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Show Notes:

Favorite book of the year:

Elsie – Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Emma – This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Favorite beauty item you tried this year:

Elsie – Moon Dew Eye Cream

Emma – UV LED Nail Dryer

Best budget finds under $20:

Elsie – Libby App and Radiooooo

Emma – Fabric shaver

Favorite splurge that was so worth it:

Elsie – Art and wallpaper

Emma – Doc Martin sandals

Your personal favorite podcast episode of this past year:

Elsie – #182 – Knives Out – Comfort Rewatch

Emma – Bonus Episode: Handmaid Murder is Out!

Favorite movie and TV show:

Elsie – Succession and Harry Potter

Emma – Bob’s Burgers and Oppenheimer

Something you tried for the first time:

Elsie – Put Christmas lights on her house

Emma – Went to a stadium concert

Something you are proud of:

Elsie – Started painting again

Emma – Publishing her book

Favorite recipe of the year:

Elsie – Seven layer salad and Harry Potter Butterbeer

Emma – Detroit-style pizza

Favorite thing about Elsie moving back to Missouri:

Elsie – Ladies who lunch

Emma – Seeing her nieces a lot

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1. How Many Glasses are in a Bottle of Wine?
2. Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
3. Best Stuffing Recipe
4. How to Make Vodka Jello Shots
5. Turmeric Latte
6. Old Fashioned
7. How to Care for a String of Pearls
8. How to Care for Jade Plants
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10. Halloween Jello Shots

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Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode 212: The Holiday – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #211: Home Alone – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #210: Thanksgiving Favorites

Episode 213 Transcript:

Emma: You’re listening to the Beautiful Mess Podcast, your cozy comfort listen. 2023 is coming to an end, so today we are discussing all of our favorite things from this past year. I kind of can’t believe it’s the end of the year. I’m always like, what day is it?

Elsie: I know, today is actually our last episode of December, and we will be back in January, so I know, I can’t believe this is the last episode either.

Emma: It’s wild. Yeah, the year really slipped by. I feel like this season too, like Q4 holiday season, especially right after Halloween, time just speeds right up and it’s just weird. 

Elsie: I feel like it was one of the longest years of my life, so it’s like different for everyone. Well, I moved, I renovated, you know. There were some parts of it that felt very, you know, it was like a big year.

Emma: Yeah, it was a big year, a big transitional year for you. Yes. Moving is a lot. Moving takes up so much space in life. It’s shocking. All right. Well, before we dive into our favorite things from the year, I thought I would just share something on holiday. So this actually happened some weeks ago. But I wanted to mention the very first time that Oscar met Santa because he’s only two and a half. So we’ve never done a Santa thing before and they happened to have a Santa. Elsie and I had taken our kids to this carriage ride in her neighborhood and they were just having little Christmassy things in the neighborhood and they had a Santa. I think it’s just a gentleman from the neighborhood, but he was so great. 

Elsie: He was a very realistic Santa, he was very into it. 

Emma: Yeah, he was into it and he was great with the kids. It was really cute. It was very cute. But it was just like in someone’s like someones decorated shed behind their house kind of thing. I don’t want to say shed, because that sounds like it’s not cute. It was actually very cute. 

Elsie: It was very cute. 

Emma: But yeah, it’s just like a little detached garage. 

Elsie: It was a very wholesome little neighborhood thing to ring in Christmas. They did it in November still, which I thought was cute because it put the kids in the spirit and I got to wear my big red coat and we got to go on the carriage ride. Anyway, talk about Oscar. 

Emma: And it was still kind of nice outside. It was chilly, but it was like not dying.

Elsie: It was beautiful. 

Emma: Yeah, it was a lovely day. So anyway, I didn’t know how Santa would go, because Oscar tends to be pretty shy, and timid. And just like a cautious kid. But I also was like, oh, we’re going with Nova and Marigold, his cousins, and he’ll see them, you know, sitting up there and telling Santa what they want. So I think he’ll be into it, because he’ll be like, oh, I’m not as intimidated, my friends are doing this. That’s always helpful. It’s helpful for me. So anyway, and we had walked there from Elsie’s house And any time Oscar and I are walking anywhere, our main activity is picking up rocks and sticks. So any loose rocks or good sticks around, Oscar’s gonna pick those up and those become Oscar’s property until he discards them at some point. And he really loves his rocks and sticks. It’s a very serious thing. There’s been times I like, subtly got rid of a stick, ’cause we’ve been collecting a whole bunch, like being on a long walk or something. And he gets upset. So I know not to do that. Anyway, so he had a rock, he’d already picked one up, and it was like his rock, he’s holding it, it’s now his comfort rock that he’s holding, and he sits on Santa’s lap, and I don’t think he said anything. He didn’t actually say anything he wanted for Christmas. I think Santa asked him at one point, Do you like cars? And he like, nodded his head vigorously, yes. And he was just like smiling but being, you know, kind of shy. But then as they were leaving, getting off the bench, Santa was like, take a candy cane. So they all took a candy cane. And then Oscar walked back to Santa and just handed him the rock. Like, didn’t say anything, just put it in Santa’s hand. I saw it and, you know, Santa took the rock. But I was just like, wow, that is, you have no idea what that means to this kid. Because he never gives me rocks, he loves his rocks. Once a rock is his. So I felt like he was kind of trying to say thank you to Santa, but he didn’t have any words, so he gave him the rock and I just loved it. It was cute. 

Elsie: It was so cute. Yeah, it was fun. It was so sweet. And then we went on a carriage ride around, it’s kind of just like around a couple of blocks, but we got to pass by the pink house, wave at our grandma, and yeah our aunt was on the porch and she got our grandma and it was so cute.

Emma: Yeah, it was really cute. 

Elsie: It was just like a very happy little day and I was really happy we got to do that. And it’s so fun doing things like that with Oscar now. 

Emma: Yeah, when we got off the carriage he was like, more, more! Yeah, I’d take him off. He was like, wanted to do it again. Like no, buddy, there’s a line. It was cute. He loved it. 

Elsie: Aww. Okay, so, I can’t believe we’re already to the favorite things episode. I love doing this. This is, it’s just like, random favorite things of the year. So we’re gonna do like our book, beauty item, budget finds, splurge, movies, TV, like all sorts of all things. And we’re going to show our favorite blog posts from the year, our most popular blog posts from the year. So it’s kind of just like a big fun wrap-up of 2023, which yeah, shortest and longest year of our lives. Okay. The first one is my favorite book of the year. What was your favorite? 

Emma: So I had to really narrow it down. Cause I actually had a great book year, so many good books this year, but I decided on the one that rose to the top as I like thinking about all the ones we’ve read for the podcast. And I also post on my Instagram, most of the books that I’m reading. So if you ever want to know what I’m reading, it’s on there usually. And when I decided to pick out of everything, even though it was such a good book here was I really loved This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, which is kind of like a little bit of time travel, it’s like a daughter whose father is aging and she’s coming to terms with he’s likely going to pass. And yeah, it’s got time travel, it’s got a lot of like, just learning to appreciate life and look at it a different way. I think this makes the book sound kind of serious, and I think it has some serious themes. But it’s also just a really fun page-turner and I really enjoyed it. 

Elsie: I thought it was a really good book also.

Emma: Yeah, I love that author. I’ve read all her books and I love them. 

Elsie: Okay, I couldn’t pick between two. So, I have definitely talked about these already, but whatever. Okay, so my first favorite book of 2023 was Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I don’t think I’ll ever read another book just like it. I immediately read her other book afterward and it was completely different. I just feel like it has a special something that is like once in a lifetime in a book. So yeah, if you haven’t read it, it’s a lot of stuff about video games. You don’t have to be interested in video games yourself. It’s more about the creativity of them making the video games, which I was very into. Yeah. It was just something I never thought I would be obsessed with. And it is like the prettiest cover too, in the whole bookstore. It’s just like a stunning cover. And a lot of times I don’t feel like that matches like how much I love a book when I pick them for the covers, but this one, it’s everything.

Emma: Yeah. That book rules. 

Elsie: And then my other favorite one is The Wishing Game by Meg Schaefer. I just like, I don’t know, I think it was the houses, Elise sent it to me originally and it was like, she sent me a picture of a page that was like, describing like a secret passageway and I was like, okay, immediately yes, I immediately ordered it. It has a lot of stuff about art in it, it has a lot of stuff about children’s literature, and then it has a lot of magical house stuff, and honestly, like, the book isn’t perfect, it’s a weird book. It’s weird. I don’t know. It really got me in a special way. I hope they definitely make a movie of it. I think that that would be a whole great. And I think they could like even one up it a little bit more. 

Emma: I’d love to see Clock Island. Honestly, I’m like, I love Willy Wonka, but I’m like, stop remaking that and make this. 

Elsie: Oh, I’m so excited about the Chalamet Wonka. I think this would make an amazing kids’ movie. It would hit me in a lot of good places. And I think it was her debut novel as well, which is so rare. 

Emma: I feel like I read in the book that she either is from or is currently living in Columbia, Missouri, which is not very far from where we are right now. I don’t know. I always notice when people are from Missouri. Missouri? Me too. 

Elsie: It’s pretty noticeable. Yeah. No, that’s cool. Okay. So yeah, that was my favorite book of the year. I agree, it was a great book year. And there were so many more. I think I’m going to make a Reel of all my favorite books of the year because there was a lot more.

Emma: It was a good book year. I feel like a lot of great stuff came out and then I just got a lot of good recommendations and it was a great book year. Looking forward to next year. Okay, what about a favorite beauty item that you tried this year? So this is like a new to you maybe or I don’t know something.

Elsie: I’m actually scared. I might have said this last year, but I am too lazy to look it up, but I might have. Okay, so this is like the one thing that I always buy is Moondew eye cream from Herbivore. It’s like this little purple eye cream. And if you’ve ever had dark circles or puffy eyes. You just have to try it. It’s really good.

Emma: I love it. I like all their stuff too. I like that brand. So, mine is one I’ve definitely mentioned before. I feel like I don’t shut up about it, but I don’t know, maybe I don’t talk about it as much as that. I don’t know. But, I love my UV LED nail dryer. I bought a nail dryer because one of the last times I was in a salon, which I don’t get my nails done all that often, maybe once or twice a year, just being honest. I don’t make the time for it. I get my lashes. That’s all I have time for anyway. But I was like, you know, these aren’t like crazy fancy. I bet I could buy one of these on Amazon. That’s what was going through my mind. So then I got on Amazon and I bought one that had good reviews, but it wasn’t super pricey or anything. And now I just use it as I’m like watching TV and paint my nails and I love it and it does make your nails dry way faster because I have that thing where like I paint my nails at night, you know, my son’s already in bed. I’m watching TV and sometimes it’s not too long before I go to sleep. And it’s so annoying when you get blanket wrinkles in your nail polish the next morning. So anyway, I think this makes a big difference and it’s like 20 or 30 bucks. It was like nothing. So you could probably buy two, but I just do one at a time, you know? 

Elsie: Yeah. You’ll have to link the exact one on our show notes that this will be, yeah, we’ll put all this stuff in the link.

Emma: It’s very random and it’s very, it feels very like, do you really need one of these at home? But I think it’s great. And it’s so annoying when you take the time to paint your nails and then they get messed up, like in your blankets at night. 

Elsie: I think you’ve sold it. I think you’ve sold it. I think that people are going to want that now.

Emma: It’s worth it. It’s worth the 25 or whatever it is. And it feels like your living room’s a spa now. 

Elsie: I love things that make your house feel like a spa. 

Emma: Yeah, it’s just random little things that are honestly not expensive, but make you feel like you’re fancy, that’s like my wheelhouse. Okay, what about the best budget finds? So this is something 20 dollars or under. 

Elsie: Okay. I have two and they’re both free. So, I just couldn’t think of anything that was under 20. Two free things and these are both amazing, you should definitely try them. So, the first one is Libby app. I know I mention this every year, but just for people who haven’t heard it. It is an app where you can put in your library card and you can check out audiobooks for free. And sometimes you do have to wait a little bit for them, but then it’s like this little gift, you know? You just see what’s appeared. I think you can put about ten or so in at a time that you’re waiting for. Yeah. I always have mine full. I always am like getting new books and you know, it’s like if you’re not in the mood for it, you can say deliver later and yeah, it is nice because it also cuts down on the number of audiobooks that I buy because I’ve read a lot of audiobooks. So I usually try to use Libby up first and sometimes you can get them right away that day, and just start listening to it. And then sometimes, you know, you have to wait a few weeks and that’s fine too. And then, yeah, sometimes books aren’t on there or whatever, and then I use Audible for that. So, Libby app, for sure. It’s such a great thing. And if you ever just want something right then, like how I found Tom Hanks, I started reading Tom Hanks’s new novel, and I found it just by like searching for books that you could rent right then. Like they have a whole page of books that are available now. So you can just kind of scroll through and find something. And a lot of books, like the first time I read an Emily Henry book and a lot of other books, I found that way too, just like, I want something now, and I’ll just see what’s.

Emma: Yeah, that’s a good search feature.

Elsie: Yeah. And then the second one is also an app. It’s called Radio with Five Os. My husband found this for me, and it’s so cool. You’re gonna freak out. Like, you’ve never heard of this? 

Emma: No. 

Elsie: Okay. So, it is an app where you can choose a location and a year, and you can hear, or maybe it’s even like a date. But you can hear music that was playing on the radio at that time, like, just from this app. And you can do the whole world. So it’s like a very cool thing to use for children since our children are from China. It’s like, that’s, you know, super cool. It’s a cool thing when you’re learning about other countries, when you’re, you know, like you’ve just watched a movie about, you know, England or whatever, you can see what they were listening to on the radio then.

Emma: Yeah, that’s very interesting. 

Elsie: And it’s just very cool because like I love 60s music and I find it hard to keep finding new things. Like there’s so many things from that time that are super famous still and then a lot of them that like, no one talks about anymore. So it’s like hard to find right again. So yeah, I found it interesting for that, and it’s just a different way to listen to music, especially if you like old music or a certain era of music or a certain country, any of those things.

Emma: And it’s an app and what was it? It’s called radio? 

Elsie: Radio with five O’s.

Emma: It’s five O’s.

Elsie: Yeah, the icon is pink with like a little black area so you’ll see it and you’ll get it. It’s free. I think it may have an optional subscription, but you can use it for free too. So it’s great. 

Emma: I love it. Okay, mine’s very different. Mine is, I bought this like a pink fabric shaver on Amazon. And basically, I love thrifting, and probably the number one thing I thrift is sweaters. But sometimes you see a beautiful sweater, but it’s already kind of like pilling a little, and you’re like, is it saveable? Is it, I don’t know. So I bought this fabric shaver, and I used it on like a sweater vest. I had drifted, and it made it look like maybe not new, but like really good compared to how it looked before. So, anyway, I was like, this is nice, because I tend to thrift a lot of sweaters, and just my sweaters, too, will pill over time, or whatever. And you can use it on couches or things like that, too, but I honestly mostly just use it on clothes. 

Elsie: Also, like, sweatshirts. Like, I always get it in, like, the armpit of my sweatshirts and stuff. 

Emma: Anything you wear a lot and you wash a lot, you know, over time it happens, so anyway. 

Elsie: Yeah. No, those work. Everyone needs to have a fabric shaver. It does keep your clothes looking newer for longer. 

Emma: Yeah, it’s nice. Okay, what about a favorite splurge that was so worth it? 

Elsie: Well, okay, so we moved to a new house this year, and I’m not gonna lie, my whole year was splurging. It just was, like, it was a big spinning year on expenses that we won’t have to repeat again for a very long time. Which I think is how moving is, and why it’s bad to do it every year. Okay, my two big splurges of the year that were so worth it are, first of all, art. Before this year I collected a little bit of original art, but this year, I collected a lot. And I kind of made it like my new thing, because it was like, this is our home that we’re planning to stay in for a long time, and I want to, you know, make every nook and cranny special, and I also bought a ton of vintage art. So yeah, a ton of original art, a ton of vintage art, and it kind of became like my new thing where if we, you know, had something we were celebrating, or a birthday, or the holidays, it’s like, instead of looking at some other kind of fancy thing, like a bag, or shoes, or something I would have looked at in the past, I’m looking more towards art, now. Which is exciting, and it’s just really different. I think it’s fun. 

Emma: Yeah, no, I love it. We were talking about it, and I was like, oh, I think you should do a post for our blog that’s like, all the art in my house. Or I don’t know what you’re going to name the blog post. Because essentially it’s like, there’s all these amazing independent artists that are in your home. And then also, where to find great vintage art is also awesome. But yeah, it’s just supporting people who are making beautiful things. It’s really cool.

Elsie: Yeah, I love it. And my second splurge of the year was wallpaper. We did so much wallpaper, and of course, you have to pay for the wallpaper, and you also have to pay for the installation. I mean, you can learn to do your own wallpaper, and I think it’s so cool for anyone who does. But for me, I would never. 

Emma: That is not my skill set, but it’s very cool if it’s yours. 

Elsie: I don’t like jobs where I feel like it has to be perfect, and I have to learn something that people get paid a lot of money to do.

Emma: And if you mess up, it’s kind of expensive, because I have to buy more wallpaper potentially and it’s pretty pricey. I will paint all day long. 

Elsie: I’m just afraid I would feel like I had to accept it looking kind of bad just because like you made your bed, now you have to lie in it kind of attitude. So anyway, whatever I think it’s very very worth it to pay for installation and I will link the wallpapers that we did this year. But, it brings so much to a home. I don’t think our home Oh, it had the monkey wallpaper, it had one wallpaper and we bought it. But now, it’s probably, what, more than five? Maybe getting closer to ten? I think ten is the right number, where I want to be. So yeah, I love spending money on wallpaper and I just think it’s like, it’s so custom, it’s so classic for the era of home we’re doing. There’s just nothing like it. I like painted walls too, but, there’s just nothing like the feeling of an interesting warm, beautiful wallpaper.

Emma: No, the wallpaper’s cool. I’m glad it’s back. 

Elsie: Yes. Okay. What was your splurge? 

Emma: Well, my spending year for moving was last year. So this year I really didn’t buy anything crazy, to be honest. But I did buy myself some Doc Barton sandals in the summer, and I wore them all summer long. And honestly, my therapist was wearing the same pair in a different color, and that’s why I bought them. She’s a really great dresser. And I was like, those are cool, so then I went and bought myself some. Okay, what’s your personal favorite podcast episode of this year? 

Elsie: This is supposed to be our podcast, right? 

Emma: Yeah.

Elsie: Okay, I looked through our episodes from the past year and I think my personal favorite is number 182 The Knives Out rewatch. Knives Out is kind of like you know, one-fourth of my personality is inspired by that movie. I just really like it in a weird way and my favorite movie, so I’m glad that we started doing the rewatches too. I will say in general, they’re my favorite to record just because it’s like you get to geek out on something that you truly love. 

Emma: I like being a fangirl. I think it’s fun. Yeah, I agree. So I shamelessly put the bonus episode that I recorded when my book came out because I read chapter one and it was fun to share a chapter from my book. And we also don’t have a lot of weird bonus episodes that are just random. So it was just kind of fun to like make one and put it out there.

Elsie: Yeah, I loved that this year was such a big year with our audience supporting your book and reading your book. And yeah, if you have read it, leave her an Amazon review, or a Goodreads review. It’s a good gift for people who love true crime.

Emma: Yeah, it was a big thing for me this year, and I’ve read so many of the reviews, probably all of them, I guess, I don’t know, and it’s meant a lot to me. It’s very, very kind. Okay, how about your favorite movie and TV show? 

Elsie: Okay, so I feel like for my favorite TV show, I have to say Succession. Because the series ended, I loved it so much. I think everyone who watched it just got like, mildly obsessed with it. What was your favorite? 

Emma: They really took a twist with it too, which was fun towards the end there. Mine is an endearing show that I’ve watched forever and love, which is Bob’s Burgers. They’re still coming out with new episodes, and new seasons happening, and I still love it. I actually saw a meme the other day, because you know, our phones know us. And it was like If you’re not going to go to therapy, at least watch Bob’s Burgers. And I was like, this is my whole personality. 

Elsie: That’s funny. Oh my god. 

Emma: Pretty much.

Elsie: Oh, that’s cute. Okay, so, I just like, couldn’t think of a new movie. I mean, I guess I liked The Glass Onion movie. But what I’m going to say is the Harry Potter. It’s my Harry Potter era, because for my birthday, I asked Jeremy to watch all of the seven Harry Potter movies with me, and he couldn’t say no. 

Emma: No, he can’t! It’s your birthday! 

Elsie: And it was the most genius thing I could have asked for anything, and I swear to God, I think I picked the best possible thing. We were on movie five last night. And, yeah, it’s just like bringing me so much joy. I haven’t watched them for a few years. 

Emma: Do you think he’s becoming a Potter fan or he’s just like, these are fine? 

Elsie: He has a favorite character. He like, had a least favorite movie. So I think he like, had enough opinions to show he’s a little bit interested in it, which is all I ask.

Emma: Yeah. No, that’s good. I’d, I’d say he’s in. Okay. I put a new movie that came out this year. I really didn’t see that many movies this year, but I did really enjoy Oppenheimer. It was just really good. It’s historical. Obviously, it’s based on real events from World War II. And I just thought it was really well made. It’s very interesting. It’s a Christopher Nolan. If you like his movies, a lot of Christopher Nolan stuff in it, you know, the soundtrack is kind of the way he does it and things. And I tend to really like his movies overall. Some I like more than others, but I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was really well done and I felt like I learned things and it was cool.

Elsie: Yeah, I haven’t watched that yet, but I probably will now that you said that. 

Emma: Yeah, it’s really good. I liked it a lot. Okay, something you tried for the first time, this is not really like a favorite thing, but it’s like, something from the year that you tried for the first time. 

Elsie: Yes. Okay, well, I couldn’t think of one that was like personal development or anything like that. 

Emma: Mine is not personal development. 

Elsie: Okay, good. For the very first time in my whole adult life put Christmas lights on our house. I got it done early like the end of October, it was already done and it made me feel like such an adult I love it. It was just like, it was kind of, you know, like you have these things where you’re like, someday I want to do that or you’re like, next year I’ll do it. I feel very settled. I feel like this is the first time probably definitely since we’ve started the podcast that I know that we’re not going to move. I know that this is just like where we are staying and it feels really good. It feels really, sort of like it can rest, you know, so I think it’s been like a very pivotal year in our family, but yeah, I can’t really say I, like, learned anything profound, I definitely didn’t. 

Emma: Oh, mine is not about learning. The thing I tried for the first time, I really thought about it, and I think this year was the first year that I went to a stadium concert. So a concert that was in a stadium, because I went to one of the Taylor Swift concerts in Kansas City, and I’m a person who does not do very well in crowds. I get a lot of anxiety. And I do okay if we’re like, traveling, and you’re like, kind of getting through the airport, or like, you know, that kind of thing, and also like, when you’re in an airport, no one’s expecting you to have fun, so there’s not a lot of pressure there. But, I think the concert, you know, for me, I don’t know if I’ll do another stadium concert ever, maybe I will. I was really in it for my friends. Like all my friends were going, and that was fun. So I would do it again for that reason. But I am not a crowd person. So, yeah, but it was cool to be a part of a cultural moment. Because I feel like this year was the year of Taylor Swift. And so it was neat to be a part of something that you’re like, everyone’s talking about this, and I’m like, well, I did it too. 

Elsie: Yeah, no, that’s cool. I’m glad you did. Yeah. I’ve only been to one concert like that. That was when the Harry Styles one with Keely and it kind of like scarred me a little bit. I think I’m on your same wavelength where I don’t know if, like, very big gigantic concerts with that much screaming is something that I can… 

Emma: We’re pretty introverted. 

Elsie: I think maybe when our kids are older, maybe it will feel like something that you do for them. That’s probably the next time I’ll go to one of those.

Emma: Yeah. I would definitely do it for a kid, or for a friend. But I think that’s it, is I was like, just for me, like, for like Emma’s enjoyment. This is really not my bag. So, you know, there you go. I guess I did learn something profound. No, not really. Okay. How about something that you are proud of from the year?

Elsie: Okay. I’m super proud. I started painting again and I felt like I had like a breakthrough. So in like history of my life, I have always been trying to be an artist a little bit. There was a time in my twenties when I tried to do it professionally. And it didn’t work out at all. It was like, probably the most financially insecure time of my entire life. So this year, I don’t know, I feel like I’ve always been like hoping to get back to that though at some point. Sort of like being an artist, you know, I know people are always like you are an artist, but it’s like to be a working artist, to be like, you know, doing it consistently and like something that I’ve always seen for myself at some point in the future. So this year I actually started taking steps towards making it happen. I think I’m going to talk about it more in our New Year’s Goals episode next month, but yeah It has been like a good year. I’m proud because I feel like I overcame a sort of like when you have a path in your mind of failing at something or of like setting a goal and not completing it. I feel like I finally overcame that which yeah exciting. 

Emma: Yeah, a lot of goals are very mental, you’re like, I can’t do it or I’m not good enough. You know just whatever you really get in your own way. So yeah the feeling of like I’m doing it. I’m in the arena I’m I’m getting there. I’m taking steps. That’s like a good feeling. 

Elsie: Yes. What are you proud of thing? 

Emma: I’m most proud of for the year is publishing my book. I’ve been wanting to be a fiction writer and I’ve, you know, been writing and I submitted it a whole bunch and got quite a few rejections and I decided in the end to self publish and I did it and it was really fun and I’m still working on the audiobook. I’m going to share a little more of an update on that in probably the next episode. Yeah, publishing the book was so fun and felt so good and it did feel like, Hey, I’m in there. I’m in the arena. I have a book that you can buy, and it’s, like, in libraries, and it’s out there, and it’s sold, like, over 800 copies. I feel like some people will be like, that’s amazing, and some people will be like, that doesn’t seem like very many. I have no idea how to gauge it personally, but for me, my life, and my goals, I was really wanting to sell a thousand in the first year. I was like, just to give myself a goal to like, keep going with my marketing. And so I feel like I’m very on track for that. So maybe it was too small of a goal. I don’t really know. It’s my first book, so I didn’t really know what to set, but at any rate. 

Elsie: Let’s all buy a gifting copy for Christmas and then she’ll be on her way. I’m going to buy a whole bunch for the pink-free little library. I haven’t done that yet. I’ll do that this week.

Emma: Oh, sweet. Yeah. So I’m very proud of the year. 

Elsie: Yeah. That’s amazing. And I know we’re all so proud of you. So favorite recipe of the year, and this would be like a recipe that you wrote for the blog. Cause if you haven’t checked our blog lately, it’s mainly recipes. We publish recipes almost every day.

Emma: There’s going to be a little more home stuff next year. Cause Elsie’s been, her house is beautiful and she’s going to share a few things. 

Elsie: Yeah. After I get Christmas torn down, I’m going to start staging it to photograph the full tour. I think that’ll be so much fun. 

Emma: But I like our recipes and we can see our traffic. So I know people like them too. 

Elsie: The recipes have been, I think we’re going to talk more about this in a future episode, but it’s been a huge game changer for our business and something really positive for us. So anyway, what recipe are you most proud of? 

Emma: The one I’m most proud of slash love the most, want to remake. Trying to find excuses to make it all the time. Is my Detroit Style Pizza. Which, if you’ve never had Detroit Style Pizza or you haven’t made this particular recipe, it’s kind of like if you’ve ever had focaccia bread, the crust is kind of like that, like it’s airy but it’s like a thicker crust and very like crispy on the bottom, crispy on the sides and the cheese, you push it all the way to the edge so the edges get very crispy. And sometimes when I make it, the one on the blog, I photograph with Racing Stripe Sauce, which is a thing they do in Detroit sometimes. It’s a very like, car city, because that’s like where so much car industry used to be. Yeah, there’s a whole history, you can read it on the blog post if you want, that’s kind of like why it’s Detroit-style pizza. It was originally made in like, car drip pans, and it was like this bar that wanted to do some food. Anyway, it’s actually really interesting and fun to read about, but at any rate, they have like, Racing Stripe Sauce, which I think is really fun. And it’s pretty, but sometimes I make it just the sauce on like you traditionally would. But it’s just really good, and it kind of reminds me, like, in childhood, a pizza we would order a lot with my family was the thick-crust Pizza Hut pizza. And it was almost a little oily and crispy on the bottom. And so it kind of reminds me of that, but just, I know it’s going to sound like a brag, and I’m sorry, but it’s kind of better, because I love focaccia bread, so like, if you’re like, focaccia bread pizza, I’m like, sign me up immediately!

Elsie: I agree. In Nashville, we have a restaurant called Emmy Squared. It’s in other cities as well. I know it’s, for sure, it’s in New York. Anyway, they do Detroit-style pizza. It’s so good. It was my first time to ever try it, and it was on Uber Eats. We ordered it all the time, and I miss it so much. So yeah, I’m excited to try that recipe because we definitely don’t have Detroit-style pizza in Springfield where we live.

Emma: No, I don’t think so. I’ve never seen it around, so. 

Elsie: No, no, no. And her recipe looks perfect. 

Emma: It’s really good, and there’s a lot of different ways to make it. I try to make my recipes where it’s like the most straightforward. So like, not the hardest way, and not all the weird ingredients, but like, hopefully, things that are very accessible and like, very straightforward. But it is a pizza crust that has to rise, so there’s more to it than like, just, you know, rolling some out from a can or whatever. But it’s worth it. It’s so good. Okay, I’ve tried to sell this pizza. So now you know, I’m obsessed with it. 

Elsie: It’s a really good pizza. Would you say it’s easier to make than what like a traditional pizza crust?

Emma: I’d say it’s the same, and way better than traditional in my opinion because I just like a thicker crust with crispy edges. All the different textures just are something to me.

Elsie: Yeah, no, I would love to try that because we don’t have a pizza oven right now. 

Emma: What’s your favorite recipe of the year? 

Elsie: So, I have so many, it’s so hard for me. But if you just want like straight very delicious recipe, I will make this like a hundred times in my life. There’s this recipe called seven-layer salad. It’s so good. Like, however good you think it looks, it’s even better. It’s really good. 

Emma: Yeah, that’s a good salad. 

Elsie: Yeah. It’s supremely good. 

Emma: It’s very pretty, too, because it has different layers, like, if you serve it in a glass. 

Elsie: Yeah. For A Beautiful Mess, I mainly write cocktails, so I wanted to pick something that wasn’t a cocktail because I feel like the cocktails are my children. I can’t pick a favorite. I love them all so much, and I could seriously talk about them for 15 minutes, and you probably don’t want that. So, what I’m gonna say is, that I did a recipe for Harry Potter Butterbeer, which is a nonalcoholic recipe, it’s a treat for children. I would say it’s perfect for making, so that you, like, do a watching party for Harry Potter like serve it with popcorn and the every flavor jelly beans. Anyway, so yeah, please make my butterbeer recipe. Please leave me a review of five stars only. I made the topping because a lot of the recipes that are online are just whipped cream, and mine is like the cold foam like you make for a coffee drink, and I think it makes it so good, it’s just like creamy and nice. So anyway, I don’t know, I feel like I’m definitely in my food blogger era now and I’m excited. We made such big goals for the new year. So fun. 

Emma: Yeah. I love cooking. And I also really love food photography. I know people don’t always think about it as an art form and things, but I very much enjoy it for like my own personal creativity. 

Elsie: It’s really, really challenging sometimes.

Emma: Yeah. We’re just thinking of different ways to photograph this sauce or you know, whatever. It’s fun. It’s just an interesting challenge. 

Elsie: Emma and I are planning a day to shoot all of my shot recipes because there are ones that you have to drop, you know, the boiler maker and all those. Those are really hard to photograph. And there’s also one that’s supposed to be on fire. And I was like, I cannot do this alone. It’s like, this is a two-person job. 

Emma: I don’t know if it’s you can’t do it alone or you’re scared. 

Elsie: I can’t and I won’t. 

Emma: Stand there with a fire extinguisher. No, it won’t be that bad. 

Elsie: It’ll be fine. It won’t explode. Okay. And then I wanted to do the last thing, our favorite thing about me moving back to Missouri, because I feel like it’s such a big life change for us, though. If you only knew for the entire time we did the podcast we recorded, would you say like 95 percent of them on Skype?

Emma: Yeah. Until this summer. 

Elsie: And now we record 100 percent of them in person, and we go to lunch afterward. It’s just like a completely different lifestyle. 

Emma: Yeah, I’m like, I have a friend in real life now. I’m not just home alone all day. Which I like, but, you know. 

Elsie: It’s so great. So yeah, my favorite part of it, is I put ladies who lunch. I feel like I’m finally a Ladies Who Lunch. I wanted to always be that, and now, I feel like I’ve achieved that with you. 

Emma: Yeah, I mean, you’ve already told people my secret Chardonnay at lunch every time. 

Elsie: I said that? 

Emma: Yeah, you did one time. Which I like, it’s not really a secret. 

Elsie: Secret’s out. 

Emma: It’s not really a secret. I think it’s very cool of me, so. It’s cool. 

Elsie: What’s your favorite part? 

Emma: Of you moving back? Well, other than getting to see you a lot and Jeremy, I do love getting to see my nieces a lot. I’ve been telling Elsie, I really want, I have to have her help with this, like, call the school and like, I want to go bring them lunch one day. You know how you’re allowed to bring kids lunch at elementary school? Maybe not all elementaries do that. I don’t really know, but yeah, it’s a thing that grandparents can do or parents can do and it’s special for the kid because then it’s like they’re getting their own special lunch that the other kids don’t have, and you know, it’s just cute. 

Elsie: They’re gonna love it. 

Emma: So, just small things like that, just little things that really aren’t even like a big deal. It just feels like we can do those all the time, even coming over on Sunday mornings just to hang with Oscar and let the kids play. It’s like, I just love it. I love that our kids are going to grow up together. It’s fun. 

Elsie: Oh, yeah. I mean, I feel like our cousin’s time has risen exponentially, which is the most important and best part. 

Emma: Yeah, he asks me all the time after daycare if we’re going to go to Goldie’s house. 

Elsie: Oh my gosh, just bring him over. 

Emma: Or the pink house, Bumba’s house. He just doesn’t want to go home, I guess. 

Elsie: Yeah. We should put our grandma on the list. Our grandma moving into my neighborhood is one of the best things that’s ever happened in my whole life. 

Emma: I see her so much more. It’s so nice. 

Elsie: I see her all the time. Like the other night, we went over there and just helped her put up all her Christmas decorations and it’s so joyful. So I could not be more thankful. Okay. So we are going to do a list of the 10 most popular A Beautiful Mess posts. And this is posts that were published in the past year on our blog. So they will be linked in the show notes too, but go through the list. I think it’s just like, I always love hearing these because I actually know this one ahead of time. This one is very, very surprising, but they’re always surprising. It’s never what you would think. It’s never like your favorite post. It’s always like, oh my gosh, what? 

Emma: It’s true, yeah. And like, I feel like our podcast listeners know, but it’s surprising sometimes how often we’ll get people who are like, oh, you don’t really post anymore, or just like, questions, and I’m like, no, we have a new blog post every single day, and sometimes two times a day, and we’ve done that all year this last year, and we very much plan to do it all year next year, it’s very normal to us. Tons of new stuff all the time. 

Elsie: Yeah, we’re just not social media bitches right now, and I think it’s healthy and if you had lived the life we’ve lived, having, like, a year or two where we’re not on social media very much is so healthy and normal. And it’s not a bad thing at all, and it doesn’t mean anything bad. It just means that we’re, like, living a healthy, balanced life. So anyway. 

Emma: Yeah. And we’re still making tons of content. 

Elsie: Yes, I love blogging. I feel like this year I loved it more than I have in like 10 years because we kind of got like a, just like reconnection with it and inspiration. So anyway, say the top 10. 

Emma: So these are the top 10 most popular Beautiful Mess posts that came out this year. Number one, How Many Glasses Are in a Bottle of Wine? 

Elsie: Okay, this one like went crazy, and we don’t understand why, but sometimes a post just goes crazy. Like, remember a couple of years ago Emma’s like oatmeal thing? Everyone’s like, no, we don’t remember that. What are you talking about? It’s just, like, sometimes a post just goes crazy. 

Emma: It’s always so random. Yeah. 

Elsie: That is a very useful post, so I guess that makes sense. It’s a thing people search for. 

Emma: And the post actually has a lot of common wine questions in it, but that’s like the number one wine question, so that’s what we titled the post, but it has a whole bunch of wine information. Not if you’re already someone who visits lots of vineyards and you know a whole bunch about wine, then you already know all of it. But if you’re, like, getting into wine and you feel a little bit intimidated because I feel like it is an area that can be a little intimidating, it can be a little snobby, but if you’re, like, I’m interested in wine, I’d like to learn more, then these are a lot of the very common get you in their questions.

Elsie: How many glasses are supposed to be in a bottle of wine is actually a really good question. Because it can be so vastly different. And sometimes you can pour yourself like the kind of glass that looks like at a restaurant or you can pour yourself like the kind of glass.

