🎄It’s the year 2000, and Christmas and Hanukkah have crossed path at my doorstep in the form of Santa Claus and his part-Jewish friend… a weird turtle man.

In honor of Christmas Day and the first night of Hanukkah sharing a day on the calendar this year, we’re revisiting some old Friends, an escaped tarantula, a restaurant we may never be allowed in or out of again, and an unforgettable interfaith holiday mascot fit for a new millennium.

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🎙 Guests:

Becca Petunia (ToughPigs.com, Bear in the Big Blue Podcast, Bluesky)

April Ryley (Bluesky)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. How often does the first night of Hanukkah fall on Christmas? (Vox, 2016)

2. What the ‘Friends’ Holiday Armadillo Episode Gets Right About Interfaith Families (Hey Alma, 2021)

3. The “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” drum roll outtake reel.

4. A transcript including deleted scenes reveals Ben wants Santa to bring him an ant farm.

5. Formication (with an M, y’all), the false sense of feeling like bugs are crawling on you.

6. Halloween Adventure is real and still open.

7. Hoppy the Marvel Bunny.

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📼 Commercial Break:

AT&T True Savings with David Schwimmer (circa 1996)

The Studio Demands It!

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“Friends” and “The One with the Holiday Armadillo” © 2000 Warner Bros. Television.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 2010, and I’m hiding in a closet from a flying shark that ate half my screwdriver.

I’ve finally caught up with the timeline of people who have been requesting that I watch the “Doctor Who” Christmas specials, particularly this twisted take on “A Christmas Carol” starring Michael Gambon in the Scrooge role and the 11th Doctor as at least 2 ghosts of Christmas.

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🎙 Guests:

Andre Bennett (Bluesky)

Jack Ford (Total Christmas Podcast)

Anthony Strand (ToughPigs.com, Movin’ Right Along, Bluesky)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. Andre’s review of this episode from 2011.

2. Anthony ranks all of Steven Moffat’s “Doctor Who” episodes.

3. Amy and Rory’s outfits may or may not be but probably are a nod to a similar scene in a 2001 “Only Fools and Horses” Christmas special.

4. Michael Gambon in “Toys,” as the Ultragorgon on Jim Henson’s “Monster Maker,” and as the Ghost of Christmas Present in 2001’s “Christmas Carol: The Movie.”

5. Abigail is basically Nora Fries from Batman.

6. Katherine Jenkins on “Dancing with the Stars.”

7. Danny Horn (Young Adult Kazran) on Bandcamp.

8. Greenland sharks could live for hundreds of years.

9. “Abigail’s Song (Silence Is All You Know)”

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📼 Commercial Break:

Tesco Christmas Advert: “Mrs. Belcher” (2010)

Tinsel Tunes: The Christmas Music Podcast

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“Doctor Who” and “A Christmas Carol” © 2010 BBC.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 2003, and nothing puts me in a festive mood quite like a bar fight.

Join us as we spend Christmas break with the Justice League — well, most of it. Wonder Woman’s off doing something else, and Batman… you know, smells.

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🎙 Guests:

Joey O. (Y-Not Radio, Bluesky)

James Riley (Twitter)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. Mike talks “Comfort and Joy” on Tis the Podcast.

2. Paul Dini’s notes on “Comfort and Joy,” including what where Wonder Woman and Batman were.

3. The Shrine of the Silver Monkey from “Legends of the Hidden Temple.”

4. The “Calvin and Hobbes” snowman gallery of horrors.

5. Santa gives Darkseid a lump of coal.

6. Clark and his parents’ cat, Streaky, are this universe’s Jon Arbuckle and Garfield.

7. One of the stuffed animals on Kara’s bed looks like Zook, one of Martian Manhunter’s comic book sidekicks.

8. “Sam, the Guy from Quincy” by the Arrogant Worms (re: Robert Ito as the Japanese toy company CEO).

9. The end of The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror IV.”

10. Wild Swamp Thing appeared!

11. Ultra-Humanite is doing a Party Man.

12. A tangent about Oreo cookies, Martian Manhunter’s favorite food.

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📼 Commercial Break:

Burger King: Justice League Kids’ Meal Toys (2003)

Oreos for Santa (1986)

Wizards: The Podcast Guide to Comics

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“Justice League” and “Comfort and Joy” © 2003 Warner Bros.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 1990, and Santa’s lost in my confusing network of chimneys.

