Navigating Through Joy And Pain In The Holiday Season
The guys discuss the complex emotions that arise during the holiday season, highlighting the juxtaposition of joy and pain that many experience. Regardless of what side you may fall on (or maybe you’re experiencing both), here’s how to navigate through this holiday season.
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How do you navigate the holidays when they bring both joy and pain? Mike Mobley and Chris Howard talk about why the last two months of the year stir up so many emotions at once, how advertised holiday cheer can hide real hurt, how they each experience the season (from a childhood without Christmas to holidays split between divorced parents to missing loved ones), why we’re tempted to turn down invitations that are good for us, and how to carry yourself whether you’re in a joyful season or a painful one. Below: the key takeaways, the Scripture themes that came up, and the full episode transcript.
Joy and Pain at the Same Time
The last two months of the year bring Christmas music, shopping, parties, white elephant gifts and a flood of invitations. They also bring a lot of pain. Get-togethers with family and friends can shine a spotlight on whoever isn’t there for the first time. Mike has noticed that the fourth quarter of every year seems to hold a huge amount of joy and a huge amount of pain at the same time. As Chris points out, the joy gets advertised, while the sorrow gets pushed under a big shaggy red, white and green rug.
Distraction Can Crowd Out God
When we’re hurting, we welcome distraction, and the season offers plenty of it: shiny things, shopping, busyness and anxiety about getting everything done. Chris believes we’re trying to fill voids in ways that feel tangible and comfortable, and in the process we can miss what God wants to tell us, help us with, or soothe us with through His presence. Too often the goal becomes just getting to Christmas morning, and by Christmas night we wonder what we just went through.
Every Story Is Different
Chris grew up in a group that didn’t celebrate Christmas, so Thanksgiving was the big family gathering. Now that his family is spread out, the holidays are small, low-pressure and meaningful, and he loves Christmas all the more because he missed it as a kid. Mike’s holidays changed after his parents divorced and became a season of driving between houses. Now that his parents have passed, he feels a mix of joy and something a little somber every year, and some years have been darker than others.
Why We Want to Say No
In hard seasons, it’s tempting to isolate and turn down every invitation. As Nate Bargatze jokes, in your twenties you’ll go anywhere, in your thirties you ask who will be there and whether you can drive your own car, and in your forties you just don’t go. But being with people is good for us, and that’s exactly why we resist it. Mike has learned that when he feels that tension, it’s usually a sign he should say yes. He almost never regrets going.
If You’re in a Painful Season
Chris’s advice is to be open-handed. It takes courage for someone to invite you in, so give the invitation a chance. If you’re a believer, go see what God has for you. If you’re not, be willing to get to know new people. You might be glad you went, and you might learn that closing yourself off isn’t your only option. No one else is holding you accountable here, so it’s easy to talk yourself out of what’s good for you.
If You’re in a Joyful Season
Enjoy it, and be aware that others aren’t in the same place. Make room for them: “I’m sorry you’re going through something. You have a place here.” They don’t have to match your joy, and stepping into their world won’t kill the vibe. Mike admits that in his most prideful moments, he has wanted to keep hurting people out of his joyful season. Real joy, which is different from happiness, can actually grow deeper through empathy. Take the pressure off what the holidays need to be, listen well, and look for ways to show people Christ’s love.
Scriptures From This Episode
Also referenced: no verse is quoted in this conversation, but it touches on God’s comforting presence in hard seasons, joy as deeper than happiness, and showing people Christ’s love by meeting them where they are.
Go deeper: The Gift of Grief · Theft-Proof Joy · Fruit of the Spirit: Joy · All I Want For Christmas Is The Fruit Of The Spirit · Pushing Through Discomfort · Scripture on Christmas · Bible Verses About Joy
Full Transcript, Not Quite There, Episode 65: Navigating Through Joy And Pain In The Holiday Season
Mike: Are we approaching NQT Theater?
Chris: Not this year, my friends. But back by popular demand, we’re talking about holiday things.
Mike: Holiday things. Holiday things. Holiday. Holiday.
Mike: Chris, did you know… wild thought. You know how sometimes history repeats itself? And sometimes it happens in terms of fashion. Have you noticed that pantaloons, for lots of people, have been baggy lately?
Chris: Describe pantaloons.
Mike: Baggy pants. Baggy pants. Baggy pants. Have you noticed baggy pants everywhere, especially with younger people?
