031 - Home For The Holidays - Goodfellas Reunion - Our Dead Dads

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, hello and welcome to Our Dead Dads.
I'm your host.
My name is Nick Gaylord andthis will be a quick message.
Don't worry, you'll get thefull intro in a minute.
When we recorded this week'sepisode, we did everything in
one shot and, rather than mashit up and make it sound weird,
I'm just going to add a separatemessage, because there were a
couple of things I forgot to sayat the end.
I'd like to start by thankingeverybody who has made Our Dead
Dads podcast a part of your dayin 2024.

(00:23):
I really can't believe how muchthis show has taken off already
, and that's all because of you,the listeners.
Thank you for the referrals,the social media posts and
telling others about the show.
For someone who started 2024being unemployed for the first
time since before I had my firstjob, I didn't really know what
to expect.
Luckily, I found a new jobfairly quickly, but during that
break I formed a plan to start apodcast where we would discuss

(00:44):
grief and loss, with no podcastexperience, no media experience
at all and no real clue of howit would go and if I'd even make
it into double digits ofepisodes.
And today, 10 months after theplan first took shape, I have a
show that has been heard in 39countries, with thousands of
listeners, and today episodenumber 31 drops, so, needless to
say, we made it well intodouble digits.
Hopefully, these conversationsare making a real difference

(01:09):
with the guests who have beengracious and brave enough to
come on the show and tell theirstories, and with all of the
listeners who are now part of myguests' worlds and part of mine
.
I have been honored and proudto become part of your lives and
to have you become part of mine, and I look forward to
everything that 2025 already haslined up for this show.
This is the final episode forthis year.
There won't be an episode nextweek, so if you've missed any
episodes, then this break willbe the perfect time to go back

(01:30):
and get caught up, because we'rehitting the ground running next
year.
Courtney Moore kicks off the newyear with her story of grief
surrounding her dad as we diveinto the last days that she
spent with him during his battlewith pancreatic cancer, and we
also dive into the grief thatshe admits she's barely begun to
process.
That interview will drop onTuesday, january 7th, and the
very next day, wednesday,january 8th, at 3 pm Eastern US

(01:51):
time.
Another first for the showhappens, as I welcome Justin
Shepard better known as Justinon TikTok to the show for my
very first full live interview,which will be streaming on
Facebook and TikTok.
If you're not already followingme on Facebook and TikTok,
start following me today so youdon't miss anything.
No more delays let's get thisshow on the road.
Wherever you are.

(02:11):
However you choose to celebrate, may this be the most wonderful
holiday season for you and yourfamilies, and I'll see you next
year.
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You can find Kim Gaylord Travelon Facebook, instagram and
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Her email address is kim atkimgaylordtravelcom.
Our Dead Dads podcast issponsored by Dotted Avenue
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Last and moving forward.

(04:36):
I'm your host.
My name is Nick Gaylord.
If this is the first timeyou're joining me, welcome to
the show, and if you're aregular listener, welcome back.
For everyone listening.
Thank you so much for thesupport and thank you for making
this show part of your day.
The best ways to support theshow, to continue listening,
sending in your feedback on theshow's pages on Facebook,
instagram, tiktok and comingsoon to YouTube and you can find

(04:56):
all those pages by searchingthe username and I'm at
OurDeadDadsPod Dads pod.
Most importantly, please spreadthe word about the show,
because everybody deals withgrief.
We're all in this together andthe best thing that any of us
can do is to support each otherthrough that grief.
Follow Our Dead Dads podcast onyour favorite listening
platform.
Give us a five-star review and,by the way, if you don't know
how to leave a five-star review,go to the homepage of

(05:18):
OurDeadDadscom.
Scroll down and it'll show youhow to do it step by step.
I really hope that you enjoyedlast week's conversation with my
childhood friend, john Gerst.
Today is episode 31.
It is Christmas Eve and it'sthe last episode of 2024.
And because of that, we have avery special holiday episode for
you.
We got the gang back togetherand we're going back to basics
with the crew that started itall my three brothers, jack,

(05:40):
joseph and Michael, from episodetwo, my three friends Mike, ed
and Dennis from episode three,my wife Kim, who you've already
heard a few times from episodefour and from a couple of hot
seat bonus episodes, my youngestsister, helene, and we'll even
have a couple of bonusparticipants.
Everybody is here, so let's getstarted.
What's up everybody?
Welcome back to the show.

Speaker 5 (06:00):
Hello.

Speaker 6 (06:01):
Nick, hello Hi.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
Hey, what's going on.
How's everybody doing the show.
Hello nick, hello hi.
Hey, what's going on?
How's everybody doing?

Speaker 8 (06:09):
spambler.
Are you awake?
I don't know who's awake jack.
Are you awake?

Speaker 9 (06:10):
he's still muted.

Speaker 8 (06:11):
Jack, you're still muted.

Speaker 9 (06:12):
I don't blame him it was saying the host would not
let me unmute myself oh nickmessed up hear that guys, the
older brother trying to bringyou down.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yep, right, shade on your game, power struggle he
wants to be able to mute andunmute himself, because he is
the baby.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
I can't hear her, it's okay.

Speaker 5 (06:29):
How is it?
Some of us know him as Jeff andsome of us know him as John
How'd that come to pass UghMerry.

Speaker 6 (06:35):
Christmas.
Yeah, or is that a podcast or?

Speaker 1 (06:37):
is that another episode.

Speaker 6 (06:46):
That would be a story from our dead dad.
Well, he had help.
Well, he had help from ouralive mom.
Some of your alive moms.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yes Well, our Jack and mine's alive mom.
So Jack's legal name is John.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
Well, all of our moms are alive.

Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yes, but this argument started between all of
our dad.

Speaker 6 (07:00):
John Gaylord Sr let's call him and Mary Ellen.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
So Jack's legal name is John Gaylord jr the story
that I've always heard.
And Jack, tell me if thistracks.
Mom wanted to call you Jack anddad didn't like it, and so it
became a point of contentionbetween the two of them, and her
solution was to say fuck off,I'm going to call him whatever I
want.

Speaker 6 (07:21):
Well, that's basically the listeners who
haven't been paying attention.
They weren't together for verylong.

Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, they were married for about eight minutes.

Speaker 6 (07:29):
And then right after Jack was born, they split, and
so at your mom's house he'salways been known as Jack Right,
and at dad's house, which isthe house that Joe and Mike and
Helene grew up in, of course hewas John or Johnny Right, and so
that persists to this day.
Yes, okay, much to theconfusion of everybody.
Yes, all right, is that prettymuch accurate, jack?

Speaker 4 (07:48):
Sure Sure.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
All right so.

Speaker 9 (07:51):
Jack is a comic nickname for John.

Speaker 7 (07:53):
Yes, it is, oh sure.
The more TV I watch nowadays,the more people I see calling
John Jack.
I just thought it was like anus thing.

Speaker 6 (08:01):
No, I just thought it was like an us thing.

Speaker 5 (08:04):
No, it's like John Kennedy.
Yeah, John F Kennedy.

Speaker 6 (08:05):
Yeah, that's what it's like yeah, yeah, the
Sopranos They'd be talking aboutJack the.
Sopranos, take the cannoli,leave the guns.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
Let's have a little bit of fun now that we've gotten
past all the technicaldifficulties.
All right, so this is theChristmas Eve edition of Our
Dead Dad, individually and asgroups, small groups recorded.
And now we're back.
Ed, is Lynn going to join us atsome point today?
No, she had to work.
She got stuck working today.
She doesn't like us anymore.
Or she doesn't like you and shedecided to bail on you.

(08:32):
Pick one, Mike.
Hopefully Veronica will join atsome point.
Helene, is Nick around still?

Speaker 3 (08:38):
He's upstairs getting dressed and stuff before the
baby wakes up.

Speaker 1 (08:42):
I haven't been able to interview him yet.

Speaker 6 (08:44):
Maybe we should just be happy we have all the people
we have.

Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah, I think we can be happy with everybody that we
have At least Joe's laughing.
So, all right, let's talk aboutChristmas.
That's why we're all here.
When we did the originalinterviews, everybody talked
about how much you lovedChristmas growing up.
The good parts, good parts,maybe some of the not so good
parts.
I think generally it was goodoverall.
Everybody talk what was yourfavorite Christmas memories

(09:07):
growing up?

Speaker 4 (09:08):
King size jar reducing cream.
Yeah, fuck you, mike, wow.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
What was your second favorite memory, Mike?

Speaker 4 (09:15):
You ruining Christmas for us by wearing new balances.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
That was the best part of Christmas for you.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
I was a little slow to the FK.
I didn't figure it out until myparents got to the horse.

Speaker 7 (09:24):
I knew right away it was him.
Yeah, bro, the new balance.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
It was absolutely the new balances.

Speaker 7 (09:30):
No, we knew right away.

Speaker 4 (09:31):
Once we saw the new balances, we knew it was you.

Speaker 6 (09:33):
No the first couple years.
Would you like to provide somecontext, Gaylords, for those of
us who have worries.

Speaker 1 (09:37):
Let's have some context.

Speaker 4 (09:38):
So my dad.
For most years he would have acamera set up kind of at the
other end of the room, I thinkit was every year, it was pretty
much every year he had a cameraset up.
The tree and the presents in thearea where we would sit and
open the gifts up.
I think it was like 96 or 97.
Tim and Dad had the idea to geta Santa suit and have Nick come

(09:58):
over late Christmas Eve night,after we were asleep, and dress
up as Santa and put the presentsunder the tree.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
But dad would come wake us.

Speaker 4 (10:06):
But dad would come wake us up and we would look and
we didn't know it was Nick.
In the beginning we thought itwas really Santa.
So we're like, oh my God,santa's here and he would, you
know, put the presents under thetree and eat the cookies and
drink the milk, and then hewould kind of turn and wave and
walk away.

(10:29):
He did, did it for a few yearsand then one year wait let me
just ask sorry, can I interruptlike how old was joseph the
first year this happened?
Let's just for I want to sayeight, probably, yeah, seven or
eight, all right, I was six, joewas eight, helene was three,
okay, yeah.
And then nick always had thesame sneakers on and but the
santa suit came with like thoseblack boot covers.
Like you know, the sneakercovers, boot covers, yeah, and
he didn't put them on that year.
And when we saw his sneakers,and we know that's fucking Nick.

Speaker 6 (10:48):
I didn't know.
That's what happened.
So normally you wore the coversyeah, I wore, you didn't.
Yeah, yeah, you wore the bootcovers.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
They were just like leg covers that would go like
right above the sneakers.

Speaker 6 (10:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
They were white.
Did they put the covers on thechair, did they?

Speaker 6 (11:03):
have your feet finally grown to their full 14
triple D or whatever Did they?

Speaker 2 (11:08):
not fit at that point no, I don't think so?

Speaker 6 (11:09):
I don't think so.

Speaker 4 (11:10):
I don't think so, I don't think so, I don't think so
, I don't think so, I don'tthink so.

