You, Me & Mike – Ep. 212: Deck the Pod

Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Jenn Todryk & Mike Todryk (Thirteen Media)

Overview

In this festive episode, Jenn and Mike Todryk get into the spirit by exploring the traditions, quirks, and pop culture that surround Christmas in their household and beyond. With candid humor and relatable banter, they reflect on how Christmas has changed over the years, debate the "why" of holiday customs, and share both heartfelt and humorous stories about family, childhood, and creating lasting memories for their own kids.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Evolving Family Traditions (00:03–03:39)

• The Todryks discuss how family Christmas traditions come to be—and how some origins get lost or reimagined over generations.

  • Mike jokes about the dice game LCR being mistaken as religious ritual:

    “They’re gonna be playing LCR and think it’s a religious thing… It represented the Trinity: left, center and right.” (00:24, Mike)

• Jenn admits that moms are the "backbone" of Christmas, often shouldering the holiday prep and magic-making responsibilities.

  • “Moms make the Christmas magic happen. It’s true.” (02:53, Jenn)

• This year, they took a more collaborative approach in gift planning, with Mike handling some “heavy lifting” and Jenn appreciating shared effort.

  • “I forced him to sit down in the kitchen… he did some of the heavy lifting.” (01:25, Jenn)

2. The True Meaning of Christmas—Through Adult Eyes (04:02–06:17)

• Mike asks how the meaning of Christmas shifts once you become a parent.
• Jenn shares that as an adult, the experience is more about gratitude and seeing joy in her children than about gifts.

  • “I get emotional and…overwhelmed by appreciation and gratitude for my family…” (04:14, Jenn)

• Mike reflects on innocence and joy in childhood versus understanding “the darkness” and hope symbolized by the nativity story as a parent.

  • “Even if you’re in [a] lower income [background]…Christmas was a celebration of joy.” (06:17, Mike)

3. Childhood Nostalgia vs. Today’s Christmas (08:28–10:13)

• Jenn and Mike note how TV commercials built up anticipation for gifts in their youth, compared to today where instant access to things makes it harder for their kids to know what to want.

  • Jenn: “Back in the day, I had a list 22 miles long…now they don’t even know what to ask for.” (09:38)

• Modern catalogs like Amazon’s serve as the new wish-list creator for their youngest.

• Jenn bemoans the lack of “hyped” commercials, joking:

  “I miss the commercials. I miss the consumerism of Christmas. This is unacceptable.” (10:04–10:10, Jenn & Mike)

4. Christmas Origins & Fun Facts (10:15–13:16)

• Mike brings a “book of facts,” offering deep dives into holiday history:
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Created as a Montgomery Ward promo coloring book in 1939 by Robert L. May.

    “Montgomery Ward, a department store, created Rudolph as a promotion…a copywriter made the story.” (10:32-11:44, Mike)

  • Dec 25th as Christmas: Not Jesus’ confirmed birthday, but selected to coincide with pagan Roman festival “Sol Invictus” (the unconquered sun), facilitating holiday assimilation.

    “...a celebration of the unconquering sun, a symbol of light defeating darkness...the early Christians decided [to use] December 25th.” (12:33–13:15, Mike)

5. Christmas Pop Culture Quiz—Movies, Music, & Specials (15:28–24:13)

• Most-Watched Christmas Movie: Home Alone.

  • Quote: “It is Home Alone.” (15:28, Mike)
  • Jenn admits she now focuses mostly on set design when watching it, and they discuss the movie’s unlikely initial success.

• Favorite Christmas Soundtrack:

  • Mike lauds John Williams' work on Home Alone:

    “The soundtrack...when that music comes on, you just slow down.” (18:05, Mike)

• Most Played Christmas Song:

  • Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”—written in 15 minutes, brings her millions yearly.

    “She makes two to three million dollars every Christmas season…on just that song.” (21:35, Mike)

• Top Christmas TV Special:

  • Charlie Brown Christmas Special is the annual favorite.

• Fun nostalgia: Jenn recalls the 1960 live TV version of Peter Pan with Mary Martin, and Mike references the infamously bad Star Wars Holiday Special.

6. Family Renovations & Making it Work (24:43–25:23)

• The Todryks share their struggles of navigating Christmas during ongoing home renovations:

  • “Our new tradition is just to have our house not in the middle of a renovation.” (24:49, Jenn)

7. Christmas Tradition & Etymology Trivia (25:25–32:39)

• Wassailing: To bless your neighbors through song; Mike jokes about “wassling” people year-round.
• Advent: The coming/arrival; originally involved candles (hope, peace, joy, love), not daily gifts.

