How the Holidays Look Different This Year with Kalen Allen + Matt Dempsey

The holidays look VERY different this year, so we really had to ask - is it even worth celebrating? Guests Kalen Allen and Matt Dempsey help us walk a very important line: getting into the holiday spirit while absolutely letting yourself be in your feelings about how different this year feels. Will there be trees and holly and a festive mood? Yes. Will there also be bursts of tears about broken traditions? Absolutely. But Alex Aiono, the Ellen Degeneres Show's Kalen Allen and psychotherapist Matt Dempsey are here to tell you it's absolutely okay - no matter how the holiday has you feeling. You'll also get the scoop on which Christmas movies are worth your time, which ones to skip, and whose opinions cause the type of Kalen reaction he's best known for. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
My name is Alex, and I'm gonna be honest. Holidays
this year kind of suck. No right, no right, it
will be alright forever, No right will be all right. Ever,

(00:23):
So I include Thanksgiving in my version of the holidays,
and if you don't, I think there's something wrong with you.
Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. My actual Thanksgiving this year, though,
was kind of ruined thanks to good old COVID nineteen.
This time it was ruined because I had it. Literally,
my tenth day of isolation with no fever and and

(00:44):
all of those kind of protocols that lets you leave
your room was the day before Thanksgiving, so I had
no time to prep it all for Thanksgiving. I bought
a turkey from a grocery store. I went to my
sister's house and she also had COVID, not then but before.
It's a weird how you have to explain COVID situations
and we like throw together a last minute Thanksgiving. And

(01:07):
as great as it was because I got to be
with my family and I should I'm very very grateful,
as I should be that I got to even be
with my loved ones on Thanksgiving, because I know so
many people were not able to this year, it still
didn't feel awesome, like it felt good and you're like awesome,
like I'm full, but it didn't have like the same
energy that Thanksgivings usually have, and it just kind of

(01:28):
like was weak, And it really set the tone for
my expectations of this coming holiday, this Christmas, Hanukah, kwanza Um,
New Year's celebration, which usually is very inclusive and everybody's
together and it's just love and happiness, especially me with
a big family. Were always with my dad's side of
the family, going caroling and and having huge meals together,

(01:52):
and and and singing all together and just kind of
physically being able to be with each other. And now
we're doing Instagram Live Christmas Carol, me and my siblings
and my parents, and we're doing zoom hangouts with my
family and it's just like and and and I want
to be grateful because I know that there there should
always be gratitude for anything, even if it's not your

(02:15):
ideal situation. So I don't want this episode at all
to be about not being grateful for what you have,
because I'm so grateful that I even get to go
be with my family for Christmas. I'm so grateful that
I have family to celebrate with, even if it's virtually,
and I'm so grateful for the technology that allows us
to do those things, it still sucks like you can't
be like, oh, it's all great because there's an option like,

(02:36):
it doesn't mean that it's it's a balance of of
being grateful, but also you're allowed to to feel shitty
about that. And so that got me thinking what happens
when you can't stick to tradition? And is Christmas canceled
this year? What's up, y'all? It's alex I. Oh no,
this is my podcast. Let's get into it where we
talk about everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly,

(03:00):
even when it comes to virtual Christmas sweater parties. We're
talking about just the holidays this year. Holidays. I never
thought that we'd have to do an episode on a
podcast about how different holiday is because I feel like,
usually in a good way, holidays are always the same.
My Christmas is always the same. We play this saran
wrap Christmas present game that my mom does every Christmas morning.

(03:20):
The day before is my dad's birthday. We always have
his favorite dinner. All of those things are always the same,
and this year for most everybody, It's not going to
be the same at all. So I'm gonna be talking
about it with two of my new friends, and let
me introduce you to them. Uh. He is a psychotherapist
and counselor specializing in the l g B, t Q
plus field. He's worked extensively with Gay Men's Health Crisis

(03:43):
of New York. He's also the co host of the
hot Mess podcast with Alec Mapa, and he is the
Let's Get Into Its Superlative winner for most well groomed
in twenty It looks like, uh, the one and only
Matt Dempsey. How are you? I am doing COVID good,
as we have learned from our dear Karen, who's been

(04:03):
on this show quite a bit as well. I'm also
excited to have another guest with us, a regular on
the Ellen Degenerous Show. You might have heard of it.
His new weekly digital series called O M. Kalin. You
know him as the star of the Hilarious Kalin Reacts
YouTube videos, as well as the new movie An American
Pickle and the Let's Get Into a Superlative winner for
coolest background. He's got a you guys can't see it,

(04:26):
but it looks like an upright base or maybe no,
it's a cello or is it maybe I don't know. Okay,
we got a cello, an incredible light fixture, and some
kind of picture portrait painting a bunch of water bottles
in the background, which we love being hydrated. The one
and only Kylin Allen, how are you man? I'm wonderful,
I am very very COVID good Again, it's a it's

(04:48):
the only answer I can get. Well, I'm very excited
because you usually talk about your Christmas traditions or your
holiday traditions with others, and this year, not only do
I get to learn both of your holiday additions what
they usually are, but we're also gonna be talking about
what they're gonna be like this year. So first things first, Klin,
you and I are going to go one on one.
We're gonna talk about how to holiday in. And then Matt,

(05:11):
you and I are going to talk about hibernating. I
don't even know what. I guess that's just what holidays are. Um.
And then last but not least, all three of us
will be talking about if this actually might be the
best holiday ever. So we're gonna be getting into all
those things. But before we do that, I have a
question that I ask all of my guests, and that
question is what are you doing this week that is

(05:33):
improving your life. I've read every single day this week,
and I know that that seems like whatever, but you
have to understand, I did not read books. My parents
used to sign pieces of paper that I would give
to my teachers that I read, and and they were
just great parents. I never read like we would have
to because you know, like when you're in school and
your parents and you would have to do like the

(05:53):
Mike child read twenty pages every day. My parents did that.
You know. My parents are the realist. I'd never read
damn book my whole life. And now I feel pretty Uh,
I feel pretty good about reading a book. And it's
like a real book too. It's not like a story,
it's like a what do they call us? Nonfiction? So

(06:14):
I'm pretty excited about baby steps, baby steps? But Kaylin,
what have you been doing this week to improve yourself? Uh? Well, tonight,
I'm releasing my my movie musical, So yeah, I'm ceting.
Had a Christmas EP and then I made a visual album.
I like to call it movie musical because that's more
so what it is. I love that that comes out tonight.

