Outro Music Yeah.

Hi, I'm Francesca.

I'm Victoria.

I'm Laura.

And welcome to Novel Night!

Hi, everyone.

Welcome to novel night.

It's a holiday week.

But if you're here, that means you are looking for a bit of entertainment so

Tonight, this is a pre recorded episode.

Okay, but we are going to be talking about christmas traditions Okay,

we are dedicated to you all viewers.

So we decided to bring a christmas traditions episode to you as

well Because i've also learned, thanksgiving day You Has the

Macy's day Thanksgiving day parade.

I've watched it and at the end of the parade, Santa Claus is there.

And I'm like, Oh, okay, this is interesting.

So, on Thanksgiving day, y'all give thanks.

Eat stuff your face then we're ringing in santa claus straight after and then

of course we go black friday shopping the next day So we are going to be

talking about all things chris Christmas traditions what we grew up doing what we

do now what we see other people doing and all the things So, the first big question

is when does christmas actually begin?

Now for me growing up christmas always began when advent began

I grew up very Christian, so we follow the Christian calendar.

Advent is the beginning of the Christian year.

You know what I'm saying?

We kind of kick things off.

So for me, Christmas really started whenever Advent falls.

This year, Advent falls on December 1st.

So it's going to be the first Sunday in December.

So technically that's when Christmas begins.

What about you guys?

So for me, growing up was the same as you, because also growing up Catholic,

it was usually around December 1st.

After moving to the States though, and also I would say it's probably

because growing up, I didn't really celebrate a lot Halloween.

And once I moved here and, I'm on my own, I really got to explore

more of the celebrating Halloween.

So for me now, it starts with December 1st.

Right after Halloween, like as soon as that is done next day, it's on.

What about you, Laura?

So we saw me growing up, it was December around December.

I am not a big unlike what you see over here.

This is my first Christmas tree.

I've been living on my own for 25 years.

I'm not celebrated.

I'm not decorated.

This is just You know, we're in a new era and so, and I got this like

a couple weeks after the election.

So it's a, it's depends on the mood for me.

But what's different in Puerto Rico is that we don't stop

celebrating until like late January.

So we have a really extended holiday season and we have like,

multiple extended holidays with it.

So it doesn't matter when you start, it's when you stop, it just, February

1st, we just take our trees and burn them down because that's where

the virgin fire celebrates her.

I don't know her thing.

So Okay, this is so interesting.

I love hearing about these different things.

I never did Halloween either, so I didn't have that growing up.

So it's just like, that's a dead holiday.

Of course, Thanksgiving wasn't a thing, so that's also a dead holiday.

So for me, it's like when you go to school in summer.

Summer, you start school, then it's like, okay, you get midterms.

And then after that, it's just, Christmas.

So yeah, it's just very interesting.

But it was always dictated by the church calendar.

Sometimes Advent would begin like late November.

It just depends when things fall.

And for me, even this year, I feel like Thanksgiving is super late.

Like I felt like Thanksgiving was supposed to be last week.

I don't know.

It's just again.

It's it's the calendar.

But what was like something childhood that you remember that

was very distinct about Christmas?

Like what was something you'll always did in your household, Fran?

So for me, I guess different than what maybe some people do here in the States.

We were very big on Did nativity because again, growing up Catholic.

So for me, the tree maybe wasn't as important or decorating the house,

but it was about the nativity.

So like, I've always grown up with a huge nativity set.

Like we build a whole town and like, that was more of what you

were really looking forward to.

And it was such a shock when I moved to the States and I was looking to

buy stuff to build my nativity set.

And there was nothing to buy and I was scrambling and I'm like,

what is wrong with you people?

And then, it's just like, whatever you can find is just, the little basic thing.

And I'm like that is not a nativity set.

What are you talking about?

So I think like that was always a special part for me.

And a lot of it, yes, we used to make things ourselves.

So where you had to like, build a little lake or a river or something or,

stuff that you would build yourself.

And we used to do that also with the Christmas ornaments, like on the tree.

Probably, I mean, my mom was very particular, so probably

not as like kid looking.

There was They had to look good.

So there was pressure.

Yeah, that's what we were doing.

But yeah, I think that just the spending of that, the importance of the holiday,

as opposed to the shopping aspects.

So like gifts and stuff was never the main thing, at least in my

household, it was more about the real meaning of the holiday.

What about you, Laura?

So we just celebrate Nochebuena, which is the holy night, the night before he

gets more and all the different things.

But the reality is that Puerto Rico celebrates Three Kings Day.

That's the day that we get gifts.

That's the day it's January 6th, by the way.

So that day is a holiday.

It's considered like a high holiday in Puerto Rico.

The night before we get gifts.

Get grass.

The kids get grass for the camels and they do like, a little bit of water

and then they get like, the morning they get guests and stuff like that.

We do have Santa Claus.

We do have that place.

But the reality is that three Kings Day is the bigger holiday.

It's when, all the gifts are given to, Jesus.

And but we celebrate at least in my family and most of the people, most of the

culture that I grew up with Noche Buena.

was that's the night that we celebrate.

We have dinner, we go to midnight mass, we do the things and that's the celebration.

And it's just like the next morning.

