Exploring the Heart of the Holiday Season

Ever found yourself locked in a spirited debate about the Christmas-ness of Die Hard? We certainly did! I'm your host, Mike Bono, and I'm thrilled to bring you an episode of Ride Home Rants that's as filled with festive cheer as an overflowing cup of eggnog. Join me and a lively panel of guests as we delve into holiday debates, reveal our unique family traditions, and explore how Christmas Eve holds a special place in our hearts.

What's Christmas without a little snow? Or a lot of snow, depending on how you feel about it. We dive into this frosty topic, sharing our thoughts and experiences of a white Christmas. The panel also gets candid about their New Year's Eve plans, shedding light on how we each plan to welcome the new year. From 'vampire zombie mode' to cooking up a storm, we cover it all. 

As we journey into the heart of the holiday season, we explore the significance of New Year's Eve - a time for reflection, goal-setting, and, of course, a little fun. Finally, we turn our gaze to the twinkling beauty of Christmas lights and the joy they bring. From Ohio to Minnesota, we share our favorite holiday spots and discuss how they help foster the festive spirit. So, buckle up, dear listeners, for a journey through the holiday season like no other. You're in for a treat!

Stupid Should Hurt 
Link to my Merch store the Stupid Should Hurt Line!

Reaper Apparel
Reaper Apparel Co was built for those who refuse to die slowly! Reaper isn't just clothing it’s a lifestyle!

Subscribe for exclusive content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1530455/support

Tactical Brotherhood
The Tactical Brotherhood is a movement to support America.

Dubby Energy
FROM GAMERS TO GYM JUNKIES TO ENTREPRENEURS, OUR PRODUCT IS FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE BETTER.

Shankitgolf
Our goal here at Shankitgolf is for everyone to have a great time on and off the golf course

Bono's Brew
Fresh ground coffee, in a variety of flavors, shipped right to your door within 3 days!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 2:18

Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home Rance podcast. This is, as always, your host, mike Bono. I have a great and special holiday edition episode for us today. I have a great panel of guests, we're gonna talk all things holiday and the Christmas season that is upon us. That is coming up faster than you can think it is, but I will let my guests introduce themselves and I do have a very interesting question too. So everybody tell us where you're from and if you think Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not. So, drew, let's start with you.

Speaker 2: 3:00

So guys, drew McLaughlin from Youngstown, ohio, and I do think it is Christmas movie.

Speaker 1: 3:06

I do Okay, wendy, what about you?

Speaker 3: 3:10

Hi, I'm Wendy Kunish and I'm from Cleveland and, yes, I think it is as well.

Speaker 1: 3:15

Two for two. I'm liking it. Mr, round us off here.

Speaker 4: 3:20

Mr Ask you from Cincinnati, Ohio Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

Speaker 1: 3:32

That is my panel of guests for this holiday show. I thought we were gonna be three for three. I really thought you were saying it was gonna be a Christmas movie. Mr Buddy, I do think it is a Christmas movie, so there is that, too as well.

Speaker 2: 3:52

What's that?

Speaker 1: 3:54

No, I'll take it, I'll take it, all right. So, drew, let's start with you. And you know, is Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, a bigger day for you and your family.

Speaker 2: 4:07

So for me, actually, christmas Eve is probably a bigger day for us. We start probably around three o'clock and we really go until about 10, 30, 11. My mom's side and my dad's side, they all kind of come together so it's a big, big celebration with all of us. So Christmas Eve would be a bigger day for us. Christmas Day is getting smaller. We do a little smaller thing. You know intermediate family. But yeah, christmas Eve is usually a bigger day for us.

Speaker 1: 4:39

All right, Wendy, what about you?

Speaker 3: 4:41

Yeah, I'm gonna agree with Drew on that one. It's the same for our family as well. Christmas Eve is a little bit more jam packed. It just seems to be a little bit more convenient for all of our sides of our families to get together, as opposed to Christmas Day.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Yeah, Mr Round us off here.

Speaker 4: 4:59

Yeah, I would say man probably uh, like Christmas Day, would probably like, uh, the biggest for us. You know we do a lot of preparation, like on Christmas Eve, uh, you know, with the family and whatnot, getting food and everything prepared for, you know, for Christmas Day. So ours will probably be Christmas Day, you know, but when, when the month of December come, at all new days, it's just this is one big Christmas Day every single day.

Speaker 1: 5:28

Absolutely. Yeah, december is a busy time of the year for for everybody, I think. But Christmas Eve is definitely a I'd say a bigger day for me and my family. Uh, mainly because you know I come from a very big Italian family, we do the feast of these seven fishes on Christmas Eve. Uh, I do have to make the truck back to West Virginia from Ohio, uh, to be with my family, and when there's 16 people in your immediate family, that's a, that's a big day. And that's just my side of the family, that's not even my wife's side of the family. So, yeah, it's a big day. Lot of preparation, uh, with getting seven different types of fishes ready for one dinner and everything like that. But it is, it is fun.

Speaker 1: 6:18

You know I don't get to see family a lot with my schedule, comedy, wise and everything like that. So I do. I love the holidays and Christmas Eve is definitely definitely a big day. Like Drew said, we start early, we're starting about three, four o'clock, we're eating dinner by five, thirty six, santa shows up for the kids, uh, and then, uh, and then we're just trying to wind, wind down the day and get to Christmas Day. So, yeah, it is Very, very busy. But, mr the state with you what does the typical Christmas Eve look like versus your Christmas day?

