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The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett
Ever wonder what really goes on at a small-town morning radio show?
The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and Best Friends is your daily dose of real callers, big laughs, and unforgettable characters straight from QCountry 925 in Show Low, Arizona.
The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett
Something Good Tuesday: Giving Machines, Secret Santas & a Foal Named Christmas
Good news takes center stage on this Talk About Something Good Tuesday edition of The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett & Best Friends.
We start the show checking in with Jineane Ford from our sister station Majik 101.7 — joined by her granddaughter Addie — for a firsthand look at the Light the World Giving Machine in Snowflake. From peanut butter and jelly to clean water and clothing, Addie shows us how powerful (and simple) generosity can be when kids get involved. The Giving Machine is open 24/7 through January 1 and turns everyday giving into something unforgettable.
From there, we share stories that restore faith in humanity. A Secret Santa in Idaho quietly changes lives by stepping in at exactly the right moment — helping families facing medical emergencies, accidents, and loss. It’s the kind of kindness that reminds us why this season matters.
We keep the holiday spirit rolling with a Hallmark Christmas Movie Review from Andrea, this time breaking down Sugarplummed, before Virgil the Cowboy from Eagar calls in with some ranch-side good news: a brand-new foal named Christmas. Kirk Nurmi also checks in with a heartfelt holiday message for anyone struggling this time of year.
To wrap things up, Show Low’s Dave Ramsey joins us for a special Boo or Cool: Christmas Movie Marathon Edition on National Christmas Movie Marathon Day, followed by a Country News Minute featuring Lainey Wilson’s ninth No. 1 (and her dad’s favorite song), Blake Shelton sharing ranch life with Gwen Stefani, and Riley Green stepping into acting.
It’s an episode filled with generosity, laughter, music, and reminders that good news is everywhere — if you’re willing to look for it.
If this episode lifted your spirits, share it with a friend, subscribe to the podcast, and tell us: what’s one small way you’re spreading good this week?
From the Horn Auto Center Studios, Chris Bennett and the Morning Brew. Janine, you there? Yes, I am. Oh, you have anyone with you? I sure do.
SPEAKER_04:I have Addy, my granddaughter Addy. Addie, how old are you now? Eight. Eight. Eight. Awesome. She just had a birthday December 12th.
SPEAKER_03:Ooh. And uh does Addy know how many days till Christmas?
SPEAKER_04:Two.
SPEAKER_03:Two? She's quick. She's quick.
SPEAKER_04:We don't even have to pause.
SPEAKER_03:She knows it. Oh, Janine, I hate to start with bad news, but I I did not win the Powerball. I didn't either. Gosh dang it. Yeah, I know. I made so many plans. I gotta go cancel a private jet I ordered. Oh, goodness gracious.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I know. I I love playing it too. What's it gonna be up to now?
SPEAKER_03:Uh right now, I believe it's$1.7 billion.
SPEAKER_04:Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. And the cash value, if you take it all out, is$781 million. And a bunch of friends and I pulled in for the last one to try and win as a group.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, I want in on that group. Okay, all right.
SPEAKER_03:We'll do it again.
SPEAKER_04:I want in on any group, guys.
SPEAKER_03:Awesome. Well, uh, Janine, when we come back, uh, you want to talk about something good on this talk about something good Tuesday?
SPEAKER_04:Great. Addie, you want to do that? Let's talk about something good? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:All right, all right, Janine and Addy. It is Talk About Something Good Tuesday. You guys want to go first?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, we can do that.
SPEAKER_03:Awesome. All right. What do you have good to talk about today?
SPEAKER_02:Well, Addie, what did we do last night?
SPEAKER_00:We went to the Giving Machines.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, in Snowflake?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. That's awesome. How was it? Good. Good. What uh what was your favorite part?
SPEAKER_00:Um, my favorite part was probably getting to buy something.
SPEAKER_04:What did you buy? Tell them what you bought.
SPEAKER_00:Uh peanut butter and jelly with a shirt.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, peanut butter and jelly goes to the Holbrook Emergency Food Bank, and the shirt is Nexus Coalition, and those were the things she bought, and then her brother picked things. We all picked stuff, and uh, Titus picked out water, um, and that's I it shocks me that up in Holbrook there are two large areas that don't even have drinkable water.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, so it's so important that that everybody gets out to the visit giving machine, right, Addy?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And help everybody out. That is so it was a beautiful night. It's absolutely beautiful there. They had treats and hot chocolate, and it's at the um Pioneer Home, the Freeman House, right there on Main Street in Snowflake, and it's open 24 hours a day. You can walk up and give at the giving machine. And there's two giving machines there, by the way.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, nice. Yes, and they'll be there till January 1st.
