🦃 This Thanksgiving in July, I’ve decided to treat y’all to a feast of a special I’ve had tucked away in my memory for decades, but it’s finally time to cross those Bridges, so let’s back this barely-running hayride tractor back to 1986 for a very special Disney family movie directed by Beau Bridges and featuring 3 generations of his family, along with teenage Jason Bateman and Courtney Thorne-Smith, and an injured goose named Chester.

“The Thanksgiving Promise” is on YouTube with or without commercials.

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🎙 Guests:

Tommy Coombs (The Pop Daddy, Bluesky)

Chad Young (Horror Movie BBQ, Bluesky)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

We all hung out!

TV Guide’s Close Up feature from 1986.

“Chester, I Love You,” the original book.

“In the Bag” (bump, bump).

Beau Bridges in “The Wizard.”

Lloyd Bridges as Izzy Mandelbaum on “Seinfeld.”

The Christian Cringe podcast on “The Buttercream Gang.”

Courtney Thorne-Smith (Sheryl) and Norm MacDonald on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (1997).

Jason Bateman’s (Steve) turkey costume.

The “Gleaming the Cube” chicken scene.

Today’s TV Trope: Teetering on the Edge.

This Milk PSA with the most forward-thinking bullies ever (circa 1988).

McDonald’s put Fievel on a Christmas stocking. “An American Tail” opens with him celebrating Hanukkah.

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📼 Commercials:

Pringles Butter N Herbs (1986)

Bingo Bear (1986)

Kingdom Chums (1986)

“Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story” (1986)

McDonald’s: “One-Ups-Man-Ship” (1986)

“Gung Ho” TV series promo (1986)

Juicy Fruit: Skiing (1985)

Nutrasweet ad starring William “Refrigerator” Perry and his daughter (1986)

Cool Kids Club Podcast.

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“The Thanksgiving Promise” © 1993 The Walt Disney Company.

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

🎄 This episode is stuffed with surprises, so get your propeller spinning and take off back to 1987 as we nosedive into the history of Santabear, a Midwest Christmas tradition we wish found a place to land elsewhere.

At press time, you can find “Santabear’s High Flying Adventure” on the Internet Archive, or a recording with the original commercials on YouTube.

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🎙 Guests:

Ethan (The Hungry Reader, A Special Presentation or ALF Will Not Be Seen Tonight)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Mike on “Special Presentation…” for “Poochie” and “The Hugga Bunch Movie.”

“Santabear’s First Christmas,” the original book and the 1986 special.

IMDb claims Dennis Hopper is in this, but I didn’t hear him.

Antarctica’s Christmas Traditions, including a “Race Around the World.”

The Odd Case of Dennis the Menace.

Today’s TV Trope: Spot the Imposter.

What is the history behind the Dayton’s Santa Bear? (WCCO-TV, 2022).

An official list of every Santa Bear made, 1985–2007 (WDIV-TV, 2023).

The Dayton’s Project’s 2024 Santa Bear.

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📼 Commercials:

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Christmas Commercial and Santabear Sweepstakes (1987)

Oreos for Santa (1986)

Holiday M&M’s (1987)

Wild Puffalumps (1987)

Doublemint Gum (1987)

The Studio Demands It!

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“Santabear’s High Flying Adventure” © 1987 Dayton Hudson Corporation.

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

🎃 This year, Halloween in July has fallen on a Scrooge Sunday, so we’re killing two birds with one garbage disposal as we journey back to 1992 to watch Roseanne endure a haunting by the Ghosts of Halloween Past, Present, and Future.

At press time, the episode “Halloween IV” is available on Peacock.

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🎙 Guests:

Gerry Davila (Totally Rad Christmas)

Brandon Medley (Instagram)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

The Story Behind Roseanne’s Iconic Chicken Shirt (Decider, 2018).

The “Psych” pineapple.

October 30th is Mischief Night in New Jersey and, apparently, nowhere else.

Elks Lodges lodges are real.

Our Halloween costumes from around 1992, and the worst things we’ve gotten while trick-or-treating.

Lee Arenberg (Ghost of Halloween Past) in “The Wizard.”

Mario Reccuzo (Ghost of Halloween Present) on “California Dreams.”

Dan and Jackie’s amazing beheaded Marie Antoinette costume.

