Grief, Family, and Holiday Memories: A Family & Friends Christmas Conversation - Episode 31

WHO THIS EPISODE HELPS:
Anyone grieving during the holiday season who longs for connection, family traditions, and community.

WHAT LISTENERS WILL GET:
Tools for balancing grief and joy, stories of healing through family connection, and reminders that support is found in shared memories.

DESCRIPTION:
In this special Christmas Eve episode, host Nick Gaylord brings together the people closest to him to reflect on grief, family, and holiday traditions. Joined by his siblings, wife, and longtime friends, the conversation blends humor, storytelling, and heartfelt memories. Together, they explore how grief shapes the way families gather, the importance of rituals, and the bittersweet reality of celebrating holidays after loss. Nick shares personal reflections on creating magical Christmas experiences for his younger siblings while navigating his own grief. Guests open up about family traditions, holiday foods, and memories of loved ones no longer here. This episode highlights the powerful bond of family and the way grief and love coexist during the holiday season. It’s a reminder that grief doesn’t take a break during celebrations, but connection can bring comfort and healing.

This episode answers:

• How do you handle grief during the holidays with family traditions?
• What role do shared stories play in processing grief after loss?
• How can humor and memories coexist with grief at Christmas?
• Why do rituals and traditions help families navigate grief together?
• How does reflecting on childhood experiences shape grief healing?

Key Takeaways:

• Grief and joy often coexist during holiday gatherings.
• Family rituals help carry memories of loved ones forward.
• Humor can be a valuable tool in grief healing.
• Storytelling strengthens family bonds and collective healing.
• Traditions create continuity and comfort when facing loss.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Hello, hello and welcome to Our Dead Dads. I'm your host. My name is Nick Gaylord and this will be a quick message. Don't worry, you'll get the full intro in a minute. When we recorded this week's episode, we did everything in one shot and, rather than mash it up and make it sound weird, I'm just going to add a separate message, because there were a couple of things I forgot to say at the end. I'd like to start by thanking everybody who has made Our Dead Dads podcast a part of your day in 2024. I really can't believe how much this show has taken off already, and that's all because of you, the listeners. Thank you for the referrals, the social media posts and telling others about the show.

Speaker 1 0:32

For someone who started 2024 being unemployed for the first time since before I had my first job, I didn't really know what to expect. Luckily, I found a new job fairly quickly, but during that break I formed a plan to start a podcast where we would discuss grief and loss, with no podcast experience, no media experience at all and no real clue of how it would go and if I'd even make it into double digits of episodes. And today, 10 months after the plan first took shape, I have a show that has been heard in 39 countries, with thousands of listeners, and today episode number 31 drops, so, needless to say, we made it well into double digits. Hopefully, these conversations are making a real difference with the guests who have been gracious and brave enough to come on the show and tell their stories, and with all of the listeners who are now part of my guests' worlds and part of mine. I have been honored and proud to become part of your lives and to have you become part of mine, and I look forward to everything that 2025 already has lined up for this show. This is the final episode for this year. There won't be an episode next week, so if you've missed any episodes, then this break will be the perfect time to go back and get caught up, because we're hitting the ground running next year.

Speaker 1 1:33

Courtney Moore kicks off the new year with her story of grief surrounding her dad as we dive into the last days that she spent with him during his battle with pancreatic cancer, and we also dive into the grief that she admits she's barely begun to process. That interview will drop on Tuesday, january 7th, and the very next day, wednesday, january 8th, at 3 pm Eastern US time. Another first for the show happens, as I welcome Justin Shepard better known as Justin on TikTok to the show for my very first full live interview, which will be streaming on Facebook and TikTok. If you're not already following me on Facebook and TikTok, start following me today so you don't miss anything. No more delays let's get this show on the road. Wherever you are. However you choose to celebrate, may this be the most wonderful holiday season for you and your families, and I'll see you next year.

Speaker 1 2:18

Our Dead Dads podcast is sponsored by Kim Gaylord Travel. If you can dream up the vacation whether a getaway for you and your other half, a family trip or a trip for a large group she will help you plan it. If you've never used, or even thought about using, a travel agent for your trips, you really should. Kim will help you plan everything the flights, hotels, transportation, excursions, all the places to visit and all the sights to see. You'll get a detailed itinerary of everything and if anything goes wrong during your trip, you have someone to contact. Whether you're looking for a customized European vacation, a relaxing stay at an all-inclusive resort, an Alaskan adventure, a Caribbean cruise, kim will work with you to make sure you have a seamless travel experience. Contact her today and plan your next trip with the peace of mind that only working with a travel agent can offer. And, as a special bonus for our listeners, mention Our Dead Dads podcast for a 10% discount on planning fees. You can find Kim Gaylord Travel on Facebook, instagram and LinkedIn, or email Kim directly. Her email address is kim at kimgaylordtravelcom.

Speaker 1 3:13

Our Dead Dads podcast is sponsored by Dotted Avenue Creative Studio. If you're looking to build your first website or give your current site a facelift, you need not look any further than Dotted Avenue Creative Studio. They will work with you to customize exactly what you want in a website. Whether you want something personal and simple or a website for your business, you're in the right place a professional looking page that you and everyone who visits your site will be obsessed with. Search engine optimization, e-commerce, all the bells and whistles. If you haven't already checked out our dead dadscom, you should take a look for a couple of reasons. First, because there are a lot of really cool features to check out, including some interactive sections for the listeners, but also because Dotted Avenue built this website. They work exclusively within Squarespace, who is the hosting company of our website, and customize your website exactly the way you want it and then, when it's done, you'll have a one-on-one Zoom call to learn everything you need to learn about maintaining the website yourself. Go to dottedavenuecom and get started today. Mention our dead dads and get a 10% discount on any web design package.

Speaker 1 4:07

Dotted Avenue Creative Studio is the first. Last and moving forward. I'm your host. My name is Nick Gaylord. If this is the first time you're joining me, welcome to the show, and if you're a regular listener, welcome back. For everyone listening. Thank you so much for the support and thank you for making this show part of your day. The best ways to support the show, to continue listening, sending in your feedback on the show's pages on Facebook, instagram, tiktok and coming soon to YouTube and you can find all those pages by searching the username and I'm at OurDeadDadsPod Dads pod. Most importantly, please spread the word about the show, because everybody deals with grief. We're all in this together and the best thing that any of us can do is to support each other through that grief. Follow Our Dead Dads podcast on your favorite listening platform. Give us a five-star review and, by the way, if you don't know how to leave a five-star review, go to the homepage of OurDeadDadscom. Scroll down and it'll show you how to do it step by step.

Speaker 1 5:22

I really hope that you enjoyed last week's conversation with my childhood friend, john Gerst. Today is episode 31. It is Christmas Eve and it's the last episode of 2024. And because of that, we have a very special holiday episode for you. We got the gang back together and we're going back to basics with the crew that started it all my three brothers, jack, joseph and Michael, from episode two, my three friends Mike, ed and Dennis from episode three, my wife Kim, who you've already heard a few times from episode four and from a couple of hot seat bonus episodes, my youngest sister, helene, and we'll even have a couple of bonus participants. Everybody is here, so let's get started. What's up everybody? Welcome back to the show.

Speaker 5 6:00

Hello.

Speaker 6 6:01

Nick, hello Hi.

Speaker 1 6:02

Hey, what's going on. How's everybody doing the show. Hello nick, hello hi. Hey, what's going on? How's everybody doing?

Speaker 8 6:09

spambler. Are you awake? I don't know who's awake jack. Are you awake?

Speaker 9 6:10

he's still muted.

Speaker 8 6:11

Jack, you're still muted.

Speaker 9 6:12

I don't blame him it was saying the host would not let me unmute myself oh nick messed up hear that guys, the older brother trying to bring you down.

Speaker 3 6:20

Yep, right, shade on your game, power struggle he wants to be able to mute and unmute himself, because he is the baby.

Speaker 1 6:28

I can't hear her, it's okay.

Speaker 5 6:29

How is it? Some of us know him as Jeff and some of us know him as John How'd that come to pass Ugh Merry.

Speaker 6 6:35

Christmas. Yeah, or is that a podcast or?

Speaker 1 6:37

is that another episode.

Speaker 6 6:46

That would be a story from our dead dad. Well, he had help. Well, he had help from our alive mom. Some of your alive moms.

Speaker 1 6:51

Yes Well, our Jack and mine's alive mom. So Jack's legal name is John.

Speaker 2 6:55

Well, all of our moms are alive.

Speaker 1 6:56

Yes, but this argument started between all of our dad.

Speaker 6 7:00

John Gaylord Sr let's call him and Mary Ellen.

Speaker 1 7:04

So Jack's legal name is John Gaylord jr the story that I've always heard. And Jack, tell me if this tracks. Mom wanted to call you Jack and dad didn't like it, and so it became a point of contention between the two of them, and her solution was to say fuck off, I'm going to call him whatever I want.

Speaker 6 7:21

Well, that's basically the listeners who haven't been paying attention. They weren't together for very long.

Speaker 1 7:26

Yeah, they were married for about eight minutes.

Speaker 6 7:29

And then right after Jack was born, they split, and so at your mom's house he's always been known as Jack Right, and at dad's house, which is the house that Joe and Mike and Helene grew up in, of course he was John or Johnny Right, and so that persists to this day. Yes, okay, much to the confusion of everybody. Yes, all right, is that pretty much accurate, jack?

Speaker 4 7:48

Sure Sure.

Speaker 1 7:50

All right so.

Speaker 9 7:51

Jack is a comic nickname for John.

Speaker 7 7:53

Yes, it is, oh sure. The more TV I watch nowadays, the more people I see calling John Jack. I just thought it was like an us thing.

Speaker 6 8:01

No, I just thought it was like an us thing.

Speaker 5 8:04

No, it's like John Kennedy. Yeah, John F Kennedy.

Speaker 6 8:05

Yeah, that's what it's like yeah, yeah, the Sopranos They'd be talking about Jack the. Sopranos, take the cannoli, leave the guns.

Speaker 1 8:11

Let's have a little bit of fun now that we've gotten past all the technical difficulties. All right, so this is the Christmas Eve edition of Our Dead Dad, individually and as groups, small groups recorded. And now we're back. Ed, is Lynn going to join us at some point today? No, she had to work. She got stuck working today. She doesn't like us anymore. Or she doesn't like you and she decided to bail on you. Pick one, Mike. Hopefully Veronica will join at some point. Helene, is Nick around still?

Speaker 3 8:38

He's upstairs getting dressed and stuff before the baby wakes up.

Speaker 1 8:42

I haven't been able to interview him yet.

Speaker 6 8:44

Maybe we should just be happy we have all the people we have.