It's like, it's kind of like an afterthought.

Right.

We were lazy at my house.

We wouldn't go to midnight mass, but we would watch midnight mass on Tuesday.

We would not leave the house.

All the good Catholics go to the mass.

We're just we're just like partying it off and stuff like that.

And most people like have parties and they, they go to other people's

houses and they just start singing and start, our Christmas caroling

are like, basically like, on singing and then going and raiding people's

houses, alcohol and food, you know.

It's actually funny about the three kings because in Panama

we also celebrate three kings.

But what's, what I find really interesting is the fact that in Italy,

There is also a holiday Three Kings.

It is celebrated, which is when you get gifts, and it's on January 5th.

It is also usually like epiphany kind of thing.

Which is technically like a witch.

It's like this really ugly looking witch, and that's how you get the gifts.

So it's almost like a Scary, but not scary kind of thing and I find it

so interesting because the Italian culture really Does not mesh well with

the concept of Halloween and witches and all of that But there is so much

of that in Italian folklore that it's even in a Christmas tradition.

So yeah, I find that That is so interesting.

I like how like the religious mixes with the folklore a bit and just

like local Law and cultural bits, religious religion aside for me again.

It was just everything was just heavily religious.

Everything was heavily religious.

So the first thing you're looking for is advent.

And I personally loved advent because, advent candles week

after week, just all the things.

What was big was not buying a Christmas tree.

None of that, it just, it wasn't, I didn't have Santa Claus, which was a whole thing.

My husband and I, again, when you have two different cultures kind of

coming together, it's like, okay, how do you feel about Santa Claus?

Like we didn't grow up with that.

I just always attributed that to, no, that's like American.

I mean, in the UK you have people do Santa Claus, in Jamaica, not so much.

And, I grew up in an immigrant family.

However, what was big was the night before Christmas.

So it's christmas eve we had like what is known as a grand market So that's when

everyone goes out like you want to go out with your friends So first, you know

when you're little you go out with your family, but that's when you buy the gifts

So there's no for me illusion that oh santa claus brought you all these gifts.

No, it's your parents and Full well your parents bought you gifts or in my case.

I have a sister bought you gifts grandparents bought you gifts That's

what we would do The difference is the adults would purchase like the

gifts most of the gifts not all But the adults would purchase gifts in

advance But the children purchase the gifts the day before Christmas.

So it's like your mom gives you money, your dad gives you money, and you go

out and you buy gifts on Grand Market for your family and your friends, but

it's also like a hangout day as well.

So you hang out with your friends, you eat food, it's like a market, street market.

They close the streets, you buy from local vendors, you go in established

stores, but you know, the older you get, you want to hang out later.

So no matter how old you get and whether you're religious or not as midnight is

approaching Everyone goes to the church now because old european cities and even

in jamaica and the caribbean like it's all built around the church So the church

is usually at the center of the town.

So it's like you could be in the middle of a club You could be out on

the street, you're like, you hear the bells going, we all funnel into church.

So whether you're in the hall, you're outside, it's like you're there for

like, the prayer and just all the things.

I grew up Methodist by the way, I noticed you two are Catholic.

But so those were like the big things.

Like you, we did all decorations ourselves, it, it wasn't

like a big thing on a tree.

It just, it wasn't.

Yeah, it was just, it wasn't.

And again, you go to church and my favorite was of course, Christmas dinner.

We'd always have like ham and beef and different things.

At least three meats.

We always went all out for that and we baked cakes.

Baking was a big thing and all family was known for that.

So we bake cakes for our neighbors or fruit cakes and no, it's not that

disgusting stuff in publics and pre made stuff that I'm like, no, that is.

No, we make really good black cake fruit cakes so good and to this day my

mom still makes them and You know You give them out to friends and family and

neighbors and when someone comes over to your house during the christmas month

So if someone comes over in december or even early january, they are expecting a

piece of cake Okay it's like you have to have the cake with the tea, or if they're

Caribbean, they'll have like the sorrel or whatever, but yeah, so food is a big

thing, but there's no, we're not fooled, we know our parents are buying our gifts,

okay, we do, and gifts aren't big either, so that's another thing, and I've seen

people how they go all out for decorating, it just, it wasn't a thing, so I don't

really feel like that peer pressure, because I just, I didn't grow up with it,

Yeah, so that's just very interesting.

But what do we do today?

So that's what we grew up with But what do we do today?

The one thing I do today I will say is buying a real christmas tree again It just

goes to the fact that christmas wasn't about a tree It wasn't about the gifts.

It was just about church.

Oh, and like you said, Fran, the nativity set, I love doing the nativity play.

So we always had like a play at church.

It was a whole production.

Yeah.

Everyone's coming together.

Everyone's fighting.

Who's going to be Mary.

Who's going to be Joseph.

Who's going to be a three wise men.

That's all.

That's our competition.

Who's going to put on a good play, whether it's morning service,

evening service, whatever.

Anyway.

The thing I do now, which has become a new tradition is

purchasing a real Christmas tree.

So I purchased this tree.

This is my first fake tree on my own kind of like Laura said, she never did the

things I never did Christmas when I was single and by myself, I just go home.

