Gather round, folks, as we take you on a heartwarming journey through our favorite holiday traditions. We'll spin tales of festive excursions to the magical town of Frankenmuth, our love for Christmas ornaments, and the Italian tradition of the Feast of Seven Fishes that lights up our family gatherings. And you though you were over the top with your Christmas decorations? Wait till you hear about Jenn’s sister who decks out every room with a Christmas tree!
The cheer continues as we reveal our must-watch Christmas movie list and the invaluable lessons they've taught us about the holiday season. Ever imagined volunteering to be the secret ingredient to a joyful Christmas? We'll share our experiences and perspectives on it. Tune in for laughter, love, and a generous sprinkle of Christmas magic.
Social Media: LPoP
https://www.instagram.com/lastpieceofpiepodcast/
https://www.threads.net/@lastpieceofpiepodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@last.piece.of.pie?_t=8j0uDxkYoVm&_r=1
Send us your comments or questions and we will answer them on the show!
email - lastpieceofpiepodcast@gmail.com
Gather round, folks, as we take you on a heartwarming journey through our favorite holiday traditions. We'll spin tales of festive excursions to the magical town of Frankenmuth, our love for Christmas ornaments, and the Italian tradition of the Feast of Seven Fishes that lights up our family gatherings. And you though you were over the top with your Christmas decorations? Wait till you hear about Jenn’s sister who decks out every room with a Christmas tree!
The cheer continues as we reveal our must-watch Christmas movie list and the invaluable lessons they've taught us about the holiday season. Ever imagined volunteering to be the secret ingredient to a joyful Christmas? We'll share our experiences and perspectives on it. Tune in for laughter, love, and a generous sprinkle of Christmas magic.
Social Media: LPoP
https://www.instagram.com/lastpieceofpiepodcast/
https://www.threads.net/@lastpieceofpiepodcast
https://www.tiktok.com/@last.piece.of.pie?_t=8j0uDxkYoVm&_r=1
Send us your comments or questions and we will answer them on the show!
email - lastpieceofpiepodcast@gmail.com
Oh, isn't that the greatest feeling. When you're not going to be your love, life is not going to be the topic, Not even holiday dinner.
Speaker 2:No one's even going to care. They're going to be like oh yeah, she's been single for a while now. She's a loser.
Speaker 1:Welcome ill-poppers. This is Jen and Mel. This is the last piece of pie and Merry Christmas everyone.
Speaker 2:Yes, cheers, cheers. Happy holidays Happy holidays.
Speaker 1:And no, mel's not a super virgin, because that's a wine in her glass.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I decided those are kind of overrated and I kind of lost it like yeah, you know 16. Why try to get her back? Well, I mean at 43, let's just keep the ship sailing.
Speaker 1:It's the holidays. You're going to have a little Christmas cheer in your cup, right? So, mel, yes, love, do you have any Christmas traditions? We're going to talk about everything Christmas this episode.
Speaker 2:I love it. Christmas traditions yeah, abinai normally go to Frankenmuth, oh oh.
Speaker 1:So have you been there, not during Christmas?
Speaker 2:You went to Bronners, not during Christmas. Y'all. Bronners is like the number one Christmas store only a Christmas store in America. It is open 363 days. They're only closed twice a year and Jen managed to go during Easter.
Speaker 1:No, it was actually October, sure.
Speaker 2:When you go to Bronners, Easter Said no one you loser.
Speaker 1:I had just moved here and my family was in town and we went to Frankenmuth in October. I have not been back for Christmas. That's sad.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's what we're doing now. Now, just get in the car and just drive through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll make a certain someone take me.
Speaker 2:Hold on, jen, let's plan it like a Christmas episode and wear our Jammies and go together. Hence, jen's not in her Christmas Jammies.
Speaker 1:Nope, I made this whole big plan and then didn't put them on.