Emma: That you have at home when you don’t want to get up from the couch again, but you want two glasses, you know?

Elsie: Yeah. Anyway, we’re over-talking this one, but read the post if you have a wine question. 

Emma: Okay. Second was Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, then Best Stuffing Recipe, How to Make Vodka Jell O Shots. This is a great post, and it has links to so many of her Jell O shots she’s done over the years. Laura’s kind of the Jell O shot queen. 

Elsie: Laura, I seriously feel like we should get her a trophy that says Jell O shot queen of the internet. 

Emma: The trophy has to jiggle. Eww. Moving on. Next was a turmeric latte, then old fashioned, then how to care for a string of pearls. We actually have a lot of plant posts that are like how to care for different kinds of plants and tips for taking care of lots of different kinds of plants. And many of them really popped off this year, but we have a bunch. That one did. And then also how to care for jade plants, and Grinch cookies, which if you didn’t see them, Laura made these Grinch cookies and they are so cute. 

Elsie: Yeah, I have to shout out, if you haven’t visited the blog this month. Laura’s Christmas recipes are unhinged. They’re really, really cute. 

Emma: It’s like the best, like, Christmas cookies. Just like delicious, but also really cute and like fun stuff to make with your kids and then like more advanced things. Like, I think the cake pops are like, maybe older kids could do them, not my kid, but anyway. And then also, Halloween jello shots. That was big this year, which is basically another Laura post because she’s the jello shot queen. 

Elsie: Jello shot queen of the internet. I loved hearing the top 10. It’s so random. The wine thing is so funny. I love it. I like writing informational posts every once in a while because, okay, what I’m working on right now is how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew. And there are like 20 different things that the internet says you can use. One of them is that you can bang it with a shoe, and it doesn’t fucking work at all. It’s like they’re lying to you. Like, I don’t think there’s a universe, and you know there’s a universe where everything exists. But this one thing, I don’t know if it universe. So anyway. It’s actually really fun to do this type of work, and yeah, it’s fun to share it with you, so. 

Emma: Yeah, and it’s fun to like, you know, have a challenge of like, how can I take a beautiful photo of this? You know, I don’t know, it’s fun, it’s interesting to me. I like it. It’s a very interesting creative challenge. 

Elsie: Yeah, I agree. All right, so we are going to do a book report for Feel Something, Make Something by Caitlin Metz. 

Emma: So this was our one nonfiction book of the quarter. So it’s more of, it’s almost like a workbook mixed with personal antidotes and ideas and stories. And I will say, just partly because I guess it’s gift-giving season, this would make a great gift. As I was going through it, I was like, I could give this to anyone in my women’s book club, and they would probably love it. I also think our niece, who’s 13, would love it. Like, high school girls, college kids, not just women either, but anyone who might wanna, you know, is artistic, which I feel is everyone. So, it’s just a really really good book and also just brought me back to a lot of like fields for me of like high school and college of like just making stuff with paper, doodling, you know, I journal off and on but I feel like making has always been a part of my life and always been a part of my self-expression. And so this really was like bringing back all those fields for me. I was like, yeah, I want to make a zine. I want to, you know, like, it’s just cool. 

Elsie: There are a lot of different projects and homework in the book. And, yeah, I think Caitlyn does a really good job of inspiring you to just try things that you haven’t tried before. I haven’t made a zine. I’ve never done that, like, folded paper. It’s so cute and fun. I need to do it with the kids. So I was thinking, like, that would be such a fun project to do with the kids. 

Emma: Yeah. Or even a little paper book. There’s even a photo of them at the beginning of the book, in the intro, where they are breastfeeding their kid while they’re, like, doodling on an iPad or some kind of tablet. I don’t know if it’s an iPad. It’s just like, this thing where I’m like, Oh yeah, this has been a part of my life since high school. It’s a part of my life now, as a mom, and as an adult. You know, whatever. I just really connected with it and really liked it. I honestly recommend it. 

Elsie: Yeah, I recommend it too. I agree with Emma that this is like, the book to gift. It’s kind of good for all different phases of life because I could see myself in high school loving this and connecting with it just as much as I do now in my 40s. 

Emma: Yeah, honestly it’s really pretty too. There are so many Illustrations and little screen prints and pictures and different things throughout the book. It’s just very fun. 

Elsie: It’s gorgeous. And another thing I love about the book is I feel like it gives a lot of recommendations for other books, other artists, other like there’s a lot of like Mary Oliver quotes and like things like that in it like it just makes you feel like this is a great big world full of inspiration and we all get to live in it. And like, if I’m missing out on it, then it’s kind of my damn fault. You know what I mean? So. I don’t know. I think it’s perfect. I think it’s a perfect book. 

Emma: Yeah. And, as we said, it’s a little bit of like a workbook in a way. So I feel like when we’ve done our novels, there’s kind of like a linear way to talk about the book. Not so much with this. It’s more of a, you could jump around. But I think you’re getting the gist of it from much we’re loving it and recommending it but I think you get what it’s about. 

Elsie: Yeah, like it’s kind of reminiscent of the artist way, which I know we’ve talked about before and Big Magic is another one like it’s in the same category with those iconic creativity books that just like make you want to see the world in a magical way and be creative every day you know like do things that you haven’t done for a long time, connect with your inner child. So yeah, I’m excited about it. My therapist and my astrologer both have given me this, like, very strong, you need to be journaling. And journaling is something that I have always struggled with. And I think it’s because my dad read my journal in high school and he, like, ruined my entire life. But, yeah, no, I’m just joking, Dad. I get it. I get how journaling is so healthy, but I think it’s, like, very hard for me to, like, unleash and be honest and, like, put down things that I perceive as ugly or I perceive as, like, sad or, I don’t know. It is a barrier for me. So this book came at a really good time and I feel like I can, like, I don’t know. It’s inspiring for me to see someone like Caitlin who is making it such a big part of their life, and I want to do that too. 

Emma: Yeah, I do think journaling’s awesome, and if everyone’s telling you to do it, do it. But I also do feel like there are times in life where, at least for me, I don’t even want to put into specifics the things that I’m feeling. It’s not about the specific situation. Like, I just kind of want to, like, work through some, like, just the feelings, you know what I mean? And so I feel like, visual art could be really good for that because it can be kind of vague, and it could be any kind of art really, it doesn’t have to be visual, but like whenever you hear a song and you’re like, oh, this song’s about a breakup, and someone else might be like, this song’s about falling in love. You know what I mean? Like sometimes there are a lot of feelings in something, and I just think it’s sometimes nice to make things because although I might be feeling a certain way today because of a specific situation, I don’t really want to write about the specific situation in a journal. I kind of just want to move through the feelings of it, you know, and I think that that is a good time to utilize a book like this. And make something, a collage, a zine, a small film, I don’t know, do your thing, but, you know. 

Elsie: Aww. I love it. Yeah. So, we will put Caitlyn’s Instagram in our show notes, and if you haven’t picked up this book yet, Feel Something, Make Something, we recommend it, and I also think it would be such a fun holiday gift.

Emma: Now it’s time for a joke, or a fact, or maybe a meditation with Nova. 

Elsie: Hey, Nova. Our podcast listeners have often written to me and told me that you and your jokes, facts, and meditations are their favorite part of the podcast. Can you believe that? 

Nova: No. 

Elsie: That’s so nice. Are there any Christmas wishes that you want to give to our podcast listeners?

Nova: Well, I can give them a Christmas meditation, if they would like, another one. 

Elsie: A Christmas meditation? 

Nova: Another one. 

Elsie: Sounds good. I’m closing my eyes. 

Nova: Imagine, you’re like, Oh, it’s Christmas Eve! You’re so excited, you have to wait. But then you feel sad. Your elves will have to leave. You’ll miss your elves, but they all come back. So you go to bed, but before you do, you say goodbye to your little elves. And say goodnight and bye-bye. When Santa comes with presents, says, “Shh don’t wake anyone up. We must quiet. Then we went out very quickly, we got into a sleigh. They went out of the chimney. Santa said, Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas to one and all! Now we better head to another house because we need to give more presents to those who have none. So, let’s go! Go, Rudolph! Go! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Merry Christmas to all. Have a Merry Christmas.

Elsie: Thanks, Nova. Thank you so much for listening. We will be taking a little break for the holidays for a few weeks, and we will be back in January with new episodes. We hope you have such a lovely holiday season.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

A big thank you to our sponsors! Check out the offers from Calm, BetterHelp, Honeylove, and Ritual.

And if you’re looking for a specific code you heard on the podcast, you can see a full list on this page!

Show Notes:

Decor inspiration – Anything you would use in your own home? Loved, hated, strong reactions, etc. …

Iris’s Cottage (Rosehill Cottage) – Cozy and feels like you are wrapped in a warm blanket, tiny bathtub, full of details, and just the perfect small cottage

Amanda’s House – Perfect 2001 dream house and love the button to make blinds go up and down

Graham’s House (Mill House) – Favorite things are windows with crisscross design, daughters’ tent in their room, feels lived in but still beautiful, and the paper chain

Miles’s House – Mid-century house, cool taste, and has a recording studio in his house

Other cozy inspiration (fashion, food, drink or anything?)-

Video rental place – Brings up childhood memories

Christmas Pub – Love places that decorate for Christmas

Grocery Store – Cute, nicely decorated for Christmas and sells wine and cheese

Arthur describing the meet cute – A very cute scene

Christmas fettuccini – Going to start making every year as a tradition

Rate movie from 0-5 cozy cottages:

Elsie – 10

Emma – 5+

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #211: Home Alone – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #210: Thanksgiving Favorites
• Episode #209: Listener Q&A – Holiday Edition

Episode 212 Transcript:

Elsie: You’re listening to the A Beautiful Mess Podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Today we are re-watching one of our favorite holiday movies, The Holiday. This is directed by Nancy Meyers and stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. One of my favorites. 

Emma: I’m very excited. Yeah, this is one of my tops.

Elsie: Yes. I watched it this morning because I wasn’t prepared fully and I was like, I have to watch them fresh right before we record. Even though I’ve seen this movie probably more than 10 times, it’s like I have to, you know, watch it. 

Emma: Well, it’s one of those two where like, I don’t really watch this out of the season usually, but it is a comfort rewatch for me. So anyway, it’s not like I’d seen it super recently.

Elsie: Yes. I watch it once a year, I would say. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas in this very zone, we’re in right now, so it’s perfect. And yeah, if anyone has not watched. We’re not going to spoil anything about it, I don’t think. Like, this is just for fun, but it might be fun for you to watch it and then listen to this episode. I feel like that’s usually, you know if you’re going to. Or if you know it really well, maybe you feel like you don’t need to, your choice. 

Emma: Maybe we’ll inspire you to watch it for the first time. Who knows? 

Elsie: Okay, so before we jump in, I have the greatest news. This is my big announcement. I feel like this is like my karma, like my good karma, expressing itself in the most random, specific way. So my whole life I’ve wanted this. Anyway, I’ll just jump to it. Our new pug, Pumpkin, we have just discovered is a fashion pug because this is what she did. She loves wearing, we started getting her little outfits at Halloween, you know, cause we got a pumpkin sweater, and we got our little skeleton. And then as soon as Halloween was over, I ordered her a little, like, Christmas tree sweater. And the other day, and she loves them. She never tries to, like, get them off. We noticed, like, you know some dogs.

Emma: They always chew through the neck when they don’t want it. 

Elsie: Yeah, they’re not into it. They’re trying to get the leg out and they’re very, you know, you can just tell. We could tell that she didn’t care or, like, didn’t mind, which was so amazing. But then, the other night, she had her little pumpkin sweater in her mouth and she carried it to Jeremy’s feet and set it by his feet, and looked up at him.

Emma: She wanted it on! 

Elsie: So I felt like that was like the best, like, I was like screaming when he told me. I’m so happy, so now I’m going to order her a full wardrobe for her Christmas gift, and she’s going to be my fashion dog. I’ve always wanted this, but you know, all my dogs usually hate the clothes, you know, like they just do, and this is like a miracle. 

Emma: Maybe it’s a pug thing, because my pug, he, like clothes. Like, he liked them. He never carried it to me, and like, dropped it at my feet. Yeah, that, that is a different level, but yeah, and then my other dog, my current dog, Steve, just does not really enjoy wearing anything, so, yeah, he’s like, no, thank you.

Elsie: It kind of was like a sign from the universe that we got the most special doggie because, okay, so for those of you who don’t know we had a pug for like 14 years and she recently passed away about a year ago, and then when we decided Nova was old enough to have a puppy, she asked for a pug, which meant so much to us because we never recommended it or pushed her in that direction at all. We were going to let her just choose, you know, kids choose the most random things. And that’s why I imagined it happening, but she was totally set. She wanted a pug, and she wanted her to look exactly like Suki. She didn’t want a black pug, she only wanted a fawn pug, and, you know, they all kind of look the same. So it was perfect. So anyway, it’s just like the best Christmas ever, and I feel like we’re bonded with her now, like we get to know her little personality. And, yeah, it’s been wonderful. So I will put a picture of her in the show notes with her sweater. It’s bringing us joy. 

Emma: Oh, that’s so cute. The clothes. I love it.

Elsie: Okay, so let’s jump into The Holiday. Do you want to describe the movie? If anyone hasn’t watched it, I honestly don’t know how. I feel like, you know, if you’re listening to this podcast, you have watched The Holiday. And if you haven’t, it is on your homework list for this holiday season. 

Emma: Yeah, come on.

Elsie: Top of the list. If you haven’t also watched it yet this season, it’s on your homework list because it’s a once-a-year type of movie. 

Emma: Yeah. So, essentially, it’s just two women troubled with guy problems. And they swap homes in each other’s countries, one’s American, one’s in the UK, where they each meet a local guy and they fall in love. That’s pretty much it. It’s kind of the perfect rom-com setup, really, because it’s just like swapping houses and then falling in love in a different country. So cute. And it happens around the holidays. 

Elsie: Yeah. It’s completely perfect. And I love movies where there’s a lot of characters like going back and forth between the different sets of characters, you know, it’s just really fun. 

Emma: Yeah. And you get to see essentially kind of like four different relationships. One is like a breakup, and one is kind of like this kind of boss who’s been leading her on, and it’s not clear that they were really in a relationship, but I think for her it felt like one. So it’s just like these two messy, crappy relationships. And then you get to see kind of the Newman and like how those things are going and one’s like a widower and he’s got two little girls and one’s just kind of really quirky played by Jack Black and so it’s a very just like fun and interesting. It’s cute. It’s so cute. It’s such a cute movie. 

Elsie: That’s one of my favorite things about the movie. I was thinking this morning that like, I think it’s universal that all women are in love with Jude Law when you watch this movie. It’s just a fact. Like, if you’re not, write me and explain to me how and why. I don’t think I’ll get any emails. But the thing that’s so special about it is I also think you are universally in love with Jack Black. Like, he’s just, like, perfect. He’s perfect. And all of the actors from this movie, it’s like I do have like a special attachment to them. But yeah, especially this.

Emma: There’s also like Kate Winslet’s character, Iris, she swaps houses and she’s in the United States and she kind of befriends this like much older man named Arthur. Who kind of like teaches her life lessons, but it’s just sort of like a neighbor and she’s just befriending him. And I kind of fell in love with him, too. He’s not a love interest in the movie, because he’s like much, much, much older and, you know. But it’s just cute. It’s just different. I like that that’s in there. I feel like it gives a different dimension to adult relationships and things that are possible and I don’t know, it’s very sweet.

Elsie: No, honestly, like the meet cute line and the leading lady lines are some of the best parts of the whole movie. He’s absolutely perfect and I do think his house is very cozy as well. The houses in this movie are all great. But the thing that’s great or special about them is that they’re all very different like vastly different houses. So each of the characters the main characters the four love interest and Arthur Abbott have their own houses that are featured. So there are really five houses in the movie, plus the grocery store that we all know I’m obsessed with. I think I’ve talked about it a hundred times. I want that grocery store in our neighborhood. It’s like a fixation I have is like opening a grocery store where you can buy cheese and wine. 

Emma: It’s not that useful, but it’s great.

Elsie: Oh, it’s very useful. I disagree. 

Emma: She’s like, no, I need wine and peas only. 

Elsie: Constantly. 

Emma: Okay, well, there you go. 

Elsie: It’s perfect. It’s really all you need. 

Emma: Well, I also need applesauce. I have a toddler, but yes.

Elsie: Yes. That’s true. I mean, if you want to get down to it, but I don’t know. And, oh, and there’s a Christmas pup. So anyway, this is definitely an interior-heavy movie because I know we’ve done a couple of rewatches that were like, we like the movie, but like the interiors are kind of like a 5 or a 10, or a 5 or a 6. 

Emma: Well, they’re just like different, cause like, we talked about many episodes ago now, Jurassic Park. And I don’t feel like you watch that movie necessarily for like home decor inspiration, like how do I want to decorate my house? 

Elsie: Sure don’t. 

Emma: Whereas this movie, it’s got a great story, very classic rom-com, all the feels, but also the interiors are epic, and I think people watch this movie just for the interiors to get inspiration.

Elsie: Yeah, I will say I originally that one of the things that kept me rewatching was just like seeing the houses. It’s the sort of thing where you notice new details every time. So anyway, okay, let’s first go through Iris Cottage, which is called Rose Hill Cottage. Okay, I am obsessed with how both of the UK houses have little names, like on the front gate. And I want a name. Oh, I do have a front gate now! Okay, so yeah name suggestions for my house. 

Emma: Yours should say manor. I just like it when it says manor. 

Elsie: I feel like that’s pretentious though. 

Emma: Yes, obviously. Very funny. 

Elsie: Okay. I just don’t want to be like Cruella de Vil, you know, in my life.

Emma: Well, I don’t think it’s a villain thing. Well, I don’t think so.

Elsie: So Rose Hill Cottage is the definition of a cozy little stone cottage. Every detail, like, you can look at any room in the house, every detail is, like, collected and perfect, and you, like, imagine that she picked it up at a flea market, and that was from her grandmother, and, you know, it just has those sort of vibes.

Emma: It does. It’s very, very cozy, rustic. It kind of has those like rustic wood beams in it, and I will say it almost feels, I’m a person who’s very minimal. I tend to like very minimal spaces, and I don’t like a lot of clutter. I can get overwhelmed easily. I’ll just say that. And it almost feels a tiny bit claustrophobic, but I feel like it perfectly walks the line. Like, her headboard, for example, is a little bit too big for the space, but it just works and it feels cozy, and like nice. And you feel kind of like wrapped up in a warm blanket as opposed to suffocated by something terrible. You know what I mean?

Elsie: It’s extremely quirky. Like it has a tiny bathtub. And when the Cameron Diaz character takes a bath, her feet are sticking out. It’s so funny. Yeah, no, I think that that’s part of the charm of it. It’s when people say English style or English cottage I feel like it means very full of details sort of like the good version of maximalism.

Emma: Yeah, and the kitchen it’s like one wall is like kitchen stuff, and then the adjacent wall that connects to it is the fireplace, and then it kind of has like the dining room slash work table right there. So it just feels like in some ways very much like it’s not a studio apartment. It’s a full house. It’s a real cottage, but it’s not a real cottage, in the movie, it’s a whole house, but it almost feels very compact. But there’s nothing that feels like it’s missing. It doesn’t feel sad, or small. It feels like perfect. I really like they did that because a lot of times in movies they do like rich houses, like a huge kitchen and a huge everything, and the other house in this movie is like that, and it’s really fun, and that’s fun to look at, I love it. But I just really love that in this movie they made the perfect tiny house, you know what I mean? It’s not a tiny house, but it’s a really small feeling cottage, but it still feels good. 

Elsie: The cottage is its character in this movie, it has such a big personality and, I think I speak for all A Beautiful Mess Podcast listeners that we just want to go in that goddamn cottage. Like, we want to go in there. Like, you do anything for that to be an Airbnb with all the exact details? 

Emma: And start writing my next book. That would be like the perfect little cozy spot, you know? 

Elsie: Oh! It would be such a good place to write a book, yeah. You could go to the grocery store. 

Emma: And get the wine and cheese. 

Elsie: Yeah. It would be perfect. 

Emma: And only that. 

Elsie: Yes! Anyway, yeah. I love that house so much. It is perfect. I would say it’s one of the top movie houses of all time, of all the movies. It’s just kind of really up there. Okay, so let’s talk about Amanda’s house. So one thing I love about this movie is the contrast between, like, what a dream house can be. Like, I think that this is the textbook dream house. It is the 2001 version of the Studio McGee mansion. Like, what’s popular now, is the 2001 version of that. So it’s, like perfect for that time. Wouldn’t pick those floor tiles now, but, it’s a 10 out of 10 as far as like a big fancy LA mansion. It has a pool. It has the kitchen with like the giant range and the giant fridge and the giant island and like all of the things like I know the bedroom blinds, it’s one of my favorite details because it’s like one of those like how you feel about the hidden trash can I think is how I feel about that little button that makes her blinds go up and down.

Emma: Yeah they have a scene where Kate Winslet has arrived at this house. This is the house she swapped for, and she’s trying to figure out how to make the blinds go down so she can sleep and it not be so bright, but it’s just like hard. And I feel like we’ve all had a moment where we’ve stayed at like an Airbnb or someone’s house or whatever and you like cannot figure out how to turn on the ceiling fan or you can’t turn off the music or you want to turn on the music and you’re like, I have no idea how to do it, and you’re trying to figure it out. So yeah, it’s a really good scene cause I’m like, this is very real life and it’s very comedic and Kate Winslet sells it, of course, cause she’s an Oscar winner no matter if she’s being dramatic or funny, top tier all the time, it’s a great scene.

Elsie: That’s true. Everyone always says Emma looks like Kate Winslet. 

Emma: Oh, and I love it when people say that. So if you ever meet me in real life, go ahead and say that. Even if you don’t think it, I don’t care. You can lie to me. I don’t care. It makes me so happy when people say that. She’s beautiful. 

Elsie: Yeah. She’s gorgeous.

Emma: Yeah. I’m like, oh, thank you. I love to look like Kate Winslet. 

Elsie: She’s perfect. So yeah, I think that that’s like a cool thing about this movie is that the mansion house doesn’t end up being the most appealing house. Which is like a good life lesson, lesson in, you know, taste, how like bigger isn’t always better, and I don’t know, I think it’s interesting and fun. Okay. So my favorite house in the movie is Graham’s house. 

Emma: This is Jude Law’s character. 

Elsie: Yeah, Jude Law’s house because I think the reason why I’m so attracted to it is, well, first of all, it’s a gorgeous house. It’s just like a bigger version of the cottage pretty much. It has like the windows with the little crisscross design, which some houses in our neighborhood have. And I just like, I love crisscrossing. Actually, our house has a crisscross. 

Emma: Like the diamond? 

Elsie: Yeah. But you know how some of them are like tiny little metal and some of them are like white wood. Mine are like the white wood, but his are like the tiny little metal. I’m not making sense. 

Emma: I think people who like windows know what it is. 

Elsie: Yeah. If you like vintage windows, which I know you do. Then you already know what I’m talking about and you’re like, you make perfect sense. Anyway, so the fort is the peace stay resistance, right?

Emma: Yeah. His daughters have a bedroom that they go into, they’re having like a, you know, put the kids down to bed moment or whatever, and they have a little fort built or whatever. I don’t know if it’s a fort or a tent. Yeah, a little kid, you know, area, a cozy area where they probably read books and they’re gonna go to sleep and sleep over time and it’s, yeah, it’s adorable. And their rooms really cute too. And it also feels like a real kids’ room too. Like his house, although it’s still like a very big house and you are like, what does he do for a living? It does still feel like Nancy Meyers set designers are always great at it. Just very lived-in and real and you see baskets of toys and things that they didn’t really have to put in there It wasn’t something that the actors ever interacted with but it did make the space feel real. You’re like, oh, yeah we have baskets of toys all over my house. 

Elsie: I think that that’s the thing when people say Nancy Meyers home that they mean is they mean it feels very lived in and detailed and it makes you just want to like to pause the frame and look at like every little thing and you feel like every little part, like, everything on the counter has a story behind it and makes sense for the character. And, you know, there’s never, like, in so many movies and shows, I observe things that are just, like, so off in the characters’ homes. And you would never observe that in a Nancy Meyers film. 

Emma: Or just things that feel like they’re missing. Like, you’re like, no, they don’t live here. Like, you just feel it right away, you’re like, no one lives there. That’s not a, that’s not a bedroom anyone has ever slept in. 

Elsie: That’s an Airbnb. 

Emma: Yeah. And, it’s a set, you know, and Nancy Meyers set designers, they always get it right where you’re like, no, I feel like these kids have been living in this room together for the last few years and they’re growing out of things and they’ve made it their own and their dad’s organized. It just feels real. Yeah. 

Elsie: Yes. So his house has a little sign that says The Mill House. Did you notice that? The gate. Which is cute. 

Emma: The Mill House, that’s cute. 

Elsie: It’s like a gate with like a stone, it’s sort of like a door, you know, like a gate that looks like a door. It is my current fave out of the Homes, I think I said last time we talked about, like, I love the paper I just, like, love, every time I make paper chains for Christmas, I think about the holiday, and it’s just, like, the ultimate, like, kid, and obviously Mr. Napkin Head is part of, like, why you’re in them, right? 

Emma: Yeah, watching someone parent is always, I think, very sweet. Like, it’s a very, you know, moment where you’re like, Oh, or you just watch someone be silly for their kids because it makes their kids happy. And it’s just sweet. Who doesn’t love that? 

Elsie: Yes. Okay, so they also show Jack Black’s home in the movie, but it’s more of a quickie, but it’s a gorgeous, like, what you think of as, like, I mean in LA, this house really would probably be four or five million dollars, but like, it’s a small little mid-century house that’s perfect and cute.

Emma: You get the vibe that he likes has a cool taste and, you know.

Elsie: Yeah. And he has his own recording studio. It’s like the opening scene, his like home recording where he has his little keyboard, and he’s like playing the, what do you call them, the musical trailer, the soundtrack? 

Emma: Yeah, I guess the soundtrack. Yeah? 

Elsie: The themes of the movie. I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone who did that for a living. I think it’s a very cool and interesting job, and I like how the character’s jobs are a big part of the movie. I mean, I wish it was a book. Wouldn’t you just like love it to be a book? 

Emma: It would be a great book. Oh! Yeah. I would want more sex in it, though, but yes.

Elsie: Yeah. Maybe we should write a book that’s inspired, like fan fiction. Yeah. That sounds fun. So, other cozy inspiration, fashion, food, anything that stuck out to you? 

Emma: So, I kind of like, there’s a scene where they’re in a video rental store, like DVD rental store, I guess, maybe not a VHS, but I grew up, you know, high school and college, I guess, but definitely I remember going to high school and earlier like going to stores like this to pick out movies, and so I always like seeing them in movies when it makes sense for the time that it’s set in. It just feels very childhood to me, you know? Like, I don’t know. So, I like it. I like little things like that. 

Elsie: I love it, too. Yeah, in our hometown, there was a DVD store that lasted for a long time. 

Emma: Family video? Yeah. It lasted a long time. Yeah, I was like, is this a drug front? This doesn’t seem like people still have these, but yeah, I don’t know.

Elsie: I do have a nostalgia for that. Like, the last time you went to Blockbuster and you didn’t know it was the last time. Like, that sort of thing. 

Emma: Yeah, it’s like the one I always went to it’s called Hollywood Video. Yeah. And they would also sell, like, movie snacks. I don’t know. I kind of miss those in some ways, but I definitely like just being able to pick things out streaming. Like, it’s very convenient. 

Elsie: It’s for sure better now, but the feeling of, like, walking through the store and picking something based on the cover. I think that that’s a lost art, you know, it’s something that I wish kids could get to experience because you have no idea, like, you usually base it on, like, oh, I liked another thing that that actor was in, or just, like, the title, like, you don’t even know really what the movies are about.

Emma: I had, like, a similar thing at CD stores when I would buy CDs, and then still at libraries. I always gravitate towards when they make a table or a shelf that’s kind of like staff picks. 

Elsie: Oh, I love those.

Emma: And they’ll say like what they like about the book or what they like about the album, you know, depending on what kind of store it was. And I feel like when I was young, I discovered lots of great music that way, like going to CD Warehouse and seeing what was on the staff pick. I don’t know if it was called staff picks, but whatever. And I’ve actually found a lot of great books, like new authors, because I went to the library and they had a little rack that’s like, here’s what the librarians think is cool. And I just was like, that sounds interesting, I think I’ll read that. And then it’s like really good, so I do really like those It’s fun, but now I feel like the only one I have is the library because I don’t go to DVD stores or CD Stores anymore. It’s just not part of the world. 

Elsie: Yeah, I do, I love that at bookstores though, when they write a note, it’s a good feeling. Oh, okay, so I have it down The Christmas pub, I think, is so cute. I just love, like, any kind of business, but especially like a restaurant, or a bar, decorated really Christmassy, makes me really happy, and it’s just, it’s so fun. The Christmas grocery store we’ve already talked about, but it’s very, it’s decorated very Christmassy, and not all grocery stores decorate for Christmas. But yeah, if you live near a fresh market, I went there so many times when I lived in Nashville just to get happy, and they decorate for Christmas really well in there. I miss it. 

Emma: Yeah. And if you’re in Springfield, Missouri, you must stop by the Golden Girl Rum Club at Halloween or Christmas time because Rogan and the staff go ham with decorations and it’s just so fun, and at Christmas, it’s magical and cozy. It’s a great spot to pop in and just have a drink or whatever, you know. And also, by the way, they have amazing mocktails, so if you’re sober or not drinking right now for whatever reason, they also have that. Tiki bars tend to be really good for that. 

Elsie: I agree. I think tiki bars have the best mocktails. 

Emma: Yeah, they have all the juices, so they’ve got options. 

Elsie: Yeah. No, I love that. So my favorite moment of the movie is when Arthur explains the meet cute, and he like, gives the example of like, it’s a couple who are shopping for pajamas and the woman says, Oh, I only need the top and the man says, Oh, I only need the bottoms, and then they look at each other. Oh, it’s so cute, and he sells it. Yeah. I’m in love with him a little bit. I totally agree with that. It’s just so cute. Okay. So this is the traditional thing that I think we can all take from the movie if you wish. And partake is Christmas fettuccine, we did it last year on, not Christmas Eve, but I think Christmas Eve Eve cause Christmas Eve we spend with our family, but I think either Christmas Eve, Eve Eve, anyway, it was in the pink house and we made fettuccine and it was so fun. And then I was like, next year I’m just going to order this. Because I think there’s something about ordering. 

Emma: I’m down to do that this year for our family’s Christmas Eve. I love making fresh pasta, and it’s not hard, but it is a little time intensive, so it’s not something I do like just every night like I have the time to just, you know. So I do, I like having an excuse though, because it is fun. Thanksgiving we kind of have traditional, you know, foods that I think everyone likes and expects. But we don’t totally have anything for Christmas Eve, so I’m like, we could do that this year, that would be fun.

Elsie: Yeah. Let’s make that our podcast tradition. So send us a picture if you have Christmas fettuccine. And also we’ll tag Nancy Meyers when we do it. This is like a Nancy Meyers fan podcast. 

Emma: Yeah, pretty much. 

Elsie: And I love that. I love that for us. It’s special. 

Emma: It makes sense.

Elsie: Oh, okay. So do you want to do some trivia? 

Emma: Yeah, let’s do trivia time. Okay, first up. Iris’s tiny cottage is contrasted to Amanda’s stunning house, but in reality, thanks to UK property prices, an unskilled cottage like that in a good location could easily be worth 1 million or 2 million US dollars. Yeah, but how much would Amanda’s LA house be worth? 

Elsie: I know like 10 million. 

Emma: Yeah, at least. I think maybe the point is more like the cottage isn’t like 50K, you know? 

Elsie: It’s not a budget option. Like they portray it to be but you know what most movie houses aren’t so that’s fine. I should spend reality for Nancy Meyers, and I’m sure you do too. Although the Rose Hill Cottage of the film doesn’t exist in reality. Okay, that’s heartbreaking. The exteriors were built from scratch in a field and the interiors are sets. The honeysuckle cottage in the UK provided inspiration for the crew who designed it. You can tell, I mean, I guess I wouldn’t think that you could fit a camera crew into a small space like that, it makes sense that they’re sets, they’re like little dollhouse rooms, and that all the rest of the people are outside of that space, but at the same time, I don’t feel that when I’m watching it, it feels like a real house, and it’s perfect. 

Emma: Also, Honeysuckle Cottage. What an adorable name. Okay, Nancy Meyers specifically wrote the role of Miles for Jack Black after seeing his performance in School of Rock. 

Elsie: That’s very funny. I love that. I think that that’s visionary, to see him as a romantic lead, I think is visionary. And, to pair him with Jude Law is perfect. All of the actors and casting, I think were perfect in this movie. But, I like how there’s, like, a lot of cameos. I think all Nancy Meyers movies have a lot of cameos. 

Emma: I like, too, that Nancy Meyers is at a level where she’s like, oh, I saw this movie and this actor was so great. I think I’ll write a character that’s kind of for that person and I bet they’ll do it. And it’s like, of course, they will. Like, I don’t know. I don’t exactly know how it all went out. 

Elsie: The movies are so rare, you know how there are certain directors that actors feel like they’ll probably never get the chance, so if they do, they’ll do it every time.

Emma: Yeah, because I mean, how many movies can you make? I mean, that’s a long job, I would think. I mean, I don’t really know, I’ve never directed a movie, but it seems like a big job, like a lot of work. 

Elsie: School of Rock is a great movie, and that reminds me I should watch that with my kids. 

Emma: Yeah, they’d probably love it. It is so cute. It’s very fun. Jack Black is a national treasure if you ask me. 

Elsie: Dustin Hoffman said that his cameo in the film was not scripted or planned. He drove to the DVD shop while Kate Winslet and Jack Black were filming a scene.

Emma: He was just getting a DVD. 

Elsie: He was just going there. Noticed all the cameras outside and decided to stop in and see what was happening. And he knew director Nancy Meyers because their children went to school together. Perfect. 

Emma: He was like, Hey, Nancy. Oh, you’re doing a movie? Oh, I could pop in and say something. I want to know what his agent said to him when he was called. And he was like, Oh, by the way, I was out getting a DVD and they were making a movie, and I said, I’ll do it. I’m sure his agent was like, okay. I guess I’ll negotiate that for you. No. It’s perfect.

Elsie: I’m glad that they left it in there because that is like a beautiful moment. I love that. 

Emma: Dustin Hoffman is always a great cameo, too, because he is a great actor, like, top-tier quality. But he’s also really funny and can be so weird and quirky.

Elsie: Before the end of time on our podcast, we will probably do The Graduate. Cause I feel like I would love to graduate someday. 

Emma: Oh, yeah it’s a classic famous, so interesting. The music. I mean, yeah. 

Elsie: And you can definitely rewatch it. 

Emma: Oh, definitely. Yeah. Okay, the website that Iris and Amanda used to exchange houses is actually a real website called homeexchange.com. 

Elsie: Okay. We’re all going on there. I can hear the fingers clicking. 

Emma: Everyone’s like, turn this off. Time to go. MomExchange.com. 

Elsie: That’s very cool. Yeah. I love anything with primitive internet that you get to watch them using like a chat room. I love it. I love it so much. Like that kind of thing has aged like, amazing. 

Emma: And I feel like any time I’m having a hard time with anything technology with our website or our business, I just send Elsie the like Zoolander meme where they’re like, trying to get into the computers like monkeys. Like, I love all the like, old tech too when you get to see it in movies. I don’t know, it’s fun. 

Elsie: Cameron Diaz has claimed this movie was her most physical due to all the running she had to do. Okay, she was in Charlie’s Angels. Like, I guess I don’t get that, but I think that that’s cute. I think, maybe, does she ever have to run with, like, a suitcase? That would be hard. 

Emma: Yeah, if you’ve ever had to try to get a flight, that does, yeah.

Elsie: That’s surprising. That’s very surprising. I love her character. Their dances, okay, I have to say, like, their little, like, unhinged dances that they do, both of them, it’s just, like, I love that part about early 2000s movies. There’s one in Love Actually, too, that’s so bad. But so good like they don’t do that kind of stuff anymore.

Emma: Yeah, also Cameron Diaz is a great comedic actress.

Elsie: She’s hilarious.

Emma: She had an era where she was like in everything all the time it felt like and she’s just so funny and really good, and also beautiful and a great actress and all of those things too, but she has great comedic timing. She’s very funny.

Elsie: Yeah I love her. Oh, I think we’ve really, really hyped these actors, but I mean, it’s perfect. It’s flawless. 

Emma: Yeah. I don’t know. I mean, I’m not getting paid for this. I just like this movie and I really like everyone in it. What can I say? 