This is my first fake tree for the office for content for you folk.

But we would go out and purchase a real tree and even being in

Florida where it's super hot, the trees actually last down here.

I love the pine smell and that's something we do together.

My husband travels for work.

So what we do is always up in the air.

Family doesn't live here.

So what we do is up in the air, but what I do is buy a real Christmas tree.

What do you do from now?

So I have gotten way more into decorating.

I know it doesn't look like it because I'm really not feeling it this year.

But I do tend to go all out with decorating and I probably got really

into that when I moved to New York.

I think it probably was like the peer pressure of having like in New York,

everybody really decorates like the windows and the outside and whatever.

And I felt like I had to do that.

And in wanting to do that and like getting into that, it just translated more

and more into the inside of the house.

But I was, I guess a little bit always, like, I really liked the decorating, but

I really, like, go all out, like I have.

I don't do real trees.

I did that for a couple of years, but I just don't like the mess.

So I, I'm all about the fake trees.

I have multiple trees, usually, in the house.

So there's the green, regular, big one.

There's usually a white one.

I like to do themed decorating.

So the trees will usually have a theme.

So maybe all the ornaments are particular kind of color.

So I do have multiple sets of ornaments and base of what mood I'm feeling in.

So yeah, that, that is something that I do now that I never did before.

My family never did.

Like you're.

And you're not finding that anywhere, but I do enjoy doing that now.

And obviously, yes, my nativity set, that is, I guard it now,

like my prized possession.

You can't buy this stuff.

So I've sort of taken it a little bit like a collector's kind of thing.

So I buy stuff throughout the year, I collect it, and then I put stuff together.

So I do enjoy doing that.

Like I said, I don't know, I'm just not feeling it this year.

So It's not there, but I get that.

What about you, Laura?

What is something you do now?

So I don't celebrate, like, it's very interesting, but after I moved

to the States, I did not celebrate.

It's every so often.

My family stopped celebrating, like, the big celebrations is my grandma

passed away about 15 years ago.

So it was, you used to have an obligation where we would just have dinner and

have all the community and family.

But the reality is that we just sit in like decorations, the whole

thing, it was just, it was hard.

And it's hard because when I was growing up, my Dad had a store.

So my mom was working on the store and the biggest moneymaker is December 24th.

So we were just it was just this weird, like, it's just a busy time of the year.

We're just like, we're just going, making the most amount of

money for the rest of the year.

So it was never like the sense of like, we got to sell it.

We got to decorate it.

It was like, we're just on the go.

So it has translated.

My grandma actually collected Nativity sets through Kings and stuff.

So when she passed away, we had so many.

Get them out and like there's all kinds from the cheap to the most expensive

ones like very like price possession.

So we have, so my parents house has like a bunch of nativity sets.

I am inheriting her golden ornaments or like beautiful ornaments.

I, my mom was like, well you put a tree so I'm gonna send you the ornaments.

So I'm inheriting those from her but.

She's the one who celebrated Christmas.

My family, my direct, like my mom, my parents, and my brother, we don't

celebrate, a big thing as a family.

No, I get that.

It's just Christmas is very interesting.

The one thing I will say is everyone just has to do what works for them.

Because now let's get into what we see nowadays people doing because when I see

what nowadays people are doing I'm like man, you're putting lots of pressure

on yourself, you know Just like going all out and especially when you have

children like I get wanting it to be magical But again, it just kind of goes

back to I guess that's what you had experienced, or maybe you had wanted.

So you're kind of creating this thing for me.

It just, it's too much work.

I am team, please remember the reason for the season.

Okay, Jesus is the actual gift.

I hate to be corny, but it's true.

You can purchase gifts, but I just, if you're gonna stress yourself out,

if you're happy doing it, and you don't feel stressed out, God bless.

Me watching people decorate outside, inside, this, that, it's like you

put it up, you have to take it down and then you have to store it.

And then I think about all these things.

I also think about just finances because it's a lot.

Okay.

It's a lot of money for a lot of these things.

Even if you buy them on sale in January and save them for next

year, it's just, it's a lot.

So I find that very interesting.

Elf on the shelf is a nowadays people thing.

I also notice, I never did that with mine, but I like, we have, we have

little ones in our family and we kind of carry when they come over here as well.

And I'm just like it's a lot if you have to do something

different every day for 24 days.

So that's why I have a lazy guide.

So if you forget to move the shelf, go over to the blog there.

So I think that can be stressful and.

Purchasing gifts and the gifts getting bigger and bigger because

as the kids get older, I just I don't know I see a lot of stress.

So I often say don't try to do everything during christmas so if we're doing elf

on the shelf, which we are doing with the littles when they come over is That's it.

But when you come over in january and again the winter months are long again,

we're in florida So we have good weather But if you're somewhere where it gets

super cold and all save like the cookie stuff like, cookie decorating You

don't have to do christmas decorated cookies You But you can do winter theme

decorated cookies or just anything.

It's like, you don't have to cram everything all in December

because it's just exhausting to me.

So that's the biggest thing I see with nowadays people is Christmas

is not relaxing or family or, like focusing on quality time.

It's actually stressful.

That's my biggest nowadays people thing I noticed.

What do you notice Fran?