Speaker 2:She made a spreadsheet no folks Type A personality. Had a business meeting about it. Showed up an hour early in a sweatshirt Yep.
Speaker 1:That's how I rolled today. Good for you.
Speaker 2:Cheers. Cheers being perfect and doing everything you think you should do, living by the seat of your pants.
Speaker 1:That's what you're teaching me Living by the seat of my pants.
Speaker 2:I love it. I have to put up the dog because I'm sure the L-poppers are like what's tiptoeing around.
Speaker 1:So you guys go to Frankenmuth and see all the Christmas lights in the Christmas store. Do you guys do anything else while you're there?
Speaker 2:Normally we go to Bavarian Inn and eat the chicken dinner. It's like the noodles and the gravy and the mashed potatoes and the chicken are just to die for.
Speaker 1:Frankenmuth is two things it's Bavarian and then the chicken dinner.
Speaker 2:So Bavarian has their own recipe. And then across the street is Zenders.
Speaker 1:Oh, and they have their own recipe. Is it called Zenders?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they have their own recipe, so they kind of compete. Basically, though, you just want to go to the one that you can get a seat at.
Speaker 1:Michiganders, what's your favorite? Bavarian or Zanders? I'm going to have to say Bavarian.
Speaker 2:We're always there. It's just the atmosphere, I don't know. I like the vibe.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we normally pick out a Christmas ornament. I pick out your favorite elves like this one. Is that where you get it? Yes, I told you, these are designers. This is the wine bottle holder. Isn't it adorable?
Speaker 1:He follows you people. His eyeballs follow you wherever he walks. He can wave Stop.
Speaker 2:He's so cute.
Speaker 1:No, not my. Thing.
Speaker 2:Abby always gets an ornament. Oh, that's cool. We drive through the lights, like the parking lot and a loop of Christmas lights. Oh, I didn't know that. Right, you were there in October, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Favorite time of the year, October.
Speaker 2:Jen goes in October during the day.
Speaker 1:I thought we were there during the day too. Yeah, that's why you don't see lights it's dark.
Speaker 2:Oh shoot, that's awesome. We'll just pick a night Christmas jammies, hat cocoa, hop in the car and just drive around and look at everyone's lights. Oh, that's cool, that's a free thing to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love free things during Christmas. My mom would get us an ornament every year Growing up as a Christmas present. Does she still do that? Not as much, unless we ask for a specific ornament. She kind of stopped doing it. I have like two tubs full of like hallmark and different Star Wars. There are a couple. I need like two trees now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, more than one tree of a big house. Now that's a lot of work. I used to have a tree in every room, every room, jen do the math every room the kids had one. I had a movie theater tree. I had a bedroom tree Handcuffs. You know, fed those, you have a great tree you have.
Speaker 1:My younger sister would get along. She literally has a tree in every freaking room in her house and then I think her daughters have like a mini tree that it's on their desk.
Speaker 2:Yeah with, like mini ornaments. Yeah, I have those. Well before I had to come back upstairs, she had that downstairs too.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:No, she's crammed in there Well that's cool.
Speaker 1:Now Do you go over to like your dad's at all for Christmas?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have a lot of. We have a lot of parties. Yeah, that's a party. It's probably three, four and we show up, bring a dish to pass some somewhere, like white elephants. Some are presents.
Speaker 1:Okay, so on Netflix I watched this show called seven fishes, the fish of seven, the feast of seven fishes. Do you guys do that? Oh, my god, you watch that.
Speaker 2:Yes, my dad would be so happy right now. This is when we need a phone. I watched it. Yes, it was cute.
Speaker 1:It was a cute movie and I'm like is this a real thing?
Speaker 2:It is a real thing and my dad like cried through that movie. That's like in my dad's life, no really, oh. And it like it made him so emotional and then it made him almost like angry at us kids that he's not like Stern on us, like these are our traditions. This is what you'll show up for. This is when we go to church and blah, blah, blah and you know the next generation kind of. You know you're dropping the ball.
