We're So Xmas

Merry Christmas and welcome to the last day of 25 Days of We're So Xmas! We're so happy that you joined us for this wonderful celebration of Christmas and hope you'll continue to listen on the 25th of every month in 2020.

Today we are focusing on our favorite Christmas traditions and stories, which seem to focus a lot on fish. Like Lutefisk and Pickled Herring. Which may 100% be your thing. But if it's not, how about pancakes? Swedish Pancakes to be specific.

The take away from Heather's Christmas story? Spay & Neuter your pets as young as 2 months or as light as 2 pounds!

To wrap things up(!) here are a couple gifts for you. First off, a video on how to put on chains from Heather. Watch it before you need it, you'll be happy you did.

And from Cliff, The Johnson Family Swedish Pancake Recipe:

3 Eggs2 cups Milk1 cup Flour2 Tbs SugarDash of Salt1/4 cup Melted Butter

Mix all ingrediants in a blender until smooth and well mixed. Pre heat a 10" non-stick pan until the pan is hot (if you pancakes stick, you may need to add butter or cooking spray in between each pancake). Pour roughly a 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan...

Seattle, it's possible (although unlikely) that we may get snow today or tomorrow and see a white Christmas! For the rest of the US, odds are about 50/50, unless you happen to live in the general area of the Rocky Mountains, which ups the chances of you seeing show this (and almost every other) year.

It all started in a group for loves of cats of the...chonky variety. A girl in Chicago commented on a boy and his cat in the UK and "Chonky Cat: A LOVE Story For The Ages" was born. If Netflix doesn't snap this up and make it into a Christmas movie there is something wrong with the world.

Santa's reindeer are female all female. Apparently, if they'd been male they would NOT have had antlers (males lose their antlers during the winter).

Previous to the 1823 publishing of "A Visit From Saint Nicolas" Santa's reindeer did NOT fly. We NOW know the poem as, "Twas The Night Before Christmas" and it changed a ton about what we know about Santa and his reindeer. The relevant flying bits:

“Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

Bam! Flying reindeer.

Do you miss getting to say goodbye to your family or welcome them back at the airport (like you could pre-9/11?) Seattle and Pittsburgh airports are NOW allowing up to 100 people per day to accompany flyers to their gates. You can apply for a guest pass in advance of travel and greet your Christmas guests at the airport!

Hanukkah, Chanukah AND ?anukah are all correct spellings (according to Wikipedia).

It's important to Cliff & Heather to wish you a Happy/Merry WHATEVER holiday you observe and we hope you are having a great first day of Hanukkah if you are celebrating!

Don't know a ton about Hanukkah? Get up to speed with a quick Hanukkah 101 guide .

Holiday Tips For Pet Parents (thanks Innovet! ):

Locate your nearest 24/7 Emergency Vet and get the phone number into every family member's cell phones.

Make sure pets are micro-chipped and those chips are registered to you with UTD info.

Pet-Proof your tree and watch for dogs ingesting needles.

Dogs don't have a concept of size. Keep extra treat portions small.

Make sure dog-friendly foods are free of sauces.

Immediately clean up ribbons and bows after opening gifts. If you notice ribbon hanging out your pets rear end, DO NOT PULL. Call your vet.

Post a list of poisonous foods on your fridge to make it easy for guests who may not know what is unsafe for dogs. Items to include:Chocolate

Nuts (Peanuts OK)

Garlic

Onion

Grapes

Raisins

Currents

Rhubarb leaves

Peach pits, Cherry Pits, Apricot Pits, Apple and Pear seeds

Alcohol

Coffee

Tea

Mushrooms

Avocados

Mustard seeds

GREEN Tomato parts (leaves and stems)

Xylotol (In sweet treats, Candy Canes, Chewing Gum & Peanut Butter)

Yeast dough

Also, pet people need to stick together. If you see a pet who may be lost as long as it's safe your you to do so, please help them!

SUPER SATURDAY 12/21/19 is the 2nd biggest shopping day of the year (behind black Friday.) We recommend you stay home and listen to your favorite Christmas podcast while sipping hot cocoa and shopping online. Perhaps for these fancy PJs worn by Millie Bobby Brown (and you may as well pick up some heels to wear with them, since they are definitely not for JUST sleeping in).

Now that you are doing shopping for yourself, it's time to start shopping for your favorite furry (or scaley or feathery) friend. But how much do YOU love your pet?

1. Do they get more gifts than your partner?

2. Do they have Christmas attire?

3. Are they on your Christmas Cards?

4. Do they have advent calendars?

Finally, dear Legendary Donuts: Please sponsor us. Thank YOU.

Less is More unLESS you're talking about ALEXA. Chrysanthemum Cliff & Bright and Merry Brooke have six! If you can't decide what to gift, a smart speaker is a great option! (Even if the recipient already has one or more).

The price of Christmas Trees has Gone UP! And the reason why goes back at least a decade (and Christmas tree sales this year could affect Christmas tree sales in 2029!)

Original Movie Plots! 2020 is the year of We're So Xmas: Short Films. Prepare your hearts to be melted. It's going to be incredible.

Welcome back Bright & Merry Brooke!

So you probably have a top ten list of favorite Christmas songs in your head, right? And I would guess that they overlap a lot with everyone else's favorite Christmas songs as well.

But what you might not know is that people in the UK have a very different list of Christmas music in their heads, except for one very special Christmas song .

Is your state full of Christmas cheer (or is it full of Grinches)? You might be surprised which states have the most holiday spirit (unless you live in Nevada, sorry Nevada). This was also the podcast were we found out that Chrysanthemum Cliff isn't great at geography...

If you'd like to add a little holiday cheer to your state regardless of how much it currently contains, you might want to see if there is a Giving Machine in your city. These are giant vending machines that let you donate directly to charity from a vending machine. From 100 meals for the hungry to sheep in another country, this is definitely a way to get on Santa's good list.

Did you know that for the low price of only $525 you can go to the oldest Santa School in the US in beautiful Midland, Michigan? You learn the history of Santa Claus, how to handle live reindeer, professional wig and beard application (and a trip to Frankenmuth for their world famous chicken dinner!)

Unfortunately, if you are thinking of becoming a Mrs. Claus, it's a rough road. You make less money and have a hard time getting gigs, which is why We're So Xmas is championing the diversification of Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Welcome Merry & Bright Brooke!

There are a lot of things to love about our local airport in Seattle (the Seattle Tacoma International Airport, or Seatac for short). If you are flying in or out of Seattle, watch for carolers, get a massage or even check a book out from the library!

That being said, you are going to want to be careful at the airport this holiday. Yes, you still need to show up three hours early, but what you really want to be careful about is what you wear, because it's easier than you think to get kicked off an airplane because your clothes aren't quite up to the airlines dress code. And not to get all Buzzfeed on you, but one thing on the list might surprise you...

Meowingtons.com is the best site for gifting the cat people in your life! We 100% aren't getting paid to say that or anything, we are just in love with the amazing gift potential of their site for both your favorite cat or your favorite cat parents!