Speaker 1 8:47

Yeah, I think we can be happy with everybody that we have At least Joe's laughing. So, all right, let's talk about Christmas. That's why we're all here. When we did the original interviews, everybody talked about how much you loved Christmas growing up. The good parts, good parts, maybe some of the not so good parts. I think generally it was good overall. Everybody talk what was your favorite Christmas memories growing up?

Speaker 4 9:08

King size jar reducing cream. Yeah, fuck you, mike, wow.

Speaker 1 9:13

What was your second favorite memory, Mike?

Speaker 4 9:15

You ruining Christmas for us by wearing new balances.

Speaker 1 9:18

That was the best part of Christmas for you.

Speaker 3 9:20

I was a little slow to the FK. I didn't figure it out until my parents got to the horse.

Speaker 7 9:24

I knew right away it was him. Yeah, bro, the new balance.

Speaker 4 9:27

It was absolutely the new balances.

Speaker 7 9:30

No, we knew right away.

Speaker 4 9:31

Once we saw the new balances, we knew it was you.

Speaker 6 9:33

No the first couple years. Would you like to provide some context, Gaylords, for those of us who have worries.

Speaker 1 9:37

Let's have some context.

Speaker 4 9:38

So my dad. For most years he would have a camera set up kind of at the other end of the room, I think it was every year, it was pretty much every year he had a camera set up.

Speaker 4 9:50

The tree and the presents in the area where we would sit and open the gifts up. I think it was like 96 or 97. Tim and Dad had the idea to get a Santa suit and have Nick come over late Christmas Eve night, after we were asleep, and dress up as Santa and put the presents under the tree.

Speaker 3 10:04

But dad would come wake us.

Speaker 4 10:06

But dad would come wake us up and we would look and we didn't know it was Nick. In the beginning we thought it was really Santa. So we're like, oh my God, santa's here and he would, you know, put the presents under the tree and eat the cookies and drink the milk, and then he would kind of turn and wave and walk away.

Speaker 4 10:29

He did, did it for a few years and then one year wait let me just ask sorry, can I interrupt like how old was joseph the first year this happened? Let's just for I want to say eight, probably, yeah, seven or eight, all right, I was six, joe was eight, helene was three, okay, yeah. And then nick always had the same sneakers on and but the santa suit came with like those black boot covers.

Speaker 4 10:40

Like you know, the sneaker covers, boot covers, yeah, and he didn't put them on that year. And when we saw his sneakers, and we know that's fucking Nick.

Speaker 6 10:48

I didn't know. That's what happened. So normally you wore the covers yeah, I wore, you didn't. Yeah, yeah, you wore the boot covers.

Speaker 1 10:55

They were just like leg covers that would go like right above the sneakers.

Speaker 6 10:59

Yeah.

Speaker 2 11:00

They were white. Did they put the covers on the chair, did they?

Speaker 6 11:03

have your feet finally grown to their full 14 triple D or whatever Did they?

Speaker 2 11:08

not fit at that point no, I don't think so?

Speaker 6 11:09

I don't think so.

Speaker 4 11:10

I don't think so, I don't think so, I don't think so, I don't think so, I don't think so.

Speaker 9 11:12

I don't think so.

Speaker 1 11:17

I don't think so. I don't think so. Ruined it for you guys, but you know think of the good years, think of the holidays well divorce ruined it for most of us, but I mean you know? Think about the good side of I was doing it because I wanted you guys to have a great christmas experience yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 11:35

No, we did bye until you fucked it up until I fucked it up a ron.

Speaker 3 11:40

I think the moral of the story really is that it's a positive john gaylord moment in that he wanted to do something nice for his three younger children mom and I were talking about this the other day, how dad would like decorate the entire outside of the house with lights, like hot, like go up on the roof, and he would like outline the roof. But we had and I'm going to ask Joseph or Nick this question, because Michael likes to not tell the actual story Then we had this plastic Santa and reindeer. Now did he stick that on the roof, or was it?

Speaker 4 12:17

I don't remember the reindeer it was hanging from something.

Speaker 1 12:20

I don't remember the plastic Santa and the reindeer.

Speaker 3 12:23

Yeah, it was Santa and Sled. It was like two or three reindeer.

Speaker 1 12:27

I think you're confused with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. No Right, chopped off the reindeer antlers.

Speaker 3 12:34

Mom and I can't remember if he put it on the roof, though I really don't remember.

Speaker 7 12:38

Joe, do you have?

Speaker 1 12:39

any recollection of that.

Speaker 7 12:41

Of the Santa on the roof, the Santa and the reindeer? Vaguely. Yeah, I remember him going up. I don't know who it was. Somebody was on the roof, like after you would jump off the presents. He would have somebody on the roof banging on the roof, acting like the reindeer were like you know, oh yeah oh that I don't know.

Speaker 1 12:57

Conspirators wait a minute. I don't know about this. I never knew that anybody was on the roof, at least once.

Speaker 4 13:03

We would have to go into the living room To hear it.

Speaker 1 13:07

It could have been your mother on the other side of the house just banging on something to make it sound like it Could have been.

Speaker 6 13:12

Wait, but shouldn't there be videos? Because that wasn't the whole idea, that this was caught on video?

Speaker 3 13:16

No, just Santa was caught on video. It was not a second video camera.

Speaker 1 13:20

Okay, but are you saying somewhere out there there's?

Speaker 6 13:22

a video of Nick, my husband as Santa. Yeah.

Speaker 3 13:26

Michael probably has them all. Michael must have it, he was watching Santa videos.

Speaker 6 13:32

Yeah, yeah, michael, next time download it onto a zip or something and send that to me.

Speaker 1 13:37

Mike knows how to download anything onto a zip. You have to get the tape converted into digital.

Speaker 8 13:41

That's like people playing Santa on Stern or something dude.

Speaker 6 13:44

It would be awesome. We really should add that video to the website. No, we really should.

Speaker 3 13:48

I really think we should. That would have been the opener. So now Michael's taking over the reins, and on Christmas Eve he is becoming Santa Claus.

Speaker 6 13:55

Oh, yay, will there be video for Aunt Kim, of course.

Speaker 1 13:59

Both of the Aunt Kims, even Even at this point, everybody has a cell phone. Wait, michael, I have a question.

Speaker 3 14:02

Saturday after. Thanksgiving we're taking her to see Santa, but she saw Santa a few weeks ago, like just out and about why.

Speaker 1 14:10

A few weeks ago was October.

Speaker 6 14:11

Well, no, they were at like a pumpkin patch or something. And there was Santa right, it wasn't her fault.

Speaker 3 14:17

Yeah, we were at, like it was like the first weekend in November. We didn't do it obviously because Nick wasn't there, my husband, nick wasn't there. So the Saturday after Thanksgiving we're going to Smith Haven Mall to take pictures with Santa.

Speaker 6 14:30

Because you have to do it at Smith Haven, of course, because they have the most authentic Santa.

Speaker 3 14:35

You have to Wait, michael Gaylord.

Speaker 6 14:37

I have a question. When you watch the Christmas videos now that you were watching when we were talking on the phone a few weeks ago, what format are those on? Like, how are you watching?

Speaker 1 14:44

he has a vcr you still have a vcr, still has dad's vcr dvd player combo and it's actually it's messed up because it actually stopped working three days ago and I have a new one delivered today all right, well, but look, michael, I'm gonna send you a website or a link or something my sister just did it for our home videos.

Speaker 6 15:04

You can get them converted to like a zip drive thing that you can then share, and we, nick and I, are watching it. Just I don't know what we did on our. We hooked it up to the tv somehow, but yeah, so I'm gonna send that to you because you need to. Everybody needs copies of these. What if you get by a bus with the vcr?

Speaker 7 15:20

that wouldn't be the worst thing. Like who's driving the bus? Probably your dad, my dead dad.

Speaker 3 15:27

Okay, back to.

Speaker 6 15:27

Christmas. Back to Christmas. Maybe Dennis and Ed should share one of their family stories.

Speaker 1 15:33

Dennis said let's hear some of your stories, nothing eventful, really Bullshit.

Speaker 5 15:38

This morning we'd wake up, open our presents, we'd go over to our aunt's house. More presents and a lot of food, A whole lot of food. Our dad would usually roast a pig, Really.

Speaker 1 15:49

See, there's a good.

Speaker 5 15:50

Christmas tradition. Yeah, he was the pig roaster of the family and I remember the day of his funeral. One of my uncles said we'll never do a pig roast again Because he was always the one that did it.

Speaker 1 16:02

I mean, I would think that just one more time they would have done a pig roast in his honor. Nobody else knew how to do it, probably.

Speaker 5 16:08

You can Google that. I don't know how to do it. I don't know. Maybe they feel and I don't remember.

Speaker 6 16:14

Were your kids alive. How old were they when your dad passed? He passed only four years ago, yeah, ok, so so they remember the pig roast and stuff? Yeah, because it would be cool. I don't know, maybe when they have kids bring it back as like an homage. I don't know I want to do a pig roast Right? Hell yeah, you can hire companies too to do it.

Speaker 5 16:33

That's when we were kids. That's when Dennis and I were younger.

Speaker 6 16:36

Now that we're older, oh, he didn't do it older. Oh, okay, I did one for Dennis' housewoman.

Speaker 8 16:43

I came for a pig roast for that. That was great.

Speaker 5 16:47

Yeah, when he came home from the, I think on leave.

Family Holiday Traditions

Speaker 1 16:50

That was back in the 90s. Early 2000s 2000s, alright, so about 20 years ago. So Any other Christmas traditions that you guys remember that you looked forward to, Just seeing.

Speaker 5 17:05

cousins that we didn't get to see often. We only saw maybe two, three times a year. That was it. Where did they live? New Jersey. We grew up in Queens and we lived in Long Island.

Speaker 1 17:15

Everybody else was out in Jersey Did it vary from year to year who went where, whether everybody got together in New Jersey or if everybody came out.

Speaker 5 17:21

No, Thanksgiving was always at our house and then. Christmas was always.

Speaker 10 17:28

It would be at our house, but we would do like a roasted lamb as opposed to a roasted pig.

Speaker 4 17:32

They didn't, the lamb?

Speaker 2 17:34

was more for like an.

Speaker 10 17:35

Easter tradition and pig was more for Christmas Right. But then as time went on and people got older and kids were in school and college, families got a little bit less. So roasting a whole pig wasn't as efficient as you would think, so we would almost do it just once a year for like Christmasmas, let's say yeah, what do you mean?

Speaker 1 17:55

not efficient? I mean leftovers yeah there's only so much you can get.