Yeah, I actually agree with you on especially with the decorating again

from my experience of like wanting to keep up with everybody else doing it.

I did it for a couple of years and then I was like, why am I doing all this work?

And then I have to take all this stuff down and I don't even get to enjoy

it because I'm inside the damn house.

So I just focus about what I can see because it's pretty because I can

see it and the rest is like there is not one single light outside ever.

I don't get to see it.

I totally get that.

I think people do put a lot of pressure on themselves.

And the biggest thing that I see, especially that has gotten worse

over the years because Capitalism and consumerism, but the gifts, there's so

much pressure on gift giving and it's never just like, Oh, it's the thought it's

they forget the fact that the gifts are getting bigger because kids get bigger

because I mean, I don't have, but it's just the pressure of the expectation

because everybody just expects a lot.

Like you can't just go to somebody with like a 20 gift as a thought.

Like I thought about you.

That doesn't work.

And for me, that is so crazy because again, I never grew up very big on gifts.

And if somebody gives you something, it's just, it's the fact that

they thought about you, right?

So it's not so much about what I got, but it is about what I got with people.

So I don't know.

And I think that there's also, it puts pressure, even if you're the

one receiving it, it puts pressure on you if other people are giving

you all the stuff and these big gifts are like, somebody spending X

amount of dollars on a gift for me.

Now I feel like I have to do.

And to me that just, I know people enjoy it, that's great, but it does

add so much extra pressure, especially in a financial way where, it just

adds to the stress of the season.

Can I add, that's part of my problem where in a way I used to wonder

if I was missing out on something with the Santa Claus experience.

You know what I mean?

I used to really wonder.

But then it's like now, and when it came to my husband and I deciding

how do you approach Santa Claus?

I just came to the conclusion, and again, to each his own, but this

is what I'm thinking about kind of playing off what you're saying, Fran.

So when you're little, right, you don't really have certain awareness.

You come back to school and like, Oh my God, I got this for Christmas and da.

My biggest thing is.

I don't want like another child not just mine because again, that's the thing You

have to think about all the children.

I hate to say it people.

You can't just focus on your own That's why you know help us be a better society.

You have to think about everyone My thing is I don't want a child to feel like they

weren't good enough because remember the premise is if you are good Santa's gonna

bring gifts for you I don't want a child to feel like they were not good enough

and that's why Santa didn't bring them a gift to begin with and if they did get

a gift It's not as big or as elaborate as someone else because remember when

children are little they don't have the wherewithal and the understanding To

understand that one people have different things because when you're little you

just kind of feel like we're all on the same playing field That's how I did.

Anyway, so with that said it's like i'm very mindful of the approach of you

know if We have other family members who do santa claus with their children.

God bless by our I often say You We, the parents give Santa Claus a budget.

You know what I'm saying?

So every family has a different budget.

So I'm not going to rain on their parade and their choice to do Santa Claus.

But that's, that, that's just my, I guess, maybe tip to people out there,

let your kids know that Santa gets a budget from you to parents, because

then sometimes other kids, they might see things and they feel like they

are less than, and I'm not saying it's your concern about what other kids.

get, but it's kind of like setting them up in a way so that when they do interact

with others, like they don't cause harm.

Does that make sense?

Cause I just I, that Santa Claus thing, man, it bothers me to hell.

That's why I often say in a way, I wondered if I missed out on something.

But then at the same time, it was super beneficial to me knowing grandma

and grandpa bought this, mom and dad bought this, sister bought this.

There's no illusion that some mysterious person did this.

It's weird.

But anyway, what do you think about nowadays people, Laura?

I think it's just hard.

Like it's a competing with the Joneses, like the compete,

the competition, the more.

getting in debt and then putting yourself depressed because I think in some ways

we're just kind of in this place where just like I'm just buying things for the

sake of buying things and then I'm just decorating for the sake of decorating

because I don't want to feel depressed and then you have the after holiday

blues and it's just this long like I hate January February because it just feels

this winter long months of like I was like nothing going on, like you have the

high highs and then you have the low lows.

Yeah, that's what i'm saying.

Save some of the activities y'all save some of the activities for the winter

months That's why I select a handful of things that i'm doing with my family,

which I did a video on that So stay tuned.

I think that comes out on thursday as well because remember this is pre recorded

but Yeah, so I am very mindful of that.

I try not to do too much.

One, I'm not driving myself crazy.

I ain't keeping up with anybody.

But also I've gotten to the age where I feel more confident and comfortable in

myself because once upon a time I wasn't.

All right, let's talk Christmas movies.

The one Christmas movie that stands out to me and it's so fun because my

sister's here, she's probably asleep.

But anyway sister and I are big Home Alone fans.

One day, I keep telling her that one day I'm going to do the New York trip.

We are going to do the New York trip to the Home Alone Hotel.

I forgot the name of the hotel, but just know we're going to the Home Alone Hotel.

We're getting the Home Alone suite.

We're ordering pizza, we're getting ice cream, and we're doing all things.

I told her, even if we're 80, we are going to do this one day.

So it hasn't happened yet.

But it will happen speaking it into being but home alone was a big thing

for my sister and I can't think of any other movie That really stuck with her.