(06:35):
So yeah, I'm excited. So by the time people hear this,
it's out. Yeah all right, well you guys gotta go
and check it out. You already know this. We'll we'll
talk more about that at the end with Are Not
So Shameless promo. But Matt, what are you doing this week? Honestly,
what I'm doing this week that's actually been really helpful
is not doing a lot of anything. That is a
great one. We've had that answer before and I stand

(06:57):
by it. That is maybe the best one you can do,
because this question can be daunting, you know you it
can be like, oh, Ship, what am I doing? Like
I have to be doing something incredible, And that's the
way that we are as a society. So when anybody
has the strength to come on here and be like
not Ship, it's like, well, look, we're having We're all

(07:19):
we're all doing our own thing. We have releases, we
have book reading, we got nothing, and we are thriving
this week. So I'm hyped about it. But let's get
into some holiday business. So Matt will be with you
in justice sec um. But Kaylin, it's time for us
to go one on one. All Right, you just said it.
You you love the holiday so much. You released your
first album and it's a Christmas album. What what what

(07:40):
made you like love this season so much? Because there's
a lot of holidays and like minds Thanksgiving and I
have people who love Easter for whatever reason, but I
love Easter by the way, No, no hate to Easter.
It's just not the best one. Um, But what made
you love this season, this holiday so much that, like,
your first album is a is a Christmas album? Well,

(08:01):
I think it has a lot to do with the
way that Christmas feels. You know, it's not necessarily for
me the gifts or anything like that. But and and actually,
because I live in Los Angeles, and this is the
part that I don't like about living in Los Angeles
is that I don't like that Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas.
You know, some people get seasonal depression. I feel like
I have summer depression, like actual son, I prefer the

(08:24):
winter months. So like, I just love the way that
Christmas music makes you feel. It just makes you feel warm,
It makes you feel like you're at home. Like I
love the idea of spending my evening, nuzzled up on
my um on my couch watching Christmas movies, Like there
is a certain feeling that I can't explain. I think
it has a lot to do with me tapping back

(08:45):
into my inner child, you know. I think the Christmas
seasons reminds me of being a kid, because Christmas was
the most exciting day of the year for it for
me as a kid, and to be able to relive
that same type of joy that comes back to me
every single year is just phenomenal. I feel the exact
same way as you. I love I love the cold,

(09:07):
I love the snow. That's why my parents live in Utah.
We always do Christmas at their house so that we
can have white Christmas is and and we can snowboard
and sled and make a snowman, the whole nine. It's like,
it's it's the best. I Fortunately, I am actually going
to be driving to Utah instead of flying because I
don't want to, you know, do the whole germs thing.

(09:27):
So my holiday is not going to be too much
different other than the fact that I have to drive it. Well,
I drove home for Thanksgiving and I'm originally from Kansas City.
Oh my gosh, I drove thirty three hours. Wow, that's
wild and art. So what what's your holiday looking like
this year? What are you doing? Are you staying in
l A? You're going I'm going to stay in l A.
I will be going to Kansas City after some more

(09:49):
like New Year's And my birthday is January four, so
more so around that time, I've been going home. But
for Christmas, I'm going to stay here in l A. Uh,
And I'll spend it with my brother and so we're
going to just you know, make a Christmas meal. I'm
probably gonna watch all the Christmas movies over again. I've
already watched them one so, you know, drink how Coco

(10:09):
and just have a good old grand Christmas time. I
love that. And is that is that normal for you?
Or is that are you usually in Kansas City for
the holidays? Uh? Well, you know, when I was in college,
I went to school in Philadelphia, and so I would
always either pick either going home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Most of the time I went home for Christmas, you know,
But I think I don't know if I would want

(10:30):
to go home this year for Christmas because it's not
the same like I'm not meeting in a big family
group setting, so like the really the only thing that
I'm doing is just going home and sit at my house,
you know, And it's like I can do that in
any time. I feel like a lot of people are
the same in the sense of anybody who's transplanted. We're
all in l a um and uh we you know,

(10:51):
I'm going back to Utah, but a lot of people
in l a and a lot of transplants in general,
are staying where they are, and it kind of does
kill the vibe because if you do go home, even
though I'm going to my parents and I'll be with
my parents and my sisters, I'm not gonna get to
see my extended family. I'm not going to get to
go out. Like we'll build a snowman directly outside of
our house and then we'll go right back into our
house like that. It's it's kind of shitty. So, as

(11:14):
the holiday expert you are, my question is, and it's
a big question, is Christmas canceled? No, you can't cancel Christmas.
That's what I think, you know, what not not canceled
in the not canceled in like the like it's not
existing canceled and kind of like it's canceled, but it's

(11:35):
gonna come back and it's gonna be totally fine again.
You know what I mean. I'm not I don't agree
with it. I don't agree with it, but I'm saying
in that same essence that it's like we're canceled because
we're all mad at it for us, and then we'll
come back to loving it for who it is and
jamming out to five even though our girlfriends are are
are not in love with the song. Maybe maybe it's

(11:57):
more so you just have a feeling towards because like
for instance, like I'll watch Christmas with the Cranks yesterday
and they tried to cancel Christmas gift, but they try
to actually not do Christmas. I'm not saying that, I'm
saying canceled, like you know how you cancel somebody, but
you're not like you're not You're gonna still look at it,
You're still gonna see what it's up to, You're still
gonna It's like it's like just cancel culture canceled. So

(12:19):
it's not not not like we're not going to celebrate it.
But is it one? Is it one to not remember?
I think I think it's going to actually be want
to remember, because people are going are forced to have
to sit in the spirit of Christmas. We all know
on Christmas when you go through TV, it's like nothing
but Christmas movies, Like it's something that you really can't avoid,

(12:40):
you know, And so I think it's kind of inevitable.
I think it may be a little more grounding this
year because maybe people are getting as many gifts, or
getting gifts at all. You know, I'm telling you how
didn't buy nobody nor gifts. I'm not shipping nothing. Uh.
You're making me feel like the grin. I feel like
I'm the one like stay stunk um. But uh, but

(13:02):
I love you. I love that energy. Like I think
that that's exactly the way that it should be, even
though I'm trying to be a crank right now, everybody
needs to be the Christmas with the cranks for the
last Like, what is it like ten minutes of the
movie be those cranks. Don't be the cranks the first
hour in forty do the cranks the last the last
ten Um, I want to talk a little bit more
about like your your actual art and your life and

(13:23):
get a little bit more um personal to you. You
wrote your song Christmas Lives Within You after coming out
right before the holidays. Can you talk to us a
little bit more about that. Yeah, So, technically I came
out November of and after that I didn't go home
for the holidays because I was a little nervous about,
you know, how people would treat me in Kansas City,

(13:44):
or how my family would react and stuff like that.
So I spent Christmas basically by myself, and I went
to New York and because I was like, well, if
there's anywhere that's going to feel like Christmas is definitely
New York City. So I went to New York City.
And but when I thought about it's like I had
the privilege to be able to be able to afford
to go to New York and stay in a hotel
for a whole week. And I thought about all the

(14:06):
other l g B t Q plus families and youth
that do not have that option and spend the holidays
alone without a family. And I wrote Christmas List Within
You to try and reassure people that Christmas is not
about the lights of the gleam or the gifts, but
it's about the feeling and how it makes you feel