Speaker 10 18:00

Like like you almost have to get it within a certain amount of weight. So like there's a flavor with the pig, and especially the lamb, that if you get it over a certain amount of weight and it starts to go more from being a younger lamb to an older lamb, it'll start to develop different tastes with it. So it's like you almost have to buy a certain weight limit and between a certain weight range, basically for the proper flavor so you got to fat.

Speaker 10 18:24

Shame it to the right weight in order for you right you got to get it before it's going to be fat shamed.

Speaker 1 18:30

Okay, if we're going to fat shame the pig, then we need to get it before it's going to be fat shamed. Okay, if we're going to fat shame the pig, then we need to get Yvonne involved.

Speaker 6 18:36

I believe it's called a suckling pig, if it's at the correct size.

Speaker 8 18:40

An extra $10, you can call it whatever you want at that point, that's right.

Speaker 1 18:44

Dennis, do you guys remember or have any knowledge of any other additional flavoring that your dad used to do with the pig? Or did additional flavoring that your dad used to do with the pig, or did he just throw it on and cook it? Did he use any special wood? Well as time went on like we had I've never cooked a pig, so I'm not really sure what to do with it we would get bags of charcoal and use multiple heating irons to start up the bags.

Speaker 10 19:05

So it was all like basically barbecued that's like the only way you can really do it and like we would help with skewering the pig in the morning. And somebody eventually had a motor that they borrowed and everything. And as time went on, the the motor was ideal and everybody had a motor, whether it was here in long island or new jersey, and then out in new jersey one of our uncles developed, he paid. Somebody developed like a pit, almost that's gonna that. It's got the wheels. You wheel in and out of the garage. So if there's bad weather, which we've had a few times, you wheel the thing into the garage and you cook it in there. So it's not only dependent on if it's good weather outside garage smelled like roasted pig for a month they didn't mind, because that's the culture

Speaker 10 19:49

that's almost like seafood and everything smelling like fish In their mind. It was great With us. It's like you smell, like your dinner.

Speaker 5 20:00

I'd rather it smelled like pig for a month than fish Christmas Eve was always like some kind of a shrimp and pasta or like a shrimp risotto type, some kind of fish on Christmas Eve. That sounds good. Shrimp risotto.

Speaker 6 20:12

Wait, is that italian? Is there italian, there croatian? Yeah, the next day oh interesting, all right, because we um sicilian, we do like the seven fishes on christmas eve.

Speaker 6 20:21

You want to talk about that because we're going to be doing it uh, sure, I mean, it's my mom's side, so it's not dad related, but yeah, that's on my mom's side of the family. We always would do our version of it. It wasn't always the traditional version, because sometimes you couldn't get some things or the kids wouldn't eat it or whatever, but we do it now to this day. We're going to do it at our house this year, nick and I, my family's coming, and we'll just make sure, as long as there's seven different varieties of seafood, we count it. It could be shrimp cocktail, it could be, you know whatever Some sort of red sauce made with seafood. We always do that as the pasta course and yeah, I like it. It works for us.

Speaker 4 20:58

Bumblebee has a good tuna fish.

Speaker 6 21:00

Now why seven? Oh yeah, we'd have to Google it to know.

Speaker 2 21:03

There's a reason for it that I don't know.

Speaker 6 21:05

It goes, yeah it has something to do with if it's Catholicism or Christianity of some sort. I think there's a reason, but I don't know why. As far as I know, it's only the Italians. The Greeks don't do that.

Speaker 3 21:18

So I don't know what the reason is. It's the number of possible interpretations of the number seven. Catholicism, Rome, biblical, early Christianity, southern Italian food.

Speaker 6 21:26

I'll lean for the win.

Speaker 4 21:27

Nice no Google for the win. Google.

Speaker 6 21:30

All right.

Speaker 4 21:33

Well, no google for the win.

Speaker 1 21:34

Google all right. Well, she googled it faster than she knows, she knows that.

Speaker 6 21:35

Yeah, I don't know. I can see her reading.

Speaker 1 21:36

I just can see her reading. I've got it on the screen too.

Speaker 6 21:38

That's funny yeah, so that was that.

Speaker 1 21:40

So I don't know what kind of fishers are we going to do this year, do you?

Speaker 6 21:44

well, we'll definitely do shrimp cocktail, because that's like an easy piece. It's an easy one, we always make baked clams. That's a big favorite in our family. And then the traditional one I guess the one that has the most sort of sentimental value is what we call my grandpa's seafood salad, which is just like a very Italian style seafood salad with, like you know, just like vinegar and oil, with celery and olives I'm not sure about the olives actually and so that usually has a variety of different seafoods scallops, shrimp, lobster, crab and then scongile, as my grandfather would say, which we tend to leave out. But you can get it I don't know because people think it's chewy or whatever, but you get it in like in the can.

Speaker 8 22:23

Jill likes it. Fried, like that's it. I don't go a lot of italians go nuts for it and I never got. Never went nuts for scone jill, I just if it's in the seafood salad.

Speaker 6 22:33

I'll eat it, but I don't know that I would like do it separate. So it was a big deal to get that recipe because my grandpa would always make it and nobody knew how. It wasn't written down. There was no recipe. So at some point I believe it was my cousin, andrea, who actually first sat with him one year when he was making it and wrote it down hey, I saw that she's. That wasn't to you, that was to michael. She sent us all copies of it. You know the recipe card. So now my sisters and I still make it, whoever's house we're at, if we're all together or if we're not.

Speaker 4 23:04

That's what we do, kim that photo behind your right shoulder? Yeah, okay, what is? Which one there's?

Speaker 8 23:12

two the bottom one y'all's a car you be heading a bridge.

Speaker 6 23:16

So yeah, the bottom one is just a like a poster of new york, of the skyline. The one above it, nick took actually, what is? What am I missing?

Speaker 1 23:26

you'll see it when I publish it on youtube okay, listen.

Speaker 6 23:29

And also the side texting for the listeners my husband and who knows who else are texting to themselves during this interview. That was just Mike Idiots. Mike, please refrain from showing hey attention or I'm going to steal the phones. Is he being an ass about the picture behind?

Speaker 1 23:45

No, he's not being an ass. He was trying to get you to look away.

Speaker 4 23:47

It was a decoy I did something that was inappropriate, but I don't want you to see it because it was inappropriate. I don't want to be rude in front of females.

Speaker 6 23:54

But your sister can see it.

Speaker 4 23:55

Yeah, I said females.

Speaker 6 23:58

Wow Sorry, helene, I gave him a slow ball down the middle on that one. We're just having a Christmas vacation when Chevy Chase said dear, and everybody looked and he gave the finger to the other driver. It's amazing how, after 18 years, I still fall for this Gaylord crap.

Speaker 1 24:16

Grace. She passed away 30 years ago.

Speaker 6 24:19

And we've lost the last listener who was hanging on to this point.

Speaker 1 24:23

I'm sure that there are plenty of people listening.

Speaker 3 24:24

Oh, I like the Christmas story better.

Speaker 4 24:26

I got Christmas Vacation. My top three are Vacation Story and the first Santa Claus.

Speaker 6 24:31

What a choice Story.

Speaker 4 24:33

So if I got, to do top five are no Christmas Kim. Vacation Story.

Speaker 3 24:38

Santa.

Speaker 4 24:38

Claus Home Alone and Jingle All the Way.

Speaker 3 24:42

Oh, I like Jingle All the Way People get so upset about this topic.

Speaker 7 24:46

We know what it is.

Speaker 6 24:47

Is it?

Speaker 4 24:47

or isn't it? I put Lethal Weapon and Die Hard in their own little Christmas category.

Speaker 1 24:52

Yes, lethal Weapon, the original one is definitely a Christmas movie 100%, it is.

Speaker 4 24:56

Yeah, fucked up his.

Speaker 1 24:56

Christmas tree. Believe that that's right.

Speaker 4 24:59

He went right through the front of the house Right through the window. That was it, so now at this point.

Speaker 1 25:02

I know that there are people listening who are cracking up and are saying, yeah, I agree.

Speaker 6 25:14

Or saying who can definitely relate to this family stupidity that we're displaying here. No, I'm saying whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie is very polarizing. It's very debatable.

Speaker 8 25:17

You either think it is or you think it isn't. Helene is clearly in the know. Well, he died in the elevator and he had the Santa hat on, he said ho, ho, ho.

Speaker 1 25:23

Yeah, remember when he wrote in blood.

Speaker 7 25:25

Why is he at?

Speaker 3 25:26

Santa. Okay, I can walk around with a Santa had and say ho, ho, ho too.

Speaker 8 25:29

That doesn't make me a Christmas movie In an elevator A New York City Christmas party though.

Speaker 1 25:36

And the bell went to LA for a.

Speaker 7 25:37

Christmas party.

Speaker 1 25:38

Yes. He was there for his wife's Christmas party.

Speaker 4 25:41

Yes, not for a Easter party, not for a 4th of July celebration, not for a Valentine's Day soiree For a Christmas party, okay.

Speaker 1 25:51

Who gave you permission to use words like swagger.

Speaker 6 25:53

I know that was impressive, michael.

Speaker 3 25:55

Did the entire movie take?

Speaker 2 25:57

place at the Christmas party. Yes, it did.

Speaker 1 26:00

The entire movie took place in Nakatomi Towers because of the Christmas party.

Speaker 7 26:05

And Reginald Bell Johnson. More than 90% of the movie, and the second movie too, was in the airport during Christmas, the whole movie during Christmas at at the airport that's true, die hard 2 took place, and why hasn't?

Speaker 8 26:16

reginald bell johnson, he got it yet.

Speaker 6 26:19

Huh, I think the reason you, james earl jones but I think because die hard is such a huge movie, it's having those conversations, but there are plenty of movies that take place at christmas or around christmas that we wouldn't put in that category, like what's that one I like with sarah jessica parker where she goes to the her boyfriend's family with diane keaton's in it. Oh, what's that?

Speaker 8 26:42

one. How do you that's a man-caught violation, nick well?

Speaker 1 26:46

I can't remember the name of it, so I haven't violated anything.

Speaker 8 26:49

Yes, you were even thinking about that. He gave us a woman.

Speaker 1 26:52

I live with a woman who watches Sex and the City. I know who Sarah Jessica Parker is. Is it Family Stone?

Speaker 6 26:58

It's not, but that's a good guess. Oh, maybe it is. I think it is Family Stone, you're right.

Speaker 1 27:04

When Jack gets back he can confirm or deny.

Speaker 4 27:07

Back to your comment about Reginald Belichon. Apparently there's some drama with him and the P Diddy scandal. That's why they're holding off on him.

Speaker 2 27:14

Oh.