Speaker 9 (11:12):
I don't think so.

Speaker 1 (11:17):
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
Ruined it for you guys, but youknow think of the good years,
think of the holidays welldivorce ruined it for most of us
, but I mean you know?
Think about the good side of Iwas doing it because I wanted
you guys to have a greatchristmas experience yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
No, we did bye until you fucked it up until I fucked
it up a ron.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
I think the moral of the story really is that it's a
positive john gaylord moment inthat he wanted to do something
nice for his three youngerchildren mom and I were talking
about this the other day, howdad would like decorate the
entire outside of the house withlights, like hot, like go up on
the roof, and he would likeoutline the roof.

(12:02):
But we had and I'm going to askJoseph or Nick this question,
because Michael likes to nottell the actual story Then we
had this plastic Santa andreindeer.
Now did he stick that on theroof, or was it?

Speaker 4 (12:17):
I don't remember the reindeer it was hanging from
something.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
I don't remember the plastic Santa and the reindeer.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
Yeah, it was Santa and Sled.
It was like two or threereindeer.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
I think you're confused with National Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation.
No Right, chopped off thereindeer antlers.

Speaker 3 (12:34):
Mom and I can't remember if he put it on the
roof, though I really don'tremember.

Speaker 7 (12:38):
Joe, do you have?

Speaker 1 (12:39):
any recollection of that.

Speaker 7 (12:41):
Of the Santa on the roof, the Santa and the reindeer
?
Vaguely.
Yeah, I remember him going up.
I don't know who it was.
Somebody was on the roof, likeafter you would jump off the
presents.
He would have somebody on theroof banging on the roof, acting
like the reindeer were like youknow, oh yeah oh that I don't
know.

Speaker 1 (12:57):
Conspirators wait a minute.
I don't know about this.
I never knew that anybody wason the roof, at least once.

Speaker 4 (13:03):
We would have to go into the living room To hear it.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
It could have been your mother on the other side of
the house just banging onsomething to make it sound like
it Could have been.

Speaker 6 (13:12):
Wait, but shouldn't there be videos?
Because that wasn't the wholeidea, that this was caught on
video?

Speaker 3 (13:16):
No, just Santa was caught on video.
It was not a second videocamera.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
Okay, but are you saying somewhere out there
there's?

Speaker 6 (13:22):
a video of Nick, my husband as Santa.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
Michael probably has them all.
Michael must have it, he waswatching Santa videos.

Speaker 6 (13:32):
Yeah, yeah, michael, next time download it onto a zip
or something and send that tome.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
Mike knows how to download anything onto a zip.
You have to get the tapeconverted into digital.

Speaker 8 (13:41):
That's like people playing Santa on Stern or
something dude.

Speaker 6 (13:44):
It would be awesome.
We really should add that videoto the website.
No, we really should.

Speaker 3 (13:48):
I really think we should.
That would have been the opener.
So now Michael's taking overthe reins, and on Christmas Eve
he is becoming Santa Claus.

Speaker 6 (13:55):
Oh, yay, will there be video for Aunt Kim, of course
.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
Both of the Aunt Kims , even Even at this point,
everybody has a cell phone.
Wait, michael, I have aquestion.

Speaker 3 (14:02):
Saturday after.
Thanksgiving we're taking herto see Santa, but she saw Santa
a few weeks ago, like just outand about why.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
A few weeks ago was October.

Speaker 6 (14:11):
Well, no, they were at like a pumpkin patch or
something.
And there was Santa right, itwasn't her fault.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
Yeah, we were at, like it was like the first
weekend in November.
We didn't do it obviouslybecause Nick wasn't there, my
husband, nick wasn't there.
So the Saturday afterThanksgiving we're going to
Smith Haven Mall to takepictures with Santa.

Speaker 6 (14:30):
Because you have to do it at Smith Haven, of course,
because they have the mostauthentic Santa.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
You have to Wait, michael Gaylord.

Speaker 6 (14:37):
I have a question.
When you watch the Christmasvideos now that you were
watching when we were talking onthe phone a few weeks ago, what
format are those on?
Like, how are you watching?

Speaker 1 (14:44):
he has a vcr you still have a vcr, still has
dad's vcr dvd player combo andit's actually it's messed up
because it actually stoppedworking three days ago and I
have a new one delivered todayall right, well, but look,
michael, I'm gonna send you awebsite or a link or something
my sister just did it for ourhome videos.

Speaker 6 (15:04):
You can get them converted to like a zip drive
thing that you can then share,and we, nick and I, are watching
it.
Just I don't know what we didon our.
We hooked it up to the tvsomehow, but yeah, so I'm gonna
send that to you because youneed to.
Everybody needs copies of these.
What if you get by a bus withthe vcr?

Speaker 7 (15:20):
that wouldn't be the worst thing.
Like who's driving the bus?
Probably your dad, my dead dad.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
Okay, back to.

Speaker 6 (15:27):
Christmas.
Back to Christmas.
Maybe Dennis and Ed shouldshare one of their family
stories.

Speaker 1 (15:33):
Dennis said let's hear some of your stories,
nothing eventful, reallyBullshit.

Speaker 5 (15:38):
This morning we'd wake up, open our presents, we'd
go over to our aunt's house.
More presents and a lot of food, A whole lot of food.
Our dad would usually roast apig, Really.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
See, there's a good.

Speaker 5 (15:50):
Christmas tradition.
Yeah, he was the pig roaster ofthe family and I remember the
day of his funeral.
One of my uncles said we'llnever do a pig roast again
Because he was always the onethat did it.

Speaker 1 (16:02):
I mean, I would think that just one more time they
would have done a pig roast inhis honor.
Nobody else knew how to do it,probably.

Speaker 5 (16:08):
You can Google that.
I don't know how to do it.
I don't know.
Maybe they feel and I don'tremember.

Speaker 6 (16:14):
Were your kids alive.
How old were they when your dadpassed?
He passed only four years ago,yeah, ok, so so they remember
the pig roast and stuff?
Yeah, because it would be cool.
I don't know, maybe when theyhave kids bring it back as like
an homage.
I don't know I want to do a pigroast Right?
Hell yeah, you can hirecompanies too to do it.

Speaker 5 (16:33):
That's when we were kids.
That's when Dennis and I wereyounger.

Speaker 6 (16:36):
Now that we're older, oh, he didn't do it older.
Oh, okay, I did one for Dennis'housewoman.

Speaker 8 (16:43):
I came for a pig roast for that.
That was great.

Speaker 5 (16:47):
Yeah, when he came home from the, I think on leave.

Speaker 1 (16:50):
That was back in the 90s.
Early 2000s 2000s, alright, soabout 20 years ago.
So Any other Christmastraditions that you guys
remember that you looked forwardto, Just seeing.

Speaker 5 (17:05):
cousins that we didn't get to see often.
We only saw maybe two, threetimes a year.
That was it.
Where did they live?
New Jersey.
We grew up in Queens and welived in Long Island.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
Everybody else was out in Jersey Did it vary from
year to year who went where,whether everybody got together
in New Jersey or if everybodycame out.

Speaker 5 (17:21):
No, Thanksgiving was always at our house and then.
Christmas was always.

Speaker 10 (17:28):
It would be at our house, but we would do like a
roasted lamb as opposed to aroasted pig.

Speaker 4 (17:32):
They didn't, the lamb ?

Speaker 2 (17:34):
was more for like an.

Speaker 10 (17:35):
Easter tradition and pig was more for Christmas
Right.
But then as time went on andpeople got older and kids were
in school and college, familiesgot a little bit less.
So roasting a whole pig wasn'tas efficient as you would think,
so we would almost do it justonce a year for like
Christmasmas, let's say yeah,what do you mean?

Speaker 1 (17:55):
not efficient?
I mean leftovers yeah there'sonly so much you can get.

Speaker 10 (18:00):
Like like you almost have to get it within a certain
amount of weight.
So like there's a flavor withthe pig, and especially the lamb
, that if you get it over acertain amount of weight and it
starts to go more from being ayounger lamb to an older lamb,
it'll start to develop differenttastes with it.
So it's like you almost have tobuy a certain weight limit and
between a certain weight range,basically for the proper flavor

(18:23):
so you got to fat.
Shame it to the right weight inorder for you right you got to
get it before it's going to befat shamed.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
Okay, if we're going to fat shame the pig, then we
need to get it before it's goingto be fat shamed.
Okay, if we're going to fatshame the pig, then we need to
get Yvonne involved.

Speaker 6 (18:36):
I believe it's called a suckling pig, if it's at the
correct size.

Speaker 8 (18:40):
An extra $10, you can call it whatever you want at
that point, that's right.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
Dennis, do you guys remember or have any knowledge
of any other additionalflavoring that your dad used to
do with the pig?
Or did additional flavoringthat your dad used to do with
the pig, or did he just throw iton and cook it?
Did he use any special wood?
Well as time went on like wehad I've never cooked a pig, so
I'm not really sure what to dowith it we would get bags of
charcoal and use multipleheating irons to start up the

(19:04):
bags.

Speaker 10 (19:05):
So it was all like basically barbecued that's like
the only way you can really doit and like we would help with
skewering the pig in the morning.
And somebody eventually had amotor that they borrowed and
everything.
And as time went on, the themotor was ideal and everybody
had a motor, whether it was herein long island or new jersey,
and then out in new jersey oneof our uncles developed, he paid

(19:28):
.
Somebody developed like a pit,almost that's gonna that.
It's got the wheels.
You wheel in and out of thegarage.
So if there's bad weather,which we've had a few times, you
wheel the thing into the garageand you cook it in there.
So it's not only dependent onif it's good weather outside
garage smelled like roasted pigfor a month they didn't mind,
because that's the culturethat's almost like seafood and

(19:51):
everything smelling like fish Intheir mind.
It was great With us.
It's like you smell, like yourdinner.

Speaker 5 (20:00):
I'd rather it smelled like pig for a month than fish
Christmas Eve was always likesome kind of a shrimp and pasta
or like a shrimp risotto type,some kind of fish on Christmas
Eve.
That sounds good.
Shrimp risotto.

Speaker 6 (20:12):
Wait, is that italian ?
Is there italian, therecroatian?
Yeah, the next day ohinteresting, all right, because
we um sicilian, we do like theseven fishes on christmas eve.
You want to talk about thatbecause we're going to be doing
it uh, sure, I mean, it's mymom's side, so it's not dad
related, but yeah, that's on mymom's side of the family.
We always would do our versionof it.
It wasn't always thetraditional version, because

(20:34):
sometimes you couldn't get somethings or the kids wouldn't eat
it or whatever, but we do it nowto this day.
We're going to do it at ourhouse this year, nick and I, my
family's coming, and we'll justmake sure, as long as there's
seven different varieties ofseafood, we count it.
It could be shrimp cocktail, itcould be, you know whatever
Some sort of red sauce made withseafood.
We always do that as the pastacourse and yeah, I like it.

(20:56):
It works for us.

