The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett

Gratitude, Giving & Good Laughs: Festival of Trees, Fast of Compassion & Ryan McKee

• Chris Bennett • Episode 151

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A weekend of giving turned into a week of momentum. We kick off today with Jineane Ford from our sister stations Majik 101.7 and iTalk 106.7 as we recap the White Mountain Helping Hands Festival of Trees—a packed, energetic event supporting local first responders and White Mountain charities. From the generosity in the room to a certain battery-powered Christmas jacket lighting up the night, it was a weekend full of heart.

We roll right into the theme of gratitude with some Thanksgiving-ready motivational quotes customized for this season, plus simple ways you can turn gratitude into action—whether that’s supporting local nonprofits, attending community events, or helping a neighbor feel seen and supported.

That spirit continues as Show Low Mayor John Leech Jr. calls in to share the incredible results of the Annual Fast of Compassion—raising over $40,000 in less than a week to help feed families in the White Mountains this holiday season. He also previews the Festival of Lights Parade coming December 6th and the tree lighting that officially kicks off Christmas in Show Low.

Then it’s time for our resident Hallmark critic: Andrea delivers another Christmas movie review, this time for Christmas Above the Clouds, a Dickens-inspired story with holiday charm… and a few missed opportunities.

We wrap the show with comedian Ryan McKee, who’s headlining in Show Low on December 20th at Rocky’s Cocktail Lounge. He shares Thanksgiving plans, new material he’s been working on, and why he’s excited to bring a fresh hour of comedy back to the White Mountains. Early-bird tickets are $5 off this week at ChrisBennettComedy.com.

It’s community, gratitude, humor, and holiday spirit—all woven into one show.
If today’s episode gave you a smile, some inspiration, or a reason to show up in your community, please subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review. Your support helps more people find the show and join the story.

SPEAKER_05:

From the Horn Auto Center Studios, Chris Bennett and the Morning Brew. Janine there. Hi, Chris. How are ya? Best friend. Doing awesome. It was uh great hanging out with you Saturday night at the Elks Lodge for the White Mount Helping Hands Festival of Trees event.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, it it was so fun. And I gotta tell you, it was just a blast. It we raised a ton of good money for, you know, the Arizona Rangers and our first responders, our firefighters, uh the foundation, and it was incredible. The trees were just be I mean, it it was gorgeous, and the food, oh my gosh, from the house, unbelievable. It was all just really so fun. The show lo cheerleaders and cheerlines and stuff supported us. And your your jacket. Oh my god, that Andrea made his wife, Andrea made this jacket. You guys have to check it out. Oh my gosh, unreal.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I'll post pictures. You and I took pictures with the mayor, with Santa and Mrs. Claus, they were there. But uh yeah, my wife thrifted this uh Christmas jacket and then she hot glued uh lights to it and had a battery pack to it. I mean, if we're going to uh do an auction, Janine, and try and raise money for a great cause, you gotta look the part, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, and you were, yeah, you were on it. It was so fun. You're flashing lights all over his jacket. She could sell those jackets. And you doing your high kicks in there and stuff, oh, it was a fun time. I just loved it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Well, you you look so elegant and classy. I can't compete with that. I gotta go be as the crazy.

SPEAKER_00:

No, my husband, as you would walk by doing high kicks, he's like, God, I was just thinking he's gonna throw us back out.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, the lady that uh my wife's friend that came with her was like, How does he keep that energy up for so long? And my wife's like, he's gonna sleep a lot tomorrow. And I did.

SPEAKER_00:

You did, you took a nap. That was yes, we had so much fun and loved doing it. White Mountain helping hands, Marsha Grambley. They do such a good job. It's such a beautiful event, and it's so funny. It's like my favorite. Well, you and I we didn't win a tree, but it was a blast.

SPEAKER_05:

Right. Yeah, so darn it maybe next year. Yeah, maybe next year, but uh a lot of good money was raised for a lot of great causes. Yes, exactly. Now are you ready to get motivated? Yes, please. All right, it is Thanksgiving week. So these are kind of Thanksgiving themed motivational quotes. Are you ready? Yes. All right, ASOP says, uh, gratitude turns what we have into enough. Oh is that good?

SPEAKER_00:

I love that.

