Holiday movies, trees, cards, and meals. But hold the nog. (Ep.16)
One stop on the 2023 Tacky Light Tour in Richmond, Virginia.
In Episode 16, Kori, Laura, and producer Keith discuss all things holidays - and one topic was hotter than expected. What do you think? To nog or not to nog? #happyholidays #holidayseason #bemerry #holidayspirits #podcast #podcasting #pushingpastpolite #millennials #friendship #friendshipgoals #eggnog #holidaybaking
Show notes and sneak peek
Episode 16 starts off with Kori sharing how her preschooler has started creatively dropping f bombs, which we adopt throughout the episode. It’s holiday time, and the gals (and Keith) share a bit about their traditions, memory making, and intentions for the season. Conversion includes decorating for Halloween, putting up numerous Christmas trees and enjoying the glow for as long as possible (Good Morning America cites science that this makes you happier!), creating a Christmas movie watch list, viewing lights (Richmond, Virginia has an awesome Tacky Light Tour and a beautiful botanical garden display), cookie and gingerbread house decorating (check out the Candy Cottage for bake-free fun), drinking vs. eating calories, to love or hate egg nog, systems for Christmas cards and where Christmas cards go at the end of the season, and trading in turkey for tastier meats (at least 2 per meal!). Kori’s youngest son J makes an appearance and volunteers to help cook the holiday meals. What a gem! Kori reminds all of us folks to moisturize every chance we get this winter, and we set our intentions for slow, meaningful, gratitude-filled time with our people.
Keith, Kori, and Laura all agree - starting this podcast was one of the best parts of 2023 and our listeners warm up our hearts - those we know and those we have yet to meet. Cheers to more connection and pushing past polite to engage in meaningful conversations in 2024 and beyond! Safe travels, happy holidays, and know we appreciate you!
Resources
Good Morning America: Your scientific excuse to decorate your house even earlier for Christmas: How decorating early can boost your happiness
Richmond, Virginia’s Tacky Light Tour
Richmond, Virginia’s Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and the Dominion Gardenfest of Lights
The Candy Cottage - a bake free gingerbread house
Transcript
Episode 16 Full Episode
[00:00:00] Kori: Yeah. So G, um, has been saying dropping the F bomb occasionally. And so recently we were trying to find something on the television and the volume was not working properly. And so he couldn't figure it out. I couldn't figure it out. And so, uh, he says under his breath, Oh, fucking jeez. And I was like, I was like,
[00:00:24] Laura: Kori, is that a phrase you use? That's an odd phrasing. You can say Gee Wiz or fuck, but not fucking jeez.
[00:00:28] Kori: It's like, bro. I was like, we don't say that, buddy. Why don't you say, oh, I'm feeling frustrated, whatever. Say whatever the feeling is that you have. Like, you don't have to say those words. And so he's like, okay. And so then a couple weeks later, same kind of thing.
[00:00:50] Kori: We were like getting jackets on and we're struggling with a zipper. And he was like, fucking jeez.
[00:00:57] Laura: So I told my children, they love it. And fucking jeez has now become a thing at our house.
Kori: That's hilarious.
[00:01:16] Laura: Oh my God. Here we are. Welcome to Pushing Past Polite, where we talk about what matters and make the world more just.
[00:01:23] Kori: I'm Laura. I'm Kori. We're so glad you're here. And
[00:01:27] Laura: we are gearing up for holidays around here as I'm sure you are as you listen to this pod.
[00:01:33] Kori: Gearing up? What are you talking about, we are in holiday mode. This is the difference between us. Already in holiday mode. We had Halloween. That's the gear up for holidays.
[00:01:43] Laura: That's interesting. I consider it certainly is a legit holiday, but I don't lump it with the others. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's is like where my brain goes.
[00:01:52] Kori: No, it's like Halloween,
[00:01:53] Laura: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's.
[00:01:54] Laura: Okay, so I've missed the preamble. I'm already late. That feels very right.
Kori: I mean, we decorated.
Laura: Not here.
[00:02:01] Kori: Oh, see, it's like we had yard, uh, blow ups,
[00:02:08] Laura: and, uh... The 20 foot skeletons? Have you seen those things? Yeah,
[00:02:13] Kori: no, we don't do that, but we had, like, something hanging over our garage. We had something hanging over our front door.
[00:02:19] Kori: We had lights up around the house.
Laura: You're much more fun than I am.
Kori: We had, uh, spiderwebbing all over our, um, our bushes and stuff out front. Fun. Mm hmm. And then we had our skeletons on Halloween night. We had our skeleton dragon and our skeleton dogs out there. So when the kids came up, they did some like…
[00:02:38] Laura: I remember taking my kids to, to the spirit Halloween store that shows up for like, you know, a couple of weeks. And those things would freak them out so bad, all the, uh, animatronic, like, sensor activated stuff. Mm hmm. You are a fun house. I dig it. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. I dig it. So, okay, given that we're already in the holidays, according to Kori, and I'm still not, I'm getting caught up, I wanted to chat with you about, like, how you feel about holiday season in general, like, how you're feeling this year.
[00:03:14] Kori: A recent study shows that people who put up their Christmas decorations earlier are usually happier people.
[00:03:19] Laura: Footnote, is that real?
Kori: Put that in the show notes.