Speaker 4: 6:55

Uh, man, you know a lot of a lot of family. You know there's uh, get together doing a lot of preparation. Man, you know, uh, you know the, the food for the whole Week of Of Christmas, man, it's just unbelievable. I mean, you know, it's just like it's almost like a seven day feast, man, you know so, uh, but like, but especially, you know, like, christmas Eve, you know, just, you know you're getting the greens together. You know you're getting all the meats, and you know turkey and and, uh, you know, ducks, I mean it's a lot. Oh, yeah, you know, and uh, no, I'm up here in the wild man, so I'm getting a lot of different wild stuff together.

Speaker 4: 7:38

Now, you know it's unbelievable, man, you know, I remember one Christmas man, I had some, um, some buffalo, some bison Meat and I grilled it Like my little cousin they, they thought it was just a regular hand party. Wow, man, it was killing it. Yeah, but uh, it's a lot, it's a just a lot of preparation to get everybody together. Uh, it's getting things. You know, kickoff, man for the for a week.

Speaker 1: 8:04

You know for it. Back Is bison, the weirdest meat that you've you've eaten uh, no, uh, probably.

Speaker 4: 8:13

uh, camel, yeah, I had camel. Yeah, if you go, if you're in Cincinnati, you know there's an in, there's a story called jungle gems as an international store and they have all different types of meat. Wow, wow, that's Camel. I'm telling you know what I'm saying? It's, it's pretty good man, you got, you got, you got to try it's pretty good man, I'm gonna have to know.

Speaker 1: 8:39

I didn't even know that was the thing. Like, I mean, I thought the weirdest thing I've eaten was alligator, you know, and I thought that was weird in a camel, that's.

Speaker 4: 8:47

Oh yeah, camel elk bison. Yeah, I mean all that man.

Speaker 1: 8:52

Man. So, Wendy, what about you? What's the typical Christmas Eve looking like versus your Christmas day?

Speaker 3: 8:57

Um, yeah, so pretty much we all go over to my parents house, um, on Christmas Eve and we're starting around the same time that three o'clock hour, we start to kind of gather, make our way there. We have dinner around five thirty six o'clock. We do gifts for all the kids. My sister, her boys are there, um, my fancy and his boys will be there, my two daughters will be there. So we go over there, we have dinner, we do gifts and then after we say our goodbyes and we go home. That's usually when I stay up and wrap all the gifts because I'm one of the last minute rappers, so I usually stay up until like one in the morning and wrap everything. Yeah, and then Christmas day, you know we do the morning time and just kind of whatever comes up. You know we can pop over to someone else's house to, but yeah, christmas Eve is it's jam packed.

Speaker 1: 9:52

All right, Drew. What about you?

Speaker 2: 9:55

Yeah. So, like Wendy said, we get there, my parents hours about three o'clock. We do the fishes as well, but, um, the crappy part is I'm actually allergic to fish, so I can't even have it. Yeah, yeah, so, um, kind of got to fend for myself on that one. Um, so I usually eat everything else except for the fish. The smell smells good, though I like the smell, but you know you can't have the food.

Speaker 2: 10:19

Um, so, yeah, we usually do that. We hang out, um, like Wendy said, probably dinner around six, six, thirty, do presents, play some games like family games, and then, um, we usually we used to watch the Hawaii game that played at Christmas Eve night, but, um, I don't think they're, they didn't make it this year, so that that won't be happening we usually, you sit, sit around, watch, you know, enjoy family. We have a lot of family proud of town, they fly in, so we just kind of catch up, hang out, um. Then, yeah, chris stayed in the morning and usually just watch basketball, or I think there's some NFL games on Chris's day too, so we just hang out chill.

Speaker 1: 10:55

Yeah, I thought my family was the only one that played games on Christmas Eve. But like, we played the the weird, the weird games like that. I think it's called hearing things, where they give you the earmuffs, where you can't hear anything and you have to read the lips of the person that's talking to you. Like you wouldn't think it's that hard, like some of the stuff that comes out of people's mouths that you think they're saying it's hysterical to us, um, but yeah, we always play stupid games like that.

Speaker 1: 11:24

We have, uh, one game my mom came up with. There's one One present and she wraps it with like seven rolls of tape and six rolls of paper. So it starts out this big and then it just windles down. But you have, like somebody asks questions and if they get it you have to pass it off and then the next person has to start and it just keeps going around until somebody actually has the present. Like we're like all right, this will take like five minutes. Like two hours later we're all still trying to get through this paper. Like she wraps it like. Like it's nothing but it's. It's a lot of fun to To get around with the With family, oh sure.

Speaker 1: 12:01

So yeah, so drew. Are you a real tree or a fake tree person?

Speaker 2: 12:07

So we've always been a fake tree. Um, we never gotten a real tree. Um, I actually would like one day to get a real tree. I feel like it's cool to go out there and get the picture on tree out and Grab it and, you know, bring it home. But we always had a fake tree. One day I'll probably transfer over to the real tree type thing, but yeah, we've been, I've always been fake.

Speaker 1: 12:29

All right, wendy, what about you?

Speaker 3: 12:31

Yeah, growing up, we always were real tree. We went out to the farms Christmas tree farms we went right down the street, always went and picked one out, got it, as I had my own place once. I got older, though, it's always been fake, and the only reason why? The only reason why is because I would never remember to water the real tree.

