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Eight nights, rising light, and a story that refuses to fade. We dive into Hanukkah’s heart: the Maccabean fight for identity, the oil that burned beyond reason, and the menorah in the window that says we’re here without saying a word. Along the way, we unpack the biggest myth—Hanukkah isn’t “Jewish Christmas”—and show how a modest holiday grew into a meaningful cultural anchor.

We keep things grounded and personal. From childhood envy of tinsel and towering trees to the calm rhythm of blessings at sundown, we talk about gifts, lists, and why some families save the “big present” for the first night. We break down the shamash, why the light increases, and how dreidel letters encode a miracle. The food is half the joy—latkes crisped in oil, knishes that taste like memory, gelt that turns a lesson into a treat—each bite connecting back to the story.

We also explore visibility and respect: menorahs on lawns, blue and white lights, and what it means to celebrate side by side with Christmas without blending meanings. Mixed backgrounds and ancestry come up, too—how traditions adapt across generations and why public light matters for minority faiths. The result is a clear, warm guide to celebrating with intention, whether you’re lighting your first candle or teaching kids why the window glow is more than decoration.

If this conversation added a little light to your day, tap follow, hit subscribe, and share it with someone who’d love the story behind the candles. Leave a quick review to help more listeners find us, and tell us: what tradition do you most look forward to this season?

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The cameras are rolling and the tinsel is out—we just leveled up to a multicam studio and used the fresh setup to wrestle with December in all its messy glory. From last-minute outdoor lights in a cold snap to the art of turning Halloween props into holiday cheer, we share how we actually decorate, not how Instagram says we should.

Money and time get real fast when your calendar stacks Christmas next to birthdays and New Year. We swap partner gifts for a great date night, map out smarter shopping timelines, and make the case for the 26th as a stealth power move for deals and returns. There’s travel talk too: theme parks can be magical this time of year, but we’ve lived the lines and learned the hard lessons about expectations, schedules, and patience.

Food is the soft heart of the episode. We celebrate Puerto Rican favorites like pernil, arroz con gandules, coquito, and pasteles, nod to Italian classics from lasagna to the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and shine a light on Jewish comfort dishes like lokshen kugel and potato kugel. We even explore vegan swaps that keep tradition alive without leaving anyone out. Along the way, we open up about the years when the holidays felt heavy and share simple ways to guard your headspace—drive to see neighborhood lights, buy gifts on your timeline, and practice gentleness with strangers.

And then the soundtrack wars begin. Wham overplay, Mariah inevitability, Springsteen’s Santa, Trans-Siberian fireworks, novelty songs we love to hate, and a few unexpected bangers from metal to a cappella. Whether music or visuals make it feel like Christmas for you, we’ll help you curate a season that fits. Hit play, join the conversation, and tell us your ride-or-die holiday track. If this episode made you smile or sparked an idea, follow, share with a friend, and drop a review so others can find the show.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Holiday movies aren’t just tradition—they’re seasonal therapy. We kick things off with a nod to small businesses and a quick studio upgrade, then map a watchlist that spans cozy nostalgia and laugh-out-loud chaos. From It’s A Wonderful Life to Miracle on 34th Street, we unpack why the classics still land: perspective, grace, and the quiet chain reaction of small kindnesses. That thread runs straight into Dickens’ legacy, whether you prefer the original Christmas Carol or Bill Murray’s brilliantly jagged Scrooged.

The 80s and 90s gave the genre its pop-culture backbone. We relive A Christmas Story’s perfect nostalgia, the quotable mayhem of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone’s cartoon physics that somehow still feel heart-forward. Then we shift to modern staples: The Santa Clause reimagines the myth with single-dad tenderness, while Elf proves earnest joy can outshine even the grumpiest city street. Polar Express earns a debate on animation, but its train-to-belief metaphor continues to charm families who want wonder with their cocoa.

Along the way, we celebrate the cozy glow of neighborhood lights, the creative mashup of Halloween-meets-Christmas decor, and the way a good story can nudge us to return the cart, hold the door, and pay it forward. Whether you’re here to argue Die Hard’s holiday credentials or build a December movie rotation that feels just right, you’ll leave with fresh picks, deeper appreciation, and a reason to be a little kinder.

If this conversation sparked your watchlist, follow the show, share it with a friend, and drop a review with your must-watch holiday movie—we’ll feature our favorites in an upcoming episode.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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The turkey isn’t even cold yet and the group chat is already asking who’s lining up for doorbusters. We pull back the curtain on Black Friday with first-hand stories from the retail floor, from walkie-coordinated openings to the hard lessons that taught stores how to keep crowds safe. If you’ve ever wondered whether that 3 a.m. sprint is worth it, we’ve got the context, the cautionary tales, and smarter strategies that actually save money without sacrificing sleep.