(14:29):
how it makes you feel warm inside. And it was
also written for so that adults didn't think that just
because they've gotten older, that they have to stop believing
in the magic of Christmas. I love that because that's true.
I mean, you're you're you're like a specialist. Now. I
didn't even know this until now, Like you're a specialist
in unique Christmas is like in terms of like there's
no tradition that's too strong to not do you know

(14:52):
what I mean? Like you do you just explain basically
the synopsis of Home Alone. By the way, um the
home Alone, which one is at Homelown two? Is that
the one where he goes to New York? Yeah, you did?
You pulled a home Alone two, which is just makes
you even cooler. But I think that that's that's absolutely
the truth is like Christmas is, and that's kind of
I guess the essence of this whole year, but Christmas,

(15:16):
the holidays this year especially is like it lives within you,
Like you decide if it's dark and gloomy, and you
decide if if zooming sucks or if zooming is a blessing.
You know. I mean a lot of people have been
zooming for birthdays and holidays. Um, I think they're kind
of I think they're kind of fun. What do you
think you think that? I think they're like as fun.
They're fun until it gets like that awkward silence of

(15:39):
like you're talking about zooming birthday party? Yeah, like it
was zoom birthday parties, Christmas parties. I mean I've seen
some hot like ugly Christmas sweater parties. Um going today? No,
you know because the sweater is it? Because the zoom parts.
It's the zoom part. Like, I'm not about to sit
out here for an hour and just look at you
and dance in my in my apartment. No, send me
a text. I'm not the type of person like you

(16:02):
know on holidays, everybody got to sing you the Happy
Thanksgiving on the happy Merry Christmas text. I'm the person
that will post. I was like, no worries, already know
you're wishing me a merry Christmas, No need to text me.
Did not blow my phone up with a whole bunch
of messages saying the same thing. We all know what
today is. So here's the thing is, I thought that
I agreed. I thought that I agreed with your concept

(16:22):
for Thanksgiving, Like I was like, damn, I really don't
want to do the whole like happy Thanksgiving to you too,
Like we're all excited about texting each other something that
we all know what is happening. But then this Thanksgiving
I didn't get too many and it was kind of sad,
like I was kind of like, damn, that really hurts that.
You guys are right, So if you're if you hear

(16:42):
this and you know me and you have my phone number,
please say hey, please save me a Christmas to be.
Oh my gosh, Well, um, listen, I I'm so happy
that you're here because you turned me a grinch heart
and my grint my heart grew what is it three
times inside that or something like it. There you go,
Well that's exactly my question. So, uh, there's so many

(17:04):
Christmas movies out there. I mean, we got Elf, you
got you got the Grine, you got Christmas with the Cranks,
you got Home Alone to so many Christmas movies. I
want to I want to know what's what do you
think is the most underrated Christmas movie? And what do
you think is the most overrated Christmas movie? Oh that's hard, okay,
underwrite Christmas movie I would have to say Home Alone, three,

(17:28):
the third I actually love the third one. I think
the third one is great. Everybody else wants to get
all you know in our uproar about it, but I
think it's great. Now overrated though, Oh, I probably have
to say the Christmas Story, thank you, Yo. You know
how overrated that movie is to me. It's so overrated

(17:50):
to me that when you said it, I had to
think about what movie that was. That's how overrated it.
I was like a Christmas story. I was like, is
that the one about Jesus, because that's the Christmas story?
And then I remembered it's the one about you'll shoot
your eye out or something like that. And I couldn't
agree with you more, Kaylin. That's that's a perfect a
perfect answer. It's a perfect answer. All right, Well, thank

(18:12):
you so much. We'll be talking with you in just
a bit when me and you and Matt get together
and we talked about how this Christmas actually could be
the best one ever. But we'll take a quick break
and we will be right back. All right, we are back.
This is let's get into it, and I am now
talking with the one and only Matt Dempsey. You guys
don't get this. I really think during the break he
was cutting up some some fruit. I think it was

(18:32):
an apple or banana, and I think he just used
his jawline. It was wild. It was so sharp and
so strong butter um. He didn't cut any fruit though.
Now I'm hungry, Matt, I asked. I asked, Kaylin this already,
But what is your holiday looking like? This year? So?
My holiday is so different. So my mom still actually

(18:54):
lose in the same house that I grew up in,
get out of literally from birth, So every single Christmas
looked the same, and it's always been. It's always been
in mad house. And this is the very first year
that I will not be in Clark, New Jersey at
my mom's house. So it's so it's very different. But
normally my my holiday looks like I'm just like with

(19:15):
my family, We do the food. I actually go caroling
too with some of my high school friends. So I
don't get to do any of that this year. So
what are you gonna do this? Yere Okay, So it
took it took me like a real strong minute to
think about was I actually going to cancel it? Was
I gonna try to fly home in some kind of
safe way and make it happen. I don't know. I
eventually decided against it, right like I how to do

(19:36):
the smart thing, and I told my mom and I
just bawled afterwards. I was heartbroken. But once I kind
of got once I got through that, once I had
my EMO moment, I um me and a few of
my other friends. I've got like three really close friends
actually kind of like my chosen family here in l A.
And they're not going home either, and so we decided

(19:56):
to rent a cabin up in the mountains up in
Lake Arrowhead, which near Early if you know it, and
we're just gonna do our full on kind of Christmas
thing on our own. But I feel so sad for you.
You lived in the same day you you spent your
I think you're somewhere in your twenties, and you spent
those years, all every single one of those you are

(20:18):
at that house. How does it Because first of all,
I'm thirty eight, thank you though, thirty seven years in Clark,
New Jersey. And now, yeah, this is the first time
I won't okay, so okay, I'm gonna get out of
my own pity party for you. But does that make
you feel you know, I'm trying to do that thing
where you know I was saying earlier, like you balance
being sad but also be grateful that you get to

(20:40):
go up to it. But like that's like a new experience,
Like it's this is like a whole new thing. This
holiday in general is just so weird. It's super strange.
You know, I jumped the gun and bought all my
Christmas presents in like one week. Things are super fast
and they're rushed and you gotta make last minute plans,
but at the same time, like everything is still slowed down,
like everybody's still You're gonna wake up Chris this morning

(21:00):
and you're gonna be like, what should we do today?
And you'll be like, oh, the same thing we did
for the last year, like stay home. What do you
think are ways that we can make that day feel
a little bit more special? Well, first of all, let
me just say like I actually kind of love your
vibe and kind of what you're going for. I think
in this show, which is really about trying to not
just kind of be not just have this kind of
toxic positivity about things like it's okay and ra Ra

(21:23):
and you know, put a good spin on it and
be grateful, but also like acknowledge that this fucking sucks.
It sucks. It's and not the good kind, not so
it'll like different. It's different and it sucks like it's
like I said, it took me a minute to really
just kind of go through my own emotional ship to

(21:43):
then be able to get to a place where I
could kind of reframe it. So we don't want it
to be like a toxic positivity, you know, kind of
vibe where we have to like force this really great
perspective and not feel the difficulties of things. We kind
of want to find that balance, you know when when
we put a positive reframe on things and been it
in that way, it's to help manage the discomfort, manage