Speaker 1:I am seven.
Speaker 2:Fuck my life gosh. Like I can't even shower. Like, come on, seriously, I'm a busy human.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, I think Traditions around Christmas are important. Like my family, we always get together Christmas Eve and then we used to go over to my Grandma's brother's house Christmas night for like a huge dinner and Like gifts and like a white elephant. But now, because my grandma is in assisted living and Her brother is older and now all those kids have like families and it's like got too much, I think, to try to meet because everybody's like has their own families and their Spouses family.
Speaker 2:Seven fishes are rolling over right now. They're great, they're like you, little assholes. Get together for Christmas please.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like my cousins that are like my age and a younger, we should get together Absolutely, cuz we used to do it all the time when we were a little. Yes, yeah, it's sad, man, our generation is dropping the ball.
Speaker 2:We do suck, absolutely, I'm not kidding like we suck, yeah, we do like. When I was little, we drove down to Livonia Every Christmas Eve. Who was in Livonia? All the Delavios, oh so all the cousins, all the uncles, all the aunts, and it was just amazing. It's what I grew up. But then it's just kind of sad, like abt's not growing up with that, she's growing up with, you know, a quieter tradition.
Speaker 1:Why do you think that is? Is it just we just don't like, we just don't think about that stuff and we like relied on our parents To like be the if I feel like somebody's always the glue and then when that person that's the glue like either Passes, passes or doesn't do it anymore, like nobody picks up the ball.
Speaker 2:I agree with that, but I also think we're getting self, selfish. Self what's the word selfish? We're getting more selfish, yeah, as time goes on. And now it's like I don't have time, I'm tired, I don't want to drive, I Don't want to do seven parties and I get it. It's good to have boundaries and be healthy around Christmas, but at the same time like then, fine, pick January and get together with your cousins, but make family a priority.
Speaker 1:It's so important because I think around, especially around the holidays, when if you haven't talked to somebody in a while, even if it's like a friend or extended family, like just send him a message, like hey, thinking of you, happy holidays, merry Christmas, like I mean so much. I don't think people realize how much that means, especially if you feel like you haven't talked to people in a while or, you know, don't have a spouse or you don't have a significant other during the holidays, like Family is super important.
Speaker 2:Amen, so that's why I also love going to a nursing home and volunteering.
Speaker 1:Christmas time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's a great activity for, like, all the cousins to get together. Just call the local nursing home, asked to talk to their activity director. She'll give you a schedule. Like when bingo is, when they're decorating Christmas cookies, when, like, they're all in the cafeteria area Doing some kind of activity, you can go and volunteer and sit and claim any grandma you want. Yeah, like it's like Christmas morning for me. I'm like I'll take that one, I'll take that one. Oh, it's so fun.
Speaker 1:I make sure to go see my grandma over the weekend for Christmas. Doesn't really know who everybody is I mean she recognizes everybody still but I Think it's gonna be super important this year to make sure we all go. Absolutely could be the last, unfortunately, yeah you know, it's the one thing that I want to do. Which I have not done is my grandma gave me this book of my great-grandma's like cookie recipes I haven't made. I made one recipe and it Turned out so bad I screwed it up so bad, poor great-grandma.
Speaker 2:I'm speaking of the generation sucking I.
Speaker 1:Burnt that batch of cookies. Man, it was quite disappointing. Baking was freakin hard. There is one day sometime I want to make those dang cookies that are in her book.
Speaker 2:There's like one of them, but you should make them and bring them to grandma. Those are her mother's cookies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, you know what that's. That's probably a good idea.
Speaker 2:You're welcome for being sweet and kind. Grandma would love that you'd be like here's your mama's cookie. Yeah, she's gonna be like. Oh, it tastes just like it did back in the day.
Speaker 1:She might remember him.
