The Holiday Specials We Love

Latest Episodes:

Nestor The Long Eared Christmas Donkey Dec 07, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Holiday Specials We Love, we dive-into or ummmm cry into Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, the 1977 Rankin & Bass Special with German roots. We talk how that what we perceive as our weaknesses can often become our greatest strengths.

We cry with Nestor from the abuse from the other animals, being literally thrown into the snow, to losing his mom, to being physically and emotionally abused. We talk the sleezy salesman who says long ears are on-trend- to Mary’s Jedi Mindtrick. To Nestor- listening to the voices on his journey thru the sandstorm helping Mary and Joseph reach Bethlehem. Where was the apology from Olaf? Did Tilly have to shine SO bright? And Spieltoe-What? Why?

A strong 4¼ - 4 ½ candy cane rating, although not sure this will be an every year watch- it’s just a bit much.

As always Text us your thoughts and any Q&A to 351-251-2511.

Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.

Christmas Season is in Full Swing!

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Hot Chocolate, Heavy Lifting & the Full Package Christmas Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back Holiday Specials We Love fans, On this episode we talk “2000 Miles” and the real story behind the Pretenders Christmas song, the importance of a full package Christmas —Christmas Eve magic, Christmas Day travel, matching pajamas, family celebrations, and why anything less than the full package just doesn’t work.

We assign The Brady’s and Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey as part of the Winter Reading Progrum. Talk the need to promote Christmas Eve Eve, The “Wait…we’re working today?” and the belief that this day should already be a holiday.

We talk gifting the community — a backyard setup complete with a shed for Santa, decorations, lights, and even a movie screen. The philosophy is simple: do the heavy lifting first, then bring in the elves.

We dive deep into hot chocolate — memories of growing up with “scalding brown water,” to Kev’s winter hack: warm milk, maybe a little cream, and real whipped cream (love and light to the Cool Whip community). There’s even a name drop over the Kraft family’s silky, decadent hot chocolate at the Patriots game, which instantly set a new bar for what cocoa should be.

Text us at 351-251-2511, and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help more people find the show!

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Black Friday — Why We Really Buy Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

On this Black Friday edition of Holiday Specials We Love, we talk about how most people don’t buy because they want the item — they buy because they want the feeling they think the item will give them. And how that feeling is almost always tied to some form of scarcity. We look at how consumption becomes an attempt to patch an internal leak with an external object, and how that leak usually carries the same message: you're not enough.

We ask the real questions behind the impulse. We get into how joy can free us from overconsumption, what “California sober” actually means, and why saying “never” with any addiction may not always be the most effective strategy. And what’s with people who don’t like dogs or Christmas trees?

Happy Black Friday and Happy Thanksgiving! Text us at 351-251-2511 and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.

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Black Friday — The Madness, the Memories & a Few Stats Behind It All Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

On this Black Friday edition of The Holiday Specials We Love, we talk Black Friday Madness and not madness —the years when Black Friday really was Black Friday. We talk numbers-the peak of 2013–2014: midnight openings, camping outside Best Buy, packed malls, doorbuster chaos, and the kind of scenes that made the news (for both the right and wrong reasons).

We compare that with Black Friday of today: shopping from your phone, Cyber Week deals starting before the turkey is carved, Buy Now Pay Later acting as the new layaway, and AI suggesting half your cart. The numbers show the shifts — fewer dollars per shopper, more people out hunting deals, and a whole lot less “rush the doors at 3 a.m.”

We digress to talk old-school radio DJs, SiriusXM holiday channels, and the pure childhood thrill of listening to school closings (hearing your school’s name really did feel like winning the lottery). We talk stores still open on Thanksgiving, the malls that haven’t given up, and the ones opening later and later.

Happy Thanksgiving & be safe out there!

Text your black Friday memories and Christmas Chat show ideas to 351-251-2511, and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Talk Shawtly!

Bob’s Burgers — “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” (2012) Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Holiday Specials We Love, we dive into Bob’s Burgers and its first-ever Thanksgiving special — An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal — the episode that launched an entire holiday tradition.

We talk about the absurd brilliance of Bob’s devotion to Thanksgiving, his meltdown over being separated from his beloved turkey, and how one too many sips of absinthe send him into a full-blown hallucination starring a talking bird named Lance. Kevin Kline chews the scenery as the landlord Calvin Fischoeder, Linda turns family chaos into theater, and the kids take their fake-family roles way too seriously — in the best possible way.

We also talk why this one works so well — the mix of heart, dysfunction, and total unhinged humor that Bob’s Burgers does better than anyone. It’s the perfect reminder that Thanksgiving doesn’t need to be flawless to be special. Sometimes all it takes is family, food, and maybe a little absinthe.

Text your favorite crazy Thanksgiving moments to 351-251-2511, and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts!

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Cheers – “Thanksgiving Orphans” (1986) Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Holiday Specials We Love, we dive into Cheers: “Thanksgiving Orphans” from 1986 — one of the most beloved Thanksgiving sitcom episodes ever made.

We talk the chaos that unfolds when everyone’s plans fall through and the gang ends up at Carla’s house. Norm forgets to cook the turkey, Diane arrives in full pilgrim attire, Sam’s date cancels and we are reminded of the struggles of the big box TVs.

