Christmas Without The Filter w/ Ivy

#203: Not every December needs tinsel-level perfection. We open the gift box on real holiday life—the joy, the mess, and the logistics no one puts on a card—and invite you to build a season that actually fits. With Ivy at the mic, we swap polite scripts for honest takes on gift pressure, Santa fairness for kids, and the surprising relief of doing less but doing it well.

We dig into the stress cycle of adult gift exchanges and share a saner alternative: fewer, better presents or one intentional standout that shows you paid attention all year. Then we tackle the Santa dilemma—how to keep the magic when classmates compare “from Santa” gifts. Our fix is simple and kind: let big-ticket items come from parents, and keep Santa for small, universal surprises. From pajamas versus full outfits to real tree versus fake tree, we keep choices judgment-free and rooted in what your budget, schedule, and bandwidth can handle.

Family dynamics get the same practical treatment. If Christmas at your house tends to ignite overcooked expectations, try time-boxed visits, arrive-early/leave-early plans, or a light ritual like morning mimosas to set a calmer tone. We talk Elf on the Shelf burnout, wrapping waste, and how to redesign traditions when you’re postpartum, stretched thin, or just not in the mood for extra chores. And because holidays should still be fun, we trade movie hot takes (Elf, Love Actually, Die Hard) and nominate a few songs for retirement. The throughline is agency: you can love the season, skip the performance, and still make room for wonder.

If the holidays feel more like logistics than magic, you’re not broken—you’re busy and human. Use this conversation to set kinder boundaries, simplify your list, and protect the parts of December that really matter. If this resonated, tap follow, share with a friend who needs permission to do less, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

Chapters

• 0:00 Real Talk Holiday Setup
• 1:08 Unpopular Opinions And Gift Pressure
• 3:09 Santa, Spending, And Fairness For Kids
• 4:44 Pajamas, Trees, And Household Choices
• 6:34 When The Magic Fades
• 9:00 Drinks, Drama, And Surviving Family
• 12:05 Movies We Argue About
• 14:01 Songs, Characters, And Overrated Icons
• 15:20 Theme Words, Budgets, And Boundaries
• 17:20 Rapid Fire Holiday Preferences
• 27:46 Closing Wishes And Next Week Tease

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

What is up, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of the Babble's Nonsense podcast where we talk about the things we probably should have processed in therapy, but instead we do it here on the podcast, but this time with a little holiday spirit. Today's episode is our Christmas edition since it's Christmas Eve Eve when this is released, which means a few things. There will be opinions, there may be chaos, and absolutely no one is pretending this is the most magical time of year for everyone. I'm joined by one of my favorite humans, Ivy, and we're talking about everything from holiday traditions and terrible gifts to the weird emotional energy that comes with the season. You know, the joy, the pressure, the family dynamics, and the subtle need for a glass of wine before noon. And this is not to sound ball hombuggish or that we don't like Christmas. We're just sharing unpopular opinions and doing something a little untraditional that's maybe a little less magical than your typical Christmas episode. This is not a perfect Christmas episode. It's a real one, it's light, it's funny, and it's for anyone who loves the holidays or just survives them. So grab your coffee, your cocktail, or whatever helps you tolerate festive music and let's get into it. But before we do, I should just preface this with if you have little ones in the car, this might be a good time to turn this off before we share our unpopular holiday opinions. Now, let's get into it. So don't freak out. Um we wanted to do, since it's Christmas Eve Eve, I sound a little echoey. I don't know how that's gonna come through on the speakers, but we're just rolling with it. Because I haven't used this equipment in a while. I think I need to start testing it. But we wanted to do a little Christmas episode to get you in the spirit to see kind of where you are Christmas wise. And we're just gonna do some QA's and we're both gonna answer, funny or not, if we have to take a break because the baby needs a break, that's what we're gonna do. All right, welcome back, Ivy.

SPEAKER_00: 2:17

Hi. Oh, got the sniffle.