It was just so funny all the home alone movies And then my

husband and I watched together.

He watched it many a times before but I watched it for the first time

with him It's a beautiful life and I absolutely loved it So now we watch it

every year because we watched it that first year we met and the last movie

I'm gonna say is what do you call that Christmas adventure national lampoon?

I actually like that.

It is so silly.

It kind of feeds into the trying to do all these things for Christmas

and trying to make this thing happen.

And it's just like dumb stuff.

Yeah, I don't know.

There's just something about it I appreciate.

But yeah, those are the movies.

Again, we were just so busy at church doing Christmasy things.

I really didn't watch a lot of TV growing up.

Yeah.

I think also for me, like TV was not, like there wasn't any set thing that

I had to watch every single year.

Also, I didn't really watch a lot of Christmas movies.

It was not really a thing for us.

So like people didn't really have like a tradition of like, Oh, we have to watch.

And maybe that is just because like you would just watch whatever

was the new movies that are out, if anything, or you would just

watch whatever is the movie on TV.

And going back again to the reason for Christmas, the one thing that

we would watch on TV every Christmas was the actual passion of Christ.

And like, you would watch something religious usually.

So whatever the TV would play, which you know, that's what

was, we didn't have streaming.

We didn't have a lot of choices.

So it was whatever the TV would choose to play that was religious.

So yes, there was, there were many, not just Jesus, but there was

always a lot of religious things to watch during the holidays.

So that's where I grew up.

Doing now in terms of now I've I have watched all the home alones and the

whatever is and I never felt a need to replicate that and like say like I

have to watch that every single year.

I do like to watch Christmas movies like the whatever is the

new for either some hallmarks.

Or now Netflix, which Netflix does have much better ones.

So that I do like to do only because it they're very like soothing and calming

and cheesy and it's like just perfect for in the middle of all the chaos.

just to like calm yourself down and just, okay, I don't have to

think too hard and all of that.

So, which I did actually watch the two, I watched three of the Netflix

ones this past week and a half.

And I do have to say the outlandish hot frosty was just fun.

Like, it's just a snowman that comes to life, falls in love with the woman that

brought him back to life accidentally.

And it was just like so much fun.

It is just wild and out there and ridiculous and super

cheesy and corny and perfect.

So I think that would be like my tradition is to find

whatever is playing at the time.

And as long as it's something that is heartwarming and comforting.

So I think that's important.

And at the same time, try to like, think of the reason for the season, yeah.

So I grew up watching a lot, like a lot of more TV growing up.

I don't remember what we watched, but there was a lot of like, just basically

stream, like, dubbed in Spanish.

Cause that was at grandma's house for like most of the holiday season.

And so, sometimes your grandma was like, you just watch some TV.

And so we just, Say home alone was a big one.

My brother and I, we used to play.

We, my parents used to take us to New York cause they actually had

to buy merchandise in New York.

So we will go like New York trips during the fall.

And so we will do like the different things in home alone that he did.

And stuff, my brother and I, we love that.

I now watch, like, I would say, like, I watched for the first time

the holiday last year on a trip back and I was like, Oh, this is fun.

This is cute.

I read a lot of books based on the holiday.

I do have to say I, it's really problematic and I'm very aware how

problematic it is, but I Love Actually.

Like, it's just this problematic, movie that Just tugs the heart strings

and I don't watch Hallmark, but I do read now read a lot of like spicy

Hallmark books, Christmas books.

So, I take it when I can.

My mother in law got me into the Hallmark movies because she really

just I mean, she reads a lot of like the Harlequin romances Yeah, and she

watches a lot of Hallmark movies.

Yeah Holidays so I got into the habit with spending the holidays with them.

So that's now it's a tradition I'm on what's lifetime?

So, you know If she just watched all these like killer.

The husband did it.

That's all she watched.

Like the house is either lifetime food network or our the shopping network,

the one where like, although like home shopping network, those are the channels.

But lifetime is like, All year round.

It's like, we're more of the thriller family.

So that is so funny.

I think what I love hearing is that it depends where we

were spending the holidays.

It dictates it all.

It dictated all experiences.

I just, movies weren't a big thing.

thing.

It just wasn't.

But now I really do enjoy it.

I'm kind of getting into Hallmark.

I'm not really a Hallmark girly.

I am a Bravo girly and Danny Pellegrino.

Okay.

I love Danny Pellegrino.

What's the name of his podcast again, Laura?

He has, it's I forgot.

I forgot.

We're blanking on it now that we want to actually mention it, but I do listen.

Everything iconic with Danny Pellegrino.

He talks pop culture, but mostly Bravo.

Long story short is he has a movie coming to Hallmark.

So I will be for sure watching it.

I'm supporting Danny.

It's called Deck the Walls.

He actually wrote this movie and he is starring in this movie and I've

been following him for a while.

He's funny, he's a comedian, but he's also a writer.

I know his story he's been writing forever, you get rejected a million

times, but I love that now he has a movie not just that he's written but it's

he's also starring in it So I will be for sure watching for Danny Pellegrino.

So that's gonna be the one Hallmark, thing I think he says it's going to

be on hallmark But then it's also going to be on peacock for a little

and anyway search deck the walls Danny Pellegrino But that's definitely on

my movies list Okay, food and drink.

