Tis the Podcast

On Halloween Night, The Great Pumpkin Rises Out Of His Pumpkin Patch And Flies Through The Air With His Bag Of Toys For All The Children! (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!)

Happy Halloween, Christmas Fanatics! With the weather outside finally cool and Fall in full swing, we here at Tis the Podcast wanted to show our appreciation for you by sharing a very special Halloween episode of the show in which Julia, Thom, and Anthony cover the 1966 classic, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" This episode is a blast from the past, so travel back one year ago as the three hosts discuss this timeless special, debate whether it's as good as "A Charlie Brown Christmas", share their favorite quotes, and welcome a special appearance from baby Jude amongst many other things in this extraordinarily fun episode! Enjoy! And keep your eye on this space for more bonus content coming soon! 
 

Sometimes We Have To Take A Leap Of Faith; To Believe When No One Else Will. (The Conjuring 2: Enfield Poltergeist)

Happy Monday, Christmas Fanatics! We are officially in the last week of October! Can you believe it? To celebrate it being Halloween week, join Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss the 2016, non-Christmas-Christmas movie, The Conjuring 2: Enfield Poltergeist. In addition to this creepy film, they talk about the trailer for The Christmas Chronicles 2, Anthony raves about Season 2 of The Boys, Thom expresses some of his theories about The Haunting of Bly Manor - which he is currently halfway through, Julia tells us about her amazing Fall vacation, all three elves express their dismay about It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas not being shown on broadcast TV this year, and much, much, more. This is a fun, spooky episode that you don't want to miss! So turn out the lights, settle in with your favorite pumpkin-flavored drink, enjoy, and get excited - because the Christmas lights will be up by the time next week's episode drops! 

All Eddie Needs Is An Old-Fashioned, Transylvanian, White Christmas. (The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas)

This week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony settle in to discuss the 1996, made-for-television holiday film, The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas! Though this un-inspired movie leaves a lot to be desired, the elves enjoy reminiscing about the original 1960's sitcom that inspired it, along with other old TV shows from that era that they grew up watching in re-runs thanks to Nick at Nite. Besides tuning in to discuss the merits and flaws of this movie, which is unquestionably a Christmas film, join the hosts as they reveal whether they were bigger fans of The Munsters or The Addams Family - in addition to I Dream of Jeannie or Bewitched; listen to Julia and Anthony discuss The Haunting of Bly Manor in non-spoilery terms; laugh at multiple failed attempts to hum/sing various TV show themes out of tune; agree or disagree with their suggestions for who should be re-cast in a Munsters remake; and ponder the hardest question of the week yet, courtesy of Reddit user GaryBlauman - "If you had to rank your top 3 Christmas movie musical scores, how would you rank them?" In addition, get excited as the elves reveal a slew of exciting movies coming up on their schedule, and stay tuned through the end credits to not only get a preview of the Goo Goo Dolls' brand-new cover of Let it Snow (from their first-ever, upcoming Christmas album, It's Christmas All Over, which drops on October 30th!) but to also hear four bloopers from this fun, nostalgia-filled episode! So settle in with your favorite holiday drink, open those windows to let that Autumn air blow in, enjoy the show, and get excited that we're nearly out of October already and that much closer to Christmas! 

The Coca-Cola Santa Is Just A Hoax. (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale)

This week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony are so excited to be joined by our friends Ron (a.k.a. President Hotdog) and Jay from Flimstrip Podcast! What could bring these two great shows together? The 2003 Finnish film,  Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Now, we do have a few disclaimers:
1). The content in this movie is not suitable for young ones and neither is this episode - the humor gets to be somewhat sophomoric.
2). In an abundance of excitement over guests joining us, the elves may digress a bit more than usual.
We love this episode, and you will too, but please, don't listen with little ones near! So plug those earphones in while they're virtually schooling, grab your favorite holiday-themed beverage, sit back, and enjoy this fun episode! Have a great week!

Fireside Chat Preview - Featuring Ron Hogan! (A.K.A.President Hotdog!)

This week, life got in the way for the elves - and between work and health issues, they couldn't record on their usual night and before they knew it, the week had gotten away from them. Not wanting to leave you hanging, however, we've decided to share one of our Patreon-Exclusive "Fireside Chat" segments with y'all! In our "Fireside Chats", one or more of the Tis the Podcast elves sit down by a crackling Christmas fire with one of our listeners to learn a little bit about them, talk about the holiday season, and discuss Christmas sensibilities amongst other things! In this episode, they chat with a listener oft-mentioned on the main feed of our show, Mr. President Hotdog - who goes by Ron Hogan in real life! In this episode, Ron shares a heartfelt and emotional story about how he discovered the show, a funny and sweet story about his history with Rankin/Bass, amazing Christmas memories and traditions, aspects of Christmas he'd remove from the holiday season if he could, and much, much more! So settle in with your favorite holiday drink and enjoy this fun, heartfelt episode that will make you want President Hotdog to appear on the show again, and again, and again! And don't worry - we'll be back with a new original episode next week! In the meantime, for all of you non-patrons out there, if you liked this episode and want to hear more like this, consider subscribing to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/TisThePodcast where - for as little as a dollar per month - you can get whole bonus length episodes like this! 

