The Holiday Specials We Love

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**The Holiday Specials We Love**

Welcome back, fellow Holiday fanatics, escapists, and nostalgics! It’s Season 4 of the newly rebranded The Holiday Specials We Love Podcast! Join us on a walk down memory lane as the HSWL hosts break down all your favorite specials, shows, and movies, covering all aspects of Holidays past and present. Our two-part mission is one: to keep the spirit alive by preserving and promoting these great works. Part two of our mission is to lengthen the spirit of joy and giving that we have all come to know this time of year. At HSWL, we do tons of work and research to prep for our shows, too. You can help support us and our mission by subscribing and giving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Comments? Suggestions? Text us at 351-251-2511 Tawk Shawtly!

Latest Episodes:

Classic Easter Commercials Chat Show Apr 12, 2025

Show notes

Hey CSWL FANS!

A lot of laughs and quite a bit of nostalgia as we watch

some of the most iconic Easter Commercials of the 70s & 80s. How

Easter was WAY bigger then and why we never hear Easter Carols. How Dudley of ‘Shake

and Egg’ fame was the poster child for all things Easter. How the

Cadbury Cream Egg commercials were the BEST, but, how they as a candy were

‘just a bit much’. Would helicopter Moms of today drain the yellow

and white filling for their kids? Are Pretzel & Peanut Butter M&Ms too

far out of the lane? Why Vincet Price as Egghead was ‘Eggactly’ what we needed.

How heartfelt cards are so nice and what Netflix and Hallmark have in common.

How Cookie Puss is NO Fudgey the Whale and Carvels Easter Chick cake of old. Is

it ‘Car-A-Mel’ or ‘Carm-el’? How Ann Arbor’s newspaper journalist Meg Perry

provides insight into the REAL egg crisis - the Cadbury egg crisis. How when

you see Angels and Guides-just say thank you.

A lot of laughs and a little bit of insight as we March into

the Easter Season!

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

Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us on Facebook.

The EASTER season HAS arrived!

Talk Shawtly

The Berenstain Bears Easter Surprise Special Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

Hey CSWL FANS!

Well well well – after much back and forth over if we should or should not- we

did it- join us for this fun ride as we discuss The Berenstain Bears

Easter Surprise Special.

While there was some debate that the CSWL research team got the

spelling incorrect- it is indeed, according to sources including Wikipedia, The

Berenstain Bears, while some still refer to it Berenstein- Berenstain it is!

Could THIS fact lead to a future episode covering the Bears? We think not, as

an official apology has been issued to the Berenstain Bear community and all

those who love them. This slow paced, sing song rhymer received the official

first CSWL “N/A’ - not even a single basket rating but a mere pile of plastic

grass. Was this just true to form for the lazy writing of the 70s? And what was

with the goofy Dad? Was this just a poor man’s Dr. Seuss? How the all-day Atari

players of the 80s were ‘pioneers’. How the premise of the long winter pre-empting

Easter was actually good. How Cherry Red Boy is the spirit of the holidays

and how Mike Berenstain probably has at least 10k in the bank.

A lot of laughs and a little

bit of insight as we March into the Easter Season!

As always, please give us a

5-star review on Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351-251-2511

and find us

on Facebook.

The EASTER season HAS arrived!

Talk Shawtly

Easter Season Chat Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

Hey CSWL on this CWSL Chat edition, we went deeper into the meaning

of Easter and the Easter season. Warning: this isn’t a discussion on

baskets and bunnies but the emotional and spiritual meanings. Seeing

homes with Christmas lights still up and illuminated? Think there’s

meaning? Kev has been seeing many. What does AI have to say about

the meaning behind that? How AI can really offer insight into dream analysis

and our unconscious selves. What our Shadow Self reveals and how some say:

“There are no bad parts”. How we are truly all part of the Human Collective

and that, we really are just here for a cup of coffee. How teachers like Clark Kegley

and others can awaken us and teach us that we are made of so many different

frequencies, and the art of surrender. How being judgmental is just vibrating

low and how what is in your brain is what you find and that lent and the Easter

Season really are the perfect time to give up the judgements.

