Podcasts about christmas eves

In this Going Dutch podcast episode, Randa Dutcher talks with Glenn Lovelace, a coach helping men navigate business and personal growth. Glenn shares his journey of overcoming financial struggles, a near-fatal accident in 2023, and personal transformation, crediting his wife Amber's strength. He discusses his coaching philosophy, his business Progress Creates Happiness (PCH) Marketing, and his upcoming book, Heal the Boy, Forge the Man. Glenn emphasizes resilience, faith, and recognizing miracles in life's toughest moments. Glenn is a performance coach for men. He's had over 3,000 one on one clients since 2008. Married since 2004 and has 7 kids from newish baby to 16 years old. His marriage has challenged him more than anything else, but it has also forged him into the man he's become. Glenn's story bounces from failure to failure, much like most men. He found himself in a dark corner 10 + Christmas Eves ago, ready to “be done”. He survived himself. He turned back to the one thing he could control - himself. The gym became an essential part of his daily recipe and in 2017 he won $100,000 transforming. Glenn lives by the daily simple processes that create lasting value and happiness. He preaches “progress creates happiness” and “your goal is my goal”. He currently coaches men for his business and has helped men overcome the mind to create ultimate control over emotions helping men feel it all and still move towards their goal. His unique process looks a lot like the movie “Hitch” except we're chasing change and goals. His process has been branded as “The Wingman Method”. You can find him in the following places, BUT he's most available 1 on 1; whether a client or not, he's all in on helping others reach their goals… Follow Glenn Lovelace - The One Day One Life Podcast - Glenn's Website - Glenn's Instagram

What happens when you give a 14-year-old the mic and let her fly solo without her twin brother? Magic, that's what. This episode of Out of Patients features my daughter, Hannah, on her seventh (yes, seventh) appearance on the show, but this time she's stealing the spotlight solo. From reminiscing about slushy Christmas Eves and rare baby illnesses to deep dives into the hexagonal perfection of honeycombs, this mini-episode is packed with wit, banter, and a healthy dose of dad jokes. We touch on everything from gaming nostalgia to family quirks, proving once again that sometimes the best conversations happen when you just press record. Whether you're a longtime listener of the Zachary family chronicles or new to the Out of Patients universe, this one's got laughs, lessons, and a little love for everyone.FeedbackLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to Christmas Eves eve edition of the Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay! A full weekend of sports is over and there is a lot for the guys to react to! Happy Holidays everyone! Sean Payton has dug his heels in and called out the criticism of his decisions during the Thursday Night game. Was the noise around the momentum shift at the end of the half “garbage” or was it justified? Should Sean Payton show more humility or is this move more telling of how Sean operates? James Palmer joins the program to talk about the loss on Thursday and Sean Paytons comments. What does James think about the Broncos chances to still make the playoffs?  James chimes in on the NFL MVP conversation, is there a sleeper name that is not getting recognition for their incredible year? What has been the best present this past year in Denver Sports? Phil thinks Russell Westbrook has been the best gift the Nuggets have received.  Can the example and energy he brings impact the team moving forward as they look to exit this slump?  What movies are you watching on Christmas eve and Christmas Day? What games are you looking forward too? Are you watching the NBA or NFL? Thank you for listening to the Drive and the Fan as a whole! Happy Holidays everyone!    

Welcome to Christmas Eves eve edition of the Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay! A full weekend of sports is over and there is a lot for the guys to react to! Happy Holidays everyone!  We got a lot of responses to the Festivus question, a lot of people have Colorado Sports grievances. The guys react to the text line and Zach shares his biggest issue with the Colorado Rockies. A lot of people share their anger with the Rockies franchise, Gabe Landeskog, the Nuggets front office, and the chances of a stadium out by the airport. The Broncos playoff probability took a hit over the weekend and the teams that could have helped their odds, did not!  Are the guys nervous about the Broncos missing the playoffs? With their destiny in their own hands is this matchup against the Bengals the most difficult opponent they could have next week?  The odds to win hardware at the end of the year for both Sean Payton and Bo Nix may gone to zero over the weekend. Is there any chance for them to sneak back in or have the odds shifted too far away from them?  Phil recalls the time him and Bradley Chubb were up for rookie of the year honors. The NFL MVP picture is becoming clearer, but is this award building the Heisman issue? Is the NFL MVP a QB award and should Saquon Barkley have a better chance to win the award? All of that before the Five O’clock Whistle!

Welcome to Christmas Eves eve edition of the Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay! A full weekend of sports is over and there is a lot for the guys to react to! Happy Holidays everyone!  Sean Payton has dug his heels in and called out the criticism of his decisions during the Thursday Night game. Was the noise around the momentum shift at the end of the half “garbage” or was it justified? Should Sean Payton show more humility or is this move more telling of how Sean operates? In the Three count the guys react to the first round of the College football playoffs. Were they surprised by the outcome of the games or was this expected? The Nuggets went into New Orleans and took care of the 5-25 Pelicans, unfortunately it took overtime to beat them. What is going on with the Denver Nuggets and is there more going on behind the scenes than we know? The Avalanche are rolling and beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2. Is an Avs player poised for a big break out going into 2025? December 23rd is Christmas Eve eve, but it’s also know as Festivus on Seinfeld. A day to air out grievances, what Colorado sports grievance do you have? The guys give their while getting an outpouring of responses on the text line! Phil is still not over Sean flexing into the Thursday Night game and our Producer is frustrated with the Nuggets lack of leadership!

Welcome to Christmas Eves eve edition of the Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay! A full weekend of sports is over and there is a lot for the guys to react to! Happy Holidays everyone! The Denver Broncos missed out on a huge opportunity to punch their own ticket to the playoffs on Thursday. After a week of NFL football where do the Broncos playoff chances stand? Did they get any help from other teams or are they in real danger to miss out on the playoffs after a great year? A dream we had for Sean Payton and Bo Nix has possibly gone away after this weekend. The odds to win hardware at the end of the year for both of them may have gone away, but is there still a chance? The guys compare the starts of Bo and Jayden Daniels and try to find the big difference between the two. Does Bo Nix have a signature moment so far this year?  Phil recalls the time him and Bradley Chubb were up for rookie of the year honors. Saquon Barkley is having a great year and is on the verge of joining the 2000 yard club, can the guy’s name everyone in the club?    

Fluent Fiction - Danish: Home for Christmas: Reigniting Family Bonds in København Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2024-12-08-23-34-01-da Story Transcript:Da: Emil stod ved vinduet og så ud på de blinkende julelamper, der hang over Nyhavn.En: Emil stood by the window and looked out at the twinkling Christmas lights hanging over Nyhavn.Da: Det var en kold vinteraften i København.En: It was a cold winter evening in København.Da: Vinden blæste kraftigt, og snefnuggene faldt roligt ned og dækkede brostenene.En: The wind was blowing strongly, and snowflakes gently fell, covering the cobblestones.Da: Han havde været væk længe, men nu var han hjemme til jul.En: He had been away for a long time, but now he was home for Christmas.Da: Indenfor i den lille lejlighed var der varme.En: Inside the small apartment, it was warm.Da: Signe, hans mor, havde pyntet træet.En: Signe, his mother, had decorated the tree.Da: De små lys glimtede mellem grenene, og den velkendte duft af gran fyldte stuen.En: The small lights gleamed between the branches, and the familiar scent of pine filled the living room.Da: Kasper, Emils lillebror, sad allerede ved bordet og spillede med den nyeste udgave af hans yndlingskortspil.En: Kasper, Emil's little brother, was already sitting at the table playing with the newest edition of his favorite card game.Da: Emil gik rundt i lejligheden.En: Emil walked around the apartment.Da: Som barn havde han elsket julen.En: As a child, he had loved Christmas.Da: Julemiddage med familien, gaverne under træet, og den glæde de delte.En: Christmas dinners with the family, the presents under the tree, and the joy they shared.Da: Men noget havde ændret sig.En: But something had changed.Da: Han kunne mærke en afstand mellem dem.En: He could feel a distance between them.Da: Noget usagt.En: Something unspoken.Da: Signe kaldte på dem til middag.En: Signe called them to dinner.Da: Bordet var fyldt med alverdens julegodter.En: The table was filled with all kinds of Christmas delicacies.Da: Der var flæskesteg, rødkål, og selvfølgelig de små brunede kartofler, som Emil altid havde glædet sig til.En: There was roast pork, red cabbage, and of course the small caramelized potatoes that Emil had always looked forward to.Da: Trods den gode mad var stemningen trykket.En: Despite the good food, the atmosphere was tense.Da: De talte kun lidt om almindelige ting.En: They talked only a little about ordinary things.Da: Vejret, hvad de havde lavet, hverdagen.En: The weather, what they had been doing, everyday life.Da: Emil kunne ikke holde det ud længere.En: Emil couldn't stand it any longer.Da: Han lagde sin kniv og gaffel ned og kiggede rundt på sin familie.En: He put down his knife and fork and looked around at his family.Da: Han tog en dyb indånding.En: He took a deep breath.Da: "Jeg savner, hvordan det var før," sagde Emil.En: "I miss how it used to be," said Emil.Da: "Jeg vil have, at vi skal være tættere på hinanden igen."En: "I want us to be closer to each other again."Da: Signe og Kasper så overraskede på ham.En: Signe and Kasper looked surprised at him.Da: Der var stille et øjeblik, men så nikkede Signe.En: There was a moment of silence, but then Signe nodded.Da: "Jeg også," sagde hun stille.En: "I do too," she said quietly.Da: Kasper smilede.En: Kasper smiled.Da: "Jeg har savnet vores juleaftener.En: "I've missed our Christmas Eves.Da: Ligesom da vi var børn."En: Just like when we were kids."Da: Snart blev stilheden brudt af latter.En: Soon the silence was broken by laughter.Da: De begyndte at dele historier fra gamle dage, små øjeblikke af glæde, der bragte dem tættere sammen.En: They began to share stories from the past, small moments of joy that brought them closer together.Da: Emil følte varmen vende tilbage til rummet, til hans hjerte.En: Emil felt the warmth return to the room, to his heart.Da: Da aftenen nærmede sig sin afslutning, sad Emil ved vinduet igen.En: As the evening drew to a close, Emil sat by the window again.Da: Nyhavns lys spejlede sig i kanalen, og inde i lejligheden var der nu lys, varme, og kærlighed.En: Nyhavn's lights reflected in the canal, and inside the apartment, there was now light, warmth, and love.Da: Familien havde fundet hinanden.En: The family had found each other.Da: Emil vidste, at det var begyndelsen på noget nyt og godt.En: Emil knew it was the beginning of something new and good.Da: Han gik tilbage til bordet, hvor Signe og Kasper stadig grinede over en gammel anekdote.En: He returned to the table, where Signe and Kasper were still laughing over an old anecdote.Da: Emil satte sig ned med dem, taknemmelig.En: Emil sat down with them, grateful.Da: Det var en jul, han ikke ville glemme.En: It was a Christmas he would never forget. Vocabulary Words:twinkling: blinkendesnowflakes: snefnuggenecobblestones: brosteneneapartment: lejligheddecorated: pyntetgleamed: glimtedescent: duftpine: grandistance: afstandunspoken: usagtdelicacies: julegodterroast pork: flæskestegcaramelized: brunedetense: trykketordinary: almindeligedeep breath: dyb indåndingcloser: tætteresurprised: overraskedequietly: stillesmiled: smiledesilence: stilhedlaughter: latterstories: historiermoments: øjeblikkereturn: vende tilbageheart: hjertereflected: spejledeanecdote: anekdotegrateful: taknemmeligforget: glemme