You know what's weird?

I wasn't really into movies, but music.

Oh, interesting.

Artists releasing, like, their Christmas albums, or, like,

compilations of, like, all big artists releasing a Christmas album.

Yeah.

Like, there was always a Christmas album, a new Christmas album

being purchased in my house.

And I have continued on the tradition.

So like that was, what's on replay.

What do y'all revisit more often than not always, but more often.

So actually for me, okay, hold on.

I got to open up my app because now everything is digital, but it is,

God, why do I always forget her name?

When you want to remember something, it's like me blanking on Daniel's podcast.

Yeah.

Sia.

So Sia had an album called Every Day is Christmas and I keep replaying

that, like that, that starts off, even if I get something new, like

that has to kick off and Kelly Clarkson also has a pretty good one.

It's pretty quite old, but it's a pretty decent album.

Christmas album.

I think it's a wrapped in red.

Yes.

Wrapped in red.

So I mean, now I've added like pentatonix and I'm not super

big on like the Michael Bublé.

I know he's big during the holidays, but it's not really,

that's not where I lean, but you know, obviously Italian housewives.

We did have all of the, the Andrea Bocelli's and the Pavarotti and like all

of those, the three tenors always used to have some kind of Christmas special.

So that was playing.

So music was playing, like Christmas music, anything was a thing.

Then and now I think I was so saturated in the car You know anywhere just

outdoors if I took a bus or something.

I was just like look No, i'm good when i'm home i'm good, but this

seems sounds interesting see I caught my attention So I pulled it up.

I might be adding it To my queue as well.

But what I want us to talk about before we dip is food and drink What

is like a big food or drink item?

So for me it was always Ham has to be on the table for Christmas.

Don't ask me why we don't eat ham any other time really, you know My

granddad would probably get like a little piece or something But we go all

out with all ham at christmas always have to have ham the fruitcake I was

telling you all about when people come around they're expecting a piece.

We gift it we eat it.

So, black cake is a must christmas dinner always three meats always a

bunch of sides and that we go all out for see thanksgiving didn't

exist You for me growing up.

So we go all out.

So Christmas for us is the Super Bowl of meals.

Easter's the opposite.

It's very reflective of the season.

Okay.

But yeah, we go all out at Christmas.

I said ham, I said cake.

Caribbean people love specifically I can only speak for jamaican people.

We love sorrel.

It's this Thing I don't even know how to describe it.

It's like this red thing I remember picking it when I would go to jamaica.

It's very it makes you very itchy, but it's such a great drink My mom

actually because she was in atlanta before she came here at my sister.

She got some dried ones So we're going to go test that out for Thanksgiving.

So that's going to be very interesting testing out the dry version.

But yeah, I would say those are mostly the highlights.

when it comes to food?

What about you, Fran?

So, we were never big on food or like a specific menu, let's say.

The biggest thing in terms of food is the different courses.

So like there was always The different things.

So you're making, there is a lot of stuff to eat, but it's, it could be

anything, so there wasn't a set like, Oh, this has to be on the table,

except when it comes to sweets.

So Panettone had to always be there, which is basically like a fruit cake.

love it.

Just I have to eat it.

I haven't bought my first one.

I go through several panettone per year.

So that is just so that has to always be there.

And then Torrone is also very big, which is not a cookie or

whatever, but it is a sweet.

So that always has to be on the table.

And there is some like homemade Torrone that you can make.

So like there, Could be either or, but yeah, everything with

sweets has to be there more so than a set menu or set drinks.

But, and then growing up in Panama, there used to always be a type of eggnog.

We call it romponche.

So that always had to be there.

So a little glass even as a child, like, There was no thing like,

oh, you're a child, you can't have this or that or whatever.

And then like, for New Year's Eve, I always have my little champagne,

like, oh, let's toast, so like, that wasn't a big taboo thing.

So those kind of things, that's probably, The only thing like,

yeah, for me, food was not, food was never a big thing in my family.

Let's just say like, we're not like big Now when it comes to my husband's

family, when I got introduced to that world, food is like, so yeah,

So, which to me is so weird.

I'm like, okay.

I just, I mean, I enjoy eating , but.

I don't live for that.

But for them, all the menu is always Greek food, no matter the holiday.

So there's always going to be like the pastitsio and like

everything is always the same.

It doesn't matter what's the holiday, you're still eating pastitsio

and whatever on Thanksgiving or Easter or Christmas or whatever.

So, yeah.

Laura, I have to squeeze in a Brombo reference because I

know they're Greek, and GK.

Yeah.

And I'm sitting with Angie K's, this is Greek.

That is Greek.

Oh, Greek.

I love.

That is a reality.

I vouch for that.

It's like that comes, like my father was the worst with that.

Everything is like, Oh, the word.

Cup.

It comes from Greek.

It's all Greek.

If I have to hear this one more time, I'm going to be quiet.

Listen, I love Angie Kaye.

I'm an Angie Kaye apologist.

She makes me laugh every time.

The latest episode, she was saying that Abraham Lincoln Ew!

What?

It's true.

We saw the, it's like, it's true.