Speaker 4 (20:58):
Bumblebee has a good tuna fish.

Speaker 6 (21:00):
Now why seven?
Oh yeah, we'd have to Google itto know.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
There's a reason for it that I don't know.

Speaker 6 (21:05):
It goes, yeah it has something to do with if it's
Catholicism or Christianity ofsome sort.
I think there's a reason, but Idon't know why.
As far as I know, it's only theItalians.
The Greeks don't do that.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
So I don't know what the reason is.
It's the number of possibleinterpretations of the number
seven.
Catholicism, Rome, biblical,early Christianity, southern
Italian food.

Speaker 6 (21:26):
I'll lean for the win .

Speaker 4 (21:27):
Nice no Google for the win.
Google.

Speaker 6 (21:30):
All right.

Speaker 4 (21:33):
Well, no google for the win.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
Google all right.
Well, she googled it fasterthan she knows, she knows that.

Speaker 6 (21:35):
Yeah, I don't know.
I can see her reading.

Speaker 1 (21:36):
I just can see her reading.
I've got it on the screen too.

Speaker 6 (21:38):
That's funny yeah, so that was that.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
So I don't know what kind of fishers are we going to
do this year, do you?

Speaker 6 (21:44):
well, we'll definitely do shrimp cocktail,
because that's like an easypiece.
It's an easy one, we alwaysmake baked clams.
That's a big favorite in ourfamily.
And then the traditional one Iguess the one that has the most
sort of sentimental value iswhat we call my grandpa's
seafood salad, which is justlike a very Italian style
seafood salad with, like youknow, just like vinegar and oil,

(22:04):
with celery and olives I'm notsure about the olives actually
and so that usually has avariety of different seafoods
scallops, shrimp, lobster, craband then scongile, as my
grandfather would say, which wetend to leave out.
But you can get it I don't knowbecause people think it's chewy
or whatever, but you get it inlike in the can.

Speaker 8 (22:23):
Jill likes it.
Fried, like that's it.
I don't go a lot of italians gonuts for it and I never got.
Never went nuts for scone jill,I just if it's in the seafood
salad.

Speaker 6 (22:33):
I'll eat it, but I don't know that I would like do
it separate.
So it was a big deal to getthat recipe because my grandpa
would always make it and nobodyknew how.
It wasn't written down.
There was no recipe.
So at some point I believe itwas my cousin, andrea, who
actually first sat with him oneyear when he was making it and
wrote it down hey, I saw thatshe's.
That wasn't to you, that was tomichael.

(22:54):
She sent us all copies of it.
You know the recipe card.
So now my sisters and I stillmake it, whoever's house we're
at, if we're all together or ifwe're not.

Speaker 4 (23:04):
That's what we do, kim that photo behind your right
shoulder?
Yeah, okay, what is?
Which one there's?

Speaker 8 (23:12):
two the bottom one y'all's a car you be heading a
bridge.

Speaker 6 (23:16):
So yeah, the bottom one is just a like a poster of
new york, of the skyline.
The one above it, nick tookactually, what is?
What am I missing?

Speaker 1 (23:26):
you'll see it when I publish it on youtube okay,
listen.

Speaker 6 (23:29):
And also the side texting for the listeners my
husband and who knows who elseare texting to themselves during
this interview.
That was just Mike Idiots.
Mike, please refrain fromshowing hey attention or I'm
going to steal the phones.
Is he being an ass about thepicture behind?

Speaker 1 (23:45):
No, he's not being an ass.
He was trying to get you tolook away.

Speaker 4 (23:47):
It was a decoy I did something that was inappropriate
, but I don't want you to see itbecause it was inappropriate.
I don't want to be rude infront of females.

Speaker 6 (23:54):
But your sister can see it.

Speaker 4 (23:55):
Yeah, I said females.

Speaker 6 (23:58):
Wow Sorry, helene, I gave him a slow ball down the
middle on that one.
We're just having a Christmasvacation when Chevy Chase said
dear, and everybody looked andhe gave the finger to the other
driver.
It's amazing how, after 18years, I still fall for this
Gaylord crap.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
Grace.
She passed away 30 years ago.

Speaker 6 (24:19):
And we've lost the last listener who was hanging on
to this point.

Speaker 1 (24:23):
I'm sure that there are plenty of people listening.

Speaker 3 (24:24):
Oh, I like the Christmas story better.

Speaker 4 (24:26):
I got Christmas Vacation.
My top three are Vacation Storyand the first Santa Claus.

Speaker 6 (24:31):
What a choice Story.

Speaker 4 (24:33):
So if I got, to do top five are no Christmas Kim.
Vacation Story.

Speaker 3 (24:38):
Santa.

Speaker 4 (24:38):
Claus Home Alone and Jingle All the Way.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
Oh, I like Jingle All the Way People get so upset
about this topic.

Speaker 7 (24:46):
We know what it is.

Speaker 6 (24:47):
Is it?

Speaker 4 (24:47):
or isn't it?
I put Lethal Weapon and DieHard in their own little
Christmas category.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
Yes, lethal Weapon, the original one is definitely a
Christmas movie 100%, it is.

Speaker 4 (24:56):
Yeah, fucked up his.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
Christmas tree.
Believe that that's right.

Speaker 4 (24:59):
He went right through the front of the house Right
through the window.
That was it, so now at thispoint.

Speaker 1 (25:02):
I know that there are people listening who are
cracking up and are saying, yeah, I agree.

Speaker 6 (25:14):
Or saying who can definitely relate to this family
stupidity that we're displayinghere.
No, I'm saying whether Die Hardis a Christmas movie is very
polarizing.
It's very debatable.

Speaker 8 (25:17):
You either think it is or you think it isn't.
Helene is clearly in the know.
Well, he died in the elevatorand he had the Santa hat on, he
said ho, ho, ho.

Speaker 1 (25:23):
Yeah, remember when he wrote in blood.

Speaker 7 (25:25):
Why is he at?

Speaker 3 (25:26):
Santa.
Okay, I can walk around with aSanta had and say ho, ho, ho too
.

Speaker 8 (25:29):
That doesn't make me a Christmas movie In an elevator
A New York City Christmas partythough.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
And the bell went to LA for a.

Speaker 7 (25:37):
Christmas party.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yes.
He was there for his wife'sChristmas party.

Speaker 4 (25:41):
Yes, not for a Easter party, not for a 4th of July
celebration, not for aValentine's Day soiree For a
Christmas party, okay.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
Who gave you permission to use words like
swagger.

Speaker 6 (25:53):
I know that was impressive, michael.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Did the entire movie take?

Speaker 2 (25:57):
place at the Christmas party.
Yes, it did.

Speaker 1 (26:00):
The entire movie took place in Nakatomi Towers
because of the Christmas party.

Speaker 7 (26:05):
And Reginald Bell Johnson.
More than 90% of the movie, andthe second movie too, was in
the airport during Christmas,the whole movie during Christmas
at at the airport that's true,die hard 2 took place, and why
hasn't?

Speaker 8 (26:16):
reginald bell johnson , he got it yet.

Speaker 6 (26:19):
Huh, I think the reason you, james earl jones but
I think because die hard issuch a huge movie, it's having
those conversations, but thereare plenty of movies that take
place at christmas or aroundchristmas that we wouldn't put
in that category, like what'sthat one I like with sarah
jessica parker where she goes tothe her boyfriend's family with

(26:40):
diane keaton's in it.
Oh, what's that?

Speaker 8 (26:42):
one.
How do you that's a man-caughtviolation, nick well?

Speaker 1 (26:46):
I can't remember the name of it, so I haven't
violated anything.

Speaker 8 (26:49):
Yes, you were even thinking about that.
He gave us a woman.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
I live with a woman who watches Sex and the City.
I know who Sarah Jessica Parkeris.
Is it Family Stone?

Speaker 6 (26:58):
It's not, but that's a good guess.
Oh, maybe it is.
I think it is Family Stone,you're right.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
When Jack gets back he can confirm or deny.

Speaker 4 (27:07):
Back to your comment about Reginald Belichon.
Apparently there's some dramawith him and the P Diddy scandal
.
That's why they're holding offon him.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Oh.

Speaker 7 (27:14):
Apparently he paid P Diddy to have a little fun with
him.
Nah, but apparently he was oneof the ones that we're receiving
.
You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 6 (27:21):
Yes, Okay, this is going in a very not Christmas
direction.

Speaker 8 (27:27):
So I'm going to If he did it on Christmas.
Now if it would have beenReginald and my boy Al Roker.
Oh man, now that's a duo rightthere.

Speaker 1 (27:37):
That is a duo right there, Jack.
What was the movie with SarahJessica Parker and Diane Keaton?

Speaker 6 (27:43):
Yeah, Christmas movie .
Who else is in it?
Oh?

Speaker 1 (27:46):
wait the Family.

Speaker 6 (27:47):
Stone.
I don't think Jack is with usyet.

Speaker 9 (27:49):
He's there, but he's not there.
I'm with you.
I'm just trying to get somebodyto cooperate.
She's cooperating.

Speaker 1 (27:56):
What was that?
Christmas movie Sarah JessicaParker.
Christmas movie Sarah JessicaParker, diane Keaton.

Speaker 6 (27:59):
Is it the Family Stone?
Do you know that movie?

Speaker 9 (28:02):
No, yeah, I don't think he would have known that
movie.

Speaker 6 (28:04):
Yeah, anyway, we'll get back to you on that.
Helene wouldn't know it becauseit's not a Hallmark Christmas
movie, no, it's not.

Speaker 4 (28:10):
Those movies are horrible.
I love them, it's the FamilyStone.

Speaker 7 (28:16):
It is right, Thank you Was Rachel.

Speaker 6 (28:17):
McAdams in the movie.
She was.

Speaker 7 (28:18):
Was Luke.

Speaker 6 (28:19):
Wilson in the movie and I was going to say Luke
Wilson.
I knew it was one of theWilsons, but it wasn't.

Speaker 1 (28:22):
Owen, I'm going to say this, and I know that I'm
going to outcast at least a fewpeople who?
And the Hallmark channelthere's the same 12 actors that
make 15,000 movies.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
Now there's new actors.

Speaker 1 (28:36):
Oh, now we're up to 15 actors.

Speaker 3 (28:38):
No, because all the old ones Well there's a lawsuit
no well, there's a lawsuit withLacey Chabert and I can't
remember the other actors.

Speaker 1 (28:48):
Oh, that's right, because now that Aunt Becky's
gone she can't be in any of themovies.
No, be quiet.

Speaker 3 (28:56):
Because Hallmark the new executive of Hallmark said
that they're not hiring LaceyChabert and Holly Pete Robinson
and Holly Pete Robinson becausethey're too old for their movies
.

Speaker 6 (29:06):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
And then Candace Cameron Bure left the network as
a lot of.
We probably shouldn't talkabout why she left the network
as a lot of.

Speaker 6 (29:14):
We probably shouldn't talk about why she left the
network, but if anybody wants,to find me.