A background actor is wearing a Pigs in Space costume.

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📼 Commercials:

Walgreens Halloween Decorations (1992)

How a Count Eats a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (1990)

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“Roseanne” and “Halloween IV” © 1992 The Carsey-Werner Company.

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

🎄 Cowabunga! In nearly 40 years of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series, 2004’s “The Christmas Aliens” is somehow their only animated Christmas episode.

Join Michelangelo and a kitty named Klunk on a Christmas Eve car chase as they save a truckload of stolen Little Orphan Alien dolls meant for a group of little orphan human Earthlings, all while Splinter makes a sewer full of guests wait for Mikey to arrive before they eat.

At press time, “The Christmas Aliens” is available on Paramount+.

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🎙 Guests:

Jaime Hood (ShezCrafti, Cult Film Club, Bluesky)

Shawn Robare (Plastic Rocket Pop, Cult Film Club, Bluesky)

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

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Read the original 1985 comic on Mirage Studios’ old, preserved website.

Our episode on “We Wish You a Turtle Christmas.”

The Lost and Unused Theme Songs of the 2003 series.

Bruce Wayne’s long dining room table.

Similar chase scenes in “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Speed.”

Terence Archie (Silver Sentry) as Apollo Creed in “Rocky: The Musical.”

Ice Cream Kitty!

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📼 Commercials:

Happy Honda Days: Ninja Turtles, featuring the original 1980s voice cast (2018).

WIZARDS The Podcast Guide to Comics.

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“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “The Christmas Aliens” © 2004 4Kids Entertainment, Inc., and Mirage Licensing, Inc.

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

🎄 We’re snowed in a bit earlier than expected, but that’s not stopping us from having a humdinger of a Christmas feast from around the world. Our colleagues from the newsroom upstairs are less than enthusiastic, but that’s not stopping us from enjoying this 1974 non-Christmas Christmas episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

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🎙 Guest:

Alonso Duralde (Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, The Film Verdict, Linoleum Knife, Maximum Film, Breakfast All Day, Deck the Hallmark, Hollywood Pride, Bluesky).

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

Pre-order the Revised and Updated Edition of “Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas.”

IMDb’s photo gallery for this episode has 20 screenshots of Mary in a towel.

Betty White’s amazing Christmas dress.

Harrison Ford recalls what he told George Lucas while shooting the first “Star Wars” movie.

I couldn’t find a recipe for “soufflé tour légende,” but here’s one for “Mr. Grant You Took Half Veal Prince Orloff!”

Today’s TV Trope: Social Semi-Circle.

Michael Scott triumphantly singing “Happy Birthday” on “The Office.”

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📼 Commercials:

Burger King Gift Certificates Christmas Commercial (1974)

Season’s Eatings.

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“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Not a Christmas Story” © 1974 MTM Enterprises, Inc.

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

🌴 The Advent Calendar House has awoken from what feels like a thousand-year slumber and a lame April Fool’s joke. As a peace offering, here’s the first of two back-to-back episodes celebrating Xmas as imagined by “Futurama.”

Up first is “Xmas Story” from 1999, in which we’re introduced to the annual tradition of gift-giving and shelter-taking from a killer robot Santa that awaits our descendants in the year 3000.

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🎙 Guests:

Michael DiGiovanni
(Pop Culture Retrofit, Bluesky)

Erin Evans
(Bluesky)

Joey O.
(Y-Not Radio, Bluesky)

Donnie Storms
(Bronwen’s Ghost, Bluesky)

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

“Fresh Hare” (1942).

Orange Cassidy sleeping through his own wrestling match.

“Why Chaucer Said ‘Ax’ Instead of ‘Ask,’ and Why Some Still Do” (NPR, 2013).

“Why is the number 1,729 hidden in Futurama episodes?” (BBC, 2013).

The classic dangling from a clock tower scenes from “Safety Last” and “Back to the Future.”

John Goodman’s other appearances as Santa.

Randy Johnson hits a bird with a fastball.

Corona Extra’s Christmas palm tree commercial.

The lyrics to “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” are sinister enough by themselves.

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📼 Commercials:

Hess Truck 1999 Space Shuttle Toy.

Stick to Shorts: A Classic Cartoons Podcast.

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“Futurama” and “Xmas Story” © 1999 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

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

🎄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.