Holiday Throwdown: Movies, Music, Mayhem

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Elsa Kurt: You may know her for her uncanny, viral Kamala Harris impressions & conservative comedy skits, but she’s also a lifelong Patriot & longtime Police Wife. She has channeled her fierce love and passion for God, family, country, and those who serve as the creator, Executive Producer & Host of the Elsa Kurt Show with Clay Novak. Her show discusses today’s topics & news from a middle class/blue collar family & conservative perspective. The vocal LEOW’s career began as a multi-genre author who has penned over 25 books, including twelve contemporary women’s novels.

Clay Novak: Clay Novak was commissioned in 1995 as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and served as an officer for twenty four years in Mechanized Infantry, Airborne Infantry, and Cavalry units . He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2019. Clay is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School and is a Master Rated Parachutist, serving for more th...

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
It's the Alpha Kirk Show with Clay Nova, serving up
friendly news and conservativeview.

SPEAKER_01 (00:06):
Brought to you by the Alpha Kirk Club and Artist
Medical.

SPEAKER_02 (00:10):
And now it's time for the show.

SPEAKER_05 (00:20):
Oh well, hello there.
How are you, my friend?

SPEAKER_02 (00:23):
I'm good.
How are you?

SPEAKER_05 (00:24):
I am good.
Are you uh you ready to brawlover here?

SPEAKER_02 (00:29):
Yes, folks, it is that time of year again.
It's uh our last show of 2025,crazy enough.
And uh our our traditionalholiday show that we've done,
this is I think the third in arow, uh little uh little more
controversial this time.
Elsa's got some Elsa's got someplans and we're gonna debate
some stuff.

SPEAKER_05 (00:48):
Yeah, you know the problem is we always get along.
This is a problem, Clay.

SPEAKER_02 (00:52):
I have been told that uh we we need to have more
arguments on the show.

SPEAKER_05 (00:56):
Yeah, so I I am we're gonna throw down right
right here today.
It is on, but we set up someground rules, right?

SPEAKER_03 (01:04):
Yes.

SPEAKER_05 (01:06):
All right, I'm gonna tell you rule number one, we're
gonna go back and forth here.
I'm telling you, rule numberone, all opinions expressed are
final, deeply personal, andcompletely correct.

SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
It's an opinion.
Uh, number two, uh, any argumentmay be supported by personal
childhood memories, vaguetradition, or the phrase
everyone knows this with nofurther evidence required.
So supporting documentation isnot a thing.

SPEAKER_05 (01:30):
Okay.
Rule number three, the phrasethat's not even a Christmas
movie, maybe used once pertopic.
After that, it becomesharassment.

SPEAKER_02 (01:40):
Fair enough.
Rule number four, shouting, diehard counts automatically resets
the debate and raises everyone'sblood pressure because that is
one of the great debates.

SPEAKER_05 (01:49):
Okay.

Rule number five (01:50):
Christmas music arguments must not involve
Mariah Carey lawsuits,restraining orders, or threats
of exile.
We're trying to keep thisvested.
I don't know.
We'll see.
We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 (02:01):
Feeling spicy, but rule six fake trees are not to
be judged morally, spiritually,or as a reflection of one's
character publicly.
You can do it.

SPEAKER_05 (02:12):
Privately, right?
You can't.
We can snicker, I think.
Number seven, anyone who startsdecorating before Thanksgiving
or decorated before Thanksgivingmust swear that they waited at
least until after the turkey.

SPEAKER_02 (02:27):
Rule number eight, wrapping gifts in old grocery
bags is technically allowed, butwill silently be judged.
I immediately thought of schoolbooks when I read that.

SPEAKER_05 (02:38):
Yes.
Oh yes.
Rule number nine, at any point,one host may declare, I'm done
with this conversation, whichmeans absolutely nothing.
And the debate will continue.

SPEAKER_02 (02:50):
No smooth transitions guaranteed.
Topic to topic.
Rule 10.
Uh, if this gets heated, uh, wewill remind everyone that it's
Christmas.
Uh, we will take a breath andthen immediately continue
arguing.

SPEAKER_05 (03:02):
Exactly.
Just like just like at home withfamily.
Uh let's see.

And finally, rule number 11 (03:06):
no matter who wins, everyone agrees
the real enemy is fruitcake.

SPEAKER_02 (03:13):
It is fruitcake.
It's always fake.

SPEAKER_05 (03:15):
It is fruit cake.
It's always fruitcake.
I want to add one more.
Can I add one more rule that Iliterally just thought of?

SPEAKER_02 (03:20):
I I I I may veto, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 (03:23):
Okay.
Here's what here's what I thinkhas to happen because I'm afraid
that you and I are actuallygoing to agree on a lot of these
things.
So I think that whether youagree or not, you have to get,
we'll treat it like a truedebate, like we're in high
school or college, and you haveto give the opposing argument,

(03:44):
no matter what.

SPEAKER_02 (03:45):
Play devil's advocate all day.

SPEAKER_05 (03:46):
Okay.
I'm I'm not good at it.
So I'm I feel like I might lose,but I'm just gonna shout, I win
at the end, anyhow.
So it's all good.

SPEAKER_02 (03:53):
Listen, folks, I will tell you, based on that
rule number 12, um, do not takeanything I say is my personal
position because I am now justofficially here to pick fights
with Elsa.

SPEAKER_05 (04:04):
All right, it's on, it's on.
And it this would not beofficial unless we did this
right here.
You ready, guys?

SPEAKER_01 (04:10):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the most
anticipated showdown of thespeed.
There will be no judges, noreferees.
Absolutely, anyone in thiscorner.

SPEAKER_05 (04:59):
It's making me break out a little bit of a sweat
there.
It's getting a little anxiouswith that chaotic music.

SPEAKER_02 (05:03):
I gotta tell you, I don't know if I've ever, you've
done some great stuff with AI.
You did the babies of us whenthat was a thing.
Um I don't think I've ever had acartoon drawn of me, but that is
probably the most accuratedrawing I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_05 (05:15):
How great was that?
How I was a little perfect.
I'm gonna be honest, I was alittle insulted by it because I
noticed that it gave me somecrow's feet, and I feel like I
just don't have those.

SPEAKER_02 (05:25):
Don't.
No, no.
No, no.
Would you care to uh send thefirst shot across the ballot?

SPEAKER_05 (05:32):
I I will, I will.
And uh I I'm going, I'm startingright at the top of my, you
know, must discuss here.
Uh, what is the best?
We're gonna do a best and worston this one.
Um, what is the best Christmasmovie and why is everyone else
falling play?

SPEAKER_02 (05:48):
Oh, the best Christmas movie is a Christmas
story, period.
Um there's no argument.
There's a reason why they playit for 24 hours uh on Christmas.
It starts on Christmas Eve andgoes through Christmas Day
because it is the greatest.
Ralphie alone is uh plenty ofreason not to mention his
buddies Flick and his littlebrother who can't put his arms

(06:08):
down.
Uh the leg lamp, uh the bumpus'dogs next door, the Red Rider BB
gun, and finally Farah-rah-rah-rah uh at the end as
they're eating Chinese food uhon uh on Christmas Day.
It's and a deranged Easter bunnycostume to cap it all off.
There's just there's noargument.
It is a Christmas story period,no discussion.

SPEAKER_05 (06:28):
Okay.
Well, this was easy for me.
This is not a struggle for me touh to say this um because I mean
it with my whole heart, with mywhole chest, I'm saying it.
That's a saying lately.
Um, I completely disagree withyou.
I hate that movie so much.
I do.
I listen, I don't know.