The plates are true.

It's like Greek.

It's a Versace Greek.

Yes, it's true.

Okay, let me tell you.

Abraham Lincoln had Versace plates and it's like Greek inspired.

So we're like, these are true.

Versace did not exist.

But I knew she was referencing like the pattern, you know what I mean?

Right.

Because I'm telling you.

Everything with Angie Kay, it came, something is great.

Did you know this is great?

That is great.

And I'm here for it.

That is the story of my life.

I hear it every day.

She's big on food and listen, Angie Kay throws really great

parties on Salt Lake City.

So I kind of seeing her just kind of celebrate her Greek

culture and everything.

Like I live.

So kind of hearing you mention it.

You're like, Oh, we're not going for the holidays.

Thank God.

I need a break.

What about you, Laura, with food?

So we're big on food.

So we got arroz con gandules, which is rice with pigeon peas.

We got pasteles, which I do not like, but everyone loves.

So it's kind of like our tamales, mixed around.

We have coquito, which is better than eggnog and people like, have

their own little undergrounds.

selling thing, but Coquito means it's a coconut based rum thing because

everything has rum because we're a big rum importer, like exporter.

So, Coquito, we have pernil, we got lechon, we got lechonera, which

means we got the whole roast pig and we just roast it all in the round.

We have morcilla, which I do not like, which is it's like

a, it's like a black sausage.

Stuff like that.

We have like, different like yucca and batata, which means sweet potatoes.

And yeah we eat all the things.

No greens, by the way, there's no greens other than the pigeon peas.

There's no greens.

Everything else is like meat and starch.

I get that.

It's very starch heavy and meat heavy.

Cause I'm telling you, like there are three different, like for my

granddad, you have to have beef.

Like yeah, he's just big on beef for me when I was little like I loved beef, but

I preferred ham So it's just like you had to have a lot of a lot And I always

laughed because I Christmas is obviously a big holiday big Christian holiday So

then the second big Christian holiday in my opinion anyway was Easter So I was

like big old feast and then he says like almost not famine, but you know, you're

fasting Yeah, a lot of people fast.

I was just like man too expensive But, it is what it is.

So I found some rapid fire questions.

online.

It's a bunch of just like thrift myth questions.

Some of them I'll skip because we kind of, went over some of it as we

were talking, but they were saying, okay, do you have a holiday hack that

helps you get through the season?

My holiday hack is locate your closet and make it your sanctuary Have like some

water in there if you need like little mini bottles of booze if you drink god

bless snacks, whatever Just have it behind your door is safe So normally if they

open, you know have something that stops the door and that they do a quick scan

They don't see you and ditch All right, I use a foot stool because I have like a

foot stool to climb Listen make the closet your friend in my opinion Sometimes I

feel like bathrooms aren't safe Because they're going to come into bathrooms

anyway, so I think that's a big one.

But what about you?

Laura, what is a easy safe way?

What is your hack?

for Christmas.

So your breath is your best friend.

So if you're feeling anxious, if you're feeling place, you

do the closet and breathe.

I times because it's just going to regulate your nervous system.

And it's just like, and just remember, this too shall pass.

So you're going to be able to leave this and you don't have to remember this and

you don't have to deal with this anymore.

Just spread your breath.

It's kind of like your quick, anti anxiety or Xanax, unless you can have

Xanax and Klonopin, then just take a little bit of that and just like,

just be loopy with that stuff, so.

How do you survive, Fran?

I actually think the big, the most important thing is boundaries.

Like just because the holidays are there and just because you have to

get together with family and xyz, that doesn't mean that your personal

boundaries go to the wayside.

And if there are situations or people that are toxic to you, you have to,

you're perfectly okay setting those boundaries in whatever way works for you.

And you decide how much you want to compromise or not or whatever, but

always know that you have every right.

There is no right or wrong.

And you don't have to force yourself to put yourself in a position that

is bad for your mental health.

So I think that boundaries is the biggest and most important thing.

So know what works for you and what doesn't and what's detrimental to you

because just because you have to see family for a couple of days doesn't mean

that now you're going to have a huge bad mental situation for like months after it.

So, it's okay to be a little mean.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Totally fine.

Just the image.

I agree.

So in addition to the closet, just say no, because there's lots of invites

going out around this time of year, kind of piggybacking off of Francesca.

So if you have decided to put up with the family, you don't have

to put up with the work people.

You don't have to go to everything with the friends.

So definitely balance and boundaries.

Okay.

Rapid fire.

Do you wrap your presents or put them in gift bags?

I do both.

What do you do, Laura?

Gift bags.

I do both lately.

I prefer the bags, but I do both.

Okay.

Do you open presents Christmas Eve night or Christmas morning?

I will say my husband told me he would open one on Christmas Eve.

Like you got like one on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas morning.

So we kind of indulge that now, but me growing up, it

was always Christmas morning.

What about you, Laura?

Growing up Christmas morning, now it's Christmas Eve.

Okay, Fran.

Christmas morning.

Yeah.

Is the Die Hard a Christmas movie?

I know people debate this online.

It happens every year.

I'm like, live your best life if it works for you.

Yes, it's a Christmas movie.