Fluent Fiction - Danish: Rediscovering Christmas Joy in Nyhavn's Magic Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2024-12-03-23-34-02-da Story Transcript:Da: Snefnug dalede stille ned over Nyhavn, mens julestemningen fyldte luften.En: Snowflakes drifted quietly down over Nyhavn, as the Christmas spirit filled the air.Da: Lyskæder lyste op langs kanalen, og duften af brændte mandler og varm gløgg svævede gennem gaderne.En: Strings of lights illuminated the canal, and the scent of roasted almonds and warm "gløgg" wafted through the streets.Da: Mikkel gik langsomt gennem den travle julesæson med et tungt hjerte.En: Mikkel walked slowly through the bustling holiday season with a heavy heart.Da: Engang elskede han denne tid på året, men nu følte han sig adskilt fra juleglæden, som han huskede fra sin barndom.En: Once, he loved this time of year, but now he felt detached from the Christmas joy he remembered from his childhood.Da: Mikkel vidste, han måtte finde den følelse igen, den glødende varme af fællesskab og glæde, han følte som barn.En: Mikkel knew he had to find that feeling again, the glowing warmth of community and joy he felt as a child.Da: Derfor besluttede han sig for at besøge julemarkedet i Nyhavn.En: So he decided to visit the Christmas market in Nyhavn.Da: Måske kunne mødet med gamle minder tænde gnisten igen.En: Perhaps visiting old memories could ignite the spark again.Da: Da han vandrede forbi boderne, blev Mikkel fanget af synet af en lille bod, der solgte gløgg.En: As he wandered past the stalls, Mikkel was captivated by the sight of a small stand selling "gløgg".Da: Der, bag dampende krus, stod to ansigter han genkendte: Astrid og Lars, gamle barndomsvenner.En: There, behind steaming cups, were two faces he recognized: Astrid and Lars, old childhood friends.Da: Astrid vinkede, og Mikkel nærmede sig med et usikkert smil.En: Astrid waved, and Mikkel approached with an uncertain smile.Da: "Mikkel!"En: "Mikkel!"Da: udbrød Lars med et varmt grin.En: exclaimed Lars with a warm grin.Da: "Det er længe siden!"En: "It's been a long time!"Da: De begyndte at tale, først lidt stift, men snart gled samtalen.En: They began to talk, at first a little stiffly, but soon the conversation flowed.Da: De talte om gamle dage, om sneboldkampe i skolen og juleaftener med familie.En: They talked about old times, snowball fights at school, and Christmas Eves with family.Da: Mikkel mærkede en varme sprede sig i hans bryst; det var som om noget vendte tilbage til ham.En: Mikkel felt a warmth spreading through his chest; it was as if something was returning to him.Da: Astrid serverede dem gløgg, og den krydrede smag fyldte ham med en velkendt hylde af nostalgi.En: Astrid served them "gløgg", and the spicy taste filled him with a familiar rush of nostalgia.Da: De stod der under de gyldne lys, mens sneen forsigtigt lagde sig, og alle dagens bekymringer svandt væk.En: They stood there under the golden lights, as the snow gently fell, and all the day's worries faded away.Da: Mikkel smilede, følende sig hjemme her, mellem gamle venner og nye minder.En: Mikkel smiled, feeling at home here, among old friends and new memories.Da: Da aftenen gik på hæld, følte Mikkel en sand forbindelse til julens ånd.En: As the evening wore on, Mikkel felt a true connection to the spirit of Christmas.Da: Han indså, at juleglæde ikke kun var i traditionerne, men i delte øjeblikke og forbindelser med dem, vi holder af.En: He realized that Christmas joy was not just in the traditions, but in shared moments and connections with those we care about.Da: Han sagde farvel til Astrid og Lars, men med en fornemmelse af, at en ny begyndelse havde taget form i hans hjerte.En: He said goodbye to Astrid and Lars, but with a sense that a new beginning had formed in his heart.Da: Sne blev ved med at dale, og Mikkel vidste, at han endelig havde fundet meningen med julen igen.En: The snow continued to fall, and Mikkel knew he had finally rediscovered the meaning of Christmas.Da: I skæret af Nyhavns julelys gik han hjem, fyldt med en nyfundet juleglæde og en følelse af at høre til.En: In the glow of Nyhavn's Christmas lights, he walked home, filled with newfound Christmas joy and a sense of belonging. Vocabulary Words:snowflakes: snefnugdrifted: daledeilluminated: lyste opcanal: kanalenroasted: brændtewafted: svævedebustling: travledetached: adskiltignite: tændewandered: vandredestalls: bodercaptivated: fangetsteaming: dampendeuncertain: usikkertgrin: grinnostalgia: nostalgigently: forsigtigtfaded: svandt vækconnection: forbindelserediscovered: fandt igenmeaning: meningenbelonging: høre tilcommunity: fællesskabchildhood: barndommarket: markedetglowing: glødendefaces: ansigterstiffly: stiftspread: sprede sigmoments: øjeblikke

You are invited to join us for a very special episode  as we celebrate Christmas Eve onboard the Erica and remember the Christmas Eves of our childhood. Journal entry: 21st December, Thursday, Winter Solstice“The year's turning And the longest night.There's a rough wind And angry skies.The polestar oak Finally felled.The ducks don't seem To notice." Episode Information:Can I take this opportunity to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy NEW YEAR! With special thanks to our lock-wheelersfor supporting this podcast.Rebecca Russell Allison on the narrowboat Mukka Derek and Pauline Watts Anna V. Orange Cookie Donna Kelly Mary Keane. Tony Rutherford. Arabella Holzapfel. Rory with MJ and Kayla. Narrowboat Precious Jet. Linda Reynolds Burkins. Richard Noble. Carol Ferguson. Tracie Thomas Mark and Tricia Stowe Madeleine SmithGeneral DetailsIn the intro and the outro, Saint-Saen's The Swan is performed by Karr and Bernstein (1961) and available on CC at archive.org. Two-stroke narrowboat engine recorded by 'James2nd' on the River Weaver, Cheshire. Uploaded to Freesound.org on 23rd June 2018. Creative Commons Licence. Piano and keyboard interludes composed and performed by Helen Ingram.All other audio recorded on site. Support the showBecome a 'Lock-Wheeler'Would you like to support this podcast by becoming a 'lock-wheeler' for Nighttime on Still Waters? Find out more: 'Lock-wheeling' for Nighttime on Still Waters.ContactFor pictures of Erica and images related to the podcasts or to contact me, follow me on: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoswPod Mastodon: https://mastodon.world/@nosw I would love to hear from you. You can email me at nighttimeonstillwaters@gmail.com or drop me a line by going to the nowspod website and using either the contact form or, if you prefer, record your message by clicking on the microphone icon. For more information about Nighttime on Still Waters You can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com.

44 | HAPPY HOLIDAYS, friends! This week, I wanted to bring you a very nostalgic holiday-themed episode as someone who had the pleasure of growing up in the early 2000s and experiencing some of the best Christmas vibes of all time. From elementary school Santa Shops, to Christmas Eves at my grandparents', to waking up for presents at 4am, I'm recounting some of my favorite and fondest memories of Christmases past. I hope this episode conjures up some fond memories of your own, or just simply brings you joy. :)

Happy Thanksgiving and welcome back to another episode of the officially unofficial podcast of all things Grenadier - Grenadier Works with Krabby and Stu. In our last episode we sat down with forum member Anand - the Global Grenadier's tame racing driver.  We got a little peak into the US PTO2 tour, discussed just “who” the Ineos customer is, and rambled on about a handful of other things with our fantastic new friend.  Unfortunately for today's listeners, there's no guest in episode seven - just two clowns. Episode 007 - Grumpy Old Men - reveals our true colors - two grumpy 40-somethings complaining about first-world problems.  Stu sounds off about the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Krabby goes along for the ride.  While this is not an F1 podcast by any means, both of us are big fans of the sport and connecting it all to Ineos is really simple since they own 1/3 of the Mercedes factory-backed team.  Along the way though, we take a few swipes at Donny Osmond and some random guy interviewed by Martin Brundle. After taking our shots at all things Las Vegas Grand Prix, Stu gets a call from the dealer!  His truck is inbound and Stu will be at the wheel before too long, so dig in and listen as Stu breaks down his spec.  We also have some interesting banter over the winch, roof rack, and one extra special Ineos accessory that Stu couldn't live without. Stu spins back around to insult Las Vegas and its F1 debut and we fire some cheap shots at Kylie Minogue and lament that neither Liberace nor the dynamic duo that was Siegfried and Roy made an appearance.  We then speak a bit about some classic Jags, a Strange Rover, Max's Elvis-inspired race suit, and sleepless Christmas Eves.  Lastly, the Ineos Thanksgiving target is brought up and, ever off course, Krabby closes the episode out reminiscing about his college newspaper and a Welsh pilgrim. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this Thanksgiving Day episode of Grenadier Works with KRABBY and STU.  And take comfort in knowing that if there wasn't enough Tryptophan in the turkey, this episode will help put you to sleep.   #LasVegasGP #F1 #MarioAndretti #DonnyOsmond #KylieMinogue #MartinBrundle #GwenStefani #Crash #ATribeCalledQuest #AwardTour #QTip #ZlatanIbrahimović #EldoretBlue #NATO #Jaguar #DailyCollegian #PennState #NickMorrish #Pilgrim   https://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/products/roof-racks/platforms-and-baskets/pioneer-platform-accessories/spade_43124 www.redarcelectronics.com https://www.psucollegian.com/ https://morrishandco.com Grit, Rigor and Humour The INEOS Forum     #Grenadier  #4x4 #BuiltOnPurpose #INEOSGrenadier #GrenadierPodcast #GrenadierWorks  “The Grenadier” headline track by Gabriel Borza “Grenadier Works” logo by Antonio García