SPEAKER_01: 2:20

All right, so what is your most controversial Christmas opinion? Hmm.

unknown: 2:29

We need to pause.

SPEAKER_01: 2:31

Why? Okay, well, I have one. So for my first controversial Christmas opinion is I really I mean, I don't not believe in gift giving, but I do feel like as we get older, like friends and stuff, and as your family expands, I feel like it gets a little much sometimes. Um, because I feel like we're just exchanging money at that point. Not that I'm not against it, like I really do love giving gifts, but I just don't know how I feel in the interim about you know always giving gifts, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00: 3:10

Does that make sense what I was trying to say? I agree, because we talked about that a couple days ago, like um it's just your headphones. Oh, okay. Like the yeah, we're just exchanging money. We're all you know adults with jobs and we can get ourselves things that we want, you know, necessarily. So I think it's kind of unnecessary.

SPEAKER_01: 3:29

Yeah, I agree. Not saying that giving gifts is unnecessary, like obviously if you have children and things like that, but I do think it can kind of get out of control. Like, I do have friends that have talked where they have said that they'll go in debt for Christmas and stuff like that. And just because it's kind of like one of those things, like keeping up with the Joneses, and then I know you and I had talked about this before. Like, yes, you want your children to believe in Santa Claus and things like that, but then there was this whole controversial opinion, I think maybe last year in social media, where it was talking about um, if Santa got this person an Xbox, but then Santa can't afford that for another family. Like, how do you explain that to your kids when they come home? Like, well, Santa must not love me as much, you know?

SPEAKER_00: 4:15

That I had never thought about that, you know, before, but then my girlfriend Justin, that's she's always done that with her kids, like where Santa brings like socks or you know, um anything like that, and then the big gifts are from them.

SPEAKER_01: 4:29

Like well, yeah, because you work so hard for um the um goodness to give your children stuff and you you want them to think it's from Santa Claus. All right, moving on to the next question. Is Christmas morning for pajamas or a full outfit? Pajamas. Life is like pajama ready. Like I think it's like hit or miss, right? So like if you have a family for sure, 1000% pajamas. Now I drive home to Tennessee. I'm not saying I don't wear a jogging suit, but I'm not wearing my pajamas up to um Tennessee Christmas morning. But I I've also I think it depends on my mood. Like if I'm like because I don't have kids and stuff. So like if I had kids at my house, obviously pajamas all all day all, you know, but I do a lot of traveling around. Like I go to my parents' house, then I go to my friend's house. And so I'm not saying I dress to the nines, but I don't wear pajamas. Usually like a Christmas shirt, maybe some jeans, maybe some joggers. Depends on the mood, right? Okay, so like elevated comfort, elevated pajamas. Yes. All right, fake tree or real tree, and how judgmental are you about it?

SPEAKER_00: 5:45

Not judgmental, fake tree, as many as you want, or have the effort the well, my I have eight-week baby brain, I can't do it.

SPEAKER_01: 5:55

Well, my same. I like fake tree just because number one, it lasts longer. I know everyone says they're bad for the environment, but my thing is is like well if you're keep if you do a good job of storing it and you keep it, because I've had mine for five years, so I'm not buying them and just tossing them all the time. But I understand like some people do that, like they upgrade their trees, or maybe the light goes out, and instead of trying to investigate which light it is, they just throw the whole thing away. That's fair. You know, so I understand the concept, but I've also seen people where they've had real trees and had horror stories where they had ants all over their house and spiders. Yes, yes, so do what you want to do, but for me all day it's a fake tree. Um, what age did Christmas magic die for you and who killed it? I personally don't remember. I remember waiting up for Santa Claus when I was probably six, six or seven, because that's when my mom met my stepdad when when um I was six. So I remember that first year with him waiting up for Santa Claus, and then I don't remember after that when I stopped believing or who told me. I just don't have a recollection of it.