Speaker 7 27:14

Apparently he paid P Diddy to have a little fun with him. Nah, but apparently he was one of the ones that we're receiving. You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 6 27:21

Yes, Okay, this is going in a very not Christmas direction.

Speaker 8 27:27

So I'm going to If he did it on Christmas. Now if it would have been Reginald and my boy Al Roker. Oh man, now that's a duo right there.

Speaker 1 27:37

That is a duo right there, Jack. What was the movie with Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton?

Speaker 6 27:43

Yeah, Christmas movie. Who else is in it? Oh?

Speaker 1 27:46

wait the Family.

Speaker 6 27:47

Stone. I don't think Jack is with us yet.

Speaker 9 27:49

He's there, but he's not there. I'm with you. I'm just trying to get somebody to cooperate. She's cooperating.

Speaker 1 27:56

What was that? Christmas movie Sarah Jessica Parker. Christmas movie Sarah Jessica Parker, diane Keaton.

Speaker 6 27:59

Is it the Family Stone? Do you know that movie?

Speaker 9 28:02

No, yeah, I don't think he would have known that movie.

Speaker 6 28:04

Yeah, anyway, we'll get back to you on that. Helene wouldn't know it because it's not a Hallmark Christmas movie, no, it's not.

Speaker 4 28:10

Those movies are horrible. I love them, it's the Family Stone.

Speaker 7 28:16

It is right, Thank you Was Rachel.

Speaker 6 28:17

McAdams in the movie. She was.

Speaker 7 28:18

Was Luke.

Speaker 6 28:19

Wilson in the movie and I was going to say Luke Wilson. I knew it was one of the Wilsons, but it wasn't.

Speaker 1 28:22

Owen, I'm going to say this, and I know that I'm going to outcast at least a few people who? And the Hallmark channel there's the same 12 actors that make 15,000 movies.

Speaker 3 28:34

Now there's new actors.

Speaker 1 28:36

Oh, now we're up to 15 actors.

Speaker 3 28:38

No, because all the old ones Well there's a lawsuit no well, there's a lawsuit with Lacey Chabert and I can't remember the other actors.

Speaker 1 28:48

Oh, that's right, because now that Aunt Becky's gone she can't be in any of the movies. No, be quiet.

Speaker 3 28:56

Because Hallmark the new executive of Hallmark said that they're not hiring Lacey Chabert and Holly Pete Robinson and Holly Pete Robinson because they're too old for their movies.

Speaker 6 29:06

Yep.

Speaker 3 29:07

And then Candace Cameron Bure left the network as a lot of. We probably shouldn't talk about why she left the network as a lot of.

Speaker 6 29:14

We probably shouldn't talk about why she left the network, but if anybody wants, to find me.

Speaker 3 29:17

I'll let them know.

Christmas Traditions and Train Shows

Speaker 6 29:18

Wait, I have a question. Can I ask a? We'll pretend this is a grill that hosts. Yeah, can we go back to Christmas? It does occur to me that the theme of the website corresponds more to maybe possibly like negative memories of Christmas pertaining to our dads who are now dead, If some exist. I don't want to put that on everybody, but, Nick, I'll start with you. Do you have any negative other than the New Balance speakers when you were a kid? Do you have any memories of your dad at Christmas that maybe aren't the best, Because I know Christmas in general was a highlight, because he was great at Christmas.

Speaker 1 29:56

Well, I mean, one way that he fucked Christmas up was the train show that he did. I think it was in 1993 when he broke his ankle 90. Stupid, we were just talking, was it 90?

Speaker 3 30:06

No, because mom said I was born.

Speaker 1 30:08

Yeah, she was.

Speaker 3 30:09

No, mom said I was born.

Speaker 7 30:14

I wasn't born until 93. I have the video. Maybe he broke his ankle twice at Christmas.

Speaker 1 30:16

No, he definitely only broke it once. Okay, well, in any case, what happened? He had the train show he went out to. Why don't you tell?

Speaker 6 30:22

everybody what that means by he had the train show.

Speaker 1 30:25

Okay. So anybody who has listened to the first few episodes knows that my dad was big into trains. Michael has all of the lionel trains, all of the lionel trains that our dad has been collecting probably since he I don't know. I think he got his first train when he was like six or seven years old, so we're going back to the 50s and he just collected them for years and years, and in the basement of his house he would always he had a big wooden board. I was like 12 by 12 feet and he I don't want to say that he set up everything, because he pretty much took advantage of child slave labor and had all of us set everything up.

Speaker 8 31:00

That's what I was getting at.

Speaker 1 31:01

Yeah, we were all crawling around the board and on the top of the board, underneath the board, drawing the holes passing the wires through to light up all the little lights and all the little houses and everything. The end result was definitely a good memory. But having to get up on that board and get underneath the board, that was a fucking shit show. I did not enjoy that at all.

Speaker 4 31:20

Like full weekend because there was only about what? Three feet of space between the top of the board and the ceiling, four feet maybe really yeah, I mean it was what is that?

Speaker 1 31:30

like a seven foot, yeah, the board was about three and a half feet high. I had nothing to do with that If I could have been walking up on the top of the board. I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to go over there and spend all weekend long, for three months setting up the stupid train board Really Three months. He would start setting it up in the beginning of fall In September yeah.

Speaker 8 31:51

Wow.

Speaker 6 31:53

I would think taking it down would have been just as bad after the holidays. Now he didn't, though. I mean the board was a permanent fixture but, what about packing up all the trains and stuff like didn't they have to get repacked every the trains did get packed up, but most they were on shelves for the most part.

Speaker 4 32:04

Yeah, they were on shelves.

Speaker 6 32:05

He had everything on display, oh, okay that wasn't like taking down christmas decorations and like packing them back no, not exactly a lot of the houses and stuff.

Speaker 1 32:13

Sometimes he would leave them there, sometimes he would disconnect the wire or we would disconnect the wires underneath.

Speaker 1 32:19

He would wrap those back up and well, first they had to be cleaned because he had, like, the powdered sugar, he would get like with the cornstarch, the strainer, the cornstarch, the sifter, just like tap it all over the houses and the board to make it look like it had snowed. So those had to get cleaned and we were cleaning those, and then he would bitch and moan if we packed anything up slightly the wrong way. So yeah, the best part of the train board was seeing the final product. And when he had these train shows that I alluded to a few minutes ago, he would just have these big, elaborate invites, like people that he and Joe Michael and your mom used to work with or just friends of theirs. They would all come over and eat, drink and be merry and see the trains and he would put them on display and show everybody the Christmas lights outside in the house and the big tree that was outside, and that was the big display that we usually spent three months getting ready for.

Speaker 6 33:11

I mean it's pretty cool really when you think about it. Yes, the best part of it was cool.

Speaker 1 33:16

The best part of it was seeing the finished product, everything before and after sucked.

Speaker 6 33:20

But even the fact that he opened the house up then and had people over that, it was like he was proud of it and he wanted to like because he wasn't always the most social guy at this point of his life, right? No, he wasn't, but of of course that was kind of nice.

Speaker 1 33:36

Yeah, it was nice, and it was also nice of him to take all the credit for everything. Anybody else want to know what jack's thinking right now?

Speaker 8 33:38

yeah, jack you need to contribute something here, tell us about some of your favorite christmas traditions or not favorite ones.

Speaker 1 33:43

Favorite christmas traditions? Sorry, was the question too hard? Shut the fuck up. Merry christmas, merry christmas everybody. Now probably Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas everybody.

Speaker 9 33:51

Now, probably the most traditional thing that we do every year is that I enjoy smoking a turkey, slow cooking a turkey. I remember when I did it for the first time that was in 2013, when I was in South Korea Now Camp Casey, south Korea. We are the northernmost base to the demilitarized zone, to DMZ. I was stupid enough to say something that I had that I enjoyed cooking, or what have you. So I got tasked for the unit to make a Christmas dinner. So I had a 22 inch Weber kettle, I had some charcoal, I had a 20 pound bird, and so I decided I'm just going to slow cook this thing.

Speaker 9 34:33

But the lid and the turkey was so big so I couldn't put the lid on top of it. So a soldier and I took a very long piece of cardboard, wrapped it in tinfoil, so basically to extend the height of the grill and then put the lid on top of that. So we ended up doing very crudely, but I mean it cooked like seven or eight hours and yeah, that was a picture around between 20 and 25 soldiers just gathering around and just dissecting this turkey and there was just nothing but a carcass there. Little things like that really took our mind off of. You know a lot of things that were happening in the world, or just you know how much we missed our family and loved ones and such. But that kind of started me wanting to do something like that, to where it's, to what it's evolved to now.

Speaker 1 35:20

Okay, so has it become a regular tradition that you guys do every Christmas now.

Speaker 9 35:24

Yes, and if not Christmas, thanksgiving, or if everybody comes over and meat fest, uh it's. It takes a long time, but, that being said, over at Meat Fest, meat-a-palooza, meat-a-palooza. It takes a long time, but, that being said, I enjoyed the prep work. I enjoyed the attention to detail. The thing I hate the most is because everything that goes into it, the days and the hours on the day of, I enjoy so much. But when it happens you know it's over. It's over, yeah.

Speaker 1 35:55

Well, I can say say yeah, I think we can all take. Well, done jack jack. What about the childhood?

Speaker 9 35:58

christmas traditions during childhood. I mean we had, we got. We went out to the eastern end of long island every christmas, to where my, our mother's side of the family would go. That was our chance. I think, with what ed said earlier I think it was that that talked about, you know, seeing cousins and other family members that that was our chance. I think what Ed said earlier I think it was Ed that talked about, you know, seeing cousins and other family members. That was an annual thing and that was always good. The kids are always playing card games and stuff in the kitchen. I remember a couple of years where there was a Clint Eastwood movie on the television. Get to watch it and get to really learn some cool four letter words.

Speaker 6 36:27

Wait, when you guys were growing up, it wasn't Christmas story 24 hours a day, like it's now.

Speaker 1 36:32

Well, Christmas movie was I think 1983, but it didn't really 82. 82, okay, it didn't really catch on for several years after that.

Speaker 6 36:42

Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but that's the memory I have of Christmas at your grandparents' house, at Grammy and Grampy's.

Speaker 1 36:48

The TV was on.

Speaker 9 36:53

Yeah, that became more of an adult tradition, gotcha. And yeah, I mean even in our own house it would be on TV STNT. I think that for me, that's the thing that stands out the most, that's the one. That's the thing that was an annual thing. We would always go out east. We were always out with the Harris side of the family.

Speaker 9 37:07

Most of the time was spent with our father's parents. That was just most of the time was spent with them. It wasn't until Rosemary came that it felt like Christmas became a big deal, and that's when he set up a video recorder, a camcorder, to record the unwrapping of presents. The little things that happened really took hold when she came there.