Speaker 3 (29:17):
I'll let them know.

Speaker 6 (29:18):
Wait, I have a question.
Can I ask a?
We'll pretend this is a grillthat hosts.
Yeah, can we go back toChristmas?
It does occur to me that thetheme of the website corresponds
more to maybe possibly likenegative memories of Christmas
pertaining to our dads who arenow dead, If some exist.
I don't want to put that oneverybody, but, Nick, I'll start

(29:42):
with you.
Do you have any negative otherthan the New Balance speakers
when you were a kid?
Do you have any memories ofyour dad at Christmas that maybe
aren't the best, Because I knowChristmas in general was a
highlight, because he was greatat Christmas.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
Well, I mean, one way that he fucked Christmas up was
the train show that he did.
I think it was in 1993 when hebroke his ankle 90.
Stupid, we were just talking,was it 90?

Speaker 3 (30:06):
No, because mom said I was born.

Speaker 1 (30:08):
Yeah, she was.

Speaker 3 (30:09):
No, mom said I was born.

Speaker 7 (30:14):
I wasn't born until 93.
I have the video.
Maybe he broke his ankle twiceat Christmas.

Speaker 1 (30:16):
No, he definitely only broke it once.
Okay, well, in any case, whathappened?
He had the train show he wentout to.
Why don't you tell?

Speaker 6 (30:22):
everybody what that means by he had the train show.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
Okay.
So anybody who has listened tothe first few episodes knows
that my dad was big into trains.
Michael has all of the lioneltrains, all of the lionel trains
that our dad has beencollecting probably since he I
don't know.
I think he got his first trainwhen he was like six or seven
years old, so we're going backto the 50s and he just collected
them for years and years, andin the basement of his house he

(30:47):
would always he had a big woodenboard.
I was like 12 by 12 feet and heI don't want to say that he set
up everything, because hepretty much took advantage of
child slave labor and had all ofus set everything up.

Speaker 8 (31:00):
That's what I was getting at.

Speaker 1 (31:01):
Yeah, we were all crawling around the board and on
the top of the board,underneath the board, drawing
the holes passing the wiresthrough to light up all the
little lights and all the littlehouses and everything.
The end result was definitely agood memory.
But having to get up on thatboard and get underneath the
board, that was a fucking shitshow.
I did not enjoy that at all.

Speaker 4 (31:20):
Like full weekend because there was only about
what?
Three feet of space between thetop of the board and the
ceiling, four feet maybe reallyyeah, I mean it was what is that
?

Speaker 1 (31:30):
like a seven foot, yeah, the board was about three
and a half feet high.
I had nothing to do with thatIf I could have been walking up
on the top of the board.
I didn't want to do that.
I didn't want to go over thereand spend all weekend long, for
three months setting up thestupid train board Really Three
months.
He would start setting it up inthe beginning of fall In
September yeah.

Speaker 8 (31:51):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (31:53):
I would think taking it down would have been just as
bad after the holidays.
Now he didn't, though.
I mean the board was apermanent fixture but, what
about packing up all the trainsand stuff like didn't they have
to get repacked every the trainsdid get packed up, but most
they were on shelves for themost part.

Speaker 4 (32:04):
Yeah, they were on shelves.

Speaker 6 (32:05):
He had everything on display, oh, okay that wasn't
like taking down christmasdecorations and like packing
them back no, not exactly a lotof the houses and stuff.

Speaker 1 (32:13):
Sometimes he would leave them there, sometimes he
would disconnect the wire or wewould disconnect the wires
underneath.
He would wrap those back up andwell, first they had to be
cleaned because he had, like,the powdered sugar, he would get

(32:38):
like with the cornstarch, thestrainer, the cornstarch, the
sifter, just like tap it allover the houses and the board to
make it look like it had snowed.
So those had to get cleaned andwe were cleaning those, and
then he would bitch and moan ifwe packed anything up slightly
the wrong way.
So yeah, the best part of thetrain board was seeing the final
product.
And when he had these trainshows that I alluded to a few
minutes ago, he would just havethese big, elaborate invites,
like people that he and JoeMichael and your mom used to
work with or just friends oftheirs.
They would all come over andeat, drink and be merry and see

(32:59):
the trains and he would put themon display and show everybody
the Christmas lights outside inthe house and the big tree that
was outside, and that was thebig display that we usually
spent three months getting readyfor.

Speaker 6 (33:11):
I mean it's pretty cool really when you think about
it.
Yes, the best part of it wascool.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
The best part of it was seeing the finished product,
everything before and aftersucked.

Speaker 6 (33:20):
But even the fact that he opened the house up then
and had people over that, itwas like he was proud of it and
he wanted to like because hewasn't always the most social
guy at this point of his life,right?
No, he wasn't, but of of coursethat was kind of nice.

Speaker 1 (33:36):
Yeah, it was nice, and it was also nice of him to
take all the credit foreverything.
Anybody else want to know whatjack's thinking right now?

Speaker 8 (33:38):
yeah, jack you need to contribute something here,
tell us about some of yourfavorite christmas traditions or
not favorite ones.

Speaker 1 (33:43):
Favorite christmas traditions?
Sorry, was the question toohard?
Shut the fuck up.
Merry christmas, merrychristmas everybody.
Now probably Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas everybody.

Speaker 9 (33:51):
Now, probably the most traditional thing that we
do every year is that I enjoysmoking a turkey, slow cooking a
turkey.
I remember when I did it forthe first time that was in 2013,
when I was in South Korea NowCamp Casey, south Korea.
We are the northernmost base tothe demilitarized zone, to DMZ.

(34:14):
I was stupid enough to saysomething that I had that I
enjoyed cooking, or what haveyou.
So I got tasked for the unit tomake a Christmas dinner.
So I had a 22 inch Weber kettle, I had some charcoal, I had a
20 pound bird, and so I decidedI'm just going to slow cook this
thing.
But the lid and the turkey wasso big so I couldn't put the lid

(34:36):
on top of it.
So a soldier and I took a verylong piece of cardboard, wrapped
it in tinfoil, so basically toextend the height of the grill
and then put the lid on top ofthat.
So we ended up doing verycrudely, but I mean it cooked
like seven or eight hours andyeah, that was a picture around

(34:57):
between 20 and 25 soldiers justgathering around and just
dissecting this turkey and therewas just nothing but a carcass
there.
Little things like that reallytook our mind off of.
You know a lot of things thatwere happening in the world, or
just you know how much we missedour family and loved ones and
such.
But that kind of started mewanting to do something like

(35:17):
that, to where it's, to whatit's evolved to now.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
Okay, so has it become a regular tradition that
you guys do every Christmas now.

Speaker 9 (35:24):
Yes, and if not Christmas, thanksgiving, or if
everybody comes over and meatfest, uh it's.
It takes a long time, but, thatbeing said, over at Meat Fest,
meat-a-palooza, meat-a-palooza.
It takes a long time, but, thatbeing said, I enjoyed the prep
work.
I enjoyed the attention todetail.
The thing I hate the most isbecause everything that goes
into it, the days and the hourson the day of, I enjoy so much.

(35:48):
But when it happens you knowit's over.
It's over, yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
Well, I can say say yeah, I think we can all take.
Well, done jack jack.
What about the childhood?

Speaker 9 (35:58):
christmas traditions during childhood.
I mean we had, we got.
We went out to the eastern endof long island every christmas,
to where my, our mother's sideof the family would go.
That was our chance.
I think, with what ed saidearlier I think it was that that
talked about, you know, seeingcousins and other family members
that that was our chance.
I think what Ed said earlier Ithink it was Ed that talked
about, you know, seeing cousinsand other family members.
That was an annual thing andthat was always good.
The kids are always playingcard games and stuff in the

(36:20):
kitchen.
I remember a couple of yearswhere there was a Clint Eastwood
movie on the television.
Get to watch it and get toreally learn some cool four
letter words.

Speaker 6 (36:27):
Wait, when you guys were growing up, it wasn't
Christmas story 24 hours a day,like it's now.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
Well, Christmas movie was I think 1983, but it didn't
really 82.
82, okay, it didn't reallycatch on for several years after
that.

Speaker 6 (36:42):
Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but that's the
memory I have of Christmas atyour grandparents' house, at
Grammy and Grampy's.

Speaker 1 (36:48):
The TV was on.

Speaker 9 (36:53):
Yeah, that became more of an adult tradition,
gotcha.
And yeah, I mean even in ourown house it would be on TV STNT
.
I think that for me, that's thething that stands out the most,
that's the one.
That's the thing that was anannual thing.
We would always go out east.
We were always out with theHarris side of the family.
Most of the time was spent withour father's parents.
That was just most of the timewas spent with them.

(37:13):
It wasn't until Rosemary camethat it felt like Christmas
became a big deal, and that'swhen he set up a video recorder,
a camcorder, to record theunwrapping of presents.
The little things that happenedreally took hold when she came
there.

Speaker 1 (37:31):
I can agree with that .
She definitely made it a lotmore holiday-ish Merry.
Yeah, a lot more merry, forsure.

Speaker 6 (37:37):
Well, and Joseph, of course, helped.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
Well, yeah, then when Joseph came along, the arrival
of the baby yeah, I mean, we hadto put up with a baby around,
but he was actually a reallygood baby.

Speaker 3 (37:47):
Well, I was gonna say and I also wonder if it's like
how mom and dad separately grewup, Like I don't know if dad had
any like Christmas traditionsor holiday traditions for that
matter that he did with hisfamily, whereas mom's family was
always together.

Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, I'm going to be honest.

Speaker 6 (38:03):
I really don't remember dad doing all that much
before your mom was there, butalso it's just the three of them
right, His parents and him.
They didn't have family on longIsland Right.

Speaker 1 (38:14):
No, most of his family was either in the city
and Astoria, queens, or outsideof the state?
Yeah, so.

Speaker 6 (38:21):
I probably a very different experience than like
what Rosemary had.
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
Well, I mean also.
So Papu died in 1985.
Yeah, I died in 1990.
Thank you, michael.
What?
What happened?
Michael?

Speaker 3 (38:35):
Yaya died two days after Michael was born.
Oh my gosh, Helene, how morbid,no, mom says that her soul went
directly into Michael.

Speaker 1 (38:44):
That's an episode for a different time.
Let's save that.
Before Rosemary came along, Ireally don't remember.
I mean, yeah, it was Christmasand we went over and we did
gifts and there was dinner, butthere wasn't any really big
celebrating that I remember Idon't remember like if you and
jack would go to yourgrandparents house at the time,

(39:05):
which is now obviouslyrosemary's house?

Speaker 6 (39:06):
yeah, would.
It would just be the five ofyou like your grandparents.
Your dad, oh, maybe if he wasmarried to somebody else.
Yeah they would be there andthen until papu passed, dennis
and ed.
What about you guys?
Any negative christmas thingsyou remember, like I don't know,
decorating being a miserable ornot getting the present you
wanted, or something?