SPEAKER_05:

Uh Charles Dickens said, be thankful for what you'll have what you have, you'll end up having more.

SPEAKER_00:

Sweet too.

SPEAKER_05:

All right. Tony Robbins says, when you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's a good one, too.

SPEAKER_05:

All right, and last one, uh, Melody Beattie says, gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love it. I'm gonna have to go. I like one and three, but I'm gonna go with one.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, one. Oh, Aesop, he's known for his fables. Uh ASOP says, gratitude turns what we have into enough. Exactly. Just a great reminder to be grateful for everything we have. Yes, yes. Yep. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Janine. I am motivated, ready for this Thanksgiving week. We'll talk to you tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, Chris. Love ya. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_05:

Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris Bennett. Who's this? Mayor Leach. Heck yes, the mayor of Sholo. It is Mayor Leach. Uh, Janine and I saw you at the Festival of Trees event this weekend. And also last night, I saw you post you were at the uh closing ceremonies for the annual Fast of Compassion that happens up here in the White Mountains. Give us a little uh review of uh everything that uh went on and how much was raised.

SPEAKER_03:

What a what a weekend, you know. Festival of trees was amazing. I think they had a sold-out crowd there at the Elf Swodge. But last night we did the the ending of a community of Fast of Compassion, and it was amazing. We we raised this community raised uh a little north of$40,000 to feed uh people during the holidays, and just amazing what we can do in a week. We know we have a fantastic community anyway. Um we give year-round, but with you can make that kind of money um to give to the needy in less than a week is outstanding.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, and and also with all the other events going on, you know, everyone's just being generous all around. It's so it's so amazing.

SPEAKER_03:

It's absolutely amazing, Chris. You know, we're gonna meet Sunday and we'll get that money distributed to all the the nonprofits up here, and so those people can start having a great holiday season.

SPEAKER_05:

Absolutely, it's so amazing. And we also have the uh giving machine going on at the Sholow uh Meadow till December 1st. Another easy way for people to give back as well.

SPEAKER_03:

That that's an amazing event. That the giving machine is just incredible. You know, it's gonna it's gonna be here, like you said, for another week or so, and then it it travels, I believe, up to Presca. Then it comes back to our mountain on December 18th in Snowflake.

SPEAKER_05:

Heck yeah. And uh also December 6th is our big uh uh Christmas event. Is that right? Christmas parade?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, yeah. We're electric light parade, and then uh we'll light our tree.

SPEAKER_05:

If I'm in town, I gotta be there for the uh lighting of our Christmas tree. It's gonna be an amazing, uh, amazing time. So, Mayor, thank you so much uh for uh giving us an update on everything going on in our community and uh about the annual Fast Compassion. We love you, best friend.

SPEAKER_03:

I love you too, guys. You guys have a happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. Be safe out there and God bless.

SPEAKER_05:

And now it's time for Chris's wife to give us her Christmas Hallmark movie reviews. All right, my love. What Hallmark Christmas movie from the 2025 collection are you reviewing this morning?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm reviewing Christmas Above the Clouds.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, Christmas above the clouds. Here's what I think it's about. I think it's about a pilot and a stewardess that are working on Christmas and uh they fall in love. Uh however, the uh the pilot gets sick off some old egg salad sandwiches that uh uh have been left in the refrigerator too long. Am I correct?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it does have a pilot and a stewardess.

SPEAKER_05:

Heck yes, close, but no uh rotten egg salad sandwich.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, they're not the main characters.

SPEAKER_05:

Okay. What's this one about?

SPEAKER_01:

So this movie is a take on Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol, and it's about a CEO named Elonizer that makes her makes the lives of her co-workers awful and she hates Christmas. She hates it so much that she planned a business trip on Christmas Eve so that in Australia so that the twenty hour flight will effectively skip Christmas Day for her. And things don't go as planned because once she's on board, she gets visited by three ghosts of Christmas. And she realizes the far-reaching effects of her choices and you know, you know the story.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, they basically just copied an uh an old classic and made it new.

SPEAKER_01:

Right, it's an adaptation of a Christmas Carol. But I think if you're gonna do a beloved Christmas classic, you gotta bring something. This one fell a little short for me.