Speaker 3: 12:55

And it needs a lot of water. A lot of people don't realize that it needs a lot of water throughout the whole entire period of you having it, no matter how long that is, and I don't want that responsibility. To be honest with you, I'm already busy enough.

Speaker 1: 13:09

Yeah, fake, that sounds like a hassle, mr. What about you?

Speaker 4: 13:14

I'd say well, man, growing up my grandparents, man, they always had a real tree. So they, we always had a real tree, and even with my mom and dad we would have a tree. But as we got older we just went away from the tree stuff. Just enjoy the festivities.

Speaker 1: 13:36

Yeah, we have always had a fake tree, and that's mainly my fault because I was allergic to pine growing up, so like I would break out in like the worst hives ever if we had a real tree. So we've always had a fake tree, even now my sister this year, though luckily she lives far enough away that I don't get to see her that much because she has a real tree and can't really visit her Cause I don't feel like breaking out hives at her house. So, yeah, it's, it's fun. I do remember one year I was back in college I had a girl I was dating. They got a real tree so he would have come help me decorate.

Speaker 1: 14:19

I was like no, I don't, like that doesn't sound fun for me. Like I told you I'm allergic to it, so like I'm not coming to help you decorate your tree. That would suck, yeah. But they do take a lot of water. Wendy, like my sister's been complaining. She's had her real tree for like two weeks now and she's like my water bill is going to be outrageous because of how much she's filling up the tree and remember to water it. So, mister, I'm interested in this. What are your thoughts on eggnog?

Speaker 4: 14:55

Man, I tell you what, the first time I like it. I like it, you know, the first time I had it, I think I was in, probably West Virginia, and one of the professors or administrator had, you know, had a little function there and I didn't know what it was first. And it's like, oh, try this. And I started drinking something. I said, man, what type of drink is this? But I guess there's a lot of different ways and you can make it. And however they made it, it was spot on. You couldn't drink so many of those, you know, or you're gonna have to, you know, hit the sauna or hit the gym. So, man, to get out and stuff watch your system, man. But I wanted I can most have them to get down with the eggnog.

Speaker 1: 15:52

This time of year I feel like everybody needs to hit the gym after the holidays, Like I'm already. We're not even really there and I've already put on my 10 pounds that I normally put on throughout the holidays. It's gonna be bad this year, I could feel it.

Speaker 4: 16:07

Oh man, don't tell me about it, oh man.

Speaker 1: 16:10

Wendy, what about you with the eggnog?

Speaker 3: 16:13

Yeah, I'm all over it, I want it. All the different kinds too, all the special flavors that come out. Yep, I'm gonna try it on. And you know the only reason why I ever tried that stuff to begin with? Because if you actually read the ingredients it sounds disgusting. You're like no, I would never eat that or try that. But I watched National Lampoon's Christmas, oh man, oh yeah. You know, with the moose ears cup and the way he's slurping it down, I'm like it's gotta be good, right.

Speaker 3: 16:43

So I tried it, and you add a little bit more cinnamon to it. Oh my God, it's so good.

Speaker 1: 16:49

Oh yeah, drew, what about you? We'll get into mine.

Speaker 2: 16:53

Oh yeah, I love me some eggnog man. That's fantastic and you know, most of my family doesn't really like it. I'm like one of three people that drink it there and we just almost killed the whole bottle. I mean, we're all about it, we love it, especially when he said during, like you know, because we all have like a little like the moose glass, we all bought one, so we drink out of that. So we really, you know, play it up and we would love to work in it. I'm all about eggnog.

Speaker 1: 17:20

I've never tried eggnog. I've never tried it Mainly because, like you said, I read the ingredients and I was like there's no way I'm putting that in my body, like there's no way I'm not drinking that. But I might have to try it because, like you said, wendy National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is my wife and I's favorite Christmas movie. We've already watched it no joke 15 times. Wow, I love that movie, Love it. And as we're recording, I know this is going to come out it's the 17th of December. I mean the show will air later than this, but when we're recording it's the 17th and we've watched it 15 times. Like it's almost.

Speaker 1: 18:03

It almost becomes a nightly ritual for us to watch Christmas Vacation and it's to the point like we don't even really need to pay attention to it, like we're always doing something and we can quote that movie word for word, like we just know what's going to happen. It's, it's phenomenal.

Speaker 2: 18:22

Oh, it's fantastic.

Speaker 1: 18:23

Yeah, and so, drew, we're going to stay with you and I'm interested for for this one Do you like Snow on Christmas?

Speaker 2: 18:32

Oh, yeah, I love snow Christmas. I'm a big snow guy. Actually, I prefer I'm weird I rather have cold than hot. Yeah, yeah, I'm all about snow, but this year it kind of seems like it's not gonna happen. So I thought, after the new year, you maybe, you know, even if that I think just the whole what's the word look for ambiance of it makes look nice, you know, like Christmas. I think we had one like in 2020 or 21,. You know, it's really nice. Yeah, I'm about some all about snow once, like after, like January, than I hate it. But yeah, but you know, november, december, january, I'm all about it. Yeah, bring it on.

Speaker 1: 19:11

Yeah, I Remember that snow that you're talking about it. I think it was 21 when we had yeah, I think so big snow because it was again.