Elsie: Well, I think it’s cool how in the early 2000s, I remember when this movie, I know I saw it in the theater, I don’t exactly remember any moment about it, but I just know that during that time, people would say, like, chick flicks or whatever, like, people would never say that a movie like this was iconic. It was like, there’s this famous part on The Office where Jim is sort of like telling Pam that she can’t pick Legally Blonde for one of her deserted Island movies, and you fing can, you can pick whatever you want. And I think that I love that now people are much more open-minded about, like, what could be considered a classic, because honestly, like, they were wrong before and now everyone’s. Kind of like catching on. Okay, rate this movie from zero to five cozy cottages. 

Emma: Oh, five cozy cottages for sure. 

Elsie: Yeah, five or like ten. I would say this is my favorite Nancy Meyers movie. They’re all a ten to me, but this one is the one that I re-watched the most and I just compulsively need it, probably because it’s the Christmas movie and it’s just, It’s perfect. I will always watch it every Christmas until I die. 

Emma: It’s a great movie. It’s a good background movie, too, once you’ve watched it. I don’t know. It’s just nice. It’s wonderful. 

Elsie: Alright, let’s go to a joke or a fact with Nova. Hey, Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: A joke. 

Elsie: Okay. 

Nova: Actually, two. Are you ready for the first one? 

Elsie: Yes. 

Nova: Okay, well, let’s get cracking. 

Elsie: Okay. 

Nova: Here we go. What’s green with lights and ornaments, and goes ribbit? 

Elsie: Ribbit? What is it? 

Nova: A mistletoed. 

Elsie: Oh, that’s a good one. Do you have another joke? 

Nova: Yes. Here’s my other one. Why did Rudolph have to attend summer school? 

Elsie: Why? 

Nova: Because he went down in history.

Elsie: Amazing. Aww. Those were awesome. 

Nova: Bye! I am going to look forward to seeing you next time. 

Elsie: Okay, we hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. We will be back next week with our favorite things of 2023 and our book report on Feel Something, Make Something by Caitlin Metz.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

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Show Notes:

Decor inspiration (really break this down) Anything you would use in your own home? Loved, hated, strong reactions etc. …

McCallister House – Love all the green and red throughout the house, feels real and lived in because of the parts that are unfinished like the basement and attic.

Grocery Store – Coziest and prettiest little grocery store.

Other cozy inspiration (fashion, food, drink or anything?)-

Comfy sweaters

Nativity scene is cute

Sweet moments in the van where they are talking about how hard it is to be a parent

Theme of strangers helping out

Rate the movie from 0-5 booby traps:

Elsie – 6

Emma – 6

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #210: Thanksgiving Favorites
• Episode #209: Listener Q&A – Holiday Edition
• Episode #208: Gift Giving (Deep Dive)

Episode 211 Transcript:

Elsie: You’re listening to the A Beautiful Mess podcast, your cozy comfort listen. The holiday season is upon us, and this week we’re watching one of the best Christmas movies of all time, Home Alone. It’s directed by Chris Columbus and starring Macaulay Culkin. Finally. Finally! 

Emma: I know. I really, too, was like, have we already done this? Or have we just talked about this house one million times? 

Elsie: Yeah. We’ve just talked about it a million times. I think maybe in the old days we might have done an episode about Christmas movie houses. I’m sure that we at least talked about them, but I don’t keep a tab open for old podcast episodes. So I’m not sure. 

Emma: I don’t either. It’s like, it’s kind of in my brain, but it’s kind of not. I’m also like, I could have dreamed that. I don’t know. There’s also an episode of the movie that made us about Home Alone, and I loved watching it. It was so interesting to see how they built the sets, and it was in this abandoned school gym or something. It was really, really interesting. So I also, if you like Home Alone, highly recommend that as well. 

Elsie: Yeah. It’s for sure worth watching. The elf one was also so good. 

Emma: Yeah, I watched a pretty woman one and it was really interesting. Like, it’s a really cool concept, a really cool show, so, yeah.

Elsie: All right. I have an update. It’s so random, but it brings me so much joy. So if you guys remember, if you all remember in the olden days when we were house shopping, Oh, that was only last year and for the past five years straight. But yeah, anytime I was house shopping, especially in Nashville, I was always talking about how there were like all the gold records in the basements and it’s not always in the basement, but they’re usually in a basement.

Emma: Like in a studio, like a home studio.

Elsie: Yeah. And it’s just like very, very common in Nashville to see gold records because I mean, this is probably obvious. But like for Garth Brooks, it’s like Garth Brooks isn’t the only one that gets the record. It’s also like every single person who contributed and worked on the record.

Emma: Yeah, his banjo player. His, I don’t even know. You know, everyone who worked on it. 

Elsie: Keep saying instruments that you think you know. 

Emma: The mandolin player. The percussion person. Yeah. Do I know a lot about music? Definitely. 

Elsie: Anyway. So I always just thought it was so cool. I would like to take pictures of them. I would study them and try to, you know, it was never like one of my favorite records. I always wished it would be, you know, like one of my, you know, you know how it is. Apparently, country music is as vast as the ocean and no human has ever swum across it. So it’s very vast. 

Emma: What a metaphor. 

Elsie: So anyway, my update is that my ship came in, in my life because…… 

Emma: I like that this is about you.

Elsie: It’s about me. Okay. I guess it’s about Jeremy, but it’s also about me because it’s my basement. So. In their basement, we’re recording in my basement right now. And as soon as we came down today, I was like, Emma, look and Emma, tell them what is sitting on the fireplace right in front of us. What is this freaking thing? 

Emma: It’s not a gold record. It’s a platinum record. 

Elsie: It’s a platinum record. So you’re probably thinking your husband’s not famous for music. How did you get a platinum record? Well, let me tell you. So yeah, my husband, he’s had some records before, but you know, never anything like this, but this record is from one of our close friends, his name is Ryan O’Neal, so his band is called Sleeping At Last, and he wrote this song called Turning Page for a Twilight movie, but it kind of has a life of its own. So it was like the wedding song in Twilight if you remember that. And Jeremy actually recorded, I think the cello for it at that time. So that is how Jeremy got his own platinum record. 

Emma: And, it looks so cool. It’s like in its own frame. It has a little plaque on it that says presented to Jeremy Lars. It’s really cool. 

Elsie: You should have seen me when I opened it. Cause I thought it was like something that I bought, you know, cause it was just like a package that came to the house and I started opening it up and I was like screaming because I did know it was coming and I do have a weird thing with Twilight and I just like, I’m so happy. 

Emma: That is one of the best songs from it. 

Elsie: It’s one of the greatest songs of all time. Wouldn’t you say? 

Emma: It’s a beautiful song.

Elsie: It’s incredible. 

Emma: Yeah. Regardless of Twilight, which I do love, it also is truly just a beautiful song. So yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s platinum, but yeah, it looks so cool. And yeah, it’s down in her basement, which is Jeremy’s studio. But we were discussing it before we started recording. I was like, I think you should put it up in the entryway. I think you need to put it up in your living room right by the TV. I’m like, why would it be down here? You kind of put it, it’s so cool. It’s like getting a trophy in the Olympics or something.

Elsie: It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened. 

Emma: Or like when people have like an Emmy in their house, I’m like, you’ve got to put this like front and center.

Elsie: Yeah. Well, I think the studio is the appropriate place for it, but it’s very meaningful and yeah, very special for Jeremy and he was, you know, proud to be a part of it and all of that. So. Anyway, that is our happy news, and I definitely made it about myself. And you know, like, I don’t know, maybe we should watch Twilight. Maybe we should all just join together now and do a Twilight rewatch, in honor of this platinum record. 

Emma: I would rewatch it. I would reread it. I love it. Also, Ryan’s awesome. He was on an episode. 

Elsie: You want to re-read it? Really? 

Emma: Yeah, it’s fun. Cool. It wouldn’t take long. It’s kind of for kids.

Elsie: And the really long vampire perspective. 

Emma: You’ve read romance before, you can kind of skip ahead. 

Elsie: Okay. So anyway, we’ll move on. This week is the Comfort Rewatch about Home Alone. It’s absolutely one of the greatest movies also Christmas movies of all time. I think it’s one of the coziest like to just put it on is a mood Enhancer for me. And it honestly gets better and better over the years. So describe the movie for those who haven’t watched it. I feel like this is kind of silly because there’s probably no one who hasn’t seen this, but I’ll just read it real fast. An eight-year-old troublemaker mistakenly left at home must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve, incredible. 

Emma: It’s honestly a great premise. It’s just so 90s. 

Elsie: It’s incredible. So we watched this movie as children, and this is probably one of the rare comfort movies that I remember being a child and watching it. I remember we watched it at our home, not at a theater. So it was probably like maybe the next year or maybe it was that year. I don’t know. It was definitely in the. 90s, and at the time, it was new and you know, it’s a movie that just inspires kids to start building traps. The map and just like all the different parts of it. I remember at a young age, the part that made the biggest impression on me was definitely that I wanted to build traps. And now as an adult, the thing that makes the biggest impression is that I want the house and I kind of want to emulate and I think I kind of have certain things about this house, like exactly. It’s a really, really cozy holiday house. And there’s some things about it that are like, just like this understated vibe. Anyway, what was your first impression? Do you remember? 

Emma: You know, too, like, looking back, it’s funny because this would have been my introduction to Joe Pesci as an actor. And then as you get older, you know, as I’ve grown up, I’ve seen a lot of his movies where he is not being a, basically, Disney villain, he’s in an adult movie, and doing more. The characters that he’s probably more known for, although I think he is pretty well known for Home Alone because it’s a very famous movie. But it’s just funny because it’s such a different, it’s fun to see actors do something so different from what they normally do, but it’s still them doing their thing if that makes any sense. I just love all his fake cursing in this movie, frickin, frickin, frickin, you know, it’s like so funny. It’s just like a really good performance, both the act, all the actors in this movie, but especially the villains in this movie. Chef’s kiss. Yeah. Love it. Amazing performances. 

Elsie: I agree. I think they’re incredible. My favorite actor from the movie, well, I mean, I kind of want to say Macaulay Culkin, but my favorite actor from the movie also is Katherine O’Hara. I’m such a big fan and I love that she’s in like Kind of every Tim Burton movie from the 90s, which I really liked those movies as well. Yeah, she’s definitely an actor that can bring a performance and, you know, more recently Schitt’s Creek was so iconic and I loved every moment of it. 

Emma: Yeah. And she’s usually, well she’s been in so many things, but a lot of times I think of her as a comedic actress. But in this, she’s a very, like, mother who’s frantically trying to get home to her kid. It’s actually a really sweet performance. 

Elsie: It’s true. I think her performance isn’t as funny as. It comes off as funny to me because you remember, like, the main moment when she’s like, Kevin! I 

Emma: Yeah, well, I think she does a great job playing up the funny parts. But when you think about the movie, It’s actually like really scary to think about leaving a kid home alone and needing to get from a different country back, you know, and I think she plays it real, but like with all of her skills as a community actress and just a great actress.

Elsie: I find her a very relatable mom because of the way she’s acting at the beginning of the movie when she spent and the way she’s acting at the end of the movie when she’s so happy to be home or like, I feel like those are both me and, I relate to every single part of it.

Emma: Yeah, there’s a lot of great performances. 

Elsie: Okay, yeah, this is an iconic movie. The other thing that’s so special is, that this started like last year, but our daughter this year is 8 years old, Nova, and she says this year is her Kevin McAllister Christmas because he’s eight years old in the movie. That’s true. And she’s like been looking forward to it. It’s so sweet. That’s really cute. And I do think that eight years old is, like, I know so many people think the best ages for kids is like two, three, four, five. Like, I swear to God, eight. Like, I mean, is there, like, anything better than, like, an eight-year-old on Christmas?

Emma: Yeah, eight through ten being kind of magic, 

Elsie: It feels like it’s just a different, maybe, like, part of, you know, the younger years are more, like, for you, and this is, like, more for them, because I feel like she’s having her, like, big core memories right now. So she loves this movie and it makes me love it even more. They definitely like to fast-forward and rewind to get to the pranks over and over.

Emma: It’s the homemade zip line to go to his little clubhouse. It’s such a dangerous movie. 

Elsie: It’s human nature. Yeah. It does teach you so many bad things. And I will say that, for the parents who think Home Alone is not appropriate for children, I get it a little bit. I just watched it this morning. I get it a little bit. There are some things in it that people wouldn’t put in a kid’s movie now, and I don’t think that at the time that they made it, they knew, they did not know how famous it was going to be. Let’s just say it wasn’t overthought, and I think that’s also a part of its charm. I think like your kids, Like hearing a little bit of a curse or hearing a parent be mean or hearing like just I don’t know I think that it’s normal like I condone it because I think that like that’s life and it’s just like one more way to learn about life, you know, you can talk about it later if you feel like you need to.

Emma: Yeah Every parent knows their kid and you can figure out what’s gonna work for you because you know some kids are really sensitive to certain things and some kids not so much. You kind of have to find your way with that. I’m not worried about it. Parents know their kids, they’ll figure it out. This movie’s awesome though. 

Elsie: Old movies have more things in them. There’s always something surprising in an old movie, I will say, especially kids’ movies. You’re like, whoa. 

Emma: I feel like in some ways it’s like, kind of a good thing in that it makes me feel like we’re always moving forward and learning more about like human psychology and things that we should maybe update. I think it’s a good thing, but it means if you’re going to watch a movie from the 80s or 90s or earlier, there might be something that we have updated since then.

Elsie: There might be like a little conversation in there and my kids watch a lot of old movies and they read a lot of old books and it’s pretty often that they say words that we don’t say anymore, or they’re not allowed to say, like, for example, stupid. It’s like, that’s considered a really bad word to us, but it’s like, in older books. It’s kind of like, Junie B. Jones, and Ramona and stuff, they’re in there all the time. Anyway, let’s move on to the movie. So we’re going to talk about decor inspiration that we loved, strong reactions, et cetera. I have so many reactions to this home. You guys already know this is one of my number one. So, this home is a real home in the Chicago suburbs, the exterior part of it at least, that you can, you know, like, walk by and take a picture.

Emma: We have had podcast listeners walk by as they’re listening to our podcast before and like send us a photo of themselves and that, I’m talking about it, is a moment. And I felt like, wow everybody gets it. They understand us. There’s nothing that fits more to me than a listener who’s like, I walked by the Home Alone house while listening to your podcast. I’m like, oh, you understand everything that we’re trying to do with this. 

Elsie: I agree. If I had to micro niche, it would be like movie houses. That is like my number one interest, but no one is ever gonna make you a micro niche and no one can make us. So anyway, this house is a 10 out of 10. Let’s start with the entryways You walk in and I like I think I kind of subliminally decorated my entryway to watch this movie because I didn’t remember the wallpaper that we entryway kind looks like the wallpaper that they have. Yeah, not exactly but It does a little bit and it made me so happy. So the whole house is so much green and red. And the thing I love about it is that if you aren’t analyzing it, you barely register it at all. It just looks like a really cute house at Christmas time. And if you like to become like us and you’re like looking at every single detail, it’s like the phone is green and the bed is red and in every single interior shot, you can find red and green over and over. So it’s really fun. It’s like a treat for the eyes and it’s kind of one of those things where like the more you start paying attention, the more you see in the movie. There’s like a green and red carpet. 

Emma: Yeah. And I think too, like, you know, green and red, they’re complimentary colors? Not what it’s called on the color wheel, but they’re very bold. Like they’re a very bold choice, but the house doesn’t feel like overly Christmas until you start analyzing it. Like if you’re just watching the movie, you’re like, Oh, it’s decorated for Christmas. It’s Christmas time. I know this is a Christmas movie, but you’re not really thinking like, Oh, all of the wallpaper is like little green 90s leaves and you know, like just like little details that yeah until you start micro. 

Elsie: They did a great job. It’s very very literal, but I think maybe because the house doesn’t have so much like Christmas decorations It’s more just like the colors of the furnishings and the wallpaper and like the decor is red and green It doesn’t like to strike you as like overly Christmasy at first. But then, yeah, the more you pay attention, you’ll see it. It’s insane. And there are some shots like there’s a green hallway. There are some shots that are very, very themed out. 

Emma: Yeah. And it does feel like a fancy family house. Like, it feels kind of lived in. One, especially in the opening scenes, there are a million people in the house because it’s like a big family. 

Elsie: It looks fancy, but it also looks a little messy and it definitely looks, like, there are rooms where I’m like, I would totally, like their bedroom, I would totally take this exact room except for like, just change the art. Like, there’s just things about it. Yeah, like extreme nineties things. 

Emma: But then they also just because of all the you know, Kevin having to protect his house, they show us some areas of the house that are like, not decorated, like the basement. We have to see this very unfinished, just like paint cans basement. And then also his kid, like tree house looks like a kid’s tree house. It doesn’t look like decorated in there, and that’s kind of fun to see. So I feel like they do a really good job of making it feel like this family is nice and well-to-do. Obviously, it’s a very big house, but then it also like, feels real because it feels like people actually live there and there are areas that are not as decorated or that are just like kids. I think even the attic, they show us, Kevin, up in the attic because he sleeps up there and that’s how he gets left. And it’s not really finished all the way, and I think moments like that are like great set decorating because it’s like they didn’t go overboard. They didn’t polish it too much. So it feels a little more like, Oh yeah, it’s a house. I have areas of my house that are done, you know. 

Elsie: Yeah. I totally agree. Okay. So, a couple of our favorite parts of the home. I do love the attic. The attic sparks joy. It’s cute. I always love an attic in any movie and like, it’s like kind of a movie thing. Yeah. Kids hiding in attics. To put a bedroom, a bed up there, like, I don’t know very many people in real life who have a bed in their attic.

Emma: I don’t either. That they use. You did it, but you, like, finished out the attic. It’s, like, very fleshed out. Yeah, but we added HVAC. So that’s a big difference. Yeah. That, too. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, like, love, I love the parent’s bedroom. I love Buzz’s bedroom. I love the hallways, the stairways, you know, all of that.

Elsie: I like the kitchen, in some ways, it’s got, like, a black tile countertop with white grout. It’s, like, the most horrifying possible countertop, and I still love the kitchen. 

Emma: I also love the Christmas lights, they show us all the Christmas lights on the outside of the house. And it’s a little bit of a plot device because they have the villains are dressed as police officers. And they’re like, you can tell that the families are out of town because all the Christmas lights are on a timer. And he’s like pointing out when they’re going to go on. 

Elsie: I don’t like to know how that we’ll talk about the villains more, but like, I don’t know how that’s relevant at all, because aren’t all houses on a timer?

Emma: That’s what I was gonna say. 

Elsie: You remember to turn them on every night? 

Emma: Yeah, I’m at my house all the time and my lights are on a timer. Cause I don’t remember. So yeah, I agree.

Elsie: The part that I loved about the villains is when they are talking about what they’re going to steal, and it’s like VCRs. It’s like the most horrible things that just didn’t age as valuable at all. And then when they’re walking around the house, just like putting what looks like just like random knickknacks into like a bag, they’re so bad at their job and they don’t know what’s good. They don’t know what’s valuable at all.

Emma: They’re very Disney villains. And I also like that they give them this dynamic through, you know, the script and like, they’re a little bickering where they almost vibe like siblings, like brothers who are like, you know, like have their different ideas on how things should go, and they’re a little bit of a power struggle of who’s going to get it. Cause one of them’s always like, I want to be called the wet bandits. We got to leave the water running in each of the houses to leave our mark. The other one’s like, don’t do that. Then they’ll know which houses we hit, you know like it’s this kind of like little bickering basically that we do. I’m like if we were robbing houses, this is the kind of fights we would have.

Elsie: I agree. We would probably have some strategic fights and disagreements. 

Emma: We would, yeah. So like, they really vibe like siblings. They’re not in the movie, but it’s just like this fun little dynamic. 

Elsie: It’s cute. Yeah, I don’t know nothing puts me in the mood to eat cheese pizza though, like watching Home Alone.

Emma: That really stuck out to me as a kid, because I was definitely a kid who enjoyed food. But yeah, he eats like a whole cheese pizza to myself. That’s just like a kid’s fantasy that comes to life in the movie. He also has the moment where he makes the microwave macaroni and cheese, like right before he has to go defend his house and he has candles lit. I love macaroni and cheese. And so I don’t know, like that little scene, I’m like. Oh yeah, he’s just like having a little moment of kid self-care before he has to go defend his territory. You know, like it’s just this funny little sweet moment. 

Elsie: Yes. He does a lot of self-care. I will say he does his grocery shopping.

Emma: Ice cream, making his big sundae.

Elsie: Yeah. He’s doing a good job. It’s adorable. Okay, I noticed that in the living room, they have the same piano as us. Our new piano that Jeremy just got is the same. It’s like a wood, traditional-looking grand piano. It’s very magical. I kind of just want to copy the home, like I wish that in another life, I could be one of those people who just makes an Airbnb that’s Home Alone.

Emma: Oh yeah, that would be fun. Maybe you could do it in this life. We’ll see. Another cozy inspiration for the movie is there’s a lot of great sweaters in this movie. 

Elsie: There are. 

Emma: Some of them are very, like, 90s, but just very, yeah, a lot of great sweaters, great turtlenecks. I really do like the fashion in this movie. I feel like the 90s kind of came back in many ways. It’s now like the vintage that’s cool, you know? And so, yeah, this movie has a lot of interesting fashion choices that are good. 

Elsie: I think that in home decor and in fashion a lot of it is, like, it’s completely back. There are very few things in the movie that would be considered, like, so outdated now. You know? I think most of it is, like, pretty cool. Okay, so I love the grocery store scene. I just think it’s like the coziest, prettiest little grocery store, and it makes me so happy when he’s talking about the coupons and stuff. 

Emma: Yeah, the coupons, oh my gosh, yeah. 

Elsie: And I do love the church scene when he’s like hiding in the nativity. The nativity is so cute. I can’t think of any other interiors from the movie that like really stood out to me. The van, the van is so cute. 

Emma: The van, yeah, there’s, I don’t know what there is to say about the decor of it. There’s so much going on in the van as she tries to frantically make her way home to her son who’s been left she’s traveling with these like polka players and they’re just driving in a van, doing a van tour and yeah, it’s a really fun scene and I think that’s like some of the sweet moments too. Basically talking about how it’s hard to be a parent and you’re going to get something wrong but you just kind of have to do your best, you know. And it’s a touching moment, but it has this backdrop of silliness cause it’s a bunch of like polka players and they’re in a van, and yeah. I think too, and I don’t know how to feel about this, but I like it as a storytelling device. They do this thing multiple times because the polka players are like this, it’s like strangers who help out. Because I think sometimes we are kind of inclined to think like strangers are dangerous or strangers might get us. And like the old man at the church or the old man who seems spooky is always like shoveling his driveway and there’s all these rumors about him. The kids in the neighborhood have rumors and then he turns out to be a really good guy and really hopeful. He’s. Looking out for Kevin. And kind of the same thing with the polka players, it’s like there are these random strangers she doesn’t know and then they give her a ride. They’re like, oh, you need a ride? We’ll give you a ride. And I like that as a device, strangers who help out. I also think it’s a really hopeful theme and really sweet to see and it makes so much sense for a Christmas movie. 

Elsie: Yeah. I completely agree. Beautiful.

Emma: There are kind people in the world. It might be that weird old man on your street. Who knows? I don’t know. 

Elsie: No, for sure. That’s really sweet. I mean, I think that like, anything that they have in the movie is considered cool and like, it would be very fun to have a Home Alone-themed party. 

Emma: I love when people do Home Alone-themed Halloween costumes. A lot of times people will do it with little kids and they’ll be the villains and, you know, like, I don’t know, there’s just a lot of different versions of it. But I just love it when people do like, Home Alone-themed Halloween costumes. I think it’s a blast. It’s so fun. Yeah. And I like that, you know a movie’s iconic when it is starting to be like a major Halloween costume. Like, that’s when your movie’s like made it into the zeitgeist, it cannot be removed because it’s like everyone’s dressing like it for Halloween because you know it’s like that recognizable. You’re like, I just have this like, you know, half cut off like stocking cap and my head looks charred and everyone knows who you are, you know, because it’s like famous. It’s amazing. 

Elsie: Okay, so I put down maybe it should be one of the life goals that we can fly first class and we can sit all of our kids in the back of the plane.

Emma: That sounds nice. Is that even allowed? That sounds pretty nice. 

Elsie: I don’t know if it’s allowed. It doesn’t sound right to me, but that’s why it like stands out so much. I’m like, really? Really? Do people do that? Are you allowed to do that? Yeah. I think it’s hilarious. It’s so funny. 

Emma: It would be expensive to fly with that many kids.

Elsie: Oh my gosh. It sure would. 

Emma: You know all the memes that are like, what does Kevin’s dad do for a living? Everyone wants to know. 

Elsie: Yeah. No kidding. That’s funny. 

Emma: Okay. Should we do some trivia? 

Elsie: Yes. Let’s do it. 

Emma: Alright movie trivia time. Joe Pesci deliberately avoided Macaulay Culkin on set because he wanted Culkin to think he was mean.

Elsie: Oh, that’s so sweet. 

Emma: I know it’s kind of cute. 

Elsie: That’s so cute. Some scenes were shot in a three-story single-family home located in the suburbs of Chicago. The kitchen in this movie was shot in the house. Oh, interesting. Along with the main staircase and the basement. Ooh, that’s a lot. Most of the first-floor landing the house’s dining room and all of the downstairs rooms, excluding the kitchens were built on a soundstage. The house was built in 1921 and features five bedrooms and a fully converted attic. A detached double garage and a greenhouse. Kevin’s quote-unquote treehouse in the backyard was built specifically for the movie and then demolished after principal photography ended. What a shame. What a shame. Oh my gosh.

Emma: My house would have been like, just leave the treehouse. No, just leave it. We’ll take it. 

Elsie: Oh, it’s so magical. I mean I can’t imagine how it is to live in a famous movie house, but if anyone knows someone who lives in a famous movie house, please have them write to us and tell us what it’s like and if it’s annoying. I’m so curious about that. 

Emma: Yeah, I would be curious too. It would be a fun device in a book. Be like, I live in this house, but like a fictional, you know something. 

Elsie: It’s a good idea.

Emma: Yeah. I’m always trying to think of weird premises now. It’s all I do. Hobby. Okay. Next trivia. The home where the movie was filmed is actually just outside of Chicago, as we said, and therefore the filmmakers used the house’s real address when Kevin and Harry referenced the location. However, the house has since been blurred out on Google Maps Street View, along with several other houses in the neighborhood, including the quote-unquote Murphy House across the street, because local residents have had to deal with thousands of people driving by or walking by and taking pictures. The crowds are reportedly much worse around the holiday season. Well, that kind of answered our question. 

Elsie: Yeah. I mean, I can imagine that, but I also think it’s special. I think it’s a part of history. It’s a landmark. I know it’s someone’s personal home, too, but I don’t think it’s bad if people take pictures from the road. There are hundreds of famous movie houses from various movies, and, you know, like, I just think it’s a delightful thing. 

Emma: Oh, yeah. I could see it either way, but I could also see it, you know the world is big and there are weirdos in it, so I do understand wanting some privacy and making sure, like, if you have children, like, make sure the kids are safe. I can understand that as well.

Elsie: I heard one time that, like, you know how there’s like a house in Breaking Bad where they threw a pizza on the roof? I heard that people in real life, wouldn’t stop throwing pizzas on the roof. And that would be so horrible. But that’s destructive and that’s gross. 

Emma: It’s kind of vandalism. 

Elsie: It’s a little bit different from taking a picture. 

Emma: It’s funny vandalism, but it’s not cool, man. Don’t do that. 

Elsie: Yeah. It’s horrible. 

Emma: No, taking a picture from far away and also making sure that the family wasn’t in it, who lives there. Because like, you want to take a picture of someone else’s child or something. That’s not cool. But, you know assuming that, to me, I get it, but I also could understand wanting to feel safe in your home. I think everyone deserves to feel safe in their home, so, there are a lot of different levels of that. So yeah, I can understand that. 

Elsie: John Candy filmed his part in only one day, albeit it was a 23-hour day. Okay, that’s way too long to work. Wow, that’s way too long. Almost all of his dialogue was improvised, love that. His part was potentially partly inspired by the character he plays in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, which was also written and produced by John Hughes. 

Emma: Oh, cool. That’s interesting. I love that. The scene when Kevin walks past the driveway just as Harry and Marv are driving down it and stop just in time to avoid hitting him was achieved by having Macaulay Culkin walk backward as the van was driven in reverse away from him and had some stagehands shake the van for dramatic effect. The film was then shown backward. Interesting. That’s a funny way to do a special effect. Does sound much safer for a child. 

Elsie: It’s good to know that they didn’t almost hit him with a van. 

Emma: I kind of figured they had a stump person who was a similar height or something. 

Elsie: Yeah. I had no idea how they got that shot. It’s really close up. It’s like, that’s truly his face.

Emma: Yeah, there would be. 

Elsie: That’s a good idea. I love learning little things, it’s so magical. When Kevin is jumping up and down on his parent’s bed while munching on some popcorn, there are actually several crew members lying on the floor on both sides and at the foot of the bed. They had been instructed to lie there and be ready to catch McCaulay Culkin in case he accidentally jumped or fell off the bed. That’s like kind of sweet. 

Emma: Yeah, I will say I don’t know how easy it would be to catch a kid who falls if you’re lying on the floor though. That would be difficult. 

Elsie: I agree. You’re not maybe gonna catch them for sure. But that’s sweet that they were taking care of him. I am curious. Yeah, like, what all parts of the movie he had, like, what were the most challenging things he had to do, because it is kind of hard to tell, and I don’t usually analyze it in that way when I’m watching it.

Emma: It’s kind of a physical movie, too, because there’s a lot, you know, going on, so, you know. 

Elsie: Rate the movie from zero to five booby traps. We would never give a zero to a movie we have on the podcast. 

Emma: Five or six booby traps, for sure. 

Elsie: Yeah, let’s do a six. Hard six.

Emma: Six paint cans. Six blowtorches. Yeah. It’s a great movie.

Elsie: It’s so wonderful. It’s one of my absolute favorites of all time, so I’m glad we got to do this. Okay, let’s go to Nova’s segment. Alright, we are in Nova’s cozy bed with a quilt on and we are recording, what are we recording Nova? 

Nova: A Home Alone meditation. 

Elsie: Perfect. Okay, Nova, I’m closing my eyes.

Nova: Well, while Home Alone’s getting ready, he takes a nice bath. Ah! He screams. Then, he goes to the grocery store. He gets some groceries. The lady at the counter asks, Are you here by yourself? Kevin says, What? No way, my mom’s in the car. She looks at one of the groceries that he picked out for the kids, he said. When he was walking home, Boom! He dropped his groceries in the snow. He quickly picked them up and went right back home. And then he went wild. Scooting down on the sleigh on the stairs. and jumping on the bed with a guitar. He was having a good time. Meanwhile, his mom was worrying about him. She was trying to go home, while he was just having a great time. When he was done being all wild, he watched some TV. Then, he had a great idea. When the pizza man came to deliver his pizza, he turned on the TV, It scared the pizza man. He put the pizza on the front porch. And left very quickly in Home Alone he said my cheese pizza just for me. He prayed, then ate happily in the house.

Elsie: All right. We hope you enjoyed this episode. We love doing these comfort rewatch, so continue to send us your suggestions. Next week we’ll be back with our book report on Feel Something, Make Something by Caitlyn Metz.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

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Show Notes:

Listen to the Bonus Episode about Emma’s book HERE

What your plans are for Thanksgiving this year:

Having it at Elsie’s and cooking with their mom

Favorite Thanksgiving Memory:

Elsie – When Nova was 3 and they wrote on leaves everything she was grateful for

Emma – Going to her Great-Aunt Ina’s house and eating honey butter

Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition:

Elsie – Making Thanksgiving food with Emma

Emma – Making Gingerbread houses

Favorite Thanksgiving dish to make:

Elsie – Gingerbread Cookies, Chex Mix, Charcuterie, and Oatmeal Cookie Shot or Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shot

Emma – Turkey

Favorite Thanksgiving dish to eat:

Elsie – Stuffing, Pumpkin Pie

Emma – Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Green Bean Casserole, Stuffing, Funeral Potatoes, Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, Espresso Martini, and Affogato

Favorite Thanksgiving Dessert:

Elsie – Apple Tart

Emma – Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake, No Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake, Caramel Apple Cheesecake, and Cookies

Favorite thing to do after dinner:

Elsie – Watch a movie and decorate gingerbread cookies

Emma – Watch a movie or do a puzzle

Sparks Joy:

Elsie – Moose Glasses

Emma – Behind the Seams by Dolly Parton

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #209: Listener Q&A – Holiday Edition
• Episode #208: Gift Giving (Deep Dive)
• Episode #207: Ghost Stories Episode

Episode 210 Transcript:

Elsie: You’re listening to The Beautiful Mess Podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Thanksgiving is next week, so we’re letting you in on all of our Thanksgiving favorites. This is going to be like a show notes episode with a ton of links because I’m not going to lie our Thanksgiving recipe archive is like balling. It is incredible.

Emma: It’s pretty epic. And yeah, I can always tell from friends and family members when they read my blog or not because if they’re trying to describe to me how to make almost any casserole, I’m like, oh, you don’t read my blog. And I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. I’m like, oh, you don’t know, but I actually have all of these, this is what I have dedicated my life to. 

Elsie: Casserole queen. 

Emma: This is what I do. And I love to hear other people’s recipes. It’s not that. It’s just like, you know, if they’re like, Oh, if you’ve never made this before, and I’m like, Oh, I have many times I’ve tested that one many times and I’ve put my favorite version on the internet. Like that’s who I am. 

Elsie: So before we jump in, I thought this would be a good time for you to give an update on your book release because you released handmade murder a couple of weeks ago. 

Emma: Yeah, right before Halloween. So by the time you’re listening to this, it’s been over a month. And I’ve got to say, ’cause I don’t feel like I’ve got to talk about it on the podcast since I did the special bonus episode. But yeah, and if you didn’t hear that special bonus episode, go back cause it came out kind of in between. It wasn’t a regular Monday episode. But I think if you’re subscribed, it would have just popped up for you, but if you’re not subscribed and you missed it, go back because I talk about my book, but I also read chapter one. So you get kind of a little freebie, a little teaser into the book if you’re interested. Anyway, it was so fun to launch that book. And people were so, so nice. And it was just like one of those days where I spent way too much time on my phone, just looking at people’s comments and like writing back to them or hearting them or whatever, you know, and I got so many comments on our blog and people wrote me emails and it was just really, really sweet. And since then I’ve had lots of people write me comments or send me emails as they’ve received the book, as they finished the book and telling me what they thought and I’ve got a bunch of really nice Amazon reviews too, and from a lot of people that I don’t know, like, not like friends, which I appreciate when friends do it too, but when it’s like someone you don’t know, and there was this one review, I should put it up on Instagram. I hope it doesn’t come off like I’m making fun of it because I actually really deeply appreciated this review, but essentially, I’m paraphrasing. They said, I wasn’t expecting much, this is a new writer, but it was actually really good. And it was just like a really nice review where they’re like, I really enjoyed this book and I didn’t think it was necessarily going to be very good. It’s like, wow, this is quite the review, and thank you. And I’m glad you liked it. You know, it makes me so happy to think about people enjoying the book because that’s what I want to write for. I’ve enjoyed so many books. Books have been such a comfort and entertainment and an escape for me all through my life since I was in middle school. So the idea of getting to be a part of that in people’s lives means truly the world to me. And I’ve also had a number of people write me and be like, I’m a librarian and we’re definitely going to have it at our library. Like just, you know. 

Elsie: Oh, that’s great. 

Emma: Yeah, it being in libraries, you don’t know what that means to me because libraries are like a sanctuary to me. That’s like where I would eat my lunch in high school. Like, I love libraries. So yeah, knowing that my books are in some libraries across the country just means the world to me. And yeah, it keeps selling. I can see like in Amazon, the numbers that sell on there and it keeps growing and growing. I’ve sold well over 500 at this point. I don’t really have a lot of expectations, to be honest with you. Like, I didn’t really have a lot of goals other than do it. So for me, I’m like, all of this is gravy and icing, but I was surprised how many I sold and how many people read it and how quickly they read it. And I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. I don’t know, but it feels like people really got it and that was really fun and really encouraging.

Elsie: Good. So yeah, if you’ve read the book Shamelessly Aldous requests please leave for an Amazon review. 

Emma: Yeah, I will too. I have no shame.

Elsie: Yeah, I think we have good karma because we have been review-bombed in the past. Yeah, where people leave mean reviews to hurt you not necessarily having read your book. And so, yeah, when people do the opposite of that when people leave nice reviews to support, it’s so meaningful and wonderful, and yeah, so if you have a minute, do leave a review on there. I think that it makes a difference, and it’s important. 

Emma: Yeah. And it’s already like, I think after the first day it was on Goodreads and there are some reviews on there.

Elsie: Oh, yeah. I left one on Goodreads on the first day. I was the first person. I was very proud of that fact. 