(06:49):
Ralphie annoys the heck out ofme.
These people are miserablehumans, they're mean, they're
not yes, I know it's a movie,guys.
Don't even come for me because Iknow you're gonna come for me in
those comments.
I never liked the movie.
I only liked you'll shoot youreye out.
That is the only thing I likeabout that movie.

unknown (07:07):
I know.

SPEAKER_05 (07:09):
I totally, yeah.
You didn't have any boys, right?
No boys, no, no, you don't know.

SPEAKER_02 (07:14):
You can't pass judgment on them.
That's why you don't like them.
They're Midwesterners, right?
It's uh you don't like thesentiment of the entire thing,
but that's that's uh that onehits close to home.
I the F-word, like I mean, comeon.

SPEAKER_05 (07:30):
I mean, I I don't even remember, I would say 98%
of the movie.
Literally, I remember to putyour eye out.
I remember them arguing.
I remember that dingy, miserablelooking living room they had and
that terrible Frigile lamp.

SPEAKER_02 (07:47):
That's who you're making fun of.

SPEAKER_05 (07:49):
I know, I think because here's what I think.
So here's here is yeah, I'mgonna put a little sentimental
thing on this here.
Um, we grew up, I I grew up inlike a 900 square foot
apartment, and I which I loved,we it was a great childhood,
everything.
I actually have zero complaintsabout my childhood, but it was

(08:11):
the 70s, and we always talkabout you know, I people hear
people say like the dirty,gritty 70s.
That is what I think of everytime I picture that era.
And while my personal memoriesare good of that, I anytime I
see any movie in that setting,in those dingy colors, it makes
me feel instantly sad anddepressed.

(08:33):
So I think that is what myproblem actually is.
I like everything to be shiny,happy, pretty, glowy, nice.
I'm sorry, it's just the way I'mdesigned, guys.

SPEAKER_02 (08:44):
So my my family actually has a very weird
connection with these.
Did you know there's a sequel toa Christmas story?

SPEAKER_05 (08:50):
Uh you know, I think now that you're saying it, I
think I've got all years ago.

SPEAKER_02 (08:53):
He's grown up, right?
He has grown up, right?
He's got his own family.
They brought back literallyevery living actor from the
first movie is is in the sequel.
But the original Christmas storyis a favorite of my dad's.
Um, I actually bought him a RedRider BB gun for Christmas one
year when I was like in my lateteens, I think.
Um, but if you watch the sequel,they have a scene where the guys

(09:16):
are hanging out in the bar andthere's kind of a standard
policy where if somebody's wifecalls, they go, Hey, is Shell
and Cell here?
Nope, sorry, ma'am, so and so'snot here, right?
And the guy's clearly in thebar, you know, hanging out with
the boys.
They they call out my dad'sname.

SPEAKER_05 (09:32):
No, stop it.

SPEAKER_02 (09:33):
Yep, like immediate relation um to my family.
So, like it, yeah, like love themovie anyway, but that was the
the strangest, funniest thing.
Um, but uh yeah, Christmas storyis the best, no arguments.

SPEAKER_05 (09:50):
Okay, all right.
I totally argue with that.
I listen, um for me, for me,it's um it is The Bishop's Wife.
It is an old black and whitemovie with I know, I know Cary
Grant.
It's a Cary Grant movie, and itis spectacular.
It is everything, everything.
I watch it every year, sometimestwice.
I watched it just two nightsago, and I was in my absolute

(10:13):
glory.
It is spectacle.
I mean, Cary Grant, David Niven,are you kidding me?
That is paradise right there,right there.
No arguments allowed.

SPEAKER_02 (10:24):
I the only credit that I will give is that that is
still the era of men looking andacting and dressing like men.
I I will I will stipulate that,I will give that one away.
However, snooze fest.
Sorry, can't do it.
Absolute snooze vest, notwatching it.

SPEAKER_05 (10:40):
Oh, oh, awful.
You know, interestingly, I gottasay, I gotta say, I want to get
your opinion on this.
There are a few um other moviesthat people put on the list of
um like most hated and mostloved, and I was a little bit
shocked at one in particular.
Um, Love actually was put on themost hated.

(11:02):
You've probably never even seenit.
I can guarantee you.

SPEAKER_02 (11:04):
I actually watched it for the first time in the
last year.

SPEAKER_05 (11:07):
Wow.

SPEAKER_02 (11:08):
In my whole life, yes.

SPEAKER_05 (11:09):
Love Love It or Hate It.

SPEAKER_02 (11:10):
Um, surprisingly entertaining.
Um, I don't see that it's somesort of like epic rom-com
masterpiece.
Not that any of those movies aremasterpieces, um, but um, you
know, there's there are elementsof it that are entertaining, but
I I it's not something that Iwould go, ooh, love actually's
on and throw the remote controlon the couch.

(11:31):
That is certainly not it.
Uh yeah, I'm sure.
Now, here, so here, I willfollow up your question with
this question because I had arelated one on my list.
What is the worst Christmasmovie remake?
And I will give you, I will giveyou, and I they're all terrible
to me.
Okay.
Um, but you gotta tell me whichone you think is the worst.

(11:52):
I have Scrooge with Bill Murray.

SPEAKER_04 (11:55):
Oh right, okay.
Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (11:59):
The new version of Miracle on 34th Street with
Richard Attenborough as as SantaClaus.
Um, only it's terrible incomparison to the original.
Um, and then lastly, is uh Howthe Grinch Stole Christmas with
Jim Carrey, which is a remake ofthe cartoon.

SPEAKER_05 (12:14):
Oh my! And I I think so.
I've never seen the Miracle on34th Street.
I've never seen it.
I don't know why.
I know it's a really weirdthing.
I know it's super weird.
I've never seen it.
So, and I've also never seen theremake.
Um, so I haven't I can't passany judgment on that, but I have
to be contrary no matter what.
So I'm gonna say terrible.
No, I'm gonna say great, loveit.

(12:35):
I have to say the opposite.
I don't even remember what I wassupposed to be doing.

SPEAKER_02 (12:39):
See, I'll never I'd never wait what do you think is
a terrible Christmas movie orChristmas movie remake?
I'm talking remakes, but let'sjust broad it out and say
terrible Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_05 (12:49):
Okay, so let me preface this by saying that I am
generally not a fan of remakes,period.
I I I am a strong believer inleave the originals alone and
create something new anddifferent.
So having said that, I willthat's how I'm justifying saying
this because I people will getmad at this.

(13:09):
Um I I just told you that myfavorite movie was uh uh The
Bishop's Wife with Carrie Grant,uh Whitney Houston, and I don't
know who the other actors, maybeDenzel Washington, I don't know
who the the male lead in thatwas, but they remade that and
it's called The Preacher's Wife.
So it was a modernized versionof it.
Um I I've never seen it, so Ican't I can't earnestly critique

(13:33):
the movie itself.
I'm only critiquing that it's aremake.
So that's the one I'm picking.
People are gonna get mad at thatbecause somebody just said in
the comments the other day thatthat was their favorite.
So sorry, sorry, it is what itis, guys.

SPEAKER_02 (13:45):
Whitney Houston's in one of those off-limits kind of
categories.

SPEAKER_05 (13:49):
She does, she does.
So it's nothing personal againsther.
I actually have heard that itwas a lovely, wonderful movie,
and that her singing wasobviously phenomenal.
Um, so I'm only standing on thatit's a remake.
Okay.
Calm down.

unknown (14:04):
Okay.

