Christmas Movie Podcast — All Episodes

Happy Monday, Christmas Fanatics! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter (and/or Passover!)! Though it doesn't include the Easter Bunny, this week Julia, Thom, and Anthony discuss a beloved holiday classic starring a bunch of cute, furry animals - 1977's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas! Does this Muppet Christmas film elicit all of the comfort and joy for our three elves, or do we have a Grinch in our midst this week? Tune in to this fun episode to find out!

Happy Tax Day to our American listeners! To help you over that hurdle, the elves are back this week to discuss Disney's 2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a modern take on the classic ballet, The Nutcracker. Does Disney have a new classic on it's hands, or does this film join the long list of attempts to bring The Nutcracker to the big screen over the years that can't quite capture the magic? Find out for yourself as you settle in for a fun-filled episode!

This week, at long last, the elves cover the [in(?)]famous and much beloved 1987 claymation classic, A Claymation Christmas Celebration! How does Will Vinton's clay version of London's Christmas Square compare to the stop-animation settings of Rankin/Bass? Can Rex, Herb, and the California Raisons even compare to Rudolph, Frosty, and the Miser Brothers? And, perhaps most importantly, is this another case where nostalgia plays a huge role when it comes to this special's final rankings? The amount of Christmas music discussed this is almost reason enough to tune into this rollicking, joyful, fun-filled episode! So settle in with your holiday beverage, and enjoy! 

A Claymation Christmas Celebration website that we discuss in the episode, which features music and behind-the-scenes images and stories and was brought to our attention by listener Gerry Davilla. Thanks, Gerry! 

This week, take a sleigh ride with Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they fly across the pond to Slough, England in order to discuss how the employees of Wernham Hogg Paper Company celebrate the holidays in The Office Christmas Specials. As enormous fans of the American version of The Office, which spawned from this original British version, this series finale has a lot to live up to in the minds of the three hosts. There's plenty to talk about here, from the famous (baby!) faces of the main cast, to comparisons with its US counterpart, in addition to plenty of debate over whether or not this two-part episode is actually a Christmas special, amongst many other things. This is one international field trip you most definitely do not want to miss! Also in this episode, the elves take a detour into the realm of Halloween, and geek out over the new Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie trailer in addition to the three anthology books which inspired it.

Happy first day of April, Christmas fanatics! This week, pull up a comfy chair and have your holiday beverage of choice ready, because Julia, Thom, and Anthony are warming themselves up in front of Douglas Chick's Crackling Fireplace! It might be warming up outside, but inside Tis the Podcast's Headquarters, our the three elves can't stop gushing about this particular Yule Log - or roasting chestnuts over it either, for that matter! 

This week, journey back in time to the town of Bedrock with Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss the 1977 holiday special, A Flintstone Christmas. So settle in with your favorite holiday beverage and tune in, because you're sure to have a yabba-dabba-doo time with the elves as they debate the holiday traditions of the Flintstones and the Rubbles. 

And after an unintentional week off, we're back and covering the 2015 comedy-film, The Night Before!  Will Julia and Thom make like Miley Cyrus and come in like a wrecking ball when talking about this movie, or is there enough underlying heart to it where Anthony can make a convincing case in its favor? Did Thom's trip to New York make Anthony change his mind about whether or not his co-host is "the worst"? Will the elves agree about the use of Christmas in Hollis in this movie?  And will Thom's new derivation of the word "Rudolph" become a thing, or is it never going to happen? All of this and much more are discussed in this fun episode dissecting a movie about three childhood friends who become three wise men over the course of one Christmas Eve night in New York! So settle back with a cup of hot cocoa, enjoy, and get excited - because as of next week, we are officially under 40 weeks until Christmas! (And Tis the Podcast has a lot of fun stuff coming up on the horizon very soon, besides our normal weekly episodes, so stay tuned!) 