Speaker 5 (39:25):
no, the closest thing I could say it was negative and
it really wasn't looking backwas I was usually one stuck
helping my dad prepping the pigwhile everybody else was.
All the other kids were insidethe house playing and you were
the oldest yeah so you didn'tenjoy that then no but, now
looking back at it, you knowit's not so bad.

(39:45):
It wasn't so it wasn't so bad.

Speaker 6 (39:47):
Yeah, yeah, I could see that.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
Yeah, I wish I could say that about being up on the
train board looking back I stilldidn't enjoy it.

Speaker 6 (39:52):
No, it's awful, but we did.
I'm just realizing.
I went to dennis and ed, butmike hasn't.
Mike has not realized mike andhis, I think.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
I think mike has us on mute and he's getting fat
shamed by yvonne no, that'sbecause I'm high nice jealous
you didn't share with us oh okay, christmas, it's a season of
sharing yeah, christmas, I lovechristmas.

Speaker 8 (40:13):
Growing up it was the best.
It's my favorite holiday and mydad put a lot of time into it
and the family half puerto ricanand half italian, so I got the
best of both worlds all the food.
it was like the food seeds ofthe godfather movie, I mean the
food coming out and it was anall night affair, going from
Christmas Eve all day to the dayof, and we'd either go out to

(40:36):
the city in Queens or have it atmy house with the family coming
out.
But definitely the bestexperience.
And still to the day I sleep infront of the Christmas tree.
I can't get my Christmas.
I saw that I can't get the treequick enough.
I'm always in front of thefireplace.
I love it.
I love the holiday.

Speaker 6 (40:53):
you know, I love that I want to come to your house
for Christmas.

Speaker 8 (40:56):
You should, you really should, and you know now
that the old man's gone, it'shorrible, it's not the way it
used to be, but.

Speaker 6 (41:04):
It's horrible, yeah, but what about Mike Like as,
like you and Yvonne have builtyour so many things to her that
are new, that she didn't grow upwith, and vice versa?

Speaker 8 (41:12):
I love spending the day with her more of like just
me and her for the day Reallydon't go out my family enough.
But yeah, my usually myfavorite part of the year is
actually going up to see Jackduring Christmas to have a get
together with everybody.
That we have a great time, youknow, between that and doing a
course Jack during Christmas tohave a get-together with

(41:33):
everybody we have a great timebetween that and doing Comic-Con
.

Speaker 4 (41:35):
Of course, my new favorite thing you guys made
this last time was thosecinnamon biscuit things.
What you guys made thosebiscuits with the cinnamon
butter or whatever it was.

Speaker 1 (41:46):
I think they're called cinnamon rolls.

Speaker 9 (41:48):
He's talking about the.
Made a honey butter?

Speaker 4 (41:51):
Yes, when was this In May, when we were there.

Speaker 5 (41:56):
Oh okay.

Speaker 4 (41:58):
It was.

Speaker 1 (41:58):
Christmas and you're talking about the spring.

Speaker 4 (42:01):
Well, no, because Mike talked about the food and
stuff.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
Mother's Day.

Speaker 4 (42:05):
That's one of my new favorite things.
I never had that before untilyou and Johnny made it last time
.

Speaker 6 (42:10):
I think it was delicious.
You've lived such a shelteredlife.
I was going to say I made honeybetter the other night.
I don't remember.
Well, mike, if you get your asson a plane you would have some
amazing food here.

Speaker 1 (42:16):
We've gotten through the old Christmas traditions.
Let's talk about new traditionsthat everybody has started with
your respective families andyes, this can include everybody
who is not married and has kids.
Because you guys are adults,you guys can celebrate the
holidays, but, joe and Dennis,let's start with you guys, joe
and Dennis.
Joe, yeah.

Speaker 6 (42:35):
They're not married.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
Joe is single.
Oh sorry, dennis, so before weget into everybody else.

Speaker 8 (42:42):
I would like to hear you guys Just throws you with a
back of the village voice.
That's right.

Speaker 1 (42:46):
What do you guys do for Christmas?

Speaker 7 (42:47):
now, same thing I did 35 years ago.

Speaker 1 (42:50):
Yeah, just keep it nice and simple, huh.

Speaker 7 (42:52):
Yeah, I mean yeah, we haven't really done anything
different.
We always go to our aunt anduncle's house for Christmas Day,
open presents during themorning, obviously, and go there
for the day.
I mean this is our firstChristmas with Nora.
So I mean, I don't know whatwe're doing.
I mean we're going to do Mikewith, he's going to play Santa.
So I mean I'm assuming we'lljust continue that tradition,

(43:12):
but I mean we haven't doneanything.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
Well, but Christmas Eve is changing this year.
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 7 (43:18):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 4 (43:20):
Dennis and.

Speaker 7 (43:20):
Mike, dennis and Joe.
No, mike, put yourself on mute,go back, lean back.
Yeah, his wife actually wantsto do a Bulgarian style, so you?

Speaker 4 (43:30):
want me to say it real quick.
Christmas Eve is the big day.
Christmas Day isn't, you knowwhatever.
So Christmas Eve is a bigcelebration and when you get
your first home and you startyour family, it's bad luck to
not do a Christmas Evecelebration for the big holiday
in your home.
So instead of doing ChristmasEve at my mom's this year,

(43:54):
Bronzy will make classicBulgarian dishes.
Oh my God, I love this, yeah.

Speaker 6 (43:59):
Wait, so this is your first Christmas in this house.
Yes, I was misinformed.

Speaker 3 (44:05):
Oh, I was.
They moved in February 1st,hence why your niece was born
the next day.

Speaker 6 (44:11):
Okay, Michael, don't listen.
When I said I'm going to getthem something for Christmas
that says first year, you saidit's not their first year.

Speaker 1 (44:18):
Oh my gosh.
Well, no, they closed on thehouse before Christmas.
They weren't living in it.

Speaker 4 (44:25):
We closed on the house December 21st.
In February 1st Right.

Speaker 6 (44:32):
First year you're decorating, first year you'll
have all your first memories inthis house.

Speaker 4 (44:37):
Mom Joe Nick Colleen and little Nora are going to
come over.

Speaker 6 (44:41):
I love this.

Speaker 4 (44:43):
Yeah, dress up as Santa, and you know, and you
know, bronco will make, like Isaid, bulgarian dishes and we'll
set the table up.
You know the way, you know theydo over there and stuff.

Speaker 7 (44:51):
Do they make pigs in a blanket in Bulgaria?
No one did.

Speaker 3 (44:55):
No, but mom's doing Christmas Eve over the weekend.

Speaker 7 (44:58):
The weekend before or the day or no.
Stupid, the two days before.
Well, no, christmas is like inthe middle of the week.

Speaker 1 (45:04):
this year, right Like on a Wednesday, christmas is on
a Wednesday.

Speaker 6 (45:07):
Oh, and by Christmas I mean tomorrow, Because
technically this is ChristmasEve.

Speaker 7 (45:11):
So, Veronica's already making the fish, so
Veronica's cooking right now,you guys are.

Speaker 6 (45:14):
Yeah she's in there making the bush, if anybody
hasn't figured it out.
Oh, and my whole family's hereand we're having the fishes,
that's right, everybody's here.

Speaker 1 (45:20):
They're destroying our house as we're recording
this.
No, obviously, if anybodyhasn't figured it out yet, we're
not actually recording onChristmas Eve, but the episode
is dropping on Christmas Eve.

Speaker 6 (45:30):
Guys, that makes me so happy.
You know I'm a big mush andnothing.

Speaker 4 (45:38):
I've heard in this whole episode has made me
happier than to hear that's whatyou guys are all doing on
Christmas Eve.
My heart is full.
I'll be back in two minutes.

Speaker 7 (45:42):
Take pictures, okay, I will 100% Of what, what he's
about to go do, or Christmas Eve.

Speaker 3 (45:46):
I don't want to know anything about what he's about
to go do.

Speaker 1 (45:48):
I have no interest in seeing or knowing what he's
about to do, so there will be nopictures of that.
Anyway, joe, now that Mike isgone and has finished hijacking
the conversation back to you.
That's pretty much it.

Speaker 7 (46:01):
I haven't experienced it yet, obviously, so can't
tell you what it's like.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
But well then, we need to get you married off and
get a house and I'm talkingabout the Bulgarian Thanksgiving
, christmas Eve he hasn'texperienced that yet.

Speaker 6 (46:10):
Well, you haven't experienced that either.
That was mainly because bitchesbe tripping, but okay okay, but
buy a house and have us allover for Christmas one year.
How about that?
I just wait for my mom to dieand come into a house.

Speaker 8 (46:22):
Oh no, hey, listen, just watch out for those Asian
women.
Dude, Don't do my mistake.

Speaker 7 (46:28):
So if I just have a mistake when I do it, Okay.

Speaker 6 (46:31):
Dennis, anything you'd like to mention, you have
your own house.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
I mean, it's the house that you grew up in.
You now own it, but what do youdo for Christmas?

Speaker 10 (46:40):
Up until pretty much last year, I was always working
, so it was basically either youhave to work one or two days,
christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
I'd traditionally be off onChristmas Eve and we still kept
up with Christmas Eve traditionsat home, with the family and
everything, and then I'd workChristmas Day.
In all honesty, the commute inon Christmas Day was Probably

(47:03):
the best commute.

Speaker 7 (47:04):
It's like three cars on the road.
Yeah, for anybody who may notremember from the original
episode.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
Dennis is now retired NYPD, so now you can finally
start, as is Mike, so now youcan start some new traditions.
So what are you going to dothis year?

Speaker 10 (47:19):
I try and just basically catch up with the
family for all the years thatwere missed, basically.
So I know trying to go out toeven visit family in New Jersey
is also difficult because aseveryone's gotten older kids
have gotten older and everyonetends to be on different pages.
But just trying to be aroundlike my mom and Ed's family,
even though we only live a mileaway from each other there was

(47:41):
many years of all this mist andjust trying to get everything
done in like a christmas evenight, it's like you could be a
little bit more civil and enjoythe actual holiday now, which I
appreciate more than anything,that years that were missed.
We still have some time that wecould all spend time together
and make up for lost timebasically.

(48:02):
So like still get mom'straditional cooking, just not to
the extent that it once was,but it's spending time and
getting that food that youtypically don't get on everyday
basis.
You know, yeah, any favoritesthat your mom cooks.
It varies.
I don't mind having roast beefor like turkey breast and like

(48:22):
baked potatoes that we would dotraditionally with like olive
oil and like salt and pepper andstuff like kind of on the basic
side, but still very goodacross the board.

Speaker 1 (48:32):
Ed, you're the one with the kids who are the oldest
.
Yeah, what have you and Lynncreated as far as family holiday
traditions?

Speaker 5 (48:40):
Well, usually, like Christmas Eve we'd see my family
and her family, you know we andthen midnight mass I'd always
go to my mom, my brother, yeah,and then christmas day we would
just, you know, we would seeeverybody christmas eve, because
that was the easiest, becausethen christmas day we'd kind of
stay at home and my wife'ssisters you know that they have
their own in-laws to visit andeverybody Right, everything.

