WEBVTT - Merry CHRISmas

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<v Speaker 1>This is the most traumatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Merry Christmas, everybody, Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, whatever you celebrate.

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<v Speaker 1>If you had a wonderful Honukah, Merry Christmas to you.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the holiday season we celebrate Christmas, so I'll

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<v Speaker 1>wish you a merry Christmas. We are fired up, all set.

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<v Speaker 1>The kids are in town. You know, for those of

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<v Speaker 1>you who are divorced with children, I feel you. This

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<v Speaker 1>is my year to have them for Christmas. So they'll

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<v Speaker 1>be with Lauren and I. We kind of still go

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<v Speaker 1>the on and off, even though they are adult kids

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<v Speaker 1>and technically they're above eighteen, they could choose somehow we

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<v Speaker 1>have them brainwashed that they still just go back, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, we go back and forth every year, and

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<v Speaker 1>so the way we do it, they're with us Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>through New Year's this year. So the kids are with

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<v Speaker 1>us here at the house and everything just feels right,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, I will dive a little bit deep

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<v Speaker 1>when the kids aren't with me. Those holidays are tough.

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<v Speaker 1>They're never not weird, They're never not difficult to get through.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you have to realize that a holiday is

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<v Speaker 1>also just a day, and that whenever you celebrate. For example, Taylor,

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<v Speaker 1>you guys may have just seen on social media she

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<v Speaker 1>just turned twenty years old. Happy birthday day. She wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>with me for her birthday, and that's never not weird.

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<v Speaker 1>She was out in LA with her mom celebrating, which

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<v Speaker 1>is wonderful. And we'll celebrate, you know, when she comes here. So,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, a holiday, a birthday, all that. It can

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<v Speaker 1>also just be the day you choose. You make the

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<v Speaker 1>best of it when you can. But I am so

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<v Speaker 1>grateful for the family that I have, LZ. The kids

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<v Speaker 1>are here and we'll have our beautiful traditional We got

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<v Speaker 1>the Christmas tree up, and Elz and I put the

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<v Speaker 1>tree up, and I still have decorations from when I

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<v Speaker 1>was a kid. It's funny, LZ, and we play this

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<v Speaker 1>game every year we get the tree up. I used

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<v Speaker 1>to be a real tree guy. Now I'm a fake

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<v Speaker 1>tree guy because it's so easy and it's lit and

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<v Speaker 1>it's good to go, and man, whoever invented that maybe

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<v Speaker 1>the greatest invention since slice bread. But we start pulling

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<v Speaker 1>out the ornaments and l Z will hold up an ornament.

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<v Speaker 1>I know the year and a lot of my ornaments

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<v Speaker 1>I have years written on them, or there's maybe something

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<v Speaker 1>in there that says the year, and I'm like, yep,

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty one. That was from my grandmother nineteen seventy nine.

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<v Speaker 1>So I have some that are just decades decades old.

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<v Speaker 1>And so our tree is you're one of two people,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, there are those that have that. I call

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<v Speaker 1>it the Nieman Marcus tree where it is perfect and

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<v Speaker 1>you have a you know, certain look and decor and

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<v Speaker 1>everything matches perfectly, and maybe it's gold ornaments or all

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<v Speaker 1>they're all white or whatever, and it's just perfect. That's

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<v Speaker 1>not our tree. And Elz and I we got, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>we have Harry Potter ornaments. Yes, there's a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>soccer ornaments because I was obviously in a big soccer

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<v Speaker 1>phase when I was growing up and then playing in college,

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<v Speaker 1>and so there was that phase where I was buying,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, every year we go buy ornaments. So I

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<v Speaker 1>got the soccer ones. And I had a raccoon phase too.

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<v Speaker 1>Laurence still makes fun of me, but there's raccoon ornaments.

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<v Speaker 1>So there's we have all these different ornaments, and we've

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<v Speaker 1>started to build our own of pictures of the kids

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<v Speaker 1>and us when we were in Sydney celebrating New Year's

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<v Speaker 1>a few years ago and some other you know, the

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<v Speaker 1>kids going to TCU and so it's great and I

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<v Speaker 1>love I like the mishmashed tree. There's the Nieman Marcus tree,

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<v Speaker 1>or there's the mutt. Let's call it the mutt. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just built of a lot of things. And that's our tree.