(22:03):
the you know, the shitty stuff that can come up
when we don't get to see our families or do
all the other great stuff. Absolutely, and and thank you
for for giving that um perspective of the show, because
it is really something that we go for, is not
only being awesome, but like being real, like things are
great or things are shitty, and and this year has
been really really shitty in multiple ways that affect Christmas,

(22:25):
not just not being able to see your family, you know,
like you also there's a lot of people who are
either unemployed or are furload or they are there their cuts,
their pays got cut and all of these things, and
it can really kind of take a big damper on
somebody's mental health and and they can feel either physically

(22:46):
or just mentally alone. What advice do you have for
somebody who is feeling alone, whether it's because they're actually
alone or because the year was hard on them and
they feel like naturally, as humans do, they're the only
person that is understand thing what they're going through. Yeah,
what's your advice or or or tips for anybody who's
feeling like that? Totally? First, first, I would say it

(23:08):
is okay to not be okay. So let that be
the starting point that it's fine when we're going through ship.
You go through ship, right, like, you don't have to
try and like sweep it up real quick. So start
there and know that that's fine, and know that anything
else that you're gonna do again is just to help
manage it, it's not to eliminate it. Right, This isn't
kind of like a black and white mentality like either

(23:29):
you're feeling okay or you're not right, Like you can
feel like ship and put a positive spin. That's what
helps us give us a little bit more of a balance.
So start there after that. One thing that I've kind
of been noticing, whether it's like with friends or clients,
I've been noticing that a lot of people have just
kind of resigned themselves like, oh, it's a different Christmas whatever,
I'm not going to think about it. Fine, what can

(23:49):
happen is Christmas is going to show the funk up.
You're not gonna have any plans. You didn't have a
strategy going into it, and then you're gonna get hit
with so much more challenging emotions. So what I would
say is go into it with some kind of plan,
Like if you literally cannot be with anybody, like if
you don't have your own pod or or your family

(24:09):
or anything like that, make sure you can get a
zoom situation happening. Find a way to connect with people.
This is an ideal. I did a zoom for Thanksgiving.
I hated it. I was so grateful for it that
I got to see my family. But you know, people's
connections are kind of falling out the audio is whacked.
There's always like a you know, half second delays. People
are talking all over each other. It sucks. But all

(24:31):
of this is just to help kind of, you know,
soften the blow a little bit, and you never know,
you might be able to actually find maybe like some
new tradition that you can do. You might be able
to find some kind of like new thing that can
you know, just be something that you stumbled down that
you never would have before. So keeping an open mind
about things that would be my strategy. Find some kind

(24:52):
of like Christmas magic somewhere, even if you're hanging lights
in your apartment, do something creative in that way and
bring that spark back for yourself. I'm so grateful that
you and Kaylin came on the show today because honestly,
I was coming in with the Grinch vibes, like some
full on and both of you guys are like, no,
you don't have to look at it like that, and
I was like, damn, that's wild. You posted a quote, um,

(25:14):
I think it was yesterday. If you continue to ignore
your healing season, it will eventually start knocking down doors
and people to get to you. And I think that's
exactly what you just touched on, right, Like, if you
just ignore it, if you just brush it off, then
you're gonna end up getting hit with it later. You
can't sweep things under the rug and expect that they
just like fall through the floor, right, Yeah, you obviously,

(25:36):
as as your profession has led you to always have
great tips um for for the holidays. And I think
not just Christmas or or Hanukah or or kwanza Um,
but New Year's is a big one for me. I
always set my New Year's resolutions, and and on New
Year's Eve, I actually spent some time by myself to
reflect on the blessings that I had in life, or
just reflect on the year of whoa, this was a

(25:57):
crazy year or that was wild. This one's gonna be
pretty pretty hard. And so I think my question is
what habits or lessons should we take with us into
the next year and beyond, hopefully beyond with with the
vaccine and everything quarantine mm hmm, I would say, I
mean this whole year, I've been really just trying to

(26:19):
frame it myself this entire year, to try to keep
like some some perspective on you know, like I think
everything happens for us not to us. Right, So it's like,
is happening for us and it doesn't feel like that.
That's a hold on save that line one more time.
That line needs its own thing. Everything happens for us,

(26:39):
not to us, which is which is a choice, by
the way, that's a perspective that we choose to take.
So if you're if you have that perspective, so like
I have, this year, it's like, Okay, damn, this year sucks.
We got well, you know everything, the global pandemic, election cycle,
you know, civil unbreast, We've got so much it happening
this year and it sucks and I think we all

(27:00):
felt it. But also let's not let it go in vain, like, truly,
what is this here? How is this here for us?
What is this giving us? And I'll speak personally the
thing that I know that it's been really helping me
force a lot of is okay, I'll be really like,
we're all about it. One is about just kind of
letting go of physical perfection because I know that within myself,

(27:20):
as much as I want to deny that, sometimes I'm
always trying to make sure that my skin is clear,
that my body is tight, that like my hair is
good and I'm portant all that stuff, and so just
really trying to force myself to let that stuff go
more like to make sure that I'm like I'm doing
homeworkouts and things like that, and I want to stay healthy,
but I'm not trying to kill myself and really try
to you know, have like a level of perfection, so

(27:42):
something like that. But also I take that kind of
perfectionism with me into work stuff, and so I'm constantly
trying to think about like what, you know, should I
be making more content, should I be putting myself out
there more? Should I be working harder than ever? And
this year is like no, Uh. There's this one therapist
to um I forget his name, but he was posting
a lot and kept saying like, we are at that's

(28:02):
our goal. If we're hitting six of workflow of showing
up for our lives, you are killing it, right. So
if you're hitting I think that's good. So really making
sure that we are checking in with ourselves, making sure
that we're checking with our bodies where's our energy at,
and you know, really trying to listen to that. So
that's what I take within with me into is to

(28:24):
not just kind of fly back into the other direction
where I'm trying to kill it all the time, you know,
where I want to be excellent, but I'm not trying
to be perfect. I love that you just inspired me
to take that because I was I was thinking about
the answer myself, obviously before asking anybody else. And I
think I realized and I'm have to rewind to the
March April version of pandemic quarantine. I did a ton

(28:45):
of things that I had always wanted to do or
had been meaning to do, like hanging up a picture
or building a garden or anything. And the one thing
I want to take with me is like, I still
we're still gonna have downtime, whether it's because it's forced
or whether because that's what humans do. Like they have
days where they do they have options to do nothing
or do something that's not productive, or do something that's

(29:06):
feeding a different you know, energy, and those days are important.
But I think also utilizing those days to sometimes do
the things that I've been meaning to do, because I
think that that was that's something that really um affected
me in a good way with this pandemic, right there
was something that I really got to take as a
lesson totally and and doing nothing like truly, like when