Laura: I'll put it in the show notes.
[00:03:26] Keith: Yeah. Because they don't have anything else to do with their time. Easy life.
[00:03:30] Laura: They're ignoring all the stressers and putting up the fun.
[00:03:34] Kori: Let me tell you. Last night, or yesterday, we put up our three Christmas trees. We have artificial trees. We mix them up where they go, but this year we have one on each floor. And we have the one that we had for our first Christmas together. I still have mine like that too. And that one is the one downstairs that we use with the kiddos in the, in that area.
[00:03:56] Kori: And then we have the one that we bought it from our first house that we bought together. And that is our main floor and that's like the main one. And then we have one that we inherited from the previous owners like, so that is upstairs. And... The lights work on the one that we had from our house that we first bought together.
[00:04:15] Kori: The lights don't work on the one that we first had from our first Christmas and only half the lights work on the one that we inherited. But having, sitting in our family room last night with that Christmas tree glow.
[00:04:26] Laura: It's awesome. It's magical. It's magical.
[00:04:30] Kori: That's all I'm saying. It was just like, and then we had the tree upstairs that's half lit. We had it lit halfway.
[00:04:37] Laura: And you just turned it so you didn't have to see the other side.
[00:04:40] Kori: No, because it's just like the half, the bottom half all the way around.
[00:04:45] Laura: That's worse. I'm thinking, oh, the part that's not by the window. Fine.
[00:04:46] Kori: It's just for me and not for the neighbors. Mm mm. But the glow from the lights…
Laura: it was like Winnie the Pooh without pants, kind of like that?
[00:04:52] Kori: Oh, but it had the pants and no shirt. Okay. All right. Yeah,
[00:04:55] Laura: that's appropriate for going out depending on your gender.
[00:04:56] Kori: Yeah, depending. Yeah, and so it had that still had that warm glow like that warm Christmas light glow from here down. Yeah, yeah, but it's like from from my bedroom with the doors open I could look down the hallway and just like see the glow of that light.
[00:05:12] Laura: I had I think last year We put up a total of five Um, and some of them are small, so like they're not all full size, right? Mm hmm. But there was a spot in my house that I could see at least three of them.
[00:05:23] Kori: Is it the best?
[00:05:25] Laura: Fromone spot. It is. You never want to leave. I don't want to turn them off. I want to leave them on all night. I want to wake up to it. But of course, that's a fire hazard, so I don't do that. Um, no, I agree with you that there is magic in it. I don't, I don't fit in the category of having people who do it early. I know people who do it in October, I know people who do November 1, I know people who do it Halloween, I know people who do it like, uh, right after Thanksgiving. I'm more of a Thanksgiving evening, first week of December kind of girl.
[00:05:52] Kori: I'm, I, apparently I'm more of a Veteran's Day weekend kind of girl.
[00:05:56] Laura: Okay. I was like, wait, when is that? Yes. November.
[00:05:59] Kori: That's like November, the middle of November.
[00:06:01] Laura: Flag day. June.
Kori: It's my birthday.
Laura: Yes. I know. I know. I was just supposed to say, are you a flag day kind of girl? No. All right. Okay. So I'm sensing some enthusiasm about your holiday season. Is that a fair read?
[00:06:16] Kori: Oh yeah. I like, I like this time of year. Yeah. And, and because the kids are getting older, they're a little more interested in it too. And so it was. The conversation started with G and then he was like, got sidetracked. I was like, Hey, you want to go do some Christmas stuff? He's like, yeah, let's go.
[00:06:34] Laura: Yeah, yeah. Put me on the Polar Express. Let's do this.
[00:06:38] Kori: That's actually what we watched. No, really? So cute. That's like the that's our one of our Christmas movies that we watch. That's tradition.
[00:06:45] Laura: OK, so let's talk about that. Like, what do holidays look like for you? I'm hearing a Christmas movie. I we love Elf. The same. Yes. Yes. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Singing loud for all to hear.
[00:06:58] Kori: Yes.
[00:06:59] Laura: I'm singing. Santa, I know him. I'm singing. Love that. The first time I showed my kids that, they did not get it at all and did not think it was funny.They must have just been too young. Oh my gosh. Now they get it. Now they enjoy it.
[00:07:13] Kori: And that's the thing. I remember when that movie came out. Me too. And I remmber, we were in college, right? Yes. Or right out of college. Right around that time I think we were in, because I have a memory of being in a movie theater watching this movie with friends of mine who were on the basketball team.
Laura: Did they enjoy it?
[00:07:33] Kori: Yes, but I, the memory is like their legs over the
[00:07:38] Laura: chairs all of your six foot seven friends,
[00:07:42] Kori: because it was like, before this, you know, before all these reclining type theaters existed. It was just like a regular movie theater. Yeah. And so I remember being at a movie theater, probably in like Courthouse, Virginia or something, and, uh, watching it with some of my friends who played on the basketball team.
[00:08:02] Kori: Where is Courthouse, Virginia? It's like Roslynn courthouse, Clarendon.
Laura: I’ve never head of a Courthouse, Virginia.
Kori: Yeah it's like it's a stop on the metro courthouse area.