(49:01):
So yeah, it would just be justme and Lynn at home with the
kids.

Speaker 1 (49:04):
Nice, you might have to invite Mike to Christmas,
because you know, apparentlyChristmas when you're married to
an Asian woman is horrible.
Yeah, oh, no, it's the worst.
We all know he's full of crap.

Speaker 8 (49:15):
God forbid, I get everything I want on Christmas
Day.
You mean food, of course, oh,yes, yeah, that's it.
No, I mean she cooks amazing.
She's one of the best cooks Iknow.
You know I love my asian food,so she has this wok that's, like
you know, over 30 years old, orwhatever that her mom handed
down to her, and she can makethese smoky lo mein noodles that

(49:35):
I love.
Oh, she's making a shepherd'spie now and she does that just
as good as she does asian foodso the next get together is at
mike's house I was gonna say Ireally never had a mom cook for
me.

Speaker 6 (49:46):
I need this to happen christmas 2025 might have.
It doesn't have to be christmas, but seriously, the next time
we're up there, let's try toorganize you guys, you know,
yeah, because I mean as much aswe all love going up to jack and
kim's, it would be a little bitmore centrally located if we
were at your house, and now thatthey've got the two kids, yeah,
exactly a halfway point betweeneverybody yeah, let's do that.

(50:10):
Yeah, you haven't been to theirhouse.
They've got a great I haven'teven been there.
I've seen all the pictures andstuff, but I haven't been to the
house.
It's amazing, it's gorgeousfrom the pictures.
Yeah, yeah, but those you hadme at smoky lo, mein noodles and
30-year-old wok Mike.

Speaker 8 (50:21):
I mean it's older than 30 years old.
I mean this is going to be inmy family forever.
Oh my God, it's probably likeblack.

Speaker 6 (50:29):
Yes, the smokiness so good, it's like my cast iron
skillet.

Speaker 8 (50:34):
Or any Asian noodle.
It should be smoky.

Speaker 6 (50:37):
You should have a taste of smoke at the end, but
not added in Right.
Just from the vessel.
You're doing it right.

Speaker 8 (50:46):
That's real Asian food.

Speaker 6 (50:47):
We're getting Chinese food tonight.

Speaker 8 (50:50):
Or somebody who knows what they're doing.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
So good, remember, you're talking to a chef over
here.

Speaker 8 (50:55):
Yeah, I know Some of the best meals.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
I've had.
That's not my forte.

Speaker 8 (50:59):
When.

Speaker 6 (50:59):
I make lo mein noodles.
They're fake, Believe me,they're not the real meals.
That's not my forte Like when Imake lo mein noodles.

Speaker 8 (51:04):
They're fake, believe me, they're not the real deal.
I can't do it.
Hey there's.
I can't do lo mein.
I can do Italian food and Ilike to.
I'm a sauce guy Like Nick andJack can do prep, like, if you
need something that's going totake six hours to do, they can
do it.
Make gravies, something thattakes 30 minutes or less.
I really like that type offlavoring and I love to drown my

(51:25):
food in a type of sauce.

Speaker 6 (51:26):
So I think what we'll do, Mike, let's do it this way.
If we do it we'll do like anovernight, so you and I can cook
maybe Italian one night andthen we'll have Yvonne cook the
next day.

Speaker 1 (51:36):
Yeah, she'll do the Asian, yeah, maybe.

Speaker 8 (51:43):
Yeah, I mean that would be fun.
Buy something to drown yourfood and you mean a1, right, yes
, a1, I need a bucket of that onmy steak.
I love that stuff.

Speaker 5 (51:47):
I love me back, but I love my steak sauce it's always
a fun debate listening to thenuances of how one eats a steak
between nick and mike.
Yeah, that's not even achristmas holiday.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
That's just a general conversation I used to go eat
120 steak and put fucking A1 onit.

Speaker 8 (52:02):
Wait, wasn't it when?

Speaker 6 (52:03):
you guys had.

Speaker 8 (52:04):
Mike's.

Speaker 6 (52:05):
Yeah, you're disgusting.
Wait, but didn't you guys doMike's bachelor dinner or
something at a fancy Brooklyn?

Speaker 1 (52:12):
Didn't we go to Luger's?
We went to Manhattan with oldOlstead.

Speaker 10 (52:15):
No, we were in Manhattan, An old Olmstead right
.

Speaker 6 (52:20):
And did you ask them for A1?

Speaker 1 (52:24):
homestead right.
Yeah, all right.
And did you ask them for a1?

Speaker 6 (52:26):
we, I'm pretty sure we threatened the people to not
give them a1 because it's likethe way you get the worst cut of
steak or the worst piece ofwhatever you order is to ask for
it.
Well done, and or with sauce,yeah, they'll give you the worst
.
If you ask for it, like, nicklikes it just medium with just
salt and pepper.

Speaker 8 (52:39):
That's all you see my favorite steak sauce is the
Peter Luger sauce.
When you do a sauce like that,oh I lose.
I go nuts for it, and I loveWorcestershire sauce.

Speaker 6 (52:48):
We should make that sauce that we make.
I'm going to send you, Mike,I'm going to send you a recipe.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
It's a butter-based horseradish garlic and herbs.

Speaker 6 (53:00):
So it's nothing like a regular steak sauce.

Speaker 8 (53:01):
See, I do a whole soy sauce marinade for my steaks
sometimes, so I'll do coffee,garlic, a lot of soy sauce,
Worcestershire sauce, oreganosalt, a bunch of other shit.
I wrote it down.
You let it sit and the next daythe steak comes out amazing and
if you ever do it, you've gotto do an espresso rub on a steak
.
That is one of the best steaks.

Speaker 6 (53:20):
I've ever had.
But when you marinate it likethat overnight, what cut of meat
do you use?

Speaker 8 (53:26):
Because you don't do that for a rib eye, I like to
use porterhouses.

Speaker 6 (53:29):
T-bones, Really yes.
See.
If I have an expensive A filet,yes, because it needs flavor.
But if I have a porterhouse ora rib eye, I'm not messing it up
by putting I need flavor.

Speaker 8 (53:38):
I love flavor on my steak.

Speaker 1 (53:41):
All right, mike's complaining about all of the
Asian food that he has to haveat Christmas.

Speaker 8 (53:45):
He'd prefer to be doing a marinated steak and
Smith and Wansky does a greatsteak where they, I guess, like
they do, like a bunch of crackedpepper corn on there and a
bunch it's a it's a steak.
They got it.
Remember them telling me thestory at a Mardi Gras or
something somebody was sayingthey cook a steak down there

(54:08):
like that, where it's all thesecracked peppercorns on the steak
and all these herbs and stuff,and they have it on the menu and
it's unbelievable.
It's one of the best steakdinners I ever had, all right
you go to mardi gras, but youwon't come to tampa well, he
goes to mardi gras in the city.

Speaker 6 (54:19):
He doesn't come, he doesn't go to new orleans for it
.

Speaker 1 (54:23):
Yeah, you're going to new york mardi gras it's okay,
we're just fucking with you.

Speaker 6 (54:26):
Tell avon I'm sending her this.
I'm messaging it to her onmessenger.

Speaker 1 (54:30):
Yeah, you're gonna love it, you're not on facebook
and actually for all thelisteners, I will even post um
the it's a.
It's a pinterest link, right?
Yeah, all right, I will postthe link to this butter
horseradish sauce recipe on theepisode notes pinterest has
great recipes for soups.

Speaker 8 (54:46):
I did a kielbasa, or she did one.
It was like a kielbasa, whitebean, oh my lord.
Something else, uh, like stewor soup that I got off of there.
I had it a couple of weeks ago.
It was unbelievable, and it waseasy on the stomach too, which
is good I'm not sure I've everthought of kielbasa and white
beans as going together it isamazing this soup.
Nick doesn't like beans, and ifyou have it with, some good

(55:08):
bread, like a nice crustyItalian bread, especially with
this weather where it's nice andcold.

Speaker 5 (55:15):
Nick, you've got to have a whole episode dedicated
entirely just to food you andJack should have your own food
network.

Speaker 8 (55:22):
Seasons man just barbecuing and cooking.
You guys are amazing and I'msure if you guys pitched it
together they'd hire you,because you both have great
personalities for this andyou're an entire she should be
on there too.

Speaker 1 (55:34):
I don't disagree with you at all, but I think that
would probably be a completelyseparate podcast.

Speaker 8 (55:39):
No, but I'm saying if you visit your friends and cook
for them, you could film that,send it out as a pitch to the
Food Network.

Speaker 1 (55:47):
I've been telling this one for years.

Speaker 6 (55:49):
You think, nick and Jack should do that.
You too, oh me.
Oh, I thought you meant Nickand Jack have good personalities
.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
All three.

Speaker 8 (55:56):
All guys should go to your friends.
You cook, you film it, becauseevery meal I've had with you
guys has been amazing.
You know, it's not like I'meating a peasant it's really
actually.

Speaker 2 (56:06):
I love peasant food yeah there's nothing wrong with
some good peasant food I'm asicilian, I have to.

Speaker 6 (56:11):
It's in my bones.

Speaker 1 (56:12):
I agree it would be nice to film all that.
I've been trying to get her todo it for years and she doesn't
have any interest.

Speaker 6 (56:17):
It's just personality for it and just I would do a
podcast where we talk about food.

Speaker 1 (56:23):
Yeah, but I mean, we can talk about food, but we need
to actually show what'shappening.

Speaker 6 (56:27):
Yeah, I'm retired.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
People are going to salivate over people talking
about it.

Speaker 6 (56:30):
They want to see it, yeah, but it's not like it's not
out there.
There's a thousand places theycan go to see it.
What's going to make it special?

Speaker 1 (56:36):
Because you're making it.
That's what makes I'm over it.

Speaker 6 (56:39):
I'm in travel now.

Speaker 8 (56:41):
Nobody does it for their friends.
You never see a show where theygo to their friend's house and
they cook and they catch us.
You can cook a meal, or theycan introduce a meal that's been
in their household forgenerations.

Speaker 6 (56:55):
Maybe we'll do it as an offshoot of our dead dad.
I'm going to work on talkingher into this.

Speaker 1 (56:59):
After you and.

Speaker 6 (57:00):
Helene, start your podcast.

Speaker 1 (57:01):
Right After Helene and I start our podcast.
Mike, that's actually a reallygood idea.
I don't know if I'm going to beable to talk her into it.
I mean, you guys got thepersonality for it.

Speaker 8 (57:08):
I could see it being pitched and just getting hired
on the spot.

Speaker 6 (57:11):
Especially if they try you.
Do we have the faces for it,though?
That's the thing.

Speaker 8 (57:17):
They just going to focus on the food you know what?

Speaker 6 (57:20):
Thank you, dennis and Ed.
I appreciate the laughter.
That was great, all right.