Speaker 2:Hey, maybe you'll trigger a memory and she'll, like you know, pop back in for a while. Yeah she could, I'd be beautiful. I also loved to watch Christmas movies and we did just watch one last weekend. We watched four Christmases. Oh, I love that movie I never saw it what?
Speaker 1:how have I missed that movie?
Speaker 2:Vince Vaughn. I'm telling you, it's like my spirit animal.
Speaker 1:Oh, his like comedic timing in that movie is hilarious and, like him and Reese Witherspoon, like you would not think those two together would be Funny, but she's hilarious, it was perfect.
Speaker 2:So if you haven't watched four Christmases. Make sure you do it this this holiday season. Of course, elf, we always watch elf. Do you know that movie is like 20 something years old now? What Mm-hmm. No in 2003. Yeah, so it's 20 years. It would have been 20 years this year. Wow, that makes me feel so old?
Speaker 1:Oh my god, it doesn't seem like it came out that long ago.
Speaker 2:No, it seems like no. I know it's weird, oh my god, I Elf's a great one.
Speaker 1:I love Christmas vacation. I watch that one every year, and then I'm also a sucker, for it's a wonderful life.
Speaker 2:Like oh my god, my dad is, oh Jesus, I'm like dad, seriously do it. Yep, sit down. Oh yeah, okay, here we go.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's like I don't know. There's something about an old black and white Christmas movie just gets me in your feels, in my feels. It melts my heart for a day.
Speaker 2:I think God, I'm bringing back black and white movies. Get you in your feels every day.
Speaker 1:If there was an era that I could like Time travel to, I think it would be the 40s.
Speaker 2:I'd be after you. I'd be the 50s, because you're kind of Susie homemaker. Give me a man and a set of pearls, girl, and let me cook dinner. Yeah, I'm telling you right now.
Speaker 1:That is my jam my mom would probably say that I should have grown up in the 60s, because I do have a little bit of a a wild side hippie, hippie vibe. I don't show it very often. I've never seen it. Oh girl, if you knew me when I was 20. Oh, I've seen it, ms.
Speaker 2:Jen, how about in Traverse City? When I left your ass downtown I was like I am going home.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I stayed out. You're like, okay, see you in the morning, yep. Then I felt guilty and I was like, nope, I'm gonna be an adult and go home.
Speaker 2:You called me and left me a voicemail. I don't even know if you remember it, but you're like it's me. I feel like a terrible friend, so I'm walking home.
Speaker 1:Do you have that saved? We might have to share that sometimes. That's a good sound, that's a good sound.
Speaker 2:So yeah, lots of Christmas traditions. I love it. I think we all should do it. I think we should make the time for it. Do not get wrapped up in the busyness of the season.
Speaker 1:Get wrapped up in the traditions and the love, because Christmas is about giving back and sometimes I think we get all crazy with the gifts and whatever, but I think there's a time to remember. There's a lot of needy organizations out there this time of year.
Speaker 2:Absolutely all the soup kitchens and Yep character shall make trees Angel trees. Yeah, what was I gonna tell you about Valentine? We should do that. Yeah, we should do it in January, when it's like nobody else is volunteering anymore. Heck, yeah, that'd be great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's do it. We'll bring Alpapers with us. We're committing now we're gonna do it.
Speaker 2:I love it. We used to do coat drives in Flint, michigan, and I would be the one having to give the babies their coats and size them up and stuff. I never, ever, go up with the babies. They're like the volunteer. People were like you, suck, I'm like I know.
Speaker 1:You've done one kid in an hour.
Speaker 2:I know and I'm like oh, just let me hold your baby please. Aw yeah, Good times, I love to volunteer. Just makes your heart happy. I always say that when you're depressed and you're bummed out on your life, specifically go help somebody else, Because it takes you out of that toxic reputation repetition that just over and over plays in your head. That's just not healthy.
Speaker 1:Go to a food bank. It's mostly your time. If you go give your time for an hour, like the rest of the day, you're gonna feel so great. It helps you get out of the funk for sure. That's a good tip. You're welcome, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Go volunteer Scrooge.