[00:08:12] Laura: Fair enough. Fair enough. Yeah. Um, love that. Okay. Yeah. Christmas movies are definitely a part of our tradition, too. I'm hoping to expand the library and be like, okay, this is our go to, but let's add a few more.
[00:08:24] Kori: Yes so the Santa Claus movies are nice. Yep. The, the Tim Allen, Santa Claus. We've started watching the Um, Kurt Russell ones, they're a little bit more edgy.
[00:08:36] Laura: We're getting to the age we can handle edgy.
[00:08:38] Kori: Mm-Hmm. . Mm-Hmm. . So we've wa I think we've watched the first and second one of those. And Goldie Hawn and, and then she's Mrs. Claus.
[00:08:46] Laura: I love her. I love her so much. Yeah. So definitely that. Another thing we love to do is we go on a Christmas lights tour like uptown. We love that so much. You don't, what's now? You don't have that.
Kori: Carsick.
Laura: Oh, shit. The baby gets carsick?
Kori: Mm hmm.
[00:09:05] Laura: Oh, that's not fun. Mm hmm. Could you find a neighborhood that has a good, uh, density of them and do like a stroller with blankets?
[00:09:11] Kori: Well, this year we're gonna try, there's a regional park that's close by. Yes. that I'm pretty sure that they do lights there. And so we're going to try that because we can probably drive through some of it because it's so close. Like part of it is just how long he's in the car. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:09:31] Kori: And so this, this is a park that we go to regularly. It's about 12 minutes from our house. And so like, It might work, but if it doesn't, there is plenty of place to park. They have these huge pathways that we could totally do a wagon and cocoa and warm stuff and blankets and stuff like that.
[00:09:49] Laura: Love it. There's a tacky light tour in our city that's elaborate in different parts of the city. You can do, pick five, six houses in a night, drive between them. You can rent a bus or a limousine company. We don't do that. We just drive ourselves.
[00:10:03] Kori: So there's a neighborhood in the. Like, my parents, not their neighborhood, like, just a few blocks over, there's this huge light thing that they, I grew up with.
Laura: Oh, so fun.
[00:10:13] Kori: And like, people come from all over, backed up miles on the freeway. Yes. You know, police and the road is one direction. Like we bypass that exit because we don't want to sit in the lights traffic. We just go past their house. And then drive back the other side. To the next exit and then go up and drive back the other side.
[00:10:37] Laura: I wonder if people disclose when they sell their houses in those neighborhoods. Like, hey, heads up, you're going to hate living here for like two weeks a year.
[00:10:44] Kori: They probably do because they're probably participating. Like it's a whole thing, right? Like the the power company is involved with, you know, supporting all that power usage that's happening in that location during this time.
[00:10:58] Kori: And, you know, there's like a lot of logistics that the city is involved in, police, and there's signage that goes up that the city puts up.
[00:11:09] Laura: Oh, this is not like that for us. I think this is much less formal, which means that some people could be like, Oh, crap, look what's happening. There goes the neighborhood, right?
[00:11:17] Kori: It used to be like that. Oh, but then it got more formal. Mm hmm.
Laura: Interesting.
[00:11:21] Kori: When, when I was like in high school, it used to be like that. People would do cars, but like, you could also get out and walk. Now you can't even get out and walk. It's like cars only. Huh. Uh, it's, it's evolved into like this whole thing. I will put it in the, we can put in the show notes so people can see.
[00:11:36] Laura: I'll do the Richmond one if anybody wants to be, wants to come to central Virginia. Our, um, our botanical gardens does a beautiful walkthrough one too, which is really fun.
[00:11:44] Kori: That's what, there's a botanical garden somewhere near here that, That kind of does one, but, and this year is one of the years that I would, might be interested in doing that with the kids, you know, they're both mobile enough that it's, you know, if somebody wants to get down early, it's not hard to do that and then get home by bedtime still.
[00:12:03] Laura: Exactly. Exactly. Okay. So lights are a big part. Christmas movies. What else?
[00:12:08] Kori: Harry Potter's. I love watching Harry Potter's during this time of year. Interesting. Because there's so much of it to me that reminds me of Christmas often in almost every one of those movies. Christmas happens. So I often am watching, re watching the Harry Potter movies.
[00:12:25] Laura: This shows my lack of literacy with Harry Potter. I've seen them all, please don't throw anything at me. But, um, I don't know them well enough to be able to. go back to them all the time. Is it because he goes home from school for break over?
[00:12:37] Kori: He doesn't.
[00:12:38] Laura: Oh, that's right. He stays because his aunt and uncle were so terrible.
[00:12:41] Kori: So oftentimes he is there at the school or with the Weasleys
[00:12:45] Laura: with the Weasleys. Okay. Got it. Got it. Got it. Um, we also do, I am not a baker and I feel like Christmas is the time that shows up most starkly in the culture is like, what you don't bake. It's a little too precise to me. I'm never great at it. I mean, I'll do it occasionally, but we really like decorating cookies. I let the kids, I give them, you know, I'll do like a slice and bake, um, something where I don't have to do that piece. And then I just buy them tons of icing. And I actually use anything that's leftover Halloween candy by that time of year needs to go anyway. Yeah. Decorate the heck out of your stuff.
Kori: Oh, nice.
Laura: And I bought a gingerbread house kit that's actually plastic. So it's reusable year after year. Uh huh. Because I don't want to bake gingerbread. But I'm not that good.
