Hey, Neighbor! The McKinney Depot has been a happening place lately! Lots of friends have been coming and going around here...

It's great to "catch up" with old friends and be reminded of how blessed you've been the last few years...

LATER: Why are certain Christians suddenly arguing against interracial marriage?   The Peaches thinks it's not wise to tell white men that things are easier when you marry a white woman...

Contact the Comedian's family at [email protected]

'Ello, Neighbor!   We chat about accents and the fact that all roads are "on the way" home...  Also--when giving directions, what does it mean when you say "turn at the next light?"  Help us resolve a family debate!

LATER: We're not saying that EVERY Democrat will be murdered by their own mentally-ill child... But, there are a few Leftist-leaning parents in the "community" who are wondering whether they may be next.     Why are we treading so lightly on this topic?

Email the Comedian's Family by emailing [email protected]. 

We spend time talking through New Year’s traditions, mostly by noticing how much meaning we’ve managed to assign to them. We discuss eating out, the choices we make around food, and the responsibilities that come with traveling, all of which feel more complicated once we’re actually doing them. Along the way, we reflect on how these habits have become normal and why they continue to matter to us.

We also talk about resolutions, confetti, and the symbolism we attach to small moments and objects. We touch on capturing memories, saying goodbyes, and the simple pleasure found in cancellations. The conversation rounds out with a look at choosing a “word of the year” and a light, humorous critique of how fast food mascots, especially Ronald McDonald—have changed over time.

Hey, Neighbor! Luke takes a risk and brings a quote to the table for discussion.  He may not do that again after the way he was treated...

"Servant-leaders don't lead by serving, they serve by leading."  Does anyone use the term "servant-leader" anymore?  (Certainly no one in the Fight Laugh Feast network thinks it's a helpful label.) Trends come and go very quickly in the Internet Age!  

THEN:  The Worship Leader doesn't enjoy the prestige he used to!  Aren't most Christian people aware of the stereotype now?...  Do people still need convinced that the worship songs are too shallow, and that lyrics are theologically in error?

LATER: What time is it RIGHT NOW? What does this hour call for?   Do we need to keep talking about the threat of liberalism/Feminism and the trans-ideology?  Or do we need to look ahead and see the ditch that our brothers are careening toward?  (That ditch, by the way, is Conspiracy Theories and racism.)  

Email the Comedian's family at [email protected] . 

What started for us as a cozy holiday podcast about baking and cheer immediately became a field report on why camels should not freelance in live nativities.
We bounce from cookie dough confessions to seasonal overconfidence, discovering that December mainly exists to test how much butter one household can legally own.
When the camel enters the story, we realize no one is ever emotionally prepared for an animal that treats biblical history as a suggestion.
We then pivot hard into animal nutrition, confidently discussing what donkeys and goats should eat despite all available evidence suggesting goats reject authority entirely.
A goat eating chili becomes our collective cautionary tale, complete with regret, dramatics, and the revelation that goats experience emotions mostly as performance art.
We briefly wonder aloud about goat fight clubs, immediately deciding this is how podcasts accidentally get subpoenaed.
Christmas gifting comes under review as we agree live goats are a liability, while goat-themed items offer the same charm with fewer emergency vet calls.

Hey, Neighbor, do you have any idea what Yuletide is?  Never mind...
Luke has been tinkering with John's new (used) car. Isn't it GREAT to have family members who can help you with skills you don't have yourself?! 

THEN: Showing John's video might have gotten a teacher fired... Kids need to be taught not to overreact and how to hold their bodies in a less-awkward way when they're on stage.  (We list several other odd human behaviors, which maybe aren't so odd after all...)

LATER:  Some people don't have family because they have purposefully cut ties with everyone.  We talk about why that's sad.  Teach your kids to stay connected with their family!

Emails us at [email protected] to tell us what "odd" thing you do.

In this episode, we sit down with the purest of intentions and immediately derail into absolutely everything. We start by catching up on our week, which somehow includes community theater, a Christmas carol, and the realization that small-town productions carry higher emotional stakes than most blockbuster movies. From there, we naturally move into a very serious and completely authoritative discussion about orcs, goblins, and why fantasy creatures seem to have better branding than actual humans. Christmas movies also come under fire, especially the question no one wants to ask out loud: what exactly were the stakes in Home Alone, and why did an entire generation decide booby traps were a reasonable life skill?