Emma: Yeah. So it’s been a blast. And it’s been a lot. Yeah. I’m excited to write more. I don’t really have any news to share. And I’m still trying to figure out the audio version. I’ve gotten a little derailed. It is a busy time of year, but I am still on it and it is still coming and I still don’t know when, but it will. 

Elsie: Good. Well, I’m glad you got to celebrate and I’m so proud of you. And I know we’re all cheering you on. It’s a very special time for the podcast because you’ve been talking about writing a novel since 2020. So this is very cool. Yeah. Yay. Okay. So we’re going to talk all about Thanksgiving since Thanksgiving is this week. Hopefully, we can convince you to make one of our recipes. I honestly, have done Thanksgiving in Tennessee. We mostly stayed in Tennessee for Thanksgiving for the past eight years. And so I did like a lot of Thanksgivings where I did everything and I used all of Emma’s recipes every time and Trader Joe’s stuff. 

Emma: Yeah, you can’t make it all. I mean, you can, but it’s a lot of work. 

Elsie: But I always did, we’ll talk about them, but there’s stuffing meatballs and then there’s like this marbled pie that’s like kind of half Pumpkin pie half cheesecake. That’s super good. It’s way better than cheesecake, and it’s way better than pumpkin pie.

Emma: I agree It’s like the perfect mix because I like both those things, but I really like it together, something about combining it that makes it better. 

Elsie: Also Emma’s stuffing recipe is amazing. So we’ll do a pretty big maybe we’ll like a link to one big Thanksgiving recipe. Yeah, we have a Thanksgiving side dish.

Emma: So yeah, let’s start with talking about our Thanksgiving plans for this year. So this is a very, very special year for me because it’s our first year that we’ve moved back and we’re hosting and It’s kind of the first year that Emma and I are gonna get to, like, do it all together.

Elsie: I mean, with our mom too, sorry, mom. 

Emma: No, mom’s in the mix. Mom’s in the mix of course. 

Elsie: We’re gonna have so much fun. We were just talking about doing it on Friday instead of Thursday, just so that we have more time to enjoy and savor it and not make it feel rushed or cramped or anything. So yeah, I just want to have like a baking marathon and watch the movies in my kitchen like two to four Christmas movies in a row, and just like make, you know, a couple pies and some sides. And I just think that sounds so magical and fun. 

Emma: Yeah. I’m very excited to cook. And I actually, love hosting, but I mostly love cooking, so it’s the perfect mix for me. I’m just going to bring my stuff over to Elsie’s and warm it up a little or whatever, and we’re going to have it over here. And I’m sure I will inevitably leave a bunch of stuff at your house on accident like pans and stuff, but I’ll do my best. What can I say? Yeah. And then you’re having Jeremy’s family, your in-laws on Thanksgiving. I think mine’s going to end up being on Saturday. So I may have our family’s Thanksgiving Friday and then there’s on Saturday. So it always kind of ends up being slightly different each year. I feel like it’s just like whatever fits everybody’s schedule. Which I like. 

Elsie: I like that. I definitely think it’s better to like, give each its day. So that you can enjoy it more. And not be like, all full and weird. 

Emma: Yeah. I’m also very like, I don’t care so much about dates. I care a lot more about holidays are for family, so any way that you can get to spend time with family, you know, more and sometimes you can’t, sometimes it’s like you’re going to be, you know, on your own because, for American Thanksgiving, it’s like crammed between Halloween and Christmas so it’s like, you don’t have to pick like what you’re doing. So a lot of people are in that boat and that’s great too. I think you can have fun with just your immediate family, but yeah, holidays are for family. Don’t care so much about what day it is or whatever, you know, if you make everything from scratch, whatever I like cooking if you don’t. Do it your own way. It’s for family. 

Elsie: Perfect. Yeah, no, I completely agree. Okay, so let’s talk about our favorite Thanksgiving memory. I think I have one. So, when Nova was age three, we got this pack of like, little paper leaves and let her write all the things. I mean we were writing them but she was saying the things that she was thankful for and it was pretty much like every person we knew and then you know all of her little like TV shows and like one of them said China, they just said like kind of just anything she knew.

Emma: It’s like when little kids pray and you’re just like anything that comes into their mind. Yeah, they just list it. 

Elsie: Yeah, I kept them, and I feel like I want to always do that, so we’ll have to do it this year with Oscar, who’s now two years old. 

Emma: Who knows what he’ll say? Oh my gosh. 

Elsie: And it’s just so cute to, like, see what kinds of things they’re thankful for because it could be anything. It’s probably not family. 

Emma: No, I don’t think I’ll make the list, but that’s okay. Oh, I also was thinking about childhood, cause I feel like you have so many things from Halloween and Christmas, especially Christmas. That’s like a big, you know, you remember Christmas so much, but I will say we used to, when we were really little, we would go over to our great aunt Ina’s house who lived next door, next door neighbors with our grandma. They were sisters and next door and they had married brothers, very random, small town. It’s amazing, yeah. But anyway, our grandaunt Ina was an amazing cook. She loved cooking. And her house was also just like very grandma-fancy to me. As a little kid, I perceived it as very fancy, you know, just a cool house, as I idolized it a little. And, but the main thing is cause I was a kid so, you know, when you’re a kid, you really don’t appreciate food. You’re like, a picky eater until you’re in high school, or I was anyway. So the thing that I gravitated towards was bread. Eating just rolls all the time. At Great Aunt Ina’s house, she had honey butter. And I think it was the first time as a kid. Yeah, I had honey butter, and it really stuck with me, because I still remember that honey butter. 

Elsie: Honey butter is such an essential Thanksgiving recipe. 

Emma: It is to me, yeah. And it also to me is like, this is what fancy people have at their Thanksgiving because Aunt Ina had it at her house.

Elsie: I love that. That’s hilarious. How funny. So that’s my little kid, kid brain Thanksgiving memory. 

Emma: That’s so cute. I love it. Okay. Favorite Thanksgiving tradition. I think I’m like just excited to make Thanksgiving with you. I think that’s so special to me.

Elsie: Yeah, I feel like a lot of the foods are very traditional like we make a lot of the same things every year.

Emma: And I will say we haven’t done this like every year, but the years we do it, it sticks out to me like a lot of times we’ll buy like one of those kits of like a gingerbread house that the kids can put together and it’s not necessarily tasty and it doesn’t necessarily always turn out, but it’s like fun. It’s fun too, it’s like kind of pre-made. 

Elsie: Tastes like ass looks like shit, but it’s a fun activity. 

Emma: Fun activity. It costs like 12 dollars or whatever from the grocery store, so you don’t have to make it all ahead, you know, cause you’re already cooking so much. And I feel like that’s like a really fun, I don’t know, we’ve done that quite a few times and it’s fun. It’s cute. 

Elsie: I agree with that. It’s very, very joyful. I was thinking this year maybe we could decorate cookies. 

Emma: Yeah, that’d be fun. I just like decorating with kids because it’s such a different activity than when you do it with adults. You do it on your own. It’s a whole different vibe, but it’s really sweet and cute.

Elsie: Yeah. My kids really love cooking, and obviously, like, you have to pick things that work for them that they can help with. But there are lots of things that kids can help with, so, yeah, I think it’s very, very fun. Yeah. 

Emma: Oscar will probably just eat all the sprinkles, but it’s still cute. 

Elsie: It’s still cute. Okay, your favorite Thanksgiving dish to make. 

Emma: Okay, yeah, so, I like making a turkey. It’s not my favorite one to eat, but I just love pulling it out of the oven and the way it looks. It feels like a triumph. Yeah! It feels like a cooking triumph. Like every year that I’ve done one and there are some years I don’t like some years we do just like honey baked ham or I’ll do meatballs, I’ll do my stuffing meatballs because I actually feel like the turkey like gets eaten the least out of all the dishes. It’s good for leftovers though. It’s good for sandwiches and all sorts of things. But I do feel like when you pull it out of the oven and then you put the garnishes around it. If I do one this year, which I don’t really know if I’m going to for sure. By the time you hear this, I’ll know.

Elsie: Maybe like a small little mini one. 

Emma: I kind of wanted to do this, this is so random, but you can buy those little papers they kind of look like a weird chef’s hat and you put them on the end of the turkey legs. I’ve never bought those before. I’m sure you could make them too. I just feel like they’re funny and I’ve never done it. So if I do a turkey, I’m going to put those little paper booties on it because something about it’s funny to me. But yeah, I like making the turkey. I like eating turkey fine. It’s good, but it’s not like my number one eats, but it feels like a triumph, it feels like, look what I did. 

Elsie: When I was younger, I used to always say like, Thanksgiving food isn’t good. And I was like such a little brat, but now that I’m older and I’ve made it, I think part of it was like helping to participate with making it. I do appreciate it more. 

Emma: Yeah. Do you have one that’s your favorite to make? Not to eat, but your favorite to make? 

Elsie: Yes, so, the things I like baking are, you know, whatever. Judge me if you want. So I have a gingerbread cookie recipe that’s on the blog, and I swear to God, it’s the best. It’s really, really soft. It’s soft and chewy. It’s not like the hard, crispy ones, which are also good, but, I don’t like, not as much. These ones are more like a hybrid where it’s like the texture of a sugar cookie, but the flavors of a gingerbread cookie.

Emma: And I’ll say it’s heavy on the gingerbread flavor. Some gingerbread cookies I’ve had before are kind of lighter. 

Elsie: It smells very aromatic. 

Emma: Yeah, the smell is amazing and the taste is very strong, which I like, but, you know, just a heads up. 

Elsie: Yeah, they’re fun. And then I like making a Chex mix. I do that every year. I just think it’s fun. I like making a charcuterie, things like that. And then the other thing I wanted to say that I love, I’m making this for Thanksgiving this year and we did it recently when we had a birthday party for our dad, but I’m going to make oatmeal cookie shots. So I’ve been working on the blog through like, basically every popular shot recipe and so like about half of them are up there now and oatmeal cookie shots are one of they’re like so perfect for Thanksgiving because they really do taste like an oatmeal cookie. There’s also one that’s called cinnamon toast crunch shot, which I personally think that one’s better, but it’s more cinnamony and my dad thought it was too strong. So it’s like, you know I think it’s a personal preference.

Emma: It has a fireball in it, right? 

Elsie: Yeah. Oatmeal cookie is definitely, like, a very subtle, mild like, everyone would like it. 

Emma: Yeah. And I do think a shot is a fun way to start a meal. It’s hilarious, right? Yeah. Well, it’s funny and fun, but I also feel like Yeah. Yeah. You know, I personally, I’m not like a heavy drinker on Thanksgiving.

Elsie: Like I’ve got a lot to do and it’s the middle of the day and I’m probably going to get tired anyway from eating all the food. So I feel like a shot is like kind of a good, you know, you get started and then you’re feeling loose and now it’s time to eat some casseroles. Yeah, that’s it. No big deal. Yeah.

Emma: It’s the right amount. It’s really all you need. 

Elsie: It’s true. I agree. But yeah, I like making Emma’s recipes too. Like I mentioned the ones I mentioned before, I make those almost every year. So it is fun. I should try a new one this year. 

Emma: I will say, so we’re going to talk next about my favorite Thanksgiving dish to eat, and a lot of mine are casseroles. And I do like making casseroles. But they’re very monotonous when you’re making like four or five because it’s kind of like you’re doing the same thing over and over. 

Elsie: You told me you were over the casserole grinder. 

Emma: You’re making a roux, you know, you’re making a cheese sauce essentially, and you’re putting stuff in it, and you know, it’s kind of and then there’s a crunchy top. It’s kind of a little bit of a formula, which is something I like about it because to me it’s very comforting. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. But it is a little boring when you’re making like four or five of them at once, you know. Anyway, some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes to eat do happen to be casseroles. Some of my all-time favorite is, it’s on the blog, but it’s my favorite baked macaroni and cheese. I feel like some people don’t think of baked macaroni and cheese as a casserole, it is. 

Elsie: It’s a 10 out of 10.

Emma: And yeah, it’s very good. Very yummy. Cheesy, noodles, crunchy top. It’s everything you need. It’s everything you want. That’s honestly all I would eat, too, it’s my favorite leftover as well. Like, I love warming it up the next day. Love it. So I love that. My husband’s favorite is green bean casserole, and I also love that. I’ve grown to love it even more over the years. I do make mine with fresh green beans. Some people don’t like that. Some people prefer the canned, and that’s cool. But mine is like a hybrid. The one on the site is kind of a, it’s homemade, but it’s not hard. Cause I feel like some people are like, Oh, from scratch, green bean casserole, like, Oh, it’s going to be really hard. And it’s like, it’s not hard. It’s really pretty super easy, but I do like the fresh green beans. I think it gives it a different texture. And I think it gives it a slightly fresher, better, in my opinion, flavor. 

Elsie: I completely agree. I’ve had it a lot of times and it is better for me. No, just like not as soggy. So yeah, try that if you have texture issues with the green beans or whatever, I think green bean casserole is so delicious. It’s one of my favorite ones, but yours is like an extra good recipe. 

Emma: Yeah. And that one makes great leftovers as well. Casseroles generally me are great leftovers, which is why they’re so great to like, I love them for Thanksgiving. And that’s what we’re talking about today, but I also think they’re really nice if like someone’s sick or someone has a baby, it’s a nice thing to bring over because you can rewarm it for days on end and it’s delicious, and it’s comforting. A couple of new ones that I put on the site this year, so I have a number of stuffing recipes and some people call this dressing. I think it’s kind of a regional thing. My mother-in-law always calls it dressing and I’m always like, what? It always takes me a second. And then I’m like, Oh, stuffing. Cause I just call it stuffing. That’s just, that I think from the box of stovetop stuffing is part of it. It’s like growing up, we had a lot of box stove top stuffing. So to me, it’s stuffing and you stuff the bird with it, but you could also just make it in a pan, which is usually what I do. The one that I’ve put on the site this year is my basic classic catch-all. I wouldn’t really call it basic because it is pretty fancy. But it’s very down to earth. There’s nothing weird about it. There’s no ingredients that your uncle’s gonna be like, What? Why would you put this in it? It’s very, like, straightforward. But it basically has a ton of fresh herbs in it. And it makes your house smell incredible when you’re baking it, you will be like, my house smells incredible right now. It smells like the best candle I’ve ever lit. That’s what the stuffing smells like. And it’s delicious. And you can use all sorts of different breads in it. I recommend using at least two different types just to have some different textures and different flavors. And my number one tip with it is to buy that day-old bread that they have at the store. You know how they’ll have it marked down and it’s like in a little kind of sometimes a bin or something. So it’s like old bread. Buy that because you actually kind of need stale bread for really good stuffing. So if your bread is brand new, fresh, then you’re going to need to cut it up the night before and kind of set it out because you need it to be stale so it can absorb. It’s a bread pudding. That’s what stuffing is, it’s a savory bread pudding. So you want it to absorb the eggs and butter and milk that’s in it. And then another dish that is really, really good and I feel like It has a weird name, but most people call it, I call it funeral potatoes. Some people call it cheesy potatoes. I think some people just, it makes them sad to call a holiday dish funeral potatoes, but it is a common thing that people will make for funeral lunches.

Elsie: It’s kind of a church casserole. 

Emma: It’s a church casserole. Yeah. So that’s, I think where the name comes from, but it’s essentially cheesy potatoes and you use cornflakes on top, which to me is so midwest, so like grandma’s cooking, like it just, it reminds me so much of church, of my great grandma Lula, and it’s delicious. And also, bonus, you now have a box of cornflakes in your house. And I personally love eating cornflakes, so you have extra cornflakes around that you get to eat. I never buy breakfast cereal cause I just eat it all the time. So if I have an excuse for a recipe and there’s like leftovers, it’s kind of nice. 

Elsie: Nice. That’s fun. Yeah, I like those potatoes. I’m glad that you did the casseroles on the blog, but yeah, I could see how they would be a lot of the same. 

Emma: It is kind of a similar formula as you’re making them.

Elsie: My favorite Thanksgiving dish to eat is for sure stuffing. Like stuffing is everything with gravy. I also have gravy on every single thing because it’s kind of just like how it’s done. Yeah, I think stuffing’s my favorite. I can’t think of anything else that’s like as essential as that. 

Emma: I do love mashed potatoes. On our site, we have a crockpot mashed potatoes because I like to kind of find ways to give myself a break also I do have a double oven and I have a stovetop that has like six burners or no five it has five burners and I still feel like at Thanksgiving things can get kind of full so it’s kind of nice to have some recipes that you can make in like a slow cooker or a crockpot. I call it a crock pot. Some people call it a slow cooker just because sometimes you don’t have space anymore. So yeah, that one’s on the side, but I do love mashed potatoes with lots of butter and garlic in them. And it’s another, another vessel for gravy. It’s delicious. 

Elsie: Yeah. I love it. Okay. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dessert? 

Emma: Yeah. So we talked about the pumpkin marble cheesecake pie. I don’t even remember what it’s called on there. I think it’s called a slab pie. So that one’s really good. I do love this. It’s like a no-bake caramel apple cheesecake. It’s really good. And there’s just a caramel apple cheesecake kind of bake. I have both of those on the site and they’re both really good. Sometimes I kind of like a no-bake though because it’s like cold and if you just ate a hot meal, it’s just like a different temperature. It’s just something different. I don’t know. It’s fun. So yeah. I also go crazy, as you can tell by my enthusiasm for All these carby casseroles. So I’m usually pretty full. So I do love cookies as just like, have them around, and then you don’t feel like you have to eat them all that day and they’re just leftovers. We have 1 million cookies and I do feel like Christmas cookies are as welcomed at my Thanksgiving table as they are at Christmas time because just festive. 

Elsie: Yeah, I completely agree. Okay, so Lara just made an apple tart on our blog and I want to link that recipe because it looks really fun to make. It’s one of the, like, where you can see, like, all the layers of apples on the top. So yeah, I definitely want to make that this year. But yeah, I think I’m with you. I think I would, like, almost rather have cookies. And obviously, like, I have to have the pumpkin pie because that’s the most important recipe.

Emma: Yeah, and sometimes I like to have like a cup of coffee if we’ve had lunch, not if it’s dinnertime, but if it’s like you had lunch because I do get really tired after you eat a lot of food. So a cup of coffee or an espresso martini or even better an affogato, it’s like ice cream and espresso. These are nice things to offer after a big lunch like that, especially if people are going to be driving a distance home, they might consider seeing if they need any coffee or espresso drinks.

Elsie: Yeah. Nice. What is your favorite thing to do after dinner? After, I think watch a movie, cozy movie time. 

Emma: Same. I feel like one year we watched Elf as a family, and then after the kids went to bed, we watched Love Actually, which is really fun and kind of funny with our parents because there’s like, kind of some scenes where you’re like, Oh, yeah. Like the couple who’s like making a porno. They’re like porno stand-ins. 

Elsie: They can handle it. They can handle it. 

Emma: They can handle it. Yeah, it’s true. It’s just funny. 

Elsie: Love Actually is so cute. 

Emma: It’s very cute. 

Elsie: Yeah, I definitely have to watch that every year. Yeah, I think this year I really want to decorate gingerbread cookies and I really want to watch a Christmas movie or maybe two. That sounds perfect.

Emma: Yeah, and I think one year we did a puzzle. But I feel like a movie’s the way to go because sometimes you’re kind of spent. 

Elsie: Oh, yeah. Do you remember when we watched Mary Poppins? 

Emma: Oh, yeah. 

Elsie: That was cute. 

Emma: That’s kind of our mom’s movie. She’s like, Mary Poppins. 

Elsie: Yes. Love it. 

Emma: And I’ll tell you what I don’t like doing after dinner, dishes. The worst part of Thanksgiving. All the dishes. Yeah. It’s like the one day a year I’m like, I understand people with the two dishwashers. I really wish I had two dishwashers right now, but I don’t at my house, but like, oh, this would be the day. 

Elsie: Yeah, it definitely would. That’s funny. Oh my gosh. Fun, fun, fun. Okay, well, I am very excited for Thanksgiving. I think this is going to be our best Thanksgiving ever, and we hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving make one of our recipes and send us a picture on Instagram because we want to see it. 

Emma: Please do. I’d love to see it. Okay, now we’re gonna do a Sparks Joy, where we just talk about something that’s been sparking joy for us lately. So mine is, I had pre-ordered this book, and it’s always a delight when you pre-order something and then it comes in the mail, and for me, maybe I’m a scatterbrained person, I don’t know, but I usually forget that I pre-ordered something and I don’t even remember what day it’s going to come. In my mind, I’m like, I did it because I pre-ordered it. So I’m like, it’s coming, I don’t have to think about that anymore. So then it’s like a surprise. 

Elsie: I love pre-ordering. 

Emma: It’s like a surprise gift to myself in the future. Anyway, I pre-ordered Dolly Parton’s new, it’s like a coffee table book. It’s called Behind the Seams. I haven’t read the whole thing yet. It does have a lot of writing, stories from her childhood, and stories from performing over the years from her huge career. But it also has 1 million photos of her costumes wigs and makeup over the years. There’s a whole page that has the wigs on like mannequin heads and it’s just really beautiful. It’s such a great coffee table book because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t at least somewhat know about Dolly Parton, even if you’re not a huge fan. It’s like, she’s an icon. But her outfits are just so cool, and so inspiring, and so many of them have handmade elements, I’m not much of a seamstress, but I definitely over the years have sewn many bejeweled things and glued on all sorts of rhinestones and whatever else, especially in high school, so it’s really fun to see them all, and she’s also just one of those performers, too, where her outfits are pretty wild, and she has, like, different versions of, like, the coat of many colors, like, you see the original one, and then you see them over the years, and so it’s a really fun book. And it came in the mail and I’ve just been kind of obsessed with it. 

Elsie: Cute. Oh my gosh. That’s adorable. Okay. Mine is so silly. So do you remember the moose glasses from the, is it National Lampoon Christmas Vacation? It’s like you hold it by the ears. So I got these glasses. I’ll link them in the show notes. I just think they’re so iconic. I went back and forth because honestly, like I don’t need them. No one needs them. You don’t need them. No one needs them. But it’s just cute and fun and joyful. And this time of year, I make a lot of space in my budget, my brain, my house, and everything for like stuff that’s just like holiday joyful, you know? So anyway, I got the glasses and I think that they’re a good eggnog glass. Do you like spiked eggnog? 

Emma: Oh yeah. 

Elsie: I like it too. I know it’s like a love it or hate it. 

Emma: Love an eggnog latte. During the day, you know? 

Elsie: Yeah, that’s true. I guess not spiked eggnog is also really good. I don’t think I’ve given it to the kids, so I’m going to try that. Yeah, I think that they’re cute, they’re funny, they’re iconic, you know, from a movie, and it just, like, brings me so much joy.

Emma: That’s cute. Love it. Okay, now it’s time for the best part of the show, a joke, a fact, or a meditation with Nova. 

Elsie: Hey Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: Two jokes. Why did the turkey cross the road? 

Elsie: Why? 

Nova: He didn’t want people to think he was a chicken. 

Elsie: Ah! I love that joke. 

Nova: Here’s my next one. If you call a turkey a gobbler, what do you call a little turkey? 

Elsie: What would you call the little turkey? 

Nova: A goblet. 

Elsie: Oh, that’s so cute! Alright, have a good week, everyone! 

Nova: Have a good week!

Emma: Everyone knows that’s the best part. Thanks so much for listening. If you have any questions or podcast ideas, please email us. You can do that at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or you can call our voicemail at 417-893-0011. We’ll be back next week and we are doing a comfort rewatch of one of our favorite Christmas movies of all time, the original Home Alone.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

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Show Notes:

Ultimate cozy night:

Elsie – Classic Christmas playlist, making snowflakes, and popcorn

Emma – Crooners playlist, puzzle, and tomato soup or peanut butter cookies

What do you do with your Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving:

Keep Christmas decorations up in rest of house and only decorate the dining room for Thanksgiving

Merge Christmas decorations with Thanksgiving

How do you let your kids help decorate?

You don’t have to keep everything out all at once, so move stuff around and take down things after a day or two

Give them freedom to do what they want

Let them decorate their own rooms

Limit their color palette

Provide crafts that you don’t mind hanging up (Check out our Childhood Magic templates HERE)

Ideas for Christmas brunch:

Check out our blog post on Sweet Brunch Recipes for the Holidays

Decorating cookies

Building gingerbread houses

Do you have any holiday/Christmas adult books you would recommend to read?

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Gilroy

Holiday movie recommendations:

The Holiday

The Family Stone

Home Alone

Gremlins

Harry Potter

How to make a Christmas baby feel special:

Christmas during the day and birthday event in the evening

Do a birthday party before Christmas

What to do with spot for Christmas tree the rest of the year:

Tree or plant with fairy lights

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #208: Gift Giving (Deep Dive)
• Episode #207: Ghost Stories Episode
• Episode #206: Rosemary’s Baby – Comfort Rewatch

Episode 209 Transcript:

Elsie: You’re listening to the A Beautiful Mess podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Today, we’re answering your questions about the upcoming holiday season. So this is a Q and A week all about holiday questions. This is fun. 

Emma: Yep. And these are all listening questions. I think they’re all from the podcast box.

Elsie: Okay. Before we jump in, I thought of something so fun I wanted to talk about. So the ultimate cozy night. Cause last night I was trying to have the ultimate cozy night. What’s your Christmas playlist? What’s your snack, and what’s your activity? 

Oh, 

Emma: so playlist, I feel like I tend to put on, you know, we have one of those, like, you talk to the computer and you tell it to play something. I don’t want to say any of them in case, you know, someone has it in their home. And anyway, but I usually tell it some kind of like random Spotify playlist that has like all crooners. So basically like Frank Sinatra era type Rat Pack singers, because I just feel like it’s very classic and there’s some specific Christmas ones that have like the old time Christmas songs and they’re sung by, you know, so I tend to like those. It just makes me feel like a classy person. Like I’m in a Nancy Myer’s movie.

Elsie: You know, I have my Andy Williams thing. 

Emma: Yeah. So. It’s like that. And then what was the other thing? Snack and what are you watching? 

Elsie: Yeah. I like your activity. 

Emma: Oh, activity. I mean, I love watching movies, obviously, but I also do love a puzzle. If you’re with someone who enjoys doing a puzzle. I’m not a real puzzle by myself person. I’ve learned that about myself over the years. I like to chat while we’re sorting out the colors and finding the edge pieces and all that. Like, I think it’s kind of fun. So I like it at a party and I like it if a couple of friends are over. If they enjoy puzzles. You never want to force the puzzle on someone. But actually, Oscar has gotten really into puzzles every morning at 6:30 a.m. We’re doing puzzles right now, he’s very into it. He’s pretty good at them. Surprisingly good for a two-and-a-half-year-old. Okay, and then the other thing? Snack? I mean, savory or sweet? Both, I guess. Yeah, I mean, I love soup. I have this really good tomato soup I made for Halloween. 

Elsie: Soup is not a snack.

Emma: Soup is my savory. This is my savory. I think it’d be a snack. Like, it could be a small meal. It could be a light meal. It could be a heavy meal, too. It depends on the soup. Or, like, if you put crackers in it or not, I guess. I don’t know. But I have this tomato soup that I made for when we were hanging out at Halloween. And I think it’s great any time of year, anytime it’s cold. And it can be light, or you can put stuff in it, like serve it with bread or whatever. But it’s basically like a Panera copycat soup, and I think it’s really good. So that, and then I also have these soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. So they have peanut butter chips in them. It’s kind of like, you know, when you put chocolate chips in your brownies, so it’s like you have like a very chocolatey brownie. It’s like that, but peanut butter cookies. And they’re on the blog, but they’re really, really good. I make them really often. Okay. What’s yours? 

Elsie: Okay. So my Christmas playlist, I think it’s pretty much just like classic Christmas songs, but we like to go like from the spectrum of like, The Burl Ives, you know, like the snowman singing, all the way to Mariah Carey, and that’s pretty much the spectrum. 

Emma: I do like Kacey Musgraves though, and that’s fairly new. It’s not new, new, but it’s like newer. 

Elsie: For a snack, it’s just like all popcorn all the time. Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn. Nothing but Popcorn’s Whirlypop. That’s what I’m interested in right now. And then for an activity, I definitely love a puzzle. At the moment though, we’re in our snowflakes era, and we’re probably going to be in it for at least a couple more weeks. 

Emma: I need to buy Oscar some safety scissors and see if he can do it, I don’t know if he’s quite ready for it. 

Elsie: He’s two years old. He’s not old enough to do that yet. 

Emma: I think he could make some ugly ones though, and it could be fun.

Elsie: I mean, I think he could practice cutting paper. 

Emma: He could practice cutting paper, yeah.

Elsie: Yeah. Make some confetti. Yeah. If you think he’s gonna cut a snowflake. 

Emma: I think honestly just giving him the safety scissors, he’d probably be like, wow. I never let him have scissors. 

Elsie: It is exciting, and I think practicing your scissors skills can take years. 

Emma: It can take a long time. Yeah. I’m still practicing now. I’m 37.

Elsie: Okay, do you want to jump into the questions? The Q&A? 

Emma: Yes. So the first one is from Catherine. It says, if I remember correctly, y’all don’t wait until December to decorate for Christmas. So how do you handle the crossover Thanksgiving Christmas decor? Do you hide your Christmas decorations for one day of Thanksgiving? Do you embrace the Christmas magic, even on such a distinct fall holiday? 

Elsie: Okay. I love this question, cause I think this is like funny how controversial it gets. This is one of the ways that the internet truly delights me. When people are messaging me they’re like, I would put up my Christmas stuff, but my husband says I have to wait until after Thanksgiving. And I’m just like typing back don’t listen to him. So, yeah, my strategy is Thanksgiving, 100%, real holiday, important holiday, big, major holiday, we absolutely love it, but for me, it’s a dining room holiday. So I will decorate the table for Thanksgiving. I don’t feel like I need to decorate the whole house for Thanksgiving, and I’m totally fine with having Christmas trees up all over the house during Thanksgiving.

Emma: I mean, there are trees outside, you know. So it’s not like they’re not seasonal for the time of year. 

Elsie: I’m still making the table very, you know, fall-looking Thanksgiving. And I just think for me, it’s so much work putting all the Christmas up that I need the extra month to enjoy it. I’m not willing to have only one month. Cause if you waited until after Thanksgiving, you’d have even less than a month cause you’d still be setting it up. It’s just too short for me. So everyone has to do what they want. But yeah, my strategy with my husband is that I make the rules of the seasonal decor, and I think that’s fair. I clean it up, I get it out, I do most of it, the majority of it by myself. It’s my thing, and for him to ever, ever try to control my seasonal decor would be like, so unhinged and it would be like. It would be crossing every boundary for me. So he would not do that. 

Emma: Yeah. This is another reason I highly recommend living together before you get married so that you can know the level of someone’s holiday decor you can get a feel for that because if that’s a problem for you, maybe you should know that ahead of time before death do you part. Because, you know, some people just need to put up. It’s part of our mental health plan to get up the Christmas decorations when we can, okay? So please don’t take that away. But yeah, for me, I kind of do like a crossover situation. So my Halloween stuff is a mix of spooky skeletons and things like that, and also a lot of pumpkins. 

Elsie: Oh, so do you leave out the pumpkins and take out the spooky? 

Emma: Yup. So right now, you know, what is today? November 1st as we’re recording? 

Elsie: November 2nd. 

Emma: November 2nd? I don’t know. I’m taking away the spooky, putting away the skeletons, putting away the specific Halloween, but I’m leaving the pumpkins and the pumpkins won’t start going away until after Thanksgiving. So they’ll stay out for Thanksgiving because they work for me. And I actually have a lot of Christmas stuff that to me vibes in the middle. It’s not like Crazy Christmas. It’s kind of the same thing as Halloween where it’s like it’s kind of this crossover. So I’ll start because I like to decorate slowly because I do it basically all myself And that doesn’t bother me, but I don’t want to do it all in one night.

Elsie: Yeah, do it when you’re in the mood to just do a little bit of time.

Emma: Yeah, I like an hour in the evening and that’s it. So I’ll just get a couple of things out. So I may put up my Christmas trees before Thanksgiving and I may not, it’s not a big rush to me cause I’m putting things up slowly. I’m getting out, you know, a little carton at a time. And yeah, I don’t put my Christmas tree in my dining room, so it doesn’t really feel like a big deal to me if people came over, which Elsie’s hosting our family Thanksgiving this year.

Elsie: I have a Christmas tree in the dining room and I don’t care. My position is as long as you can take a picture of your Thanksgiving table without a Christmas tree in the picture, that’s good enough. Nothing else is required. 

Emma: I just don’t feel like Christmas decor ruins Thanksgiving. 

Elsie: I hope it doesn’t.

Emma: It just doesn’t for me, ’cause I feel like there are so many movies where they’re doing Thanksgiving, and it doesn’t look like only pumpkins and fall leaves. It looks like a little Christmassy. 

Elsie: Like the Thanksgiving Day Parade is very Christmassy. 

Emma: It’s very Christmassy. Yeah, so it’s like not really a big deal. And like here where I live in Southwest Missouri, it’s a very, you know, everybody’s seasons are different. We have all four seasons, but it almost felt like it could have snowed on Halloween this year. So I just feel like the seasons are kind of a mix sometimes some years feel more like it might snow for Thanksgiving this year. I don’t know. So I don’t really see a reason to hide all my decor that looks like snow cause It might be snowing outside, so I don’t know. To me, it doesn’t really feel like I have to protect. I feel like it just makes Thanksgiving better, but I definitely do a crossover thing and it’s solely because I’m kind of lazy and I’m the main person who decorates at my house cause I’m the person who enjoys it the most. So I just do it slowly. And so it ends up being this kind of Halloween fades out and it’s left with pumpkins and fall and then Christmas fades in and it’s just how it goes. 

Elsie: Woo hoo, sister! I think that’s a good strategy. I do, I mean, I’m going to leave my pumpkins on the porch for longer, so I’m like starting inside with the Christmas.

Emma: Well, I bought my real pumpkins this year, so I’m just going to let them naturally fade into existence and see how that goes. I don’t know. It got cold this year, so I’m curious how long.

Elsie: A little melted squirrel food soon? 

Emma: Yeah, exactly. Thanksgiving meal for them. 

Elsie: Yes. Okay, the next question is from Alexandra. I want to give my five-year-old daughter the freedom to decorate. How do I let her help decorate for the holidays without it becoming randomish everywhere? She has her own ideas that are totally the opposite of what I would do. It’s mostly seasonal drawings that she just tapes up all over the house. She will not let me make a small gallery of her art. Okay, I have these exact children so I absolutely know. Honestly, this is my honest advice just let it happen because it’s a short amount of life when your kids are little enough to where they want to like tape random stuff on the walls. I think that if you move things around when they’re not looking, which I do. I definitely do that.

Emma: Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. 

Elsie: Reducing clutter and stuff, you know, like once they’re so excited about something, but then the next day they’ll be excited about something else you don’t have to keep everything out all at once. So, I think moving things around, but I think giving them the freedom to let them do it their way at first, I think is a very kind, like good parenting thing to do. And you know, you can always like adjust a little bit. My kids are always excited about change so I don’t have as much of a problem with if I don’t leave it exactly the same, they’re able to handle that. Another suggestion that I have is to let them decorate their own rooms because we are doing bedroom trees, which I know is great. I know that it’s like, level 10, but the thing that’s cool about the bedroom trees is that, you know, they get to decorate them with their own interests and their own special things. And like, if they make ornaments at school, you know, things like that. I think a bedroom is a really good space for things like that. If it’s absolutely too much like kids’ stuff for you, then maybe that’s one way to like, give it a space where it makes the most sense. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having like a tree that’s like your tree that’s your beautiful tree. And then another kid’s tree. Yeah. I think that’s totally acceptable. 

Emma: That’s another thing too, like letting them decorate their room. I would also point out like you could decorate your room and be like, this is mommy and dad’s room and I’m going to decorate it mommy’s way in here, and you can come to look at it, but this is my area like it is really okay to have boundaries with your kids, I think it’s really healthy and that’s part of life. That’s part of having a relationship, obviously, at different ages. Introducing that idea in different ways in age-appropriate ways is normal and good. But yeah, having boundaries is fine. Keeping something for yourself is fine. I think sometimes moms have a hard time with that. I know I do. And the only other tip I have, other than just letting it go, is to limit their color palette. So probably you are the one who supplies a lot of their art supplies. So to make it a little less random-ish, limit the color choices they have of their paints, of their color, of their crayons, whatever it is that they use to make their art with, you know? So if you’re like, we’re going to do, you know, Thanksgiving palette right now, so just only let them have red, oranges, yellows, maybe black, brown, whatever, take away the blue and the purple, you know, and that will make things feel a little more cohesive, even though it’s all randomish. Whatever they’re feeling, but you know, and I know some people don’t want to, if you don’t want to do that, that’s fine too. You can let your kids do whatever you want. But if you’re like, it’s driving you a little nuts that they have all these Ninja Turtles up during Thanksgiving, that’s okay too. If it’s bothering you, just be like okay we’re going to make some orange and red Ninja Turtles right now. It’s the season for that or whatever.