And of the first day of Christmas, the Jingle Belles reviewed... 12 Dates of Christmas. Join Naomi and Bex as they take on 12 Christmas Eves in this festive 2011 rom-com. The Jingle Belles 7 days of Christmas starts December 17. Join us for a new festive adventure every day until December 23. Stay up to date with all things Jingle Belles on Twitter and Instagram at @jinglebellespod Support Jingle Belles podcast and get access to our Ko-Fi exclusive Bonus Belles with the Jingle Boys and Die Hard online at ko-fi.com/jinglebellespod

I have spent so many Christmas Eves wrapping gifts. Why do I do this?? Not this year, friend. You and I are making a plan to have this done by December 1 so we can enjoy the reason for the season. We are going to make the Christmas gift list, Christmas shop on a budget, give meaningful gifts, wrap them all, and do it SOON so we can relax and have less stress when Advent starts so we can actually make all the moments count and ENJOY them without the overwhelm of last minute shopping. Let's make this happen together.  Let's grow, Jennifer  Togather™ for Advent is on sale NOW! These WILL sell out so order yours today for your family. Don't let the busyness of the season win. Take control of making your Christmas season about your faith and Jesus - exactly what you want. Order HERE at togathermoments.com Are you ready for a lifetime plan for your family to stay strong and close so it will sustain you through all the busy seasons?Visit familyconnectionframework.com For more ways to use the small moments and not let them pass you by, connect in fun ways with Togather™ for Family Dinner, Togather™ for Date Night, Placemats Togather™ Together and MORE! Order at togathermoments.com Grab your FREE Togather™ for Family Holidays at togathermoments.com/free. Print 16 "sticker" prompts, cut, and place in a basket or on plates at your next holiday party and create the sweetest, most meaningful words that may otherwise never be spoken.   

The Girls discuss a few of their favorite things from Christmases of yore... which Wrapping Type was your house? Random Slapdash, Artform Wrapping, or Gift Wrapped at The Store? The Giant Barbie Head. String tinsel. Robbie-Ann's magical mid-70s favorite cozy Christmas, when the power went out: a fire in the fireplace, her family intact. The Traditions: Amy reveals her family's Christmas Eves spent at her grandmother's house in Los Angeles. 60s ornaments, and all the vintage decorations. Groovy wrapping paper. The Nut Bowl. Christmas carols and the Christmas ham. Robbie-Ann describes the vast difference between her father's parents' (Oma and Opa) perfect formal Christmas Eve dinners, and her mother's parents' (Bill and Helen) chaotic but fun Christmas Day meals at their restaurant tavern. Oyster stew. Sticking a Cheeto inside a Bugle. Tiny vintage Coke bottles. Robbie-Ann's Oma: Wrapping Artist. Gramma Helen and Grampa Bill's cast of thousands at Christmas Day dinner. "Hasty" present wrapping. Total chaos when the kids tore the gifts open. Gramma Helen's maximalist decorating style - every inch covered with garland and holiday tchotchkes. Robbie-Ann and her cousin Michelle's almost-matching gifts. Pre-divorce Christmas vs. Post-Divorce Christmas. Amy describes the magic of dressing up with ribbons and tights and patent leather shoes. The end of the formal holidays. Amy and Robbie-Ann talk about restoring the formality. Inviting the TV for dinner: killer of family interaction or much-needed friend to the latchkey kid? Sidebar: Robbie-Ann recommends the movie Avalon for a stunning movie about how TV destroyed the "family." Amy disagrees, offering the value of TV to a lonely latchkey kid. Amy discusses the awkward phase when you are no longer the adorable center of attention, and when you grow up and have to actually work on Christmas. Blanking out unhappy Christmases. The Psyche Wounds of GenX Kids after divorce. The Girls talk about an infamous Christmas they spent together years ago after a miserable 7am-3pm shift at The Famous Deli: drinking their sorrows away in a ratchet strip mall Old Man Bar. Amy recalls several lonely Christmases, staring at her apartment wall. Sidebar: TV is a friend and companion for the lonely and sad. Amy's window on the world, through the TV. The Rankin-Bass specials: celebrating Misfits. Look up behind the scenes of the Rankin-Bass videos on YouTube! Robbie-Ann's staunch belief in the Magic of Christmas, fed by movies and television. Amy reveals she was never told about Santa Clause. Robbie-Ann recalls believing at four years old, when Santa wrote her a nice note explaining why she couldn't get a camera for Christmas. The Proxy Santa. The Food! Baked goods, ribbon candy, the Lifesaver story book gift sets. The Bonne Bell Lipsmacker gift set.  Robbie-Ann's memory of receiving grown-up Blue Jean perfume. Amy recalls Tinkerbell bath products. The ritual trip to Hickory Farms. Christmas cookies. Peppermint bark. Peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses mushed in the top. The cornflake green wreath cookies. Gingerbread houses. The music. The smells. Real vs. Fake Trees. Is there a loss of "specialness" of Christmas rituals and traditions because we can get anything we want any time we want? The right Christmas "vibe," the right Hallmark Christmas movie. Stocking gifts: batteries and Lipsmacker. Wonky bossa nova "modern" Christmas Carols from the late 60s.  Robbie-Ann describes working during Christmas season at the record store: little grammas trying to buy modern music for their grandkids. Christmas shopping back in the day: decorations wall-to-wall, big crowds. PSA: be KIND to your local retail clerk during Christmas Season. They are in hell. Robbie-Ann shares her magic, never-fail secret for surviving busy Christmas shopping, handed down to her by a fellow cocktail waitress when she lived in New York City. Sidebar: yes, Robbie-Ann was once a cocktail waitress in a big Times Square nightclub. Hello to our listeners all around the world, and Merry Christmas!

Mrs. Fezziwig is left to throw Freshwater's Christmas Eve Ball by herself this year but she's just not in the holiday spirit. She decides she'll leave Freshwater altogether but Ginger Snap the Spirit of Christmas Eves of Yore has another idea in mind.Cordelia Studios ProductionWritten, Executive Produced, and Performed by Rebecca CunninghamProduced by Chad ChenailLinks for the Grownups!PatreonHoliday TalesGirl Tales StoreRebecca's NewsletterFacebookInstagramGirl Tales Grown-Ups GroupBuy the Girl Tales Team a Coffee See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1) This Beat Is Hot - (12" Club Mix) - BG The Prince Of Rap 2) Got To Get (Extended Mix) - Leila K 3) Rich In Paradise (Maxi Version) - FPI Project 4) The Age Of Reason (Extended Mix) - John Farhnam 5) Why (Monster Club Mix) - D MOB Introducing Cathy Dennis 6) Groove is In The Heart (Meeting The Minds Mix) - Dee-Lite 7) Situation (Hip House Mix) - MC Crown 8) Jack To The Sound Of The Underground - Hithouse 9) Killer/Papa Was A Rolling Stone - George Michael 10) Sexy Body - Pitbull Ft Jennifer Lopez 11) Let No Man Put Asunder (Extended Mix) - First Choice 12) You're The One For Me - D Train 13) Morning Train (Nine To Five) - Sheena Easton 14) Finally (Extended Classic) - Ce Ce Peniston 15) Grandpa's Party (Love II Love Remix) - Monie Love 16) Now That We Found Love - Heavy D & The Boys 17) Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch 18) My Love - Justin Timberlake 19) My Neck My Back - Kiha 20) Saturday Nite - The Brand New Heavies Ft Carleen Anderson 21) Don't Make Me Wait - Bomb Thae Bass 22) This Is The Right Time - Lisa Stansfeild 23) Who's In The House - Beatmasters 24) 2 Hearts vs Get Together - Kylie vs Madonna 25) Broken Arrows - Avicii 26) In Da Club/Gimmie Da Light - 50 Cent vs Sneaker Pimps 27) Ring My Bell - Anita Ward 28) Sax (Luv Bug Remix) - Flure East 29) Hollywod Tonight - Michael Jackson 30) Blow - Key$ha 31) Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada 32) Lick It - 20 Fingers Ft Roula 33) My My My/To The Club - Armand Van Heldedn 34) Beautiful People - Chris Brown Ft Benny Benassi 35) Company (Liam Kegan Remix) - Justin Beiber 36) Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cindy Lauper 37) I Was Made For Loving You (Extended Version) - Kiss

Anaïs and Lyndsee reminisce on Christmas Eves past, and talk holiday traditions. Follow Tecatebell on TikTok