SPEAKER_05 (14:04):
All right.
Um, can we we're gonna stickwith the movies just for a
minute because we've got to havethe diehard discussion.
We have to have the diehardconversation.
And I'm gonna I am gonna standmy ground on this and say, and I
know Bruce Willis saidotherwise, I say it's a
Christmas movie.
Sorry.
Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_02 (14:22):
I so Bruce Willis, you're right.
Bruce Willis says it is not aChristmas movie.
So here's the conundrum.
Um, and here's why I'm gonnadisagree with you, because there
are four action movies that ifyou consider Die Hard a
Christmas movie, you have toalso consider these others, the
other three, as Christmasmovies.
So you have Die Hard, you haveDie Hard 2, which happens a year

(14:44):
later, right?
Right, and and is on Christmas,and is on Christmas Eve again.
Um, the original Rambo movieFirst Blood occurs at Christmas
time.
The entire police station isdecorated for Christmas.
Okay.
And and lastly, the originallethal weapon uh is also
Christmas themed throughout theentire movie.
So it to me it's an all ornothing, and and that puts it

(15:07):
out of nothing.
You can't say they're allChristmas movies uh simply
because there's Christmas in thebackground, and that's why I say
no.

SPEAKER_05 (15:14):
Oh, oh, I'm gonna say, yes, they're all they're
all Christmas movies.
I will take them, I embracethem, I'll even watch them all.
Yes, I I am sticking to it.
Listen, uh, I have to ask you, Idon't know if you know the
answer to this, is um is HansGruber.
Oh no, he died, so he couldn'tbe in it.
No, he died, yeah.
Die Hard one for me is like theonly one because of him.

(15:34):
So yeah, but no, kicking themoff.
They are all officiallyChristmas movies as far as I'm
concerned.

SPEAKER_02 (15:42):
Okay, so I so I guess that means like um so that
means Christmas story is also anEaster movie because he got a
deranged Easter bunny outfit asa Christmas gift.
So because it's mentioned in themovie, no in the background of
the movie.
No way, I you it's a hollowargument.

(16:02):
They're not, I mean, I just Idon't buy the argument because
that's only one scene.

SPEAKER_05 (16:07):
That's one scene, one moment in the movie.
The entire diehard movie is it'sthere's it's all on Christmas,
it's all a Christmas party,they're all there.
He writes in blood, uh, I have amachine gun now.
Ho ho ho.
Uh so you know, yeah, stickingto my guns here, Clay.

SPEAKER_02 (16:27):
I I don't, I I disagree.
I I and I'm a fan of all thosemovies, I love them all.
Uh but uh no, not not Christmasmovies.
It is not the first thing thatcomes to mind uh when you
mention those movies, except forthe purpose of the argument,
which always comes up at thistime of year.

SPEAKER_05 (16:41):
Always does.
It's it's the law.
We had to have the argument.
And don't forget, guys, youshould be chiming in in the
comments.

SPEAKER_02 (16:47):
Really?
Let me ask you a question.
So, do they show the bishop'swife at any other time of year
besides Christmas?
No, yeah, that's because it's aChristmas movie.
Die Hard is shown year-round.
You know why?
Because it's not a Christmasmovie, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (17:00):
But you know what?
Nobody watches it year round,people only watch it at
Christmas time.
You watch it year-round.

SPEAKER_02 (17:05):
Die hard is on TV.
Yeah, remote control goes on thecouch.
I'm going to go.

SPEAKER_05 (17:10):
I want I want proof that it's on that people play it
year round.
Like, that doesn't count for youputting it, throwing it in your
D VR or like finding it onNetflix or whatever on, you
know, on in March.
That doesn't count.
Like, I'm talking about like,you know, whatever uh in July?

SPEAKER_02 (17:25):
Sure it is.

SPEAKER_05 (17:27):
I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna ask chat.
I'm gonna ask chat.
I want chat, so I'm gonna comeback to that.
I'll probably end up putting itin the comments because I'm
gonna ask chat to look for maybesomebody else could do it for me
right now and throw it in thecomments.
Um, I want to know like when DieHard has been played on like
mainstream networks that likepeople everybody gets like all

(17:50):
the time.
Like remember when we were kids,or maybe still the Wizard of Oz,
they would always play it likein November.
That's when you knew you knowthat Thanksgiving was coming.
I mean, you knew any of it, youknow what I mean.
Are you looking it up right now?

SPEAKER_02 (18:02):
What I'm looking at is the release date for the
original diehard.

SPEAKER_05 (18:06):
Okay.
Oh no, oh no, no, what's theoriginal release date?

SPEAKER_02 (18:12):
Christmas movies on July 15th of 1988.
I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_05 (18:17):
I think they do.
When all house fails, you justjust deny, deny, deny.
Just deny, deny, deny.
Yeah.
Well, that was probably becausethey were like celebrating
Christmas in July, because likethat's a thing.
That's a thing's Christmas inJuly.
It's a thing.
Anyway, uh, your turn asked.

SPEAKER_02 (18:36):
Okay.
So I I will contend the bestChristmas drink is eggnog.
Period.

unknown (18:47):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (18:48):
There I people say cocoa, people say cider, people
say all kinds of things.
It is eggnog and only eggnog.

SPEAKER_05 (18:56):
You're you're killing me because I would have
agreed with you, but I won't.
I won't do it.
Um, there is a drink, and I needmy my Hispanics and Latinos to
hop in here and um pronouncethis properly for me.
I I want to say it's coquito.
Somebody's got to correct me onthat, but it is a um uh my

(19:17):
Chilean ex father-in-law used tomake this, and it's got like rum
and coconut, and I have no ideawhat else, like a whole bunch of
stuff in it, and it is amazing,and you get lit like a Christmas
tree on it.
So somebody tell me the propername in there, but that's the

(19:37):
one I'm going with.
Um, and yeah, I I gotta findsomebody make that for me.

SPEAKER_02 (19:42):
No, it's eggnog you can like I I know people drink
cocoa whenever it's cold.
Eggnog's only available in thegrocery store for like six
weeks.
And it's it's really fromThanksgiving to like New Year's
Day, and that's

SPEAKER_05 (20:00):
I will give you that much.
I I will cede to that, that thatis factual.
But I feel like the Coquito onlycomes out at that time of year,
also.
So I feel like it's a validcounter beverage.

SPEAKER_02 (20:14):
I would pick you for like a cocoa and rum chata kind
of crystal.

SPEAKER_05 (20:19):
Yeah, yeah, I'd be cool with that.
I like I like a I like a goodlike a chocolate martini, you
know, maybe throw a couplemarshmallows in it and a little
peppermint stick.
Yeah, I'm good with that.
As a matter of fact, I reallywant that right now.
Oh my goodness.
So yeah, yeah, that's what I'mgoing with.
A little, little, maybe a littlebit outside of the box, but

(20:39):
that's the one I'm going with.
But secretly I do I do love alittle bit of egg pad.
Yeah.
Um, let's see.
Um real tree or fake tree?

SPEAKER_02 (20:51):
Um my in practice, uh uh it's a plastic tree, but I
am a fan, a bigger fan of thereal tree.
Um the plastic tree is just tooit's way too practical for for
everybody.
Uh nowadays with thepre-lighting and and everything
else, um, you know, you just putit together, the lights are

(21:12):
already wired into the tree, allyou do is plug it into the wall.
There's no cleanup, there's nowatering, there's no pets
knocking it over, there's nonone of that.
Like the plastic tree is themost practical thing in the
world, but it does take all ofthe season out of the season.

SPEAKER_05 (21:27):
Um I don't know.
I feel like you're playing themiddle of the road here.
I feel like you're not.

SPEAKER_02 (21:33):
Preference is the real tree.
I haven't had one in years, butmy preference is the real tree.

SPEAKER_05 (21:36):
Okay.
Okay.
Darn it.
All right.
So that means I gotta go withthe fake tree, which we have
done for quite a few years now,which I always swore we would
never ever do.
I wanted, you know, I was I wasa diehard real tree person
because the aforementionedapartment that I grew up with
in, um, we weren't allowed tohave a real tree.