Somewhere between confessing our household maintenance failures and acknowledging projects that will never be finished, we introduce “the brick,” a digital detox tool designed to help us stop staring at our phones like they personally wronged us. That opens the door to a broader conversation about distractions, modern communication, and why texting feels emotionally hollow unless it’s padded with an irresponsible number of exclamation points.

Naturally, this all slides into conspiracy territory. We explore the mysterious Tartarian civilization, debate the moon landing with just enough confidence to be alarming, and talk about how AI is quietly shaping what we believe, what we doubt, and what keeps showing up in everyone’s feed. Accents and cultural stereotypes make an appearance too, not because we planned it, but because they tend to sneak into conversations whether invited or not.

By the end, we’ve questioned reality, Christmas, technology, history, and whether or not it's reasonable to use a single emoji as a response to every situation. 

In this festive—and mildly chaotic—episode, we dive head-first into the wonderfully unpredictable world of children’s Christmas productions. Sure, adults dream of polished performances, but let’s be honest: the magic is in the mayhem. A sheep costume held together with hope, a shepherd who suddenly decides he’s done shepherding, and a Wise Man who moonwalks across the stage—this is the good stuff. It’s also a reminder that nostalgia is a powerful filter… because somehow we forget that our own childhood pageants looked like a dress rehearsal for herding cats.

We also tackle the evolving role of Santa Claus, who now shares top billing with commercialism, candy canes, and whatever new toy requires a second mortgage. And when it comes to telling your kids about Santa? We discuss the delicate balance between “preserving the magic” and “accidentally launching a career in investigative journalism.” Asking questions, it turns out, might be safer than crafting a 14-chapter North Pole backstory.

Music makes an appearance too—specifically those songs that lodge themselves in your brain and refuse to pay rent. We talk about how learning the missing lyrics can finally set you free, and how modern AI is now helping create songs you’ll be annoyed by in half the time.

Add in family games, awkward commercials that break every emotional moment, kids’ songs that permanently alter the atmosphere of your home, and the amusingly alarming side effects of modern medicine, and you’ve got a holiday episode packed with cheer, chuckles, and just enough chaos to feel authentic.

It’s Christmas culture, comedy, and parental therapy wrapped in one giant, glitter-covered bow. Enjoy!

Never trust a Branyan with an open fire, Neighbor! We have too many "fire hazard" stories to count...

Then:  John wants to talk about the problem of the declining population.  But is it really a problem after all???

Contact the Comedian's family by emailing [email protected] 

In this episode we open with the revelation that the human mouth is essentially a musical instrument, which finally explains why our conversations occasionally sound like experimental jazz. From there we jump straight into Christmas, comparing the holiday of yesteryear with today’s version where Black Friday has migrated online and become a competitive sport with shopping carts instead of helmets.

Our own experiences weave through the chaos, shaping the way we see holiday traditions and reminding us that nothing says “festive spirit” quite like the stories you never intended to collect. Animals enter the chat, of course. They always do. We talk squirrels with tactical instincts, sloths operating on a different calendar entirely, and koalas who avoid being hunted purely on the strength of their terrible flavor profile. Nature stays weird, and we stay entertained.

The food theme escalates with bear meat, which apparently requires a preparation process similar to assembling a complicated piece of furniture. Then we pivot to winter driving, because nothing bonds people like recounting close calls with icy roads. We cover the importance of practicing on slick surfaces, understanding vehicle technology, and avoiding the sort of spin you usually only see in Olympic skating.

Christmas gigs make an appearance too, because performers in December run on adrenaline, cookies, and questionable scheduling decisions. We explore what it means to look for connection in communities where everyone seems to be part of a decades-long group chat you weren’t added to. Along the way we note that love often hides inside social events you didn’t even want to attend, waiting for you to bump into it on your way to the snack table.

By the end, we’ve toured holiday chaos, wildlife quirks, culinary adventures, winter survival skills, and the unpredictable paths that open when you say yes to new experiences. And somehow it all fits perfectly into one conversation.