SPEAKER_04:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Awesome.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, yeah, they actually roll them out, take them away January 2nd, but they're yeah, you can go and donate till the first, and it's gonna be it's just beautiful out there. It's a wonderful thing to do with your whole family. Awesome! Talk about something good.
SPEAKER_03:The giving machine is great. Yes. All right, Janine, it's my turn to share some good news. Uh and Addy, you guys ready? Yeah. Yeah. All right, this story comes from Idaho, where Santa appears to have arrived early, but he's not the one we know wearing red. He's a mystery donor known as the Secret Santa of the Gem State. He's giving away$1 million to families in crisis. And uh one of the first gifts went to a family with uh eight-year-old conjoined twin sisters, Callie and Carter, who they weren't expected to survive beyond birth, but Santa surprised the family with a 2025 Honda minivan and$1,000 helping them with frequent medical trips out of state. And then another gift went to a new mom who was destroyed when a truck crashed into it weeks after her baby was born. She received$6,000 in gift cards to help her family get back on her feet. And a beloved middle school teacher who lost her home in a fire received$5,000 from the Secret Santa to help during months of display placement. And it's just stories like this that remind us kindness is still alive, and sometimes miracles come anonymously. Absolutely. It's amazing. Well, thank you so much for having fun with me today, Addie and Janine, and I hope you guys have a great rest of your Tuesday.
SPEAKER_04:And Chris and Addie, you must say Merry Christmas to everybody. Merry Christmas! Yay!
SPEAKER_02:Merry Christmas! All right, Chris, thank you so much. All right, bye-bye. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER_03:And now it's time for Chris's wife to give us her Christmas Hallmark movie reviews.
SPEAKER_05:Today we're reviewing Sugar Plumbed.
SPEAKER_03:Sugar plumbed, okay. Here's uh what I think this one's about. I think it's about a sugar plum fairy, and uh this she got fired. And so uh when you get fired as a sugar plum fairy, they call up being sugar plumbed, and so she is sugar bummed, but she uh ends up finding uh a sugar hun and they fall in love and have some fun. Oh my gosh, that was great. Wow. Yeah, is that what this one's about?
SPEAKER_05:Uh no.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, gosh dang it. What's this one about?
SPEAKER_05:So this one is about a mom striving to have the perfect Christmas and have everything look perfect, and she has a whole list of things that she needs to do. I don't know if that reminds you of anybody.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, yeah, I don't know. It's not ringing a bell.
SPEAKER_05:But she makes a wish that her Christmas could be sugar plum, and sugar plum is, I think, from the context, a series of made for TV movies about a lady that has perfect Christmases and is always fading Christmas. Oh and so the character, the heroine from those movies shows up the appearance in real life.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_05:And the rule that we live by in movie land, you know, like if you're fat and lonely and you don't have anywhere to go, then the rule is some of my family is gonna invite you to come have dinner with them and be part of their family. Well, there's lots of rules and the whole rule book that she has and none of those work in the real world, and it is chaos. She ends up in prison, she gets the lady fired. It's total chaos, and the the mom has to straighten things out.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, it sounds good. Uh, how many cups of hot cocoa for this one?
SPEAKER_05:I actually gave up like nine and a half cups of hot cocoa it was really good.
SPEAKER_03:Good morning, it's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this? Good morning, my best friend. Heck yes, it's Virgil the cowboy from Eager to what do we owe the honor of your phone call today? I got some good news. Oh, good news. Uh, what good news you got for us? Uh my one of my workers, Harry.
SPEAKER_01:Uh-huh. He had a little horse last night.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, Harry. So one of your workers, Harry, had a horse, like uh is he a man or is Harry a horse?
SPEAKER_06:Oh, I mean, he's the owner.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, he's the owner of the horse. And one of his horses gave birth? Yes. Oh, that's awesome. Uh, did you name the horse yet? Or guess what? What? Christmas. Christmas! That's a perfect name for a horse. And is it gonna be like a ranch horse? Is it a racing horse? What what is this uh uh horse's life gonna look like? Probably a ranch horse. Ranch horse, awesome. Okay, and it's named Christmas. That is the coolest, coolest name. Uh, what are your plans for uh Christmas? What does a cowboy do on Christmas?
SPEAKER_06:Uh, this one's gonna stay home and rest, and everybody's off for today.
SPEAKER_03:Awesome, heck yeah. Well, Merry Christmas to you and all the cowboys and cowgirls out there at the ranch.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this?
SPEAKER_06:Well, Felice Navi Dod, Chris Bennett. It's your best friend Kirk Nermi.
SPEAKER_03:Heck yeah, Felice Navi Dodd, Kirk Nermi from the Valley. We are international. To what do we owe the honor of your phone call this morning?