Speaker 1: 19:21

It was my year to go back home to West Virginia and it what should have been a two-hour drive for us to get home from West Virginia Took four and a half hours. Because the snow is that bad and I have a big half-cunt pickup truck, I'm like I'll be fine. I got four-wheel drive, We'll be fine. I was at a brawl on the interstate and like my parents just kept calling like are you home yet? I'm like no, have you looked outside lately?

Speaker 2: 19:47

like no when I get home, like it wasn't a few inches too, it was like I mean, I remember like maybe five inches, six inches, something like that.

Speaker 1: 19:58

It was like half a foot by the time we got on the road, like my parents like Try to like rush through Christmas Eve. We didn't play any games or anything like that that year because they were like all right, we got to get these two or these three meet my wife, my son and myself back to Ohio before Before they get trapped here on Christmas and yeah, so yeah, that was, that was not fun, but yeah, yeah, wendy, what about you? What are your thoughts on snow on Christmas?

Speaker 3: 20:28

Yeah, I love it. Christmas time Sure, bring it on. I mean, that's, that's what we all Visualize, right, or or try to. For the actual holiday, when you're getting into the spirit You're like, oh, it'd be nice if we had just some fluffy white snow. But any other time outside of the month of December, I'm just, I'm over it, to be honest with you, but I'm done, it's messy, it causes too many issues and problems. So if we just have it around the Christmas time and that be it, I'd be okay with that here. You know Ohio, you know, but I live by the snow belt too. So For us, you know, I think you guys are probably a little bit more self than me, and so the snow belt area, you know, when you were just talking about the bad snow we had, we had like over a foot of snow, but we're at because we usually get additional six to eight inches on top of. You know people that are a little bit more more south or even inland.

Speaker 1: 21:26

So we're that lake of X now up there.

Speaker 3: 21:33

Yeah, it goes over the lake and then just it's so bad, it's bad but it's pretty yeah, yeah, mr Big in Minnesota.

Speaker 1: 21:44

I think I already know the answer to this question, but what are your thoughts on snow and Bring it on, baby, I love it.

Speaker 4: 21:51

Man. I tell you what it snowed on Halloween up here. There's no all over the place up here, man.

Speaker 1: 21:59

Man, it was warm here on Halloween.

Speaker 4: 22:04

Yeah, it might have been probably about seven, about six, seven, eight inches, almost somewhere around there on Halloween, but Right now, man, it's a. It's been an unusual warm month. From what everybody has told me, told me around here, you know, we've been in like the 30s, you know 30, 40 degrees up here and up. So a lot of people is kind of upset, man, because you know you can't get on the ice. You know a lot of ice fishing not going on right now, man, you know. But I love the snow though, you know, love the snow and I Love doing all the activities as you can do with snow.

Speaker 1: 22:44

My wife loves the snow she keeps. She's so far asked me every day this week Is it gonna snow, is it gonna snow? Do you think it's gonna snow? When are we getting snow? I Feel like I'm like everybody Christmas Eve Christmas Day, dump a bucket on us like I want snow on Christmas Eve, christmas Day. After that, screw off, go away like I'm not.

Speaker 1: 23:06

I don't want it any day after that, especially after 20, the year 2021, and drive it in that. But yeah, yeah, just give me it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then we're we're good to go there. I do have to take a quick sponsorship break right here and it is for our newest sponsor, for the ride home rance podcast, and that is buddies beard care, beard oil, beard care stuff that I've never used before. But they sent me a complimentary Samples, the trial of everything, and I got to tell you I'm loving it. I'm two weeks into trying this. My beard has never felt healthier, it has never felt fuller and, according to my wife, it has never been softer. So it is. It's phenomenal stuff From a comedian friend of mine, buddy Holly.

Speaker 1: 24:05

It is his out of Newark Ohio. Go there, buddies, beard care calm, check them out. You won't be disappointed in any of these products. I am obsessed with the beard face wash and the beard bomb to keep this Scragley thing in check throughout the holiday season, and it is phenomenal stuff. Buddies, beard care calm, tell them, mike Bono sent you right, that's. I Normally don't like doing mid reads because I feel like it did. We're kind of going to switch gears from Christmas here, mr. So New Year's Eve is typically one of the busiest days of the year for eating out. Do?

Speaker 1: 24:51

you normally go out to eat on New Year's Eve, or do you cook at home or like what do? What are your New Year's Eve plans?

Speaker 4: 24:57

Man, let me take some. And that's when I'm in straight up vampire zombie mode, 72 hours before doing and after. So it's, it's a it's not stop. It's not stop. You know all the frustration and and Looking forward to the New Year's. It's all that's sending to our appeared man from the 30, 31st to 1st. It's on a poppin. Well, I love cooking, a love barbecue, cooking out, you know, making lots of different fish as well. Sorry, big dog, you can't have no fish man, but I may got some barbecue. It'd be plenty of barbecue, though, baby.

Speaker 2: 25:41

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 25:44

You know, smoking, smoking meat. So it is. It is more definitely a Piesta.

Speaker 1: 25:51

Absolutely Wendy. What about you?

Speaker 3: 25:54

Yeah, so I'll just tell you I I am 43 years old and never once been out on New Year's Eve. We've always been home, made food at home, never gone out In our area. It's not a good, safe night to be out, to be honest, with you lot of bars, a lot of a lot of traffic and for safety reasons and Me just wanting to be safe at home and everything else with my people. That's all I care about. So, yeah, we make everything at home on New Year's Eve and I don't think I'd ever change it like I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, you know.