SPEAKER_00: 7:02

That yeah, that's kind of the same. Uh kind well, it was around 10 because we that year my mom had to get um like angel tree type presents for us, and on the they must have put my first name on the thing, and so when I saw gifts for Catherine, I was like, hmm, that's not normal.

SPEAKER_01: 7:21

So I was like, okay. Yeah, you're like, wait, wait a minute. When so you have a 12-year-old? 12-year-old. Oh 11. Oh, so 11 and 8. Yes. Now, do when did your 11-year-old stop believe? Oh, I should have caveated this. If you're listening to this in a car with children, maybe turn it off. It's a little bit too late, but turn it off. Um, I meant to do a discretionary anyways. My bad. Um, I'll put it in the intro. Um, so when did your 11-year-old stop believing?

SPEAKER_00: 7:53

I think it happens like for like a lot of us, just kind of you don't even know. And then it happens because he um so apparently he was rooting around being nosy and he found Elf on the Shelf and didn't say anything, but Luis saw that he saw it, and so it's just kind of But does your eight-year-old still believe? Yes, and in Santa Claus and Elf on the Shelf and all the things were full magic, full on Christmas magic.

SPEAKER_01: 8:16

I remember I was talking to one of my other friends, and she was her daughter's starting to get at that age, and she was like, I don't know when, like, I don't know how to go about that. Like, do I tell her and she finds out from someone she trusts, or does she go to school and then like it breaks her heart from one of her friends, or someone's making fun of her for still believing? And I was like, I you know what? I'm so glad I have that. I I do not have those problems because that does seem like a hard conversation. And like going back to the first question we had, it's a hard conversation when these kids come home because she was the one who told me about it. She was like, Yeah, like my kids come home and they'll be like, so-and-so got this from Santa Claus. How come Santa only brought me this? And it was like a whole article written up in a magazine. I remember last year, and I was like, that is a good point because I never would have thought about that. All right. Um, eggnog, yes, no, or only when it's spiked.

SPEAKER_00: 9:04

Never.

SPEAKER_01: 9:05

Hell no.

unknown: 9:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 9:07

I'm sorry if you like eggnog, that's on you.

SPEAKER_00: 9:09

But like, ooh, like it's eggs. Why are we drinking eggs? That's like the fruitcake of Christmas drinks. Disgusting. No one eats it. It's gotta go.

SPEAKER_01: 9:17

I we went to um the cant's Christmas thing earlier um this week, and one of my friends was she ordered some and I was like, ugh, gross. Anyways, who in your family ruins Christmas every year? This year it will likely be the baby. But who typically do you have someone or is it or is Christmas not ruined for you? Do you just have that? Well, for my family, it's typically a sibling. Typically. I mean, there's always, I'll be very honest, there is always a fight on Christmas at my house. And I'm like, okay, I gotta go. It's that's my cue. Bye. Yeah, the one time. Yeah, we're pretty tip. So that's why I started going early. I start I started getting up early and getting there at like 7:38 and leaving by the time everyone gets there because I'm very Bahambuggish. Anyways, what's the most unhinged gift you have ever received? You go first. I don't okay, I do have a good one. So when I was in high s senior in high school, I was dating this college guy and um went to his house for Christmas, and his mother got me lingerie and I opened it in front of everybody. An 18-year-old. I was so embarrassed. I was like, is this is this is this for me? Not like not like sexy like Lacey lingerie, but like something to sleep in, like lingerie. Yeah. And I was just like, uh, what like you could have warned me I could have opened this like yeah, privately. I don't know. I wouldn't say it's unhinged, I guess it was more embarrassing just for the moment. Um, yeah. What about you? No. Nothing you can be like, oh my God. I don't think so. No. Have you ever given an unhinged Christmas gift? Not that I know of, not that anybody's told me. I don't think I have either. Okay. Who's the worst gift giver you know? You don't have to name a name, or you can.

SPEAKER_00: 11:13

Maybe it's me, because I can't, you know, like when they say if you can't think of someone to fill whatever like question, it's you.