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds, your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that.Tom Hegg wrote A Cup of Christmas Tea in 1981 at the request of his pastor to celebrate the church’s 125th anniversary. Drawing on childhood memories he composed a poem about an event that may sound familiar no matter where we come from, whether we celebrate Christmas or Festivus For the Rest of Us. This Season, more than any other, turns on generosity. In that spirit I share Tom Hegg’s poem with you.  "The log was in the fireplace, all spiced and set to burnAt last the yearly Christmas race was in the clubhouse turn.The cards were in the mail, all the gifts beneath the treeAnd 30 days reprieve till VISA could catch up with me. Though smug satisfaction seemed the order of the daySomething still was nagging me and would not go awayA week before I got a letter from my old great AuntIt read: Of course I'll understand completely if you can'tBut if you find you have some time how wonderful if weCould have a little chat and share a cup of Christmas tea. She'd had a mild stroke that year which crippled her left sideThough house bound now my folks had said it hadn't hurt her prideThey said: She'd love to see you. What a nice thing it would beFor you to go and maybe have a cup of Christmas tea. But boy! I didn't want to go. Oh, what a bitter pillTo see an old relation and how far she'd gone downhillI remembered her as vigorous, as funny and as brightI remembered Christmas Eves when she regaled us half the night. I didn't want to risk all that. I didn't want the pain.I didn't need to be depressed. I didn't need the strain.And what about my brother? Why not him? She's his aunt, too!I thought I had it justified, but then before I knewThe reasons not to go I so painstakingly had builtWere cracking wide and crumbling in an acid rain of guilt. I put on boots and gloves and cap, shame stinging every poreAnd armed with squeegee, sand and map, I went out my front door.I drove in from the suburbs to the older part of townThe pastels of the newer homes gave way to gray and brown. I had that disembodied feeling as the car pulled upAnd stopped beside the wooden house that held the Christmas cup.How I got up to her door I really couldn't tell...I watched my hand rise up and press the button of the bell.I waited, aided by my nervous rocking to and froAnd just as I was thinking I should turn around and goI heard the rattle of the china in the hutch against the wallThe triple beat of two feet and a crutch came down the hall.The clicking of the door latch and the sliding of the boltAnd a little swollen struggle popped it open with a jolt. She stood there pale and tiny, looking fragile as an eggI forced myself from staring at the brace that held her leg.And though her thick bifocals seemed to crack and spread her eyesTheir milky and refracted depths lit up with young surprise."Come in! Come in!"  She laughed the words. She took me by the handAnd all my fears dissolved away as if by her command.We went inside and then before I knew how to reactBefore my eyes and ears and nose was Christmas past, alive, intact! The scent of candied oranges, of cinnamon and pine,The antique wooden soldiers in their military line,The porcelain Nativity I'd always loved so much,The Dresden and the crystal I'd been told I mustn't touch.My spirit fairly bolted like a child out of classAnd danced among the ornaments of calico and glass. Like magic I was six again, deep in a Christmas spellSteeped in the million memories the boy inside knew well.And here among old Christmas cards so lovingly displayedA special place of honor for the ones we kids had made.And there, beside her rocking chair, the center of it allMy great Aunt stood and said how nice it was that I had come to call. I sat and rattled on about the weather and the fluShe listened very patiently then smiled and said, "What's new?"Thoughts and words began to flow. I started making senseI lost the phony breeziness I use when I get tense.She was still passionately interested in everything I did.She was positive. Encouraging. Like when I was a kid.Simple generalities still sent her into fitsShe demanded the specifics. The particulars. The bits. We talked about the limitations that she'd had to faceShe spoke with utter candor and with humor and good grace.Then defying the reality of crutch and straightened kneeOn wings of hospitality she flew to brew the tea.I sat alone with feelings that I hadn't felt in years.I looked around at Christmas through a thick hot blur of tears. And the candles and the holly she'd arranged on every shelfThe impossibly good cookies she still somehow baked herself.But these rich and tactile memories became quite pale and thinWhen measured by the Christmas my great Aunt kept deep within.Her body halved and nearly spent, but my great Aunt was wholeI saw a Christmas miracle, the triumph of a soul. The triple beat of two feet and a crutch came down the hallThe rattle of the china in the hutch against the wall.She poured two cups. She smiled and then she handed one to meAnd then we settled back and had a cup of Christmas tea."     [Tom Hegg, author; Tristan Publishing, Inc.]  This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic.  Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story ArtsProduction Team: Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 - Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

We're here. It's Christmas Eve. 2020 is almost over and the magic of Christmas is hovering. This short but atmospheric episode will help you connect to this very special moment in the year, and focus on what really matters.Episode 10 includes:Some beautiful words about Christmas including my favourite seasonal poem by Maya AngelouA few of my own memories of Christmas Eves past, and hopes for this oneA special Christmas wish for youDownload the transcript hereThe books mentioned in this podcast were: Christmas and Other Notes on the English Year by Laurie Lee / The Book of Christmas by Jane Struthers / Celebrations: Rituals of peace and prayer by Maya Angelou / Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year  by Beth Kempton

In this episode, Mike and Sam recount some of the dramatic, behind-the-scenes moments from Christmas Eve's past. Laugh along and enjoy a little Christmas cheer and Christmas well-wishes.Want more from Represent Jesus Well - An RCC Podcast?Find it here!InstagramYoutubeApple PodcastSpotify"Like" RCC on Facebook

You Can't Cancel Christmas Episode 2 "A Rush of Happy Feelings and a Pinch of Sadness" Mike continues telling the tale of his Christmas Eves past, but the true magic of the holiday begins many weeks prior. Whether it's the first notes of The First Noel; the awesome power of Josh Groban's voice as he hits the high note in O Holy Night or a round robin singing the 12 Days of Christmas with your friends at a party...the holiday season would not be as exciting as it has become without Holiday Music! Anna Zap and Christina Kay share personal stories of their favorite Christmas carols, the role Holiday Music plays in their celebrations of the season and how the feeling you can get from singing along to your favorite Christmas song is proof, that You Can't Cancel Christmas. 

Mike continues telling the tale of his Christmas Eves past, but the true magic of the holiday begins many weeks prior. Whether it's the first notes of The First Noel; the awesome power of Josh Groban's voice as he hits the high note in O Holy Night or a round robin singing the 12 Days of Christmas with your friends at a party...the holiday season would not be as exciting as it has become without Holiday Music! Anna Zap and Christina Kay share personal stories of their favorite Christmas carols, the role Holiday Music plays in their celebrations of the season and how the feeling you can get from singing along to your favorite Christmas song is proof, that You Can't Cancel Christmas.

It's the 1st Episode of Self Concious! It's also Christmas Eves eve. Tonight join Shantell Bancroft + Colette Bancroft in Colette's kitchen as she prepares her turkey. The girls talk about the Christmas Fun Days they manage to fit in this year, a sudden passing of one of Shantell's Steel Pan friends + what seasoning Colette is using on her bird.

Bowl game swag. Couple thinks their Roomba is an intruder. Day of____/Birthdays. Unproductivity at work. Bowl game. Kroger's credit card system crashes. Cameras everywhere. Woman has babies on back-to-back Christmas Eves. North Dakota man drives to every town in his state.

Bowl game swag. Couple thinks their Roomba is an intruder. Day of____/Birthdays. Unproductivity at work. Bowl game. Kroger's credit card system crashes. Cameras everywhere. Woman has babies on back-to-back Christmas Eves. North Dakota man drives to every town in his state.

Christmas Eves at my grandparents are some of the best memories of my childhood and life. Unfortunately, one of the Christmas Eves I remember most is the one I left.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr try their best to preview Saturday's game between Ohio State and Rutgers. One of the topics they discuss is what would it take for Rutgers to win this game. Another topic is which Buckeyes will be named All-American this year. The fellas also talk about what they are looking forward to seeing in the game. They then turn their attention to the Buckeye basketball win over Villanova before getting back to their score predictions for the Rutgers game.

We're finishing our conversation with Dr. Jeff Chadwick, a New Testament scholar at BYU.  We'll talk about what he calls, the myth of the lambing season.  How cold is it in Israel in December? https://youtu.be/-XqQZLkL6Q8 Jeff:  The average day in Jerusalem in December and January is partly cloudy with green grass and jacket temperatures, nothing like the winters of Utah and Idaho. That brings up another thing and this is what I call the myth of the lambing season.GT: Oh really?Jeff:  Yeah, because, you know, the idea that Jesus was born in the Spring, was not unique to Latter-day Saints in the 1800's. Others were suggesting this as well. Protestant writers in America familiar with freezing North American winters, because they were usually from New England or somewhere like that, couldn't imagine how shepherds could be in the fields abiding by their flocks in December, "Aww, just much too cold. No shepherd could be out with his flocks in December," they ruled. So, it must be in the springtime because spring is when the lambs are born and since Jesus was the lamb of God, that's when he would have been born, too, is in the spring. This, of course, plays in really well with the tradition among the Latter-day Saints that Jesus was born in April. The problem is it's an entire falsity. The reason why is that shepherds did and still do go out with their flocks all Winter long.I have stood in the fields outside of Bethlehem on several Christmas Eves because I get to be there from time to time and the shepherds are out there with their sheep and little lambs have been born already in December. They don't wait. Now here in our climate, just because of the way that the lambs and the sheep bear, they'll wait until it's a little warmer and they'll lamb in March and April. But that's not the way that it works in the holy land because the climate doesn't require it. Biology works partially because of its climate. We'll also talk about what projects he is working on.  Check out our conversation… Would shepherds really be in their fields in December? Isn't it too cold for that? Check out our other conversations with Dr. Chadwick! 234: Is Christmas a Celebration of Sun? (Chadwick) 233: How Jesus's Death Relates to his Birth Date (Chadwick) 231: Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, & Birth of Christ (Chadwick) 229: Was Jesus Born in December? (Chadwick)

U.S. stock markets suffered their steepest Christmas Eve decline in decades Monday, defying the best efforts by the Trump administration to instill confidence, and coming very close to ending a record 10-year upward run.