What do you say, Laura?

I agree.

Live your best life.

You do you.

No judgment.

Same for me.

Like, again, I didn't grow up watching Christmas movies.

So nothing is a Christmas movie and anything is a Christmas movie.

It's fine.

What's your favorite Winter Olympics sport?

I am gonna say snowboarding.

Laura?

I like the curling, the one that you do, like the little brooming thing.

Yes!

Oh, I love that Fran.

Are we saying about doing or just watching because doing none of them They do tend to

like figure skating and like snowboarding or skiing if it's about watching yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

If you were an elf, what would your elf name be?

I did like some Elf on a Shelf names.

I don't know.

Grinchy.

Grinchy.

I am going to pass here.

I'm just, I'm going to be a Grinch.

I'm like, I would be the Grinchy one.

I'd be the grumpy one.

Let me see what else they say.

No, I don't support these present questions.

I asked about the holiday.

Okay.

Where is this the last one?

Where is the best place to see Christmas lights?

So I will, I leave early in the morning.

So there's this drag in not far from my community where every single community

has like this big display outside.

So I'll take folks there, but I also love the downtown area.

They're going to be putting up a tree, not this weekend, I think next.

So I'm very excited.

So needless to say, go to any downtown, you will see some sort of light.

Laura, any recommendations on places for like, or maybe places you've seen?

Yeah, so I would say I'm not a like, like person, but there are a couple of things.

One, New York and Saks Fifth Avenue, which they are not doing this year

because they didn't lose money.

They had a beautiful light show outside of Rockefeller Center.

It was beautiful.

They did like a whole light situation.

So that's New York, but New York is a great place for window shopping and

like window and like seeing the tree and getting all the Christmas space.

So it's a really great place to go for the holidays.

Chicago the zoo, the Lincoln park zoo, basically for free every

night, they have a light show.

So you get to see the animals with like lights and all this different things.

And it's just kind of like a fun experience.

So I got to go one year after the, like, while the pandemic was happening.

So it was like social distance, but I feel like that's a good place to go.

So if you're going to a big city to go to holidays, I know London has

like light shows and stuff like that.

So look for a big city to do like a little trip to go Christmas stuff.

Those are two of my recommendations.

Chicago is they do have some light shows and then New York is great for Christmas.

Yeah.

I have to say, I can't even believe I blanked on that.

London is amazing during the holidays.

I feel like nobody does the holidays like them.

I love the shows.

I just, I love I just love everything about christmas there.

I will also and i've never done this, but i've seen it on television the disney.

Disney does a great like christmas They do christmas parties.

They do have live shows and stuff Like we used to go for the

holidays for christmas for disney and it's a great place it's prada.

If you want to go to disney go to second day january 2nd Because that's prada then.

The 25th like but that makes sense After the 25th that week, it's actually less

crowded and you get to, I've done New Year's Day and it's great to do it, so.

Yeah, that makes sense.

What about you, Fran?

So I'm gonna piggyback on Laura because I think having lived in many places,

I think New York is always best.

And it's funny because you don't have to just stick to the traditional.

Obviously, yes, there is.

The tree at Rockefeller Center and like all of these things.

But there is so, so much to do in New York for the holidays.

Like you could go from as simple as just walking around and window

shopping, because usually the stores will have really beautiful displays,

even just outside of the shops.

But like there's, For example, like at Bryant Park, they have

the cutest holiday market there.

Like, it is just the most adorable thing with like, really cute like,

food and drinks and the best hot cocos.

Like, even just the smells of the city, you have like, the nuts and the

little carts with, you can get all this stuff, so you're really getting a vibe.

As far as lights though, If you're still in New York, you

could venture out to Brooklyn.

There is a neighborhood that does a really, obviously they all have money,

so they spend a lot on their decorations.

And I'm pretty sure that they're all professionally decorated.

But if you go to Diker Heights, You could just walk around like literally there's

like masses of people just walking around the neighborhood looking at the houses.

So that's fun.

That's interesting and always something like fun to see.

But yeah, I feel like where I am now, there's a lot less opportunity for that.

So I don't get to have that experience, but I guess I was

never big on lights, so it's fine.

But yeah, I think New York always takes the cake for me.

There's just that.

So much nice things to see.

Yeah.

Yeah, I agree.

But again, if you can't make it to a big city, I'm telling you just find a small

town nearby you that has a tree lighting, always a little neighborhood or a little

nook that has like some really nice place.

I'm not really a light person either, but you know, it's something to do.

Like find your little cutesy small town holiday market.

Cause you're going to find It's a good time and it's a cozy time and

always some good food or good drinks.

Yep.

Yep.

I agree All right, everyone.

We are back live next week.

So we're coming back live december 5th for our next live show we're going to be

doing comforting and cozy reads thanks for hanging with us for christmas traditions.

If you're looking for holiday themed Books we did that last week.

So watch the replay.

Let us know in the comments what you think But also let us know in the comments what

you think about this video as well But again, we gather here every thursday 7 p.

m eastern time 7 p.

m new york time depending where you are So use new york as a reference,

but I yeah, I think that's it for holiday traditions episode I

don't think i'm missing anything.

So we'll see you all live next week Bye everyone!