Kori: Show notes.
Laura: Yeah. Show notes. Promise. Shellac that sucker with icing. They each decorate a side. It's huge. I mean, it's a good size. Yeah. Love it. Wash it all off. Put it in the dishwasher. Put it away for next year.
Kori: That's awesome.
Laura: So, yep. If things ever get squirrely on a day over break. I pull that sucker out. Guess what today is? Eat some candy, get happy, leave, you know, leave each other alone and let's have some fun. Mm hmm. So that's a must do, too.
[00:13:51] Kori:Yeah, my Italian mother in law does the cookie thing. Yeah. It's a big thing. It's a big thing. There's like a thing called cookie day and like she and her sisters get together and some of them and they like do cookie baking and it's like a whole thing. One of her sisters like added another oven into the, her kitchen. At her previous home, she just moved to accommodate that.
[00:14:16] Laura: Wow, wow, wow. I, um, I also feel like it's a Southern thing, where people make tons of tins of cookies. Maybe it's not just Southern, but this is my experience here. And then, that's like a gift to the family. Like, we have friends that do that and will bring over cookies.
[00:14:29] Kori: I feel like, I feel like that is something that existed. But it also, It was like people used to make fruitcake, right? It like that would be a gift. Like people would make these fruitcakes and give those out as gifts. And that maybe was more of a midwestern type of, you know, tradition that took place.
Laura: I'll skip the fruitcake. I'm willing to remain open minded, but I am much more of the square of fudge person. Yeah. Or those Buckeyes with the peanut butter and the chocolate coating. You don't know any of this?
[00:15:05] Kori: I drink.
[00:15:09] Laura: That's, that's your, that's how you treat yourself for the holidays?
[00:15:12] Kori:That's what I'm screaming. It's like, I like all of the...
[00:15:16] Laura: Like a spiked eggnog?
Kori: Ew, gosh, no.
Laura: I thought we were going with yule cheer and alcohol, but that didn't hit.
[00:15:24] Kori: But eggnog is so specific. Like, you know, people have to have a really unique palate. Anyway, no.
[00:15:31] Laura: This is a holiday episode. What are you talking about? Eggnog?
[00:15:34] Kori: Like, there, I feel like eggnog is one of those things that people have two firm camps on.
Laura: Divisive.
[00:15:39] Kori: Right? It's like, you either really like it or you just don't. Because there's like a flavor about it that is just and there's like really excellent eggnog and then there's just trash eggnog and if you don't know the difference that you're not going to like it,
[00:15:52] Laura: not the nog,
[00:15:53] Kori: not the nog. Okay, so I'm thinking more of like a spiked apple cider or like a mulled wine. Yeah, like that. Yeah, more of that vibe. But, you know, we do a lot of tequila, so there's just a lot of other ways that we will just create drinks. Um, also, I like spike, spiking, uh, other kinds of drinks that like horchata, right? And put some really good rum or something in there. Um, anyway, I like the drinking part.
[00:16:24] Laura: Okay. Okay. I don't drink my calories. I, I can do just fine with food and baked goods, but this is good to know for when I host you.
[00:16:31] Kori: Yeah. I like the drinking part. And like, the, the food is. I'm a savory person. It's like savory foods and alcohol. That's where, that's where you got me.
[00:16:40] Laura: I enjoy the savory as well, but oh my gosh, the baked goods around the holidays get me good.
[00:16:46] Kori: Yeah. Trash. All of them. I, that's where they end up in my house.
[00:16:50] Laura: Okay. All right. Well, neighbors don't make any for Kori. Save your, save your efforts. Um, what about Christmas cards? Is that something that's a part of your practice?
[00:17:00] Kori: No. I want it to be, but it's just not. I love receiving them, like, I still have your card up from last year.
Laura: Aw, that's sweet.
[00:17:07] Kori: Mm hmm. And I love, I want it to be, I just haven't gotten into the habit yet of doing that.
[00:17:16] Laura: Mm hmm. It takes systems, it takes systems to not make it stressful. Mm hmm. And I feel like I have the system to crank it out, but I'm actually thinking about taking a year off. Is that terrible?
[00:17:27] Kori: So somebody I know used to write, like, letters. Basically, like they would do kind of like a year in review letter type of thing and send that out to their friends and family and it's like here are kind of all the updates from our family.
[00:17:48] Laura: I used to do that with the card, with the picture card. And it was, I did that until kids got to just be too overwhelming and then we dropped with just pictures because the truth is all people only wanted to see my kids anyway. And then, um, now my new kink in the works, here we go, Costco again. Costco has discontinued photo service, at least where I am, if not everywhere. And so I used to get like a crazy good deal on, I'd buy hundreds of cards because I was like, you get a card, you get a card, you get a card. And now they've outsourced it to Shutterfly. Which, of course, is not as inexpensive and also, in my opinion, not as good of quality. So I just can't get amped to start crank up the machine to make the system work this year. So that's kind of where I'm stuck. But I love receiving them so much. I make sure I think with intention about each person as I open them and, like, think about how they're doing and, like, wishing them good. Wishing them goodwill for the next year. I also, as I'm writing them and addressing envelopes, like to me that is such, it's kind of special to like think through, these are the people who've mattered in my life. Um, either just this year that I've met and added to the list, people who've been a part of my life for so long. There's also that like bittersweet part of like, Oh, I need to change that address for this person or this person's not with us anymore. And like, there's something really like sacred and beautiful about that ritual of just taking inventory.