In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas suss out the following: Ronnie did it! He finally made it on TGC! Ted invents a Theologian Name Game Memorable Christmas Eve services, for good and ill Terrible movies we love

Things get pretty lonely when you’re two hundred thousand miles away from home. Especially when you’re spending the first of half a decade’s worth of ‘Christmas Eves’ alone with just your sarcastic shipboard AI for company (and a lot of desiccated coconut) So Jemima thinks that maybe explaining the Nativity to Pod will help it understand the holiday a little bit more. She was wrong. Very wrong…

A stressful holiday season with all the planning and shopping and traffic is seemingly impossible to avoid. But what if there was a way to enjoy this holiday season with peace and joy rather then stress and anxiety? Well, we believe this is possible. -- Take our 31-day marriage prayer challenge today and join the 1000's of couples who have done it. https://shop.marriageaftergod.com/products/thirty-one-prayers-bundle -- FOR MORE MARRIAGE ENCOURAGEMENT https://marriageaftergod.com https://instagram.com/marriageaftergod SHOP MARRIAGE RESOURCES https://shop.marriageaftergod.com FOR WIVES https://unveiledwife.com https://facebook.com/unveiledwife FOR HUSBANDS https://husbandrevolution.com https://facebook.com/HusbandRevolution READ: Hey, we're Aaron and Jennifer Smith with Marriage After God. Helping you cultivate an extraordinary marriage. And today we're gonna share how to enjoy a stress-free holiday season. Thank you so much for joining us this week and we're really excited to jump into today's episode. Yeah, before we get started, as usual want to invite you to subscribe to our channel so you get notified every time we upload a new episode. So it's that time of the year where holidays are coming up, we got Thanksgiving, we got Christmas. Lots of family stuff going on. Yeah, family time, we got Black Friday, Cyber Monday. Some people see those as holidays. -Yeah. They're spending holidays. So we just thought we'd share some tips on how to have a stress-free holiday. So why don't you give tip number one and then we'll just run through these? Okay. Okay, so the first tip is make sure to plan, when you have everyone over at your house, to do a recipe for dinner that you've never done before. And it's really special if you only give yourself the exact amount of time to get it done. Like a super complicated Pinterest recipe. Super complicated, pictures perfect. It's like 10 courses, dessert, three turkeys, brisket. Like everything, right? And tell everyone don't worry about bringing anything, just make sure you put all that burden and pressure on yourself just so that you can wow 'em, you know? Yeah. Number two. That's a good one. Number two is remember that if you don't provide a perfect, perfect holiday event that everyone's gonna realize that you actually don't love them. Sad. Like if you don't just put it all together perfectly, when you realize that, it'll help you just to do it right so that you get every single thing right and it's just super special. So that's number two. Just to have a stress-free holiday. What's number three? So the third one is keep really high expectations up because if you keep high expectations up on how everything will go, then you're usually more motivated and more excited about that specific day. Yeah, like so high that you like need like a step-up stool to get to the top shelf of expectations, right? Yeah, totally. Yeah, those are the special ones to meet your expectations. Yeah, at the end of the year where all the expectations just like, it's like the power expectation. Yeah, like how this is gonna go is gonna set the tone for all of the next year. All next year. Yeah, exactly. The fourth tip is don't shop online because shopping online is too easy because then you can just wait for it, it comes in the mail and you-- It's boring. You can't like touch the gifts. Yeah, you want to go like the day before, you know, Christmas or-- On a weekend. Yeah, right when everyone's going because that way you can do with other people. It's more communal. And everyone's looking for the same things so it makes the shopping experience just much more eventful. Yeah, and all the traffic to get there, right? I mean, all the red brake lights. That's what I have in my mind when-- And that's time so you just really contemplate how those expectations you just talked about are gonna get fulfilled. Yeah, when I think of holidays, I think of lights, you know, colorful lights. I think of those red tail lights and like traffic jams and lots of long lines and it's just fun, it's fun to be remembering how that is a significant part of shopping. Yeah, that's awesome, we have to come more. What's the next one? So the next one kind of goes along with shopping on the weekends during the holiday season but it's make sure that you get everyone in your family the gifts that they want. And friends and extended family because they all, there's also something they all need, right. Yeah, get everyone everything that they want and if you do it that way, you won't miss anyone and you won't hurt anyone's feeling by not getting them what they wanted. So just be real specific and get 'em what they want. Yeah, and then that goes to the the last tip is because you're getting everything everyone wants, just put it on credit. That way you don't have to worry about not having the money now. Right, right, worry about it next year. Yeah, you can worry about it next year. Like it's-- Stress-free holiday now. Yeah. So of course we're kidding. We do this every once in a while, we give these fake tips. This is a typical holiday I would imagine. It's funny. But I think that these six tips we gave should be thrown out. Because they don't work really. No, they do the opposite. This is we're used to, this is what we're accustomed to, this is what happens, but it doesn't provide that stress-free-- And I don't know about our listeners but this has been, not the credit part, but this has been our lives of like hey, if I get so-and-so one thing, do I have to also get these three people something? Like if I don't get them and then I get them something, are they gonna realize that I didn't and we just have like all of our emotions wrapped up in like what we're getting for someone or how we're preparing an evening or having the most epic recipe. Yeah. And well, I know we were joking about that but I think sometimes we do want to impress people and we want to make sure that they don't have to worry about anything so we put all that pressure on ourselves and we don't usually give ourselves enough time and the other people will miss out on, you know, I don't know, sharing in that blessing of-- Well, so thinking about the food thing. For this year, I'm currently, I'm gonna be smoking a turkey for the first time ever. And so I kind of have some high expectations for myself. For yourself, yeah. Yeah, I'm like, oh, I want this to be the best turkey ever. I'm like looking up like special recipes. And so I just need to have some really level expectations of like okay, like what's our back-up plan if I fail at this turkey? Well, as you're talking, I'm thinking okay, and I also have-- Frozen hamburgers. Yeah, no, that's not gonna fly. Okay, but check it out. So I was just thinking as you're talking about expectations and specifically smoking this turkey because you smoking even chicken in the past, I'm sitting there going okay, the sides are done, when is it gonna be ready? So I have to time this better. Yeah, so you're gonna have to time it really good so that my expectations are met, please. Okay. -I'm just kidding. No, but I should probably lower my expectations as well on that one. And know that to get it perfect, it might take a little bit longer to get it just right. Anyways we did the funny tips, these atypical sort of advice that no one would ever give you but we all kind of walk it in some form or fashion. We all do it anyways. But what we want to do is we actually want to walk through just some higher level tips to actually lower the stress. Because these holidays that the world and society has put so much weight on don't actually have to be weighty. They could be very enjoyable and very peaceful and not stressful. Yeah. So before we jump into those real tips, because we're talking about the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to just share with our listeners, you know, maybe some of our favorite memories growing up from our childhood. We can give some of that perspective of like what does a child think about these holidays coming up? Yeah, cuz when we were kids, we didn't think about all of the work or energy that went into it putting it together. Right, we just enjoyed it. We just, yeah, we had fun. So you asked me before we started this episode, you know, what is one of my favorite holiday memories? And I sighed because I'm like, man, I'm really bad at the nostalgia stuff because-- Oh, remembering. Yeah, remembering it. But I just think like I don't remember most presents I ever got. I actually maybe remember one present. I remember all the presents I didn't get. The boots. The boots. I remember like that side of that stuff but I mostly remember going and being around family. Like I remember being excited every time we'd go to my grandparents house and all of my cousins and all of my uncles and everyone was there. And I also remember like loving that there was a lot of food. Like it didn't matter what it was actually, there was one thing. As long as there is candied yams. -That is probably still our favorite part. That's literally my favorite part of this season, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Oh, that and eggnog. Oh, eggnog for sure. That's kind of like the only tradition I have in my life is like I have to drink eggnog. And it can't be mixed with anything. It just has to be pure, thick, delicious. A good brand of eggnog. Yeah, local eggnog. So like yeah, when we're thinking about all the things that now that we're adults might bring us stress, when we were kids the things that we enjoyed about the holidays. It was people and food, I feel like the majority. Yeah, gifts, and like just it was the things that we don't think about now necessarily. We don't remember as kids all the things that made it maybe difficult or heavy or we didn't think about money back then, we didn't think about time or work or all these things that now we think about. So it's a good perspective to think like, oh, well, you know, what our kids experience isn't necessarily what we experience. But we can make them experience it good or bad in the way we think about it. What was one of your favorite experiences growing up with the holidays? Yeah. I would say it was spending time with family and even just running around doing things together was really enjoyable and just seeing the decorations, so whether we were driving or walking in a neighborhood where there was Christmas lights. Oh yeah. You family still does that. Yeah, we still do that. We love that. Christmas light drives. Yeah, we really love that. But just spending time together, I really feel like that was stand out to me. My stepdad and I, we'll still joke about going Christmas shopping and we'd get all, every kid would have a cart and we'd sit on the back of the last person's cart and do like a train through the store. You guys ever do that? Oh, no. Oh, that was really fun for us. There's only ever two of us. Oh, right, we have a little bit bigger family so that was really fun. And then the food. Just you know, always knowing that we were gonna go and we're gonna either make it together or eat it together. You know, all of those things were stand out to me. That's good. So there's some common themes on just the simple things that we remember, not the complicated hard things necessarily. Oh, and Christmas Eves service. Like going to church, we all dressed up. It was the one day a year that we all dressed up in our nicest outfits and did our hair and there was always a little bit of chaos surrounding it. We got to get there on time. But doing like candlelight service, that was always something that I look forward to. Something that you started when we got married, or when we had Elliot I should say, was always opening a gift the night before. Oh yeah. Sorry, I just can't wait. -Yeah, but that's what your family's always done. We've always just enjoyed that. And not me. My family wouldn't let me open them until like after every single person was up, after everyone was showered, after we had breakfast, after the house was clean, after. It's like noon, we're like opening presents. It wasn't that late. Yeah, can't make kids wait that long. Well, another reason, I don't know if you know this, why I like opening gifts early too is because growing up, my parents were divorced and so we had split holidays where I would spend Christmas Eve with my mom, Christmas Day with my dad, and so I kind of did get gifts on both days and so I liked getting them early too. But you liked spending time with the people more probably. Yeah, yeah. So why don't we talk about some tips? Cuz I'm sure everyone that's listening has similar things that they think about, similar experiences, and we're all gonna be different in little nuances but I think overall there's a universal way that we can be in any types of events to be more stress if you have peace, to view these holidays more soberly and enjoy them more. So why don't we talk through some tips that all of our listeners can walk through in their own marriage and practice and start to implement and talk about, and maybe everyone will have a very peaceful simple holiday season. Yeah, well, I think just the the overall tip that I want to mention first was making sure that your heart is right, you know, going into the season. But like that requires you to be intentional every day, to kind of do a heart check and say where am I, what am I thinking about, what's going on, and going before the Lord and if you have expectations or you have hopes and you have specific things that you hope would happen during this time, giving them to him and saying hey, God, could this happen? And just laying it before him. And if it doesn't, be okay with that. Yeah. So that's a good starting point, just checking our hearts. We learned that in the Bible that it's good to examine ourselves, where we're at with all of this stuff, what's our expectations, what's our perceptions do we have, dispositions towards things? Me, I personally have always had a disposition of and people have called me Scrooge. You don't want to be forced to celebrate. I don't like feeling manipulated into like all year round, not a single person thinks anything of me if I don't get him a gift. But I feel like this season like Christmas season, all of a sudden I feel like, well, certain people, are they gonna feel a certain way if I don't get them something and I just, I don't like the way that feels. Now I've had to adjust a lot of my own heart and overall thinking. But yeah, that's been my disposition. I don't know if it was just the way I was raised or just my natural way of being of not liking to being told what to do by society, by commercials. And your disposition has been that it's a special sacred time and there's always like we have to have a Christmas tree and we have to, like you see like an experience that makes you feel a certain way. Yeah, I like to enjoy all the little things and, but almost to the point where I'm not flexible with giving things up if it doesn't happen or getting upset. Right, because the advice you just gave of evaluating here. You've never, not never, but you don't usually stop and say okay, all these things that I love about this season, I'm gonna hand them to you Lord and like what do you want to change in me? Is there something you want me to recognize about myself? Instead of just controlling it and being like I want it to be this way. Which on my end, I'm like throw it all out, I won't do any of it. I think I even asked this year, I was like are we doing a Christmas tree this year? So with them listening and hearing how we're so kind of opposite in this area, I wonder if they think we fight over the holiday season. Sometimes. We do. It happens. Which is why we're talking about this stuff. And that's why it's so important to check our hearts. That's why I wanted to start with that one because all these tips that we're gonna talk about right now go back to this one thing that's your heart and your heart matters, so okay, so. Okay, so number one is communicate. So being able to, I feel like we, every time we do a tip list, we start out with communicate but it's so important. Yeah and most people don't know how to communicate. Like how do I share that I'm not interested in getting a Christmas tree when I know for a fact you absolutely 100% want a Christmas tree? And that's where like in their situations, they're gonna have something maybe similar where one person has a certain idea or way of wanting to do it and the other person has another one. I might not be able to come to you and say hey, can we evaluate this year whether we want to do that or not? Because I might be afraid that you're gonna be broken or hurt or like how could you not want to do? That's what we always have done. But it's not right for you to not say anything just because there's eggshells all around me and you don't want to crack them, so. So not only do we need to give each other room to communicate but then we have to communicate. Yeah. And without an agenda of like I'm gonna communicate because that's exactly what I want. Especially if it's not that big of a deal. But it could be this year I don't think it's wise for us to spend money on the Christmas tree and that's my reasoning behind it. Maybe we're just so busy with other things that we're not going to go cut one down or we're not gonna be able to afford one because, man, they're expensive if you don't go cut one yourself. And a lot of people can't cut themselves. And that's just one example but. So a few things to communicate about is feelings, like how you explain like what your feelings about the holidays and these specific events and with certain people coming and how you might, maybe you're like hey, so-and-so's coming over and actually I have some anxiety about it because of these few reasons. How can you help me navigate this or how should I be thinking about this? So that I can then encourage you or vice versa in the Word of God, in prayer to be preparing our hearts. Maybe we need to change plans. So feelings about the whole thing. Yeah, potential plans, communicating. Like kind of like what you mentioned, this is what we have tentatively on the calendar and just giving your spouse a heads up of like this is what we've already committed to, this what we've said yes to, this is the family that's gonna be in town, this is how we're gonna roll it out. Yeah. Family values, this is the big one, going back to the heart thing. Asking ourselves, communicating with each other like what do we actually value as a family? Is it getting lots of gifts, like we just want to make this like an all out or is it like we want to be simpler, we want to teach more intrinsic things. We want to just teach just being together, reading together, listening to certain songs together, singing together, learning something new together, serving together. Like what are our values and how can we wrap everything else around our values and what do we need to get rid of that are kind of ancillary to our values? Like oh, we don't need to do those things or that we're doing for another motive and it doesn't really fit into what we are as a family or what we want to teach our children, right? Like just one example would be like let's say if it comes to gifts. Instead of everyone getting five gifts, maybe, and we've done this before, like one little tiny gift and like one learning gift and one gift that they really want. Or one gift or just a dollar amount that we want to spend. Some people, and we've talked about this even, do like a give and get. Like hey, you're gonna get a gift but is there something that you want to give to someone else and how-- Your siblings, yeah. So practicing those things like what are our values as a family? And then the last one, it would be expectations on all of these things. You have to identify what those are before you can communicate them, so this goes back to checking your heart and thinking and considering about how you want this holiday season to be and then sitting down with your spouse and communicating that. Yeah, so lots of communication about all these things and continual communication. Yeah, and I think the key to this type of communication, especially if you want a stress-free holiday is to communicate with humility leading your heart. Yeah. And asking the Lord like you said in the beginning, what his heart is for the holiday. Yeah, yeah, don't skip over what he wants for you. Yeah, are we just like kind of gonna do our own thing or are we gonna actually say okay, Lord, what do you want to happen? Because if you do it that way, then he's at the center of all of it, right? Yeah. And he could even pull out of us something that