Elsie: Yeah, my suggestion is to provide the crafts that you want. So I like paper chains. I like paper snowflakes and I like making ornaments and that’s pretty much the projects that we’ll do. And I will link this in the show notes, but on childhood magic, we have a ton of really good templates you can use. I’m thinking of, in particular, the snow globe one and the gingerbread one. They’re so cute. 

Emma: There’s a mitten one. There are also some Turkey ones. There’s one for bigger kids, a 3d Turkey where they can cut it out and make it like for like the center of a table or whatever, like it can sit on top of a tabletop, it’s 3d. Yeah. There’s a whole bunch on there and they’re really cute. So you don’t have to feel like they’re, you know, like a style that’s maybe not one that you prefer in your house or whatever. 

Elsie: Yeah, I just decorate a ton when my kids are at school, and then when they come home, they’re like, wow. And then I let them do one thing, you know because kids usually don’t have the attention span to really help you do the whole project in the first place 

Emma: Yeah, they get tired. They want to move on to a different activity. 

Elsie: I hope that was helpful. I think that that’s such a sweet question.

Emma: Yeah, and you can look forward to the years when they get old and they’re in high school and they move out, college, whatever, and your house will look exactly how you want. 

Elsie: That’s true.

Emma: You’ll have your season. Don’t worry. Okay, so this next question is from Grace. My idea is to throw a Christmas brunch this year. It will be couples in their thirties and forties and no kids. I’m having trouble thinking of things to do besides a white elephant exchange and a mimosa-boozy hot chocolate bar. Can you think of any activities or have any must-have food recommendations? I’m excited, but I want to make sure it’s not a bunch of awkward silence. 

Elsie: Okay, I have a couple ideas. So we will link in the show notes Emma’s best brunch recipes. Cause she has so many good casseroles and there’s like, I think the French toast sticks would be cute. There are so many things that you’ve made that would be cute for a party like that. 

Emma: There are some good cocktails too, that are like mimosa on steroids kind of things. 

Elsie: I love the boozy hot chocolate bar. I think that’s a really cute idea. You should definitely do that. 

Emma: Invite me, Grace. 

Elsie: Okay. The thing that I think would be fun for a party like this, but I will say if you’re doing White Elephant, that can take up a lot of time, and it’s kind of its own activity. 

Emma: And I think it’s fun. I love white elephant. 

Elsie: Yeah, I think it’s fun too. The other thing that I think would be so cute is either decorating cookies or doing gingerbread houses, which is a lot of prep. I did a gingerbread house party last year and I like to put them all together myself. It’s expensive, it’s a lot of prep. But it’s so cute and it’s so fun.

Emma: It’s really festive and it is kind of fun to do it with no kids if you’ve never done it because you can really get into it. You could even make it like a competition if you want if your friends like that kind of thing and there’s a prize or, you know, whatever.

Elsie: Yeah, I think that would be so cute. I don’t think it’s going to be awkward silence. I think you’re going to have so much fun.

Emma: And just have a playlist going. As long as you have a playlist it’s never going to feel that awkward and silent because it’s going to feel festive and there’s a party and people can, you know, mosey around and stuff.

Elsie: I like the idea of having a party with no kids. 

Emma: I know. It sounds fun, yeah. 

Elsie: Okay. The next question is from Christine. Do you have any holiday slash Christmas adult books that you would recommend to read? Last year I had a couple of ones that got me into the spirit. Okay, so I have never read a Christmassy novel. Have you? I don’t have any recommendations. 

Emma: I really only had one and it’s Royal Holiday by Jasmine Gilroy. She does like romance because I will say there are quite a few romance writers and also cozy murder mysteries. So they’re not super dark, they’re kind of lighter you know, cozy mysteries. Those two genres tend to have like seasonal like they’ll have a Halloween thing, they’ll have a Christmas. So if you like romance or you like a cozy murder mystery, I think those are great ones to look into. Also, you can go to the library and look for Christmas books and there are lots of random ones. 

Elsie: I wish I had a recommendation. I’m going to give movie recommendations instead cause that’s what I do have. So this is my ultimate lineup of Christmas movies for feeling cozy and we already started this morning, right? Okay, so The Holiday and The Family Stone, I love Home Alone and Gremlins are my favorite happy kind of funny. Gremlins I don’t know I have a weird thing with them it makes me so happy.

Emma: It’s just like a wacky kids’ horror movie. Don’t actually show it to kids It’s like too little of kids, but It’s so funny. 

Elsie: Much older kids, I think, but yeah, not little kids. And the last one is Harry Potter, the whole series, but especially the first one. I watch it so much this time of year like my background movie and it brings me the most possible joy.

Emma: Yeah. I watched half of the first one the other night while I was painting my nails using my little nail lamp again. 

Elsie: Yes. I feel like I spent a lot of time trying to find Halloween books this year and witchy books, which was great, but I haven’t even thought that it never occurred to me to try to find a Christmasy novel. That’s a good idea. 

Emma: Next question’s from Maura. My daughter was born last year, and her birthday is December 25th, so obviously Christmas. We are navigating her first birthday, and I’m wondering if you have any ideas on how to still make her birthday feel special for her, even though it’s a special day for everyone. And I’m a huge Christmas lover, so downplaying the holiday isn’t an option. I didn’t think it was, don’t worry. Actually, my father-in-law’s birthday is on December 25th. He is also a Christmas baby. 

Elsie: Tell us what helps him enjoy it. 

Emma: So he’s an adult obviously, he’s my father-in-law, I think as a parent, once you start having kids your birthday gets a little, it’s different than when you’re a kid, right? So, you know, there’s that going on. But what we usually do is like Christmas is all day and then the evening is like a special dinner or a time for him to open just birthday presents. So they kind of try to set aside some time on the day. And I think it works and I think he likes it just fine, but I would be curious, I should ask him what his parents did when he was a kid to try to make that special because it actually sounds really challenging.

Elsie: It sounds really challenging. I think I would do it on a different day, too, and probably before Christmas would be my instinct. Like, if it was even a couple days before Christmas to have like a designated birthday party with birthday gifts so that you don’t have to wait, and you feel like you’ve kind of already enjoyed that and then you can enjoy Christmas. I don’t know. I’d like to hear what you end up doing and what ends up working because that is a very unique problem, and honestly, it sounds tough.

Emma: It does sound tough. It sounds sweet. Also picturing too, like she was in the hospital on Christmas last year. Like, Oh, that’s so sweet and special. But yeah, it does sound challenging, especially as her daughter grows, making that feel special. 

Elsie: As long as you have a designated birthday and it’s not like people giving one present that’s supposed to count for two occasions, cause that’s rude. 

Emma: That’s not cool. But yeah, it’s a little overload. It feels like an overload in one day for a kid.

Elsie: The next one’s from Jackie. The space where I put my Christmas tree is kind of a sad, empty corner for the rest of the year, I relate to that. I don’t want to put furniture there or something big that I can’t move when it’s Christmas time. I’ve been debating buying a fake Birds of Paradise plant to put there, but I’m not settled on it yet. How do you style the space where you put your Christmas tree during the other nine to 10? I like how she’s nine to 10 months of the year. Okay, so Emma had the ultimate strategy. She thought of this at our holiday house, and I just think it’s so great. It is just regular decorative trees with fairy lights in them, so then you can plug them in, they don’t have to be plugged in. There are so many different trees that look good with this. Anything that’s kind of like full and leafy, I think you had it with a fiddle. But there are also more sparse ones that I think would be really nice too. I wouldn’t do like an olive tree, I think that’s too sparse. 

Emma: Might be too sparse, but it could look very Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Elsie: I totally relate to that, though. It’s like the hole in your heart, and you don’t want to put something there that you don’t have a place for. I think another kind of tree is the best move. 

Emma: Yeah. That’s what I do and I will say, being realistic here, once all the Christmas decorations come down, it’s kind of a sad time. It’s just like, you’re like, oh, my house feels so much more boring and less decorated and minimal and clean, which is nice, but just less festive. And I think you kind of just have to prepare your heart for that a little bit when you take down all your stuff. I usually don’t take it down all the way until after New Year’s because yeah, it’s just not as fun. Christmas is very fun. If you like Christmas decor, it’s sad when you have to take it down and wait. Which is why we’re all like getting it out so early and everyone’s like, why? And I’m like because I’ll miss it when it’s over. But yeah, putting some fairy lights on some fake plants or real plants around your house I think can help, especially during dark months. And it can still feel like festive, but not in a holiday way because obviously, the holidays are over. And I’m not the type to leave my Christmas tree up all year. Some people do, but it’s just not for me. 

Elsie: Not for me either, and I wouldn’t decorate like I don’t really decorate for Valentine’s Day or Easter or really like any of the holidays until it’s Fall again, it’s kind of the main time that I have like tubs of decorations.

Emma: I have like a couple of garlands and we’ll put up some kid art, but yeah, I don’t really do a whole lot either for Valentine’s Day.

Elsie: I kind of think I think that’s a very valid problem though. And where we live, the best strategy is to schedule a vacation after Christmas because you just need something different to look forward to and kind of get through the winter months, maybe two vacations. It’s a sad time. 

Emma: Yeah. It’s just like everything’s dead outside where we live and it’s kind of snowy, which is very pretty, but it can be icy. And so it’s harder to get out and see friends or do things and there can be a lot of school closures at times and I don’t know, which can be fun, but it can also be, I don’t know, just sort of a bummer time of year a little bit, but I do love the four seasons, so it’s worth it, but it’s not my favorite part right after Christmas.

Elsie: All right. I think this week we have a special meditation with Nova.  Hey Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: A meditation. 

Elsie: What kind? 

Nova: A Thanksgiving meditation. 

Elsie: Okay, I’m closing my eyes. 

Nova: So imagine you’re in your bed. You wake up. You think about school. Then you’re like, wait, it’s Thanksgiving! You hop out of bed and run downstairs. Your family and friends are there, and your parents, bringing in food and you smell delicious food in the air and you know It’s Thanksgiving time. So, you get on your Thanksgiving dress, and then you get on your Thanksgiving shorts, and then you run into the kitchen, then you sit down, everyone sits down, you all are talking excitedly. When it’s time for your grandparents to go, you’re very sad, but then your parents surprise you with something. A little pet chicken. 

Elsie: Ooh. 

Nova: You smile, and you say, Thank you. 

Elsie: Can we open our eyes now? 

Nova: Yes. 

Elsie: Okay, thanks so much, Nova. Oh my gosh. She’s so cute. Thanks so much for listening. You can submit questions at podcasts@abeautifulmess.com or call our voicemail at 417-893-0011. We will be back next week with our Thanksgiving favorites episode.

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Show Notes:

Gift ideas for parents:

Gift certificates for locally-owned restaurants

Gift basket

Cutting board

Framed old photos

Calendar

Gift ideas for kids:

Heirloom toys

Anything personalized like a puzzle

Doll that looks like them

Books

Season passes

Gift ideas for siblings:

A weird cheese

Bottle of wine

Candle

Cookbook

Activity

Books you have read with a post-it saying what you thought of it

Advent calendar

Gift ideas for friends:

Wine

Candles

Experiences

Body scrubs

Sugar scrubs

Soaps

Ornament

Gift ideas for co-workers:

Handmade mug

Homemade treats like: Puppy Chow, Snowball Cookies, Peanut Brittle, and Oreo Truffles)

Gift ideas for acquaintances like mailman, hair dresser, etc.:

Tips/Cash

Teacher Gift Ideas

What to do if you forgot to get someone a gift:

Keep gift cards in your purse for when you see someone

Keep a gift stash of stuff you got that you won’t use

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #207: Ghost Stories Episode
• Episode #206: Rosemary’s Baby – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #205: Practical Magic – Comfort Rewatch

Episode 208 Transcript:

Emma: You’re listening to the A Beautiful Mess podcast, your cozy comfort listen. The gift giving season is upon us, and it can be so hard to figure out what to get someone. Don’t worry, we have you covered. This is our gift giving deep dive. 

Elsie: I love this subject. I’m so excited to do this episode! Shopping for gifts is one of my favorite things to do. 

Emma: Yeah, I would say two out of the two of us you are more of an expert on it. You’re like one of those where you will be buying them throughout the year and saving them in the closet, like that whole thing, which is so smart. And I just get kind of frantic at the end. 

Elsie: It’s okay. Everyone does. Yeah. Okay. So before we jump in, I just wanted to share a little bit about our powerful. And the very beginnings of the holiday season are going so far. Yeah. So this was so special. We had a housewarming party., I did it and then yeah, a lot of podcast listeners were writing into me on Instagram because they saw that I got our grandma to wear the matching Halloween costume.So that was achieved. We did Halloween together. It was very cold but amazing. Oscar was so cute. The girls were both like, they love it! It’s like the perfect little Halloween neighborhood. So we had a beautiful, wonderful time. And then the next morning I woke up and at like 6:30 in the morning, started putting away the Halloween decorations and started getting out the Christmas decorations. So it is the most wonderful time of the year. Okay, so because we’re finally done with our phase, we don’t have contractors in our house every day. We’re basically done renovating. I feel way better. I am going to like, enjoy the full two months of Christmas decorations. So I think we’re going to talk about it more in an upcoming episode. But I think there’s nothing wrong with stretching it out as far as you humanly can if that’s what you want and for me, that’s what I want. Like it brings me so much joy. We started doing our snowflake windows and covering every single window with homemade snowflakes takes many, many, many days of work. 

Emma: It takes a long time. Yeah, making the snowflakes is actually a pretty labor intensive in a fun way, but it’s like you don’t want to put the pressure of, like, we’ve got to fill all these windows in one day, because I think that would actually make it not fun. 

Elsie: Yeah, I think that if I ever got to where I could put up all my Christmas decorations in one day, you would know that part of my soul had died. Like, I wouldn’t be me if I could do that.

Emma: I would assume you’re going on a trip and you’re like, I’ll be gone for three weeks, so I must put all the decorations up today or whatever. 

Elsie: Maybe if I had a team of like ten people to help me.

Emma  – Yeah, real HGTV team all of a sudden somehow just out for Christmas. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Nice. That’d be nice. 

Elsie: It’s magical. And we are so excited for Christmas. So we’re going to start doing our Christmas episodes. I know in a couple of weeks we are doing the Home Alone comfort rewatch. So this is your warning. If you want to watch ahead.

Emma: You are getting a good warning this time. Usually we only give you like one week. heads up. This is a good warning. This is like a few weeks away. Yeah, we’re on our game. Yeah, I must say, your Halloween party or housewarming party, it felt like a Halloween party. 

Elsie: It was a Halloween party, it just wasn’t a costume party. 

Emma: Yeah, it wasn’t a costume party, but it was epic. There was. We brought Oscars, so we only got to stay for about an hour and a half. But it was packed. People were having so much fun. Kids were wild. Like was upstairs with Oscar for a little bit on your third floor. And the kids were starting this rumor of there’s this, like, dark corner because it was nighttime and there’s a closet door. And they were making up this rumor among the kids that, like, if you open that door, you’ll die, or there’s a monster in the door. I heard a kind of, like, evolving among the older kids. And I didn’t correct them at all. I was like, I think that’s true to me. I was like, yeah, I’ve heard that before too, just from the last kid. But it was awesome. So I feel like already there’s stories being told about this house and yeah, it was epic. I also just think it was cool that you did a housewarming party because it’s hard to do stuff, squeeze it in around the holidays and renovating and working and kids being in school and all the things.  And so I just think, I think people loved it. I think people love seeing your house. 

Elsie: It felt like a good milestone. 

Emma: It was very warm. It was very cool to invite everyone over. And Oscar loved it. So he did not really hear the rumors about the closet he didn’t understand. 

Elsie: Oscar is a perfect age. Yeah, he likes to chase you and get squeezed. 

Emma: He just runs around and then gets distracted by the snack table again. That’s pretty much it. Are things. 

Elsie: Okay, so let’s jump into the gift giving deep dive. So we’re going to go through gifts for parents, kids, siblings, friends, coworkers. I think we should also do like significant others. And then like people who are like an acquaintance, maybe more in the tip category, like you have a favorite coffee shop you go to every day, your hairdresser, your mailman, the crossing guard, maybe at your kid’s school, things like that.

Emma: Daycare teachers? 

Elsie: Yes. Teachers for sure. And then we’re going to do our book report of All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers. Let’s start off with gifts for parents. 

Emma: Okay. So I last few years I was just going to talk about some gifts I did in the past because I obviously don’t want to spoil anything for this year because I know our parents listen. So anyway, I thought I would talk about some things past. So lately I’ve been doing more gifts for them together where it’s like not a gift for dad and a gift for mom. It’s a gift for them as a couple, which I feel like you could go either way, but our dad’s birthday in October, and I don’t know, I just feel like you can kind of spread things out. So one thing I did one year was I got them, I think 3 or 4 different gift certificates to locally owned restaurants. So it was kind of like buying them lunch a bunch of different times. And I tried to pick places that I didn’t think they’ve been before. I don’t really know. I think one of them had been before, but just something where it’s like, I know my parents like to go out and get lunch. So just something where it’s kind of encouraging them to try some different places, and it’s cool to support local restaurants, obviously. So that was part of the appeal and I think they really liked it too. 

Elsie: I am a big fan for parents of doing like the gift basket. That was my other one. A couple of years ago we did Nashville gift baskets. It was just like all things made in Nashville. They have the biscuit. Love the biscuit mix. And I think there’s some kind of chocolate and candles and I can’t honestly remember, but hot sauce for sure. So yeah, I think that those are both really, really good parent gifts. Yeah. 

Emma: Last year I did my like in my mind it was like fancy food basket. But really what I did was I went to like our nicer grocery store. It’s like our health food store is called Mama Jean’s and I just bought, like the fanciest olive oil and the fanciest honey, you know, just stuff that like you’ll use, but, like I don’t always buy myself the fanciest version of whatever when I’m grocery shopping, you know? So it’s like a nice gift, and you put it all together in a basket and you can make it cute. 

Elsie: That’s an Amazing gift. I definitely condone food gifts that are fancy. I just think it’s so exciting, like chocolates. And I mean, obviously, you need to check and make sure that the person doesn’t have food allergies or anything special.But like, I think it’s the best. I like gifts that you can use that are like, we’ll talk more about this, but like things that you don’t feel like add clutter to your home. So like candles and food are like some. And I love it when people bring me wine, obviously flowers, things like that, that you are going to enjoy it, but you don’t feel like you have to keep it forever. Like we don’t need a wedding registry full of stuff coming into our house every year and then feeling bad about it and like I do donate gifts and you should too. But it is kind of sad. And you do feel a little bad about it. 

Emma: Yeah. So I like gifts that you use consumables. 

Elsie: Okay. I have one more thing for parents. So last year I got our mom this cutting board from Etsy. I’m going to link it in the show notes. You’ve probably seen these before, but all you have to do is find a picture of an old recipe. So I texted my dad and I asked him to find a picture from our great grandma Lula of one of her recipes, and then he just sent me a phone picture. And then I just sent it into the Etsy shop. And they have this kind of etching, like burn it into the wood machine. The recipe card is like etched onto the cutting board. It was so pretty. And it happened to be like a year that our parents had renovated their kitchen. Iit was perfect. It was such a good little gift. And I’ve also seen people frame old recipes, like family recipes in the family’s handwriting. Framing those on the wall, I think is also a great gift. 

Emma: Like a fancy frame. I love a recipe card that’s clearly a little bit stained. You know what I mean? Like they spilled something as they were cooking like 20 years ago, and you know what I mean? It’s just so cute.

Elsie:  Yes. And then the last one is old family photos. I think you can never have enough old family photos framed in beautiful frames in your home. I just think that’s always a winning gift. And shopping for parents is hard. It’s one of the more challenging people on most people’s list. 

Emma: They have everything. 

Elsie: Yeah, and that’s fine. And you feel like since you’ve got them a gift every year, if you’re like, you know, an adult, you know, I mean, it’s like I’ve been buying my parents Christmas presents for more than 20 years, right? So it’s like this, more than 20 ideas that have been used. So yeah, I think the old family photos, it’s just like a hit, it can be very sentimental if someone in your family has passed on or for some reason you were telling a story or remembering someone, that kind of thing. 

Emma: With the family photos, these could be older, newer ones or just like grandkid pictures, whatever. But I also think a calendar is a great holiday gift because you’re so close to the new year anyway, but it could just be like pictures of the grandkids. Before I had kids, I made my mom like one that was like all pictures of my dog and it was just cute. It’s just like something. It could be very sentimental, but you could also make it kind of funny and silly, and it’s something they can just put on their fridge. Or our mom would keep it down in her painting room. So calendars and things like that, there’s tons of like if you go on any of those sites like Shutterfly or any of them, they have like options of different things you can make with photos, and you can also make them yourself by hand, but you can also just order them off of there. Yeah, I love those. Those are great gift ideas. 

Elsie: Okay, I think we did really good on the parents section. Okay, so the next one is gift ideas for kids. So I am assuming this is like for a kid in your life, not your own child. Like your own child is the easiest person in the world to shop for. Yeah, it’s so easy. I shop for my kids. I already started it’s it’s like it’s more of like what not to buy them than what to buy them. Like it’s like you just, you know them. So when it comes to other people’s kids, these are my tips for giving gifts that are good for the parents. That won’t just be, like, immediately donated.. 

Emma: Or they end up with doubles of something and you didn’t realize. Sometimes Goldie already has that tiara and I didn’t realize she already had that one. 

Elsie: Yeah, well, when you only have one phase of your entire childhood, you do get a lot of repeat gifts. And that is true. Okay, so here’s my tips for kids. If you have a child to buy for and you either don’t know them super well or they’re really little so they don’t have like an established thing yet, right? I always recommend asking the parent, because a lot of times the parents will let you know exactly what to buy, and it’s just so easy. So if you’re buying for a little kid or kid you don’t know, well, here’s my ideas. The first one is heirloom toys. So I like toys that are like wood toys., special dolls, like the type of a beautiful doll you would buy on Etsy or from a small business. I think those are just always great. I always appreciate getting them plastic. Beautiful plastic toys are not ideal. The majority of kids will get way too many plastic toys, and you should probably just buy them the ones with the thing they’re into at that moment. Not just like a random plastic toy. 

Emma: I honestly also buy a lot of, as a parent, plastic toys from thrift stores because they’re easy to clean so you can clean them off. And if it’s like the flavor of the month, action figure or whatever, I don’t see any point in buying it brand new. And it’s like you buy from the thrift store, you take it back to the thrift store when they’re over it.

Elsie: Emma is such a good thrifter. And then the other thing that I think is so sweet for younger kids is personalized stuff. So if you have a chance to get them, there’s these personalized puzzles we can link with the name. Those are really great gifts. Personalized blankets, dolls that look like the child, things like that are really, really special gifts to receive. And I think kind of just like always a winner. 

Emma: Yeah. The only two things I would add is obviously books is always a great gift, again check with parents, because it’s really easy to buy doubles. So you can either say what books do they not have if you feel like the parent has a running list. Otherwise I would just send the parent what you’re planning to buy and they can tell you if they already have it. I know that makes it not as fun, but I just think it’s a good tip because when you end up with two of the same book, then it’s obviously going to go on the donation pile because probably don’t need both, unless  one gets ruined or something. And then the other thing, and this is kind of a bigger ticket item, but it also depends. You can get creative and it’s definitely a talk to the parents situation. But season passes to different places. Like here in Springfield, Missouri where we live, places like Silver Dollar City, which is a more affordable local amusement park. It’s not like Disneyland or Disney World, but it still cost money. So season tickets to a place like that or Kid Museum.

Elsie: It’s like, yeehaw Disneyland. 

Emma: It is. It’s really cute and they decorate for the seasons and it’s sweet so that there’s. Kids kind of museum in town called the Discovery Center. It’s a place you can take your kids, especially in the winter when you can’t go to the parks outside. That’s just like something to do on a Saturday so having season tickets there is really nice. So something like that can be a nice thing to give as a gift, where it’s kind of more an experience. It’s not going to be a plastic toy that just gets used one time and maybe discarded. It’s going to be something parents can take their kids to over and over, especially if it’s something that they can use in like harsher months when you can’t go to free parks outside. That’s a big part of our life in the summer, and it’s over for a while now. 

Elsie: Yeah, I agree, I think that that’s a very, very good tip. Yeah. Look around for local things you can do throughout the year. I think that’s so smart. 

Emma: Yeah. And some can be really expensive. Like if you were going to get like a Disney park if you lived near there. But there’s lots of local things, museums, kid friendly little things that can be actually really affordable. Yeah, lots of options. 

Elsie: Yeah. Actually, the moms in the car line or the pickup line were telling me that you can get Discovery Center passes for half off on Black Friday. So it’s also a good thing to sale shop for.

Emma: Yeah. That’s good. I didn’t even know that. 

Elsie: Wonders of wildlife too okay. So the next thing is gift ideas for siblings. I have very strong feelings about this because I have two little kids that are siblings now, and they’re old enough to give each other gifts. And here’s my advice. Let them pick no matter what they pick, no matter how random. Don’t pick it for them like you’re already picking so many gifts for your kids. Let them choose and let the magic happen and you can give them a little nudge or remind them when it’s time if you need to get something. Setting a budget’s good. Okay, so you know, how have you seen have you gotten one of these Amazon catalogs in the mail? All the parents are talking about how it’s like, it’s  the most annoying thing that can ever happen to you because it’s like a huge catalog of just toys. And the kids are going through circling every single toy in their interests, which is a lot. Anyway, it was cute. One of our daughters picked something from that for the other, and it was the sweetest. I guess I can say what it is. It’s like a little plush Ninja Turtle set of just like the four Ninja Turtles, and they’re all like the cute little kind of squatty, baby looking plushies. So it’s just like, so sweet. I think that for kids, I also think let them choose for other people. A couple of years ago, I let Goldie choose what we got for Aunt Emma and tell them what she picked for you. 

Emma: She got me in my size of frozen Elsa dress and I wore it many times. It was great. 

Elsie: Did it make you so happy because you knew that she really picked. 

Emma: I knew she really picked it. I knew you didn’t pick it. Yeah, and I got to wear it and have a tea party with her. And she was like, oh, you’re wearing the Elsa dress. It was just really sweet. 

Elsie: Yeah, I think, like, as many people as they want to pick things for, I remember as a little child picking like jewelry for my grandma and stuff and like maybe she didn’t wear it a lot, but it was in her jewelry when I looked at it, it was really sweet. So yeah, for sure, let the kids pick their gifts at all costs, no matter what it is. Yeah, not at all costs like literally. 

Emma: Yeah, at a budget, but let them pick something that’s maybe wacky, but it’s fine. It’s cute. And then I also thought we should talk a little bit about siblings. Like adult siblings, like us and then our brother. 

Elsie: Oh, is that what this is supposed to be? 

Emma: Yeah, I think it could be either. I think it’s both, but I’ve mentioned that a little bit.

Elsie: In our family, both sides, we do the thing where we don’t get sibling presents because we’re prioritizing like everyone just spend your money on the kids. Which I love, I do support that role and I honestly do cheat and buy Emma a presents anyway. I just can’t give it to her at Christmas. Whatever. It’s fine. 

Emma: I cheated some years too, but again, didn’t give it at Christmas. Yeah, I feel like you bring it at Thanksgiving. You’re like ekking it in there. It’s fine. I think it’s something to discuss. And we used to give gifts like we would buy our brother a gift. At some point, especially once everyone started having kids, we were like, hey, let’s have a discussion about this. What if we just stopped? We know we love each other, but we just don’t buy each other’s gifts, and we just focus on the kids and mom and dad and that’s it, you know? And I think it was a good move and it was an easy conversation. So and it relieved a lot of stress, not even monetarily. I think it does financially do that. But even just picking stuff and feeling like you want everything to be special, it’s kind of nice to be more focused on that at birthdays, I think. 

Elsie: Yeah, I think that if you don’t know what to get and you end up getting like a Starbucks gift card or something, it does feel like it’s just kind of like wasting money. It’s just making your total Christmas budget so much bigger. But it’s not really meaningful and not to I guess maybe, maybe it is for someone, but for me, not decent gift cards. When I get a gift card to a restaurant like Starbucks, it’s not meaningful like it’s not the same thing as if someone picked out something weird for me, right? So I think I’d rather just get fewer gifts that are like the weird, personalized special, you know what I mean?  Yeah, and I think a lot of the things we said about gifts for parents kind of apply. If you are going to do gifts or siblings, things that you consume. So like a really weird cheese, a great bottle of wine,  a candle, like these are things,, that and something that speaks to flavors they like since they like things that they like, something like, fine, you can do like a cookbook or an activity, a date night. Okay, so last year I went to tell the gift I got for you last year. Okay, I wrapped up for Emma all of my favorite novels from the year. 

Emma: This was awesome. It is the best regifting ever. 

Elsie: I didn’t buy anything, they were all just sitting on my shelves already. And then I wrote a little post-it note in the front of each one about like sort of what mood this book was for. And it was so fun. I’ll probably do it again. I think for siblings, the best possible strategy is to do something weirdly personal that shows that you like, really know them and love them and kind of doesn’t matter how much it cost.

Emma: Yeah. And I will say of the times we’ve cheated in the past and you cheated it this year already. One thing we did was advents. I think buying someone in advent and giving it to them like at Thanksgiving or just ahead so they can enjoy it the whole month. And a lot of times advents are like really small things or they are consumables. They’re like little pieces of candy or something that you consume and I think that’s a really fun gift. One year I gave our brother he has dogs like a dog advent, so it’s like opening a little dog treat every day. It’s just something like silly. And I really think a big part of it, it’s like fun to open an advent every day. So it’s like you just are giving them a gift where every day they feel thought of. And so I think if you’re going to cheat or you’re buying a gift, I think advents are kind of fun. But I will say it is like you give it to them ahead of time. It’s not like something you open on Christmas Day. 

Elsie: That’s true. The next one is gift ideas for friends. So I have already said this like five times already, but nothing that’s going to be clutter. Let’s give them useful things like wine, favorite candles, experiences and books, things like that. 

Emma: If you’re doing like a bigger group, like a book club or all your friends who you know, you get together periodically or whatever, I like to do a fancy DIY thing. Like if you do like a body scrub or a sugar scrub for your lips, or like soap, something where it’s like you’re kind of giving them all the same thing, and you maybe had a night where you made them all at once, but you can package them really cute, and you can do fun sense, like you could do a pumpkin thing or whatever you think your friends are going to like. And it’s just like, again, something that will get use so it’s not going to be something they have to keep forever. But I also think it is kind of personal to give some kind of fancy toiletry basically is what it is and it’s fun.

Elsie: I love that, that’s so cute. 

Emma: We have a ton of those on the blog too, so we’ll link some of those in the show notes. If you’re like, how do I make a sugar scrubs easy? It’s super easy and it’s really fun. You can put them in cute little jars and it’s just fun. It’s like a fun little gift. 

Elsie: Yes. One of my favorite gifts that people always give me is ornaments. People always give me like ornaments that match my themed trees. And I think if you like, know your friend well, there’s so many cute personality ornaments these days. Like you can find an ornament for anything, kind of anything. So I think that that’s a really fun gift. And it’s something that you’ll instantly use, adorable. Yeah. So gifts for co-workers, I find this very tough. So I’m going to defer it to Emma because she always has the greatest job  giving gifts. And a lot of times she has done it for both of us and I put my name on it. 

Emma: These are more like if you’re a boss giving gifts. Yes, because we used to have bigger staffs in both our companies. And so yeah, I would do like a little gift bag. But I think in those scenarios, if you have some budget, this is a really great opportunity to support handmade artist, but you have to plan ahead. So I will usually like the main gift and the gift basket for our workers, our employees was usually a handmade mug, and I would get them all from one artist and I would try to order them way ahead because sometimes handmade artist need a lot of heads up if you’re ordering like 20. Just also heads up if you’re ordering anything breakable, always order a few extra because handmade artists are incredible people, but things break in the mail and it’s not their fault. So like, just order more than you need and you can always keep them if they don’t break. But usually I have something break when it’s things like that. But I have lots of friends in our former employees who, like, still have the mugs that I’ve picked from over the years. And like people who worked for us for a long time, they have kind of a collection of mugs I’ve been picked out. Every year I know which handmade artists I supported. And it was really fun and they make such beautiful mugs. So I think that’s really fun. But also as far as like coworkers and I think this works for other people too. We’re about to talk about your hairdresser and other people like that in your life. I like to do homemade treats because I feel like coworkers, it is a scenario where it feels totally normal and safe to give someone like a big bag of puppy chow or homemade, like peppermint bark, or your best homemade fudge or whatever. Like if you have some kind of specialty. My sister in law always makes homemade candies like buckeyes, and they’re delicious. So like giving someone just a little handmade treat that they can eat, or they can share with their kids or share with their family. I think it’s a great gift and just festive, but it doesn’t really cost that much. And you can make a giant batch of puppy chow one night and try your best not to eat it all yourself before you give it away to your friends or your coworkers. I think that’s a great little gift, and you can include a note of some way they helped you that year at the office or whatever,  just it’s just thoughtful. But it’s also like they’re going to eat it and that’s it. No big deal. 

Elsie: Let’s put in the show notes, the puppy chow recipe, and then a couple other like she has like really good snowball cookies and put a couple of a lot of like homemade treats, Christmas cookies.

Emma: Peanut brittle. 

Elsie: Oh yeah. We have a really good peanut brittle. The Oreo truffles. 

Emma: Oh yeah. The Oreo truffles. Yeah. Oh, man. Make me Oreo Truffles, anyone? If you’re listening, make me Oreo Truffles. 

Elsie: I think that they’re like the ultimate Christmasy thing to make. 

Emma: They’re so fun. It’s so festive. And you can share it if you don’t want to eat them all. And it’s just fun. 

Elsie: Yeah. So gifts for acquaintances like the mailman, hairdresser, school teachers. So let’s talk about that. So I shared last year we have a big tipping tradition that we do at Christmas time where we just have a budget and we have cash and we give big tips to like all of the places that we go all year round, like we go to the same coffee shop in our neighborhood. And so we’ll definitely do one there and then your favorite restaurants and places like that. And then some of them can be random, sometimes you can just like wait for a moment that feels right or, there’s the people with the bells in front of the mall and all different opportunities to give during the holiday season. But I think that’s a really good tradition. If you have budget and you just want to do something, it’s a good example for children. It’s really special for our kids to learn about tipping and like, I love it, like when someone’s playing live music, happened more in Nashville, I’m not going to lie. But people don’t play live music in restaurants here as much. But it’s like, so fun to let your kids go give them a tip in their jar. Okay, so as far as teachers, hair people like all of this. So on Childhood Magic, I wrote a post about gifts for teachers, and I did like a huge poll and heard from it felt like a hundred different teachers and everyone said basically the same thing. So I want to just give the memo loud and clear. Let’s pass on the truth. Their list of what they don’t want is sadly kind of like everything that teachers often get. Things like mugs, food, gifts and teacher themed items. The thing that they want is cash. The thing that they want is pretty much just cash. And if you don’t want to do that, then the next best thing is gift card cards. And the best kind of gift cards are the open ended ones, not the hyper specific ones. So I honestly think cash is a great thing to give to people this time of year. You can still put it in a cute envelope. Yeah, you can still have your kid or preschooler help make a card. Yeah, you can write something special, write something in it, and then you put the cash. Yeah, I think that it’s the thing to do.So yeah, I think that’s a good thing to remember if you get hair, eyelashes, nails, whatever person in your life you see regularly. I do think it’s really nice if you can remember, like if you have a cleaning person in your house, if you can remember to give them a super big tip for the end of the year. I just think it’s such a loving, kind thing to do. 

Emma: I’ll also say, I think it totally works any time after Thanksgiving, because then they can use it during their holiday season, which can be a very expensive time of year.. So just, you know, in my opinion, I think it’s totally fine to give someone a holiday gift, a Christmas gift the day after Thanksgiving, if that’s like when you’re happy to see them, that’s fine. Just give it to them early, even if you’re going to see them a bunch more, because then they can use it during their season. Because it can be a stressful season for a lot of people. So yeah, and the only other thing I would say is I do think it’s kind of nice to keep extra gift cards like Starbucks, Amazon or whatever in your purse because inevitably, at least me, there’s someone I kind of forgot, but I’m like, oh yeah, I do see this person a lot. They do actually help me. They provide some service and I know them, but I kind of forgot to put them on the list. So just having something in your purse and you can just write on it and yeah, it’s not going to be the most special thing, like making a homemade card for the teacher was, but at least you can feel like you have a couple extra things in your purse for a moment like that. If, in case you forget something, I usually do gift cards for our mail characters also because I don’t usually get to meet them face to face, so I feel a little uncomfortable leaving cash out. So I usually do gift cards there just because then I can leave the gift cards out. And if something did happen, it’s like, well, well, it was a gift card, whatever, you know? They usually get it though. Yeah, I know, because sometimes they’ll tell me later and it’s really nice. 