SPEAKER_06:Well, Chris, it's getting close to that special time of year. I just called to wish you and all the brew crew a Merry Christmas. Thank you for all the laugh this year, and uh, you know, spread some good tidings and joy. I know Christmas time can be tough for some people, but uh I just wanted to give them a shout out, let everybody know out there. There's lots of love and support for everybody, and uh getting ready to rock in 2026.
SPEAKER_03:Heck yeah, that's wonderful on this talk about something good uh Tuesday. You gave me goosebumps, and uh it has been uh such a great year, and so um thank you so much to everyone that's uh allowed me to make them laugh this year and been a part of the show. And uh uh I love you all. Love you so much, Cook Nermi.
SPEAKER_06:Love you as well, and uh, like I say, Merry Christmas to everybody and uh enjoy time with your family and friends because that's that's all that really matters. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:Well, awesome. We love you, best friend. Have a great day and uh Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER_06:Merry Christmas, buddy. Bye now.
SPEAKER_03:We are on the phone with Show Low Zone Dave Ramsey for Boo or Cool. Today is National Christmas Movie Marathon Day, so I'm gonna give you some popular uh Christmas movies. You tell us Boo or Cool. Christmas movies in general, Boo or Cool. Cool, cool, okay, all right, perfect. Uh, off to a good start. What about uh a classic? It's a wonderful life.
SPEAKER_01:Boo or cool. Very cool, very cool.
SPEAKER_03:You love that one. Oh, that's good.
SPEAKER_01:Yep. What about Home Alone? See, it's been on the TV forever this month. But it's a cool movie, cool. Cool, okay. What about uh Elf with Will Farrell? Boo.
SPEAKER_03:Really, Dave? That's like my favorite one of all time. Why don't you like that one? Too kiddish. Too kiddish, okay. Uh, what about a Christmas story? You're gonna shoot someone's eye out. Cool, Ralphie. Ralphie, yeah, yeah. And that lamp is pretty cool. Uh do you have a do you have a lamp like that?
SPEAKER_01:No. No, no.
SPEAKER_03:Uh what about uh uh Love Actually? I don't know if you've ever seen this one. It's kind of a romantic one. Love Actually.
SPEAKER_01:Never seen it. So I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, you don't know, okay. Uh what about Die Hard? Cool. Cool, and you agree that it's a Christmas movie?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Alright, what about uh the Muppet Christmas Carol?
SPEAKER_01:Boo. Boo?
SPEAKER_03:You don't like the Muppets? Alright. Uh and uh last one, a Charlie Brown Christmas. Cool. That is cool. Oh, and one more actually. Christmas with the Cranks. I just saw this one for the first time as Tim Allen. Boo or Cool. Never seen it. Never seen it. I say it's cool. You should check it out. I think you'd like it. That was Boo or Cool Christmas movie edition with Dave Ramsey. We love you, best friend. Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER_01:Merry Christmas. We're gonna have to do the Powerball thing again. You know that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. Uh Dave and I uh were part of the group. We all uh pulled in and bought a bunch of tickets. And uh we were making some big plans yesterday, but uh uh we didn't win, but we'll do it again. Yeah, nobody won. I know it's almost to two billion dollars. That's crazy.
SPEAKER_01:It's almost one 1.75 billion now.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, there we go. I hope we win. Let's do it. Yeah, we gotta do it again for tomorrow night. All right, awesome. Well, we love you, Dave. Have a great day. You two have a good one. All right, bye-bye. Bye. It is now time for Chris's Country News Minute, and we are gonna start with Lainey Wilson, who just scored her ninth number one uh at Country Radio with her song Somewhere Over Laredo. And it turns out that song is extra special because uh Laney says it's her dad's all-time favorite. She shared that her dad told her, it don't get no better than Somewhere Over Laredo, which makes the success even sweeter. And the song is uh now Grammy nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. And Laney says it's one of those songs that takes you back emotionally while putting you in a new headspace at the same time. Meanwhile, Blake Chelton is opening up about life offstage and says one of his greatest joys of his life has been introducing Gwen Stefani to his Oklahoma ranch. Blake says Gwen was completely blown away the first time she realized the creeks, wildlife, and wide open spaces were actually his land, not a state park. And he says she's fully embraced the slower pace, loving long walks, nature, and the freedom from the paparazzi. I'd say so, paparazzi would stink. The couple splits time between LA and Oklahoma, but Blake says the piece of country life has become something Gwen truly treasures. And finally, Riley Green is adding a new chapter to his career. He's officially confirmed his acting debut is coming soon. Details are still under wraps, but Wiley, uh Wiley, but Wiley Coyote, but Riley Green says the experience felt natural, especially since he knew people on set and didn't have time to get nervous between tour dates. And fans won't uh have to wait long to see him as he's also gearing up for his cowboy as a gifts tour in 2026 with the new stage production. That's your country news minute.