We explore how the frenzy evolved: midnight openings fading, Cyber Monday swelling, and mobile checkout turning couches into checkouts. But it’s not just tech and timing. We dig into what people really want to unwrap now—smart TVs, laptops, noise-canceling headphones, robot vacuums—and when a mid-tier brand beats a hyped name. We talk toys old and new, from Tickle Me Elmo and Cabbage Patch chaos to today’s evergreen Legos and the rise of creator merch from YouTube stars that Gen Alpha treats like team colors. If you’ve felt lost in endless product pages, we help you pick with purpose.

There’s also a case for shopping small. Unique mugs crafted by local artists, limited-run prints, custom hoodies, and thoughtful pieces that carry a story—these gifts outlast the algorithm. We share tips for mixing in-store and online, using price history and alerts, and even waiting until after the holiday to catch deeper markdowns and better size selection. Along the way, you’ll hear outlet legends, crowd-control insights, and the best times to park, glide in, and skip the chaos.

Hit play, get a plan, and shop with intention. If you enjoy the show, follow, share it with a friend who still camps out for TVs, and leave a quick review to help more savvy shoppers find us. What’s your Black Friday strategy this year—lining up or logging in?

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A thrift-store doll that pulses an EMF to direct questions. A bell rung three times that may have invited something to stay. A red-eyed face peering from a doorway after the team already left the room. This conversation with Nick and Mina of Creepy Crawley Co takes us deep into the lived reality of paranormal investigation, where folklore, fieldwork, and evidence collide.

We swap stories that start in ordinary places—a home test with a “clean” doll, an antique shop find—and end with unsettling patterns: drained batteries, disembodied whispers calling a medium by name, and a next-day “paranormal hangover” that feels like an energetic debt. Our guests trace a spine-chilling route through Japan’s Aokigahara forest, bordered by ancient cemeteries and burial mounds, where roots run sideways over volcanic rock and EVPs mimic children. The details mirror J‑horror for a reason: locals have seen these forms for generations. When Mina later spots black hair slip behind a bookcase at home, the line between film and field evaporates.

We also widen the lens. Could ghosts, cryptids, and UFOs share a common source? From Skinwalker Ranch gear chirping in odd frequencies to Bigfoot vanishing like it stepped through a portal, the data hints at an overlap. Toss in mediumship interfering with electronics, Appalachian rules about ignoring shadow watchers, and the way scent—cigarettes, perfume, mothballs—appears like a message, and the case for a unified phenomenon grows stronger. Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, or caught between, you’ll find moments here that raise the hair on your arms and the questions in your mind.

Stick around to the end for what’s next: the release of their Aokigahara investigation and upcoming trips to Mexico City’s Island of the Dolls and a search for La Llorona, with potential cross-team collaborations. If this gave you chills, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves the weird, and drop your theory in a review—what do you think those red eyes were?

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Color, music, and memory take center stage as we explore why Día de los Muertos is a celebration of love—not fear. We start with the essentials: how different cultures mark the dates, why marigolds line the path, and what the vibrant calavera style actually means. Then we get personal, swapping stories about ofrendas stacked with favorite foods and small vices, the power of stones on headstones, and the familiar ritual of pouring one out for those who can’t be with us. Across borders and beliefs, the message lands the same: remembrance keeps us connected.

As the conversation unfolds, we wander into the mysteries that live beside these traditions—near-death experiences, life reviews, and the way our beliefs color what we see at the threshold. Some people meet family, some see only light, and many come back changed, gentler, and more awake to what matters. We balance wonder with curiosity, acknowledging both cultural nuance and practical explanations, while holding space for what can’t be measured.

We also stretch our imagination around consciousness—whether mind is more cloud than brain, whether time is a web, and how multiverse ideas and pop culture metaphors help us talk about the unsayable. Through it all, we keep our feet on the ground: rituals are for the living, and honoring the dead can be joyful, healing, and deeply human. If you’ve ever built an altar, left a stone, or told a favorite story just to keep someone close, you’re already part of this tradition.

Share this episode with someone who lights a candle in November, hit follow to catch new conversations, and leave a review with one line about what you’d place on your ofrenda. Your stories keep the circle bright.

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The mask isn’t the scariest part of horror. It’s learning where the mask came from. We dive into the real story of Ed Gein and the way his crimes shaped Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs—then pull apart why Monster hits like a gut punch. Not because it’s gory, but because the performances, the voice, and the mundane details make the nightmare feel ordinary. When a quiet house creaks or a chair rocks for too long, your brain fills in the rest.

We walk through the references you’ll spot the moment they appear—rocking chairs, graves, “mother” in the walls—and talk about the line between faithful depiction and artistic choice. From there, we widen the frame: the Night Stalker’s ritual chaos, BTK’s methodical cruelty, John Wayne Gacy’s double life, and how women who kill often get misfiled and overlooked. We also break down the labels that matter: serial killer versus mass murderer versus hitman, and what those distinctions reveal about patterns, motives, and risk. The goal isn’t to sensationalize; it’s to understand why certain stories cling to culture and how to trust your instincts when something feels off.

