JCW ARCHIVE: Xmas Twice Removed

Summary

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JCW ARCHIVE: Xmas Twice Removed

Podcast: The John Clay Wolfe Show

Air Date: December 13, 2025

Summary by Podcast Summarizer

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Overview

This episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show takes a lighthearted and candid look at the challenges, conflicts, and peculiarities that surface when families gather during the holidays. With stories from the hosts, reflections on family members best left uninvited, and a dose of listener wisdom, the Wolf Pack explores why “holiday cheer” so often means grappling with difficult relatives, clashing perspectives, and the inevitable role of alcohol in fueling drama.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Notorious Holiday Family Members

• Gigi shares stories of her late father—a quintessential “Negative Nancy”—whose sharp tongue and biting comments turned New Year’s celebrations into dramatic affairs.
  • “Ooh, I learned how to dive in the swimming pool today.”
    Dad: "Is there any water left in it?" (Gigi, 02:14)
  • “I'm gonna get an outfit.”
    Dad: "From where? Omar the tent maker?" (Gigi, 02:22)
• Host asks if body-shaming comments were ever checked:
  • Gigi notes, “You could never correct him because he was never wrong.”
    She says even marriage counselors couldn’t get through:
    “The marriage family counselor told him, ‘Mr. Toliver, just shut up.’” (Gigi, 03:14)

2. Coping with Extended Family Tensions

• 52% of people have at least one family member they’d rather avoid during the holidays (Bobo, 04:01).
  • Main sources of conflict: unresolved issues, personality clashes, values, politics, and alcohol.
• Alcohol as a catalyst:
  • “People get drunk and they say stupid stuff, they tell you how they really feel about you. Are you ready for that? No, you're not.” (Bobo, 04:28)

3. Hosts’ Personal Experiences & Family Archetypes

• John Clay Wolfe describes his family’s religious pack mentality:
  • “I’m trying to get them to where they don’t hit me so hard with that religious thing. It’s like they forget that I went through the whole thing with them. Like, I know all about it. I’m just not a devout guy, that's all.” (John Clay Wolfe, 06:42)
  • “Just that old timey language... pouring it on really, really thick, man.” (John Clay Wolfe, 07:01)
• Turley on his mother’s role as the instigator:
  • “She had an opinion about everything... she was just always in everybody’s business and yeah, it was uncomfortable as a kid.” (Turley, 05:53)

4. Humorous and Memorable Moments

• Comparisons to sitcoms and comedy:
  • Gigi reminisces about her parents’ marriage:
    “They were pure comedy. Without meaning to be.” (Gigi, 02:38)
    Relating them to Fred Sanford and Esther from Sanford and Son (Host & John Clay Wolfe, 03:26-03:32)
  • Gigi recommends Lawanda Page's (the actress who played Aunt Esther) adult comedy:
    “She is... oh my gosh, she’ll make you blush.” (Gigi, 03:45)

5. Dealing With Religion and Culture

• Religion in family get-togethers:
  • John Clay Wolfe and Gigi both describe religious differences and the sometimes overbearing efforts by family to “correct” their spiritual paths.
  • Gigi describes a mash-up of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim influences, including stories of her uncle and Mason father debating (Gigi, 08:03-08:36).

6. Alcohol and Communication Patterns

• Family phone call avoidance after drinking hours:
  • Gigi’s mother would put the phone down when her talkative brother (after drinking) would call—missing out on important family info (Gigi, 08:47-08:50).
  • John explains avoiding calls with his mom after five, sharing the difficulties of generational communication and regrets about lost time (Host, 09:22–09:39).

7. Listener Advice

• Josh from California proposes a bold approach:
  • “You just need to like, shut those people down for like a good three weeks. From like the 20th to like the third or something.” (Josh, 10:04)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Gigi, on unfiltered family:
  • “You could never correct him because he was never wrong.” (03:09)
• Marriage counselor to her parents:
  • “Mr. Toliver, just shut up.” (03:14)
• On surviving holiday tension:
  • Bobo: “People get drunk and say stupid stuff, they tell you how they really feel about you. Are you ready for that? No, you’re not.” (04:28)
• Community wisdom:
  • Josh (Caller): “You just need to like, shut those people down for like a good three weeks... you can’t be dealing with that stuff on the regular and then all of a sudden deal with it extreme hardcore for three weeks straight.” (10:04)