Speaker 1 37:31

I can agree with that. She definitely made it a lot more holiday-ish Merry. Yeah, a lot more merry, for sure.

Speaker 6 37:37

Well, and Joseph, of course, helped.

Speaker 1 37:39

Well, yeah, then when Joseph came along, the arrival of the baby yeah, I mean, we had to put up with a baby around, but he was actually a really good baby.

Speaker 3 37:47

Well, I was gonna say and I also wonder if it's like how mom and dad separately grew up, Like I don't know if dad had any like Christmas traditions or holiday traditions for that matter that he did with his family, whereas mom's family was always together.

Speaker 1 38:02

Yeah, I'm going to be honest.

Speaker 6 38:03

I really don't remember dad doing all that much before your mom was there, but also it's just the three of them right, His parents and him. They didn't have family on long Island Right.

Speaker 1 38:14

No, most of his family was either in the city and Astoria, queens, or outside of the state? Yeah, so.

Speaker 6 38:21

I probably a very different experience than like what Rosemary had. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 38:25

Well, I mean also. So Papu died in 1985. Yeah, I died in 1990. Thank you, michael. What? What happened? Michael?

Speaker 3 38:35

Yaya died two days after Michael was born. Oh my gosh, Helene, how morbid, no, mom says that her soul went directly into Michael.

Speaker 1 38:44

That's an episode for a different time. Let's save that. Before Rosemary came along, I really don't remember. I mean, yeah, it was Christmas and we went over and we did gifts and there was dinner, but there wasn't any really big celebrating that I remember I don't remember like if you and jack would go to your grandparents house at the time, which is now obviously rosemary's house?

Speaker 6 39:06

yeah, would. It would just be the five of you like your grandparents. Your dad, oh, maybe if he was married to somebody else. Yeah they would be there and then until papu passed, dennis and ed. What about you guys? Any negative christmas things you remember, like I don't know, decorating being a miserable or not getting the present you wanted, or something?

Speaker 5 39:25

no, the closest thing I could say it was negative and it really wasn't looking back was I was usually one stuck helping my dad prepping the pig while everybody else was. All the other kids were inside the house playing and you were the oldest yeah so you didn't enjoy that then no but, now looking back at it, you know it's not so bad. It wasn't so it wasn't so bad.

Speaker 6 39:47

Yeah, yeah, I could see that.

Speaker 1 39:48

Yeah, I wish I could say that about being up on the train board looking back I still didn't enjoy it.

Speaker 6 39:52

No, it's awful, but we did. I'm just realizing. I went to dennis and ed, but mike hasn't. Mike has not realized mike and his, I think.

Speaker 2 40:00

I think mike has us on mute and he's getting fat shamed by yvonne no, that's because I'm high nice jealous you didn't share with us oh okay, christmas, it's a season of sharing yeah, christmas, I love christmas.

Speaker 8 40:13

Growing up it was the best. It's my favorite holiday and my dad put a lot of time into it and the family half puerto rican and half italian, so I got the best of both worlds all the food.

Speaker 8 40:26

it was like the food seeds of the godfather movie, I mean the food coming out and it was an all night affair, going from Christmas Eve all day to the day of, and we'd either go out to the city in Queens or have it at my house with the family coming out. But definitely the best experience. And still to the day I sleep in front of the Christmas tree. I can't get my Christmas. I saw that I can't get the tree quick enough. I'm always in front of the fireplace. I love it. I love the holiday.

Speaker 6 40:53

you know, I love that I want to come to your house for Christmas.

Speaker 8 40:56

You should, you really should, and you know now that the old man's gone, it's horrible, it's not the way it used to be, but.

Speaker 6 41:04

It's horrible, yeah, but what about Mike Like as, like you and Yvonne have built your so many things to her that are new, that she didn't grow up with, and vice versa?

Family Christmas Traditions and New Beginnings

Speaker 8 41:12

I love spending the day with her more of like just me and her for the day Really don't go out my family enough. But yeah, my usually my favorite part of the year is actually going up to see Jack during Christmas to have a get together with everybody. That we have a great time, you know, between that and doing a course Jack during Christmas to have a get-together with everybody we have a great time between that and doing Comic-Con.

Speaker 4 41:35

Of course, my new favorite thing you guys made this last time was those cinnamon biscuit things. What you guys made those biscuits with the cinnamon butter or whatever it was.

Speaker 1 41:46

I think they're called cinnamon rolls.

Speaker 9 41:48

He's talking about the. Made a honey butter?

Speaker 4 41:51

Yes, when was this In May, when we were there.

Speaker 5 41:56

Oh okay.

Speaker 4 41:58

It was.

Speaker 1 41:58

Christmas and you're talking about the spring.

Speaker 4 42:01

Well, no, because Mike talked about the food and stuff.

Speaker 2 42:03

Mother's Day.

Speaker 4 42:05

That's one of my new favorite things. I never had that before until you and Johnny made it last time.

Speaker 6 42:10

I think it was delicious. You've lived such a sheltered life. I was going to say I made honey better the other night. I don't remember. Well, mike, if you get your ass on a plane you would have some amazing food here.

Speaker 1 42:16

We've gotten through the old Christmas traditions. Let's talk about new traditions that everybody has started with your respective families and yes, this can include everybody who is not married and has kids. Because you guys are adults, you guys can celebrate the holidays, but, joe and Dennis, let's start with you guys, joe and Dennis. Joe, yeah.

Speaker 6 42:35

They're not married.

Speaker 1 42:36

Joe is single. Oh sorry, dennis, so before we get into everybody else.

Speaker 8 42:42

I would like to hear you guys Just throws you with a back of the village voice. That's right.

Speaker 1 42:46

What do you guys do for Christmas?

Speaker 7 42:47

now, same thing I did 35 years ago.

Speaker 1 42:50

Yeah, just keep it nice and simple, huh.

Speaker 7 42:52

Yeah, I mean yeah, we haven't really done anything different. We always go to our aunt and uncle's house for Christmas Day, open presents during the morning, obviously, and go there for the day. I mean this is our first Christmas with Nora. So I mean, I don't know what we're doing. I mean we're going to do Mike with, he's going to play Santa. So I mean I'm assuming we'll just continue that tradition, but I mean we haven't done anything.

Speaker 3 43:14

Well, but Christmas Eve is changing this year. Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 7 43:18

Yeah, so.

Speaker 4 43:20

Dennis and.

Speaker 7 43:20

Mike, dennis and Joe. No, mike, put yourself on mute, go back, lean back. Yeah, his wife actually wants to do a Bulgarian style, so you?

Speaker 4 43:30

want me to say it real quick. Christmas Eve is the big day. Christmas Day isn't, you know whatever. So Christmas Eve is a big celebration and when you get your first home and you start your family, it's bad luck to not do a Christmas Eve celebration for the big holiday in your home. So instead of doing Christmas Eve at my mom's this year, Bronzy will make classic Bulgarian dishes. Oh my God, I love this, yeah.

Speaker 6 43:59

Wait, so this is your first Christmas in this house. Yes, I was misinformed.

Speaker 3 44:05

Oh, I was. They moved in February 1st, hence why your niece was born the next day.

Speaker 6 44:11

Okay, Michael, don't listen. When I said I'm going to get them something for Christmas that says first year, you said it's not their first year.

Speaker 1 44:18

Oh my gosh. Well, no, they closed on the house before Christmas. They weren't living in it.

Speaker 4 44:25

We closed on the house December 21st. In February 1st Right.

Speaker 6 44:32

First year you're decorating, first year you'll have all your first memories in this house.

Speaker 4 44:37

Mom Joe Nick Colleen and little Nora are going to come over.

Speaker 6 44:41

I love this.

Speaker 4 44:43

Yeah, dress up as Santa, and you know, and you know, bronco will make, like I said, bulgarian dishes and we'll set the table up. You know the way, you know they do over there and stuff.

Speaker 7 44:51

Do they make pigs in a blanket in Bulgaria? No one did.

Speaker 3 44:55

No, but mom's doing Christmas Eve over the weekend.

Speaker 7 44:58

The weekend before or the day or no. Stupid, the two days before. Well, no, christmas is like in the middle of the week.

Speaker 1 45:04

this year, right Like on a Wednesday, christmas is on a Wednesday.

Speaker 6 45:07

Oh, and by Christmas I mean tomorrow, Because technically this is Christmas Eve.

Speaker 7 45:11

So, Veronica's already making the fish, so Veronica's cooking right now, you guys are.

Speaker 6 45:14

Yeah she's in there making the bush, if anybody hasn't figured it out. Oh, and my whole family's here and we're having the fishes, that's right, everybody's here.

Speaker 1 45:20

They're destroying our house as we're recording this. No, obviously, if anybody hasn't figured it out yet, we're not actually recording on Christmas Eve, but the episode is dropping on Christmas Eve.

Speaker 6 45:30

Guys, that makes me so happy. You know I'm a big mush and nothing.

Speaker 4 45:38

I've heard in this whole episode has made me happier than to hear that's what you guys are all doing on Christmas Eve. My heart is full. I'll be back in two minutes.

Speaker 7 45:42

Take pictures, okay, I will 100% Of what, what he's about to go do, or Christmas Eve.

Speaker 3 45:46

I don't want to know anything about what he's about to go do.

Speaker 1 45:48

I have no interest in seeing or knowing what he's about to do, so there will be no pictures of that. Anyway, joe, now that Mike is gone and has finished hijacking the conversation back to you. That's pretty much it.

Speaker 7 46:01

I haven't experienced it yet, obviously, so can't tell you what it's like.

Speaker 1 46:03

But well then, we need to get you married off and get a house and I'm talking about the Bulgarian Thanksgiving, christmas Eve he hasn't experienced that yet.

Speaker 6 46:10

Well, you haven't experienced that either. That was mainly because bitches be tripping, but okay okay, but buy a house and have us all over for Christmas one year. How about that? I just wait for my mom to die and come into a house.

Speaker 8 46:22

Oh no, hey, listen, just watch out for those Asian women. Dude, Don't do my mistake.

Speaker 7 46:28

So if I just have a mistake when I do it, Okay.

Speaker 6 46:31

Dennis, anything you'd like to mention, you have your own house.

Speaker 1 46:34

I mean, it's the house that you grew up in. You now own it, but what do you do for Christmas?

Speaker 10 46:40

Up until pretty much last year, I was always working, so it was basically either you have to work one or two days, christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I'd traditionally be off on Christmas Eve and we still kept up with Christmas Eve traditions at home, with the family and everything, and then I'd work Christmas Day. In all honesty, the commute in on Christmas Day was Probably the best commute.

