Elizabeth and Phoebe talk to Dad about New Year resolutions and inside jokes that developed over the family’s Christmas vacation.  Dad shares some sad news about the death of Sir, our Boston terrier.  In the News, there are stories about teens sneaking into IKEA to have sleepovers, Amazon Echo data used in a murder investigation, the most annoying word of 2016 and teenage brawls in malls across American on Boxing Day.  Phoebe, Elizabeth and Dad share some of the things they actually liked about 2016, and then the boys join for a round of Treat Yourself involving some snacks the family picked up in Mexico.

Henry and Will talk to Dad about Christmas, their favorite moments from the podcast and introduce a “Best of” selection of some of our favorite moments from the first 27 episodes of the podcast.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Henry, Will and Mom talk to Dad about treats you get at the dentist, how cold it’s been lately, and their upcoming vacation.  In a special Saturday morning edition of Treat Yourself, the family tries breakfast foods found in the grocery store frozen food section. In the News, Dad reads a story about KFC New Zealand giving away a fried-chicken-scented candle and they watch a video about someone who taught Amazon Echo and Google Home to talk to each other in an infinite loop.  The boys and mom play a spirited round of Either/Or and William reads from his old journal entries in Family Archives.

Nope.  No one ever reads the episode descriptions.

Phoebe and Mom talk to Dad about whether they are introverts or extroverts, and the importance of having someone who really gets you and can finish your sentences (and sandwiches).  In the News, they discuss the Zillow listing for Santa’s house in the North Pole, a Christmas-light-thieving forest critter, and a man who punched a kangaroo to save his dog.  The family discusses hypotheticals about euphoria, rain and a grizzly attack.  Finally, Dad, Phoebe and Mom review the big Christmas movies they haven’t see yet by watching the trailers for Rogue One and Passengers.  And, tell me the truth, no one really reads podcast episode descriptions, do they?

Will and Henry talk to dad about haircuts and movies they’ve seen lately, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Moana.  In the News, a story about a grandma who accidentally invites a random teenager to Thanksgiving, a Swedish Christmas goat’s sad fate, and reindeer pizza delivery.  The boys take a Dad Quiz about weird Japanese food, then the podcast samples five different kinds of hot chocolate to decide which one they like the best.

Elizabeth and Phoebe talk to dad about Thanksgiving preparations and dogs who do the mannequin challenge.  In the news, Dad gives an update about a Punkin Chunkin tragedy and NASA scientist Margaret Hamilton.  Phoebe reads a story about a spelling challenged bank robber, and Elizabeth talks about a man in Georgia who is willfully ignorant of the presidential election results.  The girls and Dad discuss some more hypotheticals from Chuck Klosterman’s “Hypertheticals,” including a hypothetical about music tastes, one about dress codes, and another about whether you could count down from 300 to zero while under threat of being burned alive.  Finally, Phoebe, Elizabeth and Dad share some of the music they’ve been listening to recently in a new segment, “Whatcha Listening To?”

Phoebe, Will and Mom talk to Dad about their favorite Thanksgiving foods (and pies).  In News, the family discusses stories about babies, bats and KitKat bars.  Phoebe quizzes Dad and Mom on teenage slang.  Henry joins the podcast and Dad quizzes Will and Henry on famous TV commercials he watched as a kid.  Henry, Will and Dad discuss a hypothetical, written by Chuck Klosterman, involving an Honesty Room.  Phoebe returns and the family samples three kinds of cranberry sauce (jelly, whole berry, and homemade) and give their opinions about which is best.

Will, Henry and Henry’s friend, Jacob, talk to Dad about their massive Trick-or-Treat haul.  For Treat Yourself, they sample candy from Germany, England and Holland.  Everyone plays a round of Either/Or, then in the News, they talk about Bigfoot, the winners of the night in Dracula’s castle, and weird predictions that correctly picked the Cubs to win the 2016 world series.  Finally, the boys answer a hypothetical about jailhouse meals.

Elizabeth and Phoebe talk to Dad about the end of Daylight Saving Time, sleepwalking and night terrors.  In the News, there’s another case of foreign accent syndrome, an accidental car thief, and a ten-foot alligator in Dallas.  Phoebe reads selections from her first grade writing journal for Family Archives and introduces us to the adventures of Super Dolphin.  Everyone has some Fun with Sound Clips, and on Treat Yourself, the whole family tries Vegemite and Marmite, mostly against their will.

Will and Henry talk to Dad.  The boys give an update on their Halloween costumes.  In the News, Dad reads a story about a magma energy well in Iceland, which leads to a discussion of the weird world of hollow earth conspiracy theories.  Also in the news, there’s a story about a promotion by a bank to scatter lucky pennies each worth $1000 around the country.  The boys educate Dad about how lucky pennies work.  In Family Archives, the boys read Dad’s selections from his middle school literary magazine.  The family discusses a Hypothetical about a doomsday trip on a space shuttle.  Finally, Mom and Phoebe join for a round of Treat Yourself involving flavored root beers.