SPEAKER_01: 11:20

I don't know. You also have postpartum brain. That's true. It's real foggy. Mine was always my grandmother or my mom. Like they all like that that that blanket you're holding right now. We have Mateo wrapped in a blanket that has a picture of me and Cricut, my dog. Blown up huge. Blown up huge on this blanket. I'm like, mom, why would she was like, Well, I got the picture off Facebook. I just I just thought you I'm like, can you just not give me anything and waste your money? Like I hate, like I or like when I was younger, like my grandma would get me the like most hideous clothing ever that went to the back of the closet. And I just want to tell people like, save your money or get me a gift card. Let me pick it out. Honestly. What family tradition should honestly be retired? Oh, would you say elf on the shelf? Absolutely. I've heard a lot of parents this year saying it's getting harder because like you have to think about it for years on end, come up with new concepts, move the elf, remember to remove the elf. Yes, that's a lot for a parent, especially during the Christmas season when you're kind of running rampant.

SPEAKER_00: 12:26

We we have a lazy elf on the shelf, and we've gotten away now two years in a row with it being um not coming to our house for days because we don't have enough Christmas spirit.

SPEAKER_01: 12:36

You gotta you gotta raise the Christmas spirit before he comes. What's your elf on the shelf's name? Gingerbread. Gingerbread. Mine would be let's think about this. I need something way unhinged. Probably bah humbug. Yep, bah humbug. Okay, who starts drinking the earliest on Christmas Day at your house? It would have to be me to deal with my family. I'm way more fun and can tolerate a lot more when I've had no about three years ago, I decided because not that it's like a huge fight, but like somebody bickers or argues or whatever. Um, but so I I three years ago, I was like, you know what we're gonna do? We're gonna start having Christmas Christmas mimosas. And it started chilling everybody out. So that's what we do. We have a couple Christmas mimosas, start start cooking some like, you know, all the little finger foods like sausage balls and whatever else you have. Um and it's a great day. And sometimes nobody gets in a fight. And I'm like, you know what, this is great. But then sometimes it can accelerate a fight, we just don't know. Okay. Worst Christmas gift you've ever gotten from someone you're dating or your husband. He's never gotten you like a horrible doing. No, honestly, he's done pretty well. Well, I haven't never really dated nor have a husband, so this question doesn't apply to me. So have you ever brought the wrong person to a holiday gathering? No, no, no. Um, is meeting the family at Christmas a bigger deal than any other time of the year? Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 14:11

Why is it a big deal? I think like absolutely if you're dating or something, like meeting the family, is it because they're traditionally all there?

SPEAKER_01: 14:19

Like it's a yeah, and especially if it's the first time they're meeting them. Oh, yeah, like it's super awkward for the person meeting, I think, because like you said, they're all there. You're joining someone else's tradition that you have no part of, you have no idea what's gonna happen. Like, what if they all got you a gift and you got nobody a gift?

SPEAKER_00: 14:36

Accurate, and you don't know them, so you don't know what they are like, right? And how many people are there? If it's a big family, good lord, you'll be broke. Or what if you're of different religions? That's true.

SPEAKER_01: 14:47

What if someone's Jewish and you're you know Christian and that would be I mean, I'm obviously you would have talked about that before it happens, I would assume. Um let's see. What's worse? Being single at Christmas or being with the wrong person. Oh, absolutely. The wrong person. Yeah, that was an easy one. Yeah, have you ever stayed in a relationship just to get through the holidays and get a present? No.

SPEAKER_00: 15:15

I can buy we can buy our own presents. Right.

SPEAKER_01: 15:17

That goes back to like us being like adults, you know. Best Christmas movie and why is everyone else wrong if they don't agree? Okay, it's a tie between love actually or elf. I knew you were gonna say elf. I don't know that I have a favorite Christmas movie. So if someone disagreed with you, why would you why what would your argument be to say you're wrong?