he wants to change in us about the way we view it or the things that we want or don't want. Yeah, and oftentimes when you keep God at the center of your relationship like that, what I've known from experience is that it can even change your heart or perspective towards your spouse. Like if if you guys aren't in agreeance over how many gifts are gonna be given or what family is gonna come over or whether you're gonna get that Christmas tree or not, instead of arguing about it, God actually changes your heart or changes their heart on the matter so that you guys can be in unity and enjoy that season. That's good. So the next thing we want to talk about, we just talked about expectations but now we're going to go into expectations. So just the idea of letting go, being flexible, and having very light expectations. Because again, these days are just days. Like yes, they have some meaning to them, yes they're they're an opportunity to celebrate something like the birth of our Lord, you know, those kinds of things, but they are just another day. The Bible doesn't give us directives on how to do these holidays and that we need to be observing them. These are actually not biblical ideas at all. We celebrate biblical things during them but they're not necessary, they're not required, they're not a thing that the Christian must do to be a Christian. So just having that mentality of like okay, my expectation is this is another day and we're gonna celebrate Jesus and we're gonna celebrate Thanksgiving. But are our expectations above and beyond what they need to be? Are we setting too high of expectations or are we being real and saying okay, Lord, like I want to be so like low on my expectation. Not low. I use the word light because it's not low expectations. It's not like you don't have to have expectations. You can have expectations, you're just saying they don't need to be so lofty that they're almost unattainable. Because the problem with that is, let's just be real for a minute, if you had these high expectations and let's say your kids get sick or your husband's running late or whatever, how is that gonna dictate your attitude or are you gonna lash out, are you gonna be frustrated, are you gonna stomp around the house? And I'm using this because I've done it before. I'm just recognizing like why expectations can be so dangerous in someone's heart when they're not met. Well, and then asking ourselves where the expectations are coming from. So our expectations usually come from one of two places, external forces or internal ones. Is it an expectation that I put on myself for this holiday like oh, I want everyone to know that I've got it all together, that this is gonna be amazing, that they're gonna all be taken care of by me either as the husband or the wife, like whatever their expectations are internally. Or is it external? Oh, my in-laws are coming and they're gonna be expecting an extravaganza, they're gonna be expecting me to have it all together, and there's lots of other reasons. My friends or my social media accounts, like what they see from my family. But even then like even though those are external places, that still comes from an internal place because those people might not even be thinking what you think they're thinking. That's true. There are all these expectations that we have, they're internal motivations of like oh, I don't want to look this way or that way or I do want to look this way or that way. And those aren't good things. Those are so unhealthy and they're dangerous and we do it in many, many, many areas but they often rear their ugly head in a season of heightened expectation and respond, and things that are drawing us. Yeah and I think that's where the chaos comes from. A large chunk of it, the stress comes during the holiday seasons from these expectations. Yeah, well, and we have to remember that, like I was just saying, these holidays are not things that the Bible's insist you did and called us to remember. Like the Bible tells us to remember the Lord's Supper and to remember what Christ did, right? Yeah, are we even doing that? Yeah, like which is a good thing to implement, like hey, we should do this with our family as a tradition. But these holidays, man, the world has been so good at impressing on us necessity for things. Like oh, if you don't participate to this extent, oh, you're not a good person or you're not a good Christian or you're not, you know, you must not love, you know. But that's wrong. Like I hate commercials because they, something I didn't need, now all of a sudden I need it. Right, and they make you, that's what marketing is about. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing but how it influences us and how we drive, you know, making our house look a certain way and the presents and all the things that we don't just lay on ourselves but then the society and the world lays on us also to participate in. We actually can think differently about it. It doesn't have to be a huge thing to us, it doesn't have to be a big heavy. And I know people are gonna be like well, what's the big deal about Christmas, I like celebrating it. I'm not saying don't celebrate things. I'm saying understand where a lot of our drive and motivation comes from and oftentimes it's from internal insecurities or expectations and external forces pulling you along and saying this is what you must do and how you must think and what you must be. Again this goes back to my Scrooginess that people have called out. Like I just don't like feeling like one day a year is the day of gift-giving and that's how we celebrate. Right? My thought is like well, if you love people, aren't you gonna like give them gifts in all different forms throughout their whole life? And like your life is gonna want to serve them and love them and be generous to them? And what's funny is the Bible tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those that persecute us, so we have this idea of like giving to those who don't even deserve to be given to by us. And it's just, I'm kind of ranting now but having just the right expectations and this just goes into the next thing we're going to talk about is having a sober mind as a family about the holidays, which is everything I'm getting to right now. You know, the fact that we may be able to celebrate any day in relative health, with food, with our loved ones, is a humongous blessing. Yeah, and we should recognize that. We should be thanking God for that and honoring him and showing him our appreciation for even the simplest of things that he's already given to us. Yeah, I think about that scripture in Proverbs that says a house full of feasting and yet with strife is not as good as a house full of peace with a little food. Like you can have this huge feast and all the presents and everything beautiful. And all the family drama that goes with it. And all the drama and frustrations and anger and fights and bitterness and all the weird stuff that goes on, and that's not good. I don't want any of that. I'd rather have like a few morsels on the table and we're all loving each other and talking about the Lord and serving others and we're healthy, you know? And that, like praise the Lord. You know, so a sober mind. How often do you do you think that way? Cuz like this season just makes us think about a lot of other things. Yeah, I'll be honest, I get really distracted by what you mentioned earlier which is expectations and like how I view a certain day or week or entire season should go and the things that I want to do, the things I want to teach my kids, the experiences I want to have. You know, some of my expectations and I don't know if those listening will agree or can relate to, but some of my expectations come from wanting to recreate my own childhood or things that I thought were really fun and-- To give to our kids. To give to our kids and to share those memories with them or build new ones around those ideas or experiences, which isn't a bad thing at all but sometimes I'm so consumed with that that I do miss out on these other really important things like just being thankful for all the simple things that God's already given to us. Yeah. Well, and then like you mentioned something about recreating or creating new traditions and which traditions can be good in a home, as long as we're not like relying on traditions, but you know, I was thinking like sometimes we look at other people's lives and like look at the traditions they've got and like oh, that's so special. And doesn't mean we can't glean from other families and like oh, I'd love to implement something like that. But then we again, we put something on our shoulders, and be like oh, unless we do that, we're failing our children somehow or-- Or this isn't the holiday that I wanted. Yeah and I just, I don't think that's a very sober way of looking at any day of our life. You know, I'm worrying about tomorrow when today's got enough worries of its own, right? And I feel like the best family traditions, the healthiest traditions, especially ones that are wrapped in the gospel and in the Bible and knowing God, come naturally as we serve God and seek Him and as his desires come out of us because what happens is generosity, right? We start training that because that becomes, that's a part of what we are because God's generous, we love to be generous, so instead of about getting, it's about giving and that just becomes a tradition in our home naturally. What are some other ways that we can think soberly about this season? Well, we say it all the time but it's walking in the spirit and intentionally walking in the spirit during these times. That's really gonna keep the stress and chaos and conflict out of the home. Yeah. I would say, and the reason we bring up so much, I actually believe that the core of being a Christian outside of believing in God, in Christ, and him crucified, right, is walking in the spirit. Because when you walk in the spirit, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. And against such things there is no law. It says like when you walk that way, you're walking in perfect harmony with God, right? And so no matter what's going on in the world, in our home for the holidays, if we're walking in the spirit, it's a good thing. Our kids are gonna glean from that, it's the best gift we can give to our children. It's the best gift we can give to our spouse. It's the best gift we can give to our neighbors. And the reason I always go back to this, it calls it fruit. The fruit isn't for the benefit of the tree, it's for the benefit of the eater, right? So if I'm the tree and I bear fruit, then everyone around me gets to eat the good fruit. You know, you get to enjoy my peace and my patience and my kindness and my goodness and my gentleness and my faithfulness and self-control. Those are all things that are good. Now they benefit me too of course but the purpose is everyone around me. So I feel like to think soberly like you said, walking in the spirit. Yeah. So going on to the next one would be no day's actually about us anyway. So I think sometimes when we set those expectations, it's all about us. When we try and plan and prepare and cram so much into the holiday season and we do everything we can, spin in circles to try and make it happen, we're doing it because we're trying to fulfill something, our own desire, and we have to remember that it's not about us. It's about the people that you're engaging with, it's about the kids that you want to experience these memories with, it's about the people at the store who are trying to check out all these other customers. And dealing with angry people and frustrations and-- If we're only focused on ourselves, we're gonna miss every opportunity that God has for us to do ministry, to love, and to reflect his light in their life. Yeah and again it's not even just about others, it's about Christ. Like what light are we being in the world during a season like this or are we just looking like everyone else? Are we also frustrated because that one thing I wanted or the line was so long or the traffic or whatever it is? Yeah, don't huff and puff your way through the holidays because-- Or being frustrated because you can't afford certain things or because, like there's that other spectrum of like maybe not be able to accomplish or do or participate in what you want. And still remembering it's not about any of that stuff. It's about Christ and are we being a light in this world? Yeah, this will also help in if you experience a family conflict like with aunts, uncles, grandma, grandpa, other siblings, other adults, like people who should be able to walk in maturity and just figure things out. We're not perfect and our flesh wants to fight sometimes, so if we were to just stop and realize that none of these days, this whole season, this whole life that we have is not about us, when we hit that wall or conflict with other people, other family members, if we walk in this and we remember that it's not about us, then we're usually more giving or serving to that other person and we can make things work, we can make it happen. And then you're being an example of God's love and light to them and hopefully they'll change too. Yeah, which is the point of this life as a believer. It's a point of a marriage after God is to be a light in the world. And so the last little point I want to, I threw this one on about having a sober mind is, and we talked about this in the finance episode we did, do not put stuff on credit. No. If you can't afford it, just don't get it. Change your expectations. Like no one's gonna hate you, right? Hopefully. But I promise you're not gonna regret not putting stuff on credit. Yeah or find another way to be, like if you really wanted to get someone a gift, be more thoughtful in like writing them a personal note, letter, or something on really nice paper. I mean, there's other ways around gift-giving without money. And letting them know that you love them. Yeah, so that was just a quick one. Don't put things on credit. Don't fall into that temptation. Just avoid it. Yeah, and if you are tempted, especially to fulfill like maybe your children and getting them a lot of gifts because when you were a child, you didn't get a lot of gifts, sometimes people wrestle with that. I would just think like your child's not gonna not like you or not love you because when they were younger, you didn't get them everything that they ever wanted. In fact, they'll probably, like we just shared about our favorite memories, they'll remember the time that you spent with them. Yeah. And they won't know what you don't get them, so that's a good thing. Let's go into the last part, this is the most important part. And it goes along with what we were talking about before the credit thing about remembering it's not about us. Yeah, that you have a ministry, your marriage has a ministry, the whole family has a ministry that God wants to do through you and I feel like during the holiday season there is so many opportunities to minister to other people and to just be that light in their lives. Yeah, God's antidote to our natural state of selfishness, because our natural fleshly state is to preserve ourself, and to serve ourself, and to feed ourself, and to bless ourself, and to love ourself, is to love and bless others. Is to turn things outward. And so use this season with your family as a marriage after God to bless and serve other people. That looks so many different ways. We have a few ideas. One of them we've done every year for the last 10 years, a long time. It's called Operation Christmas Child. And it's you get a shoebox and you fill it with some little goodies and what they do is they send them all over the world. And you can actually, if you do it right, they'll track it and say where your box went. And it goes to a child and every single child gets the gospel and they get prayed for and loved on by people that are giving these gifts. And not only are they getting a box of gifts that you gave them, they're getting the gospel. And this is a great one to do with your family or just your community, your church community, and just spend that time together talking about these kids that are gonna receive these gifts. Praying for them. Praying for them, teaching your children why it's good to be generous and I don't know, we've really, really loved doing this. Yeah and so that's a fun one. We're gonna do it this year with our church, we do it every year. And so that's one way. What's another way? So another one is be in prayer for your friends and family. So kind of like you said, praying for those kids that are gonna receive those boxes, make sure that you're praying for other people who are in your life and just love on them in that way. Yeah, practice with your kids. So we train with our children, we say hey Elliot, who do you wanna pray for? We'll give him ideas. You wanna pray for your friend? You wanna pray for your grandma? You want to pray for? And just be praying for those that don't know the Lord and pray for salvation for them, pray that God reveals himself to them and that Christians are brought around them to minister to them and love on them. Pray that you have an opportunity as a family to do that and have that be a core message, a core event, not just on the holiday but throughout the holidays, like every day. And then practice doing it all throughout the year. But use this as a season to specifically say hey, let's be praying for grandma and grandpa. They're coming out, they're gonna be around us, let's pray that we can be good examples and let's pray we can love on them and make them feel loved and blessed. So making prayer a main part of this season. That's good. So another one, we've talked a lot about food on this episode, but it's inviting people who you know don't have a lot of family around or maybe don't have any plans or maybe they're in need and inviting them over for a nice meal. To join your family, yeah. And make something for them and get them a gift and let them be a part and participate. Especially if you have friends that don't have family that are nearby, maybe they're gonna be alone. Don't let anyone be alone. Especially I was just thinking we have experienced this because we've traveled and we've been in places that-- When it was just us. We didn't have family around, when it was just us, and even now a lot of our family lives in California, we're in Oregon, and so we've done the Friendsgiving thing when our family didn't come in. I don't know, I just think it's such a loving way to share the gospel with someone. I mean, we've felt loved by it, we've experienced God's love and his truth come through this so. Yeah, so use hospitality as a gift you can give to others. Inviting them into your home, into your apartment, to be a part of what God's doing in your life. So the last thing is just, and we kind of had hit on this a lot. Well, and as you do these things that we're talking about as far as blessing people, you'll fulfill this role. Yeah, just use this holiday season as a very intentional time to teach your children and yourselves. To be honest, I need to be reminded of this stuff and taught it and practice it. To be generous and giving and to have hearts of service. So do your neighbors need anything? Is there any way you can bless them? Maybe you can bring them groceries. Maybe it's like baking them a pie and bringing them a card. So using this season to be very intentional about teaching our children, ourselves, about generosity, about service, and about being outward focused. And I think that's the best way to get our minds off of ourselves, to get our minds off of our own anxieties and stress and worries about this season and what it might mean, and make it about other people. You know? And doesn't mean we can't enjoy it and have our own things. I'm just saying the main focus and just how do we operate as a marriage after God. And I think those things are the best way to have a stress-free holiday season. Yeah, and it's what we all want, like we all desire to be able to enjoy this time of year and spend it with our families. And so I think that one of the reasons why we wanted to just talk about this today is to encourage you guys to check your hearts, talk about it, talk about your expectations, talk about the things that you hope to do or the family that's gonna be in town, and just pray. Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray with your spouse about all of it, pray with your kids for other people, find ways to be generous. I mean, all these things that we talked about, like Aaron said, it's to get our hearts right before God and right with each other and I think that if we do that, it does eliminate so much of that stress and chaos. It brings peace from God into our lives. And so as we come to a close, I just want to ask you to sit down with your spouse and as a couple ask God, God, what do you want for us this holiday? What do you want to use our family for as a marriage after God? And so we love you guys and we thank you for joining us and we'll see you next week. Did you enjoy today's show? Find many more encouraging stories and resources at marriageaftergod.com and let us help you cultivate an extraordinary marriage.