Chris: I haven’t noticed, I have to say.
Mike: Are you serious?
Chris: No, but you’re educating me.
Mike: There are pantaloons everywhere. There are seriously pantaloons everywhere.
Chris: Now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s like when you get a new car.
Mike: Yes, you’re going to see pantaloons everywhere. You’re going to leave the studio and go, “I am seeing a lot of pantaloons.”
Chris: We’re going to see a ton of pantaloons. A hundred.
Mike: It’s fun to say pantaloons, isn’t it? Welcome back. Welcome back after, let’s see, a week of solo-ness. I heard that you might have had a colonoscopy. That was the word on the street. We can neither confirm nor deny, but my sources say yes!
Chris: I guess that’s not HIPAA protected or anything like that.
Mike: If you’re talking about yourself, you can probably say it. When you signed the contract for NQT, you gave away all rights.
Chris: No, no. I’ll have to look at that with my lawyer.
Mike: So how’d it go? How’d it go?
Chris: Well, I think you misheard me. I wasn’t going for a colonoscopy. I was going for a solo-noscopy, meaning I was going to get away on a writer’s retreat, do some songwriting, do some side-by-siding on a four-wheeler, and get out there and maybe shoot a few pistols and higher-powered fun things.
Mike: And eat a lot of food. Sounds like maybe you shot one of those. Wow. Wow. That’s barely even legal. Okay. No more of that. So it sounds like you’ve maybe used the term “solo-noscopy” before.
Chris: I think maybe it was born on this show.
Mike: Maybe I’m just making that up.
Chris: Like a baby rattlesnake that can’t modulate its venom.
Mike: That’s true. Fun fact for the audience: a baby rattlesnake is actually one of the most dangerous snakes, because apparently they can’t, quote, what is it? “Modulate their venom.”
Chris: Yes.
Mike: Would you have ever thought a snake person would say “modulate their venom”?
Chris: I think they’d say a million other things before they’d say “modulate their venom.”
Mike: “Modulate” sounds like a guy who works in IT. When you hear it, this is the guy who’s in the server room. This is how he talks. I feel like it’d be an IT guy who’s really into snakes, and he’s describing this to someone in the break room.
Chris: “Well, you’ve got to muzzle the snake venom.”
Mike: You would not think a snake guy would say that. Okay, so let me publicly apologize. You did not have a colonoscopy.
Chris: I had a solo-noscopy.
Mike: Okay. Well, welcome back.
Chris: Thank you very much.
Mike: Happy to have you back here.
Chris: Appreciate it. Great time had, and glad to be back. But now we’re ready to dive in to another great episode of NQT.
Mike: To talk about more than pantaloons. Tonight, my friends, we’re going to talk about more than that.
Chris: Can we touch on that a little bit more? Because what I remember you saying is that they made a comeback, right? That they were in fashion before.
Mike: Well, yeah, they were in fashion during our time.
Chris: I remember certain artists that would…
Mike: Like MC Hammer.
Chris: Yeah, exactly. MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice. The baggy pants were in.
Mike: Even before that, think of the jeans from the sixties. Bell-bottoms. You had wind pants during our time.
Chris: So bell-bottoms start a little baggier at the bottom and get skinny going up. Pantaloons start skinny at the bottom and get really baggy going up. Is that right?
Mike: I don’t know.
Chris: You said you’ve been looking at pantaloons.
Mike: No, no, no, no, no. What side of the pantaloon is the baggy side? I just know pantaloons are baggy pants. I could not tell you the location of the bagginess.
Chris: Well, then here’s the deal.
Mike: Baggy pants are in style right now. Okay?
Chris: Okay. Are they on backwards, or are they on frontwards?
Mike: Frontwards, because they’re not crazy. We’re not combining two different fashion styles. You are literally going to go out from the studio tonight, and you’re going to see pantaloons.
Chris: Okay. I can’t wait.
Mike: All right. So yes, we are at that time of the year.
Chris: It’s that time of year.
Mike: Are we approaching NQT Theater?
Chris: Not this year, my friends. But back by popular demand, we’re talking about holiday things.
Mike: Holiday things. Holiday. Holiday. Is your house decorated for Christmas already?
Chris: It is not.
Mike: Oh, are you waiting until after Thanksgiving?
Chris: Like pants fashion, I don’t really design or have a lot of say in what goes on in our house.