Speaker 7 47:04

It's like three cars on the road. Yeah, for anybody who may not remember from the original episode.

Speaker 1 47:09

Dennis is now retired NYPD, so now you can finally start, as is Mike, so now you can start some new traditions. So what are you going to do this year?

Speaker 10 47:19

I try and just basically catch up with the family for all the years that were missed, basically.

Speaker 10 47:23

So I know trying to go out to even visit family in New Jersey is also difficult because as everyone's gotten older kids have gotten older and everyone tends to be on different pages.

Speaker 10 47:33

But just trying to be around like my mom and Ed's family, even though we only live a mile away from each other there was many years of all this mist and just trying to get everything done in like a christmas eve night, it's like you could be a little bit more civil and enjoy the actual holiday now, which I appreciate more than anything, that years that were missed. We still have some time that we could all spend time together and make up for lost time basically. So like still get mom's traditional cooking, just not to the extent that it once was, but it's spending time and getting that food that you typically don't get on everyday basis. You know, yeah, any favorites that your mom cooks. It varies. I don't mind having roast beef or like turkey breast and like baked potatoes that we would do traditionally with like olive oil and like salt and pepper and stuff like kind of on the basic side, but still very good across the board.

Speaker 1 48:32

Ed, you're the one with the kids who are the oldest. Yeah, what have you and Lynn created as far as family holiday traditions?

Speaker 5 48:40

Well, usually, like Christmas Eve we'd see my family and her family, you know we and then midnight mass I'd always go to my mom, my brother, yeah, and then christmas day we would just, you know, we would see everybody christmas eve, because that was the easiest, because then christmas day we'd kind of stay at home and my wife's sisters you know that they have their own in-laws to visit and everybody Right, everything. So yeah, it would just be just me and Lynn at home with the kids.

Speaker 1 49:04

Nice, you might have to invite Mike to Christmas, because you know, apparently Christmas when you're married to an Asian woman is horrible. Yeah, oh, no, it's the worst. We all know he's full of crap.

Speaker 8 49:15

God forbid, I get everything I want on Christmas Day. You mean food, of course, oh, yes, yeah, that's it. No, I mean she cooks amazing. She's one of the best cooks I know. You know I love my asian food, so she has this wok that's, like you know, over 30 years old, or whatever that her mom handed down to her, and she can make these smoky lo mein noodles that I love. Oh, she's making a shepherd's pie now and she does that just as good as she does asian food so the next get together is at mike's house I was gonna say I really never had a mom cook for me.

Speaker 6 49:46

I need this to happen christmas 2025 might have. It doesn't have to be christmas, but seriously, the next time we're up there, let's try to organize you guys, you know, yeah, because I mean as much as we all love going up to jack and kim's, it would be a little bit more centrally located if we were at your house, and now that they've got the two kids, yeah, exactly a halfway point between everybody yeah, let's do that.

Culinary Conversations and Cooking Friendship

Speaker 6 50:10

Yeah, you haven't been to their house. They've got a great I haven't even been there. I've seen all the pictures and stuff, but I haven't been to the house. It's amazing, it's gorgeous from the pictures. Yeah, yeah, but those you had me at smoky lo, mein noodles and 30-year-old wok Mike.

Speaker 8 50:21

I mean it's older than 30 years old. I mean this is going to be in my family forever. Oh my God, it's probably like black.

Speaker 6 50:29

Yes, the smokiness so good, it's like my cast iron skillet.

Speaker 8 50:34

Or any Asian noodle. It should be smoky.

Speaker 6 50:37

You should have a taste of smoke at the end, but not added in Right. Just from the vessel. You're doing it right.

Speaker 8 50:46

That's real Asian food.

Speaker 6 50:47

We're getting Chinese food tonight.

Speaker 8 50:50

Or somebody who knows what they're doing.

Speaker 1 50:52

So good, remember, you're talking to a chef over here.

Speaker 8 50:55

Yeah, I know Some of the best meals.

Speaker 2 50:58

I've had. That's not my forte.

Speaker 8 50:59

When.

Speaker 6 50:59

I make lo mein noodles. They're fake, Believe me, they're not the real meals. That's not my forte Like when I make lo mein noodles.

Speaker 8 51:04

They're fake, believe me, they're not the real deal. I can't do it. Hey there's. I can't do lo mein. I can do Italian food and I like to. I'm a sauce guy Like Nick and Jack can do prep, like, if you need something that's going to take six hours to do, they can do it. Make gravies, something that takes 30 minutes or less. I really like that type of flavoring and I love to drown my food in a type of sauce.

Speaker 6 51:26

So I think what we'll do, Mike, let's do it this way. If we do it we'll do like an overnight, so you and I can cook maybe Italian one night and then we'll have Yvonne cook the next day.

Speaker 1 51:36

Yeah, she'll do the Asian, yeah, maybe.

Speaker 8 51:43

Yeah, I mean that would be fun. Buy something to drown your food and you mean a1, right, yes, a1, I need a bucket of that on my steak. I love that stuff.

Speaker 5 51:47

I love me back, but I love my steak sauce it's always a fun debate listening to the nuances of how one eats a steak between nick and mike. Yeah, that's not even a christmas holiday.

Speaker 2 51:57

That's just a general conversation I used to go eat 120 steak and put fucking A1 on it.

Speaker 8 52:02

Wait, wasn't it when?

Speaker 6 52:03

you guys had.

Speaker 8 52:04

Mike's.

Speaker 6 52:05

Yeah, you're disgusting. Wait, but didn't you guys do Mike's bachelor dinner or something at a fancy Brooklyn?

Speaker 1 52:12

Didn't we go to Luger's? We went to Manhattan with old Olstead.

Speaker 10 52:15

No, we were in Manhattan, An old Olmstead right.

Speaker 6 52:20

And did you ask them for A1?

Speaker 1 52:24

homestead right. Yeah, all right. And did you ask them for a1?

Speaker 6 52:26

we, I'm pretty sure we threatened the people to not give them a1 because it's like the way you get the worst cut of steak or the worst piece of whatever you order is to ask for it. Well done, and or with sauce, yeah, they'll give you the worst. If you ask for it, like, nick likes it just medium with just salt and pepper.

Speaker 8 52:39

That's all you see my favorite steak sauce is the Peter Luger sauce. When you do a sauce like that, oh I lose. I go nuts for it, and I love Worcestershire sauce.

Speaker 6 52:48

We should make that sauce that we make. I'm going to send you, Mike, I'm going to send you a recipe.

Speaker 1 52:55

It's a butter-based horseradish garlic and herbs.

Speaker 6 53:00

So it's nothing like a regular steak sauce.

Speaker 8 53:01

See, I do a whole soy sauce marinade for my steaks sometimes, so I'll do coffee, garlic, a lot of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oregano salt, a bunch of other shit. I wrote it down. You let it sit and the next day the steak comes out amazing and if you ever do it, you've got to do an espresso rub on a steak. That is one of the best steaks.

Speaker 6 53:20

I've ever had. But when you marinate it like that overnight, what cut of meat do you use?

Speaker 8 53:26

Because you don't do that for a rib eye, I like to use porterhouses.

Speaker 6 53:29

T-bones, Really yes. See. If I have an expensive A filet, yes, because it needs flavor. But if I have a porterhouse or a rib eye, I'm not messing it up by putting I need flavor.

Speaker 8 53:38

I love flavor on my steak.

Speaker 1 53:41

All right, mike's complaining about all of the Asian food that he has to have at Christmas.

Speaker 8 53:45

He'd prefer to be doing a marinated steak and Smith and Wansky does a great steak where they, I guess, like they do, like a bunch of cracked pepper corn on there and a bunch it's a it's a steak. They got it.

Speaker 8 53:58

Remember them telling me the story at a Mardi Gras or something somebody was saying they cook a steak down there like that, where it's all these cracked peppercorns on the steak and all these herbs and stuff, and they have it on the menu and it's unbelievable. It's one of the best steak dinners I ever had, all right you go to mardi gras, but you won't come to tampa well, he goes to mardi gras in the city.

Speaker 6 54:19

He doesn't come, he doesn't go to new orleans for it.

Speaker 1 54:23

Yeah, you're going to new york mardi gras it's okay, we're just fucking with you.

Speaker 6 54:26

Tell avon I'm sending her this. I'm messaging it to her on messenger.

Speaker 1 54:30

Yeah, you're gonna love it, you're not on facebook and actually for all the listeners, I will even post um the it's a. It's a pinterest link, right? Yeah, all right, I will post the link to this butter horseradish sauce recipe on the episode notes pinterest has great recipes for soups.

Speaker 8 54:46

I did a kielbasa, or she did one. It was like a kielbasa, white bean, oh my lord. Something else, uh, like stew or soup that I got off of there. I had it a couple of weeks ago. It was unbelievable, and it was easy on the stomach too, which is good I'm not sure I've ever thought of kielbasa and white beans as going together it is amazing this soup. Nick doesn't like beans, and if you have it with, some good bread, like a nice crusty Italian bread, especially with this weather where it's nice and cold.

Speaker 5 55:15

Nick, you've got to have a whole episode dedicated entirely just to food you and Jack should have your own food network.

Speaker 8 55:22

Seasons man just barbecuing and cooking. You guys are amazing and I'm sure if you guys pitched it together they'd hire you, because you both have great personalities for this and you're an entire she should be on there too.

Speaker 1 55:34

I don't disagree with you at all, but I think that would probably be a completely separate podcast.

Speaker 8 55:39

No, but I'm saying if you visit your friends and cook for them, you could film that, send it out as a pitch to the Food Network.

Speaker 1 55:47

I've been telling this one for years.

Speaker 6 55:49

You think, nick and Jack should do that. You too, oh me. Oh, I thought you meant Nick and Jack have good personalities.

Speaker 1 55:55

All three.

Speaker 8 55:56

All guys should go to your friends. You cook, you film it, because every meal I've had with you guys has been amazing. You know, it's not like I'm eating a peasant it's really actually.

Speaker 2 56:06

I love peasant food yeah there's nothing wrong with some good peasant food I'm a sicilian, I have to.

Speaker 6 56:11

It's in my bones.

Speaker 1 56:12

I agree it would be nice to film all that. I've been trying to get her to do it for years and she doesn't have any interest.

Speaker 6 56:17

It's just personality for it and just I would do a podcast where we talk about food.

Speaker 1 56:23

Yeah, but I mean, we can talk about food, but we need to actually show what's happening.

Speaker 6 56:27

Yeah, I'm retired.

Speaker 1 56:27

People are going to salivate over people talking about it.

Speaker 6 56:30

They want to see it, yeah, but it's not like it's not out there. There's a thousand places they can go to see it. What's going to make it special?