Speaker 3: 26:36

No I really don't yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:39

Drew, what about you?

Speaker 2: 26:41

so usually my buddy's parents throws a party so we usually we don't go out, but we'll go like hang out at his place. But um, this year is a little different. My buddy is getting married in the Bahamas on New Year's Eve. It's been about a year in the plan so we decided to go. So this New Year's Eve will be in the Bahamas. Make me and my friends yeah, that's, it'd be a different.

Speaker 1: 27:11

New Year's Eve, I would say yeah, for sure. Oh man, yeah, wendy, I'm excited for that one.

Speaker 1: 27:17

So yeah, wendy, I'm with you. 34. I've never really gone out. On New Year's Eve One year I went to my sister's house and me and both of my sisters just kind of hung out and watched the ball drop, and that was kind of about it, the extent of me going out. I mean to the point where Even now, like I, I still Will sit here, try to make it to the ball drops, but uh, I'm busy and I'm a tired man, uh, at all the time. So I still. It happens every year and it's happened for the past eight years that I've been with my wife that we just like we're sitting there, we're ready for the ball to drop, we're ready for it, and then next thing you know, we're waking up and looking at it. It's like, oh, happy new year, you want to go bet, like all right, and I go, we're just like that, it's way for it.

Speaker 1: 28:04

But, Mr, I'm with you with the smoking meats. I did get a new smoker this year and I am obsessed with it and I cannot wait to to use it on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and and smoke some meats this year and it's phenomenal. I can't wait.

Speaker 4: 28:23

I tell you what you ever like. Smoke salmon or smoke cod. Man, I'm a big meaty fish. That stuff is excellent to. Yeah, smoke some candy or some cod.

Speaker 1: 28:33

Oh, yeah, might have to for my wife. She's a big uh Fish fan. I am not. I eat it once a year on Christmas Eve. That's about the, the extent of how we fish. But um, yeah, that that it sounds good. I'll give you that. Uh, for sure, uh, so.

Speaker 4: 28:58

Drew saw this up here. It's fish, I'm sure.

Speaker 1: 29:04

Drew, let's stay with you. Um, what is your most fun? New Year's, as a kid, or, and then as an adult?

Speaker 2: 29:16

All right, let's see here. My first most fun new year's as a kid would probably be. I have vague rec regulation of uh, the new millet windows 2000. I was turning um Seven and I remember my grandma had a big party with a lot of family and this she made a big deal. You know 1999, 2000, so, um, that was. I Remember that being a lot of fun. You know vague memory, being that young I remember a lot of people being there and just being a blast with cousins, family and all that for I'm adult actually mean Fiddy and I went to a wedding and 20 it was 2019 to 2020, it was downtown Nunchdown and we went to a wedding one of our buddy or one of the guys we used to coach this wedding, and that was really cool.

Speaker 2: 30:11

That was the first time I experienced the wedding on New Year's Eve and they got married right at midnight and then the reception was like from like 12, 30 to 230, something like that. So that was really cool. I thought it was a cool idea and I'm that was a lot of fun. So I probably say that would be my experience.

Speaker 1: 30:28

Okay, wendy, what about you?

Speaker 3: 30:31

Yeah, listen, listen, I'm kind of boring yet, because we never celebrated it in my family when I was growing up, so that was never a holiday that was stress as important or even a priority, or even super exciting or anything like that. Once I became an adult, though, you know, I just so I'm very work-driven and so I always to use it, use it as this amazing opportunity Like most people do like being getting of the new year. We've got new goals, we've got new things that we're after and just preparing for that for you know, all of October, november and December, the last quarter of the previous year, or Come January 1, like that's the reset button. So I've always used it for myself in that way, not as, I guess, important day to also celebrate. You know, as far as with friends or family, I mean, I'll just say it, I was I was more interested in the game this past year I don't know if you remember the Ohio State game, michigan game, where the game was still going on and we missed the ball drop because we were so into watching the damn game and we missed the ball drop.

Speaker 3: 31:46

Like that was the most exciting New Year's Eve for me. It seriously, because we were obviously betting on the game and you know, but but outside of that, like I don't even know that, I've stayed awake or the ball dropped until last year and again I still missed it because I was sitting there watching football. But yeah, I think I can appreciate it now. Like I said, you know goals, new direction, improvements, whatever things that you want to want to step for yourself, for your friends, family or whatever nice research, but outside of that, it's just, honestly, just another day for me.

Speaker 1: 32:25

Yeah, mister.

Speaker 4: 32:27

What about you? Yeah, mine was just be. You know just watching football, man, you know, never I mean just watching football with you know my brothers and sister, mom, dad. You know with the family. You know saying growing up and and then even out. You know saying just. You know just being with the family. You know you know just cooking and mostly you know just watching. You know watching the game. Yeah, I don't think I don't think I've ever seen the ball drop. I don't think I've ever, especially in my dog. I don't. I can even tell you, yeah, I don't. Yeah, I don't think I ever seen that ball drop.