(21:58):
So the like the, I don't know,the management wouldn't let us
have a real tree because uh firehazard.
So we always had to have a faketree growing up.
And anybody who grew up in ourera uh remembers what those fake
trees looked like.
They're not like the ones theyhave now, which are just
absolutely gorgeous andrealistic.
You can even get them scented,you know, pine scented now if
you wanted.
Um, so yeah, so we always hadthe the fake tree as a as a kid.

(22:22):
So as I got older, I was like, Iwill never have a fake tree ever
again.
And here we are, full circle.
Um having said all that, I amnot somebody who should have a
real tree.
I water it on day one.
That's it.
That's it.
I am the fire hazard.
Uh, like so yeah, I have nobusiness having a real tree.

SPEAKER_02 (22:42):
Okay, but but let's we we have to discuss this part
of a fake tree.
Colored, um, snow painted tinseltrees, like the the silvery pipe
cleaner, the ones with the snowpainted on them, or like a pink
Christmas tree.
Like, can we agree none of thatshould happen like ever?

SPEAKER_05 (23:04):
I will allow that agreement.

SPEAKER_02 (23:05):
And listen, folks, this I'm I'm not saying this
because I grew up, my uhgrandparents on my mother's
side, my grandmother um was 100%Italian.
Um, their Christmas tree when Iwas growing up was a green
artificial tree that wascompletely decorated in gold and
yellow.
All the ornaments were gold, thetinsel was gold, the lights were

(23:26):
yellow, everything about it wasgold and yellow, and it was
perfect and beautiful everyyear.
Um, so I'm not saying that.
It was a green tree with verycoordinated decoration.
What I'm talking about is thepink Christmas tree or the fake
snow on it, or the ones that aremade out of tinsel pipe
cleaners, like that stuff.
We can't have that.
That's terrible.

SPEAKER_05 (23:45):
Yeah, I am uh I am I I we're pausing our rules just
for a moment to be in agreementbecause I cannot bear the idea
of it at all.
It needs to look as realistic ashumanly possible, like it needs
to look so real that you have togo over and touch it to uh
confirm its fakeness.

(24:07):
And I and my mom loves, youknow, my mom loves uh, she likes
her white tree.
She's got a white tree, and youknow, and I and I humor her and
say, oh no, it looks pretty,mom.
Yeah, does she?
She does.
I just got caught up.
I just I just threw myself oneof those.
She'll be commenting any momentnow.
Mom, don't don't don't comment,mom.

(24:27):
Don't comment, don't sayanything.

SPEAKER_02 (24:30):
All right, who's up?

SPEAKER_05 (24:31):
Oh, I think I'm up.
Um, let's see.
Oh, so since we're talking aboutthe tree, let's talk about the
lights.
White lights or color lights.

SPEAKER_02 (24:38):
Inside or outside.

SPEAKER_05 (24:42):
Inside on the tree.

SPEAKER_02 (24:44):
I I I inside the tree, I'm inside on the tree,
I'm totally okay with colors.

unknown (24:49):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (24:49):
On the outside of your house, white only.
Like lights.
Um, I hate inflatables in theyard.
Like, I can't stand thosethings.
Um, I think uh like not far frommy house is one of those houses
that has eight million dollarsin lighting.
That once you pull up next tothe house, they have a sign that

(25:09):
says tune your radio to thisradio station, and their lights
are in sync with the radiostation.
I can't imagine living acrossthe street from them for even
the month or so that it'sdecorated.
Um, but I think outsidedecorations on your house should
be very subtle.
I think they should be, youknow, the inflatables are
terrible.
Like, you know, the lit upreindeer in the yard I could do

(25:31):
without inside on your tree,colored lights are completely
okay.

SPEAKER_05 (25:36):
I I am so tormented right now that I have to, by my
own stupid rules, disagree withyou.
Remember, we're playing theopposite game right now.
That is correct.
Um yay for colored lightsoutside.
They would look they look soamazing and classy and elegant.
And yeah, I mean they'refestive.

(25:58):
I I will, I will, I will saythat they're very festive.
And and this is even worse forme to have to say than that.
Um I love inflatables out inyards, they look so beautiful.
Yeah, um, I'm just glad that mykids are are grown and these are

(26:21):
not issues I have to deal with.
Listen, God bless you if you ifyou're somebody who who does
that.
You are full of Christmas joyand spirit um and enthusiasm and
excitement.
So anyone who does love thethings that we don't love,
listen.
I mean, we're in cancel culturenow, so or have been for a

(26:42):
while, but it's not a reason tounfollow, guys.
So stay, stay with me.

SPEAKER_02 (26:47):
Folks, we're all just have we're all just having
a good time.
Just a good time.
We're all having a good time.

SPEAKER_05 (26:52):
Somebody will take offense.
I know it.
I know it.
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (26:56):
All right.
On the decorations.
And and we we kind of mentionedthis on the front side.
When, what is the earliest andwhat is the latest for
decorations?

SPEAKER_05 (27:07):
So uh in my very strongly held correct right
opinion, uh, it would be the dayafter Thanksgiving, not a minute
before.
And then they must be taken downby I I will give some grace in
say January 2nd.
I prefer January 1st to makethem gone.
Um, but yeah, that is thesoonest and the latest, in my

(27:30):
opinion.
How about you?

SPEAKER_02 (27:32):
I have those exact same dates written.
However, I will argue,especially on the back side.
Um, you can go by, and andarguably by tradition, you
should go by the 12 days ofChristmas.
So you should have until I guessthat would make it the 5th of
January.
Uh, if you go by the 12 days ofChristmas, that gets you from

(27:54):
Christmas to the 5th of January,in which case that would be the
end of Christmas celebration andtherefore decorations in whites.
Um I would tell you thatdecorating on Thanksgiving is a
tradition for a lot of people.
Um that evening after the mealis over with, I know there's a
ton of people that put uhChristmas trees up.
Um, I know that as you get olderand you have kids that are in

(28:16):
college and they're only homefor a week, you want to utilize
them as much as you possiblycan.
So that week of Thanksgivingwhile your kids are home, yeah,
folks decorate.

SPEAKER_04 (28:25):
Yeah, especially hanging the uh stuff outside.

SPEAKER_02 (28:29):
You have forced labor.
So if you got to do it onTuesday before Thanksgiving,
then so be it.

SPEAKER_05 (28:34):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Um, and there's and I alwayskind of have a little bit of
appeal, I guess, to the wholegetting the Christmas tree on
Christmas Eve, because there'speople that do the Christmas Eve
tradition.
Like they that's when they gettheir tree and they put it up,
and then they do keep it upuntil, you know, whatever.

(28:54):
Um, they keep it up a littlelonger.
I I like the idea, you know, soI'm kind of torn too because we
used to, I haven't I haven'thosted in years, you know, of
course, with the family and thekids in Florida now, and you
know, we always go there.
Um, but when I used to hostThanksgiving, I used to have it
like I used to like having itdecorated somewhat for Christmas
because it's just so prettywhenever it comes in and the lit

(29:17):
tree and the fireplace and allthe things.
So um that was my exception tostarting a little bit earlier.
If we hosted that I wanted thewhole shebang out, but I'll
probably get slack for that too.
Oh um, let's say, am I up?
Yes, you are.
Christmas music joyfultraditional or seasonal

(29:38):
psychological warfare.

SPEAKER_02 (29:41):
Um, are you a satellite radio?
Do you use satellite radio?

SPEAKER_05 (29:45):
No, no, I don't.
I just do like my streaming,like uh uh Amazon news that's
yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (29:50):
So I I you know I satellite radio in the car had
it for years.
Um a huge fan.
I was shocked the other day whenSirius went through the list of
different Christmas stationsthat they have right now.
Oh it's probably and I shouldn'tsay Christmas, it's holiday
because they even have an allHanukkah channel.
Um, but they probably have sevenor eight maybe uh different

(30:14):
types of Christmas musicstations.
And I will tell you that I couldget rid of all of it.