"How are you today, Grampy?" "Oh the same: old and ugly, but contented." This is the opening line of this week's interview with my 88-year-old grandpa. You are going to love his personality and spunk, as he shares memories from his childhood Christmases. My Granny also hops on to talk about what she remembers. My heart just melts at the sound of their voices, and I am so grateful for all of the Christmas Eves that I spent in their home when I was a child. (And we are headed there next week! I can't wait!) Listen as I reflect on how to create cherished traditions that your children and maybe even grandchildren will remember, by creating "anchors" every year: A special food A meaningful gift A memorable activity Stay tuned until the end of the episode to hear about my Christmas gift to you! I think it will be useful to anyone who is a consistent listener to the 3 in 30 podcast. Merry Christmas to all of you. I truly love and appreciate you! Show Notes Granny's Orange Rolls Tommy Right Game 3in30podcast Instagram **Get your Christmas present here.**  

It’s an odd time of year to be thinking about the classic Charles Dickens’ story “A Christmas Carol,” but there’s a scene from that story that comes to mind whenever I think about the topic of hope. You remember the story, I imagine. Ebenezer Scrooge, a surly old miser, is visited one Christmas Eve by three ghosts – the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. First Scrooge goes back in time to revisit his life as a youth; some of his past Christmas Eves were quite happy, and others were quite sad. Then the ghost of Christmas Present takes him to see how the family of his employee, Bob Cratchett, is celebrating Christmas that year, and Scrooge is moved to see how the family experiences so much joy despite their challenging circumstances. Finally the ghost of Christmas Future pulls back the curtain to show Scrooge his future, and what Scrooge sees is horribly upsetting. Not only is Scrooge dead, but rather than mourn his death, the people of his community celebrate his death and mock the man that he was.