Speaker 1: 33:06

Yeah, as an adult, I don't remember ever seeing the ball drop member waking up after it was over, like Immediately after it was over. But I don't think I've ever made it to watching the ball drop. But I remember Well, as a kid I was always at my my grandmother's house for New Year's Eve and she would always buy, like that, sparkling grape juice for us. So we felt like we were actually fighting and stuff like that and having champagne and all that. So that was a lot of fun growing up with my sisters and mother and feeling like an adult in our, in our youth, with the sparkling grape juice and Stuff. But, yeah, a lot of fun. As a kid adult I just, yeah, it's, it's another day for me of watching College football and bowl games and that's about it, and then hopefully making it to the ball dropping. So, mister, I mean, is New Year's a holiday? You've gotten to appreciate more or less as you've gotten older.

Speaker 4: 34:15

Just it's. Uh, I want to say I mean, you know just another day almost for me, man, you know it's just another another day, another, just like tearing the book, you know turning the pages, you know, so that's another chapter. You know, don't do nothing extra. You know, don't do nothing, don't do anything extra. You know just this is another day. You know just only different issues, you know. You know just watching football and you know just having great, great good dinners, man, no, just cooking is a barbecue. You know saying this all day long and I'll just be able to family playing games. But you know, holiday wise, I just you know it's another day, you know, Because, rather, generate one man come January 3rd and that's my birthday, yeah, but yeah, it's just, it's just, you know, like when he say you know, I mean it was just another thing, Okay yeah.

Speaker 3: 35:16

Yeah, same another day, it's another day and you know the way, as I'm getting older, I'm just reflecting on man, I'm another year and that's really all it is. And you know, it's one of those kind of reality checks, I think, a little tiny bit, like you sit back and you reflect on your year. You know, did you? Did you do everything that you wanted to do? Did you believe in yourself and say what you wanted to say, and did you live the way you want to live, freely and all that type of thing? Right, and I'm a careful corn baby too, just like, just like mister here, and so I'm in December, two days after Christmas, you know. So I'm kind of always sitting back, like what else can I do? You know, it's amazing the opportunities and things that we have. I mean, we are in the land of the free, we can do anything you really do. They wanted to. You know, we have the right mindset. So I do a lot of that reflection.

Speaker 3: 36:16

But, yeah, is it another day? Sure, we all wake up and we're just like, oh, okay, you know, but on the calendar, when you really stare at that calendar, it's like man, am I gonna do something better? You know, do I like who I am. Is there anything I need to change about myself? And you look at your, your people too, that you surround yourself with, you know like, are some people setting you back? Because, let's be real, some people do, you know. They just don't want things as much as you do. So, yeah, it's another day, but it's also. It's also another day to choose Something better and bigger, and that's usually what I use, like I said, for every set goals and all that for me.

Speaker 1: 36:56

Absolutely true. What about you?

Speaker 2: 36:58

Yeah, well, when he hit it the nail in the head right there, the order you get, the more you think about how you can change yourself into a better person. You know New year's going on, you know, so actually that helped me out a lot. You know, get an older and kind of seeing where I'm at. You know, evaluating myself I'm a coach, I'm always evaluating something. So you know I was by with myself and what I did the past year and how I did good, what I did bad, what we're going to do better, and I'm always trying to work on Sorry, cats in the way, but I'm always trying to work on getting better.

Speaker 1: 37:33

Yeah, as I've gotten older and especially getting older in this comedy career and game that I'm in, it's always OK, I did X about a show this year. How can I do more shows this year and how can I advance this career? Like what he said, it's a reset. You know, I got goals, I got a set and I got a hit and it's always good to sit and just reflect. I normally do take the week right after Christmas to the new year. That's normally my only off week from working and doing anything when it comes to trying to book shows and everything like that, and it's just my reset time. And that New Year's Day hits and it's like, all right, we're back to the grind. What are we doing this year? What is now 2024 going to bring for Mike Bono comedy? You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 38:32

That's where I'm at with that and, like you said, as you get older, I think I don't want to say you lose the appreciation for the holiday in New Year's, but it's another day and, like Wendy said, getting another year older never fun. Just knowing that you're another year older and getting yeah, it's something that's you know it weighs heavy on it, I think, a lot of people and it's just nice to have that reset. That's my reset day and then we're off and running for the new year. So, drew, let's stay with you, and I feel like I already know the answer to this question. But what is the best place to visit? Slash any activities to do where you live. That way, our listeners all around know what makes the holiday special in your area.

Speaker 2: 39:29

Well, a few things that we do Really. There's bars, but that's probably about it. New bars that opened up like Spill Valley and Boardman. That's a cool place to go to. We were actually just there last night. They have more of like an older look like an iron look to it has a lot of pool tables, has a lot of. They have like dark boards, that kind of deal. They have Bocci there. You can play Bocci indoors. They have try to get what else. They have A little like not probably like a little chipping greens as well.

Speaker 2: 40:06

It's connected to a restaurant. It's a nice setup. We were there last night. They do it up nice. They have live bands, so that's probably one place you can go. Yeah, that's real. And then Mr Anthony's has this holiday party. It's between Christmas and New Year's. It's like a wedding venue, but it's kind of like a suit and tie type deal. You get to buy a ticket. It's a sit down dinner. It's like come celebrate with us. That's a fun thing to do too. But after talking to my head, that's two things I can really think of that are fun to do during this time.

Speaker 1: 40:39

OK, wendy, what about you?