SPEAKER_04 (30:22):
Oh all of it.

SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
Yeah, I I don't, I don't, and I'm a music guy, I
love listening to music, butChristmas music, uh to me, I
could give or take, it really tome does it makes absolutely no
difference whatsoever.

SPEAKER_05 (30:36):
Okay, that's fair, that's fair.
I like um much of it.
There are just a couple that Idon't love.
Um, but my so I always, youknow, I mean y'all know me, I
always have to do everything alittle bit odd, a little bit
different than everybody else.
And you know, I was gonna askyou as part of that, and I may

(30:57):
have stole it from maybestealing it from you, but maybe
not if you don't care aboutChristmas music.
Um, like your favorite and leastfavorite Christmas song.
So we'll we'll roll that all inif that's okay to do that.

SPEAKER_02 (31:05):
Right, Carrie is everyone's least favorite
Christmas song.

SPEAKER_05 (31:08):
Yeah, there's I mean, there's no argument there.
There's no argument there.
Although for me, a close secondor a tie even would be um, I
hate Santa Baby.
I hate Santa Baby beyond words.
I hate anything with a babyvoice, I hate adults using baby
voice.

SPEAKER_02 (31:24):
So the Madonna, the Madonna Santa Baby.

SPEAKER_05 (31:27):
It's like uh it's like uh an ice pick through my
skull carrying that so I Idespise Bruce Springsteen, so
his like mate his Santa Claus iscoming to town makes me that's
very high on the despise list.

SPEAKER_02 (31:42):
Um uh favorite?
Well, Joy Reed told all of usthat Jingle Bells is racist.
Sorry to bring politics in thelist immediately.
I I I don't I don't have afavorite.

SPEAKER_05 (31:55):
I just I have a few because I'm an 80s girl, so my
absolute favorite is uh BillySquire.
Um, do I have it?
I mean, yeah.

(32:24):
Okay, I'll stop.

SPEAKER_02 (32:25):
Yeah, so um that's the same guy that's sang the
stroke.

SPEAKER_05 (32:33):
I know, but I love him.
I loved him then, I love himnow, and nobody's gonna stop me.
Darn it.
Yes, I I am uh I was and am aBilly Squire fan.
Some people are probablystanding, you know, who the heck
is Billy Squire?
But yes, that and um my otherfavorite, which is actually on

(32:55):
the top list of hated songs, isthe waitress's Merry Christmas.
You don't know that one?
You probably you wouldn't.
It's like they go, MerryChristmas, Merry Christmas.
I think I'll miss this one thisyear.

SPEAKER_02 (33:09):
I I think probably uh if it's it's horrible because
it's actually a really sad song.
But what was that?
Uh what was the one uh feedChristmas time in Africa or what
it was called?

SPEAKER_05 (33:21):
Oh yeah, uh live aid.

SPEAKER_02 (33:23):
Yeah, it was whoever that was.
I mean, that was like uh it wasit was almost like the live aid
one that they did.

SPEAKER_04 (33:29):
Like feed the yeah, that yeah, it's fun.

SPEAKER_02 (33:33):
Great harmonies, it's a great song, but if you
listen to the world the wordsand the message, it's like
everybody's starving and dying.
It's pleasant time.

SPEAKER_05 (33:40):
It's it's not the song that you eat during uh
Christmas dinner when you'reshoveling in uh delicious food
and you're like, oh, okay, I'msorry.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh yeah, yeah, I'm a fan.
I'm a fan.

SPEAKER_02 (33:52):
Who's up?
Am I up?
You're up, you're up.
Okay.
What is your Christmas dinner?

SPEAKER_05 (34:01):
Oh, yeah.
So I don't know what it's gonnabe this year because the kids
are cooking, but traditionallythere's um, let's see, I think
there's usually like a a roastum or like prime rib or
something.
Um it it kind of depends onwhose house we're we're at.
So if we go to my ex-husband'shouse, he does a prime rib.
Um my daughter and son-in-law,they do, oh gosh, he did a prime

(34:27):
rib last time too.
I think it's that's the one.
Yeah, that's like the mainthing.
Now growing up, it was now uhremember, or if you're just
learning this for the firsttime, I'm half Cuban and half
German.
And we would go Christmas Eve tothe um uh to the German side
where we would have sauerbrotten.
And uh that was like the themain thing.

(34:47):
And then she would, mygrandmother would make like a
million other things too.
So, but that was like the mainthing, the sauerkraut and that
gravy and dumplings.
And I'm getting so hungry rightnow, just thinking about it.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, I want all of it.

SPEAKER_02 (35:02):
You want all of it?

SPEAKER_05 (35:04):
I want all of it.
So let me um be because it'ssuch a great nostalgia.
I will go with sauerkratten.
That was our yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (35:12):
I I that's good.
Like I I am uh so I wrote downlike basically there's like four
options, right?
You have an ethnic or heritage,right?
Like you'll have Italians whowill do seven fishes, no meat,
right?
They'll do the pasta thing.
Um, you know, you'll havewhatever pick your race,
ethnicity, heritage, whateveryou people have that.

(35:33):
That's there's a lot oftraditions around that.
You've got prime rib, um, whichyou know is is very popular.
Um, I think turkey should bebanned on Christmas because
turkey has its day.
Like you don't do that twice.
I I think you got Thanksgiving.
I you don't do turkey again.
I know there's a lot of peoplethat do, um, mostly because it's

(35:53):
easy to feed a bunch of peoplewith a turkey, um, and it is a
lot cheaper than a prime rib.
Um, but I'm gonna go with a uhsideways choice and say ham.
Big, I love a good spiral ham.
Like right, you got the cloveson top, you got the the uh
mustard brown sugar, pineapplejuice, glaze on top.

(36:15):
Like ham for me is the way to goon Christmas.

SPEAKER_05 (36:19):
Yeah, I think a lot of times we'll have it as the
secondary.
Like my my older daughter isvery like you must have the ham.
Like, and she wants that for onThanksgiving also because she
doesn't like turkey.
So we actually always have both,like both holidays.
You know, it's like whatever themain thing is, then a second
main, which is always the ham.
So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (36:38):
And it's the best cold.
I'm sorry, I know people aregonna say things about turkey
and blah blah.
Ham, sliced ham is the best coldleft over the next day.
I'm sorry.
It beats a turkey sandwich everytime.

SPEAKER_05 (36:51):
Yeah, I'm I know I'm supposed to disagree, but I
can't disagree.
That is I love that.

SPEAKER_02 (36:56):
That's because you're Cuban.
That's a Cuban thing.

SPEAKER_05 (36:58):
That's it's so Cuban.
Yeah, it's so Cuban.
Absolutely, yeah.
Oh, oh my goodness.
I'm so hungry right now.
Oh my gosh, I can't even takeit.
All right, let's see.
Um opening gifts, Christmas Eveor Christmas morning.

SPEAKER_02 (37:16):
Um let me talk through family tradition, right?
How I grew up.
So, because we had my my twosets of grandparents both alive
and literally 10 minutes apart.
Um, we had at my dad's family,we had Christmas Eve.
So we would go over to the Novakhouse, my grandparents' house,
uh, aunts and uncles, whoever,and I my dad had two sisters.

(37:37):
They both moved to Dallas, butthey would come home some years
for Christmas.
Anyway, Christmas Eve was alwaysbig grandma-grandpa Novak's,
right?
And it was go over there, it wasuh, you know, dinner, and then
it was presents.
And we did the whole like startwith the youngest.
They open a present, then go tothe next.
We would open presents ifeverybody was there, we would
open presents for hours, right?

