Tis the Podcast

All I Want For Christmas Is You (2017)

We're back this week with the 2017 cartoon, All I Want for Christmas is You. The elves discuss their thoughts on Mariah Carey, her wildly successful Christmas song, the book based on it, and her movie based on the book. Sit back, grab some hot cocoa, and enjoy!

Christmas At Hogwarts (Harry Potter)

It's been a long time coming, but Julia, Thom, and Anthony are finally catching the train from Platform 9 3/4 and heading to Hogwarts to celebrate Christmas and discuss the holiday moments from the "Harry Potter" movies and books! After a month of underwhelming Hallmark films, the three hosts are enthusiastic and excited to geek out together about what is, unanimously, their favorite book series of all time. The elves talked for hours while recording this show, and though they managed to cut it down to a manageable 1:18:21 in length, the full, unedited episode – which runs 1:48 (a full half-an-hour longer!) – is even better. So if you're a Potterhead, and want more discussion about the Harry Potter films and books that aren't necessarily focused on the Christmas aspects, we highly recommend checking out the extended episode. It includes more general discussion and behind the scenes information about the franchise, more gushing over J.K. Rowling, many more quotes and favorite scenes, and, typical Tis the Podcast banter amongst our cohosts, who also reveal which Hogwarts house they and their spouses would be in. Because the elves love the unedited version so much – in addition to their fans, who’ve shown a lot of excited interest in this episode – we’ve put the full show up on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tisthepodcast) for you to download for just $1.00 if you’re interested. Trust us when we say, it’s worth it! 

Believe! May You Never Be Too Old To Search The Skies On Christmas Eve!

Coming in just under the wire is our first annual Christmas in July bonus episode! In it, the elves discuss the “worst” Christmas that every child eventually has to go through, and that every parent dreads. Excitingly, not only do Julia, Thom, and Anthony share their stories, but so do our listeners – including two elf spouses, and one elf sibling – via audio and text! Given the topic of discussion, it’s not nearly as much of a downer of an episode as one may suspect. In fact, it’s actually really fun! So make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, kick back, relax, and enjoy our special Christmas in July gift to you! (For those parents out there who normally listen with their young children, be warned! You may want to listen to this one alone, as this whole episode is dedicated to discussing belief in Santa Claus.)

The Hot Ghost Of Christmas (The Spirit of Christmas)

Our first annual Christmas in July, Hallmark movie month comes to a close this episode in which the elves discuss the 2015, not-quite-Hallmark (but definitely one of those channels, most likely Lifetime) film "The Spirit of Christmas"! While atmosphere is in heavy supply this week, can holiday decorations, snow, and an extremely attractive man help this movie overcome a perplexing plot? While opinions about this movie range the entire spectrum, there is no daylight between our hosts who are all equally excited to dedicate an entire episode next week to the Harry Potter - book and movie - Christmas scenes! Also discussed this episode are the differences between Hallmark Christmas movies, and Christmas movies that air on channels similar to Hallmark. So settle in with a cup of hot chocolate, kick back, and crank that A.C. while you listen - and get excited that summer is quickly drawing to an end, and it will be *our* time soon! 

Meow-y Christmas! (The Nine Lives of Christmas)

And we're back! We continue our Hallmark movie month this week by covering the 2014 film "The Nine Lives of Christmas"! Though a sweet story with cute cats, how will the movie hold up when ranking it on our Christmas canon list? And how will it fare against the three previous Hallmark films we've covered thus far - Mrs. Santa Claus, Pete's Christmas, and Northpole? Settle in with a cup of hot chocolate to find out, and enjoy the return of our "Question of the Week" segment! This week's question - "What are your unpopular Christmas opinions?" 

Where Is It Written A Small Elf Can't Make A Big Difference? (Northpole)

This week the elves kick off Christmas in July with their first Hallmark Christmas movie of the inaugural Hallmark Christmas movie month with the 2014 film, Northpole. As Christmas spirit is failing across the globe, can one elf and her newfound friend work their magic to bring Christmas spirit back to the world and save the Northpole? Can Anthony, Julia, and Thom find the holiday spirit in Hallmark Christmas movies? 

Peace On Earth! Give Me Presents! (A Muppet Family Christmas)

This week, the elves invite you to accompany them on a trip with Fozzie Bear and the rest of his Muppet pals in the 1987, made-for-TV classic, "A Muppet Family Christmas"! Long before Nick Fury began to assemble the Avengers on the big screen, but after Rankin/Bass ended up bringing together Rudolph and Frosty, this epic crossover event for the ages brought together the Muppets (and the Muppet babies!), the Sesame Street gang, and the inhabitants of Fraggle Rock for the holidays! As huge fans of the brand, will Julia, Thom, and Anthony deem this movie worthy of the Muppet name? And more importantly, will they think the movie succeeded on delivering the feelings they expect from a Christmas film? Turn the air conditioning down low to simulate that holiday weather because we need a little Christmas right now!And as if none of that is exciting enough for you, the hosts announce that in honor of Christmas in July, we're deeming July "Hallmark Movie Month"!  So get ready for us to cover a string of films that are sure to be heavy on the holiday atmosphere, if nothing else. Enjoy everybody! 

This Is The Polar Express! (The Polar Express)

Happy Leon Day, everyone! Come celebrate the fact that we are officially halfway to Christmas by joining Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they journey to the north pole aboard "The Polar Express", the 2004, animated-film directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted from the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. Will it fare better with the elves than Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" did, or will the same problems that plagued that Disney movie bring down the score of this film as well? Settle down and relax with a cup of hot cocoa to find out, and stick around for Julia's real-time reaction to the newest trailer for Illumination's, 2018 adaptation of "The Grinch". Enjoy! 

God Bless Us, Everyone! (Disney's A Christmas Carol [2009])

This week, the elves tackle the controversial, 2009, Disney-animated film, A Christmas Carol - the first true adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens' novella they've covered on the show so far! (Devoid of any Muppets, that is!) Though Julia, Thom, and Anthony all have differing opinions about this notoriously divisive movie, they're all in agreement that it's not a total write-off and about the fact that there is definitely good to be found within it. Join us as we discuss how good (or bad) of a job Jim Carrey did at bringing this iteration of Ebenezer Scrooge to life, debate what the film got right and got wrong, and examine just how closely this version of the famous holiday classic adheres to its iconic source material, amongst many other things. Also, toward the end of the episode, we announce a new giveaway in conjunction with next week's movie, 2004's The Polar Express! Enjoy! 

A Together Christmas! (Daddy's Home 2)

After an unintentional week off, we're back! In this episode, the elves discuss the spiritual sibling to A Bad Mom's Christmas - the 2017 holiday-comedy film, Daddy's Home 2! There are surprises aplenty in this episode, including right-off-the-bat when the hosts reveal where they stand on this movie. (Spoiler Alert: It's not necessarily where you think!) So sit back and enjoy this funny, wide-ranging, and personally revealing conversation about a pair of opposite fathers and grandfathers who are no doubt destined to meet a trio of bad mothers and grandmothers in an inevitable crossover film one day.