Mike: Wait, you don’t have a desire for Christmas stuff up at your house?
Chris: I don’t have a desire for it? I’m always for Christmas. I just don’t know when we’re going to actually wake up and say, “Today’s the day.” Sometimes it’s like, “This is the day. Okay. We’re going to do it today.”
Mike: So no Christmas music in the house either?
Chris: There’s been Christmas music. There’s been Christmas music in the vehicle.
Mike: Like “Christmas Shoes”? “Sir, I want to buy these shoes.” That’s so terrible. It’s so terrible. It’s bad. It’s bad. What about “Mary, Did You Know?” Mary, did you know? It’s so bad. I think it just makes people hate everything when they hear certain songs like that. Okay. No, no, you go ahead. Go ahead.
Chris: Okay.
Mike: Is that your favorite? That’s not your favorite?
Chris: No, but there is a…
Mike: That’s not your favorite Christmas song?
Chris: No, not by far.
Mike: Okay. Good.
Chris: Because it takes me out of the Christmas spirit to be thinking of an ox and a lamb keeping time. Here’s this beautiful song honoring the Lord, and all of a sudden there’s an ox and a lamb, and I’m trying to get my mind around it. How do they do that?
Mike: They have hooves. That’s funny. What do they keep time with? So Trans-Siberian Orchestra is your favorite Christmas band, is what you’re saying? The lasers. Okay. Do you have a favorite? A top one?
Chris: A top one: “Silent Night.”
Mike: Okay. By a certain artist?
Chris: No, it doesn’t have to be a certain artist. It’s just my favorite song.
Mike: So the one that’s most honoring of the Christmas season. I’m not judging your “Silent Night,” by the way. I kind of am, the way I’m laughing. I’m envisioning you by yourself in your car, maybe stuck in traffic, just quietly, somberly singing. That’s your jam. Okay. There’s nothing wrong with that. No judgment. There’s nothing wrong with it.
Chris: I guess I like a song that…
Mike: Makes me uncomfortable. I do like “O Holy Night.”
Chris: Do you like “Good King Wenceslas”?
Mike: What?
Chris: “Good King Wenceslas.”
Mike: What are you saying? What is that?
Chris: That’s a Christmas song.
Mike: What you just said? What about the Nat King Cole Christmas song? “The Christmas Song.” Isn’t it called “The Christmas Song”?
Chris: Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song.”
Mike: Yeah. Isn’t it?
Chris: Well, people are turning this off.
Mike: Okay. Okay. Sorry. Sorry.
Chris: Sorry. Sorry. “We wish you a merry Christmas.” This is always fun.
Mike: It’s okay. So let’s move on from Christmas music. Let’s talk about something that happens around this time of the year, whether it’s via email, in the workplace, maybe snail mail, conversations, group texts, Evites: a whole bunch of invitations.
Chris: People be getting together.
Mike: Lots of parties, get-togethers, more events than can fit on a calendar.
Chris: Ugly sweater…
Mike: Lots of things. Parties, dinners. You’ve got a whole bunch of things. White elephant gifts. So you have all these things this time of the year.
Chris: Let’s talk about this. Let’s go.
Mike: I feel like the last two months of the year drum up a whole bunch of different emotions. Like a little “pa rum pum pum pum.”
Chris: Wow.
Mike: Way to tarnish people’s emotions right there and diminish it to a little drummer boy.
Chris: Dang ox and lamb, keeping time again.
Mike: Stupid ox and lamb. Out of my head!
Chris: Ox and lamb, I’ll make you a soup. Go ahead.
Mike: So, you know, as you get older… I’m talking to you because you’re older.
Chris: Thank you. You told me that my hair looked wider today.
Mike: I did. And it was actually meant to be a compliment, for real. That was not meant to be negative.
Chris: I’ve never heard “your hair is wider” as a compliment.
Mike: Now people are really tuning out. Listen. Okay. Here’s the deal. Here we go. We’re doing this. One: I like white hair. I’ve always liked it. Since I was a kid, I’ve thought it just looks cool on people. You do have a cool hairstyle, probably because we have a similar hairstyle. No joke. You really do. And no joke, I think the white in your hair looks cool. You can ask Joelle. You can ask anyone. They’ll back this up. So I actually thought it looked whiter than normal, but in a cool way. In a complimentary way. Not in an old-man kind of way, like you were thinking. Do you not like having that white color in your hair? You really don’t like that?