(37:59):
And then you got kids drivinghome, Christmas Eve, you know,
it's like midnight, we're tryingto look out the windows for
Santa Claus.
Um so, but then we would get upthe next morning, Santa came to
the house, we would do the SantaClaus presents, right?
Then we would go over to mymom's parents, my other set of
grandparents, do another big,you know, meal and Christmas.

(38:21):
So, like Christmas for us waslike a full 24 hours, and and it
was like that for my entirechildhood.
Um, even when my, you know, wegot a little bit older and
grandparents were maybe a littleless mobile, and we would try
and consolidate a little bit,um, or we would maybe go to my
aunt's, you know, my mom'ssisters instead of going to my
grandparents', whatever.
Um, it was it was Christmas,Christmas, Christmas for 24

(38:44):
hours.
So for me, Christmas Eve versusChristmas morning, honestly, my
position is I don't care.
I really, I we had it the wholetime I was growing up, and I
know that there are some peoplewho are very strict about
Christmas morning where theyhave a tradition of one on
Christmas Eve.
I know that's a thing.
But for me, I I know by the way,I spent a bunch of Christmases

(39:05):
being gone.
So, right, doesn't reallymatter.
Christmas, Christmas iswhenever.
So I I don't I don't care aboutgift opening.
I really don't.

SPEAKER_05 (39:14):
Yep, yeah.
Um, very, very similar uhupbringing.
Uh same, we did almost the sameexact thing.
We always went to mygrandparents.
Uh the the we went to theGermans on Christmas Eve, and uh
we would actually sleep over sothe whole the the full house, so
everybody would sleep over formany, many years.
That was the tradition.
Yeah, everybody would sleep overmy grandparents on uh Christmas

(39:36):
Eve, and they you know they hadthe room for it all.
You meet piled up over couches,you know, everything.
And um, so we would have likethat was the main that was like
the main Christmas, and youknow, so that they dinner,
opening all the presents, same,all the same routine as you,
pretty much, it sounds like.
Um, and then we'd go home in themorning, open, did we ha yeah.

(40:00):
So we would open, I think we hadlike our stockings that we would
um open at home.
I think that's like kind of allthat was left because you know,
we just wanted all of thisstuff.
Everybody loved having, youknow, just just entire floor
covered with presents, you know,for everybody.
And we were savage animals.
Every year we um every year, youknow, somebody would be
shouting, We're gonna do itright this year.

(40:22):
We're gonna take turns.
And everybody's, you know, wetried to act like civilized
people like your family.
Uh we never succeeded at that.
It became a free-for-all.
And it was insane for a solid 10minutes, and then everybody
would just like be lookingaround, the kids would be
scrounging around hoping forthat.
Just one more present undersomething under all this
wrapping paper.
There must be one.
And there was always somebody'spresent that you know got thrown

(40:44):
in the garbage by accident.
Because my grandmother was thewas the absolute meat freak.
So, yeah, uh, so while we wereopening in papers, and I mean
this quite literally flyingthrough the air all over the
place and chaos, and and mygrandmother would be there with
the garbage bag and likethrowing things away as as we're
throwing them down, and sosomething always got thrown
away.
So the next morning, everybody,you know, somebody was

(41:05):
inadvertently having to go digthrough all the garbage to find
their gift, you know, alwayshappened.
Um, and then Christmas day, we'dwe'd go home for a little bit
and then go to the the the theCubans and and do it all over
again there.
It was so awesome for us kids.
Uh right, when you think, do youthink back on your parents like
how stressful and exactly?

SPEAKER_02 (41:25):
Well, I like I said, we we would do the Christmas Eve
thing, right?
And then we'd be driving homefrom my grandparents and it
would be super late, right?
And then you've got theovernight Santa Claus kind of
responsibility kind of stuff,right?
And and I was the worst as faras like five o'clock in the
morning, I'm Christmas morning,I'm that kid.
Right.

(41:45):
And I was downstairs and I didmy recon and I knew what was
there for who, and then I wouldpretend to be asleep, and then
like you know, maybe 6:01, I'dbe like, come on, and you know,
I'd wake everybody up and wewould be downstairs having no
idea the impact on my parents.
And and then, of course, likethat's just the start of the
day, right?
And then they're going.

(42:06):
And in fact, when I was veryyoung, we actually would go to a
second party on Christmas nightfor my dad's extended family,
which I think stopped because itjust got too big, like people,
you know, another generation ofkids, and it just got too big.
But it was like, you know, and Ican't if I thought back now to
what my parents looked and feltlike on Christmas night or on

(42:27):
the 26th, like I'm sure theywere just completely exhausted.
Oh, no doubt.
Because it was just it was alot.
Uh yeah, constant.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (42:36):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you remember, of course,with your with your own kids
growing up and doing all thethings that it's funny, you
know.
I know logic tells me that itwas so stressful and all of
those things, of course, andvague memories of that.
But I, you know, those rosetinted glasses that you look
back with uh on all of that.

(42:57):
I still like I look back on itnow with my own kids and
everything, and oh my goodness.
I I don't want to go back and doit all over again, but it really
was so precious, like all of it,all of it staying up late,
wrapping their presents, and youknow, the cookies out for Santa
and the carrots and everythingout for the reindeer and doing
all those things.

(43:17):
Oh, sweet, sweet, sweetmemories.

SPEAKER_02 (43:20):
Okay, we're gonna go back just a little bit, and I
know that you don't like thismovie, but in a Christmas story,
again, this is when I was a kid,I never understood it.
There's the you know, Ralphieand his little brother, they're
opening all their Christmaspresents, and his brother's, you
know, and a zeppelin, and that'smine, and this is mine, and he's
claiming everything.
And you know, Ralphie, all he'slooking for is his is his uh,
you know, Red Rider BB gun.

(43:41):
Um, you know, dad gets a bowlingball, which mom drops right in
his lap.
Um very uncomfortably.
But the funny, the like thefunny undertone is mom and dad
are sitting there first thing inthe morning and they're
drinking.
Oh yeah.
And as a kid, I'm like, maybeit's later in the day.
Maybe they didn't start openinguntil after lunch.
And then I get a little, youknow, I get old enough to

(44:03):
understand, I'm like, nope,they're drinking.
They are drinking, they'restarting, they are day drinking
and they're start early.
Good for that.

SPEAKER_05 (44:10):
There's another, it just made me think of another
movie that is so uh awful inevery like literally no
redeeming moments of characterin it.
Uh, have you ever seen Bad Santawith Billy Bob Thornton?
Yeah, oh my goodness, and I I Ido love Billy Bob Thornton.
I I just enjoy his acting somuch, but that was a rough movie
for me to get through.

(44:32):
So many talking food.

SPEAKER_02 (44:35):
Okay, and we we've talked about like you know, big
meal on Christmas, you know, andwe talked about Christmas Eve
meal, Christmas Day meal.
Where are you on breakfast onChristmas morning?

SPEAKER_05 (44:47):
Oh, it's gotta be a full, it has to be literally
everything.

SPEAKER_02 (44:51):
So you're not you're not pacing yourself for the day
at all.

SPEAKER_05 (44:54):
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, there is no pacing,
no pacing whatsoever.
Absolute psychotic food comabest.
Like we so again, my grandmotherwould, you know, my grandmother
did everything.
She um so we stayed over thatnight, and my grandmother would
make a full spread forbreakfast.
And I and I'm talking um theobvious uh bacon, eggs, sausage,

(45:19):
toast.
Um, we did we I grew up with umas a breakfast staple.
Um it's gonna sound weird tosome people, but she would make
stewed tomatoes um and and likea lot of pepper and salt, and we
would dip our toast in that.
So that was part of that wholething.
And then especially for me andmy brother, I mean, but me, it's

(45:41):
really all about me.
Um, she would make these verypaper thin blueberry pancakes,
and um the blueberries, sothere's a trick to them, and I
don't know if this was a Germanthing or or just a my
grandmother thing, but theblueberries would sit on the on
top of the the very thinpancake.
So, and then she would sprinklesugar on them.