Then we pivot to the crafted nightmares that borrow our real fears. Welcome to Derry pushes Stephen King’s mythology into new, grotesque territory, with images that linger long after the credits: spawning cycles, infant terrors with impossible wings, and set pieces that work like waking dreams. It’s the same psychology, different engine—suggestion over spectacle, uncertainty over certainty. By the end, you’ll have a sharper lens for both true crime and horror, and a fresh watchlist to keep the lights on a little longer.

If you enjoy these deep dives into how real cases shape the stories we love, tap follow, share the show with a friend, and drop a rating to help others find us. What moment stuck with you the most?

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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The lights are out, the questions are loud, and we’re diving headfirst into the most unsettling corner of the paranormal: alien abductions. From missing hours on lonely highways to secret tapes and shared memories under hypnosis, we trace the stories that shaped modern UFO lore—and the older clues hiding in plain sight. Why do classical paintings show figures pointing at strange objects in the sky? How did a small New England drive turn into the blueprint for abduction claims worldwide? And what happens when multiple witnesses, decades apart, describe the same rooms, the same beings, and the same electric hush?

We unpack the landmark cases—Betty and Barney Hill, the Allagash Incident, Travis Walton, and Pascagoula—looking for the common threads and the parts that refuse to fit. Then the theories collide. Are the grays extraterrestrials with cold bedside manner, or are they us from a sun-starved future, slipping through wormholes to reclaim what our genome lost? If sightings moved from skies to seas, are underwater craft hiding where our sensors fall short? And where do ancient sites, ley lines, and the “portal” idea fit when cultures across continents carve the same shapes into stone?

As the conversation opens up, so does the tech. We talk about pilot-reported UAPs, the slow thaw of government secrecy, and the unnerving overlap between rapid advances in AI and long-running whispers of “borrowed” science. The ethics stay front and center: even with the most generous motives, abduction is a violation; trauma demands respect. Still, curiosity pulls at the thread—because if visitors are here, whether from distant stars or a timeline not yet lived, understanding what they want might be the most human thing we can do.

Subscribe for more haunted, mind-bending dives this month, share this episode with a friend who loves high strangeness, and tell us your theory: warning, experiment, or something we haven’t imagined yet?

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The room goes quiet when your name echoes from a hallway that should be empty. We wanted to know why some places feel charged and why certain people become targets, so we unpack a layered haunting that begins with a college runner hearing his name in the woods and escalates to typed messages, sleepless nights, and a boundary even Lorraine Warren wouldn’t cross. The story isn’t just scares; it’s a blueprint for how hauntings unfold, how interventions help or shift activity, and why the energy you bring matters.

We open with personal accounts—from a heavy trunk that moved in a Boston attic to a basement bike shop that felt safe only in sunlight—before stepping into the Erie Hall case now featured on Netflix. Along the way, we break down the difference between residual and intelligent hauntings, the Estes Method’s eerie alignments, and the ethics of not provoking what you don’t understand. We also look at high-charge locations like Eastern State Penitentiary and old asylums, where sorrow imprints on stone, and we revisit folklore touchstones like Amityville and the Bell Witch to show how myth and memory braid together.

Haunted objects, follow-home risks, and houses that seem to “call” round out the conversation. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, you’ll leave with practical guardrails: how to set boundaries, when to seek help, and why closing a session matters. This is a grounded, human take on the paranormal—more about empathy and method than jump scares—told with curiosity and hard-won caution from years of stories and a few too-close encounters.

If this resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves a good ghost story, and leave a review with your most believable encounter—we might feature it next.

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Streetlights fade, the woods lean in, and a pickup looms in your mirror—until you realize the “phantom truck” might just be a local with places to be. We dive into urban legends where skepticism and goosebumps can actually be friends, threading together Clinton Road’s layered myths, a chilling Iceman true-crime moment, and the way a single stretch of asphalt can collect ghosts, rituals, and time-slip stories like fallen leaves.

From there, we follow how legends migrate and mutate. The Wendigo isn’t just nightmare fuel; it’s a moral compass against greed and inhumanity. Black‑eyed children knock with polite voices and wrong vibes, turning consent into a trap at your own threshold. The Michigan Dogman sprints out of radio folklore into “sightings,” while Mothman rides the thermals over an old TNT plant—proof that abandoned industry and media headlines are perfect weather for myth-making. We trade field notes on personal night terrors and optical tricks like Gravity Hill, where “uphill” is only an illusion and the brain writes its own horror short.

We also cross water. Puerto Rico’s forts hold cold air and heavy history inside stone walls, where a whispered “you can move on” feels as practical as a prayer. La Llorona shares DNA with the lady in white, and the Chupacabra walks a route from island rumor to ranch country debate, picking up conspiracies about labs, hybrids, and livestock along the way. Some stories we gently debunk; others we let breathe. The throughline is why these tales endure: they shape behavior, mark danger, carry culture, and make October feel like a shared stage where fear can be explored safely and together.

If you’re into folklore, true crime Easter eggs, roadside mysteries, and the psychology of why we see what we fear, hit play. Then tell us your hometown legend, the one you still won’t test after midnight. Subscribe, leave a quick review, and share this with the friend who always says “one more scary story”—we’re saving them a seat by the campfire.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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