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Key Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Topic/Highlight | |-------------|---------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:50-03:50 | Gigi’s family holiday drama | Dad’s negativity, body shaming, marriage counselor quips | | 04:01-04:27 | Family conflict stats (Bobo) | 52% want to avoid someone; triggers for family fights | | 05:46-06:21 | Turley on hostile family members | Mother’s instigation and family exposé | | 06:38-07:41 | John Clay Wolfe on religious pack mentality | Overbearing religious relatives, attempts at “correction” | | 08:03-08:36 | Gigi’s multicultural family tensions | Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, secretive Masons | | 09:22-09:55 | Dealing with parental loss and regrets | Communication blocks, missing time with loved ones | | 10:04-10:39 | Caller Josh’s strategy | "Shut those people down"—protective advice for the holidays |

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Tone & Language

The episode is candid, fast-paced, and layered with the humor and self-deprecation the show is known for. Stories are personal yet delivered with a comedic spin, fostering both nostalgia and camaraderie for anyone who's endured awkward family gatherings.

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Final Thoughts

JCW ARCHIVE: Xmas Twice Removed brings together the hilarious, the relatable, and the sometimes bittersweet sides of family holiday interaction. It’s a comfort for listeners dreading their own “grumpy grandpa” moments and a reminder that, in the Wolf Pack and far beyond, nobody escapes holiday family drama unscathed.

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Transcript

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[John Clay Wolf]

The John Clay Wolf show has appeared on terrestrial radio for a really, really, really long time. So we dug into our pockets and on the other side of our we found something funny. And yes, it's contagious. Gather round as the wolf pack goes on this throwback adventure.

[DJ Pre K]

What it do? It's your boy, DJ Pre K with the John Clay Wolf show, spreading some holiday cheer from the ar. This one is for all the grumpy grandparents and babies. Mamas, mamas. You get to see around the holidays. You know, everybody got that one in the family that just don't know how to act. But hey, you gotta love them. And John and the crew all have their accounts and the callers even get in on the action. So check this out, G.G.

[Gigi]

Mm.

[Host (Interviewer)]

We were talking about this a week or two ago, but do you have any holiday moments recall, or are there people in your family, extended or immediate, that you'd prefer not to have at a holiday dinner?

[Gigi]

That would be. It's gonna sound mean, but. And even though he's dead, it would have to be my dad at New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Are you kidding me?

[Host (Interviewer)]

What's he doing?

[Gigi]

It starts off as a good time.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Yeah.

[Gigi]

And then, you know, people's feelings get hurt, People get mad sometimes they go to fisticuffs, and we're wondering why it happened. This is not a good way to start the year. So, yeah, that would have to be it.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Gigi, you're grabbing a little scotch there. Wow.

[Gigi]

I need some. I need a lot of scotch. I got my holiday nog.

[Host (Interviewer)]

What would he do to. What was his topic that would set everybody off?

[Gigi]

Anything that was just him. You know, you're like, ooh, dad, I learned how to dive in the swimming pool today. And he's like, is there any water left in it?

[John Clay Wolf]

You know what I mean?

[Gigi]

Like, are you.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Yeah, give me another one.

[Gigi]

Yeah, that's what he said. You're like, ooh, I'm gonna get an outfit. From where? Omar the tent maker? Like, it's just the way he was. You know what I mean? And he just.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Negative Nancy.

[Gigi]

Most definitely.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Was he married? To your mother at this time?

[Gigi]

Oh, that's. Yeah, he was. He was married to my mom. They were married together on paper for 48 years. But I think that they just stayed together because they didn't know what else to do. Like, they were pure comedy. Without meaning to be. Like, my mom got upset. She was like, oh, my gosh, did people see me cry? And I'm like, mom, you're at his memorial. It's okay. Oh, Lord, they saw me cry. Like, yeah, they had their moments.

[Host (Interviewer)]

So when he would make these derogatory comments about body shaming, would she correct him or just let him go?

[Gigi]

You could never correct him because he was never wrong. They went to family counseling.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Right.

[Gigi]

The marriage family Counselor told him, Mr. Toliver, just shut up.

[John Clay Wolf]

Wow.