(46:02):
So that was, and they were huge,they were like, first my hands
go there, uh were justmonstrously huge, uh, the size
of my face basically.
And um, so that was a must allthe time.
So yeah, big, huge breakfast.

SPEAKER_02 (46:13):
It was a day of it, just you just eat not pigging
out, not pacing yourself for the36 hours, whatever.
You're just so we yeah, I Iwould die.
Um we were the opposite.
We were we got into this uhfamily tradition of blueberry
muffins.
My mom would make she'd makeblueberry muffins every year,
and literally, because we knewwe we hit it off on Christmas

(46:36):
Eve, we knew we were gonna hitit off again later that day.
So we did blueberry muffins,they were always so great, hot
out of the oven, uh butter, andand and they were the big ones,
like they weren't like littletiny things, they were the big
ones.
Um, and like one, maybe when Iwas a teenager, two, you know,
you get two of those in yourbelly with some fresh hot butter
on it, and that was plenty forthe day.

(46:57):
I I couldn't do, I don't think,a full-blown breakfast on top of
everything else.

SPEAKER_05 (47:03):
There's there's I I don't know how we didn't all
weigh like um five hundredpounds because that that's a
very that is a very German thingto do.
Like the Germans eat uh it'slike five meals a day,
basically.
And they're not big meals.
Like I know those those werethose were unique for because
they were holiday, but typicallythere's like, you know, you have
like a very light breakfast, youknow, just like a little

(47:23):
something to start to like alike a hard-boiled egg and a
piece of toast, you know, andthat's how you would like start
the day, and then you'd havelike a little bit of a later,
like real breakfast, and thenyou'd have, you know, or like a
brunch, and then you'd haveearly dinner, and then you'd
have, you know, yeah, it wascrazy.
It was crazy.
We we spent, I think about morethan anything right now.

(47:44):
I think about my grandparents'grocery bill.
I mean, because there were, youknow, there was uh probably
about a dozen of us stayingover, eating, you know,
breakfast, lunch, dinner, andthose all those and dessert and
all those in-between things thatyou would have.
And I can't even imagine.
They never said a word.
They loved every minute of it.
They loved it.

(48:05):
They didn't care, they would,they would have rather um, you
know, gone into extreme debtthan to not have everybody there
for, you know.
So yeah, yep, good stuff.
I I've completely lost wherewe're at.
Oh my gosh, we're we've beendoing this for almost an hour.
What?
Yeah, that's what we're oh let'ssee.
Um, oh, that one was kind ofredundant.

(48:27):
Let me see.
I asked that.
Oh, you I think you touched onthis when we started off.
I feel like wrapping paper.
Um, does it matter or notmatter?
Like, does it have to be fancyand nice and neat and perfect,
or is it like thrown in a bagand whatever?

SPEAKER_02 (48:42):
What it needs to be is organized.
And this is a lesson learnedfrom uh my mom and really I
think my grandparents.
So Christmas morning, and reallyeven like family Christmas, um,
we each got our own wrappingpaper.
You knew what was yours by thewrapping paper, right?
So it she didn't, you know, likethey didn't even extend.

(49:04):
It was like, play, you got bluecandy canes, you know, my sister
would get a green and my othersister would get a red or
whatever.
So organized now, big.
I think the only there's onlytwo exceptions.
One is a big gift that, like, ifthe kid gets a bike, right?
Or something like big like that.
Um, by the way, this is the 40thanniversary of me not getting

(49:27):
the G.I.
Joe aircraft carrier forChristmas.
40th year in a row, I haven'tgotten it, and I'm still upset.
Um, but something like that,like big, um, no ness wrapping
paper is not necessary.
Um, the other one is, and we cantalk about stockings in a
minute, is gifts in stockings donot require wrapping paper.

unknown (49:44):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (49:45):
Every everything else, wrapping paper.

SPEAKER_05 (49:48):
I so I slightly disagree.
Surprise, surprise.
We I wrap for the stockings, Iwrap every single thing from the
tube of chapstick to like themore things that they have to
unwrap, the more joy I feel inmy heart.
Um, my my one sticky point is nogift bags.

(50:09):
Everything must be wrapped, nogift bags allowed.

SPEAKER_02 (50:13):
That's interesting.
Uh I know it's kind of weird,right?
I would disagree with you onthat.

SPEAKER_04 (50:17):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (50:18):
I don't have any problem with gift bags, mostly
because I'm a man and I can'twrap presents.
They're fully acceptable.
Yeah, but no, I want the work, Iwant the work put in.

SPEAKER_05 (50:27):
Put in that work, man.

SPEAKER_02 (50:29):
Interesting.
They're reusable though.
Like, come on, stick with theenvironment here, Elsa.

SPEAKER_05 (50:33):
Come on.
No, no.
I want to create more mess, morechaos, more.

SPEAKER_02 (50:37):
Have you ever done the uh box inside a box inside a
box inside a box?

SPEAKER_05 (50:41):
Yeah, I mean, probably like when the yeah, I
don't I don't care for that.
I don't like trippery.

SPEAKER_02 (50:45):
Yeah, that's it's uh listen.
If you're gonna do that, therebetter be like a uh American
Express black card in thesmallest box.
Like I should have like thereshould be something.

SPEAKER_05 (51:00):
I don't know.
Yeah, yeah.
My um, I I do have a favoritegift I've ever gotten on
Christmas, well, Christmas Evefor us.
And that would be my engagementring from my husband.
He proposed on Christmas Eve.
Yeah, it was very sweet, verysweet in front of the whole
family, which was really great.
Yes, and I did not know he wasdoing it that night.
Um, that poor guy, I'll tell youguys, we got him in it.

(51:23):
I'm gonna tell you a reallyquick story.

SPEAKER_02 (51:24):
So it's like, wait, wait, wait.
That's like Botron crazy.
Like your family, and you didn'tknow it was coming at all.

SPEAKER_05 (51:31):
I I did not, and they all knew.
They all knew.
Nobody told me.

SPEAKER_02 (51:35):
Wow, that's risky.
I give him I listen, I know theguy's brave, one because he's a
cop, two because he's marine,and three because he's married
to you.
But um, that was that was gutsy.
That was a that was a gutsy callon his part.

SPEAKER_05 (51:47):
It was, it was.
Listen, it was, you know, he hadhe kind of sort of had to in a
way.
He had to do, he had to go bigor go home, basically.
We um so we have been togetherat that point for like four
years.
And my brother and his wife, hisnow wife, um, had been together
for about two years.
And uh one night in I think itwas like it had to be had to be

(52:11):
November, late November.
And uh we were driving home froma party, my husband and I, and
uh I took my phone out of aperson's side, missed a call,
and uh there was a voice balancefrom my brother who had been
dating his girlfriend, a wife,for two years.
We've been together for fouryears, just making sure you
remember this.
And uh he says, uh, he leaves amessage and I listen to the

(52:31):
message, and it's my brothertelling me that he and his
girlfriend are engaged.
So exciting! Just want to letyou know on the good news.
Oh, so I play the message for myboyfriend, not my fiance even
yet.
He's my boyfriend at this pointof four years.
And uh, play the message, and hehears and he's driving.
And and I said, Well, that'sexciting.
I'll I'll have to give him acall back when we get back home.

(52:54):
And he says, Yeah, that's great,very exciting.
And then it's dead silent in thecar.