We talk the sharp writing, perfect pacing, and heart beneath the humor. The legendary food fight that begins with a spoonful of cranberry sauce and ends in sitcom history. It’s classic Cheers: fast, funny, and somehow deeply human — capped by Sam’s quiet toast “to Coach,” creating one of the show’s most touching moments.

We go behind-the-scenes: the mostly improvised food fight, Rhea Perlman hiding her pregnancy behind props, and how the studio reportedly smelled like Thanksgiving dinner for days after filming. Vera finally “appears,” sort of, and Diane’s colonial costume gets the send-up it deserves.

Thanksgiving Orphans is a reminder that the best holidays aren’t always the ones you plan — but the ones you survive together.

Text your favorite Thanksgiving memories to 351-251-2511, and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts!

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The Holiday Specials We Love: Monster Mash, Elvira & the Spirit of Halloween Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Holiday Specials We Love, we finish the Halloween preseason strong.

We talk Boris Pickett — the man behind the Halloween anthem that just won’t die — and his forgotten B-sides from the Spooky World days in New England. We then turn to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark — her Groundlings beginnings, her decision to finally hang up the black wig, and Cassandra Peterson’s honesty about aging, authenticity, and her simple truth that keeping secrets makes you sick. She’s still got her wit, her wisdom, her Mistress of the Dark Autumnal Gin, and a few surprising stories the kind of inside baseball that you only get on The Holiday Specials We Love.

From boxed Ben Cooper costumes and Woolworth’s popcorn to Spirit Halloween pop-ups, we trace how the holiday has evolved, how it’s somehow gotten bigger as kids have vanished from the streets. We cover Silly String, Wham-O toys, Evil Knievel crashes, and the lost art of egging. We talk a fav costume of every kid in the ’70s: the hobo, complete with a stick and bandana. A nod to a real American subculture still celebrated each August at Hobo Day. A different time, a different world.

It was a smorgasbord of Halloween history and nostalgia with a few laughs and a fun-size Snickers for Jesus along the way.

Text us what you would love to hear us cover next 351-251-2511, and please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts!

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The Holiday Specials We Love: The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror V (1994) Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Holiday Specials We Love, we continue the Halloween preseason with The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror V from 1994 — widely considered the one of best of the series.

We dive in to the three unforgettable segments: “The Shinning,” a brilliant parody of The Shining where Homer unravels without TV or beer; “Time and Punishment,” where a time-traveling toaster sends Homer through chaos and alternate realities with a fun cameo by Sherman and Mr. Peabody; and “Nightmare Cafeteria,” where Springfield Elementary’s lunch menu takes a dark turn.

We talk how the sharp writing, balance of scares and laughs, makes this episode stand out and how it pushed the limits of what animated comedy could do in the early 90s. Marge quietly steals scenes, Willie takes another axe to the back, James Earl Jones makes an unforgettable cameo, and yes, watching the Tonys would have made us go mad as well.

We talk the creative freedom that made these early Halloween specials so great, and how The Simpsons helped shape the next generation of animated comedies.

Funny, dark, and brilliantly done — a perfect Halloween classic that still holds up three decades later.

Text your thoughts or favorite Treehouse of Horror memories to 351-251-2511, and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts!

The Holiday Specials We Love: Garfield’s Halloween Adventure (1985) Oct 18, 2025

Show notes

The Holiday Specials We Love: Garfield’s Halloween Adventure (1985)

On this episode of The Holiday Specials We Love, we continue the holiday preseason with Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, the 1985 CBS special that gets us rolling into the season. Halloween is our “spring training,” Thanksgiving, the All-Star break, and from here it’s straight into the holidays.

After the disappointing Thanksgiving special, this one is a step up. The pirate ghosts land, the 110-year-old man adds some edge, and Odie saving Garfield brings a little heart. Garfield even shares his candy — progress!

We also ask: is Garfield made for cat people? His sarcasm, dry humor, and attitude fit perfectly, while dog lovers can’t help cheering for Odie — happy, loyal, and always game.

Production-wise, the music is uneven — the opening song doesn’t fit, but the pirate tune and closing credits actually work. It’s a reminder of how much a soundtrack matters. We also talk the late Lorenzo Music, Garfield’s iconic voice,and how AI could soon recreate voices like his.

We talk how Halloween decorating has taken off — neighborhood contests, lights, and displays that almost rival Christmas. Not quite, but close.

Not perfect, but charming, funny and worth a rewatch every 5th October.

Text your thoughts or Halloween special suggestions to 351-251-2511, and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple!

The Holiday Specials We Love: Candy Thru the Decades Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

The Holiday Specials We Love: Season 4 Holiday Preseason

On this episode of HSWL we cover candy through the decades from the 1950's to the 1980's. The Hershey's chocolate lineup vs. the Nestle lineup. Twizzlers vs. Red Vines. Krackel vs. Nestle’s Crunch. Clark Bar vs. Butterfinger, Now and Laters vs. Mike and Ikes and more.

Who was into Necco Wafers, Chuckles and Bit O' Honey? What is gimmick candy and why the gimmick achieved success rather than the taste. Razzles, Pop Rocks, Wax Bottles we are talking about you! Can someone bring back the Marathon Bar? The 80's trend toward sour and non-chocolate. What was a Zagnut bar?

This 90-minute pilot has all the hot takes that will have you eating Skittles right out of your hands. We didn’t cover Circus Peanuts or Lifesavers but we have years of programming ahead to get there!

As always, please give us a 5-star review on Apple.

Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511

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