SPEAKER_00: 15:41

This is the I actually have to interject with Die Hard is a Christmas movie. I literally was about to ask you if you think Die Hard is a Christmas movie. So I was like, I've never seen it. You've got to see it. We just saw it like a week or two ago. It's a Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_01: 15:54

How is it a Christmas movie? Isn't it an action pack? It is where violence, tons of blood.

SPEAKER_00: 15:59

It's a Christmas movie. How is it a Christmas movie? Is there a Christmas spirit in it?

SPEAKER_01: 16:03

Is it just around the Christmas holidays? That's it. Is there like a Christmas theme?

SPEAKER_00: 16:10

They were going to their Christmas party when all hell breaks loose. That is not a Christmas movie. It's a Christmas movie. That just happened to be around the season of Christmas. I can't describe it, but once you watch it.

SPEAKER_01: 16:20

Someone argued with you about elf. Which I love elf. Yeah. Sacrilegious. And you said your other one was Love Actually. I think I've seen that one. Isn't the holiday a Christmas movie? Yes. So I do like that. Of King Winslet. Yeah. But I don't think I have a movie that I watch every year. You know, what's the one where they he shoot shoots his eye out that people love? Oh my god. Postpartum brain, I can't think of it. Christmas A Christmas story. The Christmas story. A Christmas story. But I will say the Grinch with Jim Carrey, I could watch over and over again because he just did so phenomenal in that movie.

SPEAKER_00: 16:54

He was funny in it, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 16:55

It was funny. Alright, so which Christmas song should be permanently banned?

SPEAKER_00: 17:01

Oh, I hate um the the grandma got run over by a reindeer. That's stupid and corny. And the baby it's cold outside. It's creepy, right? Because that guy doesn't like take no for an answer. She's like, no, I want to go home or whatever.

SPEAKER_01: 17:16

I've never like thought about it like that. Oh my god, listen to it again. I don't know that I have one that's like I'm like banning it. Really? I don't know. Not one. Again, I'm not very we should have prefaced this podcast with this. I've never been like a huge, like I I'm not a Grinch, but I'm not like I'm not a like super into Christmas. But I also don't have children. So it's like I feel like children kind of get you more in the holiday spirit, but then some people just really love Christmas. I've maybe it's because I grew up poor and we didn't really get a lot. So I'm just like, it's just another day. Calm down, folks. Um it's not that funny. Who is the most overrated Christmas character? Hmm. You go for I I I don't know. Would you would you say like okay, let's let's play three of them. Let's say Santa Claus. We're this is not who we're we're just gonna pick other Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, or who else is a high the snow what's that snowman? Oh the abominable oh yeah frosty the abominable snowman. Um Santa Claus overrated, yeah. No kid likes him. Look at all their pictures, they cry, they scream.

unknown: 18:30

That's true.

SPEAKER_00: 18:31

I get I get that he's the main character. Mrs. Claus probably all does does all the work too, if we're being honest.

SPEAKER_01: 18:37

Let's be so real. The elves and Mrs. Claus is doing all behind the scenes and he gets all the credit. Yeah, absolutely. You can tell how we feel Polaris. Down with the patriarchy. If you had to live inside one Christmas movie, which would it be?

SPEAKER_00: 18:53

Noelle. Oh my god, 10 out of 10. Oh my god, if you have Disney Plus, is it is it newer? Ish kind of. I want to say past maybe three years, maybe. I like that one with the train. Oh, Polar Express. Yeah. I think that would be kind of cool just to live on a train. That's true. And knowing that you're going to the North Pole. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 19:10

That'd be kind of cool.

SPEAKER_00: 19:10

Yeah, that's fair.

SPEAKER_01: 19:11

What childhood Christmas moment still lives rent-free in your head? I don't have one. Again, we were poor. We were. I have this one picture of me that I found on my camera roll the other day. And it reminded me of my friend's little daughter because she's kind of like that. And I sent it to her and I said, tell me your daughter's not mine. I said, because I was around like all these, you could tell these cheap toys, right? And I had on these snap, you remember them snap bracelets? I had on like three or four of them on both arms, like a cheetah print, all this other stuff. I had on this Christmas like gown, and then I was just cheesing with my eyes closed, opening in a present. And I was like, I I don't remember that. That's sweet though. I do remember like going to my um dad's mom's, and I do remember just always hating it, being like, When can we leave? And my mom would be like, Jonna. And I'd be like, it's time to go. Um what age did Christmas turn from magic into logistics for you? Oh, 10 out of 10.