SPEAKER_02 (52:58):
Yeah, uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_05 (52:59):
Oh yes, and and every woman watching and
listening right now should knowexactly what I said.

SPEAKER_02 (53:09):
Every guy who's ever even been in the realm of
getting married knows exactlythe feeling in that truck at
that very moment.
And shame on you.

SPEAKER_05 (53:19):
Yes, and I said, I just think it's funny.
I just think it's funny thatthey've been together for two
years, they just know, they justknow, and here we are, honey,
four years in.
And nope, I guess not.

(53:41):
That's all I'm gonna say.
I just think it's funny.
And he had to take it on thechin.
And of unbeknownst to me, healready had the ring.
He had the ring that he wasplanning on proposing, and he
didn't have like a set plan, andthat just kind of accelerated
everything.

SPEAKER_02 (53:58):
So you were mean for no reason.

SPEAKER_05 (54:02):
I was so I was livid, guys.
Four years, I mean, and we werevery happy.
Everything is wonderful.
Like we have never in in all ofour years and and all of those
dating years, being specific,um, we never even had like a
momentary pause.
You know what I mean?
Like there was no like, we needtime to cool up and and see if

(54:24):
this is what we really want.
You know, there was never one ofthose moments.
It was as rock solid and happyand good as you could possibly
humanly get.
So in my mind, it's like, areyou kidding me right now?
So yeah, that's the story.
And um, yeah.
I won.
I don't care.

(54:47):
So yes, yeah.
Um, yeah, that's I mean, that'smy story.
So that's my there's my there'smy ultimate Christmas story, I
guess.

SPEAKER_02 (54:57):
Okay, I'm gonna ask one more.

SPEAKER_05 (54:59):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (55:00):
I have a feeling that we are aligned on this, but
I'm gonna ask anyway.
Money slash gift cards,acceptable for Christmas as
Christmas presents or not?

SPEAKER_05 (55:10):
Oh, I mean, I really hate them.
I really prefer gift giving andthings to unwrap.
However, when you have adultchildren, that is what they
prefer from you.
So I do not like them.
I do not agree with them.
I will accept them as a form ofgift giving out of you know,

(55:31):
necessity, out of giving themwhat they actually want or
getting, you know, getting theopportunity to get what they
really want.
So, yeah, where are you at onit?

SPEAKER_02 (55:40):
Um, so I think the only exception is when you've
got uh adults, like you said.
Uh well, there's two one, and Ihave a daughter who lives
overseas, so thing in the worldis to send money, right?
Um it's you know, PayPal, Venmo,whatever.
Like it's the that is theeasiest way to do things.
The other exception is whenyou've got adults, and I'm

(56:01):
talking adults like our age andolder, who are literally at the
point in our lives where it'slike, oh, I want that, I'm just
gonna buy it.
And we do it all year, right?
So when Christmas rolls around,it's like, what do you want for
Christmas?
And it's like, well, I don't umI I kind of have right, so you
don't know, they don't even knowwhat they want, you don't know
what to get them.
So unless something jumps out,uh I'm okay, not with money, but

(56:21):
with gift cards.
Yeah, but but uh that's that'sit.
Now I will tell you that mymother, with all of the
grandchildren, she gives them,they owe her a Christmas list
and she puts stipulations on it.
It's like something to read.
She actually does it with all ofus, uh, but something to read,
something to wear, something youwant, something you need.

(56:44):
There's like four or fivecategories that she sends out,
and you owe her something inthose categories.
One thing, and she tells us all,like, hey, here's my budgetary
limit per person because she'sbuying for a bunch of people.
Sure.
But she's got a she's got a cap,and then she's got categories,
and you got filled withcategories, and she will pick
out of what you send her uh toget you for Christmas.

SPEAKER_05 (57:02):
So that is so brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 (57:05):
Yeah, it's it takes the pressure off of everybody,
especially her.
And and nowadays, like thegrandkids, wherever they are,
strewn all over the country,they text her links like hey
grandma, it's on Amazon.
Here's the link, and that'syeah, and and it works great.

SPEAKER_05 (57:20):
I love that, and I will be stealing that.
Yeah, I think that's absolutelybrilliant.
Tell your mom.

SPEAKER_02 (57:25):
Uh don't get the details.
We will send it to Elsa.

SPEAKER_05 (57:29):
Yes, please, and thank you.
Yes, that is so awesome.
Oh, see, I mean, we we did notwe didn't have to duke it out.
We we had some heated moments,very intense moments.

SPEAKER_04 (57:40):
We have a great story.

SPEAKER_05 (57:43):
Totally is uh oh, yep, that's gonna be our our one
solid beef over the years, Ithink.
Oh my goodness.
Well, guys, I don't know aboutyou all, but uh for me that was
tremendous fun.
I hope it was fun for you, playtoo.

SPEAKER_02 (58:02):
Yeah, listen, folks.
Uh you guys kind of know ourrhythm.
If you listen and watch a showevery week, you know, Tuesday
morning, I come up with sometopics, I send them to Elsa.
We agree on whatever time, whichis usually about you know 3:30
uh or 4:30 East Coast onWednesdays when we record, and
then it comes out on Thursdaynight.
And, you know, truthfully, um,you know, I'm I I pay attention

(58:22):
to things on Monday, I pick mytopics on Tuesday, I send them
to Elsa.
She gives me a thumbs upsometime in the middle of the
day on Tuesday, and we roll intoWednesday.
Um this week, Elsa was like,okay, here's what we're doing.
She came up with the intro, shedid all kinds of pre-advertising
all over social media.
Like she, the the rules I readat the beginning, all Elsa, she
was super excited for this.
And I know uh one, you're aChristmas person, I can tell.

(58:45):
Uh, but also we both, and Ithink all of you probably need a
break uh from all the crazypolitics and everything going on
in the world right now.
So every year we do this, and wewill continue to do that for the
life span of the Elsa Kurt Showwith Clay Novak.

SPEAKER_05 (58:59):
Yes, this is our tradition.
We get and we get to say thatbecause, like you said, this is
like third year in of this isour tradition.
This is what we do.
It's so sweet.
I love it.
Our annual Christmas,pre-Christmas show.
So yeah.
Two-week vacation.
Yes, yes, two weeks.
Um, and you know, and it's notto say that we won't miss you
guys.
Uh we do miss each other.
We love doing this.

(59:20):
Um, this is never ever a chore.
This is never something I evergo, oh, I'm gonna do the podcast
today.
I have never felt like that.
So I appreciate you, Clay.
Thank you for making it such ajoy and and easy for me and and
just giving me someone to talkto all the time instead of my
silly self.

SPEAKER_02 (59:39):
Well, folks, thanks for tuning in once again.
This is our last show for 2025,and we are thankful for all of
you.
And we will see you after NewYear's in 2026.
And for me, as always, keepmoving, keep tuning.

SPEAKER_05 (59:51):
Take care, guys.
We'll see you when we get back.
Bye.

SPEAKER_01 (59:54):
Terry Davis wanted a quiet life.
The Midwest, a rifle, a littlepeace, a turn.
Keeps finding him on every inchof American soil.
From cornfields to the Capitol,the enemy hides in the shadows.
And when the country needs oneman to stand up, Terry does what
he's always done.
He keeps moving, he keepsshooting.

(01:00:14):
The Fight for America has a newbattlefield.
And he's already in it.
The Terry Davis series availablenow.

SPEAKER_00 (01:00:22):
From small town love stories to battles of truth and
loyalty, Elsa Kurt's booksfollow the same heartbeat.
Ordinary people facingextraordinary moments.
You'll find romance, drama,second chances, even a peek
behind the microphone in hernewest release.
Multiple genres, differentworlds, same thread.
Bold truth, real faith, noapologies.