Kev and Anne went a little deeper but shared a few laughs and a little bit of insight as we March into the Easter Season!

As always, please give us a

5-star review on Apple.

Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511

and find us on Facebook.

The EASTER season HAS arrived!

Talk Shawtly

CLARK KEGLEY YOUTUBE

The Davey & Goliath Easter Special Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Hey CSWL FANS!

This one had us feeling all the feels as we cover this 5 Easter

Basket (Candycanes? Carrots? Bunnies?) Special: The Davey & Goliath

Easter Special “Happy Easter” yes- the one where Davey’s grandmother

dies. We of course digress to issue a CSWL legal statement and apologies to the

Cadbury Egg Community as well as the Berenstain Bear Community. Does D& G

as a series need to be revisited? Modernized? How D&G are similar to Roblox

and will the Peppa Pig Community also be offended? Why it’s okay to stray from

the Boston accent when discussing “Garbage” and how we not only attempted to

save Christmas- but we are attempting to save Easter as well. Did Religion peak

back in the day and how everyone back then had extra panes of glass in attics

and garages to fix broken windows. Will the Dick Beals society come after us

and was Davey a tad agro to Goliath? How barter is a lost art, what prompted

Lawrence Welk to say “too much cheesecake” and, how amazing was Grandma Hansen

in D & G.

A lot of laughs, a few tears, and a little bit of insight as we March into the Easter Season!

As always, please give us a

5-star review on

Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us

on Facebook.

The EASTER season HAS

arrived!

Talk Shawtly

Rankin Bass Here Comes Peter Cottontail Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

Hey CSWL FANS!

Hold on to your Easter Bonnet and snuggle into your leisure suit

as we talk most things Here Comes Peter Cottontail. How close was this to our

beloved Santa Claus is Coming to Town? Was the interstitial 2D animation a cost

cutting measure or for story telling? Was Peter just feeling FOMO when he was

‘overserved’ the night before the biggest day of his life? How Danny Kaye

doesn’t “have people”, why we may need to find a new world leading expert on

Milk Duds and how so often people would rather WIN than be Happy. What happened

to Iron Tail at the end and if Peter was redeemed- why then is Blarney Bunny

still lying? Was Sassafras a bit too snarky? Could he have sold Amway? We go

deep with fellow holidaholics The Thorton W. Burges Research League and the

Cultural History of Peter Rabbit.

A lot of laughs and a little bit of insight

as we March into the Easter Season!

As always, please give us a

5-star review on Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us

on Facebook.

The EASTER season HAS arrived!

Talk Shawtly

Easter Chat & Season 4 Kick Off! Mar 22, 2025

Show notes

Hey CSWL FANS!

Happy Easter SEASON and Happy CSWL Season 4 Kickoff! We talk

all things Easter past and a bit of present, the Berenstain Bears and Cadbury

Egg ‘Communities,’ how Lent and Easter are a time for transformation. From Tony

Robbins to the OG Hawaii 5-0 and, should the leisure suit (an Easter Suit

staple) or the male jumpsuit make a comeback? The days of receiving

baby chicks on Easters of the past and how baskets of yesteryear differ from

those of today. Should we cover more Easter Specials - including the heart-wrenching

Davey & Goliath episode? Is the Hollow Chocolate or Vanilla Bunny your go-to? Lots of laughs and a little bit of insight as we March into the

Easter Season! As always, please give us a 5-star review on

Apple.

Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us on Facebook

The EASTER season HAS arrived! Talk Shawtly

Christmas Eve Traditions Dec 24, 2024

Show notes

Christmas Eve Traditions

Hey CSWL FANS! Merry Christmas Eve! We MADE IT! The CSWL 12 Days of Christmas! We talk all things Christmas Eve past and present, John Denver, why one celebrity hires Catholics and how late night AM Radio on Xmas Eve is go to for Holiday Insomniacs. Northeast folk and Hollywood execs who “don’t disagree.” What do Catholics and the Baby Bear's bed have in common and the true meaning of Boston Strong.

