You can never be over-prepared for the holiday season.
It's the holiday season at last, and with it, comes a lot—besides just the festivities. For my family, it is never too early to get into the holiday spirit. We are probably one of those annoying families in the neighborhood who put up their lights in November and get excited about everything. But there's more to the holidays than laughing with your family and competing with your neighbors. In a nutshell, the holiday season can be divided into five big emotions that we all go through. And we have a podcast for each one.
Home Alone | The Retro Rewind Podcast, Episode 71
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“I'm not a Home Alone fan,” said no one ever. Plus, is it really the season to be jolly if you don’t watch Home Alone? Well, if this is part of your holiday tradition, you need to listen to the Home Alone episode on The Retro Rewind Podcast.
The Retro Rewind Podcast is hosted by Francisco Ruiz, Paul Powers, and a rotating guest host. In this episode, they cover Home Alone—from the trailer to the final verdict and some really interesting trivia in between. Even if you're not a fan of the 1990 movie, subscribing to this podcast should be mandatory on your to-do list. The Retro Rewind Podcast takes a fresh look at old movies and video games (from the '70s, '80s, or '90s). Ironically, while listening to them you can be at home but you shouldn’t be alone, as this is one of those rare clean podcasts meant for the entire family (except for the occasional potty humor, of course).
Listen here.
How to Create a Stunning Christmas Tree | Decorating Tips & Tricks Podcast
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Decorating a Christmas tree is like poker—everyone thinks they're good at it, till someone else shows them how it’s done. Run by Anita Joyce and Kelly Wilkniss, the Decorating Tips and Tricks podcast is 390 episodes old and is rated 4.5 stars on iTunes. The Christmas Tree episode covers loads of ideas and tips to help you create a beautiful, different, and memorable tree.
Listen here.
Holiday Survival Guide: Family Style | Life Kit — NPR Podcast
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The holiday season has its downside, too. According to All One Health, up to 69 percent of people are stressed by the feeling of having a “lack of time” during the holiday season, while 69 percent are stressed by perceiving a “lack of money,” and 51 percent are stressed out about the “pressure to give or get gifts.” Then there is the mother of all stresses—dealing with the family and their expectations.
Life Kit asked listeners for their trickiest situations around family and the holidays and invited Dr. Andrea Bonior, a licensed clinical psychologist, to offer advice. The results are—well, let’s just say it will make you sing “All I want for Christmas is the Life Kit Holiday Survival Guide.”
Listen here.
Master Your Spending This Holiday Season | HerMoney Podcast, Episode 85
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Before you say “Bah, humbug!,” let me assure you that this episode is worth every penny of the time you spend listening to it—literally. According to debt.org, a typical American household carries an average debt of $137,063. The Motley Fool reports that the average American spends over $700 on the holidays, and approximately 60 percent of Americans plan to travel in the holiday season.
This podcast does not tell you to stop spending; it tells you how you can save up to 50 percent or more from these expenses. Jean Chatzky, the financial editor of NBC's TODAY show, hosts the HerMoney podcast—a show that has 5-star ratings and stellar reviews on iTunes. In the holiday episode, she invites Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University and author of the book, Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter. Dan gifts us (pun intended) with a holiday shopping game plan and answers questions like: Why does paying for things often feel like it causes actual pain? When is a sale not really a sale? And how should we think of “free” items? We highly recommend subscribing to the HerMoney podcast; it will change your life.
Listen here.
Holiday Baking with Dorie Greenspan | The Fine Cooking Podcast Episode 24
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A holiday season without excessive food is like a podcast without the audio. In other words, not possible. The Fine Cooking podcast, rated 4.5 stars, is one of the best cooking shows on iTunes. In Episode 24, renowned Chef Dorie Greenspan covers holiday feasts and more. Dorie is the bestselling author of 13 books, the “On Dessert” columnist for The New York Times Magazine, has won five James Beard Awards, and was voted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. She has also won the Cookbook of the Year Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) … twice. In short, if you are cooking this season, you can’t miss this one.
Listen here.
What is your favorite part about the holiday season? Tell us about it in the comment section.