SPEAKER_05:

How many hot cups of cocoa do you give Christmas above the clouds?

SPEAKER_02:

I gave it two cups of hot cocoa.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, dang. Okay, so if people are running short on time, skip Christmas above the clouds.

SPEAKER_02:

Or just read the book or watch any, many of the other adaptations that are probably done better.

SPEAKER_05:

Awesome. Well, sweet my love. We'll talk to you soon. Love ya. Love you, bye. On the phone, we have my best friend Ryan McKee from Wilmington, North Carolina. We are international. He's gonna be out here in uh SHOLO at Rockies December 20th at 6.30 p.m. for our 21 and over comedy show. Get your tickets. Early bird tickets are on sale this week, uh, Ryan. Five dollars off. You could get them for$20 this week only at Chris Bennett Comedy.com.

SPEAKER_04:

Five dollars? That's like having an extra, that's like having a free drink at Rockies. Yeah, I can get it now.

SPEAKER_05:

Have extra extra for a beer. You are uh gonna be traveling from Wilmington uh to Arizona and headlining Mic Drop Comedy in Chandler on December 18th, and then headlining up here December 20th. You've been working on new material, your new hour. Uh, how's it? How are you feeling?

SPEAKER_04:

Oh I'm I'm excited. I'm excited about it. I'm nervous though, Chris. I'm gonna be honest. It's a lot of new stuff, a lot of balls up in the air, but it's it's going it's going well so far. Audiences are digging it out here. I'm I'm gonna be at the comedy club here in Wilmington, Dead Crow Comedy, featuring this weekend. So I'm excited to see how you know I get to test it in front of a true crop comedy club audience there. So yeah, it's it's good. It's got a lot of roommate stuff.

SPEAKER_05:

Yep, a lot of roommate stuff about Joey, a lot of uh mental breakdown humor.

SPEAKER_04:

A lot of stuff about my manic episode, which some of your listeners know about.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I've heard a lot of the jokes. I'm so excited. People are going to uh absolutely love it. So get your tickets today at Chris Bennettcomedy.com. Take advantage of the$5 off. They're normally$25. They're$20 this week at Chris Bennettcomedy.com. Ryan, I wanted to know uh what are you doing uh for Thanksgiving? Are you planning anything special with your 21-year-old roommate uh Joey? Do you have any long distance plans with your uh your girlfriend that some people think is made up? Uh, what's going on for Thanksgiving?

SPEAKER_04:

No, no plans with the made-up girlfriend, but um my friend here is going to be, since I'm not traveling, I have a friend here who's gonna be making Thanksgiving and just gonna be a couple friends going over for Thanksgiving, and my 21-year-old son will be joining us. He gets he gets three Thanksgivings. He's currently doing an early Thanksgiving in Maryland with his girlfriend's family, and then he'll come back here do Thanksgiving with a Friendsgiving with us, I guess, so to speak. And then he does it with his biological family the next day. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05:

He has three Thanksgivings. And I bet he's not bringing anything to any of the Thanksgivings. No!

SPEAKER_04:

No. But if he brought something, it would be like eight Jimmy Dean sausage patties or something like that.

SPEAKER_05:

What about you? Uh uh are you bringing something? Because I remember once my wife and I had you over to our house about 15 years ago, and you were kind enough to bring bread. It was half eaten, but you did bring bread.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, but I brought it. But I brought it. What are you? I I bought a very fancy pie for the Thanksgiving dinner. There's this very like she place here in Wilmington called pie slayer.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, pie.

SPEAKER_04:

Pie Slayer. And I got like an apple crumble pie.

SPEAKER_05:

Hmm, that sounds good. I loved how you call it Carmel, caramel apple crumble pie. Oh, you're making me hungry. I love how you called it shishi. I've never heard that term. That's like fancy. Fancy, yeah. I always say foo foo. There you go. Uh same thing. Well, Ryan, thanks so much for uh touching bass with us today, having a little bit of fun. And again, everyone, get your tickets to see him, headline Rockies. December 20th, we also have Anthony Thornton joining you and Cameron Kahn. And I'll be hosting Chris Bennett Comedy.com for your tickets. We love you.

SPEAKER_04:

Love you too. Bye. Bye.

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Chris Bennett

Host