Speaker 1 56:36

Because you're making it. That's what makes I'm over it.

Speaker 6 56:39

I'm in travel now.

Speaker 8 56:41

Nobody does it for their friends. You never see a show where they go to their friend's house and they cook and they catch us. You can cook a meal, or they can introduce a meal that's been in their household for generations.

Speaker 6 56:55

Maybe we'll do it as an offshoot of our dead dad. I'm going to work on talking her into this.

Speaker 1 56:59

After you and.

Speaker 6 57:00

Helene, start your podcast.

Speaker 1 57:01

Right After Helene and I start our podcast. Mike, that's actually a really good idea. I don't know if I'm going to be able to talk her into it. I mean, you guys got the personality for it.

Speaker 8 57:08

I could see it being pitched and just getting hired on the spot.

Speaker 6 57:11

Especially if they try you. Do we have the faces for it, though? That's the thing.

Speaker 8 57:17

They just going to focus on the food you know what?

Speaker 6 57:20

Thank you, dennis and Ed. I appreciate the laughter. That was great, all right.

Speaker 1 57:24

Anybody have any last closing comments, any recommendations? That somebody should start its holiday tradition of their own.

Christmas Memories and Family Traditions

Speaker 8 57:30

I had a really good experience One Christmas. I'll always remember about my father To me. My father has always been my hero. He's up there with John. It had to be either kindergarten or first grade and we had a Lionel train set. My dad loved trains, I love trains. And it's Christmas Eve and I'm playing and the train goes off the tracks and the engine breaks.

Speaker 1 57:51

I don't think I ever knew that your dad was also into trains.

Speaker 8 57:54

Yeah, my dad loved I mean, I always had a Lionel train track going around the Christmas tree since I can remember I was infatuated with trains from a young age damn straight. So now the train goes over the track, it breaks and I love the engine and you know I'm like, oh man, this sucks, whatever. The next day is Christmas I wake up and I get a new engine for my train, set for my Lionel, and it was an awesome engine too and I just I thought Santa was real, like you couldn't tell me otherwise at that point.

Speaker 6 58:24

Right.

Speaker 8 58:25

My dad was like, oh man, maybe you should ask Santa or whatever. And it kind of ruined my Christmas Eve when it went over a little bit and I'm like, well, I can still use it, but it just it's not. It's just not going to work like it used to. But when I got this new engine I was the happiest kid on the planet. How old were you? Kindergarten, either kindergarten or first grade.

Speaker 3 58:44

So, like five, six years old, it's the best story ever, right.

Speaker 8 58:48

I mean, I always remember the feeling how excited I was. And then there was another year. I was in seventh grade and I come home and I already knew that my parents were Santa no big deal. So there's all these presents sit on the dinner table and there's this VCR or whatever. And I walk in and I was like, oh, that's neat, who's that for? And they go, oh, that's for your grandmother, and no big deal. And I keep walking.

Speaker 8 59:17

I always wanted a VCR but I never thought in a million years I was going to get it and my dad's filming this Christmas morning for some odd reason. I was like why I'm an old kid, you know. But it captured my expression opening the VCR and I was the happiest kid on the planet and right away I hooked it up to my TV. I was recording GI Joe the movie. Right after I was opening up my Christmas presents, channel 11 was playing this and I was like, oh my God, what luck, you know. And I was just so happy to get that. But I had awesome Christmases growing up. And then, you know, when my parents split, not so good, but for the most part.

Speaker 6 59:51

I love that about you, mike, though, that you hold on to the good years and the good memories.

Speaker 8 59:56

Yeah, that's what I hold on to and I always try to you know, or at least have a very good Christmas where I can try to get that feeling, where you know, maybe I'll do a lasagna or something the night before or something that'll make me remember the good times. Bring that back.

Speaker 1 1:00:10

Yeah, I love that. That's a great story. Thanks for sharing that. Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:00:14

I mean we kind of had the same. You know, when we grew up we were extremely fortunate that Christmas was always great at our house. We always got the toys we wanted. We always got everything we ever wanted. I know when we were younger, like little, you and Johnny would come over Christmas Eve and stay there for a few hours and we would do presents and stuff like that. And then when you got a little older you came over like Christmas morning, you guys. But yeah, we were always cool. We always got Nintendos and games and wrestlers and trains and bikes or scooter. It was always cool. But, mike, you got to learn how to control the speed on that train. Bro, you can't be going too fast around those cars.

Speaker 8 1:00:50

I know, man, what's wrong with you, my dude.

Speaker 3 1:00:55

Those Turkish amphetamines are just too much.

Speaker 1 1:00:56

Well, I have a funny story. You got to be professional.

Speaker 3 1:01:00

Yeah, tell us, husband, nick. So it kind of goes with the VCR, right. So this was Christmas of 2020. So we were like, whatever we're cooped up in the house all year, like we're going to go big for Christmas gifts for Nick and I, right? So I was very into like the Peloton series at that point, but Pelotons are way out of our budget. So nick got like this costco version of peloton, but it was the treadmill, it's called echelon, right? So that was my christmas gift. And all nick wanted that year for christmas was that the new xbox that came out I don't know what box was called.

Speaker 2 1:01:33

It's like the tower, yeah the tower one.

Speaker 3 1:01:35

yeah, so that thing was freaking like, impossible to get, like even if you were on it like midnight when it dropped like you were not getting it. So we go over to my mom's house for Christmas Eve, cause that's what we do. Kathy, jerry, nick's parents are all there. Michael Joseph I don't think Veronica was there. I think she was with her friend, like her.

Speaker 2 1:01:56

Bulgarian friends.

Speaker 4 1:01:57

Yeah.

Speaker 3 1:01:57

So like all night. So like all night, michael Joseph, jerry, they're all ragging on me. And Nick, of course, are all ragging on me, like, oh the man, all he wanted was this Xbox. You got your treadmill, he takes care of you.

Speaker 4 1:02:13

You couldn't get the Xbox. He saves lives every single day.

Speaker 6 1:02:15

He saves lives, every single day.

Speaker 3 1:02:17

So he's ragging to no end, right, so backtrack a second. Like at like 2 o'clock 2 pm christmas eve, I find the xbox like someone's selling it. It's brand new, not open, but like I have her send me all of them when I go pick, like all the pictures.

Speaker 4 1:02:32

But I go pick it yeah no I was.

Speaker 3 1:02:35

I was proud of myself. I negotiated down to a very reasonable price. When I go to pick it up, I plug it in, I test everything like it's legit, right Mom knows about this because I'm like, listen, I'm going to go meet the stranger. If I don't call you in 20 minutes, please call 911.

Speaker 3 1:02:50

This is where I'm going. Yes, so mom knew that I got it. No one else in the house knew. Nick's mom didn't know, kathy across the street didn't know. No one knew.

Speaker 3 1:03:00

So it's sitting in my car, in the car that Nick is driving to my mom's house for Christmas Eve, like two feet behind him under a pile of clothes. One point on Christmas Eve I go outside and I tell I was like oh, mom, I have a bag of clothes for you. You said you're doing goodwill, right, wasn't really a bag of clothes, it was the Xbox with like a scarf in it that I wanted back. So I leave it at mom's house, she wraps it, she writes to Nick loves Santa and mom's handwriting. We go back over there. Or were we sleeping over? We might've slept over? So, whatever we wake up in the morning, we open presents or whatever.

Speaker 3 1:03:34

Nick opens up all of his presents Michael Joseph, me, mom, blah, blah, blah. And then the ragging starts again. Michael, nick, I don't see an Xbox in any of those presents. Like, wait, all you wanted was the Xbox. You got a nice pair of gloves, but listen, that's no Xbox, right. So my mom goes wait, there's one more present under the tree. So everyone's like oh, whose is it? So my mom goes. Oh, it says to Nick, so gives it to Nick. Right, I guess he didn't pick up on the fact that it says love santa, because that would have been like my first red flag. So he opens it and like, as he's opening, as he's actively opening it, they're still ragging on me for not being able to get the xbox right. So nick's ragging or whatever, and he's opening it and he's quiet. Michael and joseph are still going and Nick's like no guys stop, he goes, seriously stop. So they're like why he goes? It's the Xbox. I was like, yeah, fuck it now. Like you got your Xbox.

Speaker 6 1:04:30

And then did the three of them spend the whole rest of the day just playing on the Xbox? I can imagine.

Speaker 3 1:04:34

They did not, because we had to go to Antares. Oh, you had to go to Antares.

Speaker 8 1:04:43

Right, right, right, right. Of course, I got my ps5 last year for my birthday.

Speaker 6 1:04:46

Oh, I was so happy. I had no idea I was gonna get that gosh. You guys just never grow out of it, right? It just never stops.

Speaker 3 1:04:50

Wow, it's amazing so like that's why I'm most excited about this christmas, because, like now, I get to be santa for my kid right, technically michael's santa, but I get to play santa and like I mean, she doesn't know what's going on? She's like upstairs being a pter and like I mean she doesn't know what's going on. She's like upstairs being a pterodactyl right now, Like she doesn't know that Christmas is a few days away, theoretically.

Speaker 7 1:05:08

So a day, 12 hours a day.

Speaker 3 1:05:11

That's true, I forget that.

Speaker 1 1:05:13

It's tomorrow. This is Christmas.

Speaker 6 1:05:15

Eve, oh, and when we hang up tonight we're going to have a FaceTime so Aunt Kim and Uncle Nick can read her. Twas the Night Before Christmas, right. Oh yes, I forgot about that.

Speaker 3 1:05:23

So like she's not going to know that she's opening up presents, or anything but like we know, yeah. It starts. I mean, those are your memories are going to start, yeah.

Speaker 6 1:05:31

You know, obviously everybody knows that Nick and I just have Maxie. But we've had her all these years and we have like specific Christmas memories from every Christmas with the three of us in bed, as long as Maxie would stay there opening presents, and we learned early on if we gave her something with like a toy that had catnip in it, we could keep her close to us quicker. So we have all these videos of us like in our first house in Ronkonkoma and before we moved and stuff. And then one year, gosh, this is a great Christmas memory for our family. We almost forgot to tell this story.

Speaker 6 1:06:04

Maxie historically does not like to be held or really even petted or anything very much, and every year on Christmas morning I'll make Christmas pancakes for Nick and I. And one year in that tiny little kitchen in Ronkonkoma, for whatever reason, nick picked Maxie up and she just watched me make the pancakes the whole time. I still held her for like a half an hour. It was, and I mean to this and we obviously couldn't videotape that or record it Cause I was making the pancakes and he was, but we talk about it all the time I know.