Due to some things that came up in the personal lives of the elves this week, they were unable to record a new episode as planned. So, to make up for that fact - and not wanting to miss a week - we're releasing our last Patreon episode of 2018 for all to hear! Join the elves as they dive into the realm of Christmas commercials, both foreign and domestic, and discuss all of their personal favorites – from iconic classics, to ones that transport them back to childhood, and modern day fare that gives them all of the feels. This is one of our favorite episodes we've done, and definitely one you do not want to miss - so settle back with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy!    *Note: As this was originally a Patreon episode, there are two instances in it where some questionable language is used. Nothing ridiculously bad that you wouldn't hear on Network television during Primetime, but we just wanted to give you fair warning in case you normally listen with children.* 

For the first time ever, the hosts of Tis the Podcast delve into the realm of Chanukah with 2002's musical-comedy, Eight Crazy Nights.  Join Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss this awful, animated Adam Sandler film, the discussion of which yields some personal revelations from the elves and the biggest rant that Anthony's gone on in a while. There's lots of fun in this episode, despite the movie that's being covered, so settle in, put on your yarmulke, and get ready for this Christmas podcast to celebrate Chanukah!

*Important Note - Due to the nature of this movie, we discuss certain hard truths about Santa Claus throughout this episode, so you may want to listen to this one when your children aren't present!*

This week, the Julia, Thom, and Anthony gather around the fireside to discuss the 2014, black-comedy film, A Merry Friggin' Christmas. The fact that this episode title is merely the name of the movie should tell you all that you need to know in advance about what the hosts thing about this movie, which features the incomparable, late, great, Robin Williams. Nevertheless, it's fun discussion that you'll want to settle down with your favorite Christmas drink to listen to. In addition to the film, the elves also discuss which holiday movie family they'd like to sit down and have a meal with.

The elves say goodbye to Valentine's this year with one last romcom - While You Were Sleeping. Join us this week as we discuss a love filled romantic movie, debate its merits as a Christmas movie, discuss some Sandy B love, and do our best to spread some Christmas cheer in February!

The elves gear up for Valentine's Day week with the 2006 romantic comedy The Holiday starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. Throughout the conversation, they discuss favorite movies with the leading actors and actresses, rom-coms as a film genre, sentimentality, and what can keep a movie from being a Christmas movie. Snuggle up with that special someone and join us for this romantic episode!

This week, the elves tackle the 1997 horror-comedy film, Jack Frost - not to be confused with the still yet-to-be-covered 1998 comedy, Jack Frost, starring Michael Keaton. Does this low-budget, campy movie fall into the same "so bad it could be fun to mock" category as Santa's Slay, or will it even come up short of that standard? Given the length of this episode, and keeping in mind Disco54's "Laws of Tis The Podcast", I'm sure you can guess what Julia, Thom, and Anthony think of this film before listening to it!  It's not a complete waste this week, however, for the hosts get surprisingly sentimental when discussing a question posed to them by listener, Martin Achatz ("What would you put in your Christmas time capsule?") and a classic Christmas carol is used as the show's outro music! In addition, sunnier and more romantic times lie ahead, which Julia makes clear when announcing the movies that will be covered in the next two weeks!

This week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony return to Whoville for the first time in over a year in order to talk about the 2018 animated film, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch." All Out War" broke out amongst the hosts the last time they talked about the Grinch and his dog, Max - will they be more in sync while discussing this remake of one of their favorite Christmas tales? (A remake that all three were wary about upon it being announced!) The less you know about where they stand on this film going in, the better, but we can promise you that this is an extremely fun episode that will not only make you want to whip up a cup of your favorite holiday drink, but which will also put you right back into the Christmas spirit! 

This week, the elves tackle their eighth iteration of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - the 2004, made-for-TV musical, A Christmas Carol: The Musical! This specific version stars an all star cast of some of the most popular television actors from the late '90s and early 2000s, and what can go wrong when you combine Dr. Frasier Crane, George Costanza, Jenna Maroney, The Flash's inevitable father-in-law, and the Ghost Whisperer into a flashy musical version of a perennial holiday classic? In addition to a fun discussion about Scrooge and his otherworldly friends, this episode also includes a lesson about how to properly pronounce the name "Anastasia" from the "worst" host, as well as Julia's quick thoughts about the 2018, Supernatural-horror film, Hereditary.This is one episode you don't want to miss, especially if you're still suffering from those post Christmas blues!