Elsie:  Okay. So what to do if you forgot to give someone a gift. Okay. So I have a gift stash. 

Emma: So this is like a real person, not just like the stash of gift cards in your purse situation. 

Elsie: Oh, yeah. I think that the stash in your purse is good because then it’s always there if you’re  already out somewhere.

Emma: If it’s like your barista  that you see all the time and you just kind of forgot, don’t give them a Starbucks card. 

Elsie: What I’m thinking is that often at Christmas there will be someone present that you weren’t expecting. And you find out at the last minute usually. And there’s nothing worse than having one person at a Christmas when everyone’s opening gifts. One person who doesn’t get any gifts is so sad. So I think any kind of gift is so much better than nothing. So, okay, what I have is a little gift stash and I’ve had this for years. It’s 100% recommended. Everyone needs to do this.  So it’s just like in the top shelf in my basement. It’s like nothing special, nothing fancy. But what I keep there is extra stuff  I don’t need. Like if I get a cute PR package or like, whatever, a gift that I already have replicas of gifts for our kids, things like that. Then I would throw them up there. It’s like you can use it for regifting. And I don’t think regifting is bad as long as it’s like something that you would still want. I don’t think it’s bad at all. It’s like you get a coffee mug, but it’s just not the color for you. Regift it to someone else. There’s nothing wrong with it. And the other thing I keep up there is extra kids toys because kids birthday parties are so frequent right now because of our kids’ ages and they kind of all like the same things. So just buy extra like coloring books and like the kinds of things that you put in the gifts and just keep a bunch of them up there, and then you don’t have to go to the store just for those things, which is so much better than having to run to the store just to get a kid’s birthday party gift or whatever. So the stash and the other thing that I’ve given people as a last minute gift pretty often is wine, because I always have wine. Wine is a good gift. At my housewarming party of the night, we’ve got so many bottles of wine and I thought it was like, so fun later on to go through them and see what they were. And yeah, it’s a good gift. I mean, obviously as long as you don’t give it to a sober person. So things like that. I think are really sweet. Do you have any tricks? 

Emma: No I think your closet’s really amazing and smart, so no I don’t really have anything extra. 

Elsie: It’s really helpful because like, I don’t know, I think that when you run to the store last minute during the holidays, like for me there’s nothing worse than last minute shopping. I really don’t like it. And I know some people like enjoy it and it’s like a sport to them to save it till the last minute.  And I just like completely don’t relate with that. I want everything wrapped under our tree on November 1st. Actually, yesterday was November 1st so let’s say December 1st. Okay, I was getting a little ahead of myself. 

Emma: December 1st is more realistic. 

Elsie: More realistic. Yeah, yeah. 

Emma: Oh, tell them about the kids advents. 

Elsie: Okay. Last year I noticed when our kids were having Christmas morning and opening all of their little gifts that there were so many, like smaller toys that kind of got glazed overed and the bigger toys that like the big ones that are like the ones you run to, like the bicycle or like for one of our daughters, it’s like the princess dresses, like certain things. The thing that they were asking for that’s the thing on Christmas morning that they’re going to be obsessed with. And a lot of smaller things can easily get overshadowed. So I had got like a bunch of adorable little bath toys and things that fit their themes of what they like but they just could care less about all that stuff. And some of it ended up staying in a box in the pink house for a really long time, until we recently found it. So this year I decided for small toys to do a small toy advent, and it’s pretty much spending the same amount of money and the same effort but just distributing it differently. So I did it for Nova and Marigold and also Oscar, and maybe next year I’ll do it for our new niece, when she’s a little bit bigger. But yeah, like the teenagers I didn’t do it for maybe. Maybe I should think about adding the teenagers and teenage.

Emma: Teenagers can get expensive because they want skin care. 

Elsie: That’s true. Okay. Anyway, so we’re talking about little kids right now. So what the gifts are is small toys. And what I did was I bought for each kid like 3 or 4 sets of small toys. And that will last for the 24 days of December for an advent. So each one is individually wrapped and numbered. So every day they’ll get a little toy. So for our princess daughter, it’s all like, you know, the little people, princesses and Disney stuff. And for our superhero kid, it’s all  same thing, but superheroes. And for Oscar, it’s a combination of Paw Patrol and cars.. And it sounds like expensive and kind of excessive to give a toy every day. But in reality, it was probably around $100 or so for all three kids. Like, it really isn’t that much money, and I think the enjoyment that they’ll get out of it will be a lot bigger than giving them all these gifts at once.

Emma:  Yeah, I don’t say if you feel like it’s, you know, I don’t know, like sometimes you buy one of those sets and it can be like $30 and you feel like all I got was like these 5 to 8 little figures, you know? And it’s kind of silly. I actually think it’s a great idea to give like, one a day for a whole week, or you’re doing the whole advent because then it just gets spread out because you do spend like whatever amount of money, you know, $30 whatever on the set. And sometimes, you know, there’s going to be favorites from the set. And then there’s the other ones, like the villain or the whatever. And so it is kind of nice to give them their one a day because they get overshadowed immediately by Chase, because he’s on the case. Yeah. You got to give humdinger some day. So all the non Paw Patrol parents are like what are you talking about. Like don’t even worry about it. You don’t want to know.

Elsie:  Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Yeah okay. Well if you use any of these tips we would love to hear from you. And we’d love to hear your best tips. We’re definitely always learning. And I feel like gift giving is a skill, and it’s something that I want to get a little bit better at every year because I feel like doing it efficiently. It’s enjoyable and magical, and doing it in a crunch is kind of like it’s depressing how stressful it can get, like quickly. Give yourself the gift if you can, of spreading it out and enjoying it this season because it is so much. And yeah, we know it can be really overwhelming. Okay. So next up we are going to do a book report of all good people here by Ashley Flowers. I just finished this book so I feel very prepared this time. 

Emma: I read it a little bit ago now, maybe a month or two ago. I can’t remember more into the spooky season. And I love Ashley Flowers. If you don’t know, she’s one of the hosts of the Crime Junkie podcast and they have like a whole network of shows. So I think she has kind of other shows that she does as well. But if you like true crime, you probably have heard of Ashley Flowers. I know I have, I’m a crime junkie. So anyway, this book came out a couple years ago. 

Elsie: I would say that all good people here is a JonBenet Ramsey adjacent mystery. It seems very in line with that true crime story. 

Emma: Think it’s kind of her theory of what happened with JonBenet, in my opinion. I don’t know if that’s true, just like that’s my theory.

Elsie: Yeah. Like in the beginning part of the book, I was like, fixated on, like how closely it resembled it. And then later in the book, I feel like it takes its own twists and turns. 

Emma: Yeah, it has things. But she’s done her own fictional world. 

Elsie: Yeah. It’s solving a mystery in a small town with a similar thing like that. And then it ends up being more of a serial killer situation with lots of little girls. So yeah,it’s a messed up book. I thought it was fun. I thought it was a page turner. Yeah. And I enjoyed it. And it was, I don’t know, for me, it was like pretty good. Yeah, that’s my synopsis. 

Emma: Yeah I would agree too. I really liked all the characters. It felt like very real life. The main protagonist, who’s sort of solving the mystery, is like a kind of struggling journalist. She’s gotten laid off and she’s trying to get sort of reinstated sort of thing. Or I guess you could say she’s freelancing now, I guess, and she’s also living with an uncle who I can’t remember if he has dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Elsie: I think dementia, they keep saying diagnosis, so maybe they never explicitly. 

Emma: Maybe it’s unclear, but he’s clearly having episodes where he’s not in his right mind and she’s trying to help him at this stage of his life because his wife has passed away. And so he’s just on his own. And there’s moments where he gets lost and she feels like she needs to be home more. And all of that was like, really good and interesting. I thought, very real life. You really feel for her. You feel for her uncle. You want her to succeed. But she kind of has a lot of challenges with keeping a job and also keeping an eye on her uncle and taking care of life, you know? So yeah. And then, yeah, I felt like it was a very, like one theory on what could have happened to JonBenet, but a fictionalized version of it. And I thought that was fun. I think that’s a really famous case that most people know about. Even if you don’t like true crime, you’ve probably heard of it. So I thought it was kind of interesting to put it into a book. Like, I kind of like the idea of a true crime podcaster who’s just like, I’m going to take a bunch of famous things and like, do fictionalized versions of them. Like, that’s actually an interesting, like, writing exercise in my mind. Yeah, that sounds kind of fun. And I would be interested in reading pretty much any of those, so I thought this was very enjoyable. So I’ll say a couple of things that might be spoilers. So if you haven’t read the book, stop here for sure, because there’s some definite things that you don’t want to know unless you’re going to read it because  you don’t want to ruin it. I thought there was too many twists at the end, though, in my opinion, because it’s just like you kind of have the twist where it’s not the brother and you find out it’s the serial killer, and then you have one more twist where it’s actually the dad. And to me, it was one to many where I was like, I like that you kept us guessing till the end. That’s interesting because it’s more fun than if you know what’s going to happen. I suppose it just felt too coincidental that the serial killer was about to get her, but then her dad accidentally kills her, you know, because it was an accident. So I just felt like it was one too many twists for me. But I still loved the ride. 

Elsie: Mystery books are always one too many twists for me. Like, always.. I think it’s like, just not my favorite reading space. 

Emma: I think I don’t value surprise as much as other people. Like I don’t care if you get me, you know what I mean? Like, I’m like, I’m in it for the ride. 

Elsie: I think it’s like, hard for me to suspend belief that any of it could be real when I know it’s like a plotted novel. It just makes the mystery less mysterious to me. 

Emma: Yeah, because, you know, they know the ending and they’re putting in foreshadowing, but they’re also putting in red herrings to get you, you know. Yeah. That’s true. I did think it was really fun, though. I liked a lot of the scenes. Like she had interviewed the serial killer years before, just kind of randomly. I thought that was very interesting. I liked them kind of figuring out his whole deal and breaking into his storage unit. I thought that was interesting. Yeah, I also felt like it’s not set in Missouri, but it is kind of set in the Midwest, the general Midwest, and it felt very real to me. And honestly, I was picturing where our grandma used to live, Buffalo, Missouri. I was picturing that a lot of the time she was in the small town because I don’t know why. That’s just like kind of my quintessential small town.. So it felt very familiar and salt of the earth down home, whatever you want to say. Like, it felt very real to me. So I liked that too. But yeah, one too many twists. But I love the ride. 

Elsie: Yeah, I would give it four. I did give it four out of five stars on Goodreads. Yeah, I thought it was good. 

Emma: I like seeing your Goodreads stars. You’re pretty into it. 

Elsie: My Goodreads reviews are kind of bullsh*t. I think I have too much compassion and love for authors. And like, I just also just like, don’t like being mean. So if I ever give something a three, it actually means I hated it. And sometimes I don’t even like the fours. 

Emma: I don’t talk about books if I didn’t enjoy it because I’m like, why would I talk about it? What am I, a critic like? Not really.

Elsie: I think that that’s probably what I need to do in the future. But I don’t know, I like Goodreads.  It’s a good book. So I’m not saying it’s not good. If you’re very into mysteries, then you’ll enjoy love it.

Emma: I thought it was really enjoyable,  even though I didn’t love the ending. To me, that isn’t a big deal. Like, I feel like that’s one part of the whole thing to me, the ending. So I don’t know. I still think it’s a really fun ride. It was fun too, because my husband had read it before me. He’d actually bought this book for me for Christmas last year. This is how many books I have on my to be reading shelf is way too many and I just keep buying more and more. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I just like buying books. What can I say? So I have way too many. I’ll never get to them all, but in my mind that kind of gives me all this hope for the future. I’m like, look at all these books. Even if my life falls apart. Look how many books I have to read, I don’t know. It’s my safety net. Anyway, he bought this for me almost a whole year ago, and at some point this year he read it. So as you saw me reading it, like at night in bed, he’d be like, what part are you at? And we would just, like, talk. About a little bit because he knew what the ending was going to be, and he was kind of like seeing not if I was figuring it out necessarily, but just like what was my read on certain people or whatever. And it was fun to talk about. So I will say, reading it with someone else is kind of enjoyable. I could see it being a really fun book club read. As long as you don’t have one person who, like, insists on reading everything ahead of everyone because then they have to be quiet the rest of the time because it’s quite the ending. But yeah. 

Elsie: Yay! Okay, so we will go now to a joke or a fact with Nova. Hey Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: I have a joke and a fact. 

Elsie: A joke and a fact? Okay. 

Nova: What is the egg’s worst day? 

Elsie: What is the egg’s worst day? I don’t know. 

Nova: Fry -day!  

Elsie: Oh, that’s a good one. 

Nova: And here’s my fact. Did you know female lions usually are the ones who hunt for food? 

Elsie: Nice!  I did not know that. That’s pretty cool. Alright, have a good week, everyone! 

Nova: Bye!

Elsie: Thank you so much for listening. We’ll be back next week and we’re answering your questions all about the holidays. It’s a holiday Q and A.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

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Show Notes:

Listen to our past Ghost Stories episodes:

Episode #58: Ghost Story Special

Episode #59: Ghost Story Special (Part 2)

Episode #118: Halloween Special (Ghost Stories)

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #206: Rosemary’s Baby – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #205: Practical Magic – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #204: Halloween Favorites

Episode 207 Transcript:

Emma: You’re listening to the Beautiful Mess Podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Tomorrow is Halloween. So, it’s time for some spooky ghost stories. We’ve gone through all your submissions, and here are some of our top favorites. 

Elsie: This is one of our favorite episodes of the year. We love reading your ghost stories every single year. So, thank you so much to every single person who sent us a ghost story. 

Emma: We read all of them, even if they didn’t make it in the episode, they very much entertained us, so thank you. 

Elsie: It is pure joy. I think we should figure out how to do more episodes that have reader, sorry, listener submissions because I think it’s, it’s so fun.

Emma: I feel like one year we did two episodes with ghost stories too, but we kind of weren’t organized enough this year. Like we kind of like are running out of time before.

Elsie: It’s because I wanted to do three Halloween movies and I had to.

Emma: It turns out there’s only one episode every week and you know, as usual, we’re great planners. So here we are, we’re doing our best. But before we get to the listener stories, I wanted to ask you and I’ll share too. Since we’re both in new houses, I’ve been in mine for a year now, pretty much exactly a year, and you’ve been in since June. So do you think that your house is haunted? Have you had any haunting things happen?

Elsie: Dun, dun, dun, dun. So our house is from 1904. It’s very old. However, I will say, that our last house definitely had some ghost experiences and it was built in the 90s. I’m not one of those people who believe everything old is haunted or it has to be old to be haunted. I think ghosts go where they want, they do what they want. Not every ghost is a Victorian-era person. You know what I mean? But yeah, I will just quickly say yes. I did have one experience so far, and it was like, it was pretty short. It wasn’t anything crazy, but it definitely happened. I immediately told Jeremy, just for like the, you know, you gotta like have a witness, or it didn’t really happen type of vibe. Did I ever tell you this? I can’t remember. 

Emma: I do remember some of your stuff from your last house, your 90s house. 

Elsie: Our last house had the ghosts that came one day after we gave ghost stories. We recorded a podcast episode and we talked about ghosts all day and then that next night it started happening and it happened for one year, and then it stopped. It was so weird. So anyway, this house, I asked the previous owners, like, I have no shame, and I knew I was going to and I had to. I asked them if they had any ghost experiences. If I ever meet any of the other previous owners, I will ask them too, every single time. I just think it’s interesting and like, if people aren’t too embarrassed to say, it’s just fun to know.

Emma: It’s a conversation starter. Try it at your next party. 

Elsie: Yeah. So I asked them and they said, nope, nothing, nothing happened, which I feel like when someone’s selling you a house. 

Emma: Yeah. They might lie cause they don’t want you to be scared or something.

Elsie: Yeah. And we had read on our house listing it was like an old listing that we could still see that there’s this kind of little cool feature. There’s like on the front door of the house on days when it’s super humid. These letters appear from this old sign. I think it was once like a vinyl sign or a painted sign on the door and now it only shows up. It’s actually only happened probably two or three times when it’s super, super humid, which is raining. And it says something architect on it. And I actually don’t even know if it was, I think that the door might have come from a different location. And I don’t think that that’s a ghost, by the way, but I just think it’s, it’s cool. 

Emma: No, that’s more like a magic trick that a kid would buy at a magic store kind of thing. It’s really cool, but it’s not really, to me, a very haunted thing. It’s just like a cool parlor trick.

Elsie: Yes. Okay, so for my ghost experience so far, nothing much, you know, I never get to see a ghost. It’s my destiny that I’ll never have a good one because I want it too badly. 

Emma: Yeah, they can smell your desperation. 

Elsie: I’ll pay extra for a house with ghosts, you know. So we remodeled our third floor, which was previously an attic and our house has a weird history that it burned down at one point almost completely. And was rebuilt in the 1920s, but no one died in the fire, but lots of people died in the home. I’ve seen all that history, there are lots of deaths. I mean, it’s an old home. It’s normal. None of them were uncommon. They were just regular normal deaths. 

Emma: I feel like dying at home seems like actually a really peaceful way to go.

Elsie: Yeah. It’s very rude to not want people to die in their homes because then you’re just not letting them have something nice at the end of their lives. 

Emma: Yeah, it sounds peaceful as opposed to being in the hospital, you know, or I don’t know. 

Elsie: And it doesn’t necessarily make your house haunted. Anyway, I had this one day when we had contractors constantly in our home. And I walked up the stairs, I looked around the room, I saw a man in the corner, and then I kept going and looked again, and then I saw there was no one there.

Emma: Oh, like you thought it was a contractor? 

Elsie: Yeah, I thought it was a contractor, at that time, that would have been normal. Yeah. And I just like saw a person, and then I saw that there wasn’t a person. Like moments later. And then I took like a million pictures. I tried everything I could to like see what happened or what, you know, and it just was a moment and that was all it was, but so far that’s the only thing that has happened in the home. I don’t really think that that’s even necessarily like anything, but it’s a little something. What about you? 

Emma: Not really, and I’m one of those people who like, I wouldn’t say I don’t believe in ghosts, but I also wouldn’t say I believe. I would just say I don’t feel the need to have a strong opinion either way. It seems like possible to me and it also seems possible that, you know, maybe it’s just like an alternate dimension that people can feel at times or, you know, I feel like there could be a lot of explanations. I feel more sure there are aliens than I do ghosts, I guess is what I would say. And I don’t really feel sure about that.

Elsie: I mean, aliens for sure. But why ghosts? 

Emma: I don’t really feel like, no, that’s just it is. I just don’t feel the need to have a strong. Sometimes there are a lot of things in life that I really, think a very like Zen things, but I just think if you don’t need to have an opinion on something, why?

Elsie: I like that. You’re just staying open. 

Emma: Yeah, I’m just like, why not just stay open and be curious and like hearing people’s stories and like, I don’t know, but I will say our current house was built in, I think, I believe 1978 and the previous home that I was living in was our, we called it the holiday house and it was older. It was like 1920 or maybe even before that. So you would think that that house, the holiday house, would be very creaky and just like an old house. And if one of them was haunted, maybe that one would be. But I actually never felt like that one was very creaky or very spooky. It just was very normal to me. I really only lived there for like a little over a year, I guess. But anyway, this current house that I’m living in, that’s not super old, but it’s from 1978. It feels very creaky at night, like there are lots of times I wake up in the night and I’m like, is someone in my attic? Is there like a raccoon in the attic? Or like, you know, just like noises where I’m like, oh, is someone downstairs? But I know that no one’s downstairs like my husband’s out of town or he’s like already in bed or something. So I’m like, no, nobody’s downstairs, you know. There’s just kind of like a lot of creaks and noises and I think that has to do more with probably the building than anything else, but it is creepy, but I don’t necessarily feel like, oh, there’s definitely a ghost. I’m like, I don’t know, there could be. It’s kind of loud at night. Something’s going on, but it could just be our HVAC is old. I don’t know. Beats me, but it is a surprisingly creaky house compared to my last one because of how different the ages are. 

Elsie: Yeah. Our house is crazy loud at night. But it was immediate and it’s very consistent. So we know that it’s just like, it’s just crazy loud night. Just like things happening. I don’t know, in the yard next door, there’s a train track nearby. I don’t know what exactly is all the banging and booming.

Emma: I feel like mine is more when my husband’s out of town, which is fairly often, and I know, which makes me think that it’s just me being a little bit in my head of like, Oh, I’m a little scared because no one’s here but me and my son who’s two. But you know, I’m like, you really hear noises or are they always there? You just don’t notice them when your husband’s home because you’re like, I don’t care. The murderer will get him first. You know, I don’t know what I think. I don’t know. No real ghost stories, but my house is creaky. 

Elsie: Okay, I will always be hoping for one, so we’ll check in again next year. 

Emma: And I am open, but don’t care. Either way, you know, what term would you give that, either way? It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I’m neutral. That sounds worse in a way. I don’t know. 

Elsie: Okay. So in this episode, we are going to read our listener-submitted ghost stories. These are pretty much all firsthand stories that happened to one of our listeners. I thought they were very entertaining. I hope you enjoy it. They’re not super scary. I don’t think there are any stories that are super, super scary this year. So don’t be scared. 

Emma: If you already listened to the Rosemary’s Baby episode, this is nothing.

Elsie: We will link to our past ghost stories episodes in the show notes. And there were some in there that got pretty scary. There’s this one that will stay in my brain forever. Yeah, it was awesome. Yeah, overall, I think that listening to all the ghost stories every year has made me believe that ghosts are, for the most part, like, fun, interesting, and kind of sweet, they’re almost always nice, which I think is a very comforting way to think of ghosts. If you think they’re probably real, to think that nothing bad is going to happen, like no harm is going to come to you, I’ve never seen a story where anyone was harmed, it’s just like little spooky shit that happens, and it’s fun.

Emma: Yeah, which if you think about it, like, let’s say, we die and you did end up a ghost, you know, to premise. I don’t think I would spend my time trying to freak people out. I think I would spend my time, like, trying to do something nice. Trying to like, Oh, look out, you’re about to back your car into something, you know, I don’t know. 

Elsie: Or a loving message. A lot of them are loving messages.

Emma: And yeah, be like, I miss you. Wish we could talk, but you can’t see me, or whatever, you know. Yeah, so it makes sense to me that it’s just like, you know, nice stuff. Anyway. Let’s do the stories. 

Elsie: All right. Let’s do it. 

Emma: Okay. Our first one is from a listener named Emma. It was the year 2008 and I was college roommates with my best friend, Fern. These are two things that you need to know before I tell the story. First, we were members of a sorority, and we lived in a giant dorm room with all of our sorority sisters. 

Elsie: Scream queens. 

Emma: Scream queens, yeah. The sorority that we were in has a past and famous serial killer, and all current national chapters of the sorority follow a very strict no-boys-on-the-floor policy. Huh. Is it related to the serial killer, or is it just general? That’s interesting. It was both a measure of safety and respect for our slain former sisters. Yikes! She answered my question, and also, Ooh, okay, wow, alright. I don’t even know how to feel about that. Okay. Second, our dorm building was allegedly haunted by another former sorority sister named Suzanne. No relation to serial killer incidents. No one in my current chapter knew the story of her life or death, only that she passed away young. We knew that she lived among us, and we knew which room had been hers. Now Fern and I were all known as the class clowns of the house. Alright, they’re the fun ones. We love to play practical jokes, and our time was largely spent goofing off. I feel like that’s kind of what college is for. Okay. We were never really bothered by anything, so when room assignments came out and we were in Suzanne’s room, we didn’t think much of it. She wasn’t anything that we were afraid of or even believed in. Okay. The premise is All right. We set a strong foundation for this story. It’s very good storytelling, Emma. Okay. Not me, the listener, Emma. Sounded like I was talking to myself. One night, we decided, to screw the rules, and we snuck a few male friends and a boyfriend. We hung out had some drinks and reveled in being rule-breakers for the evening. No one caught us and we rode the hive, pulling one over on our sisters into the night. Class clowns and they are mischievous. Yeah. The next morning, I had an early class, and when I came back to an empty dorm room, I was shocked when I saw fresh, wet blood on my pillow. Eww. I was absolutely losing my mind, checking my hair and body to see if I’d been cut in my sleep, only to find myself completely unharmed. The blood was still bright red as if it had only been there for minutes. Ugh. There were no other signs of blood on the ceiling, blankets, or anything amiss in the entire room. Just the one fresh pool of blood directly on my pillow, where my head had been only hours before. Yikes. Fern came back from class shortly after, and we were in complete disbelief. We asked around a few girls, thinking someone had finally gotten back at us for our pranks. But everyone thought we were crazy and trying to pull a prank on them. That is the problem with doing pranks. Everyone doesn’t believe you. Alright, we went back to our room, even more confused, and then looked at each other and instantly knew it was Suzanne. We had committed the cardinal sorority sin in her room and she had something to say about it. We felt so bad for hurting her feelings, we both apologized to her profusely, we never snuck another boy in, and we never slept there alone again because we were afraid of what would happen. After that incident, we went on to live in harmony with her, and man, did we respect her, and the rules, after that. Suzanne got them. 

Elsie: That’s a spooky story with a very good moral ending. 

Emma: I also kind of want to know, did they just wash the pillowcase? Did they just throw that pillow away? Because like, whose blood was it? Do ghosts have blood? Ugh. 

Elsie: I mean, if it was a prank, then it was a good one. It was well played. 

Emma: Maybe one of the sisters knew that they had snuck in boys. 

Elsie: And if it was a ghost, it definitely worked. Either way, it works that, you know, maybe it was like their dorm mom, you know, and she did know that they were sneaking around.

Emma: Is that a thing of sororities? 

Elsie: I don’t know, honestly. I don’t know what a sorority is, barely.

Emma: Only for movies, which probably doesn’t count. 

Elsie: It’s a great story and I love it. Okay. This next one is from Evelyn. When I was a young college student, I traveled with my parents and older sister to Tombstone, Arizona. We were staying one night at a quaint bed and breakfast, one that history says was once a thriving brothel during the Western expansion of the 1800s. I lay down and closed my eyes. We have, like, very talented writers this year. 

Emma: I know. I feel like they’ve really nailed the story. 

Elsie: Yeah. Thank you, everyone. I’m blown away. After a quiet moment, the bed suddenly lurched beneath me as though someone had forcefully stubbed their toe against the footpost upon entering the room. I opened my eyes expecting to see my sister but saw no one. I was alone, muzzled. I rose to check the hallway but found it similarly empty. And yet, the evidence was before me. The corner of the threadbare rug beneath the bed lay folded, disturbed. Ugh, I pondered the oddity of the moment. I like that when there’s like a fizz, like you hear something or feel something and then you actually see something also.

Emma: And then you’re like, no, I was just dreaming. And then you’re like, no, I wasn’t. I can see this evidence here.

Elsie: Yeah. That’s even creepier. I pondered the oddity of the moment only briefly before letting it pass intrigued, but also unconcerned. The next morning sitting at the breakfast table was a guest book. I began to flip through it, reading the varied entries of years worth of previous guests. After a few pages, a sense of unease stole over me. Scattered amidst the typical entries were reports of visits that were more curious. There were footsteps in the empty stairwell. I heard a piano playing faintly, but there was none in the house. Who was the soldier standing behind me in the bathroom mirror? He disappeared when I flipped on the light. There was a distinct moaning coming from the uninhabited room next to mine. I looked up and found our hostess looking at me with a knowing grin. I sat still incredulous but relayed my own small yet strange occurrence to her from the afternoon before. She simply nodded, saying that the building was originally an old brothel after all. She confessed that she never puts the guestbook out until her guest’s final morning so as to not forewarn them or predispose them to conjure up false expectations. I think that’s good because yeah, like the problem with a haunted hotel is that you’re expecting it the whole time. I would way rather have a surprise haunted hotel, right? 

Emma: Plus, like, if nothing happens to you, I feel like I will be on edge the whole time being scared something’s going to happen when it’s possible nothing might happen to me. So if you just don’t tell me, sometimes ignorance is bliss. So maybe that’s what I’m trying to say. Okay, this is from listener Marilyn. My partner and I were working nights patrolling the Pacific Coast Highway. PCH in California. I don’t know if anyone calls it that. I’m just being a dork. One night around 2:00 AM there was a report of a possible accident at Devil’s Slide, a road set above the coastal cliffs where many accidents occurred. We drove to the area and began searching in the darkness using our car spotlight. Wow. I’m already kind of nervous now. I hate car accidents. Okay. As I drove around the corner, I saw three distinct clouds drifting across the road each made of white wispy smoke in a spiral shape, each the height of a person. My eyes grew wide, breath caught in my throat, but I quickly decided not to say anything to my partner. Hmm, interesting choice. After some more time, we were unable to locate any accident down on the cliffs in the darkness, so we decided to turn around and head back to our patrol route. I quickly said to my partner, let’s take a different road back, and he said, do you see them too? Do you mean the ghost? So he did see them. My partner said the tallest ghost had the face of a man. Ooh, we finished our shift, the next shift during the daylight officers located the crash. Three people had died in the vehicle, including a man.

Elsie: I love that one. I love for ghosts to be little, like, tornado-looking clouds is amazing. 

Emma: Yeah. Also, I guess, like, fresh ghost, you know? Presumably, she’s saying it’s the people who had just died in this car crash that they were looking for but couldn’t find in the dark.

Elsie: So they’re wandering around. 

Emma: Yeah, or just rising from the crash or whatever I don’t really know but which is very tragic too because I feel like ghosts it’s always tragic because it’s presumably someone who has died. I guess it could be if you believe in angels or demons or whatever, I guess But I think most time people think of ghosts as someone who’s died. But something about someone who very recently died in a tragic way sounds even worse. Like somehow I’m like, Oh, I feel so bad for these ghosts. They probably had plans for the next day. You know? Anyway, good story. 

Elsie: It’s a good story. The next one is from Elizabeth. When I was a kid, my mom worked at a gift shop decor store downtown. One day we were all down there while we were switching out inventory. They were moving a lot of big things between the showroom and the cellar, which had one of those typical cellar doors that opens out of the floor, leaving a big hole that drops down into the basement. I wasn’t paying attention and was running around playing, and ran right over the open hole in the floor.

Emma: Okay, that’s horrible. 

Elsie: A mother’s worst fear. My mom was upstairs, and she saw what had happened and shouted to my dad who was in the basement. But she knew that he wasn’t close enough to catch me, however, they both raced over there to where I was to say that I was hovering in mid-air like someone was just holding me just long enough for my dad to be able to catch me before I hit the concrete floor. Maybe it was an angel. Maybe it was a ghost, but it sounds pretty spooky to me. Whoa. Love that one. That is weird.

Emma: See, that’s the kind of stuff I want to do if I was a ghost. That’s like the best. You’d be bragging to all your ghost friends immediately. She’d be like, guess what I did today? It’d be like so meaningful for your afterlife experience. That’s wild though, too. I wonder what it felt like for her. I guess she was a kid, so maybe it’s hard to remember now. But it’s interesting to think about being floating in the air. Would it feel like water? 

Elsie: I believe this story 100 percent though. Because I think that like, if your kid randomly fell, you wouldn’t be able to catch them no matter what. It’s just unlikely. So I believe the floating thing for sure. It’s really interesting. 

Emma: Plus, we kind of have three witnesses, so if they all three say this happened, which we’re only hearing from Elizabeth, but I assume her parents would agree, then I’m like, well, that’s three people who say this happened, so it’s pretty good. Okay, this next one is from a listener named Lucy. We just moved away from a cute little house in the middle of the historic downtown city of Winchester, Virginia. The house was built in the late 1800s. The owners have done lots of renovations to modernize it, but it still has the original wall on the staircase with the logs cemented together. The cellar is the original cellar with a dirt floor, vines growing through the walls, and people probably buried in the floor. Wow! That’s an interesting guess. You know, that sort of thing. I never think there are people buried in a cellar. That’s interesting. Ah, okay. Wow. Okay. When we moved in, we pretty immediately began having problems with ghosts. We didn’t feel like they were super angry or anything, just there. They would knock things off shelves and most importantly make lots and lots of noise at night, so we couldn’t sleep. Wow. 

Elsie: Always with the sleep disruptions. 

Emma: I know, I’m like, listen Ghost, I know you don’t have to sleep, but some of us are still alive and we have to sleep. There’s a wooden door on the very old staircase that shuts off the bottom floor from the stairs. From our bedroom, you would hear it suddenly bang open and slowly creak back shut. Oh, that’s terrifying. We would also hear many people walking around on the main floor. It was so loud that we even bought the sound machine you recommended. We’ll link it in the show notes. Just kidding. Do you have problems with ghosts? You need this sound machine. No, I’m just kidding. Okay. They say we love it, but the sound is still too loud to be drowned out, so the ghosts are still too loud above the sound machine. My son was one at the time, and we would often walk into his room to find him baby talk chatting at the wall. That is not abnormal one-year-old behavior, really, but it was a little concerning combined with all the other stuff. Yeah, I agree. We tried a lot of different things to try to cope with the ghost and nothing really worked. 

Elsie: Questioned. 

Emma: Yeah. What else did you try? Yeah, yeah, I do, definitely want to know what else they tried. Yes. We brought a priest out. Finally, I did a sage cleanse. My husband thought I was crazy while I was doing it, but that seemed to work. Things were quiet after that and we could finally sleep and no more baby talking to the corner. Sage cleanse. 

Elsie: Yeah. My kids love doing the sage. Like, they love it. But I have never done it to get rid of a ghost, so I’m interested that that worked for someone. I usually do it like, kind of like after the last day after contractors leave or just something, you know, just like, to me it’s like clearing the energy.

Emma: It’s a very dusty smell right after renovating.

Elsie: No, no, I mean like the energy of people.

Emma: Oh, yeah, it does smell good though, right? I’ve never done one. 

Elsie: It’s it’s kind of like weed. It smells kind of bad honestly. 

Emma: I like weed, but I don’t love the smell of it. 

Elsie: Yeah, you’ve never smelled burning sage?

Emma: No, I’ve never done it and I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever been with someone while they were doing it. 

Elsie: I’d say It’s a potpourri smell for me. 

Emma: I mean, I know its sage smells like I’ve cooked with it before.

Elsie: We also do the Palo Santo It’s like a little tiny piece of wood, and it smells a little bit better than the sage, but still not like an air freshener. 

Emma: Do you think it counts if you make Thanksgiving stuffing with a lot of sage and maybe just walk around the house with the stuff after it’s cooked because it’s a pretty strong smell?

Elsie: Damned if I know I like how would I know I don’t even know if I’m doing it right, but I just like like trying things. I think the first time I did it was when we first got the pink house, I know there were all the stories about allegedly the dead cat and all this. 

Emma: Oh, yeah. It had like a spooky picture in the basement, too. 

Elsie: That had been going on in there before it was remodeled, so I just thought it maybe needed a little sage. It’s a very loud house. Jeremy’s had some like, potentially ghost experiences there. 

Emma: At the pink house? They always like Jeremy. 

Elsie: They love Jeremy. Ghosts love him, and I’m so jealous about it. I will never forgive him. 

Emma: No reason not to do Sage, I guess, because I guess it’s like, you know, you’re a mom, too, like if it’s keeping you up at night, it’s like so loud that it’s over the sound machine, and it’s like keeping your kid up. I would try anything to make the noises go away. Yeah, so I’d be like, we’ve gotta sleep, my kid’s gotta sleep, I would do anything. So I’m like, yeah, I’d get the sage out, I’d get anything out. I would call the Ghostbusters, I would call a priest, I’m not catholic, but I’d be like, get in here man, my baby needs to sleep, I gotta do something.

Elsie: Yeah. I recommend letting your kids sage every corner of every room because it’ll keep them busy and it is a fun activity. Okay, this next one is from Sandy. Years ago, when buying our first home, I was totally taken with a hall tree that was in the entryway when we first toured the home. Okay, so I googled this, and like, a hall tree can mean, it’s like a coat hanger, basically. Like, you know, a little coat hanger with a mirror with the hooks.

Emma: Kind of like a butler pantry. 

Elsie: Yes. Because when I first read the story, I thought, I was thinking of a tree. Some houses have a built-in planter, but I think this is actually like a piece of furniture. Okay. My bestie and I were at a massive flea market in Texas, jealous to find one. Early in our search, we came across a pretty, primitive, tall, whimsical, mirrored umbrella stand. That sounds amazing. With a small open shelf and coat hooks. It was slightly warped and way over my price point, so we decided to keep looking. All the best ones are. I feel like if the flea market tag doesn’t make you cry, then like you’re not going to be thinking about it later. You know what I mean? Like those are the ones you always, they stick. Because of the cost, I decided against it. Actually mentioned to her that my budget was less than half of the cost, so it was really out of the question. We headed toward the bathrooms and on our way out, turned the corner and there it was, Sunday night special at 75 percent off. It was mine. 