(29:26):
are you saying that too? When I said yeah, when
I say do nothing like really, I mean it's been
really nice, and there've been days where I been like
this is fine right to myself, and it's like, yes, binge, Netflix,
go for it. I love that. I want to I'm
gonna break let's get into it rule. I'm gonna break
the segment wall because I feel like Klin might have
a good answer UM for this question as well about

(29:47):
what you're taking with you into UM that you had
this year. I mean, that's how bad this year was.
I almost didn't count, um if there's anything that you're
taking with you, any mantras or any any spiritual things
that like that came through that you're kind of wanting
to take with you into the next year. Um. So

(30:08):
at the beginning of the pandemic, when it all first happened,
I think I got very anxious and depressed because work
slowed down and I was used to working, working, working, working,
And then so from that I started to just like
do a whole bunch of passion projects and I started working, working, working,
working again, And now I don't want to do anything

(30:30):
and now I realized that I kind of wish that
I would have taken the time that was available to
have a reason to not do anything. I kind of
wish I would have not done anything. So this next
year I planned to just sit back a little bit
and just rest and like, only do what I have
to do and not necessarily just doing stuff to say

(30:52):
I did it, you know, so absolutely, I think another
thing that I'll that I'll i'll say to for all
three of us, since we live in l A and
and a lot of the times it's not even just
Los Angeles, it's it's your own community. It becomes so
who's doing what? And why am I not doing it?
Or why was I not there any all of that
situation that's very very toxic here in Los Angeles, but

(31:14):
can happen anywhere. I love that this year, because we
are all forced to be home, we got to take
that huge amount of energy that we usually all spend
or maybe you don't and and congratulations to you, but
I am not one of you that I've been spending
and I think a lot of people spend on other
people like well what is he doing? Who's what are
they doing? I found out that like twelve people I

(31:35):
know had COVID and I didn't even know it because
I was so focused on my own business, you know
what I mean. Like, that's something that I think I'd
love to try to continue myself to take in. Is
is Okay, let's focus on me first, and then if
if I have time after I've focused on me and
I am fulfilled, then I can say, well, what are
you guys doing? What do you guys been up to?
How are you Yeah? One of my favorite quotes actually

(31:58):
is don't compare your behind the scenes to other people's
highlight reel, because it's really easy, especially with social media,
Like it used to be really just kind of l
a but now it's like you get to see everybody's lives, right,
It's so easy, but you never you know exactly what's
going on and kind of the noise and the mess
of what's going on within you. But all you see
is everybody else's, you know, polished projections that are going
on out there. So I think this they'll kind of

(32:19):
crack that a little bit more and help us check
back in. I love that you said that, because I
got tired of it. And what I did is at
first I un followed everybody on Instagram only. I only
followed back people that like I genuinely actually knew, and
then once I followed them back, I muted them all
so that I didn't see anybody's stuff. So you just
see what is your What is your Instagram? I don't

(32:41):
want to know. I don't care, So you all doing
the same? Is your feed? Then just your posts? Me
and Beyonce? Okay, okay, I love two people. All right, Well,
I have a couple more questions Matt before we take
a quick break. Is there anything else that you feel

(33:02):
people need to be aware of going into this holiday
season and going into the Christmas Hanukah quantity? I guess
chunka were already in it, but Christmas Quanza and um
in the New Year. Yeah, I think probably the only
thing is just to kind of get make sure that
you're really paying attention to your body, make sure that
you're paying attention to what you're feeling, make sure you're
paying attention to what you need. And I think it's

(33:24):
so tempting at a time like this where we're coming
up to the end of a year, then you know,
kind of doing this pandemic thing for about nine months
who are all just fatigued of thinking about it. We
start kind of doing some mental gymnastics. I think, like,
we got the vaccines, things are fine, We're gonna be okay, right,
and then what we feel isn't gonna match what how
we think things are supposed to be, and then that

(33:45):
can be the very thing that sucks us up. So
making sure that you really keep like a realistic tab
on the fact that we are still in this thing
and numbers are worse than they ever have been. Things
are really difficult, and so we're all a part of
that culture. And so if you're feeling yourself dragging, if
you're feeling yourself kind of being down, that makes sense,
that's okay. Do some things. They'll kind of elevate that

(34:08):
as best you can. But otherwise, just make sure that
you know that this is still uh, it's still relevant
and it still makes sense. I love that. I'm so
glad we have a psychotherapist on this show right now,
because there's like I'm I'm I'm out here asking questions
about snowmen and movies and you're like, but make sure
you're also mentally stable, and I was like, damn, I
gotta do that. Um, So as we close this out,

(34:30):
I do have the same question I asked Kaylin to
close it out. I need your most in your opinion,
the most underrated Christmas movie and the most overrated Christmas
movie because starting after literally after this podcast, this recording,
right now, my holiday starts, so I have to I
have actually no, I have one call after this, but
that's that's then I'm holiday bound. So I'm gonna be
watching movies and I need to know what you think

(34:52):
is the most underrated and overrated Christmas movie. Okay, I
don't know. I'm really struggling with underrated and the only
reason because the one that comes to mind is one
that I'm like newly obsessed with and it's happiest season
on Hulu. It's do you know it? Oh? Is that
the one? Where is that? The one that's it's so good?

(35:14):
And the reason why it's so good, I'll just break
it down real quick. The reason why it's so good
is because of the fact that it's got like legit
actors in it who actually do a really solid job,
and it brings all of the kind of like most
you know, kind of trite typical holiday movie, kind of
a Hallmark movie vibes to it, so it feels warm
and fuzzy, but it actually has some decent acting and

(35:35):
gay so I'm like, yes, so that's amazing. I'm absolutely
it's underrated though, because it's actually doing pretty well well.
I think I think it's underrated only in the sense
of more people need to watch it, you know what
I mean. Like it's not like nobody's giving it to love.
I think it's underrated because it's new and everybody focuses
on the classics, and this one really truly might be
a new classic. Like I have to, I have to.

(35:57):
I'm going to pitch in with you on this one
and I'll give my own answers later. But I really
think that that movie I have not I'm gonna be honest,
and I'm gonna get flamed for this one after this.
I do not like Hallmark movies. I do not like
Lifetime Christmas movies. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. My mom, my,
mom and my sisters will watch them and they'll watch
him till the cows come home. But I cannot stand it.