SPEAKER_00: 20:15

Like, oh my brain. When you had children. Yeah. Because that you have to like there's a pressure to recreate that Christmas magic. Yeah, that you once had, and you want them to have it.

SPEAKER_01: 20:24

And then it's it that is a lot of pressure. It is. I think Christmas turned from magic into logistics for me. When you get older and you realize that people are expecting you to buy everyone's Christmas, like they're like, I got you something. You know, so it turns you start seeing that it's more like, like I said, like it's just exchange of money.

SPEAKER_00: 20:50

It's a to-do list and it sucks, and it's like we already have too much to do. I can't.

SPEAKER_01: 20:53

And too like in with the cost of living these days, like who can afford it? Honestly. Um, what's your holiday survival guide strategy?

unknown: 21:02

I don't have.

SPEAKER_01: 21:03

Well, this year for you it was a little bit easier. Not easier in the sense of like having a baby, but easier because you were off work and not having to juggle work, get your list done. That's true. Stuff like that. But not easier in the fact that you just had a baby.

SPEAKER_00: 21:15

Yeah. And Luis and Luca uh did all the house decorating this year. So how did that turn out? Oh, it's actually nice. Is it better than yours? It the the stairgarland could use some.

SPEAKER_01: 21:28

Or are you like silently judging in your head and being like, I don't want to tell them because they did something very nice for me. But also at the same time, like, y'all could have done this a little better.

SPEAKER_00: 21:37

But I think the stare garland, it's getting a little bit old and like stringy looking, so it yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 21:43

What's the acceptable time? Oh, we already answered that. Oh, no, we didn't. We answered who drinks first on Christmas, but what's the acceptable time to start drinking on Christmas? Right away. 8 a.m. Yeah. Christmas mimosa. In your pajamas. While the kids are opening presents, so you can just calm down and let them go at it, let them start fighting about who got what. Because I have so many nieces and nephews, and that's every time what happens when my nieces and nephews were younger, you know, they would compare, why do they get that big gift? Why do they it because kids, you know, they don't understand like cost and you got four gifts because that totaled a thousand dollars. Your sister, on the other hand, got seven gifts because that totaled a thousand dollars, whatever, you know, money-wise, because kids just do not they they quantify everything.

SPEAKER_00: 22:28

It's like you got three, I better get three, you know, like the same amount. Doesn't matter what it costs. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01: 22:33

Yep. Um, what's one thing you pretend to enjoy every Christmas, but secretly don't?

SPEAKER_00: 22:40

Ooh. I don't think I pretend I've like I can just think about that mess of the the wrapping paper at the end of it, and it's like horrifying.

SPEAKER_01: 22:48

And it's so bad for the environment. Yeah, we are sounding very ball humbugish on this episode. But it is what it is. But I I just wanted to unhinged like like podcast episode where people are probably thinking these things in their head and they're not saying them out loud. Because you know, every time Christmas comes around, it's all like magic and this and that, and everyone's like so la la la la la. No, let's be real, let's talk. Um, if Christmas had a theme word for you this year, what would it be? Hot mess express.

SPEAKER_00: 23:17

Why is that elaborate? Just because you're postpartum? I think so. Yeah, and I just I don't know, we're just winging it.