Chris: I don’t like it. I’d like to hold on to the color a little bit more.
Mike: So you’d rather come in with solid black hair, solid brown hair, someday?
Chris: That ship has sailed.
Mike: Okay. And the white looks cool.
Chris: It’s going to go where it goes.
Mike: Okay. I’m on the record saying I seriously think the white in your hair looks awesome.
Chris: Well, thank you. I’m serious, I thought when you said “whiter” today, you said “wider.”
Mike: Okay. So, this time of the year. The older we’ve gotten, and the more people and life we’ve experienced, you realize that obviously it can be a joyful time of the year. Here we go: Christmas tunes, we’re shopping. Sometimes there’s snow, sometimes there’s not. La, la, la. Thanksgiving, Christmas. We like all the things. At the same time, there’s a whole other side, and I could be crazy, but I feel like it might be increasing, and I would call that unfortunate. There’s a lot of pain and hurt this time of the year, probably because of all the get-togethers and family and friends and the jolliness, or whatever you want to call it. There’s this crazy thing that happens during the fourth quarter of every year, especially the last two months: you have a huge amount of, I’ll call it joy, and then a huge amount of pain at the same time. So what in the world do we do with that? That’s a crazy difference. And it seems to shine brightly in these last two months of the year.
Chris: And the joy gets advertised, right? In anything you hear in a radio ad or see in a TV commercial, it’s joy. “You’re going to get this car. It’s going to have a bow on it. It’s going to be great.” It’s holiday cheer, holiday fun. You’re not going to hear much about how this time could be pretty painful for some people. There could be some sorrow in it. It’s going to shine a spotlight on people who maybe aren’t there for the first time. Things like that just get pushed under the big shaggy red, white and green rug.
Mike: That’s a really specific rug that just came to you.
Chris: I went with Christmas colors there, but I understand that people do other things now.
Mike: Well, it’s always interesting, because my brain goes a couple of different ways on this. When I was younger, at this time of the year I’d be like, “Well, come on. It’s joyful. Why do you have to be down?” Which is totally insensitive, right? And not cool. At the same time, you want to have empathy, and you could be down yourself, but it doesn’t mean the season has to be a downer either. So there’s this tension. What’s a good way to carry ourselves during a season like this, especially in light of all the different, we’ll call them, “people opportunities” out there?
Chris: I think when we’re in this season, we welcome distraction when we’re dealing with some painful things, or when things are not quite ideal, the way they’re painted in the advertisements. So it’s easy to get distracted. I think that’s what feeds into the season too: “Here, look at this shiny thing,” or “Busy yourself with shopping,” or “Get anxious about this.” And it takes the emphasis off of what this season really means. I think it’s because, as humans, we’re trying to fill those voids in ways that are tangible and comfortable. And maybe that means we’re not really opening up to what God is probably wanting to tell us during those times, or wanting to help us with, or even soothe us with, through His presence. We’re off doing a million things around this time. So I feel like we can easily miss it and just play into a season that maybe isn’t as rewarding from a serenity standpoint. It’s more, “Let’s just get to Christmas morning. Let’s make sure things are done and it’s all good.” And then by the time Christmas night rolls around, you’re like, “What did we just go through here?”
Mike: Well, there are a lot of people… what’s that phrase? “I’m just trying to get through the holidays.” They’re just trying to grind it out. Even that scene in Elf: “Just leave me alone. I’m just trying to get through the holidays.” And he’s like, “Six-inch ribbon curls, honey.” So let’s put you on the hot seat. How do you feel this time of the year? Maybe not every year is the same answer for you, but is it joyful? Hard? I’ll answer next, to be fair. But how do you feel this time of the year?
Chris: Yeah. So this has always been a tricky time of year for me. As I shared in my testimony, early on my family didn’t really celebrate Christmas. It had to do with a kind of cult we belonged to, and Christmas just wasn’t on the agenda. But Thanksgiving was. So around Thanksgiving we would gather together, and I have some really good memories from Thanksgiving. However, my family’s really spread out now. We don’t get together the way we used to. So there’s always a feeling of missing something there. It’s not the way it used to be. So it’s usually a small gathering now, and that’s what we’ve found to be just right for us. We take that as small family time, and we usually get together with friends and expand it out a bit.