Speaker 3: 40:42

Yeah, so I'm trying to think Christmassy types of things. All right, so we have a place called Strongsville. It's about, and I'm in Cleveland, I would say, probably about 40 minutes from me but there's this huge, huge development, and in this development I mean they are on the map. Everybody knows about this development. If you're in the Cleveland area, the whole entire development puts up lights, and when I say lights, I am talking to sidewalks are lined with lights, canopies, and it takes you from house to house to house. So you park your car in this development, you get out and you just start walking and this whole thing is lit up. It's incredible the amount of lights and the amount of light that all of these homeowners pay. But they sell candy, they sell hot chocolate, they sell popcorn. So as you're going down all of these little streets, watching all of their music, themed light shows and everything that they have going on, I mean, and they got like ladders of, like Santa climbing up the fucking ladder, oops.

Speaker 1: 41:50

I'm sorry.

Speaker 3: 41:51

You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 41:52

So, anyway.

Speaker 3: 41:53

but they got carolers going around. I mean, like it's an event. Every single night these people go through and it's just a development. But they are so invested and they'll take donations towards their electric bill because you can see like it's incredible. So it's an experience and I highly recommend it to anybody to go.

Speaker 3: 42:16

If you're not in the Christmas spirit at all which mostly time, I'm not, to be honest with you it will put you in the spirit the minute you drive in and you just see how happy and cheerful people are, just from being there walking around, and you don't even necessarily have to engage with other people. But it's just nice. It just brings that peace that we all kind of are looking for. We got disconnected from with everything a little last several years. So there's that. And then Cuyahoga Valley. They do the Polar Express train that goes on for several months here and it's always sold out. I've never been able to get tickets, even trying to purchase them ahead of time for the amount of people that I needed them for, and so that's a big thing. With Santa and also the toboggan rides, the sled rides, the massive hills in the valley, so I would say those are probably the top, top two in the area.

Speaker 1: 43:16

All right, Mr. What about you? I know you're new to the Minnesota area, but I mean we can go Cincinnati if you more for there, for where you're from.

Speaker 4: 43:24

No, I tell you what man up here, man, there's, there's some, some pretty good places up here. You know you got Zavarros, you got the jail and you have a spot that like is the places actually called the crazy rabbit. I mean that's the name of the spot, the crazy rabbit. Yeah, no, no line. I mean you know it's a place. You know you can go and play pool, play darts. They love playing darts up here. So I've been learning, I mean learning to play darts again in the pool.

Speaker 4: 43:57

And you know and also knows that they got some good food. You know, at these places as well, man, so it's a good, you know, so it's a nice, you know, night. This is a small area but the places that they have here man can can really satisfy your thirst of. You know, whatever you'd like to do, you know there's plenty of things to do with good people around here, up here in this area that I've met. But those three places, man, I will highly recommend anybody to come and check out. You know, but there's, you know they have. Whatever the theme of the season is, you know they do a good job in addressing up the establishment. So you know you get. So you know your Christmas feel, your Halloween feel I mean just the whole, you know just the whole season. Feel so, but it's, I like it, it's nice.

Speaker 1: 44:44

Yeah, I would say for me, I mean and I'm going to have to go back home to West Virginia and Wheeling, west Virginia and the Ogilbee Zoo, kind of like what Wendy was saying is that they have, they light the whole place up, like even the golf course that's up there. It's a whole experience. You have the lighted canopies and what they do is that you don't walk through it because it would take hours for anybody to walk through it, but they have you drive your car through it and there's a certain radio station that you go to when you're there and the music goes along with every attraction that you're driving by. I don't know how they do it, but it is awesome to see and they have all these interactive light shows and everything like that and it just really helps get you into, like everyone was saying, the holiday spirit. I mean, it's been kind of rough the past couple years with everything that's been going on to try to stay in that holiday spirit.

Speaker 1: 45:46

I've been the Grinch for the better part of three years when it comes to the holidays, so it's one of those things that it's like oh okay, because one thing we like to do, no matter where we're at, is drive around and look at the Christmas lights and just seeing people actually decorating for Christmas and I am one of those people I clerked Griswold, my house, out every year. Regardless of where I'm at I it always seems like I'm in a competition with my neighbors with when it comes to Christmas lights, like I'll put mine up and then I see somebody else put something else up. I was like, nope, we've got to get more. Like there's no, like we're always just decked out for the holidays but you don't see a lot of people decorating anymore. It seems like.

Speaker 1: 46:35

But you know, it's something that I think can help everybody just get into the holiday spirit is the Christmas lights and everything like that as well. So I love driving around and looking at the Christmas lights. We do it every year. My wife and my son were like all right, it's, it's that time, let's get in and we're going to drive around town and we're just going to look at Christmas lights and that's that's kind of what we do and I love it and it gets us in the spirit and it's the one day out of the year that I actually listen to Christmas music other than Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Like that's the only other time I listen to Christmas music is that day.

Speaker 3: 47:15

You too.

Speaker 1: 47:16

All right, and then you know last question here and we'll go with you. Mr, the week between Christmas and New Year's is always in. You know. It's always odd for people's work schedules and time off. You know what's the week usually look like for you that week in between Christmas Day and New Year's.

Speaker 4: 47:35

Man it's, it's a show man, it's a straight up show. You know, for me, I tell you, as I'm getting older, you know, you know, you know you gotta try and get your rest and get your sleep. But may I go and overdrive, you know I really, you know it's a lot of sleepless nights, sleepless days. Sometimes. You know I'm just, you know, just and really man, just enjoying myself. You know they meet up with friends, you know friends, a family really just hanging out, you know, really just hanging out with friends or family. Back, as you know, you know, sometimes you know, it begins to caught up in and our work or things we do. You know we kind of just lose touch with some, you know, with some of the people who you really like, really care about throughout the year.