It’s an odd time of year to be thinking about the classic Charles Dickens’ story “A Christmas Carol,” but there’s a scene from that story that comes to mind whenever I think about the topic of hope. You remember the story, I imagine. Ebenezer Scrooge, a surly old miser, is visited one Christmas Eve by three ghosts – the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. First Scrooge goes back in time to revisit his life as a youth; some of his past Christmas Eves were quite happy, and others were quite sad. Then the ghost of Christmas Present takes him to see how the family of his employee, Bob Cratchett, is celebrating Christmas that year, and Scrooge is moved to see how the family experiences so much joy despite their challenging circumstances. Finally the ghost of Christmas Future pulls back the curtain to show Scrooge his future, and what Scrooge sees is horribly upsetting. Not only is Scrooge dead, but rather than mourn his death, the people of his community celebrate his death and mock the man that he was.

Kick those dancing sugar plums out of your heads and make room for this Merry Ole FUHcast! Join Bill and Jim as they look back fondly at Christmas Eves from their childhood. FUH examines the 2012 Toys R Us hottest toys list. Santa Claus delivers a voicemail into the FUHcast Hotline. Lothgar the Jolly Mixing Board Demon drops by with a festive social issue and a Christmas movie recommendation. The guys plays some horrible Christmas tunes and try to forget some of the worst Christmas movies they've ever seen. All that and more (like a fruitcake) in this very special FUHcast! Merry Christmas! ****Check out FILEUNDERHORRIBLE.com for this week's ENHANCED show notes and this week's special artwork!**** Tweet us! We're @ FUHcast! Like Us on Facebook! Go to facebook.com/fileunderhorrible Pin us on Pinterest! pinterest.com/fuhcast Re-Blog us on Tumblr! fileuderhorrible.tumblr.com Email us! podcast@fileunderhorrible.com Call the FUHcast Hotline and get YOUR voice on the show! Call (478) 227-8384

A Christmas Carol" is an episode of the British science fiction television series . It is the sixth Doctor Who Christmas Special since the programme's revival in 2005, and was broadcast on 25 December 2010 on both and , making it the first episode to premiere on the same day in both the United Kingdom and United States. It was broadcast on 26 December 2010 on in Australia and on in Canada. The episode features the acting debut of singer , She stars alongside , and . The episode had an initial rating of 10.3 million viewers on BBC One and BBC One HD according to overnight figures, making it the second most watched programme on Christmas Day, just behind . The rating was roughly comparable to the 2009 episode, Part 1, which had 10.0 million watching on BBC One and 0.4 million on BBC HD. A preview of the episode was shown during the annual on 19 November 2010.   The crew of a space liner carrying more than 4000 passengers struggles to maintain the ship's course while traveling through the strange cloud cover of a human-inhabited planet that interferes with their controls. Amy and Rory, aboard the liner for their honeymoon, send a distress call to the Doctor to help. The Doctor is unable to use the TARDIS directly to save the liner, and lands at a house topped by a giant antenna-like spire that seems to control the clouds. The sole resident of the house is bitter, peevish, old Kazran Sardick. The wealthiest and most powerful man on the planet, his father had built the spire. The Doctor tries to convince Kazran to turn off the cloud controls — isomorphically locked to him — but he mockingly refuses. Kazran, like his late father, considers the rest of the population of the planet little more than cattle, and cares not for the lives aboard the liner either. This becomes apparent to the Doctor when Kazran refuses to release a young woman, Abigail, from cryonic storage to her family for even a Christmas day. Recognizing that Kazran's father has had a significant effect on Kazran's life, the Doctor devises a scheme inspired by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the idea being to influence Kazran in his past and present to become more compassionate to the lives aboard the liner. The Doctor visits a young Kazran shortly after his father had struck him for trying to experiment with a unique phenomenon of the planet: the ability of all manner of fish to "swim" in the foggy air. The Doctor discovers the ice in the clouds contain a weak electrical charge; this is what allows the fish to swim, but is also what is disrupting the space liner. The "boys" experiment with the fish anyway, until a shark attacks them and swallows the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. The Doctor recovers half, but inadvertently harms the shark in the process; it cannot return to swim in the clouds. The Doctor concludes that some sort of life support container could transport the shark safely to the clouds. Young Kazran shows the Doctor a system of cryonic chambers beneath the spire, where Kazran's father stores as "security" family members of people to whom he has lent money. Kazran directs the Doctor to Abigail's chamber; Kazran knows she had been fascinated by the fish before she was put into storage. They release her, and she sings to the shark, resonating with the ice crystals, and calming it. The three then successfully return the shark to the clouds. Before putting Abigail back into her chamber, Kazran promises that he and the Doctor will return every Christmas Eve to celebrate it with Abigail. The Doctor keeps this promise, travelling forward every year to reunite Kazran and Abigail, taking them across time and space, and watching them develop a romance as he grows to a young adult and is introduced to her family. However, after several Christmas Eves, Abigail reveals a secret to Kazran, leading him to decide to end the tradition and leave her in cryonic storage indefinitely. The Doctor gives the broken half of the sonic screwdriver to Kazran to use when he needs it. Meanwhile, in the present, older Kazran enjoys his many new memories, but, heartbroken at Abigail's fate, still refuses to disable the spire. From the liner, Amy appears to present-time Kazran as a hologram. She shows Kazran the crew of the doomed liner, singing Christmas carols, using the musical vibrations to partially stabilise the ship within the cloud system, just as Abigail calmed the shark, but still leaving the ship doomed to crash. Kazran waves away the holograms, continuing to refuse to release the controls. When the Doctor appears and tries to show Kazran his future, Kazran reveals Abigail's secret, that she was dying before she was frozen and will live only one more day outside of the chamber. Fully admitting that he will die alone, he values the one day left he has with Abigail over the thousands on the liner or the population of the planet. Unbeknownst to Kazran, the Doctor has brought young Kazran into the present to show the boy his future; he is shocked by his elder self's revelation. This change is reflected in the newly compassionate older Kazran, and he agrees to release the spire controls. They find, however, that the Doctor's interference has changed Kazran's past too much; Kazran's father, seeing his boy too kind to others, never programmed the spire's controls to recognise Kazran. The Doctor concocts a new plan: by unfreezing Abigail and having her sing through the broken half of the sonic screwdriver amplified by the spire, the other half, still inside the shark, would be able to resonate the ice crystals, disrupting the cloud field, and allowing the liner to safely land. Kazran is aware that Abigail will die after one day, but he releases her anyway; she comforts him, reminding him they have had many Christmas Eves together and it is time for Christmas Day to come. The Doctor's plan is successful, and as the ship safely lands on the planet, the breakup of the clouds releases snow across the city. As the Doctor takes young Kazran back to his past and reunites with Amy and Rory, the old Kazran and Abigail celebrate a shark-drawn carriage ride together. [] Continuity Several nods to earlier outfits in the series appear in A Christmas Carol. Amy Pond wears her policewoman's outfit from "", while Rory wears a centurion's outfit as seen in "". In one of the many Christmas Eves the Doctor and Kazran spend with Abigail, they present themselves to her in matching long, stripy scarves. The 's trademark accessory was long, striped scarves. The two also appear in fezes, an item of clothing the Doctor became fond of in "". The Doctor initially scoffs at the idea of "isomorphic controls" – controls that will operate only for a specific person or limited set of people. In the classic series the Doctor states to that the TARDIS controls are isomorphic, although many other characters are seen operating them. In "", the had a laser screwdriver with isomorphic controls. During one of his trips with Kazran and Abigail, the Doctor introduces them to and inadvertently ends up marrying , though he later attempts to claim that the ceremony did not take place in a legitimate chapel. The Doctor has hinted at marriage before during "", suggesting his wife was , which was also reported upon by Liz 10 in "". [] Production [] Writing According to Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, the episode is a "clever twist on the much loved ". Matt Smith added "It's as Christmasy as it comes in 'Doctor Who' land. It's loosely based on a 'Christmas Carol' with a time travelling twist. Steven has managed to reinvent it. I think those two things marry quite well together — 'Doctor Who' and Christmas." Steven Moffat, writer for this episode said "It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon." A took place in on Thursday, 8 July and production started on 12 July 2010 and lasted into August 2010. [] Cast notes is included in the opening credits in this episode, for the first time since he joined Doctor Who. [] Broadcast and reception A Christmas Carol was tied with as the second most-watched program on Christmas Day in the United Kingdom, following , and with a average viewership of 10.3 million peaking at 10.7 million. [] International broadcast A Christmas Carol is the first episode of Doctor Who that was broadcast the same day in the United Kingdom and in North America through . Previous episodes from the revitalized series would have from a week to months-delay between the BBC and the BBC America or airing. Richard de Croce, Vice-President of Programming at BBC America, stated that they will try to continue the same-day airing on both stations with future episodes of Series 6. In the United States, 727,000 viewers watched A Christmas Carol, an 8% increase on the previous holiday special, .