[00:19:11] Kori: Oh, see, that's so sweet of you.
[00:19:14] Laura: I know, I hope I get to it. We'll see if I can. Yeah. If not, I'll just look at my Excel spreadsheet and send Goodwill that way.
[00:19:19] Kori: See that part. See that part. Spreadsheet. Excel spreadsheet. That's where I get, that's where you lose me. It's like, if I can send this out, which I sometimes have, which I've done in the past, it's like, just send it out via
[00:19:32] Kori: You know…
[00:19:33] Laura: Oh, the services sometimes will include that. Mm hmm. You can get everything self addressed and like,
[00:19:38] Kori: Yeah, no, but I'm, I'm saying no, no, I'm, I'm low. I, the, no, my bar is much lower than that. I'm talking about
[00:19:47] Laura: sending the conga over, not conga, the limbo over Christmas cards. How low do you go on this?
[00:19:52] Kori: Yes. Like if I could just send out an e vite, that's just. You know, not an e vite, but just like a card, an electronic card, a digital card, an electronic card, a digital card using one of those services, paperless post, e vite, something like that, it would be much more likely to happen. It is better for the environment. And so that, yeah, that the other part is like, I feel like as a business owner, I should be sending out cards to clients from the past year.
[00:20:26] Laura: let's talk about that. We can brainstorm some, some thoughts. I like that.
[00:20:29] Keith: Okay. But wait, when you talk about Christmas cards, you're not talking about the inevitable end of the Christmas cards. What do you do with Christmas cards you receive from other people? Admit it. They end up in the trash.
[00:20:42] Kori: Laura's is still on my, hanging up on, in my kitchen.
Laura: I made the cut. Wow. I'm out of the vertical file.
[00:20:51] Keith: But how long will that last?
[00:20:52] Kori: Until I get the next one.
[00:20:53] Keith: Okay. And then it ends up in the trash.
[00:20:56] Kori: Sometimes. Like there are a couple of cards. My sister in law and my niece and nephew. They have the most fire holiday cards I've ever seen in my life.
Laura: Oh, say more.
Kori: Like, they have a photographer come. They do it up. It's like every version is, it's like the Great Gatsby or something. Like, their cards are just so gorgeous. It's like art. So, I probably have more than one year of their holiday card in my home.
[00:21:27] Laura: I have saved some too where like, Oh my gosh, I love this family. These kids look how beautiful. I saved some. I would be lying if I told you I saved them all. I know people who punch holes or like do a binding of some sort, like make it like a book. And their kids can flip through and look, oh there's and so and so, which is really cute. Um, but you're right in terms of just volume of stuff, I can't keep it all. Yeah. I would for years recycle the front of generic, uh, Christmas cards or holiday cards. And I, there was a teacher that I worked with who would use them, let the kids use all the friends of cards as decorations for their family's card that they would make at school. So I used to be like, Oh, rip, ripping this part off and send that out. But you're right. The volume is just too much to keep track of.
[00:22:07] Keith: I just feel, I've always felt weird about that. Here's this heartfelt card from your mom or your friends. You, you know, it's their first Christmas with a new baby and you're like, that's great. And at some point you have to make the strategic decision to drop that baby in your garbage can.
[00:22:26] Laura: That moment is a little painful. I'd be lying if I told you it wasn't. Hopefully you can recycle and give that cute picture of a baby new life somewhere in the world. Yeah. Um, but I hear that. I think though, as a sender of Christmas cards, I don't expect people to keep me on their fridge all year. And I don't, my feelings aren't hurt when you toss that in the trash.
[00:22:45] Keith: I don't know, my family was never big on cards anyway, so, um, me and my brother both go to Walmart and get the 2 card that has a joke in it. We approach it and like, yeah, you can throw this out today, we're cool on it.
[00:22:58] Laura: When you say the 2 card, you don't mean like a box of cards, you mean like an individual card that you would give to your brother.
[00:23:05] Laura: Yeah. That's actually more expensive.
[00:23:08] Keith: Well, I mean, wait, so you're, you go to Costco and you get the, um. The photo card printed palette?
[00:23:13] Laura: You would not even believe like you probably need the minivan to pick it up. It's insane. That's crazy. No, I mean, but like I've done like 300 cards every year. Yeah, sometimes more, sometimes less, but about that. And then it's like, yeah, because there's like 15 cents a piece. I mean, postage. Yes. But some people I see in real life or will deliver to neighbors with a little, you know, something, a little ornament or something, you know.
[00:23:41] Keith: And are these personalized or? Walk me through the logistics of this. So you have, you have a spreadsheet with all the addresses on them and you print out your own mailing labels.