Speaker 4: 48:22

So I try to, I try to come back around, man, and spend more time and just checking up on people, man, because you just never know what some of your friends know and going through or went through. So I really, really, really try to spend a lot of time and just catching up and just reaching out to people who I haven't talked to and just, you know, just see how they doing, you know, just letting them know. You know, man, your friends through here just checking up on you, meaning with you know, say with families as well. So you know I try to do a good job. You know, just circling the wagon back around, man, you know as a lot of people help me through. You know, as I grew up and sometimes you had time, you know, just to get away. So I try to pull myself back around just to reach out to them and check on everybody. And again, man, you know, just going in the empire mode, baby, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 49:16

That's a good way to spend it, but, wendy, what about you?

Speaker 3: 49:19

Yeah, that's awesome. It's actually. It's similar for me to a lot of visiting with family and friends. So my birthday is on the 27th, so I'm used to celebrating my birthday right after Christmas, which you know, I'm gonna say, isn't usually the best for us Christmas babies, because everybody's like, oh well, here's your Christmas and your birthday gift. And it's not about the gifts, you know, it's really not. But I'll tell you, as Christmas babies we get a little forgotten about around our birthday. But my family has always made a big priority and making it separate for me, so there's a lot of that going on, also with my friends visiting with them.

Speaker 3: 50:05

This year I changed it to my real estate team. We're actually doing our holiday party and we're doing it on the 29th. So I told them you know what, we're going to change it till after the holiday because you, you see how crazy it is everybody's got a party to go to starting on December 1 until after New Years, you know, and it's like how do you compete with that and take people away from your family obligations and friends and even your own work stuff? So I said let's just wait till after the holiday. But so I picked the 29th and I'm looking forward to it. It's almost kind of like continuing the celebration right, and it's also New Year's Eve weekend, so I'm sure it would be a little crazy. But yeah, that's, that's what I got going on Like, like Mr said, it's just, it's nonstop. You know, I think New Year's Day is where we kind of at the end of New Year's Day, we all just kind of like one night, you know.

Speaker 1: 51:03

Yeah, so I'm a teacher, so I get that week off.

Speaker 2: 51:12

Really, I get probably two, two, a little over two weeks off. So it's real nice to relax and kind of just chill out for a little bit and not worry about work or anything like that. They always say that the week between Christmas and New Year's is kind of like a blur in a sense, which I think is the truth, you know, because you're once one mini wake up is Christmas. The next day you're like well, tomorrow's New Year's Eve. You know this is like back to back. I think it's a fun time. Like Mr and uh Wendy said, just relax. You're spending a lot of time with friends who are from out of town. They probably come back in, visit family. So you're seeing them, you're seeing family that comes in. There's a lot of people You're probably just me looking around with and hanging out. So it's it's a good time. Good time to catch up to everybody and relax, have a few drinks, watch and you know sports and it's kind of wind down and get ready for the new year.

Speaker 1: 52:08

Yeah, the week in between is always a blur for me, because, you spoke of what happened, you know yeah it's.

Speaker 1: 52:17

I feel like this entire Year has been like that. I feel like I woke up yesterday and it was New Year's Day and now I know we're at Christmas already, so I get that, but that, yeah, that week in between Christmas and New Year's is always a blur for me the first year that I'm actually really having off from my day job, let alone my comedy and everything like that. So it's gonna be interesting because, you know, getting to visit with a bunch of people that you don't normally get to because of the busy work schedules and show schedules and preparing for everything like that and getting ready for For the new year and to prepare for everything. So it's, it's a lot of fun. But yeah, drew, you hit the nail in the head. It's a, it's a blur. You wake up and then it's like, alright, we're already at January 2nd. What? What the heck happened? Like it's how do?

Speaker 1: 53:08

we get here. I just did Christmas yesterday like so please crazy to think about.

Speaker 2: 53:13

You know it's People's. You know it's true, from the Christmas day and New Year's Day is a week and like no way that's a week. You know what I mean? Yeah, I can't imagine that being a week. You're like it feels like it's two days. Yep, I know it's seven days, like you know it's like crazy.

Speaker 1: 53:27

I really don't think it is. It's a lot of travel for me to you know, driving back and forth to West Virginia for my family and my father-in-law's back there too as well. So New Year's Day is normally when we do his Christmas, so we're driving back there on New Year's Day and so it's. It's a lot of back and forth to West Virginia to Ohio, which doesn't sound like it's that long or that far, but it's every bit of two hours. So it's, it's a decent drive.

Speaker 1: 53:58

But that is actually going to do it and wrap up this holiday edition of the Ride Home Rans podcast. I hope everybody out there has a safe and happy holiday season and I cannot wait to get into season four of the Ride Home Rans podcast, as we will start that as of the New Year. But thank you to my guest, drew, wendy and Mr, for coming on and talking about the holiday season and what we do For the holidays and how we can help Spread joy around this holiday season. And, as always, if you enjoyed this show, be a friend, tell a friend. If you didn't tell them anyways, they might like it just because you didn't. That's gonna do it for me and I will see y'all next week. You.