Speaker 1:Hey, now You're not scrooge.
Speaker 2:Hey, now you are a great Christmas giver. You're always in the spirit. I got your present. Do you want to open it?
Speaker 1:Ooh, sure, see, here I am Don't have Mel's present yet.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Mrs Spreadsheet, Christmas episode Look who didn't doesn't prepare.
Speaker 1:Listen, I still have a week left.
Speaker 2:No, the Christmas episode is right now. It's 15 or 15 minutes in. Here's your present. Oh, bestie, thank you. I hope you enjoy it. It definitely goes with our last piece of pie.
Speaker 1:Am I afraid? Oh my God, what are you doing? Oh, my cow girl, all poppers, it's a Kate Spade wallet Ristlet. Thank you, you're welcome. Oh, and it matches a certain other person, the color that I have. Look at, you, go that sugar daddy got you.
Speaker 2:So it wraps up our sugar daddy episode. And it wraps up no, not November and no December our perspet. Yeah, so there you go, my love.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, merry.
Speaker 2:Christmas.
Speaker 1:Thank you, appreciate it, thank you.
Speaker 2:You're welcome.
Speaker 1:Love me some Kate Spade.
Speaker 2:And a sugar daddy.
Speaker 1:That too. I have to bring him back, maybe.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's so funny. We should have him on.
Speaker 1:You know what he might agree to that. He might not want to be on video, but we'll definitely get him on audio. People will probably ask about my love life. It's always a always a topic of interest. Do you remember my suggestion?
Speaker 2:Yes, Well, what is on his way? He's on his way when you have babies they're on their way.
Speaker 1:Yep, probably talk about what my parents plan is if they're going to stay in Florida or if they're going to move back to the Midwest. And yeah, we'll probably bug the kids about school.
Speaker 2:So your family has no drama.
Speaker 1:Not right now. I mean like this year.
Speaker 2:You this is like you waited 364 days to get together. Now you're all together and there's nothing. Nobody wants to say that's happened in the last year.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm sure that this podcast might come up. Although I already my mom's already listened to the sugar daddy episode. So the wedding that was supposed to happen next year is not, but I don't foresee my family probably bringing that up.
Speaker 2:Good for you guys, yeah, but exercise boundaries at Christmas. So, my family has no boundaries. You know this, right. I mean frickin none, none, italians, nope. So you know what's going to be the hot topic.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I'm so nervous to even tell you what is going to be the hot topic.
Speaker 2:The hot topic is going to be malcoming to Christmas.
Speaker 1:Are you bringing a?
Speaker 2:date. I'm not a girl, I'm single. Nice what I'm single. Okay, I'm going single. No dates and I.
Speaker 1:This is the first time you're going to Christmas.
Speaker 2:But I feel like I can't remember last year if I had a date or not. But what's more important is somebody is bringing a date to Christmas. That's never brought a girl around.
Speaker 1:Oh, a certain boy that might be your brother, uh-huh.
Speaker 2:So, brothers, bringing the girlfriend Wow.
Speaker 1:And sister single Wow.
Speaker 2:The family is going to be like. Oh my God, how have the tides turned.
Speaker 1:Yes, I know right. Wow, that must be serious if he's bringing a girl.
Speaker 2:I can't wait to meet her. I'm super excited.
Speaker 1:I like her already.
Speaker 2:I don't even know her, but I like her already Good for him. She's going to be really good for him so yeah, if she puts up with him, then yeah. Oh girls, and she's on it and he's smitten. I'm like what he was tell? She was talking to her, to me, about her the other day, yeah, and he was like telling a story and he was like, yeah, I was like, baby, we don't have to do that. I was like huh.
Speaker 1:Oh, he's using the baby.
