We asked past guests to share some of their favorite music, books, movies and other traditions they revisit at this time each year. Thanks to Chris Clark, Libby Maeder, Olivia Lawrence, Robert Lowell Goller and Katie Wade for warming our spirits this winter.

Happy holidays and best wishes for the new year!

Notes and links for some of the featured favorites:

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - IMDB entry

Murder for Christmas, edited by Thomas Godfrey - Goodreads page

Funny Looking Angels by Smith & Burroughs 

When the Thames Froze - music video on YouTube

The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile - music on YouTube

Fairytale of New York by the Pogues - music video on YouTube

White Christmas (1954) - IMDB entry

The Family Stone (2005) - IMDB entry

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) - IMDB entry

East Aurora's Carolcade - Buffalo Magazine feature

Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - IMDB entry

The Enthusiasts Guild podcast is a production of Fletcher C. Finch Communications, LLC. 

Robert Lowell Goller joins us to talk about "Who Put the 'East' in East Aurora?" His latest book, released on October 7, explores 30 intriguing questions about local history. Rob is a public historian and former journalist who has served as the town and village historian in East Aurora, NY, since 2007. Through his books, a monthly newspaper column and weekly social media videos, Rob uncovers previously untold stories of the past, placing small town history in the context of national and international events. His TV appearances have included C-SPAN and "Sunday Morning" on CBS. Find information about Rob's books, as well as his social media links at www.robertlowellgoller.com

Hosts Adam Zaremski and Fletcher C. Finch sit down to record together in person for the first time in a couple years. We talk about some professional and personal updates, then share a few pop culture properties we’ve been enjoying.

Film: Superman (2025) 

Video Game: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

Music: Billy Strings, The Traveling McCourys, Kacey Musgraves , Brandi Carlile, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Blink 182, LCD Soundsystem, Lord Huron

Podcast: Song Exploder 

Non-fiction books: River Kings: A New History of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads by Cat Jarman, Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party by Edward Dolnick

Christopher L. Clark, PhD, talks with host Fletcher C. Finch about is research into non-religious musicians and their relationships with choral music. 

Dr. Clark is director of choirs and full-time lecturer in music education at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Links to topics in this episode:

The Enthusiasts Guild podcast is a production of Fletcher C. Finch Communications, LLC.

We lean hard into podcaster stereotypes in this episode by having three guys sit around microphones talking about beer. Our guest is Alex Buckley, an award-winning Western New York homebrewer who is working to start up a new commercial brewery, Beer Kind Brewing. Alex and Adam swap homebrewing stories and Fletcher enjoys some tasty sample pours. 

Buffalo, New York, USA and Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany have been sister cities for more than 40 years. Lynn and Greg Engle each traveled to Dortmund as teens and now serve on the Buffalo Dortmund Sister City Committee. They share information about the relationship between the two cities and programs that connect citizens of each area. 

Katie Wade of Thyme for Tea Herbal Apothecary joined The Enthusiasts Guild to talk about making tea, the perfect brew, and blends inspired by Tarot cards. 

Watch collector and tinkerer Brian Dorchak visits to share his love of timepieces. Nicholas Barcomb joins the episode as guest interviewer.

We talk about movements, complications, automatic self-winding and the first watch on the Moon. Nick tries on a Rolex and likes the way it feels. 

Visit our social media accounts to see photos of the watches at the center of our conversation. 

Instagram: @TheEnthusiastsGuild

Facebook: @TheEnthusiastsGuild

Twitter: @EnthusiastGuild

We dive into journalism, humor and more with Rhiannon Browning. The 1940 film His Girl Friday stars Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant as a divorced reporter and editor whose dialogue is as bright as their ethics are shady. We talk about some of our own views on news, the thrill of chasing a story and some formative experiences.

Dan Kaufman joins us to talk about "Batman: The Animated Series," with special attention to "Beware the Gray Ghost," "Almost Got 'im" and the amazing performances of Kevin Conroy.

We also visit Dan's background in art, his interest in comics and Batman's on-screen appearances.

Dan previously joined The Enthusiasts Guild in our 2020 crossover episode with the Your Brain on Hops podcast.

Episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" are currently available to stream on HBO Max.