[00:23:51] Laura: So the Excel address book, of course, I use for all year for different things, but then there's a column. That says, did they receive a card last year? And it's a yes. So if you received a card from me last year, you're getting a yes. I reviewed the list each year. Not like you're off and I don't like you anymore, but more of a like, okay, if I've got, I'm doing about 300. Do I need to trim anywhere? Any new person I met at work this year that I've really gotten close with? I'll add people then export that list to Labels in Word, print the Avery label, two stickers, which go on each of the envelopes. My kids help me, a little bit of child labor in there. Um, I print the return address labels or I have those, the pretty little ones from the Kassner family. They're a little holly and spirited stuff in the corner. And then I do try to write a note or something in my handwriting on each one, but not, nothing extensive. It's a project.
[00:24:45] Kori: That sounds like a lot of labor.
[00:24:47] Keith: How long does that all take you? Just from the, from the printing out to writing notes.
[00:24:52] Laura: Oh, and then selecting the pictures.
[00:24:54] Laura: It's a labor. Oh, jeez. Oh, fucking jeez.
[00:24:57] Keith: Oh, fucking jeez.
[00:24:58] Laura: It is a labor of love. It really is. I'm sure I could cut some corners.
[00:25:04] Kori: Um. That, so that's how I was about thank you. That's how I'm about thank you notes. But it's usually so, the volume is usually a lot lower. Yes. Right? And so I am that same kind of way about thank you notes, and I, but we have a stamp for our, our return address, our return address that we use for everything. But I'm with you. I'm like that kind of organized with thank you notes, printing everything out in the words, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap. Everyone gets a personalized note. Even if some of the language is the same, I still, you know, name the thing I'm thanking you for.
[00:25:37] Laura: Oh, so do you do like a printout of the, of the thank you note? Like, in other words. The text is the same?
[00:25:43] Kori: Yeah, no, so I give myself a little script. I hand write all my thank you notes. But I give myself a little script. And so it's like a sentence or two that's the same pretty much in all of the thank you notes. And then a little bit of personalization. And then a little bit of personalization for each one. Just so I don't have to try to think of something like that every single time. Yes. Right? And so, yeah.
[00:26:08] Laura: It gives you something to start from. Gives you, yeah. So you're not just staring at a blank card and getting frustrated with yourself.
[00:26:13] Kori: Exactly, exactly, exactly. I like that idea. And some people it's easy to be like, Oh, I appreciate all that you contribute. Like there's, it's. It flows. It flows. It's so easy. And for other people who are like friends of somebody or my parents friends or, you know, I don't know them as well. Yes. Having something to start with and then like that, that's helpful.
[00:26:33] Laura: We didn't do, um, formal pictures this year, either professional pictures. I think I'm moving to once every other year with that. Um, so yeah, I, I, I'll probably put together something, uh, or I'll take the year off you guys. I might just take the year off. Yeah. Sounds like Keith supports that idea.
Kori: Yeah, I definitely support that idea. Come on.
[00:26:53] Keith: I'm over here like, can I get chat GPT to do all this stuff for me? Or what good are these robots if they can't send out automated emails?
[00:27:00] Kori: Basic tasks, complete basic tasks for us.
[00:27:04] Laura: Yeah. That'll at least get to your script for your cards. I like that. Yeah, I like that. Um, any other like favorite holiday must do's, like memories? Things you love doing, Keith, how about you?
[00:27:19] Keith: Very stereotypical, we're tradition based. So, I will watch, um, It's a Wonderful Life with my mom every Christmas Eve. That's just, we've been doing it forever. We know it by heart, we're sick of it. But it just, you know, I don't know. Like what you do.
[00:27:33] Laura: That's just what we do. It feels like the holidays, yeah. It's a sacred text. It's your thing. It's nothing super crazy.
[00:27:39] Keith: And like Thanksgiving. I love it. Thanksgiving Day, we'll end up watching, um, planes, trains, and automobiles.
[00:27:46] Laura: I love that. That's fun, too. Aw, yeah.
[00:27:49] Keith: And simple stuff like that, but we're, we're mixing up like the Thanksgiving traditions where we've moved away from turkey recently.
[00:27:57] Laura: Oh, because you realize it's actually not that flavorful of food.
[00:28:00] Keith: Yeah, it's just, it takes forever. It's annoying and it's way too much, especially for a smaller family. So we've been doing steak lately. We get a really good aged steak.
[00:28:08] Laura: Nice. Tenderloin?
[00:28:11] Keith: I like New York strip, but whatever. Yeah. So I'll go to Philly when I go back and they have the Reading Terminal Market there. They have a really great meat seller. It's like $65. It's irresponsibly expensive. But it's for the holidays.
[00:28:25] Kori: It's like, it's not all the time. It's like, this is the time you do it. Right. Absolutely.
[00:28:30] Keith: So. You know? Yeah, that's, that's pretty much it. Really for us, my family's so spread out, the holidays are just the chance for us to all be together. It's really the only time that we're all in the same room.
[00:28:41] Laura: How much of the family gets together? Are we talking like aunts, uncles, cousins, or is it like nuclear family, more you, brother, mom?
[00:28:47] Keith: We used to do that. My, my dad's family, he has nine brothers and sisters and they all have. They have so many kids, like, I don't even know, I couldn't tell you who my cousins are. I have, there's little blonde haired, blue eyed kids running around, I don't know their name, but they're related to me. But, since my parents split, it's really, it's him and his girlfriend, and me and my brother, and then it'll be me and my brother, and my mom. Sometimes my brother will bring his girlfriend home. But it's really small.