Speaker 6 1:06:32

Well, we didn't plan it, you know but it was like our little Christmas miracle. So, helene, I just we don't even have a human child, but even just that, having those like memories, that it makes me so happy for you guys that you're going to have that from this year forward with Nora and all the future nieces and nephews to come.

Speaker 1 1:06:48

It's funny that Maxie has figured out how to open up Christmas presents.

Speaker 6 1:06:51

She does. Maxie can open Christmas presents as long as they have catnip in them.

Speaker 1 1:06:54

Yeah, as long as that's catnip, she'll hold it down and just bite at it and rip it apart and then she gets dry.

Speaker 6 1:06:59

I think that's why because she gets stoned off of the catnip, which is probably why she lets you hold her on Christmas morning, probably. Yeah, she's a good egg.

Speaker 8 1:07:08

Nice, the perfect way to wrap it up. I love watching my dog on Christmas, because, I mean, last year he brought him with me to PetSmart. We did a shopping spree, and then we put all the stuff in his stocking, and then Christmas morning he just goes nuts for a bunch of things.

Speaker 4 1:07:21

The best thing with Momo Mike was when.

Speaker 1 1:07:24

For anybody who hasn't figured it out, Momo is Mike and Devon's dog.

Speaker 4 1:07:28

Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:07:29

He's going to make fun of you.

Christmas Chaos With Dogs and Memories

Speaker 4 1:07:31

Yeah, I am. We're at Johnny's house for a meal like a big eating day. Meet a Palooza part one. Fucking Nick's over there opens the door. Momo runs out, doors open, stupid dog.

Speaker 1 1:07:42

Nick goes it wasn't me. Yeah, I never said it wasn't me.

Speaker 4 1:07:46

And then, Mike, all of a sudden you can edit this part out. Right, Drops his cane, fucking takes off. He pulls his gump out.

Speaker 1 1:07:54

That's fucking part of the story.

Speaker 8 1:07:56

Dog is gonna get killed. If he has no regards for traffic, he runs right into traffic. He's going to be a pancake.

Speaker 4 1:08:04

My man channeled his inner Forrest Gump and took off and fucking just kept going. Oh my god man.

Speaker 2 1:08:10

I thought, it would have been gone. I never came back.

Speaker 8 1:08:13

I never came back.

Speaker 6 1:08:15

Yeah, but you didn't know, obviously, that he was going to do that, but wasn't it like three blocks down, like you finally found him At? The end of the block.

Speaker 8 1:08:23

At the end of the block yeah, it was like, wasn't there also a moment, wasn't there?

Speaker 6 1:08:29

also like Didn't it the last? Time maybe that Mike came out with the Italian cookies. And was it Zoe or Momo? One of them ate all the cookies. I think it was Zoe. It was Zoe. Zoe ate the cookies. Yeah, the dogs always contribute to the fun when we're all together.

Speaker 8 1:08:45

During Christmas, when we're over at Jack's, zoe, zelda and Momo just like bind into this ball and just wrestling each other right into the Christmas tree just throughout the entire house.

Speaker 3 1:08:57

It's funny you know, Last year Momo tried to take their Christmas tree down.

Speaker 8 1:09:01

Yes, yes, he did, I mean yeah, what did my man?

Speaker 4 1:09:05

say, in a Christmas vacation. It was an ugly tree anyway, yeah.

Speaker 1 1:09:09

At least it's out of its misery.

Speaker 8 1:09:11

It is, it's out of its misery.

Speaker 1 1:09:15

Jack, what is Christmas like for Zoe and Zelda?

Speaker 9 1:09:17

Chaos, absolute chaos.

Speaker 1 1:09:20

Exactly what I figured you were going to say Chaos, absolute chaos.

Speaker 3 1:09:22

Exactly what I figured you were going to say Now was it always chaos, or now that there's tiny humans involved?

Speaker 9 1:09:26

No, it was always chaos. I mean, there are a couple of pit bulls and they have two speeds they're at rest or they're at speed. That's what they're doing. Christmas now, for me, is all about the tiny humans and the dogs. They make it worthwhile, they make it fun. It's about watching Zoe helping the kids open their presents, which she does, which is really cool to watch. It's about watching Zoe eat anything and everything off the table and knowing that her ass is grass, because you just say her name with a little bit of bass in your voice and she's going to, you know, slink away, but five seconds later it's like nothing had ever happened. Groundhog's Day? Yeah, pretty much, but yeah, christmas is definitely chaos, with them, ornaments breaking, food being eaten, but they make it worth it.

Speaker 8 1:10:16

Yeah, that's true, they are the best man. I love dogs Best, especially those dogs. I'll take them any day.

Speaker 4 1:10:23

Same thing with guinea pigs. You know what I'm saying? Oh yeah, it's the same.

Speaker 1 1:10:27

How long has it been since you've had a guinea pig?

Speaker 4 1:10:29

It's been a few years I had him for, like he had one and then he had to get allergic.

Speaker 3 1:10:32

I'll give it away because he got allergic to it.

Speaker 4 1:10:34

It was bad, I couldn't stop coughing my closing up.

Speaker 3 1:10:38

Really, my hairdresser has it now.

Speaker 4 1:10:40

Yeah, I had to go to the hospital.

Speaker 3 1:10:41

It might be dead.

Speaker 4 1:10:42

What would you name it? Okay, so there's its name and there's the nickname.

Speaker 8 1:10:48

Let Me Wink.

Speaker 4 1:10:49

And now the new name. Yeah, well, no, I think it's dead. I think it died. His name was Mr Waffles, aka the Homie. You know what I'm saying? Right, it, that's just how I always talk. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 1:11:06

And then, when he was adopted by our hairdresser, her son named him Flash.

Speaker 4 1:11:08

He was a child.

Speaker 3 1:11:08

He wanted to name his guinea pig.

Speaker 4 1:11:11

Yeah, and when I heard they named it the Flash, I kind of wanted to take it back.

Speaker 6 1:11:13

There's irony to it. Growing up we had friends who had a dog, one of the big dogs that just like droopy. Of the big dogs that don't that?

Speaker 3 1:11:19

just like droopy, oh, like the St Bernard's, no like Anyway. And he didn't move. He couldn't really move, so they called him Flash.

Speaker 6 1:11:26

It was hysterical. It's irony, Michael.

Speaker 2 1:11:30

Basset hound yeah.

Speaker 6 1:11:30

Basset hound. Oh yeah. We really should have just ended this with Mike's lovely story or Helene's lovely story about Christmas, but instead we had to let Michael talk again. Well, we had Jack's story about the dogs. It was worth it to stick with that, to stick to that.

Speaker 10 1:11:51

Was that like Roscoe's dog in the Dukes of Hazzard?

Speaker 8 1:11:54

Oh yes, oh, it was his dog. I thought it was the mayor's dog or Hog's dog.

Speaker 6 1:11:59

Whoever's dog. It was a basset hound, Wasn't he also named Flash?

Speaker 1 1:12:03

Oh, maybe. Yeah, I think my dog might have also been named.

Speaker 6 1:12:07

Flash.

Speaker 2 1:12:07

What was the name of the dog, that Smoky and the Bandit. Maybe that's where our Flash got named from.

Speaker 8 1:12:11

The basset hound in there. He used to feed it like burgers and shit.

Speaker 1 1:12:14

Yeah, Cletus' dog yeah.

Speaker 6 1:12:17

All right, so Flash was definitely Dukes of Hazzard. What? Movie are we talking about?

Speaker 1 1:12:24

Smokey and the Bandit. I think it was Fred. Oh it was, it was Fred. Right, it wasn't Flash Good call, it was Fred.

Speaker 6 1:12:31

Also a Basset Hound though.

Speaker 1 1:12:32

Yes, also a Basset Hound, all right, does anybody else have anything? Oh God, stop, don't ask it again.

Speaker 3 1:12:38

I think that it's a good place to wrap up.

Speaker 4 1:12:41

Like a Christmas present. I've got to feed my kid.

Speaker 6 1:12:44

Colleen needs to go. She has a screaming child.

Celebrating Community Support and Growth

Speaker 1 1:12:47

That is definitely a good place to wrap this conversation up. A huge thank you to everybody for being part of this conversation today and also to everyone who has been a guest on the show in 2024. The idea of this show started coming together in February of this year. I didn't know if it would work or even be well-received, but I've been blown away by the overwhelming support within the grief community and to everyone who has been kind enough to come on the show and tell their stories To my guests, to my listeners. Everyone who came together and helped turn the show into what it has become and will continue to grow in 2025, thank you so much. Shout-outs to Christina Driscoll, Alison Santana and Erica Lee for all of the early and ongoing support. My wife, Kim, for her love and support, as well as the support of her business, Kim Gaylord Travel. By the way, if you want to use Kim Gaylord Travel, no trip is too big or too small, so if you have a trip to plan, contact Kim for all of your travel needs.

Speaker 1 1:13:37

Anissa Rahman of Dotted Avenue Creative Studio for the incredible work he did on the show's website, OurDeadDadscom. If you want to build a website or have an existing one that could use a facelift. Contact Dotted Avenue today and get started. Maybe not today, because it's Christmas Eve and nobody really wants to build a website on Christmas Eve. Kathy Quinn. Kyle for the design of the podcast logo. Tama Crisanti for the show's music. If you want to contact anybody for any of their services, all the contact information for everyone I've just mentioned will be in the show notes for this episode, including the recipe that we talked about earlier, and you can also find everybody on OurDeadDadscom.

Speaker 1 1:14:12

It really does take a village, and this show doesn't happen without everybody's help, and especially not without all of my guests who are willing to share their grief journeys in order to help others be willing to share theirs. If you have a story of grief and loss to share and might want to be considered as a future guest of Our Dead Dads, go to OurDeadDadscom, go to the Contact Us link and then select Be a Guest, Fill out the form, send it in and you just might be able to tell your story and carry on this mission of helping ourselves and so many others. Again, there are no rules to navigating grief and there's no rules to navigating grief, and there's no timeline for doing it either. Everybody needs to go at their own pace, but the most important thing is taking the first step. Whether you want to tell your own story or you just want to listen to others tell their stories, the most important thing is to understand that nobody is alone in grief or should ever feel like they don't have someone who will talk or listen to you. Here at Our Dead Dads, within the safe space of this community, you always have both.

Speaker 1 1:15:00

Thank you for listening, and join me in two weeks when Courtney Moore stops by for the first episode of 2025. Courtney will talk about growing up with her dad, her journey with him at the end of his life and losing him to pancreatic cancer, acceptance, forgiveness and all that came next. Make sure that you are following Our Dead Dads on your favorite podcast streaming platform because you will not want to miss this episode or any other upcoming episode. This is Our Dead Dads, where we are changing the world. One damage no-transcript.