[Gigi]

Then he told my mom, you need to divorce this man.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Really?

[Gigi]

And then, of course, my mom, you're not going to tell me what to do.

[Host (Interviewer)]

So she stayed like Fred Sanford and what's her name?

[John Clay Wolf]

Esther.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Was it Fred and Esther?

[DJ Pre K]

Yeah.

[John Clay Wolf]

Back and forth.

[Gigi]

They're back and forth. Have you heard her lawanda Page? Have you heard her comedy album?

[Host (Interviewer)]

No.

[Gigi]

You need to listen to it.

[Host (Interviewer)]

That's an Esther.

[Gigi]

Yeah, because she always played the Christian lady with the raggedy wig and the pocketbook and the. And the Bible and everything. She is. Oh, my gosh, she'll make you blush.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Jd.

[John Clay Wolf]

What?

[Host (Interviewer)]

What? Did you have some statistics of holiday people that.

[Bobo]

Yeah, people that are, you know, the holidays are getting here, they're close, and there may be people that you don't want. 52% of us have people in our family. We'd rather not see the holidays. And most of those issues are around unresolved family issues. Yes, Gigi. Personality clashes. Yes. Gigi. Beliefs or values. Yes, Bobo. Politics, of course. And alcohol.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Alcohol. What about alcohol?

[Bobo]

Those are the five big ones. Well, because people get drunk and they say stupid stuff, they tell you how they really feel about you. Are you ready for that? No, you're not.

[Host (Interviewer)]

We haven't invited any extended family to.

[Bobo]

Nobody.

[Gigi]

No.

[Host (Interviewer)]

But my mom's side is real calm.

[Bobo]

They're calm.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Yeah. My dad's side is not as calm, but they're fine. A lot of them are dead, you know, I mean, there's just not that many left that are immediate. Gotcha. Aunts, uncles, they're. I mean, a lot of them are gone.

[Bobo]

This is a very high anxious time of the year. I'm sure, Gigi, you know that people are coming and going. I'm so tense because there's money issues. There's family issues.

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[Host (Interviewer)]

What about you, Jay? J.D. who?

[Bobo]

Do you believe it or not, pretty happy.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Go. Lucky guy.

[Bobo]

All of our family gets along so well. We feel like we live in a lala land because everybody gets along. We never have arguments.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Turley's frowning.

[Turley]

Oh, well, when my mom was alive, she was the one that wasn't really.

[Host (Interviewer)]

What would she do?

[Turley]

Because she would. She, she had an opinion about everything and my aunts and uncles didn't want to hear their opinion or if somebody was like, you know, a little kid took a little sip of wine. Why is your kid drinking wine? I mean she was just always in everybody's business and yeah, it was, it was uncomfortable as a kid.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Did anyone ever go off on her?

[Gigi]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Turley]

But my mom would, she was the one who would start it. She, she thrived off that. Yeah. So it's been quiet, real quiet now.

[Bobo]

So they must thrive off of it. Be it to do it in the family atmosphere, you know, people are going to call you out.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Oh yeah.

[Turley]

She didn't care. She really didn't. Yeah.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Bob, you came home one year a couple of years ago that y' all got into some political BS and it got all sideways and you had to pack up and go, wasn't it?

[John Clay Wolf]

Oh, craziness. Yeah, it's been, it's been a few.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Years ago, but now it's. But the following years were fine. I'm trying to give people hope.

[John Clay Wolf]

I'm trying to get them to where they don't hit me so hard with that religious thing. It's like they forget that I went through the whole thing with them. Like I know all about it. I'm just not, I'm not a devout, I'm not a devout guy, that's all. I don't have anything against it.

[Host (Interviewer)]

And like what's an example of the correcting of correcting that they're doing to you?

[John Clay Wolf]

Just that old timey language, you know, like what? My sweet savior, Lord Jesus, Just pouring it on really, really thick, man. And I'm have a problem with that. But like they act like I like, you know, in anyway and there's been no problem in a long time.

[Host (Interviewer)]

So we shouldn't start one with this common. This section of the show right now.

[John Clay Wolf]

And I don't criticize, you know, but yeah, it becomes a pack mentality at a certain point.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Pack mentality. Oh, they start nipping at you. Yeah.

[John Clay Wolf]

This time go.