Speaker 1 (57:24):
Anybody have any last closing comments, any
recommendations?
That somebody should start itsholiday tradition of their own.

Speaker 8 (57:30):
I had a really good experience One Christmas.
I'll always remember about myfather To me.
My father has always been myhero.
He's up there with John.
It had to be eitherkindergarten or first grade and
we had a Lionel train set.
My dad loved trains, I lovetrains.
And it's Christmas Eve and I'mplaying and the train goes off
the tracks and the engine breaks.

Speaker 1 (57:51):
I don't think I ever knew that your dad was also into
trains.

Speaker 8 (57:54):
Yeah, my dad loved I mean, I always had a Lionel
train track going around theChristmas tree since I can
remember I was infatuated withtrains from a young age damn
straight.
So now the train goes over thetrack, it breaks and I love the
engine and you know I'm like, ohman, this sucks, whatever.
The next day is Christmas Iwake up and I get a new engine

(58:16):
for my train, set for my Lionel,and it was an awesome engine
too and I just I thought Santawas real, like you couldn't tell
me otherwise at that point.

Speaker 6 (58:24):
Right.

Speaker 8 (58:25):
My dad was like, oh man, maybe you should ask Santa
or whatever.
And it kind of ruined myChristmas Eve when it went over
a little bit and I'm like, well,I can still use it, but it just
it's not.
It's just not going to worklike it used to.
But when I got this new engineI was the happiest kid on the
planet.
How old were you?
Kindergarten, eitherkindergarten or first grade.

Speaker 3 (58:44):
So, like five, six years old, it's the best story
ever, right.

Speaker 8 (58:48):
I mean, I always remember the feeling how excited
I was.
And then there was another year.
I was in seventh grade and Icome home and I already knew
that my parents were Santa nobig deal.
So there's all these presentssit on the dinner table and
there's this VCR or whatever.
And I walk in and I was like,oh, that's neat, who's that for?

(59:09):
And they go, oh, that's foryour grandmother, and no big
deal.
And I keep walking.
I always wanted a VCR but Inever thought in a million years
I was going to get it and mydad's filming this Christmas
morning for some odd reason.
I was like why I'm an old kid,you know.
But it captured my expressionopening the VCR and I was the

(59:29):
happiest kid on the planet andright away I hooked it up to my
TV.
I was recording GI Joe themovie.
Right after I was opening up myChristmas presents, channel 11
was playing this and I was like,oh my God, what luck, you know.
And I was just so happy to getthat.
But I had awesome Christmasesgrowing up.
And then, you know, when myparents split, not so good, but

(59:50):
for the most part.

Speaker 6 (59:51):
I love that about you , mike, though, that you hold on
to the good years and the goodmemories.

Speaker 8 (59:56):
Yeah, that's what I hold on to and I always try to
you know, or at least have avery good Christmas where I can
try to get that feeling, whereyou know, maybe I'll do a
lasagna or something the nightbefore or something that'll make
me remember the good times.
Bring that back.

Speaker 1 (01:00:10):
Yeah, I love that.
That's a great story.
Thanks for sharing that.
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:00:14):
I mean we kind of had the same.
You know, when we grew up wewere extremely fortunate that
Christmas was always great atour house.
We always got the toys wewanted.
We always got everything weever wanted.
I know when we were younger,like little, you and Johnny
would come over Christmas Eveand stay there for a few hours
and we would do presents andstuff like that.
And then when you got a littleolder you came over like

(01:00:35):
Christmas morning, you guys.
But yeah, we were always cool.
We always got Nintendos andgames and wrestlers and trains
and bikes or scooter.
It was always cool.
But, mike, you got to learn howto control the speed on that
train.
Bro, you can't be going toofast around those cars.

Speaker 8 (01:00:50):
I know, man, what's wrong with you, my dude.

Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
Those Turkish amphetamines are just too much.

Speaker 1 (01:00:56):
Well, I have a funny story.
You got to be professional.

Speaker 3 (01:01:00):
Yeah, tell us, husband, nick.
So it kind of goes with the VCR, right.
So this was Christmas of 2020.
So we were like, whatever we'recooped up in the house all year
, like we're going to go big forChristmas gifts for Nick and I,
right?
So I was very into like thePeloton series at that point,
but Pelotons are way out of ourbudget.

(01:01:21):
So nick got like this costcoversion of peloton, but it was
the treadmill, it's calledechelon, right?
So that was my christmas gift.
And all nick wanted that yearfor christmas was that the new
xbox that came out I don't knowwhat box was called.

Speaker 2 (01:01:33):
It's like the tower, yeah the tower one.

Speaker 3 (01:01:35):
yeah, so that thing was freaking like, impossible to
get, like even if you were onit like midnight when it dropped
like you were not getting it.
So we go over to my mom's housefor Christmas Eve, cause that's
what we do.
Kathy, jerry, nick's parentsare all there.
Michael Joseph I don't thinkVeronica was there.
I think she was with her friend, like her.

Speaker 2 (01:01:56):
Bulgarian friends.

Speaker 4 (01:01:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:57):
So like all night.
So like all night, michaelJoseph, jerry, they're all
ragging on me.
And Nick, of course, are allragging on me, like, oh the man,
all he wanted was this Xbox.
You got your treadmill, hetakes care of you.

Speaker 4 (01:02:13):
You couldn't get the Xbox.
He saves lives every single day.

Speaker 6 (01:02:15):
He saves lives, every single day.

Speaker 3 (01:02:17):
So he's ragging to no end, right, so backtrack a
second.
Like at like 2 o'clock 2 pmchristmas eve, I find the xbox
like someone's selling it.
It's brand new, not open, butlike I have her send me all of
them when I go pick, like allthe pictures.

Speaker 4 (01:02:32):
But I go pick it yeah no I was.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
I was proud of myself .
I negotiated down to a veryreasonable price.
When I go to pick it up, I plugit in, I test everything like
it's legit, right Mom knowsabout this because I'm like,
listen, I'm going to go meet thestranger.
If I don't call you in 20minutes, please call 911.
This is where I'm going.
Yes, so mom knew that I got it.
No one else in the house knew.

(01:02:56):
Nick's mom didn't know, kathyacross the street didn't know.
No one knew.
So it's sitting in my car, inthe car that Nick is driving to
my mom's house for Christmas Eve, like two feet behind him under
a pile of clothes.
One point on Christmas Eve I gooutside and I tell I was like
oh, mom, I have a bag of clothesfor you.
You said you're doing goodwill,right, wasn't really a bag of

(01:03:16):
clothes, it was the Xbox withlike a scarf in it that I wanted
back.
So I leave it at mom's house,she wraps it, she writes to Nick
loves Santa and mom'shandwriting.
We go back over there.
Or were we sleeping over?
We might've slept over?
So, whatever we wake up in themorning, we open presents or
whatever.
Nick opens up all of hispresents Michael Joseph, me, mom

(01:03:38):
, blah, blah, blah.
And then the ragging startsagain.
Michael, nick, I don't see anXbox in any of those presents.
Like, wait, all you wanted wasthe Xbox.
You got a nice pair of gloves,but listen, that's no Xbox,
right.
So my mom goes wait, there'sone more present under the tree.
So everyone's like oh, whose isit?
So my mom goes.
Oh, it says to Nick, so givesit to Nick.
Right, I guess he didn't pickup on the fact that it says love

(01:04:04):
santa, because that would havebeen like my first red flag.
So he opens it and like, ashe's opening, as he's actively
opening it, they're stillragging on me for not being able
to get the xbox right.
So nick's ragging or whatever,and he's opening it and he's
quiet.
Michael and joseph are stillgoing and Nick's like no guys
stop, he goes, seriously stop.
So they're like why he goes?
It's the Xbox.

(01:04:25):
I was like, yeah, fuck it now.
Like you got your Xbox.

Speaker 6 (01:04:30):
And then did the three of them spend the whole
rest of the day just playing onthe Xbox?
I can imagine.

Speaker 3 (01:04:34):
They did not, because we had to go to Antares.
Oh, you had to go to Antares.

Speaker 8 (01:04:43):
Right, right, right, right.
Of course, I got my ps5 lastyear for my birthday.

Speaker 6 (01:04:46):
Oh, I was so happy.
I had no idea I was gonna getthat gosh.
You guys just never grow out ofit, right?
It just never stops.

Speaker 3 (01:04:50):
Wow, it's amazing so like that's why I'm most excited
about this christmas, because,like now, I get to be santa for
my kid right, technicallymichael's santa, but I get to
play santa and like I mean, shedoesn't know what's going on?
She's like upstairs being apter and like I mean she doesn't
know what's going on.
She's like upstairs being apterodactyl right now, Like she
doesn't know that Christmas is afew days away, theoretically.

Speaker 7 (01:05:08):
So a day, 12 hours a day.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
That's true, I forget that.

Speaker 1 (01:05:13):
It's tomorrow.
This is Christmas.

Speaker 6 (01:05:15):
Eve, oh, and when we hang up tonight we're going to
have a FaceTime so Aunt Kim andUncle Nick can read her.
Twas the Night Before Christmas, right.
Oh yes, I forgot about that.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
So like she's not going to know that she's opening
up presents, or anything butlike we know, yeah.
It starts.
I mean, those are your memoriesare going to start, yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:05:31):
You know, obviously everybody knows that Nick and I
just have Maxie.
But we've had her all theseyears and we have like specific
Christmas memories from everyChristmas with the three of us
in bed, as long as Maxie wouldstay there opening presents, and
we learned early on if we gaveher something with like a toy
that had catnip in it, we couldkeep her close to us quicker.
So we have all these videos ofus like in our first house in

(01:05:54):
Ronkonkoma and before we movedand stuff.
And then one year, gosh, thisis a great Christmas memory for
our family.
We almost forgot to tell thisstory.
Maxie historically does not liketo be held or really even
petted or anything very much,and every year on Christmas
morning I'll make Christmaspancakes for Nick and I.
And one year in that tinylittle kitchen in Ronkonkoma,

(01:06:16):
for whatever reason, nick pickedMaxie up and she just watched
me make the pancakes the wholetime.
I still held her for like ahalf an hour.
It was, and I mean to this andwe obviously couldn't videotape
that or record it Cause I wasmaking the pancakes and he was,
but we talk about it all thetime I know.
Well, we didn't plan it, youknow but it was like our little
Christmas miracle.
So, helene, I just we don'teven have a human child, but

(01:06:40):
even just that, having thoselike memories, that it makes me
so happy for you guys thatyou're going to have that from
this year forward with Nora andall the future nieces and
nephews to come.

Speaker 1 (01:06:48):
It's funny that Maxie has figured out how to open up
Christmas presents.

Speaker 6 (01:06:51):
She does.
Maxie can open Christmaspresents as long as they have
catnip in them.

Speaker 1 (01:06:54):
Yeah, as long as that's catnip, she'll hold it
down and just bite at it and ripit apart and then she gets dry.