(36:20):
And so when my sister told me about this one,
I literally was like, no, But I like Ship's Creek
and Kristen Stewart. I I think she's I think she's
fun to watch um act So I gave it a
shot and I was so impressed after watching it, I
was like, am I lesbian because I'm obsessed with christ
And Stewart, I'm like, she is so hot. And the

(36:41):
sister I don't know what the actress is named, the
funny sister like. The comedic relief was incredible. It was
just all good. It was all great. So I will
say that what I think is the most overrated movie
is White Christmas. I don't know if you've ever seen
White Christmas. This is a classic with being Crosby. Have
you seen it? I have not seen it, but I
have to. I have to explain how sad our producer

(37:04):
Katherine is that both of our shifted on her favorite
Christmas movies. I think she's about to burn down her
Christmas tree right now. Okay, Kavin, let me explain myself.
So so White Christmas? Okay, I like, I grew up
watching that with my family, so I have like this
positive association with it. But then I recently rewatched it
in its entirety and I'm like, there's nothing Christmas about

(37:28):
this movie until the end of it. That's it. And
then they come out and say they come out like
a sand a wardrobe and saying white Christmas. That said,
I'm like, what, I don't remember this, but it's bad.
It's bad. Don't watch it. Save yourself, save ussel all
the time. Well, I appreciate. I'm gonna have to do.
I'll do. I'm gonna follow your advice and just continue
not seeing that movie. And I'm gonna go watch the season.

(37:50):
What's it called again, happen the season? Happy Season, It's
happiest season. I can't remember the title, but I remember
the movie and it was really really good. Give it
another watch, painfully adorable. All right, Well, we're gonna take
a quick break, but thank you so much for coming on, Matt.
After we come back from the break, all three of
us are going at it for the greatest Christmas ever,
and we're going to continue debating movies and Christmas treats
and all of that fun stuff. So don't go anywhere.

(38:13):
I'm have to look up Christmas movies because I don't
I really don't watch Christmas movies, and so I need
to figure out what the most overrated Christmas movie is
to me, Oh, you know, what's the one, And I
don't know if it's if it's a Christmas movie, what's
the one with Arnold Schwarzenegger. No, No, jingle all the way,
Jingle all the way. I was gonna say, I was

(38:34):
gonna say I love it. Oh. Oh, I thought you
said it was overrated. It was it is overrated. I'm sorry, Kaitlin.
I was just I knew. I saw the fire that
was coming out. Don't come for Turbot and Baby. It's
either you know what it is. It's either that one.
It's either that one, or it's the one with Matthew
Broderick and Danny de Vito deck the halls. Yes, I'm real.

(39:00):
Christy Jennewin, I'm over too. I'm over to with Kylin.
Welcome back. We're here this, let's get into it. I
am here with Kaylin Allen, who's very mad at me
right now because of what we just talked about over
the break. Uh and Matt Dempsey. Um, we're just gonna
get straight into it. I apparently hate two of the
movies that are that are Christmas classics. Klin. I'm sorry,

(39:23):
I don't know what it is. Maybe I just don't
like Christmas movies in general because those are like those areas,
I'm really a Grinch, that's really and you want to
know what you want to know? What's crazy is my
favorite Christmas movie is The Gridge. Okay, but but to
be honest, if we talk about the Granch, the Grinch
was the good guy. The Who's were bad people. They

(39:48):
were terrible to the Grinch. They treated him like trash. Yeah,
they did treat him, that's right. The gay guys saw
that slight him up in the Mantinea. I I have
two movies that I think are underrated, though, because I

(40:09):
don't think that The Grinch is underrated. I think it's
like The Elf. You know, It's like I think. The
only reason why I would say and don't I don't
let me finish my sentence before I get judged. I
think I think Elf is overrated only because I've seen
it so many times that I do. I cannot physically
watch that movie again. And I think that that's how
everybody is. So if you still watch The Elf like regularly,

(40:29):
then then that's then then that's why I think it's
kind of overrated. And and I got Kalen's mad at me.
He's about to leave the show. Um, Catherine's about to
just end the whole podcast in general. Uh, I'm I'm
okay about that, elf because like the way I'm about
to get I'm about to get attacked the thing. But
the way I feel that ELF is the way I
feel about Taylor Swift. I think they're great, but I'm

(40:53):
not like, I'm not like going crazy for either of
them like everybody else has. Okay, so you're trying to
tell me. Then when you watch at the end when
they started believing in the slave Fly, and it's not
what you're trying to tell me. This is disrespect, this
is you know an y'all. I'm like, I'm acting. I

(41:15):
don't know you. Oh can I redeem myself with trying
to say underrated Christmas movies? Yeah, come on, come on. Okay,
so it's not necessarily a Christmas movie, but they do
celebrate Christmas together. What James Franco where he's like the
crazy rich um but like psychopath boyfriend and she he's

(41:37):
meeting the girl's friends family. I love how you always
know the actors but not the movie. I'm terrible with
movie titles. I said the whole Christen Stewart movie. I could.
I still it's a happy season, happiest season. I'm terrible
with movie names. Um, why Him? Have you guys seen
the movie? Why Him? Why Him? It's um, Brian Cranston's
in it. So basically like this girl takes her pars

(42:00):
to go meet her boyfriend and he's like this crazy
rich dude, but he's also like a site, like he's
super weird and out there, and they celebrate Christmas together
and they end up, um, they end up all being
a happy family. I ruined the ending. Um, But you
should check it out. You should check it out because
if you haven't seen it, it's kind of a Christmas movie.
And I know that you guys have watched all the
Christmas movies already, but you could give that one a shot.

(42:21):
And it's funny because it's rated are so it's like
really vulgar, whereas most Christmas movies kind of are really
like nice and sweet, and so that one's fun because
it will get your edge going. Um that one. And
I'm also going to say Office Christmas Party is an
underrated Christmas movie solely because I have I sing I
sing a song in an office Christmas party, So I'm
gonna get I'm gonna give a little a little ship,

(42:43):
a little shameless self chromo. So we're back on topic.
During a normal year, people are traveling for the holidays,
They're spending twice as much money for a ticket home,
They're trudging through the snow. They are seeing their family
members that are annoying or that they actually don't like,
and they have to brave conversations with them. We're talking
about we get to watch all of the Christmas movies.
We don't have to worry about having to choose and

(43:05):
pick and and balance it around. We're all at our
own houses and we don't have to really worry about
a lot of things. Part of me is starting to
think the optimistic, the Grinch with the three hearts, the
three sizes, bigger heart, is thinking this actually might not
be too bad of a Christmas. What are you guys
thinking about the positives of Christmas? What are the positives
for you guys that in this Christmas, Especially Matt, I'm

(43:25):
curious about yours because you do the same thing every
single year for Christmas, and and Kaylin, you're kind of
a professional and fresh new Christmas is What are the
positives you guys think of the holiday season. I think
the positives of it is exactly what you were just saying,
which is that we don't we don't have to do
all of the annoying parts of going home for Christmas

(43:47):
and having to like you know, deal with that, especially
for those of us we still don't live in our
hometowns and having a run around and see this person
and see that person and make it all happen. I
don't have to do any of that anymore. So just
being able to kind of like what Kayley was seeing
before about you know, wishing that like you would have
just enjoyed it for you know, enjoyed the downtime during
this year, really being amblen into that for Christmas, like

(44:09):
we don't get to see our families and that part
does suck, but really leaning into not having to travel,
not having to do this stuff and soak that up.
I love that. Kaylin. What about you? You're I mean,
you're a professional at at New Christmas is so what's
special about this New Christmas? That you're gonna be with
your brother, You're gonna be staying home, all of that.
It's nice that I just get to call all the shots.