[Host (Interviewer)]

And they're trying to turn you back to the church heavily.

[John Clay Wolf]

I don't know, it's just. It's never been my thing. I had a grandfather that was the same way. He's just not devout.

[Host (Interviewer)]

He was not devout.

[John Clay Wolf]

He was not devout. And I don't doubt anything and I don't disbelieve anything. Anybody's got to believe it's free country. Do what you want.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Gigi, how. How much is religion in your group? The old group is not. I can guess that now. It's not heavy. But back when you were younger it.

[Gigi]

Was, it was, it was Catholics versus the Protestants versus the Muslims.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Who was the for all?

[Gigi]

Huh?

[Host (Interviewer)]

Who was the Muslim?

[Gigi]

Well, my mom had the last name El added to hers because she thought it sounded cool, but that was technically Muslim, so. And then her brother, that nobody listened to when he would call. Right. He would literally be talking and she'd put the phone down and go do other things. Pick it up. Uh huh. And put it back down.

[Host (Interviewer)]

And he used to do that to my mom.

[Gigi]

So he said he was Muslim and then he would get into arguments with my dad, who was a Mason because he said Masons are secretive and Muslims share knowledge and. Yeah. So it was a good time.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Do you have any alcoholics or maybe alcohol. Alcoholic is a strong word. But poor, poor drinkers, that would, you know, if they catch you after 8 o', clock, then they just go on and on and on and you put the phone down, walk off.

[Gigi]

That's that My mom. My mom said my uncle was like that.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Yeah.

[Gigi]

And that's why she would put the phone. But they should have listened because he was able to verify the Native American heritage and his kids went to college for free.

[Host (Interviewer)]

My mom, I would. After five o' clock Central time. She was on the east coast in Greenwich, Connecticut. Yeah, I try. I probably. I got to where I just wasn't answering. After five. Is it John Clay? You just hear me doing. Hello? Hang on, let me pull over. We got an hour.

[Gigi]

Look here, I gotta tell you something.

[Host (Interviewer)]

John Clay.

[Gigi]

That's right.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Have you been. I love you so much. She's been gone a while. My mom died young. 58. I didn't realize how young 58 was until now that I'm 50. Yeah, she went pretty young. How old was your dad when he died? G?

[Gigi]

He was 80 and a half. My mom was 83. But you know, when you're young, you think that's old. So I'm like, God, please, you can take her when she's 83 and then we'll be cool, right? And then it seemed like she was 82 all of a sudden. Like, where did that time fly? So, yeah, I miss her too.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Hang on just a second. This guy has an answer to how he does it. Josh in California. What do you do during the holidays?

[Josh (Caller)]

You just need to like, shut those people down for like a good three weeks. From like the 20th to like the third or something.

[Gigi]

I don't know.

[Josh (Caller)]

That's like super negative in your life, bro. I mean, you can't be dealing with that stuff on the regular and then all of a sudden deal with it. Extreme hardcore for three weeks straight. Because no one can handle the stress of everyday life during the holidays. It's ridiculous. It's a man made tradition that everybody's inculcating in their lives. It's like adding more stress to their own world.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Josh says just turned her phone off for two weeks during the. During the holidays.

[John Clay Wolf]

He's right, though, man.

[Host (Interviewer)]

Man, I remember being up. So I was up in Connecticut Thanksgiving, and they got so drunk, it got weird. And I remember saying, I'm never, ever, ever doing this again. I'm not coming back.

[Bobo]

Weird in what way?

[Host (Interviewer)]

Drunk?

[Bobo]

Oh, just hard drunk.

[Host (Interviewer)]

And so all these problems that we're talking about would really swell up. Highway.

[Gigi]

Oh, yeah.

[Host (Interviewer)]

I was like, I can't do this anymore. I should have kept doing it because I didn't realize they were going to die. Oh, boy, I'm glad I got you in the spirit.

[DJ Pre K]

All right, y' all know what to do. Hit us up on John claywolf dot com. You can check out old episodes on there. You know, stay up to date with what we got going on. Get cool gear, we got hats, shirts, all that hit us up on Facebook, you know, search John Clay Wolf show. We're on Instagram, John's on Twitter. You know, you can holler at all of us. Okay. You know how to spell it. Ok. We appreciate you all listening. Keep on rocking with us.