Speaker 2:I was like baby. Yeah, I was like baby Nickney. Nickney. So what the fuck just happened? Oh man, I know, and I'm over here being like mm-hmm, now I'm going to happen. I hate men. This is my hate men season.
Speaker 1:Oh, isn't that the greatest feeling. When you're not going to be your love, life is not going to be the topic, Not even holiday dinner.
Speaker 2:No one's even going to care. They're going to be like oh yeah, she's been single for a while now. She's a loser yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm sure my love life always comes up. So that's like that's like foregone conclusion in my family. And then we do always play some kind of like game Christmas Eve night. Oh girl, it gets super competitive, and last year there was some major trash talking going on. So we'll see how this year goes.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you better win.
Speaker 2:Oh girl, bring home the prize. Hell yeah, when you go and you leave me for Indy Yep, remember to be positive, hopeful Always.
Speaker 1:Boundaries Girl. I'm rolling out of 2023 on a high note, are you? I started, I'll admit, I started very low in 2023. I had my struggles. I am riding out high. I love that.
Speaker 2:Congratulations, congratulations.
Speaker 1:I haven't said much, but there might be a special person right now in my life. We're going to see how it goes. It's going well. Talk about him later.
Speaker 2:Macho, macho man. I want to be a macho man, yep.
Speaker 1:That's our nickname. We gave him Macho man For sure.
Speaker 2:Oh, he's yummy oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Anyways, we're not spoiling that, yet no. So yeah, I'm good.
Speaker 2:You are good. I'm happy for you.
Speaker 1:My answer to every question is it's on its way. Amen, girl.
Speaker 2:How's your love life? It's on its way. It's on its way. How's your career? How's that job?
Speaker 1:going. It's on its way, amen.
Speaker 2:That's going to be our bumper sticker. It's on its way. Let's manifest this shit all year long.
Speaker 1:Yep Going to get that raise it's on its way. Amen Going to have that baby it's on its way.
Speaker 2:I'm not a normal human being. That's not an asshole.
Speaker 1:No, he's on his way. He's on his way, santa.
Speaker 2:Santa, please stop by, please, you're my only hope.
Speaker 1:I need a fat bank account and a hot man.
Speaker 2:With a hot dad Bob.
Speaker 1:Well, El Poppers.
Speaker 2:Wait, I have one more thing for El Poppers.
Speaker 1:Oh, you do Okay.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, one thing for you and one for me that we all have waited 364 days not to tell that one family member exactly how we feel. Continue to wait. Christmas is not the time.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Do not show up and have three glasses of wine and decide to tell that one and exactly how you feel yeah, you must wait.
Speaker 1:Set your boundary Before you go. Have a game plan and excuse yourself if you have to. Absolutely, like Dr Leslie said last week, don't be that person at the holiday dinner.
Speaker 2:Don't Go home, baby girl Go home.
Speaker 1:Just plant that smile on your face and be like Merry Christmas.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Go home, take a bubble bath, have a glass of wine, listen to us, email us Put your comfy jammies on. We'll talk to you. Dm us, we got you, so no setbacks. L-poppers, we got this holiday season. Let's crush it. I can't wait for me to get some Christmas. I hope Santa brings me a really handsome man. Just put some in my porch. I did bring you one.
Speaker 1:Did you always? He's sitting over there in the corner. You can't see him. It's a nice chocolate pan.
Speaker 2:World's best. You can find him at Walmart. Wouldn't that be nice, though, to end my 2023 madness over year. Yes, a normal human being.
Speaker 1:You are a normal human being.
Speaker 2:I know I am.
Speaker 1:I just can't find one. Oh, you will.
Speaker 2:I just want somebody to watch Wheel of Fortune with me. Pretty, please, listen to music and snuggle. We don't have to be complicated humans.
Speaker 1:Wheel of Fortune.
Speaker 2:Come on big money. Not that I've watched it every night at 7 PM Nice. All right, my love, Merry Christmas.
Speaker 1:We love you and thanks El Papers. Have a great one.