  • “It was explicitly Christian…to prepare hearts for Christ’s birth…” (30:07, Mike)

• Christmas Tree: German pagan origins, symbolizing life through winter, adopted by Christians for its symbolism.

  • “Evergreen tree for that tradition was life through winter…Christians adopted that because it was life through death through Christ.” (31:26, Mike)

• Jenn’s surprise: despite her family’s unknown German roots, she’s “73% German.”

8. Childhood Christmas Stories & The Stocking Debate (39:49–42:15)

• Jenn shares vivid memories, like getting a coveted redhead doll as a surprise gift.

  • “I remember opening everything up on Christmas, and I didn’t get the doll... and I went…there it was.” (40:46, Jenn)

• Stocking traditions differ: Jenn’s family wraps everything; Mike grew up just getting candy.

  • “Doesn’t make sense…you were mad at me one year because I didn’t properly do the stocking gifts!” (41:47, Mike)

9. Christmas Movie Rankings (42:30–44:04)

• Jenn and Mike’s top picks:
  • Elf (Mike's favorite)
  • A Christmas Story
  • Home Alone
  • Christmas Vacation (noted for adult humor)
  • The Santa Clause, Christmas with the Kranks, and rom-coms like The Holiday and The Family Stone (for girls)

10. Holiday Debates & Mandela Effect (44:08–48:47)

• Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Mike: “We’re watching it tonight to find out.”
• Real vs. Fake Trees: Both prefer fake for practicality.
• Best Christmas villain? Grinch, Scrooge, Uncle Frank, or Sinbad’s postman from Jingle All the Way.
• Mandela Effect: A tangent on shared false memories, like the non-existent “Shazam” movie with Sinbad.

11. What Traditions to Keep Forever? (50:00–52:17)

• Jenn hopes to keep the sibling shopping tradition and picking out Christmas ornaments alive.
• Mike wishes for “Christmas Eve night at our house forever,” knowing eventually traditions will adapt as kids have families of their own.

  • “I want Christmas Eve night at our house kind of forever.” (50:33, Mike)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jenn, on collaboration this year:

  “I felt like I did it with someone, which was nice.” (02:30)

• Mike, on why December 25th is Christmas:

  “It was a symbol of light defeating darkness…it made sense to early Christians.” (12:34)

• On Mariah Carey’s windfall:

  “She wrote a song in 15 minutes and makes $3 million a year.” (21:49, Mike)

• Vivi’s Elf on the Shelf note:

  “Dear Chase, please stop wearing pajamas every day. And I’ve been wondering, why do you have the rope? Is it for the baby to climb up? …Love, Vivian.” (35:29)

• On drunk/senile Santa tradition:

  “He doesn’t know where he is half the time…my dad did dress up as Mrs. Claus one year.” (37:18, Jenn & Mike)

• On Christmas movies and memories:

  “Each Christmas movie gives me a different feeling…there’s something so nostalgic.” (43:07, Jenn)

Important Timestamps

• 00:03–03:39: Talk of household divisions of holiday labor, tradition origins, and moms vs. dads at Christmas.
• 04:02–06:17: How meaning shifts from childhood to parenthood; hope in darkness.
• 10:15–13:16: Pop-culture Christmas trivia: Rudolph, December 25th, and pagan/Christian roots.
• 15:28–24:13: Movie and music quizzes: Home Alone, Mariah Carey, and Charlie Brown special.
• 35:29: Vivi’s Elf on the Shelf letter (read aloud).
• 39:49–42:15: Childhood gifting stories and stocking “rules.”
• 44:08–48:47: Holiday debates and the “Mandela effect” false memory phenomenon.
• 50:00–52:17: Heartfelt hopes for tradition and family gatherings in the future.

Tone and Delivery

Throughout, Jenn and Mike are lighthearted, candid, and playful—mixing earnest gratitude with a comedic, sometimes self-deprecating take on their own quirks and family history. Their rapport is affectionate, playful, and encouraging to listeners to lean in to both the chaos and the deeper purpose of Christmas.

Final Takeaway

The Todryks remind listeners that while Christmas customs change, blend, and sometimes get a little weird, the heart of the holiday lies in gratitude, togetherness, and hope—best honored through family rituals (both old and new), laughter, and the joy of seeing it all through children’s eyes.

Merry Christmas from Jenn, Mike, and the You, Me & Mike team!