(44:30):
I get to do what I want to do, how
I want to do it, when I want to do it.
You know, it's saving money not having to buy a
whole bunch of gifts for people. And I absolutely want
to emphasize with Matthew said about not having to do
a world to where. I mean, you know, especially when
you work in the industry, anytime you go home, it's
not like just going home anymore. It's like you gotta

(44:52):
take pictures with people you're seeing everybody. You gotta go
to this house. They want to come over to see you,
to ask you about your life. I don't have time
audit me alone. Oh my gosh. I'm gonna tell you
one thing that I'm actually super excited about for this
holiday season because I'm going to be with my my
immediate family, but I'm not gonna be with my my

(45:13):
wider spread family with cousins and all of that. You
guys know those really really hard Christmas tree cookies that
they sell at grocery stores that most people hate. So
my family loves them, and I love them. We all
love them. And the problem with them is that you
get one box and they're all gone. Because usually with
all the cousins and they're gone this year. Don't gotta
share them. I'm having so many cookies. Can you guys

(45:34):
imagine that? How many cookies I'm going to have this
If I don't come back with a real gut, Like,
if I don't come back from Christmas with a real gut,
that's the only way that I'm going to say that
Christmas was an absolute failure. Coming Um, since we're talking
about food, what do you guys, what are your favorite
what's the Christmas food of choice? Kalen? Oh wow, probably

(45:55):
a good old hang, a good Christmas hang maprol brown sugar,
little honey baked cam Yeah, with the cherries and the
pineapple on top. Baby. I never experienced the cherries in
the pineapple because I always buy mine from Honey Baked,
like the actual Honey Baked Ham store, and they don't
give you the cherry in the ham. But I've always
seen it, and I've always wondered if it was a
real thing, and you just proved it right to me. Matt,

(46:18):
what's your what's your Christmas food of choice? You know
I'm gonna go I'm gonna kind of speak to the
breakfast side of things because my mom every year. I
don't know when it's at your house. I think it's
because I used to be obsessed with like eggs, Chris
sandwiches from Burger King, um, and so she would try
to do her version of that, and so she did
every morning on Christmas, and so they hit a little
differently Toowich. Yes, sir, oh man, I'll tell you my

(46:43):
My Christmas breakfast has been the same. That's another tradition.
And luckily, because my mom makes it, I'll get to
experience it again this year. Um, it's the weird. I mean,
it's kind of weird, but it's only these three things.
It's sausages, eggs, and blueberry muffins. Then nothing else is involved. Breakfast.
You're talking about breakfast, Yeah, breakfast, breakfast and just separate.

(47:04):
These are separate things, just on the same place. You're
just one plate. But I feel like when I hear
most people's Christmas breakfast, it's always like some grandiose thing,
like it's a big brunch short at this whole nine,
And we've every year it's it's and it's not even
muffin tin blueberry muffins. We just do a big like
in a cake pan of the blueberry muffin mix and

(47:24):
we just slice it up. It's it's it's my favorite
thing and it never changes. I will say that I'm
glad I don't have to cook. That's another thing you
don't have to cook, because I always have to do
all the cooking. You could uber Eats or Postmates three
meals on Christmas Day, have no dishes to do, have
no cooking responsibilities, and you get to eat food that's

(47:47):
probably with love better than the ship you would make anyways.
You well, I don't accept that, yeah, because I can
cook my ass off, So I'm not gonna lie. I'm
not gonna lie. I didn't know you guys cooking levels.
And when I said that, I was like, I'm not
talking about myself though I'm the chef of the kitchen.
So but there are some people who are just not

(48:08):
blessed with cooking abilities, and they can do that and
they get to have a better meal than they would
have had anyways exactly. I think the other thing that
I really love about about the holidays this year is
because people are home way more they're going I'm seeing
some Christmas masterpieces in their houses like you're seeing like
because you I'll drive around at night. That's the other
thing I love to do is like just drive around
and seek people's Christmas lights. And there are some crazy

(48:33):
not only in my neighborhood, but on Twitter. I saw
one that was like Avengers themed and they had like
led screens. You guys see that one. People are going hard.
That is as MS tree. Wow, this is more importantly
than your Christmas tree. You have a place in l
a that could fit a twelve foot Christmas tree. How

(48:58):
did you get that in there? It came in three
pieces because it's art ain't real, it's artificial, And so
I just had to put it to you. And now
I don't know what the hell it's gonna go after it,
but I think I'm gonna leave it up all year
and make it all year Christmas tree. And like you know,
dey're right. If east and balat day, I would like
to use your example as a perfect time to to

(49:21):
fight in favor of artificial Christmas trees. I think that
real Christmas trees. And Katherine is your I can't see
and I don't want to offend you for the third time.
Is it real or is it artificial? Yeah? I was?
Then I'm not gonna say what I was going to
say before. Um, it's so much shedding. Thank you, Kaylin
said it for me that you know what they have

(49:44):
now though, which I've been seeing like advertisement spores. You
can get a living Christmas tree, so you get it
with the route that's still intact and so and you
can like technically rent the tree. So you rent the tree,
you have it in your place through the Christmas season,
and then you get it back and then they replant
it and you can keep using it every year. Listen,
that's a great idea. But you know what's even easier
than that. It's going into your garage, opening the box

(50:08):
and throwing that bitch up, honestly, and you know what
you can also do. My mom did it one year
because but then my long story, but my dog was
allergic to it. Um she got a like one of
those full time error like fresheners. Like it shoots out
scent and it just shoots out the smell of a
Christmas tree. Same ass thing. It literally is the same thing. No, baby, baby,

(50:29):
why not? But what I will say when I would
say so my Christmas tree was bought from Balstom hell,
which is you talked about the Hallmark movies. So that's
what they bought a Chrystmas trees because they look, this
tree costs me two dollars, damn. And that's why the
tree ain't coming dance. You should. That's definitely you're gonna
have an Easter tree. You're gonna you're gonna have a

(50:51):
fourth of July tree. Halloween. Money's worth. You gotta get
your money he's worth, because I say, what is a
tree cost? Usually a hundred dollars, two hundred dollars, Yeah,
if you're getting it from my loans or something. If
you get a tree, if let's say, if a tree
is a hundred dollars, you have to use that tree
for twenty Christmas is before you go. We just got

(51:15):
the money's worth, So you better use that for twenty
holidays this year so you can make that money worth it.
Oh my gosh, I don't even know this. This last
segment has just turned into everybody either celebrating or roasting
each other's thoughts on Christmas things. And I'm not even
mad at it. I'm not even mad at it um.
But I think the one thing that I will say

(51:36):
is that New Year's is coming around and We're gonna
have a new year, and we already have this vaccine
that's out, which I'm praying is as successful as the
goal is for it to be. And if it is,
then we might be going we might be going back
to normal. We might be going back to a version
of more normalcy. What are you guys the most excited

