one of their main fears as kids, is like, oh, no. Would a bad guy come to the house?
- [44:49]
B
Totally.
- [44:49]
A
So, Felicity, even when we were turning on that movie, we were turning on Christmas. Christmas with the cranks again. She said, yeah, I don't think that we should watch any movies talking about bad guys coming in the house. And we didn't even bring up that it was just on her mind. So we're like, yeah, yeah, we would not do that.
- [45:10]
B
So we've got to give it a few years when Evie is not scared. Finn, yeah, he'll be fine. He's got a tough guy. But Felicity is, like, obsessed with, like, dad, if bad guys came, what would you do?
- [45:19]
A
I'm like, baby, we have security systems.
- [45:21]
B
We have security systems.
- [45:22]
A
Keep an eye on everything.
- [45:23]
B
Yeah, we got multiple security systems. So I. I let her know, like, we're locked and loaded, but I don't think she's ready for the.
- [45:30]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [45:32]
B
Okay, last question. You ready for this? And this is Moy Picante.
- [45:36]
A
Oh, my goodness. I don't know if I'm ready for this.
- [45:38]
B
I'm just kidding. I've been doing that whole, like, false setup this whole time of, like, this is going to be really complicated.
- [45:43]
A
I keep thinking it's going to be something massive.
- [45:45]
B
Yeah. Should Christians celebrate Christ? No. I'm kidding. Actually, that's a big.
- [45:50]
A
You actually brought into that.
- [45:52]
B
Oh, you know what? I'm going to say this one real quick because I got to say it every year because I get the haters on social media. Xmas is Christmas. It's how Christians for centuries have referred to Christmas because of the chi in the Greek Alphabet.
- [46:06]
A
What is the chi? The chi is, like, the X is.
- [46:07]
B
The X, which was the early Christians symbol for Christ. Christos. It's the first letter of Christos.
- [46:14]
A
I feel like you learned that in.
- [46:15]
B
Seminary, so I didn't. I've had this passionate conviction for years. Love. And so to refer to Xmas is not taking Christ on a Christmas.
- [46:23]
A
I like that.
- [46:24]
B
It's very much keeping Christ in Christmas.
- [46:26]
A
Amazing.
- [46:27]
B
And so I will intentionally use Xmas because it's my one little thing I like to have.
- [46:32]
A
He loves to have just one of.
- [46:33]
B
Those little, like, I just want that one little. I'm not trying to, well, like it.
- [46:36]
A
Because when you put it out there, people always attack it. And he's like, here they come, here they come.
- [46:41]
B
It's so immature of me, but I want my little. I want my Xmas.
- [46:44]
A
You can have your Xmas.
- [46:45]
B
Okay, here's the real question. Fake tree or real tree?
- [46:48]
A
If you have allergies, go for the fake tree and make sure that it's not one that's going to just collect dust throughout the year. Put that thing in a bag so it doesn't just sit in a dusty garage. But I mean, I get it. The charm of like a real tree. The smell. There's something about the smell, but got to be honest, Also the bugs and the allergies, I mean, I don't know. And the mess. We're in a season with so much mess, with so many littles. I swept the floor like two or three times yesterday because Finn's learning to eat peas. They're all over the ground. I do not need to be cleaning up like a Christmas tree mess. And when we tried to do a real Christmas tree, the thing died. We tried so many. We tried so many things to do.
- [47:30]
B
If you're not a botanist or if you're not a botanist or your dad, it's like, this is gonna be really challenging.
- [47:36]
A
He died like that within days, really. So they said cut it at an angle. We cut it at an angle. They said put it in this kind of water, pour in this solution. We did everything except for leave it planted in the ground. So we just decided, let's plant a tree. Let's leave it there and we'll just keep our fake.
- [47:57]
B
We cut one down on the show once, remember?
- [47:59]
A
We did. And that's the one that died.
- [48:01]
B
Yeah, it was. So we do have fake trees, but. But I would one day like to get back to a real one.
- [48:07]
A
I would be okay with having like a real one. Actually, one of our friends yesterday, they had probably a 10 foot tree in their house. And then in their living room that was like in the entryway in their living room, they had a real tree. And I was like, oh, that's cool. We could do that. We could have a real tree in the sitting room and then in the entryway. Have our 15 foot.
- [48:30]
B
For sure. I like it. Ginge. Well, guys, this is a sweet season. This is the sweet. The sweezon sweet season. This is the sweet season, the sweason of celebration. This is a sweet season. Christmas. Enjoy it. Enjoy it with your family. Enjoy it with your loved ones. We've got a Christmas episode coming up which you guys are gonna really enjoy. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
- [48:52]
A
Oh, my goodness. We're gonna have some amazing guests.
- [48:55]
B
Yeah, it's going to be a good time talking about Christmas and then we get into the new year. And guys, we're so thankful for you guys listening, following along all year with the podcast. It's been fun for us. Hope it's been fun for you. Enjoy the season. Enjoy your eggnog, Enjoy your fake Christmas trees.
- [49:12]
A
And your reindeer.
- [49:13]
B
And your reindeer. And we'll see you next week. Merry Christmas, guys. Limu Emu and Doug. Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.
- [49:39]
A
Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.
- [49:42]
B
Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Ferry Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates excludes Massachusetts.
- [49:52]
A
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