[00:29:14] Laura: Same with us. Even when our whole family is together, it's still really small because I don't have cousins that don't have, like, really, I mean, I have a few first cousins that are much younger than me on my mom's side. But my dad was an only child. He has two half sisters who we adore. Um, but they have one girl, like, there's just not a lot of, I didn't grow up with that, that large family feel. So it's mostly. Me, um, me and my family, right. And my in laws and sometimes my dad or whatever. So it's pretty small. I get that. Turkey can be overrated if you have to eat it for three weeks.
[00:29:45] Keith: Um, and Kori, so what are you, have you gone away for the holidays before?
Kori: Yes.
[00:29:50] Keith: Did we mention already that you're going to Maui?
[00:29:54] Laura: I don't know. Okay.
[00:29:55] Kori: So for Christmas. We all have traveled often
[00:30:00] Laura: for Christmas to get home to California, to your parents, right?
[00:30:03] Kori: Or to, we've done Louisiana too. I think last year was the last year we decided that we would be there to wake up on Christmas morning, like anywhere but our own home. And so that's why this year we're leaving Christmas night.
[00:30:18] Laura: Yeah, I noticed. Got it.
[00:30:20] Kori: But for Thanksgiving, we often, we typically host. And it's a small group of people. We abandoned turkeys a long time ago. And so we often will deep fry chickens. Um, Daniel injects them and we slice them like cut stuff. And we put like garlic and jalapenos and stuff all throughout the chicken. And then we like inject them with the butter base and then we'll deep fry them. And then my We come from Southern traditions. So my grandfather likes to say we need to have at least two, three meats. Okay. Yes. Always two, three meats. So I think this year we're going to do chicken, some sort of roast or beef, and we're going to try to make a ham this year using, uh, a recipe we saw on one of Gordon Ramsay's holiday shows when he was like cooking Christmas at his house
[00:31:16] Keith: Like whole pork butt and you cured yourself and all that?
[00:31:19] Kori: Yeah, we're going to try. So we didn't get the whole butt, but we have a meat farmer that we get all of our meat from traditionally, the Waltz Family Farm if you're in this area and they're amazing. And so we got a cut of meat from them.
[00:31:33] Laura: Hi, baby. We’ve got a visitor. Somebody needs some love. Cute little cut of meat. Little sweetie muffin.
[00:31:40] Kori: Uh, he came because he, he, he, Can you hear, can you understand what he's saying?
Laura: Something about clothes. You want to get clothes?
Kori: He wants momma to come sit on the couch.
[00:31:51] Laura: Yes, please. Mm hmm. That sounds lovely. Well, that's, to that point, that is my intention for this year. It's just a lot of, like, downtime with my people. Movies, food, cuddling. You know, go somewhere, don't go somewhere. I just want to be together. Yes.
[00:32:06] Kori: And there was like a hot minute. You want to see? There was like a hot minute where, Hi buddy, I love you. Don't touch that one though. There was a hot minute when me and, me and my bestie who lives nearby, we're going to like just do a small Thanksgiving. We're going to kind of co host because for his birthday, his 40th, we did a sit down dinner at his house and my dining room table is still there. We need to go get it. And so we're like, instead of picking up the table, um, just leave it here and we'll have Thanksgiving here. But no, there are too many people on his side who are coming. And since our family, our extended family just grew a little bit, uh, we don't want to expose the new fresh baby to, to too many folks.
[00:32:47] Laura: That's when you say go ahead and keep that dining set if you need it, but we'll see you after.
[00:32:52] Kori: Buddy? Need lips? Yeah.
[00:32:57] Laura: Oh, your boys love their chapstick, huh? Hey, that's a stocking stuffer.
[00:33:01] Kori: Oh, I, this is talking stuff for every year. Uh huh. Lips and lotion.
[00:33:05] Laura: Love it. Of course, Miss Moisturizer. We teach them early.
[00:33:09] Kori: I get, and I give it to everybody because you all need it.
[00:33:13] Laura: All the white people in your life are struggling.
[00:33:16] Kori: You all need it. Okay. And, and we get nice lotion. Okay. We're going to have some L'Occitane.
Laura: Damn.
[00:33:21] Kori: Shea. Like we're, we're going to be really hydrated and moisturized. Okay. When it runs out, that's on you. But everybody gets some. You get a Kori starter pack. Yes, it's, it's like it lasts longer for some than others.
[00:33:34] Laura: My poor thirsty skin said help. Right.
[00:33:37] Kori: Help. Help. I want to sit on the couch. Go sit.
[00:33:40] Kori: You go sit on the couch. I'll come join you. You want to say bye to everybody? Say bye. Bye, buddy.
[00:33:46] Laura: Mwah. I blow you a kiss. Aw, I know. Your mom is the best. I would want to snuggle her too. I get it. So cute. So we want to kind of wrap this up.
[00:33:57] Kori:. I don't know. It don't matter to me. We're fine.
[00:34:00] Laura: I was going to say like, what were our feelings around the holiday? What were our big traditions, our intentions for this season?
[00:34:07] Kori: Yeah. I mean, one of the things I really love about holidays is the, the constant eating. I do love that part and I enjoy cooking. And so, um,
[00:34:21] Laura: <To the baby> Oh,you, you enjoy cooking too?? My hobbies are watching Elmo. Uh, pooping in my own pants and making someone else wipe it. And I enjoy cooking. You enjoy cooking? Um, Jay, are you gonna help mama? Will you help mommy cook?