Emma: So far I’m loving the story even though there’s no ghost and it’s just a story of getting a deal at the flea market and I’m like, yes, triumph! You could be like, the end, and I’d be like, great story. 

Elsie: Yes. I know where this is probably going, but I love the story already. Okay. I was still new to our 30-year-old house. Okay, so a 30-year-old house, that’s not old at all. And just beginning to get used to our new homes, quirks, and sounds. Okay, we’re reasonable. We’re setting the stage. We’re reasonable. We’re not freaking out. We’re not seeing men in our bathroom where there are no men. Our first signs that something was amiss were subtle. Lights flickering, shadows passing. Okay, that’s significant. There was a pair of double doors on the side of the entryway that could be locked from the living room, and they were continuously locked, irritating anyone who walked into the room because they had to always go all the way back around. Everyone denied locking them, and it drove us all nuts. We eventually removed the locks. Soon, pictures were falling from the walls and we could hear muffled voices. Okay! This is getting escalated and I’m into it. I’ve never had a picture fall from a wall in my life. 

Emma: I have, but it’s because I use command strips when I shouldn’t have. 

Elsie: Okay, I have on the first day I hung it, but not like months later. I feel like that’s the difference. 

Emma: Our great grandfather’s portrait fell the other day and it had been up for nearly a year.

Elsie: Oh, wow. 

Emma: And I actually had forgotten that I’d used command strips. And then I was like, why did I use command strip? I don’t know. 

Elsie: But here’s the thing. Command strips are not good for hanging heavy art at all. I do not understand why everyone else in our DIY community is so into command strips. They also can rip up your wallpaper. 

Emma: I’m not with Elsie on any of this. I still love command strips, but I just shouldn’t have used them on this particular thing. I don’t know why I did. Nothing to do with the sandy story. I’m inserting myself. I’m sorry, Sandy. 

Elsie: I just wanted to disavow them for no reason.

Emma: Okay, I stand by them. 

Elsie: We came to believe that the house we moved into was haunted. We were unnerved, but we weren’t in a position to sell it until I transferred to another city. A tale as old as time, right? 

Emma: Economic horror, my favorite. That’s always the haunted houses. 

Elsie: Yes, it’s always like we spent our last penny buying this beautiful old home renovating and we can’t move. I’m so sorry, Sandy. I’m really not doing you justice on this. 

Emma: We’re just idiots. Don’t worry about us. 

Elsie: When we sold our house, all of the furniture went into long-term storage. When we moved into our little furnished apartment for a little while, while we built our new house. We held our breath, hoping that the ghost didn’t follow us. It didn’t, and we put it all behind us. As an interesting, unnerving story of the past. I was working out of the country when our house was complete, and my husband and sons moved into the house while I was gone. Although we had a great entryway, when I came home, the hall tree was in our bedroom, angled near the wall and the door. My hats and scarves were hanging from it, and it made me super happy. The activities from our previous house picked up quickly. Shadows, flashing lights, voices. The TV would turn on. My sister-in-law visited, came into the bedroom the next day, and broke it to me, Sandy, you’ve got a ghost. And it sat on my bed this morning and she actually felt the mattress move. Love this story. At some point, it became an open fact. It seemed like when we spoke it, we gave it strength, so we decided not to speak it. I saw it once in the form of a male in a white t-shirt passing through the hall. And it hesitated for a beat and then disappeared. At this point, my house was on the market and we were ready for another move. Oh my gosh. Like the moving is, this is like how much I move. I hired a friend’s college student son to help me. When I told him my plight of the ghost and the two items that I felt had narrowed down, we talked about burning them to that when we got the idea to sell them. But only after telling the buyer my concerns. So she thought she should disclose the ghost thing. The plant stand, which turned out to be a wig headstand, was quickly snapped up by our next-door neighbor and they were delighted by the prospect of owning a haunted wig headstand. That sounds like me. So good for you. You got what you bought. Later, I went inside to show a headboard, leaving my helper to man the sale. He ended up going to the bathroom and leaving another neighbor who had stopped by in charge of it. And when we returned, the haul tree had been sold without our plan or notice. It wasn’t until later that it occurred to me that the haul tree had selected its new unsuspecting owner, just as years before it had selected me. Love the story. And it definitely, for sure, was the hall tree. Yeah. I mean, don’t you think? 

Emma: Well, she says, side note, I have been in two homes since, and my resident ghosts and happy to report that they were both ghost-free. So I think it was. He’s moved on. He was a part of the hall tree. I feel like this would be a good Goosebumps book. The haunted, you know, item. And I like the idea that like she’s like it had selected so like she wasn’t even trying to sell it just like this college kid who she left in charge or whatever she says helper I guess we don’t really know but someone was left in charge of the garage sale and they didn’t realize they went to the bathroom or something and then they didn’t realize that this thing wasn’t for sale and it got. So it’s almost like the hall tree was like making things happen. And then at the flea market, she told us it was too expensive, but then she turned around and saw a sign and it’s like, what if the hall tree made the sign because it wanted to go home with her, you know? 

Elsie: I like that it could be the one thing in your house that you just love, you know because she loved this one item. And so it’s like, you’re going to move lots of things with you to your next home, and how would you be able to narrow it down? I’m surprised that she even was able to narrow it down.

Emma: It doesn’t sound like she was. She wasn’t trying to sell the hall tree. It just got accidentally sold, and she was like, oh, well, but then she realized the ghosts were gone, and she was like, wait, it was that thing. Also, she did some great storytelling, because she kind of sets up the hall tree, and then she keeps going with her story, so we kind of forget about it, and then it comes back, you know? It’s like, really good. Interesting. You nailed it, Sandy. We love it. 

Elsie: Everyone who sent stories this year was a 10 out of 10. So, thank you so much for the stories. I hope that we get a ghost visit this year. That’s my wish for the new year. 

Emma: Now we’re ready for a joke, or a fact, or maybe a meditation with Nova. 

Elsie: Hey Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: A joke. 

Elsie: A joke? Is it a ghost joke? 

Nova: Yes. 

Elsie: Okay. 

Nova: What did ghosts use to wash their hair with?

Elsie: What? 

Nova: Sham… Boo! 

Elsie: That’s good. Thank you so much for listening. If you have any questions or podcast ideas, email them to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.Com or call our voicemail at 417-893-0011. We will be back next week with a deep dive into keeping our house clean and our book report on All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers.

You have no idea how much excitement and anxiety I have living inside me right now as I type those words. I wanted to create a mini bonus episode for our podcast listeners so they could be the first to know. And I’m sharing all the details and links I have, as well as reading Chapter 1 in the episode.

You can stream the episode here on the blog or on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, and Stitcher. You can find the podcast posts archive here.

Show Notes:

What is the book about?

Handmade Murder is my first, self-published novel. It’s a dark and twisty thriller and if you listen to murder podcasts (like me) you will probably love it. Here’s the description you can find on the back of the book:

What if a villain believes they are a hero?

Our addiction to social media has created a new version of fame. And lurking beneath the surface of beautiful, polished social media accounts is a community being targeted by a killer.

Ela’s life is falling apart after she experiences a miscarriage. Her marriage dissolves while the rest of her life feels on hold. In order to deal with the grief and guilt from losing the pregnancy, Ela spends a lot of time on her phone. And the more time she spends online, the more her new identity begins to take shape.

Rosie has found a new group of friends, other women who also make their living online. She cares deeply for this group, and they are the first non-family members she tells about her new adventure—she’s pregnant! Through her connections and a chance encounter with a famous podcast host, Joan of This Is Now, Rosie and her friends begin to notice a bizarre trend among their influencer community. While it’s estimated up to 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, the stats seem to be much, much higher in their industry. And they soon discover many of the women have an eerily similar story.

Joan and Rosie race to find out who or what is behind these seemingly connected tragedies. But can they uncover the truth before it happens again?

Handmade Murder, is a fast-paced thriller that begs the question: Can you be a serial killer if your victims aren’t born yet?

What versions are available?

Currently, there is paperback, hardcover and electronic for eReaders. It is a priority to me to have an audio version available, but I don’t know when it will come out. I’m figuring this all out for the first time. So, if you’re interested in reading this book, I wouldn’t wait. But if audio is what you need, it is coming, I just don’t have a launch date yet.

Note: The hardcover version that is available on Amazon currently is the design printed on the cover (no dust jacket). The only way to get a hardcover with dust jacket version is through a Ingram Spark (more on this below).

Where is it available?

Amazon – You can purchase any of the current versions available through Amazon. It’s available in many territories outside of the United States as well, so if you have Amazon check and you will likely find it.

Ingram Spark – I have also listed the book here. This means you will likely be able to request the book from your favorite independent bookstore or other chain bookstores. You can also ask your local library to get a copy of my book and they should be able to through this source. I believe this also makes the book available for other eReaders beyond Amazon’s Kindle.

*Update: My favorite locally owned bookstore, Pagination Bookshop, now carries the book. You can order it online to pick up or have shipped to you. So if you local to Springfield, MO OR want an independent option to order from get it there!

How can I support your book?

Obviously buying (or requesting from your library) is support, also buying it as a gift to friends. Also, tell friends who love to read about it—this really does make a difference. And last, please leave me a review! This helps my book become more visible to other readers. Thank you in advance!!!

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

A big thank you to our sponsors! Check out the offers from Shopify, Biom, Calm, and Betterhelp.

And if you’re looking for a specific code you heard on the podcast, you can see a full list on this page!

Show Notes:

Decor inspiration

New York apartment building

Fireplace was Elsie’s inspiration for her fireplace

Very dark carved wood everywhere!

Shag carpet in bedroom

Other cozy inspiration (fashion, food, drink or anything?)

Scrabble board

Rosemary’s dresses and outfits generally

Minnie’s colorful and wild patterns in her outfits

Witch book and bookstore

Rate 0-5 demon babies

Elsie – 5

Emma – 5

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #205: Practical Magic – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #204: Halloween Favorites
• Episode #203: Our Autumn Bucket Lists

Episode 206 Transcript:

Elsie: Here listening to the A Beautiful Mess podcast, your cozy comfort listen. This week, we are re-watching my favorite Halloween movie, Rosemary’s Baby, which was directed by Roman Polanski and stars Mia Farrow, my queen. Okay. So my exciting update for the week is today my ceilings are being painted in my living room. My living room is finally going to be decorated normally. We have lived in our home since June, and we have been working on it since February. And we’re finally going to be done with this phase. It was supposed to be like such a miniature, small phase one, and it really escalated. So yeah, I’m very excited. As soon as the paint dries, I’m going to put up the paper bats. And just kind of start, like, cozying in for the holidays. Like, a happy thing that happened is yesterday my husband came in and said that the color in the living room is my finest moment. I was so happy. 

Emma: That’s a good compliment. You know, I never thought about this, not to make this about me, but last year at this time I was finishing my house and just moving in, and I kind of missed, we were doing like the day before Halloween, so I kind of missed decorating for Halloween last year. So I like that you’re like, as soon as the paints dry, I’m putting up the bats. Like you’re not giving up on it. You’re like, it’s fine. It can be later than I wanted, I don’t care, I’m still doing it. And you’ve gotten like, your pumpkins out on your fence and different things too, but yeah, I get it. It is kinda like, when you have a lot of painting or a lot of wallpapering, you’re like, well I can’t put anything up on the walls, you know, for the season because it’s gonna be in the way.

Elsie: It’s honestly very easy to be like, I’ll do it next year, I don’t care, I give up. It is. It’s so tempting to just be like, you know what, fuck this, it’s not worth it. But I do think there’s something to it, to just like doing, even if it’s at the last minute, just like still having a little party and still, you know, having guests over and doing all the things that you would normally do, even if you’re renovating. Like you can’t let renovating rule your life or else it will just steal so many happy memories.

Emma: I mean, it’ll try and you’ve got to keep fighting back, right? 

Elsie: Yes. Okay, so I’m so excited. This week we are talking about Rosemary’s Baby, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. And I had this, like, hilarious DM exchange last week where I was talking about my Rosemary’s Baby fireplace. We’ll talk about this more later, but I made a replica fireplace in my bedroom. I’m, like, a huge nerd for this. I love it. It’s a passion for me, and it’s, it’s a big decor movie for me. Anyway, the DM was like, Rosemary’s Baby is your favorite movie? And I was like, yes. And they were like, why? Like, it just said, why? And I was like, well, I really like the decor and the vibes, and it’s just something I enjoy watching every Halloween. And they just wrote back, that’s a weird favorite movie to have. And I was like, okay. 

Emma: So this is someone you know? 

Elsie: No, it was just a DM from a random stranger. 

Emma: It’s wild to me you even answered this. Cause I am such a jerk, I would never, I would be like, oh, they just wrote why, I don’t know this person. I’m not writing back to this. 

Elsie: I don’t know why, sometimes I just feel like engaging, and sometimes I don’t. A lot of times I would ignore it, but this time I was like, I’m gonna explain to this stupid a why I like this movie that is my favorite movie.

Emma: You know what, I love this movie and I gotta evangelize about it. Now that I’ve seen it, I must say, this is worth watching. It’s great, especially for the decor and fashion. But it is also a weird story, which I didn’t even realize until we were at the end of the credits, that it was an IRA 11. It was an IRA 11 book, which I love Stepford Wives. I’m a huge fan. I’m low-key working on a fan fiction sequel to it, which you will never read because again, it’s fan fiction. It’s probably illegal for me to write that, but I’m just like such a fan. I love it so much. It’s just like, so anyway, and I felt like there were a lot of things in this movie, the story that I was like, yeah, I could see how he wrote Stepford Wives later. I see a lot of the themes that he liked to write about, you know, a lot about feminism, and you know, how women are treated and a lot of different similar themes. So anyway, this movie is very much worth watching. It’s not my favorite movie, but if someone was like, this is my favorite movie, I don’t feel a why, I’m like, I don’t know if you’ve seen it, if you feel like, why, because it’s like, it’s beautiful, the set design’s incredible, the fashion’s incredible, the story is weird as fuck and it’s quite the ride. Very interesting, very strange, it kind of jumps the shark for me at the end, but also it was made in like, the late ’60s, so you have to keep that in mind. It’s excellent, like, very worth a watch. And I’m not a horror movie person.

Elsie: I’m glad you liked it. Last night it was kind of late when we finished watching it, and we were really tired. Yeah, we had soup, and we had a friend over, and Emma’s husband just completely ghosted. I was very curious if you liked it, or if you were gonna, I can tell when you’re lying, so it sounds like it. 

Emma: Yeah, I think you can tell, I lie on here sometimes, but Elsie always knows.

Elsie: She lies about liking things because she doesn’t want to be mean.

Emma: You know, like people try really hard at something, you don’t want to, you know, but no, I really like this movie. It’s really good. I would definitely re-watch it. It’s a strange, weird movie, and it’s definitely old. But I feel like a lot of the problems with it kind of work with the story though, and what they’re trying to get at with it. So it sort of in a weird way still works. 

Elsie: Yes. So it’s from 1968. It’s like a beautiful, gorgeous New York apartment building, and they take like a historic building. The apartment was very dark, very like wood everywhere. This is one of my favorites and they just like to paint every inch of it white. And it’s always really satisfied me to see that because I really do see both sides. Like I love wood. And you know, now I have like my unpainted wood in my house. So I do defend, but I think that like so many people are so mean about painting wood, even wood that’s not beautiful and not special that when you see these like gorgeous New York apartments that are all like white ornate moldings and stuff like you have to realize that at one point those were dark wood and like somebody painted it and now it’s like glamorous and we love to see it. I don’t know. I think there’s definitely a defense for both and a time and a place for both, but this movie, it’s very satisfying. She just like straight up goes into view. An apartment is like, I think I’m going to paint everything white and then she does it and magic. 

Emma: Well, I also think, and this maybe speaks to the time, but I also think speaks to the story of what this movie is about. It’s a moment where Rosemary’s character is really doing something that she wants to do and has some power. Because a lot of the movie, things are happening to her, and people are doing things to her. And she has no power over what’s happening to her, even the very ending I think is very much about that, which is interesting. But seeing her look at them, they show us the New York apartment before they move in, they’re viewing it with the owner of the building or the guy who is the manager of the building, you know, this old guy showing them the buildings like an old lady lived here and they’re looking at the closets and looking at all of it. And she’s kind of talking about some things she would do. And then you see as they’ve moved in, not right when they move in because they have this cute scene where they’re like eat on the floor like you do when you first buy a house or an apartment. It’s really cute. But then you see everything that she does. She paints everything. She puts up wallpaper. You know, and it just looks completely different in a lot of ways. And it looks beautiful. And to me, it’s this moment of like Rosemary’s character having choices and power about her surroundings, which some people would maybe trivialize, but I think that’s a mistake because I actually think that’s an area that women throughout history did have some choices in power at times that maybe we didn’t have others like even when we weren’t allowed to vote. A lot of times we were allowed to decorate our houses, you know, and so I think it’s a really cool thing, and if you don’t like painting wood, that’s fine, whatever you can have your opinions on that. But For the story of this movie, I actually really love seeing what she does with her apartment because I think it’s like a moment of seeing Rosemary have choices.

Elsie: Yeah, it is completely magical. And from just like a strict design standpoint, it’s one of my favorite combinations ’cause it’s like a historic building, just like very ornate, like carved wood everywhere with all, you know, since it was in 1968. All mid-century, everything for like, the furniture, the record player, the table, the lighting. And it just turns out so cute. It’s iconic. And I’m glad you liked it, cause it’s one of the reasons why I like to rewatch it so much is that I find the interior, it’s like one of those spaces where you notice something different every single time. 

Emma: Yeah, absolutely. And I kind of loved all of her choices, even though I wouldn’t necessarily decorate my space like that. Not even just the, you know, I don’t live in a New York apartment and it’s not 1968, but just, they just aren’t necessarily like the colors I would pick or this or that, but I pretty much love everything except for the headboard, which I’m sure we’ll talk about. And they also have this kind of shag carpet in their bedroom that looks cozy, but it also looks like it would get worn in a way that I would not want that carpet, but that’s more of a time thing the headboard though is unforgivable. But that’s the only thing in the whole apartment that’s unforgivable. 

Elsie: Yeah It is a real New York City apartment I can’t remember what the name of the real one is you can google it very easily. So if you want to just like take a picture in front of it when you’re in New York 100 percent you can do that. I’ve never done it, but someday I will it’s very cool. Also, there is an older couple, there are the other main characters in the movie who are like the next door across the hall neighbors. And they have also an equally big, amazing apartment, but it’s decorated, you know, like the old people’s way. And it’s amazing as well. It’s a treat for the eyes. And then it was immediately like, you should make the vodka blush cocktail for the blog. 

Emma: Now it will be our dinner party that we talked about in the last episode. 

Elsie: That’s a good one. Yeah. There’s a lot of just like, I don’t know. I guess I watched it so many times. There’s always like one or two new things to notice every time you watch it. Lots of cozy inspiration. And I have a thing I was just talking to our friend Donnie Rogers Jr. about this. I have a thing for ’70s and ’60s movies set in New York City. Like if I had a time machine, I would go to 60s, 70s New York City. That’s one of my first stops. I just like love it. It is the place. And there’s, I mean, there’s so many different versions of New York throughout the years that would be fun to visit. 

Emma: They have a lot of scenes in this movie too, where different characters are out on the street, either, like, using a payphone or getting into a taxi or, like, waiting for a friend outside of a building, you know, things like that, and it’s beautiful. New York’s beautiful. It goes through a few seasons because we go through an entire pregnancy in this movie. But like we see it at Christmas time, we see kind of like a spring look and then like summer when they’re like, it’s so hot and she’s about to have the baby then. And yeah, it makes New York very, you kind of get to see New York in all the seasons of 1968. I guess it would have been 1967 when they were filming. I don’t know.

Elsie: It’s wonderful. Okay. So what were some of our other cozy inspirations? I think the Scrabble board. I will never play Scrabble without thinking of Rosemary’s Baby. It’s just a little bit ingrained. I want to like make the words all of them, which is every single time I get out Scrabble tiles, and I just like can’t help myself. There’s lots of food and drinks, and she is always using a Chemex to make coffee, I noticed in the mornings, and then I’m like, oh my gosh, I need to get back on my Chemex, like, just kind of like everything she does. 

Emma: I use a Chemex every day, and I felt really cool when I saw her doing it. I was like, yes, I use a Chemex too, I’m awesome, like, Rosemary.

Elsie: I have a little dinner party. 

Emma: Yeah, with her young friends, as she says, because their neighbors are like older. And everyone’s dressed really cool. One character has these really disco ball-looking earrings and they’re really pretty, which is a sparkly, fun party. But that would be another thing if the fashion in this movie was so fun. All of Rosemary’s outfits are adorable and she is very pregnant throughout some of the movies, but it’s a lot of, it’s not a shift dress, but what would you call it? It’s like you could wear it not pregnant. It’s like kind of short and your belly could just get big or small and you could wear it. I don’t know what to call it. 

Elsie: A loose-fitting 60s dress. I don’t know what you call it, like an apron dress maybe? 

Emma: Yeah, something like that. It’s like kind of like fits your shoulders and your arms, but then it’s kind of loose. So you really could wear it like throughout a pregnancy or it’s kind of just a style. At any rate, just Google it. She has really cute, cute, cute outfits. 

Elsie: I always buy a dress with sleeves and like collars, like a white Peter Pan collar, is Rosemary’s baby dress to me. And I will always buy it every time I see one, probably forever. It’s like kind of the thing in my closet and I think that’s part of where it comes from. It’s just like such an iconic. It’s like before the Adams family, you know, it’s like that, it’s like a Wednesday Adams dress before there was Wednesday Adams. 

Emma: Yes. I also really like the older couple, the neighbors, I can’t remember the character’s name. 

Elsie: Minnie. 

Emma: Yes. Minnie’s, outfits are really fun too, because they’re very colorful and have wild patterns. And I just think they’re really fun. 

Elsie: She’s bringing the pure joy with her outfits. Like, she’s got, like, eye shadow like my daughter wears. 

Emma: Yes, so much blue eye shadow. Yeah, I don’t know who won best supporting actress this year, but I hope this woman was up for it at least if she didn’t win because I thought she was so good in this movie, kind of like hilarious, like truly very funny performance. But it’s also it’s a horror movie. It’s Rosemary’s baby. And I also was like, oh, I know people like this. Oh, I know some old ladies who say those kinds of things it just felt like so relatable and real, but also like a hilarious comedic performance. Like I just loved it. I thought she was so excellent.

Elsie: It was incredible. Yeah. I love her style, her voice, kind of everything about her. She’s such an icon. She’s a nude scene. She does the most for this movie. 

Emma: Everyone kind of has a nude scene. It’s a wild movie. 

Elsie: Yeah, and as far as, like, how satanic is Rosemary’s Baby, it’s pretty satanic, okay? Like, it has a devil, like, having a sex scene with a woman.

Emma: It’s a rape scene. 

Elsie: It’s bad, it’s bad, yeah. But also, it is pretend. And so, like, I don’t know, it just doesn’t have, to me, like, a scary feeling. Like, I have gotten a lot of messages that people don’t like that I say Rosemary’s Baby isn’t scary. But I just mean it’s not scary in a traditional horror movie way. It’s disturbing, maybe, is how I would put it. 

Emma: Yeah, I would say it’s very disturbing. 

Elsie: It’s in your head, it’s creepy. I wouldn’t say it’s scary. There’s like no part in the movie where you jump, right? So it’s just different types of feelings, like, I know there were parts where you and Trey, who were watching it for the first time, were kind of like, eh, like that kind of feeling.

Emma: There are parts where they really show, like, a doctor putting a needle into her arm, which, again, not necessarily a scary thing, like, I’ve had doctors put needles in my arm many times. Especially when I was pregnant, but it is creepy in this movie because of the story. And also I think the filmmakers are trying to make it a little disturbing. They know what genre they’re making. So, you know, there’s a lot of things like that. There is a rape scene where the woman is drugged, Rosemary’s drugged. That’s obviously very disturbing, but I also think the way they show it is very arty and it’s meant to be like, you know, what’s happening, but it’s, it’s not graphic.

Elsie: It doesn’t feel real, at all. 

Emma: Yeah, and it’s not supposed to because you’re kind of like, Rosemary’s like, did that happen? You know, she’s been drugged. So I think they’re kind of playing with that. So it’s very much like a psychological horror thriller. So it’s definitely scary but not like a Saw movie not like a movie where, like, things jump out at you all the time.

Elsie: Yeah. 70s horror movies are my favorite. They have their own, like, way of being. They’re usually very quiet. They’re usually very slow. And then something about them is so much worse than anything you would see in a movie now. And that’s how I would describe a lot of them, and I think this kind of fits. This is actually kind of on the soft side, though, of all the 70s horror movies I’ve seen. It’s just a little bit, like, not so horrible. But it’s not appropriate for children. It has stuff in it that if you’re very sensitive towards, like, Satan or something, then you probably wouldn’t want to watch it.

Emma: Yeah, I mean, it also has a rape scene where a woman’s drugged, so that would definitely be something a lot of people wouldn’t want to watch. Totally understandable. But I do think for the story, it’s really interesting.

Elsie: I think they make it very campy. Like, they make the Satan rituals kind of adorable, in an old-timey way.

Emma: It feels very Satanic Panic from the 90s, like the way we thought of witches and Wicca then, you know? Like, very silly. Yes. Okay. Someone’s playing the flute, like, just like an accountant-looking guy, stuff like that. Where you’re like, okay, Satan’s baby, Rosemary Satan’s baby at the end is in this little crib that’s like got all this black tulle. And the little mobile that’s hanging above him is like an upside-down cross. So it’s like, ooh, it’s like they bought it from Hot Topic. You know what I mean? So there’s a lot of things like that in it too. 

Elsie: That is the perfect description. You just nailed it. You just, you just nailed it.

Emma: So I will say my favorite part of the movie, my very favorite thing is the very end. I just think there’s such good storytelling where Rosemary has had the baby. It’s Satan’s baby. She’s discovered, that they told her at first that the babies died, but she doesn’t really believe them because she knows they’ve been messing with her this whole time. And she’s right, the baby is not dead. And they seemed likely to just steal the baby. Yeah, she kind of thought they were going to steal the baby, and then they did. She didn’t know that it was Satan’s baby though, so then she figures out that the baby’s still alive, she finds the baby, she sees the baby, and they don’t show it to us in the movie as an audience member, but from her reaction, you know that the baby looks half like Satan. So whatever that is, like she’s like, it’s eyes, you know, so something’s going on with the baby’s eyes. We don’t know. 

Elsie: Then she says, you should see his feet. 

Emma: Oh, yeah, it’s a hilarious movie. But my favorite thing is, that she’s at first kind of repulsed. She didn’t realize it was Satan’s baby. And now she knows this, she has this information. And the main bad guy, the old man who’s the neighbor, he’s like, maybe you should raise the baby, Rosemary. It is your child. And she didn’t want this baby like she wanted a baby, but she’s been raped. She was drugged and raped. 

Elsie: She’s just finding that out too, for the first time.

Emma: So she’s a victim in so many ways in this movie. But now she sees the baby that she’s had with her rapist, the devil. And they’re like, why don’t you raise the baby, just think about it. And then someone’s like rocking the baby’s cradle too hard, and she’s like, Hey, you’re rocking the baby’s cradle too hard. And she goes over and starts rocking the cradle. And that’s kind of where the movie is ending. It does imply that she’s gonna raise the baby. And it’s this moment where, I love her performance, because you kind of see it on her face, where she’s like, kind of realizing I do love this baby, and I do want to be its mother. I feel the pull, but also it is the devil’s child, and she’s raised Catholic, and she’s obviously really torn about all of those things, too. I feel like it’s this thing in the story where there’s this tension of like, she’s almost like trapped by love. And it’s just really complicated, and I think really beautiful, and I think her performance in that scene is so good, and I just think that whole idea is very interesting and extremely tragic, and there’s just a lot there. You know, also, like, as a mom, and I think even if you’re not a mom, you could understand this, like, I kind of get it, where you’re like, oh like, I don’t, I think I would do it too, I guess. But it would completely change the course of your life because now, you know? Anyway, I just think it’s interesting and obviously it’s fantastical. There is no devil. This is a ridiculous movie but it’s also kind of beautiful and interesting and I just love that part. I love that it ends that way I think it speaks to such strong storytelling and interesting things to me. I rarely come away from a horror movie not that I watch that many where I’m like really thinking about it. You know what I mean? Like a lot of times, I feel like they’re meant to kind of just scare you and that’s the fun part. It’s thrilling. It’s like a rollercoaster ride and then it’s over and that’s it. But this one I’m like, oh, this one think about like, what does it mean to be a parent? What does it mean to be a victim? This kind of like role of love in our life and how it could expand in ways that maybe it’s going to harm us, but we, we just want it anyway. And I don’t know, there’s just kind of a lot there. And I’m like, that’s. Interesting. I was not expecting to think that much from this movie, but it’s really good. 

Elsie: Oh, nice. Yeah, I definitely feel like every time I watch it, there’s some new thing. Okay, so if you didn’t know, Rosemary’s Baby is also a book by Ira Levin. It is very play-by-play, almost the same as the movie, which I feel would never happen now. I’ve never ever read a book that was that close to a movie before. Any other time, it’s very similar, and I listened to the audiobook, and Mia Farrow also read the audiobook. So, if you enjoy audiobooks and you just want to read them for fun, I would definitely recommend it. I think I remember it was somewhat of a short book. But yeah, it was nice. It was definitely fun. And there is a sequel called Son of Rosemary, which I haven’t read yet, but I feel like kind of is on the list. 

Emma: Yeah, I’m, I’m interested. I’m like, that’s going to be one hell of a toddler. 

Elsie: I’m so glad you liked it because I was pretty sure you were going to hate it. Emma and I kind of, like, diverge on this subject of our interests.

Emma: I’m not really a horror movie person, yeah, and Elsie’s seen, like, all of them. So, it’s, yeah. But I like action movies, and you’re like, eh, you’re not really into them. 

Elsie: I think action movies are my most boring torture. Yeah. Bruce Willis who? I mean, like, I love Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element only.

Emma: I mean, yeah, that’s a banger, for sure. 

Elsie: Anyways, okay, so any more cozy inspiration, I talked about the audiobook. There’s lots of food. It shows a little bit of New York City, not a ton, but it shows New York City at Christmas in the sixties, which is everything. Shows them decorating an apartment, which is everything. I love the witch book. I love the bookstore. I love the suitcase. 

Emma: It really is a beautiful movie. I mean, I think if you wanted to cut out the, you know, getting drugged, and raped scene. 

Elsie: You can easily fast forward through that part if you’re like, I don’t want to watch. 

Emma: Yeah, I think if you cut that part out and then also there’s a scene where, well, there’s this character who allegedly jumps from the building, although it seems from the movie we’re supposed to be unclear if she jumped or if something else happened. But they kind of show her body on the ground and it’s very bloody and I’d cut that too if you’re like, I don’t want to see gory.

Elsie: But I don’t know why we’re trying to teach people how to make Rosemary’s Baby into a Disney Plus movie. It’s okay. 

Emma: It’s not a Disney Plus movie. 

Elsie: It is what it is. I defend it as a comfort rewatch. This is my official statement. I defend it because of the interiors. So help me God, amen. 

Emma: I feel like it’s kind of like described when you have like a hero and you’re, like a real person hero and you’re like I love this person for these reasons and then someone will come at you with, yeah but did you know that they also this and it’s like yeah, they’re human, you know And I’m like, well, this movie is like really cool. And also it has some problems. Did you hear us mention the director? Like there are some problems right? Like there are some things that I would not defend, but I don’t think that necessarily means you have to throw the whole thing away. I mean, I just thought it was a very interesting film. One of the more interesting ones I’ve seen in a while. And I really enjoyed myself, but I wouldn’t defend everything about it. I mean, my lord, who would do that with any movie of all except for Knives Out? 

Elsie: Yeah, Knives Out is our perfect angel. Okay, so let’s do some trivia. According to Mia Farrow, the scenes where Rosemary walks in front of traffic were spontaneous and genuine. That is upsetting. Roman Polanski is reported to have told her that, quote, nobody will hit a pregnant woman. The scene was successfully shot with Farah walking into real traffic and Polanski following operating a handheld camera since he was the only one willing to do it.

Emma: I don’t know how to feel about that. 

Elsie: That makes him seem like an ass.

Emma: That’s the thing. Yeah. Okay. He is, but this movie is beautiful.

Elsie: We are renouncing Roman Polanski if you didn’t notice. So he’s renounced. 

Emma: Okay, next trivia. Mia Farah actually ate raw liver for the scene of the movie, despite being a vegetarian at the time.

Elsie: What? 

Emma: Ugh. I feel like she really committed.

Elsie: I thought it was like really dark red jello or something. 

Emma: It’s kind of black, I think.

Elsie: It is a very disgusting scene. 

Emma: A very disgusting scene. They show a scene, too, where she just, like, very quickly sears a steak and eats it, which, is more normal. That’s not how I eat my steak, personally. But, you know, people do that. That’s a thing. 

Elsie: I love her so much. She did the most for this movie. She’s also been to Vidal Sassoon for this movie. But that is, like, the most iconic haircut. 

Emma: She looks like Twiggy. It’s like a very 60s.

Elsie: She’s so pretty, yeah. Like, I can talk all day about how much I think she’s the most beautiful woman of all time. 

Emma: And clearly an extremely committed actress, clearly. 

Elsie: During the telephone booth scene, Mia Farrow can be seen mouthing numbers as she dials Dr. Hill’s office on the rotary telephone, specifically 477 turned upside down spells H E L L. Hell. Okay, I don’t think they needed that, but that’s a nice touch. 

Emma: Yeah, I like it. It’s kind of like when you’re in school and you do that calculator thing and it spells out boob or something. Can you tell I was really good at math? I was really paying attention in school. Okay, next one. William Castle, who is the producer of Rosemary’s Baby, later became convinced the film was cursed. Shortly after production, he suffered gallstones to such a severe extent that he required surgery. As he recovered from that illness, Rosemary’s Baby composer, Krzysztof Komita suffered an accidental fall that led to a coma, and eventually, his death. Awful. Then, in the summer of 1969, actor Sharon Tate, Polanski’s wife, was famously murdered by the Manson family. We all know about that one. For Castle, it all added up. The story of Rosemary’s Baby was happening in real life. Witches, all of them, were casting their spell, and I was becoming one of the principal players, he later recalled. I don’t know why he’s lumping in Sharon Tate, because other than being married to Polanski, wasn’t a part of this production, as far as I know.

Elsie: I feel like other people died and he just got gallstones and he was making it a little bit about himself. 

Emma: I mean, I understand having a phase in life where you feel like a lot of bad things are happening all around you. Like, I think we’ve all gone through seasons like that, but I don’t really know.

Elsie: I don’t know, but it probably just added to the success of the movie at the time, or the movie’s, like, reputation at the time, I’m sure it was very controversial. Like, Emma and I grew up in the Harry Potter being banned era. And my heart could not take the things people probably said about Rosemary’s Baby in 1968 and 1969 and stuff.

Emma: Well, I doubt I would have watched it as a kid. Yeah. Whereas I was reading Harry Potter as a kid. 

Elsie: I bet the church people were really upset. 

Emma: I mean, they still are, I imagine.

Elsie: Okay, send us an email and let us know. Rosemary’s Baby starts off with a pan shot that ends on the Dakota. A building with a rather rich and ominous history in New York City. So I guess that’s what the real building is called. It was the city’s first true luxury apartment complex when it was built in 1884. That’s really cool. Based on a design by Henry J. Herdenburg, who created the Plaza Hotel. Whoa! This is cool. Over the years, it has attracted a plethora of wealthy celebrities from Lauren Bacall to Judy Garland. It gained notoriety for the death of John Lennon, who was murdered right outside the front of the building. In fact, the death of the character Terry in the film takes place eerily close to where Lennon was killed. That is interesting and disturbing. I’m glad that they picked a haunted building though, because I do think it fits. 

Emma: Yeah, it does fit, because a lot of haunty things are happening in this movie.

Elsie: Plus, when you bring that on a filming look, like it’ll always be the Rosemary’s Baby building now too. So it’s like they weren’t really bringing any more creepy vibes onto something that was already like, we’re done. 

Emma: Yeah. It is strange though, like to think about a city like New York and for like one building to have lots of different things, you know what I mean? Because you’re like, it’s such a big city. 

Elsie: It’s true. Probably every building has dozens of interesting, scary, and beautiful in every kind of story because it’s such a historic place. We’re just not used to that. 

Emma: Plus, I mean, the Arconians had like three deaths in it already, and they’re going to have another season of Only Murders in the Building, so there’ll be another death.

Elsie: I seriously knew you were going to bring up Only Murders in the Building, and I, okay, I will say, I fucking love Only Murders in the Building. I don’t think we’ll ever talk about it on the podcast, but I love it. And Steve Martin is daddy, and like, we will always support him forever.

Emma: Yeah. And I want every sweater and outfit that Selena Gomez wears, I’m like, sign me up. 