(51:56):
about if life eventually gets back to to that, to
that beautiful and we'll see. I'm going to Disneyland. I'm
going to Disneyland. I used to go pre The last
time I went to Disneyland was in February because I
would go every month. I was season pass holder. Like
it's the one thing that keeps me saying, baby, the

(52:16):
moment I can go back, I'm gonna be there. Okay.
I love that. I feel like everybody's gonna get the opportunity,
you know, when like the NBA player wins the championship
and they're getting interviewed and they're like, so, what's the
next thing you're gonna do, and they're gonna go, I'm
going to Disneyland. Everybody gets that opportunity to be that person.
Like I'm literally about to post an instre and nobody's

(52:37):
steal if you're listening to this, you better not steal
my idea. I'm gonna post a video and it's gonna
be like, I'm gonna find a stranger to just say, so,
what are you gonna do now that the quarantine's over?
And I'm gonna turn the camera myself and with my loudest,
most booming voice, I'm gonna scream I'm going to Disneyland,
and I'm gonna go to Disneyland. I'm gonna be right
there with you and Klin's Kalin is gonna be there,

(52:58):
and I'm gonna be standing behind into him at Matterhorn
and it's going to break down after he gets on
it and I don't get to write it he gets
to ride Matterhorn. I got a feeling that's what's going
to happen. Um, Matt, what are you the most excited for? Uh?
When when life inevitably gets back to some form of normalcy. Yeah,
I mean it kind of sounds like things might really
kind of take a turn, like around the spring on

(53:20):
into summertime, that we might be able to start the
resource honestly, just being outside around other people, like having
the like the energy. I don't even want to talk
to anybody, just the energy of everybody around me. That
and more specifically, I want to fucking dance like I
have not been able to go anywhere go dancing, nothing,
and I want to go dance. Okay, Matt, We're gonna

(53:40):
need to connect because I love dancing. I love going
out dancing. We're gonna need to connect that we can
all go out, um and Kylen. Same for Disneyland, because
I'm gonna need to go to Disneyland and you gotta
have a ride, buddy. You gotta have a ride buddy
who is down to wait in the lines and it
is down to go for I was gonna say, Kla, Kylen.
I was gonna say, we're gonna get an escar. We're
gonna we're gonna pull some strings, nobody, Lie. I love that. Uh,

(54:06):
let's flip it though. What's what's something you guys might miss?
I know? For me, you know what I'm really gonna miss,
especially because you were the one that said it, Matt,
that it's gonna probably open up if things open up
around spring summertime. I'm gonna miss not having to worry
about what I look like. M I'm gonna have to
get my ass in shape because you know that I'm
not going to go out to the beach for the
first time since the since two years ago and have

(54:27):
any form of any form of no abs on my body.
Like that's just for me and that's not for anybody else.
That's for me. So I can walk around with that
confidence of like what you've been doing this year. I mean,
I would say, honestly the same. I mean that, but
just across the board, just not having to give as
much of a funk about a lot of things, just

(54:49):
like really kind of just like vegging, chilling. I have
to do too much. I'm gonna miss that. I'm gonna
miss that. What about you, Kalen? I think I'm gonna
miss not having to tend carpet events if you never
By the way, if you've never attended the red carpet event,
it is by no means what you think. It is.
So and I love you guys, everybody in the media.

(55:12):
You guys are incredible red carpets. I respect you for
what the meaning of it is, but it is so
not fun. And I'm so glad that you said it first,
so I can proudly be with you and say it
as well. It's not fun. It's not fun, and I
don't want to go back to it, but eventually we're
gonna have to. Huh Oh, this was such a fun podcast,

(55:33):
and by no means what I expected it to be. Like,
I was thinking that everybody is gonna be like me
and be like, yeah, it kind of sucks this Christmas.
You guys turned me around. You guys turned this little
grinch self of mine around. My skin is back to
normal from being green, and and I'm so happy that
we got to like we got to we got to
spend this time together Matt and Caitlin. Thank you guys
so much. This is this is the part of the

(55:55):
show I call it not so shameless promo. We're going
to talk about things that we're excited about. Allen, I
want you to hear. I want to know everything about
the Christmas experience is what I'm gonna call it that
you're releasing, tell us some more about it. So basically,
it is a Christmas card to the LGBTQ family. It
is all an entire career cast. We have one the Sikes,

(56:15):
we have Alex Nowr, we have m J. Rodriguez, we
have an all star cast. And basically it is the
story of how Santa Claus fell in love with Mr Clause.
I play Mr Claus and so it is basically just
a new Christmas classic that I think everybody is going
to really love. That is neither overrated nor underrated. That

(56:36):
is just perfectly rated. It's gonna be that. I'm so
excited to see that. That is that sounds incredible. And
where else can people find you? On social media and
and and all that, You can find me everywhere at
the Kaylin Allen. I make it real easy. I love that.
I love that Matt give us some give us some promo.
What's going on? What can we get excited about? And
where can we find you? I think probably the thing

(56:57):
that I'm that I'm most excited about doing is actually
podcast with Alex mop It's called Hot Mess, and it's
not it's kind of a little bit of a like
this vibe where we're talking about real things that are
going on, but also, you know, I get to give
my real health perspective. Alex a comedian and so he
gets to give his humor in on it, and we
get to laugh and we get to kind of make
light of a lot of otherwise and had stuff. But

(57:19):
still give a lot of information and education around how
to actually, you know, kind of presenting yourself. So that
podcast and we have a lot of really cool celebrity
guests that come onto. So it's been really great conversations.
I loved I need to be I need to be
at it. I need to come on that show. I
need to be a guest. I'm inviting myself. I'm inviting
myself to be a guest on your podcast. But that
sounds incredible. I'm so excited to check that out. And

(57:40):
if you're listening to this makes you guys, go and
check out hot mess um. But where else can we
find you on social media? You can find you on
Instagram mostly Instagram, and it's at m J dem c
psych Boom. There we go. You know, you can always
find me on social media at alex ion o ai
o n oh. It's the best part about having a
weird last name. But more importantly, ratear podcast asked and
subscribe to it because that is how we grow baby.

(58:03):
But thank you so much for listening to this podcast.
It has been a hell of a year. And as
the last podcast of the year, I want to say
happy Holidays, Happy New Year. I love you guys, and
we'll see you in peace. We really want you to

(58:24):
get the help you need, so if you need help,
please seek independent advice from a competent healthcare or mental
health professional. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast
are solely those of the podcast author or individuals participating
in the podcast, and do not represent the opinions of
I Heart Media or its employees. This podcast should not
be used as medical advice, mental health advice, counseling, or therapy.
Listening to the podcast does not established dr patient relationship

(58:45):
with hosts or guests of alex IONO, Let's Get Into
It or I Heart Media. No guarantee is given regarding
the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on this podcast. Well,
if that's a doozy