SPEAKER_01: 23:23

For me this year, it is a little bit more calm because I think I I took off a week, which I never do. So I'm just enjoying being off-ish, off-ish because I'm still doing a little bit of work from home. So I'm enjoying that. And I did um I tip so typically what I do, and this is also maybe an unpopular opinion, I typically don't get everybody a gift. Um I what I do yearly is I pick one person out of my life, friends or family. Like I kind of try to pay attention throughout the year. Like when people are talking to me and they tell me things, um, I try to pay attention and then I try to either wait for their birthday or their Christmas and I get one person a really nice gift. Because why, like, you know, I have like 15 nieces and nephews. And if you think about just spending$100 on them, that's$1,500. Not saying like that that can be expensive for some people. Um, or let's say you can't afford that, and then you get them all a$20 gift or whatever, you're not really getting somebody what they really truly want. And it goes back to those, you know, grandma-grandpa gifts where you're just like when you open it and you you you know you need to be nice, but you don't really know what to do. So I try to get one person a really nice gift. Um, and then I just change the person every year. It depends on what I've listened to or try to pay attention to throughout the year. So I don't have a theme word, or maybe it maybe this year it's just calm. That's a good theme, yeah. Yeah. All right, we're gonna do some rapid fire questions. Santa or Jesus?

SPEAKER_00: 24:57

Oh that's hideous.

SPEAKER_01: 25:02

Santa. I'm gonna go with Jesus for that one because Santa is not real. That's true.

SPEAKER_00: 25:08

And Jesus is, and Santa is the spirit of the season. Of Jesus' birthday.

SPEAKER_01: 25:14

Yeah, I need to know how it transferred from Jesus' birth to a fat man at a red street. A holy jolly man that gives everybody presents. Yeah, I don't know. Versus doing service. Anyways, I digress.

SPEAKER_00: 25:24

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01: 25:25

Red wine or champagne? Champagne. Champagne all day. Big family Christmas or small cozy one. Small cozy. Small cozy. Ugly sweater or absolutely not. Ugly sweater. Depends on the mood and where we're at. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Ooh, shoot. Both. I love Christmas Eve. I think that's just because traditionally when we grew up, that was when we, you know, we made cookies for Santa. We we did the reindeer mix or whatever it is to go out and feed the reindeer. Oh, that's cute. You know, something like that. So I think just having that moment, not saying that Christmas Day isn't fun, but I feel like the excitement just ends quicker on Christmas Day, where Christmas Eve, it's like you're building all this excitement all day, and then you do all your stuff at night, and then it just for me, it just seems more magical.

SPEAKER_00: 26:12

And then Christmas Day, yeah, you kind of just lays around and enjoy the different things. Okay. Stay home or escape town. Ooh. I it's a coin toss. We're kind of in the escaping town want. Some people do that.

SPEAKER_01: 26:26

Some people really do um like to just I've seen families where they'll go to like Disney or something and have like a that's just the Christmas present is Disney itself because you know it's expensive. And families will just go do that and they'll be at Disney at Christmas or just take a really big vacation. I think it's obviously when children get older and you can't they understand like, hey, this is a really expensive gift for us. This is what we're gonna do. Um, for me, I obviously have to escape town because I have to drive to to my family. Um, but if it if my family were locally, it would just definitely be a stay at home. Y'all come to my house, type Bob.

SPEAKER_00: 27:03

That's true. I think both is nice. Like getting out and totally going to a new city or place is nice. We went last year, right before Christmas, though, just as a family to Chattanooga and rode like the bikes across the the bridge thing and stayed at the Edwin Autograph Hotel. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 27:20

10 out of 10. And then um, last question Thanksgiving or Christmas? Thanksgiving. See, I'm going with Christmas. It used to be Thanksgiving for me until my Uncle Ronald passed away because he I just loved being at his house on Thanksgiving, and it's just changed over the years. So now it's really just Christmas because I get to spend time, you know, with a different side of the family, and then I always have my Huntsville family that I spend time with. But yeah, that's all the questions I have. I just wanted to do a short and sweet episode. Sorry if this was so bah hombugish for you guys, but I wanted to do something a little untraditional and a little unhinged. So I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and we will be back next week with a whole new episode for you guys on the new year. Until next time. Bye. Merry Christmas.