Elsie: And Martin Short is funny, and anyone else who writes an article about how he’s not can go straight to hell. 

Emma: Go to hell. He’s hilarious. Okay. Mia Farrow’s iconic pixie cut became a popular hairstyle after the movie’s release. Following the release of Rosemary’s Baby, Mia Farrow’s short and stylish haircut gained widespread popularity and became known as the Rosemary’s Baby cut. Which is great because in the movie, everyone’s like, what did you do to your hair? 

Elsie: Yeah, but I mean, to be fair to Mia Farrow, it was her most iconic, like haircut era. And that is like when in her, like, I’m Mary Frank Sinatra era was I think right after this movie. So, it was gorgeous, and Emma and I both had pixie cuts in high school. And it’s not for everyone, okay? 

Emma: It did not look as good as hers, yeah. 

Elsie: It’s not for everyone. It’s, sadly, Jeremy said he had a dream that I shaved my head and it looked good, and I was like, oh, Jeremy, that is such a sweet, generous dream.

Emma: Yeah, I feel like I’ve seen your hair short and don’t do it. 

Elsie: This is the right amount of hair for me, right? Maximum. 

Emma: I know. I always do want to chop my hair a little bit though when I see things, you know, like movies and stuff. And I’m like, no, don’t do it. Don’t do it. You’ve done it. 

Elsie: I honestly just want to like be Mia Farrow for a day. I love her. Rate this movie from zero to five Demon Babies. Five out of five demon babies. 

Emma: I’m also gonna give it 5 Demon Babies because the sets are gorgeous, the costumes are gorgeous, and I think the story is a 10, but I love that author, so I’m already a fangirl. 

Elsie: It is good, and yeah, if anyone thinks it shouldn’t be a comfort rewatch, just give it a chance one time. Just do it for us. 

Emma: It also doesn’t have to be for you. I don’t really give a fuck. 

Elsie: Remember us, the creators of the Knives Out fantastical era. We will not do you wrong, okay? 

Emma: I mean, I don’t think this movie’s for everyone. I do think Knives Out is for everyone. But I don’t think this one is. I think it’s pretty arty and it has some pretty harsh themes. And some people just don’t want to deal with that, and I think that’s fine. But it’s a beautiful movie. Alright, now it is time for a joke, or a fact, or maybe a meditation with our dear friend, Nova. 

Elsie: Hey Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: A joke. 

Elsie: A joke? Okay. 

Nova: How does a chicken stay fit? 

Elsie: How? 

Nova: Egg-ercise.

Elsie: That’s wonderful. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening. You can submit questions at podcasts@abeautifulmess.com or call our voicemail anytime at 417-893-0011. Next week, we will be back with our annual ghost stories episode.

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Show Notes:

Decor inspiration

Aunt’s house – The perfect house because:

• It’s by the ocean
• Has a white picket fence
• Black fencing on roof
• Big beautiful cozy kitchen with an island that leads to a greenroom
• Rose bushes outside
• Cozy unfinished attic with beds

Other cozy inspiration (fashion, food, drink or anything?)-

Chocolate Tipsy Cake

Midnight Margaritas

Aunts’ Outfits

Rate the Movie from 0-5 Whip Cream Cans

Elsie – 5

Emma – 5 or 6

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #204: Halloween Favorites
• Episode #203: Our Autumn Bucket Lists
• Episode #202: Hocus Pocus – Comfort Rewatch

Episode 205 Transcript:

Emma: You’re listening to the Beautiful Mess Podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Since we love Halloween movies so much, we are doing another comfort rewatch. And this week, it’s Practical Magic, directed by Griffin Dunn and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Plus, we are doing our book report on Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. A whole Practical magic show! 

Elsie: I am so excited about this. Yeah, I just finished my Practical Magic, all the books, four in a row. So I feel like I’m in my Practical Magic era right now. And it’s coming at a very good time. 

Emma: Yeah, I’ve only read the Practical Magic first one. It’s in the book club. But yeah, it has two sequels.

Elsie: It has two prequels and a sequel.

Emma: Two prequels and a sequel. That’s crazy. 

Elsie: So before we jump in, I thought you might want to tell me about your first flight overseas with a toddler since that’s an experience that you’ve just conquered. 

Emma: Yes, it was on my Halloween bucket list, or maybe it was an autumn bucket list. I guess not Halloween. It’s autumn bucket list was we were going to Costa Rica as a family, and it’s the first time Oscar used his passport. The first time he went on a flight, his little baby picture, and the first time he went to the beach. So tell you about the flight. So to Costa Rica from where we live is two flights, and the first one’s like an hour and a half, and then the second one’s like two and a half hours. And we had a fairly short layover, kind of the perfect amount where, like, sweating a tiny bit to catch the plane, you know, you’re like, we have no time to get a snack or go to the bathroom. But also, that kind of worked, because I feel like a lot of time in an airport with a kid is kind of tough, because they just want to touch everything and buy everything in all the shops, because I did that on the way home. Anyway, his first flight was really cute. I like, filmed his reaction as the plane was taking off. He was like, sitting in my lap. He had his own seat. He’s like, at an age where it’s like, he does sit in my lap a lot, but we did buy his own seat. Cause he’s like, at an age where you could do a lap kid. Anyway, he was sitting in my lap by the window and he was watching the plane take off. And I feel like he just had his usual Oscar reaction, which is just kind of frowning, which I think is just him thinking and like really observing. He’s a very observing kid and sometimes you think he doesn’t really know what’s going on and then he’ll repeat something later where you’re like, Oh wow, you really like were tuned in on that. I didn’t realize it. 

Elsie: That’s a very cute, like serious face, like a concentrating face. It’s kind of his default setting.

Emma: Yeah, it is his default setting. So, he did that, and it was really cute, and he was just really great for the flights. I actually had, on the way there, we had two, like, random strangers tell us how great he was on the flight, and one of them was like, you guys are great parents, he was so great, or, you know, just, just being nice. And on the way home, I had one of those too, where they were like, he did so good, he didn’t really fuss at all. And, of course, it’s really not a metric of goodness. I think if you do fuss on a flight when you’re a kid, that’s also normal and fine. But I think that they were just trying to be encouraging, which I think was nice. And, you know, I was anxious about him having a meltdown, and he didn’t. And also, if he had, that would have been okay too, but it wouldn’t have been fun for me. But yeah, he was really good. He did get to watch more Paw Patrol than we normally let him watch, but that’s okay. It was a travel day, but he also had these reusable stickers that were like pumpkins and bats and he put them all over the seat, but they were like the reusable kinds of, they peel off really easy. So there’s no like ruining the seat or anything. And he would stick them on me. I had my emergency box of band-aids, as you told me, but we didn’t end up needing them. But I had them stuffed way down in his backpack and I was like, if things hit the wall, get those band-aids out. But things went pretty well. So it was really cute to watch him just observe everything. And he really was a delight and easy and I got really lucky. 

Elsie: Oh, that’s good. That’s the universe being like, book more travel. That is great. 

Emma: When I got home, I told Elsie, I was like, I feel like I might have used up a lot of karma, so I need to be looking around for opportunities to like to do good things because I feel like the universe was like, No delays, no problems at all. Your bags didn’t get, you know, like all the little things that happen when you travel, like nothing bad happened. Everything was no diarrhea for him or him. And it was just great. So I was like, okay, I feel like I used up some karma. I need to be looking for opportunities. That’s what this is. So yeah, it was a good time though. It was very special and sweet. And of course, as all parents know, there are hard moments traveling with a kid, a toddler. And there was all that too, but honestly, all of that is already fading from my memory, and I’m just like, oh, he was so cute on the plane. Oh, he was so cute at the beach. Like, you know how you do, you just like, turn the whole thing into rose-colored memories, which I think is a good way to like, go through life. I’m like, I’m not going to remember any of the tough parts. Forget that part. 

Elsie: I think it’s a necessary part of like, how our parenting brains work.

Emma: I think so too. It’s a very survival. You know, otherwise, I don’t know if people would have second or third kids, you know, because you’d be like, no, no can do. But anyway, so that was great. 

Elsie: Yay. Well, I’m happy for you. That is wonderful. So we’re talking about practical magic, the movie in this episode, and then we will also talk about the books and even the book series, it is its own little universe, and I am so happy to be a part of it. So, for those of you who haven’t seen Practical Magic, it is a movie from 1998. We definitely recommend it, it’s a great movie to watch during the spooky season. So this is the premise. Two witch sisters raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town face closed-minded prejudice and a curse that threatens to prevent them from ever finding lasting love. It’s so good. It’s definitely my favorite witch story that I’ve read, and the movie is so cozy. So we’ll talk a lot about the house. Okay, so memories from when you first watched the movie. My first time to watch it was actually pretty recently, it was a time when I lived in Nashville and Emma came to visit. And I remember that it wasn’t Halloween at all. It was like a different time of year, but you were like, you haven’t seen practical magic. Let’s watch it right now. 

Emma: Yeah, I was so surprised you hadn’t seen it. And so I was excited to show you something. Cause I feel like you’ve always like seen everything, you know? So I was excited.

Elsie: So it was very recently for me. And then I’ve definitely watched it every year since it’s one of my kitchen movies. Cozy vibes, and movies, definitely fit into that. Do you remember your first time to watch it? 

Emma: I don’t. It was probably high school or college. I am a big Sandra Bullock fan. Like, I think she’s hilarious and I also love romantic comedies and she’s in a lot of romantic comedies. Her and Jennifer Aniston to me are kind of like similar vibes as actresses where they’re really funny and really beautiful and often they have like love interest stories. So anyway, I feel like I’ve seen most of her movies. Like if I’m just by myself or trying to find a movie and I don’t want to like it. Scroll through everything or I just want something that’s like easy and light. I don’t want to watch the latest art thing. You know, then I am like, what Sandra Bullock movie have I not seen? So at this point, I feel like I’ve seen them all, but that’s probably how I discovered it was just like, Oh, a Sandra Bullock movie. Oh, it’s witches. Interesting. 

Elsie: In the era of Blockbuster videos, Emma was walking through. Scanning for Sandra Bullock’s face. 

Emma: Yeah, I’m like, excuse me, kid behind the counter, where’s your Sandra Bullock movies?

Elsie: And this, I’ve seen the movie cover, like the picture, is like a really cute portrait of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman with like a candle or something?

Emma: Yeah, I feel like it’s trying, it almost makes it seem like it’s going to be scary, but it’s actually not a scary movie really at all, I wouldn’t say.

Elsie: The title Practical Magic makes, you know, it’s going to be like a little bit sweet. Like, I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like a spooky.

Emma: And there was this whole era where things were coming out with witches. Like, I feel like the craft was a big one, which is more of like a high school drama. And this one’s more like adults. It’s not really about high school or anything. They are kids in the movie and then they grow up, but mostly I think it takes place in their twenties or thirties. So anyway, yeah, of all the like, which movies of that time of the nineties, this was easily my favorite and it’s very high on the list as far as like movies that I have rewatched many times. This one’s probably up there, like right under the Harry Potter. Which is also about magic now that I’m thinking about it. Maybe I just like magic. I don’t know. 

Elsie: For sure. Okay, so the house in this movie is one of the ultimate movie houses of all time. I know that we’ve mentioned it on the podcast probably more than 100 times in our 200 episodes or whatever. But yeah, I was reading a little bit about this morning and So this sometimes happens, and it is hard to accept, but this is one of the heartbreakers, just like the house from the holiday, the cottage, where it is not and was never a real house. It was a prop. It was a, like, shell of a house where they built the exterior, they filmed the movie and then they immediately tore it down in the nineties. So, I have seen people post online the floor plan of the house and sort of try to like to make it, like form it into a real, I think it would be the ultimate dollhouse if you’re if anyone’s a dollhouse person and they want to do a tiny recreation. 

Emma: Oh, it would be a beautiful dollhouse. It could have a little rosebush on the outside. 

Elsie: But yeah, it was a little heartbreaking to me. I think that the design of it though, was still a real house that was designed, I mean, even though it’s for a movie, it was really built as, we can look at pictures, we can appreciate it. So they say that it was designed as like a cross between a Victorian home, obviously, and then also a lighthouse because it’s a coastal house. It’s right on the water and it does have very unique, kind of lighthouse coming up like a unicorn horn, it has unicorn horn. Yeah, so I love that about it. I think it’s definitely a gorgeous home. If any of our listeners, is I’m a billionaire and you’re looking to recreate something. I think that this would be the one to recreate. I would definitely come and spend the weekend with you, have some midnight margaritas, and someone please do it. Can we not all create a GoFundMe and make this into an Airbnb or something?

Emma: I know. Yeah, I think what makes it like partially so romantic is it is right by the water. So I think any house that, like, you can see water, whether it’s a huge lake or the ocean, that to me just feels so serene, like, so peaceful and calm. It’s very romantic to me. Maybe that’s because I’m from Missouri and we’re landlocked. We do have big lakes, but I don’t live on the lake. I love It. At one point the kids like steal this syrup that’s been kind of like poisoned and they run down just not very far from the house and there’s like rocky, rocky, it’s not really like a beach like sand but like rocks where the waves hit up on it and they pour the syrup into the ocean and it’s just like right there.

Elsie: Yeah, it’s supposed to be New England. 

Emma: You could go drink your coffee out there in the morning, you know, that’s the dream, but yeah, the house looks very kind of like a lighthouse, but definitely just like a house. I think part of the story in the movie and I think it’s also in the book is that one of the elders which’s is from generations ago was banished and so she was on this kind of small island area by herself. And so this was like where she settled and the house over time got built. So it’s in this kind of special spot because she got banished away from everybody else because she was a witch, but yeah, I think maybe my favorite part is the kitchen which seems to kind of spill out into this almost like greenhouse room of all these plants. Which is again so romantic in that you think like, oh you could just walk into that little Sunroom And pick your herbs and then walk back into the kitchen and finish making your spaghetti sauce with fresh basil or whatever, you know, like it just seems so special and fun and like near civilization but also tucked away. But yeah, the kitchen has this really interesting hood. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like fairly big over the, like, stove range. And there are elements to the kitchen that feel very witchy, like at one point they’re stirring this giant pot because they are making some kind of spell because they’re trying to banish this bad spirit. And there’s just a lot of things that feel like, not like a commercial kitchen, but like an old-timey kitchen where maybe they used to entertain or they didn’t have the technology that we have now. You know, like it feels like a very mix of high, and low, like old houses have.

Elsie: I think it feels very much like a 1990s Martha Stewart slash Ingar kitchen. Like it’s functional, but it’s also professional. 

Emma: But it still feels cozy and like in a home, not like a restaurant. ’cause there’s not like a ton of stainless steel everywhere or anything like that. It’s not the Jurassic Park kitchen. 

Elsie: No, it’s a beautiful, cozy kitchen with an island, I think has a lot of cabinetry and it has kind of this cool, I don’t know what you call it, like an arched opening from the dining room to the kitchen that is kind of just like a, I don’t know, watch when you’re watching the movie, it’s a decorative feature that’s kind of like integrated with the cabinetry. That is really pretty, and it’s very unique. I think it would be a great replica kitchen. Somewhere in the world, there’s a person whose remodel would fit this perfectly.

Emma: Yeah, and then other parts of the house, other than just the beautiful kitchen, they have this like, attic room that is where I think both women stay whenever like, Jillian comes back to town. And it just has bedrooms in there, like beds in there. But it looks like, kind of like an open attic. So it almost feels in a way like unfinished, but it also feels very cozy in the way of like there are rugs and there’s kind of like I think some like kind of those wall tapestries are kind of like hung. So it’s a very like, again, I feel like the house feels very lived in. These set designers did such a great job. It felt like a real place, but it also didn’t feel too polished. It didn’t feel like, oh yeah, this is a bedroom and it’s a perfect catalog bedroom. It’s like, it doesn’t feel like that at all.

Elsie: It feels very lived in and like a real house. I agree. Okay, some of my favorite moments of the house. I mean, I love the garden. I love that it has a picket fence right by the ocean. Cause that’s just very unique, and it fits this house perfectly. Okay, so a big thing from the books is there is a portrait of Maria Owens on the stairway and when you are watching the movie, you’ll see there’s like a ton of witch portraits on the stairways, which is super cool. I love old portraits and I think it’s just such a cool collection. Every old home should have some Victorian portraits. 

Emma: I mean, one can dream. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Bonus points if it’s relatives. But, you know, I’ll take anything. 

Elsie: And I obviously like the greenhouse is everything. It is like the most gorgeous Harry Potter little greenhouse.

Emma: Greenhouses are always, I think, very photogenic looking because they usually have so much glass and so much light. So I feel like they’re always a great place for like a setting in a movie or in a photo because they just are really pretty. One of the kind of characters in this movie is a man who’s been half killed, but then they kind of half bring him back to life. It’s magic gone awry, but he sort of like becomes a spirit. He kind of embodies a lot of different elements, including this sort of rosebush that keeps growing up and they like cut it back and cut it back, but it’s still growing up. And I don’t know this movie to me like the Rose Bush is almost like a character in the movie where it’s like menacing, but also kind of beautiful, which I think was kind of what that man was like when he was alive because she was in love with him, but he was an ass and beat her. Yeah, his boots kind of come up out of the ground after they bury him.

Elsie: He won’t stay dead. 

Emma: Ugh. Just won’t leave you alone. 

Elsie: Wanting to haunt you. My favorite thing from the book that I want to make this for the blog is that it’s like in all the books, a lot, I don’t know if it’s in the movie, is the chocolate tipsy cake. Have you heard of that? 

Emma: Yeah. I Googled it immediately after cause I was like, and it’s really not like a famous recipe. 

Elsie: I think it’s a movie recipe because rum cake is a famous recipe. This is specifically a chocolate cake with a ton of rum in it. So it’s its own category of cake I think and I was thinking I want to make one maybe for Thanksgiving or for Christmas or like make it a family tradition in our family because I think it’s so cute.

Emma: Maybe we should have a dinner party that’s like all movie food and drinks. You know what I mean? That would be fun, right? Come on. And we could have like, you know, some photos up or posters up of the different movies or I don’t know. But this would obviously be the dessert. 

Elsie: An idea is born. That is a great party idea. I like it. 

Emma: A movie dinner party. 

Elsie: And then also in the movie she has a shop, right? So it’s a cozy little shop. And it kind of reminds me of David Rose’s, Schitt’s Creek shop, you know? 

Emma: It does. Right? I feel like he saw the movie, his character, and was like, that’s what this town needs.

Elsie: I mean I could watch this movie every autumn until I die, and I probably will. 

Emma: The town is really cute, too. And I don’t know if it’s a real town, I assume it probably is. They probably didn’t build the whole town. But it looks very small town, but really cute. And it feels very coastal, and very, like, northeast, even though I’m not an expert on the northeast. Oh, and also, we didn’t mention this about the house, on the top of their roof they have this like kind of black fencing, it’s like kind of spiky looking, and at the end of the movie they’re all dressed as witches, like with the witch hats, classic witch looking, and they all jump off and fly. But they kind of just float down, but it’s definitely like they’re flying because they’re literally floating off of a roof. And it’s just really cute because the fencing there is like very menacing looking, but it’s this kind of cute moment where the town has accepted them as witches in the movie. That’s probably why witch stories are so good is just because it’s like, what the easiest way to highlight prejudice, which is like, you know, present in kind of like all of our lives all the time. But it’s like but in a more fun way. 

Elsie: Yeah, I think a lot of times, which is the lore of it or whatever, you know, the fantasy of it is used to highlight the power of like female friendships and relying on people who are not your romantic partner, but they’re your partner in other ways. The sisters and a lot of fantasy books, like not just this one, but many other, you know, fables about them is that they can’t fall in love, their husbands always die. Not every single book has this, but there are a lot where that’s sort of a thing. So it makes it so that the witches have to rely on each other. That always has to be their family because they’re not really able to keep romantic partners. Not that every witch is straight, but in a lot of books that I’ve read, that’s been the lore in the past. And yeah, I think that’s kind of an interesting device to use, and I think it makes you examine love and family in a different way, which I like. I think it’s a good exercise. 

Emma: So any other cozy inspiration? I said the chocolate tipsy cake and midnight margaritas are for sure the greenhouse. We had done the ant’s outfits, in the movie are pretty epic. It’s everything you want in an ant. 

Elsie: It really is. I’m like, at what age should we start dressing like this? Pretty soon, right? Like 50? I don’t know. 

Emma: I think it just looks comfy too. It’s like a different version of yoga pants. It’s got a better version. A lot of scarves. A lot of big sun hats, which I’m like, yeah, you don’t want the sun when you’re outside in the garden all day. 

Elsie: It’s wonderful. I love how the end of the book, Practical Magic, is the exact same monologue that the movie opens with, where she says the thing about like, growing rosemary and throwing salt. It’s so cute. It’s adorable. 

Emma: Yeah, because I feel like too, this is in the book as well, but they are kind of trying to escape their identity which is like, I think it kind of haunts them as Children because their town doesn’t accept them. They get picked on because they’re which is or because they’re different in the book. I think it’s less explicit that they’re what are than in the movie. And then by the end, it’s like they’ve found that people have accepted them. They’ve come together and done magic with them to banish that abusive boyfriend. And I think they’ve also come to accept themselves and kind of celebrate this part of themselves that they used to detest, which I also think, again is a great device for us to kind of learn about accepting the things about us that scare us, that make us different that might scare other people. And it actually can be, those can be our strengths. Those can be like some of the most beautiful parts of ourselves, you know, but it takes sometimes time and life and circumstances to help us see that. Yeah, and that’s what happens in this story. 

Elsie: Being normal is boring, mother fucker. 

Emma: Normal sucks. No, if you’re normal, that’s cool, but none of us really are. 

Elsie: Okay, so let’s do some trivia. Practical magic trivia. So the first one is the entire house was a specially built architectural shell that was torn down after filming. It was built on rented land and even the blossoms and the trees are fake made of silk. I don’t want to know, erasing that fact from my mind, never thinking of it again. It’s a real house in my mind. 

Emma: It does speak again to the set designer’s talent though, because you just want to live in this house. You want to go to this place and it feels real, like I don’t even remember thinking like, oh that looks fake. That looks like a silk flower I really don’t remember I have seen this movie a lot. So I’m like these set designers and like the cinematographers and whoever else, you know brought this to life did a great job. So I’m like you totally fooled me. I’m like in the world and this is real to me. 

Elsie: Oh, wait, I should probably say this. This is that kind of trivia, but the production designer’s name is Robin Standifer, and I read this beautiful little article from when the movie first came out, I think, where Alice Hoffman says that when she visited the sets, she felt like the set designer was a novelist just as much as she was because of how much they brought it to life. It was very beautiful. 

Emma: She could see she was storytelling her version of art. Yeah. That’s beautiful. That’s a beautiful thing to say about someone else’s work. I also love the name Robin. I think it’s a great name. For a boy or a girl. But, yeah. Okay, next trivia. Aunt Frances and Aunt Jett frequently wear clothing and styles that were popular in the early 20th century, suggesting that they were really much older than they appear. The cast said they felt supernatural elements of the house started to affect them. Both the cast and crew claimed they heard supernatural noises while filming the coven scene at the end of the film. I feel like this kind of thing comes up a lot in movies that are about witches or the supernatural or horror movies. I feel like there’s always something that happens on the set that’s like, well, that was weird. You know? 

Elsie: I love it. I mean, it does sound like they were filming at least the exterior of the home in a very remote place. So I mean I could see it. Okay, so a big part from the books is like the black soap like they’re always making this black soap and using it that like keeps you looking young. I want it to be real so bad. I’m so mad. If anyone knows where you can buy some real witch black soap, send it to me for my Christmas gift. That’s the only thing I want. 

Emma: I mean, there is black soap, but does it have magic? I don’t know. 

Elsie: I don’t want charcoal, I want magic. Like, there is a difference, right? Anyway, I think it’s really cute, like, all the stuff, but yeah, they’re wearing old clothing because they’re.

From that time or maybe even like things could be passed down. You know how families like just keep things like the portraits in the house. 

That’s true, too. I mean since the house has been passed down through many generations then that also makes sense. That, you know, they kind of have a revolving wardrobe in there.

Emma: You have our grandmother’s like a swimsuit from her honeymoon. There are things that can last a long time, but I do feel like the clothes they’re wearing them like a lot, you know, like a wedding dress I feel like is easier to pass down because it doesn’t get worn constantly. 

Elsie: For sure. Okay. After the movie came out, production got a call from Barbra Streisand. Oh, I love Barbara, okay, who wanted to buy the house, don’t we all? Because the house was built on parkland and had Native American heritage. No digging was allowed, which was the real reason that the home was only a shelf. This was also the reason that the house, which was only a set, was torn down as soon as they finished filming. So first of all, it’s a tragedy. But second of all, Barbara, you have the cash. Build it. If you build it, they will come. Like, I want it to be real so bad. I will beg. 

Emma: I thought too, like, when I first read this, that she was calling to be like, Why wasn’t I in this movie? 

Elsie: Honestly, good question also. 

Emma: Could there be a third aunt? I don’t know how old she would have been when this came out. Maybe she’d be just one of the sisters. I don’t know. 

Elsie: The aunts do have a brother. Okay, I desperately want them to make a sequel of Practical Magic. One of the little girls Emma pointed out was Evan Rachel Wood or Evan Rachel Wood. 

Emma: She was then and she is now.

Elsie: And yeah, there is a whole nother book. There’s so much more story for all of these characters. It would be amazing if they would make another one soon, sooner than later. Put that on my wish list, too, with a lot of stuff. 

Emma: Dear universe, please, please, please. Yeah, I agree. For the final scene with all the townspeople at the Owens home, the entire population of the town where filming took place was invited to show up in costume and appear as townsfolk.

Elsie: I love that. 

Emma: Yeah, I love it so much. 

Elsie: That’s the dream. 

Emma: Yeah, plus, like, can you imagine getting some call that’s like, Hey, we’re filming a movie around here with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. If you want to show up dressed for Halloween, come on down. I’d be like, yes, what time do we need to be there?

Elsie: Yeah. Emma has been extra before in real movies and TV shows and stuff. I’ve never done it and I have a chip on my shoulder about it and I want to do it so bad. Like so bad. Especially Hocus Pocus 3. 

Emma: Oh yeah. I feel like though, a lot of times when you’re doing it when you live there, you don’t get to be in movies that you’re necessarily excited about. It’s just random, so it’s like you might get to be in something that you’re excited to watch over and over, but you might just be in, who knows? You know? Anyway, that would’ve been fun, and that’s really cute. 

Elsie: Yeah, I know. It’s not the point of being an extra.

Emma: Well, hopefully, they paid them, but I mean, whatever. I don’t really know what happened with that. 

Elsie: Okay. The black dog that followed Sally’s husband, Michael, to the day of his death, was no accident, according to several cultural traditions, mainly those of the British Isles and Latin America, a sign of impending death can take the form of black dots. They also have, in the books, a death watch beetle.

Emma: That’s in the movies, for sure. 

Elsie: It’s awesome. It’s like always coming around, like one week before you die, making a bunch of noise.

Emma: Which in a way, there is a part of me that’s like, You know, I wouldn’t mind getting a heads up the week that I was gonna die. I also kind of wouldn’t mind just knowing generally.

Elsie: That’s true. 

Emma: Because then I feel like you could plan so well. 

Elsie: It doesn’t tell you who it’s for in the home though, which is kind of stressful. 

Emma: Yeah, because you’d be like, is it my kid? 

Elsie: Because it’s not always obvious. 

Emma: Yeah, if someone was sick, you would probably think, oh, okay, it’s probably them. But if like no one’s sick, you’d be like, oh no, someone’s about to die. I don’t know who it is. 

Elsie: I’m glad they’re not real.

Emma: Oh, I had a thing for this. So we’re rating the movie, and I was like, let’s rate it from zero to five whipped cream cans. 

Elsie: What’s, wait, what’s that from? 

Emma: Well, in the movie, they, when they’re trying to bring the guy back to life because they’ve accidentally killed him, they have to make, draw a star on his chest. That’s part of the spell. And they’re like, oh, what do we use? What do we use? And they’re just like looking around in the kitchen and they just pull out a whipped cream can. Spray this with the star on it. And then she, like, takes a bite of it because she’s just hungry.

Elsie: Oh my gosh. 

Emma: It’s a funny scene. I feel like there’s a lot of memes out there now that’s like, you know, everyone talks about girl dinner, which just means, like, a bunch of snacks, I guess. And it’s like, here’s a girl dinner, and it just shows a photo of them with the whipped cream and they’re doing their spell, you know? Anyway. 

Elsie: That’s cute. Okay. Five for sure. 

Emma: Yeah. Five or six. Love this movie so much. Okay, well, let’s talk about the book Practical Magic. We’ve talked about it a little bit throughout this episode, but now we will dive a little deeper into just the book itself. And you can talk about the whole series if you like, because I know you just read them all and it probably is hard to keep them separate once you’ve seen the whole, you know, story unfold.

Elsie: Yeah. Okay. Let me explain what they all are and what the premises are. One of the main questions that I’ve heard people ask is like, what order is it best to read them in? So now that I’m an experienced professional, I will tell you. I honestly think they can be read in any order. I don’t think it matters. It’s just not that sort of thing. There are no spoilers. And the order I read them in was from prequel one, prequel two, Practical Magic, and then the sequel, which should be the perfect order, but I kind of, in the end, I was like, it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered at all. Anyway, okay, so the prequel one is called Magic Lesson, and it is the story of Maria Owen, so the like, original witch who makes the curse that no one in the Owens family can be in love, or her lover is doomed. 

Emma: She’s the one who almost gets hanged, but then the rope breaks, and they just banish her. 

Elsie: Yes. So that is her story, and then prequel two, It’s called The Rules of Magic, and it is pretty much the aunt’s origin story, and they have a brother, a magical brother. It’s like, very cute gay brother, very lovable character, and, yeah, it’s really good, I would say it was one of my top, and then Practical Magic, we all know, is the main book, what the movie is named after. And then the sequel is called The Book of Magic. And most people in my DMS said that that is the very best one. I kind of honestly thought they were all pretty equal. I thought they were all good. I would say like the worst one, maybe it was practical magic, even though it’s so good. It was probably just because it was the first one and the other ones have way more history and crossover and stuff, which is kind of nice. But yeah, they’re all winners. 

Emma: I’ve only read Practical Magic. I’ve read other Alice Hoffman books, but nothing else from the series. So yeah, the other Alice Hoffman I’ve read is Here on Earth, which was really good. But it was a long time ago that I read it. But yeah, she’s one of those authors who’s written a lot and I feel like her stuff is often well known or on a bestseller or it’ll be in like Oprah’s book club or things like that. So she’s pretty well known and I do think her writing is really lovely. I loved Practical Magic. I listened to it as an audiobook and it was a delight for those days that I was listening to it. It’s not super long either. I want to say it was a fairly quick, listen to a fairly quick read, and as far as like if you’ve seen the movie and you’re like, will I still enjoy the book? I do think it’s pretty different as far as the things they focus on and it’s also obviously a lot longer, you have a lot more time to get to know characters and to see things happen in a book versus a movie. They have much less time to tell you a story in a movie. And I just feel like they focus on different things. There’s a lot more about Sally’s kids in the book like what they’re up to and what their life is like. And I really enjoyed getting to learn more about them because they’re not huge characters in the movies. And what else? I also feel like, okay, so this, I want to know what you think about this. I feel like in the book, and I didn’t read the whole story, so just Practical Magic, I feel like it’s not as explicit as the movie about magic. I feel like you do know that they’re witches and you know that they do magic and you get that the town is kind of uncomfortable with them for this reason, but they also come to them with their love problems because the ants kind of have the side business where they will help you with your love problems through magic. It is in there, but I felt like in the book, it’s much more like, almost like how people talk about essential oils. Like it’s just much more like myths and like, what do they call them? Like old wives’ tales or like that type of like, Oh, I went to the doctor and that didn’t work. So now I’m going to ask my grandma for what spices she would put in her soup. You know what I mean? Like, it’s more like that kind of vibe. It’s not quite like Harry Potter. I’m going to cast a spell with a wand. Like I don’t feel like that happens in the book as much at all. 

Elsie: Yeah, I would definitely agree with that. I think it’s because the ants are like legit witches. And Sally and Jillian are more like, Sally is denying, like, her place as a witch, she’s kind of like, I’d rather be normal, and Jillian is like, not finding her power yet. So I think that that’s probably part of it, but I like that, I like that they’re not just like simply, you know, abracadabra, I think it’s really nice. Like lots of human stories, they’re definitely comfort reads. We were talking about Sally’s love interest, the one that happens with, like, the police or the detective man in the movie, how she was saying by the end of, this is a spoiler, big time.

Emma: Yeah, I think it’s okay. It’s been a long time. 

Elsie: She was like saying, you know, they were kind of just getting to know each other. And I was like, okay, well, I hate to tell you this, but in the next book after that, he’s just like instantly dead. Like Alice Hoffman is not into love scenes. Like those sex scenes are so tiny. There’s nothing, it’s not romantic. It’s honestly more about the sisters and the aunts and the female relationship with the daughters, which I love too. So that’s definitely her vibe. 

Emma: Yeah, I don’t feel like I expect romance from Alice Hoffman. It’s just not what she’s writing. 

Elsie: On the newer witch books, you kind of expect it to always be just like a basic romantic like enemies to lovers with witches, and this is very different from that. So I guess that’s what I’m trying to say is like, I appreciate how different it is. I’ve been trying to read every book I can get my hands on for two years and a lot of them are not that fun top for me. Pretty boring and this was like very interesting. It’s its own whole world You can go down. I’m definitely a super fan now I bought red shoes. I bought I planted a magnolia tree in my yard nice, and I’m definitely making the chocolate tipsy cakes.

Emma: Oh yeah, we’re gonna have the dinner party. Yeah, I think too, I like the treatment of magic in the book a lot because I think it feels more like real life. Because when you do read a witch book or a magical book where you can cast spells with a wand and everything’s fixed, It kind of makes it, I think, harder, at least for the author, to create tension. Because you’re like, why don’t you just wave your wand? Whereas, in this book, I feel like Alice Hoffman made a world where magic can’t do everything. In fact, it can do a number of pretty fantastical things, but there’s a lot it can’t do. And especially for the characters who are denied. 

Elsie: And sometimes it messes things up worse. And it can’t be changed back. So, like, a lot of times that’s what the spells end up doing. Yeah. It’s worse than originally. 

Emma: They have consequences and trade-offs, which again, feels very much like life, you know? Like, you make a choice, and you get something that you wanted, and something else happens that you didn’t necessarily want, but that’s just kind of, you know, the choices that you have. So, yeah, I think it’s really pretty. And, yeah, as we were talking about earlier, there’s not a lot of, romantic sexual love. It’s a lot more about women relying on each other, which I think is really fun and makes you think about family in a different way and it’s just really beautiful. It made me think a lot about you and like us getting older together, and how much I’ve relied on you in my life so far and how much I will probably continue to rely on you, and obviously we don’t have a romantic love, we have a sister love, you know, we’re sisters. And I think other people have that with a good friend. You don’t have to be sisters, but we are. And yeah, I just think that kind of love is special because it’s something that I know about. It’s something from my life. So when I see it in literature or movies, I guess I feel kind of seen and it makes me feel grateful for the things that I have in my life, like you. 

Elsie: Aww. Love you. 

Emma: I wish I could do magic, but alas. 

Elsie: Me too. Maybe one day. 

Emma: You never know. 

Elsie: Yeah. Okay. Well, let’s go now to our spooky joke and a fact with Nova. 

Elsie: Hey Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: I have a meditation. 

Elsie: What kind of meditation?

Nova:A halloween spooky meditation.  

Elsie: Oh, perfect. Okay, I’m closing my eyes. 

Nova: Imagine you were walking down a street looking for candy. Then suddenly, come to a spooky house. The door creaks open. You go inside. Then you meet a cheerful skeleton. And then, you say hi, you walk on. Then you see a light flash. You go into the room and you see a witch making spells. You say, wow, maybe I could try. And so you try. And then you go on to the top, to the balcony, and you can see everything. Then you spot a ghost needing help. You go and help him. He says thank you. Then you see a vampire. He says greetings. Hello. Then you stay for a few minutes, talking and drinking, and having a fun time. But then, you see it’s time to go. So you hop onto a bus and it takes you home. Then you spotted something. You spotted that the witch, the ghost, and all your other friends gave you a present. You were quick to grab it. Then you showed your mom and dad. They said wow. And then they said time for bed. And so you hop in bed and dream about your friends. Now open your eyes and before it’s done, take deep breaths in, and deep breaths out, and feel how your body feels. Do you feel good? Do you feel relaxed? Okay. Bye!

Elsie: We hope you enjoyed this episode. Please continue to send us your comfort rewatches. We will be back again next week with my Halloween favorite movie, Rosemary’s Baby. It was Emma’s first time to watch it, so yeah, we’ll see you next week.