Welcome Home, Son. (Surviving Christmas)

This week, the elves are joined by longtime listener Manny Torres, of the brand new Christmas podcast Feliz Christmas, Merry Navidad, to discuss the 2004 holiday, romantic-comedy, Surviving Christmas! Where do the hosts and their guest fall when it comes to this infamous movie? Well, one elf may end up surprising you! In addition to discussing what three-of-the-four hosts call a "travesty", they reveal their personal wishlist of directors they'd like to see direct a holiday movie and pose a question to the listeners to answer before recording next week's episode, courtesy of "GaryBlauman" on Reddit: "Why do you think blockbuster Christmas movies have not really been the norm as of late?" So settle in with your favorite pumpkin-flavored drink, open those windows and allow that Autumn breeze to wash over you, take joy in the fact that we are officially heading into October, and enjoy this episode which is far more entertaining than the movie discussed within it! 

What If We Lose The Things That Make Christmas In Denver So Special? (Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas!)

This week, the elves travel to the universe of Disney Channel Original Movies in order to cover the 2011 film, Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas! Join them as they discuss their history with Disney TV shows, family Christmas movies and television specials, and - with the spooky season just around the corner - their ideas for Christmas horror movies. So kick back with your favorite pumpkin-flavored drink, let that Autumn breeze wash all over you, and enjoy this fun-filled episode! 

I Am One With The Yuletide, Know What I Mean? (Ernest Saves Christmas)

This week - at long last - the elves discuss the beloved, 1988 Christmas-family film, Ernest Saves Christmas! Anthony, once again finding himself on an island alone, sets the tone for this conversation early on in the "History" portion of the episode in which he goes on his most passionate (some might say - unhinged?) rant since the hosts covered Arthur Christmas - one that clocks in at just under 5 1/2 minutes! Julia and Thom, meanwhile, have much more good feelings of comfort and joy regarding this film, fueled in large part by nostalgia. While there is an enormous divide between the New Yorker and the two Oklahomans, this is still a fun, laugh-a-plenty episode that culminates with the elves discussing their different Advent traditions and Julia pulling a fast-one on Thom and nailing a joke that he's been trying to land for weeks now. So open those windows, let in those Autumn breezes, settle back with your favorite pumpkin drink, and enjoy! 

My Name's Harry Lockhart. I'll Be Your Narrator. (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

Welcome to the 'Ber months, all of you friends of the elves out there! As the days get shorter and cooler, we dip our toes into a controversial "Is It or Isn't It a Christmas Movie" movie: 2005's Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Regardless of where the hosts fall on the Christmas question, there's no denying the discussion about this cult classic is a lively one! So, breathe in that crisp, nearly autumnal air as we talk this shoot 'em up whodunit, honor the passing of the incredible Chadwick Boseman, and create some pretty darn amazing Christmas movie night double-features!

You May Not Ask For Anything To Do With Interpersonal Relationships! Got It? This Is Santa Claus, Not Dear Abby! (All I Want For Christmas [1991])

Happy Monday, everybody! Can you believe that it's already the last day of August? We are officially in the Ber Months as of tomorrow! To celebrate the occasion, the elves are joined by Gerry D. of Totally Rad Christmas to discuss the 1991 family-film, All I Want for Christmas. While Gerry, Julia, and Thom all have a history - and therefore, some form of nostalgia - with this movie, Anthony is going in completely blind; will this New York Fairy Tale win him over? Does this movie in general hold up to anyone who wasn't raised in the nineties? What do all of them think of this pre-Hocus Pocus performance of Thora Birch? And how does Leslie Nielsen stack up against the other actors who have portrayed Santa Claus on this show so far? All of this and much, much more are discussed in this episode - including how homeschooling during the time of COVID is going for Julia's kids; how Thom and Gerry are dealing with life in quarantine due to being exposed to Coronavirus; and what all of the elves, plus their special guest, think of the first trailer for Matt Reeves' The Batman. So settle back with your favorite pumpkin drink, blast that air-conditioning, enjoy this fun episode, and take solace in the fact that we have officially arrived at the Ber Months! 
 
*Note - Please excuse Thom's bad audio quality this episode. Due to living in Quarantine while recording, and the unstable internet that comes along with it, it's not always clear. This will be resolved by next week's episode!*