Prepare yourself for a more silly than spooky Christmas special that takes us from Castle Duckula to a concussion-induced space adventure and back.

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🎙 Guest:

Adam Parker Sibun (Merry Britsmas)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. “A Christmas Quacker” on the Internet Archive (it’s mislabeled as another episode).

2. Nick Knacks on “Count Duckula.”

3. Count Duckula’s first appearance on “Danger Mouse.”

4. UK Christmas TV, an extensive archive of Christmas TV listings for the UK’s main channels.

5. Jack May (Igor) was the original English voice of Muzzy.

6. The Odd Case of Dennis the Menace: 2 separate comic strip characters with the same name debuting on the same day on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

7. Return to the Turducken Hunger Games.

8. The daydream scene in “Sidekicks.”

9. Mike Oldfield’s “In Dulci Jubilo.”

10. Today’s TV Trope: Blunder-Correcting Impulse.

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📼 Commercial Break:

Shreddies Cereal: Count Duckula Adventure Scratch & Win Game (1989)

Muzzy (circa 1989)

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“Count Duckula” and “A Christmas Quacker” © 1990 Carleton Productions.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 1982, and I’m trapped at sea while Mickey Rooney butts into everyone’s conversation.

Join us as we embark on a Christmas cruise aboard the Pacific Princess for a very merry episode of “The Love Boat” featuring Maureen McCormick, Donny Osmond, and Mickey Rooney as an angel in disguise as your nosy neighbor.

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🎙 Guests:

Guy Hutchinson (Pointless Nostalgia, GuyHutchinson.com)

William Bruce West (West Week Ever, Remember That Show?)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. “The Christmas Presence” on Paramount+, Pluto TV, and Facebook.

2. Sesame Street’s Love Boat parody and “Song of Ten.”

3. Guy on the history of the Lacoste Crocodile.

4. “Brady Bunch” references: Maureen McCormick can’t stop getting hit in the face , and Mrs. Brady gets her voice back.

5. What’s in Santa Stubing’s bag: Stadium Checkers, a Jeep Honcho model truck, and more.

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📼 Commercial Break:

Toys “R” Us featuring the E.T. Atari 2600 Game (1982)

Remember That Show?

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“The Love Boat” and “The Christmas Presence” © 1982 The Love Boat Company.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 2001, and a rock giant is chasing us across the ocean, which has been entirely frozen over by fairies with minty fresh breath.

From the makers of “ReBoot” and Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” music video comes Barbie’s first feature-length movie, complete with motion capture of the New York City Ballet, revolutionary hair animation, and Tim Curry as an extra sassy Mouse King.

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🎙 Guests:

Kristi and Bri from Bad Princess Movies.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. “Barbie and the Nutcracker” on the Internet Archive.

2. Bad Princess Movies on “Barbie in The Nutcracker.”

3. Motion capture footage of the New York City Ballet.

4. Oops, we went on multiple Zelda tangents about Majora’s Mask and the Song of Storms.

5. It’s usually not a good sign when you find a doll on the ground in a destroyed village.

6. Of course there’s a toy of Marzipan the horse (no relation to the Marzipan with the answering machine).

7. Today’s TV Trope: Literal Cliffhanger.

8. Do the Great Lakes freeze over?

9. Mod Hair Ken and his stick-on facial hair.

10. Barbie eyes new horizons (BBC News, 2001).

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📼 Commercial Break:

Barbie in the Nutcracker My Size Sugarplum Princess (2001)

“A Very Zelda Christmas,” by DarkNuck, on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.

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“Barbie in The Nutcracker” © 2001 Mattel, Inc.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 1995, and Robert Downey Jr. may or may not be holding Kermit the Frog hostage until he gets his perfect Christmas tree.

The Advent Calendar House is back in time for a freakin’ country bear jamberoo as a family of Muppet mice risk their lives to bring home the top of the top of the top of the top of a Christmas tree fit for an eccentric future Iron Man. Also starring shy butler Leslie Nielsen, homesick Swedish maid Stockard Channing, and a pre-Bobo Bobo the Bear.