[00:34:42] Kori: You gonna help me cook?
[00:34:47] Laura: Yes. Yes? He's like, maybe? I don't know.
[00:34:52] Kori: Question in the voice. So, like, we take on a lot of the prep load because We don't mind it. And the boys and
[00:35:02] Laura: Uh oh, you just came unplugged.
[00:35:04] Kori: No, he hit the button. It was red and flashing.
[00:35:07] Laura: It's prettier that way, don't you think? Yeah, exactly. I get it. I do like, I don't mind any work around the house when I actually have time to do it. So the idea of having some time off and time with kids that we can prep and cook and be together in the kitchen is actually pretty delicious sounding to me. I love that idea. Well, wishing everybody super safe travels, super fulfilling time and restful time with people you love and a reminder to set intentions for what you want for your holiday and maybe give yourself some time off of the chores that you don't need to do. Like, I don't know, maybe Christmas cards this year. I'm prepping all my people be ready. Um, any other thoughts on the intentions of what you want the year to look like? End of year?
[00:35:53] Kori: end of year. It's here so fast, which is wild. I feel like this year really, well, I feel like maybe we say that every year, but it got here rather fast. And not only your intentions, but look back on all the things you have to be grateful for, for this 2023, right? Like we, me personally, I know that I have just an immeasurable number of things to be grateful for. You and Keith being two very high up there, being able to have this time together to record podcasts. And I've gotten time with him on the other side to recording podcasts. But I was talking to my sister this morning, right before I came in here and we were just talking about how grateful we are for our lives and how awesome our lives are. And you know, our families are doing really well and our children are happy. We're able to create experiences for them that are meaningful and enjoyable and for ourselves. And, you know, last night we're sitting in the basement and the boys are just like racing each other, like running from one wall to where we were sitting on the couch and jumping on it and then flipping over and cackling, laughing and running back.
Laura: I love it.
[00:37:13] Kori: Right? And so that is such a blessing and a gift.
[00:37:19] Laura: Yeah. The blessings of the everyday, right? Mm hmm. That's what I love about having the time to slow down is, you know, a chance to do more noticing and remembering and reflecting on what all that's good. Yeah. This time of year
[00:37:31] Kori: it's right on time for gratitude, right? To stretch that gratitude muscle and lean into the things that you are grateful for that already exist and the things that you want to set your intention toward that you would like to manifest into your life. Jay is over here like with the glasses on his head like this. Upside down. They're upside down but they're also like up like this.
[00:37:57] Laura: Like he's got to hold back them bangs. That's how my youngest wore her sunglasses for the longest time. Oh my gosh. Couldn't tell her different. I love it.
[00:38:06] Kori: They're hilarious. They crack me.
[00:38:09] Laura: Well, here's to hopefully the three of us getting together in real life in the next month before the year ends. Here's to, uh, really good food and drinking your calories if you're of that ilk. Go for it. Baby, I'll eat all your baked goods. And um, using the time for gratitude.
[00:38:28] Keith: And we're thankful for our audience. The people who are driving in their car, traveling on a plane, using us to get through the boredom or the, the craziness that is the holiday season. We're so thankful for you guys to be here with us.
[00:38:43] Laura: Nailed it. Producer, director, Keith.
[00:38:45] Kori: Guys, he's the best.
[00:38:45] Laura: The best. This really has been one of the best pieces of 2023 for me. It's been, uh, it's been so neat to see it go from plans and brainstorm and dream to, to something that, you know, people from. Multiple countries and places I don't even know on the map that are listening is really very exciting and fulfilling and even the people that we know that reach out to us and say, I never knew that about you. Yeah, it's been really fun.
[00:39:11] Kori: to Keith's point. Our listeners have people we know and don't know have helped us to push past polite and engaging conversations and just bring things up that we hadn't even thought about. And so we appreciate you. Yes, we're grateful for you. 100 percent.
[00:39:26] Laura: love it. Wishing you all good things, as Kori mutes her mic to check on her toddler, again, who's pushing more buttons. That feels like the right time to go and start noticing and be grateful. Thanks so much for joining us on Pushing Past Polite. I'm Laura
[00:39:43] Kori:. And I'm Kori. And, and
[00:39:47] Laura: somebody else.
[00:39:48] Kori: Baby J.
[00:39:49]Laura: Baby J. And, and Keith. Look at our ratio as we are growing and gender balance today. Thank you. Happy holidays. Happy Thanksgiving. Wishing you love and light. And peace. Yes. Good meat. And good. And two to three meats. Two to three meats. Yeah. Cheers.
Kori: Thank you for listening to Pushing Past Polite We encourage you to go deeper in your trusted spaces or find new space for good conversation. You'll find content to help you get started on our social media channels.
Laura: We're at Pushing Past Polite on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Kori: Pushing Past Polite is an independent podcast with Kori and Laura from Just Educators.
Laura: Our cover art was designed by Rachel Welsh De Iga of De Iga Designs, and our audio is produced by Keith at Headset Media. Until next time, don't get stuck talking about the weather. Push past polite.
Kori: See you next time.