Speaker 6 (01:06:59):
I think that's why because she gets stoned off of
the catnip, which is probablywhy she lets you hold her on
Christmas morning, probably.
Yeah, she's a good egg.

Speaker 8 (01:07:08):
Nice, the perfect way to wrap it up.
I love watching my dog onChristmas, because, I mean, last
year he brought him with me toPetSmart.
We did a shopping spree, andthen we put all the stuff in his
stocking, and then Christmasmorning he just goes nuts for a
bunch of things.

Speaker 4 (01:07:21):
The best thing with Momo Mike was when.

Speaker 1 (01:07:24):
For anybody who hasn't figured it out, Momo is
Mike and Devon's dog.

Speaker 4 (01:07:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:07:29):
He's going to make fun of you.

Speaker 4 (01:07:31):
Yeah, I am.
We're at Johnny's house for ameal like a big eating day.
Meet a Palooza part one.
Fucking Nick's over there opensthe door.
Momo runs out, doors open,stupid dog.

Speaker 1 (01:07:42):
Nick goes it wasn't me.
Yeah, I never said it wasn't me.

Speaker 4 (01:07:46):
And then, Mike, all of a sudden you can edit this
part out.
Right, Drops his cane, fuckingtakes off.
He pulls his gump out.

Speaker 1 (01:07:54):
That's fucking part of the story.

Speaker 8 (01:07:56):
Dog is gonna get killed.
If he has no regards fortraffic, he runs right into
traffic.
He's going to be a pancake.

Speaker 4 (01:08:04):
My man channeled his inner Forrest Gump and took off
and fucking just kept going.
Oh my god man.

Speaker 2 (01:08:10):
I thought, it would have been gone.
I never came back.

Speaker 8 (01:08:13):
I never came back.

Speaker 6 (01:08:15):
Yeah, but you didn't know, obviously, that he was
going to do that, but wasn't itlike three blocks down, like you
finally found him At?
The end of the block.

Speaker 8 (01:08:23):
At the end of the block yeah, it was like, wasn't
there also a moment, wasn'tthere?

Speaker 6 (01:08:29):
also like Didn't it the last?
Time maybe that Mike came outwith the Italian cookies.
And was it Zoe or Momo?
One of them ate all the cookies.
I think it was Zoe.
It was Zoe.
Zoe ate the cookies.
Yeah, the dogs alwayscontribute to the fun when we're
all together.

Speaker 8 (01:08:45):
During Christmas, when we're over at Jack's, zoe,
zelda and Momo just like bindinto this ball and just
wrestling each other right intothe Christmas tree just
throughout the entire house.

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
It's funny you know, Last year Momo tried to take
their Christmas tree down.

Speaker 8 (01:09:01):
Yes, yes, he did, I mean yeah, what did my man?

Speaker 4 (01:09:05):
say, in a Christmas vacation.
It was an ugly tree anyway,yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:09:09):
At least it's out of its misery.

Speaker 8 (01:09:11):
It is, it's out of its misery.

Speaker 1 (01:09:15):
Jack, what is Christmas like for Zoe and Zelda
?

Speaker 9 (01:09:17):
Chaos, absolute chaos .

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
Exactly what I figured you were going to say
Chaos, absolute chaos.

Speaker 3 (01:09:22):
Exactly what I figured you were going to say
Now was it always chaos, or nowthat there's tiny humans
involved?

Speaker 9 (01:09:26):
No, it was always chaos.
I mean, there are a couple ofpit bulls and they have two
speeds they're at rest orthey're at speed.
That's what they're doing.
Christmas now, for me, is allabout the tiny humans and the
dogs.
They make it worthwhile, theymake it fun.
It's about watching Zoe helpingthe kids open their presents,

(01:09:49):
which she does, which is reallycool to watch.
It's about watching Zoe eatanything and everything off the
table and knowing that her assis grass, because you just say
her name with a little bit ofbass in your voice and she's
going to, you know, slink away,but five seconds later it's like
nothing had ever happened.
Groundhog's Day?
Yeah, pretty much, but yeah,christmas is definitely chaos,

(01:10:10):
with them, ornaments breaking,food being eaten, but they make
it worth it.

Speaker 8 (01:10:16):
Yeah, that's true, they are the best man.
I love dogs Best, especiallythose dogs.
I'll take them any day.

Speaker 4 (01:10:23):
Same thing with guinea pigs.
Oh yeah, it's the same.

Speaker 1 (01:10:27):
How long has it been since you've had a guinea pig?

Speaker 4 (01:10:29):
It's been a few years I had him for, like he had one
and then he had to get allergic.

Speaker 3 (01:10:32):
I'll give it away because he got allergic to it.

Speaker 4 (01:10:34):
It was bad, I couldn't stop coughing my
closing up.

Speaker 3 (01:10:38):
Really, my hairdresser has it now.

Speaker 4 (01:10:40):
Yeah, I had to go to the hospital.

Speaker 3 (01:10:41):
It might be dead.

Speaker 4 (01:10:42):
What would you name it?
Okay, so there's its name andthere's the nickname.

Speaker 8 (01:10:48):
Let Me Wink.

Speaker 4 (01:10:49):
And now the new name.
Yeah, well, no, I think it'sdead.
I think it died.
His name was Mr Waffles, akathe Homie.
Right, it, that's just how Ialways talk.
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:11:06):
And then, when he was adopted by our hairdresser, her
son named him Flash.

Speaker 4 (01:11:08):
He was a child.

Speaker 3 (01:11:08):
He wanted to name his guinea pig.

Speaker 4 (01:11:11):
Yeah, and when I heard they named it the Flash, I
kind of wanted to take it back.

Speaker 6 (01:11:13):
There's irony to it.
Growing up we had friends whohad a dog, one of the big dogs
that just like droopy.
Of the big dogs that don't that?

Speaker 3 (01:11:19):
just like droopy, oh, like the St Bernard's, no like
Anyway.
And he didn't move.
He couldn't really move, sothey called him Flash.

Speaker 6 (01:11:26):
It was hysterical.
It's irony, Michael.

Speaker 2 (01:11:30):
Basset hound yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:11:30):
Basset hound.
Oh yeah.
We really should have justended this with Mike's lovely
story or Helene's lovely storyabout Christmas, but instead we
had to let Michael talk again.
Well, we had Jack's story aboutthe dogs.
It was worth it to stick withthat, to stick to that.

Speaker 10 (01:11:51):
Was that like Roscoe's dog in the Dukes of
Hazzard?

Speaker 8 (01:11:54):
Oh yes, oh, it was his dog.
I thought it was the mayor'sdog or Hog's dog.

Speaker 6 (01:11:59):
Whoever's dog.
It was a basset hound, Wasn'the also named Flash?

Speaker 1 (01:12:03):
Oh, maybe.
Yeah, I think my dog might havealso been named.

Speaker 6 (01:12:07):
Flash.

Speaker 2 (01:12:07):
What was the name of the dog, that Smoky and the
Bandit.
Maybe that's where our Flashgot named from.

Speaker 8 (01:12:11):
The basset hound in there.
He used to feed it like burgersand shit.

Speaker 1 (01:12:14):
Yeah, Cletus' dog yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:12:17):
All right, so Flash was definitely Dukes of Hazzard.
What?
Movie are we talking about?

Speaker 1 (01:12:24):
Smokey and the Bandit .
I think it was Fred.
Oh it was, it was Fred.
Right, it wasn't Flash Goodcall, it was Fred.

Speaker 6 (01:12:31):
Also a Basset Hound though.

Speaker 1 (01:12:32):
Yes, also a Basset Hound, all right, does anybody
else have anything?
Oh God, stop, don't ask itagain.

Speaker 3 (01:12:38):
I think that it's a good place to wrap up.

Speaker 4 (01:12:41):
Like a Christmas present.
I've got to feed my kid.

Speaker 6 (01:12:44):
Colleen needs to go.
She has a screaming child.

Speaker 1 (01:12:47):
That is definitely a good place to wrap this
conversation up.
A huge thank you to everybodyfor being part of this
conversation today and also toeveryone who has been a guest on
the show in 2024.
The idea of this show startedcoming together in February of
this year.
I didn't know if it would workor even be well-received, but
I've been blown away by theoverwhelming support within the
grief community and to everyonewho has been kind enough to come

(01:13:08):
on the show and tell theirstories To my guests, to my
listeners.
Everyone who came together andhelped turn the show into what
it has become and will continueto grow in 2025, thank you so
much.
Shout-outs to ChristinaDriscoll, Alison Santana and
Erica Lee for all of the earlyand ongoing support.
My wife, Kim, for her love andsupport, as well as the support
of her business, Kim GaylordTravel.

(01:13:33):
By the way, if you want to useKim Gaylord Travel, no trip is
too big or too small, so if youhave a trip to plan, contact Kim
for all of your travel needs.
Anissa Rahman of Dotted AvenueCreative Studio for the
incredible work he did on theshow's website, OurDeadDadscom.
If you want to build a websiteor have an existing one that
could use a facelift.
Contact Dotted Avenue today andget started.
Maybe not today, because it'sChristmas Eve and nobody really
wants to build a website onChristmas Eve.
Kathy Quinn.

(01:13:54):
Kyle for the design of thepodcast logo.
Tama Crisanti for the show'smusic.
If you want to contact anybodyfor any of their services, all
the contact information foreveryone I've just mentioned
will be in the show notes forthis episode, including the
recipe that we talked aboutearlier, and you can also find
everybody on OurDeadDadscom.
It really does take a village,and this show doesn't happen

(01:14:14):
without everybody's help, andespecially not without all of my
guests who are willing to sharetheir grief journeys in order
to help others be willing toshare theirs.
If you have a story of griefand loss to share and might want
to be considered as a futureguest of Our Dead Dads, go to
OurDeadDadscom, go to theContact Us link and then select
Be a Guest, Fill out the form,send it in and you just might be
able to tell your story andcarry on this mission of helping

(01:14:35):
ourselves and so many others.
Again, there are no rules tonavigating grief and there's no
rules to navigating grief, andthere's no timeline for doing it
either.
Everybody needs to go at theirown pace, but the most important
thing is taking the first step.
Whether you want to tell yourown story or you just want to
listen to others tell theirstories, the most important
thing is to understand thatnobody is alone in grief or

(01:14:55):
should ever feel like they don'thave someone who will talk or
listen to you.
Here at Our Dead Dads, withinthe safe space of this community
, you always have both.
Thank you for listening, andjoin me in two weeks when
Courtney Moore stops by for thefirst episode of 2025.
Courtney will talk aboutgrowing up with her dad, her
journey with him at the end ofhis life and losing him to
pancreatic cancer, acceptance,forgiveness and all that came
next.
Make sure that you arefollowing Our Dead Dads on your

(01:15:16):
favorite podcast streamingplatform because you will not
want to miss this episode or anyother upcoming episode.
This is Our Dead Dads, where weare changing the world.
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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}031 - Home For The Holidays - Goodfellas Reunion