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🎙 Guests:

Anthony Strand (ToughPigs.com, Movin’ Right Along, Bluesky)

Tim Babb (Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree: 1995 broadcast with commercials.

2. Muppet Wiki entry.

3. The original book.

4. An odd TV promo featuring Brian Cummings’ Kermit the Frog impression.

5. Kermit and Miss Piggy’s music video of “She Drives Me Crazy,” featuring Leslie Nielsen.

6. Movin’ Right Along talks Kermit: Unpigged.

7. The Sesame Street Muppets on “The West Wing” with Stockard Channing.

8. Mama and Papa Bear are Beth from “The Muppets Take Manhattan” and the future Bobo from “Muppets Tonight.”

9. “Jim Henson’s Animal Show” on Owls… and Humans.

10. Sandra Bullock plays the glass harp in “Miss Congeniality.”

11. An Oreo commercial where a mall Santa takes off his beard way too quickly.

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📼 Commercial Break:

Dizzy Grizzlies and Ritz Air Crisps (1995)

“Santa in His Own Words,” a book by North Pole Radio’s Matt Spaulding.

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“Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree” © 1995 Jim Henson Productions, Inc.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄It’s 1990… or 1962… and a quantum physicist forgot to powder his boss’s underwear.

This Scrooge Sunday edition of the Advent Calendar House involves time travel of a different sort as we follow Dr. Sam Beckett on a mission to save a mission, and the soul of the man trying to tear it down.

* CONTENT WARNING: This episode briefly discusses the death of actor Charles Rocket and the would-be death of his Scrooge-like character, Michael Blake.

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🎙 Guests:

Erin Evans (@mserinevans).

Joey O. (Y-Not Radio, @imgonnadj24).

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. Episode guide on Al’s Place.

2. A Christmas story from the Quantum Leap comic: “He Knows If You’ve Been Bad or Good.”

3. Charles Rocket drops an F-bomb on “Saturday Night Live.”

4. “Bringing in the Sheaves” on “The Simpsons” and “Batman” (1966).

5. Polish Christmas desserts piernik and makowiec.

6. Al’s Ghost of Christmas Future costume looks more like Jacob Marley mixed with the Ghost of Christmas Past from “Scrooged.”

7. Goldie Wilson III from “Back to the Future Part II.”

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📼 Commercial Break:

Squarbles (circa 1987).

Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast.

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“Quantum Leap” and “A Little Miracle” © 1990 Universal City Studios, Inc.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.

🎄 It’s 1992, and my daydreams of snow are melting into a water getting dumped on my head from an airplane.

Join us as we dive down the rabbit hole to the strange world of The Disney Channel’s “Adventures in Wonderland,” where the White Rabbit wears Rollerblades and the halls are decked with fresh produce, the way Christmas was meant to be celebrated.

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🎙 Guests:

Channel KRT:

Kit Quinn (@missi0nbreakout, Letterboxd)

Randee Martin (@NeonTailzz, YouTube)

Tyler Green (@TylerFG, Bluesky, The Mask: Gone Viral)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. Watch “Christmas in Wonderland” on Disney+, or this copy with a commercial bumper in front of it.

2. Channel KRT on the episodes “Pie Noon” and “Wonderland: The Movie.”

3. “White Rabbits Can’t Jump,” an unaired episode guest starring O.J. Simpson.

4. One Movie Later: Alice Through the Looking Glass.

5. Deadline’s obituary for Armelia McQueen (The Red Queen) uses a photo from this special.

6. Armelia McQueen on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and… “The Fesh Pince of Blair.”

7. Patrick Richwood (White Rabbit) lied to the casting director about knowing how to rollerblade.

8. Cast members on The Tiara Talk Show.

9. The Christmas Pickle.

10. Harry Waters Jr. (Tweedle Dee) in “Back to the Future,” and Wesley Mann (Caterpillar) in “Part II.”

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📼 Commercial Break:

Disney Channel Holiday Preview Bumper with Jane Seymour (1992)

Juicy Fruit Skiing Commercial (circa 1989)

Cool Kids Club, a nostalgia-filled trip back to childhood.

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“Adventures in Wonderland” and “Christmas in Wonderland” © 1992 The Walt Disney Company.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.