Frosty’s airing removes the words 'Christopher Columbus'.

How 20 miles away on Christmas Eves of the past seemed like a journey to Mars. Childhood bedrooms turning into sewing rooms, wrapped or unwrapped presents on Christmas morning, Covid changing Christmas and how a Kardashian’s Xmas differs from a Stallone Xmas.

Should the Norwegian classic lefsa just be a side dish and people doing brunch on Christmas Day.

As always, please give us a 5-star review on Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us on Facebook. The holiday season HAS arrived! Talk Shawtly

40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s Part Two Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s Part Two

Hey CSWL FANS! We’re doing our best to save Christmas by diving into fan-shared Things Boomers Like: 40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s. In part two, Lawernce Welk’s “too much cheesecake”, Marie Osmond’s hair, Byron Allen's Real People and more as we continue our 12 days of Christmas episode drop.

Also, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland and Andy Griffith's A Face in the Crowd. And let’s settle it: Is Rhoda officially cooler than Mary Tyler Moore? How Kristi McNichol and Robbie Benson didn’t know how to add enough coal to the fire, and how DisneyWorld vs. Disneyland proves to be more 70s than 50s. How if someone is on TV long enough, they eventually 'get over.'

Mimes, Iowa traffic reporters, the boys regular haircut and Christmas on Sesame Street. The three Jimmys : Baio, McNichol and Osmond. The only reason we still know the Pink Panther.

Life behind the scenes on the set of Donnie and Marie Osmond. And how did Raggedy Ann and Andy’s Dog Arthur and Return of the Jedi somehow end up in the same category? Happy Days’ disappearing Chuck, and Pete Best? We wrap things up with a breakdown of why intramural sports might just hold the key to Bertrand Russell’s philosophy and why a mid-week Christmas is really the best.

As always, please give us a 5-star review on Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us on Facebook. The holiday season HAS arrived! Talk Shawtly

40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s Part One Dec 22, 2024

Show notes

40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s Part One

Hey CSWL FANS! We’re doing our best to save Christmas by diving into fan-shared Things Boomers Like: 40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s. In part one we tackle the first 20. From Bob Hope’s holiday specials to Cher’s star power and Rich Little’s impressions.

Funny how The Glenn Cambell Christmas special led us to discuss how comedy changed with disruptors like Woody Allen and David Letterman, why slapstick like pie-in-the-face humor might’ve always been overrated, and how subtitles can make things funnier. How did The Waltons seem like they were based on a real mountain family and their surprising connection to It’s A Wonderful Life? Remember when a 50-mile trip was a journey? Are Christmas Angels suggesting you try ayahuasca?

How Christmas variety shows of the 70s unveil insight into why Nancy Kerrigan’s story still matters, and why skipping Family Affair could land you a corner booth at “Victim Con,” Were the 70s just a big 60s hangover? Also, what’s the deal with whistling janitors, and could John Denver have taken a page from Billy Joel? How Captain Kangaroo’s appearance in a Christmas Special led to chats about random encounters with legends like George Burns or John Cleese?

As always, please give us a 5-star review on Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511 and find us on Facebook. The holiday season HAS arrived! Talk Shawtly

Alt Christmas Movie Picks Part 2 Dec 21, 2024

Show notes

Alt Christmas Movie Picks Part 2

Hey CSWL Fans! We’re back with Part 2 of the Alt Christmas Movie Picks. We’re diving into the genius of Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, why a 100-year-old’s advice still hits hard, and how Christmas is the season to embrace love and connection. Dickens's own story of writing A Christmas Carol may be more moving than the story itself.

We talk Spirited, The Man Who Invented Christmas, and the criminally underrated 29th Street. We’re breaking it all down, including how a certain Ghostbusters character channels big CSWL energy. Could all this vintage movie and TV talk spark a CSWL Summa Series? And what’s the deal with comparing it all to the 2004 Red Sox?

As always, please give us a 5-star review on Apple. Text us your thoughts at 351 251 2511, and let's keep the convo going on Facebook. Talk Shawtly

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