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<v Speaker 1>And we watch our Christmas movies, Elf and Home Alone,

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<v Speaker 1>our go tos and listen to little Christmas music and

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<v Speaker 1>we enjoy. And then our Christmas you know, Mom will

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<v Speaker 1>be here and we'll cook a nice dinner and have

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<v Speaker 1>a great time and just be together. You know, I

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<v Speaker 1>reflect on the kids when they were young and coming

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<v Speaker 1>in and just tearing open the presence and staying up

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<v Speaker 1>all night and building the bikes and the Barbie doll

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<v Speaker 1>houses and all these things, and you know, those days

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<v Speaker 1>are gone. Now it's you know, you're buying them clothes

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<v Speaker 1>and underwearing jeans and things they need for college, or

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<v Speaker 1>giving them money that they'll need for college. And it's

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<v Speaker 1>funny that, you know it kind of transitions and the

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<v Speaker 1>presence and the ripping open to the presence. It's still

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<v Speaker 1>fun on Christmas morning, but we sleep in. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>no one's getting up at six o'clock in the morning

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<v Speaker 1>and jumping on your bed. We kind of sleep in

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe we'll even eat first or have our coffee,

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<v Speaker 1>and then we kind of mosey over and do the presence.

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<v Speaker 1>So wherever you are in that phase of life, I

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy it. And if you are at the they wake

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<v Speaker 1>up at five in the morning and you're up dads,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, building that bike or a weight bench, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know your your blood your knuckles are bloody because

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<v Speaker 1>you've stripped all these screws and you are just going

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<v Speaker 1>crazy trying to get everything done. Enjoy it, man, Breathe

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<v Speaker 1>it in because it will soon be gone, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the kids will be coming home from college and pretty

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<v Speaker 1>soon they'll have kids, and they'll be deciding where you're

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<v Speaker 1>going to spend Christmas. And so I try to take

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<v Speaker 1>each level in and each season that comes. As the

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<v Speaker 1>kids have gotten older, and now twenty two and now

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<v Speaker 1>twenty years old, I love this season as much as

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<v Speaker 1>I've loved any of them, and just having them here

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<v Speaker 1>is a blessing. And I don't have any huge traditions

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<v Speaker 1>because of maybe the world I was living in and

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<v Speaker 1>probably because of the divorces. Every other year, we were

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<v Speaker 1>trying to make it work. And you know, a kudos

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<v Speaker 1>to my ex because, you know, if the kids were

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<v Speaker 1>with her, and back when we were living in LA

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<v Speaker 1>I would spend the morning with them just so I

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<v Speaker 1>could see them. And because the kids were younger, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>they were still nine and eleven years old when we

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<v Speaker 1>got divorced, and then vice versa. You know, she was

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<v Speaker 1>allowed to come up and hang at our house and

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<v Speaker 1>have the morning and we used to do that for

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<v Speaker 1>a while, and then, you know, we've kind of grown

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<v Speaker 1>out of that because the kids are older, and we'll

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<v Speaker 1>just kind of celebrate Christmas whenever I see them. But

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<v Speaker 1>however you're celebrating, and whatever phase you're in, I feel you,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm with you, and I hope it's a wonderful one.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know the meaning of the season. I know

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<v Speaker 1>not everybody listening celebrates Christmas. I know not everybody believes,

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<v Speaker 1>but the meaning of the season is, you know, even

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<v Speaker 1>if you don't believe in Jesus, even if you don't

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<v Speaker 1>believe in that story, you can believe in the hope,

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<v Speaker 1>and you can believe in the love, and you can

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<v Speaker 1>believe in what it means. Even if you're not celebrating

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<v Speaker 1>the birth of Jesus, you can believe in what it

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<v Speaker 1>stands for. The good in all of us, and peace

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<v Speaker 1>and peace on earth some things we should all lean

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<v Speaker 1>into in this day and age and things going on

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<v Speaker 1>in the world. So if nothing else, maybe it just

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<v Speaker 1>gives us all two seconds to take a deep breath,

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<v Speaker 1>call a time out, find a little peace in our heart,

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<v Speaker 1>find a little love, put down our swords, and just

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy each other for just a moment and head into

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<v Speaker 1>what will hopefully be a prosperous, beautiful, healthy, wonderful new year.

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren and I send our love to all of you.

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<v Speaker 1>Wherever this finds you, however this finds you, just know

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<v Speaker 1>that you are loved, know that you are appreciated, You

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<v Speaker 1>are very much worthwhile. If you are alone on this

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas Day, just know that we're thinking about you, and

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<v Speaker 1>you're not alone, and we're with you, if not in person,

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<v Speaker 1>in spirit. So happy holidays, Love you all, and thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for being with us this year. It's been a

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful year. It's meant so much to be able to

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<v Speaker 1>talk to all of you, have these discussions and share

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<v Speaker 1>these holidays. Wish you all the very best, Marry Christmas,

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<v Speaker 1>Happy New Year, and we'll talk to you again soon

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<v Speaker 1>because we have a lot more to talk about. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening. Follow us on Instagram at the most Dramatic

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<v Speaker 1>pod Ever, and make sure to write us a review

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<v Speaker 1>and leave us five stars. I'll talk to you next time.