Mike: Notice I’ve never gotten that invite before, as friends. But you can keep explaining what you do.
Chris: Okay. Okay, cool. Can we just look at history, though? We had the Mobleys over after Thanksgiving.
Mike: We can talk about this right now. Let’s go back to what you were saying. I had a great time.
Chris: Obviously you did not have a great time. It wasn’t memorable for you. But yes. But Christmas, let’s talk about Christmas.
Mike: And your family, for the record, does not celebrate Festivus.
Chris: No Festivus.
Mike: Okay. Just clarifying. There are lots of Festivus lovers out there. So no pole for y’all, or fighting and screaming “Serenity now!”
Chris: No feats of strength.
Mike: No feats of strength.
Chris: I do love Christmas, and I think it’s because we didn’t really celebrate it. So once I had a chance to, it was like, “This is great. I love it.” And we still deal with the fact that our family’s all spread out, so it’s usually still a small gathering, and we enjoy that. There’s no pressure. We don’t have to be at certain places or wake up really early and do all these things. So it’s kind of nice, and we just try to make it as meaningful as possible.
Mike: It’s been interesting for me. When I was little, it was always kind of a special time of the year, the last couple of months. I think just from the get-togethers and being out of school. Obviously there were presents, and I think my parents tried to make it special. When they got divorced, it actually became what you said earlier: we always had to be over here and then over there. Honestly, November and December were my brother and me driving around to make it to all the different places. There was no constant. So it actually felt kind of like work during that season. Then getting older, you start owning it yourself. You have your own kids, things like that. I enjoy it. I tend to have extra time off, and I evaluate a lot during this time of the year. I like when it’s colder outside, because I’m not sweating. And now that my parents have passed, it’s still fun to be around family and everything, but it’s basically impossible not to process, every year, the ones who aren’t around. “Somber” might be a little too low of a word to describe it, but it’s a mix of joy and a little somber at the same time. I don’t think it puts me in a bad place, necessarily, and it probably actually trends a little more toward excitement and joy. It’s an enjoyable time of the year, but there are reminders along the way. And I’ve had certain years that were darker than others, where I’ve wanted to be more isolated. There have definitely been years where it’s like, “I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to answer too many of these invitations. I’d rather just be by myself and get through the holidays.”
Chris: I’ve felt that way at times too, where I’d rather just low-key the holidays. And you and I talked about this recently too: sometimes when you get that invitation, you’re like, “I really don’t want to go.” Nate Bargatze has that in one of his bits. In your twenties, it’s, “Let’s go. I’m ready. I don’t care. I’ll sell the house. Let’s go.” In your thirties, it’s, “Who’s going to be there? And can I take my own car?” And in your forties, it’s, “I’m not going to go.”
Mike: Thank you. Yeah.
Chris: So I think as we get a little bit older, when our hair gets a little bit wider…
Mike: Or when we get wider.
Chris: Wider and wider. Oh man, that’d be a great podcast, Nate.
Mike: Do you think it goes back to what we talked about? It’s actually good for us as people to be with people. So here comes the invitation. It’s actually good for us to be around others and not be isolated, which is exactly why we’re also tempted to say, “I don’t want to do this at all.”
Chris: I think so. I can see that. Maybe we don’t feel like we’re going to add to the joy of the actual event. But I’ve been proven wrong many times, once you get around people and play a fun game or something like that.
Mike: That’s the irony of it. We’ve talked about it multiple times: the things we know are good for us. There’s always this pregame of, “No, don’t want to do it. Don’t want to do it. Don’t want to do it.” And then you do it, and you’re on the other side of it, looking back like, “I’m so happy I did this.” But there was such tension in that pregame that said no, and ironically, most of the time it’s to things that are good for us. You look like you’re going to laugh right now.
Chris: I’m agreeing with you. The fight isn’t necessary, right?
Mike: Yes. But it’s always there.
Chris: It is. And I feel like I’ve gotten better at recognizing that over the years. “Oh, you’re just being that way.” When I talk to myself in the mirror: “You’re being that way. You’re saying you don’t want to go, but really you’re crying inside, because you need some community. You need people around you.”
Mike: Is that when you look in the mirror and go, “Don’t talk to me right now”?
Chris: That’s when the reflection speaks back to me and I get really scared.
Mike: That’s another episode, and we’ll see you in counseling after this. So then what would be good? Do you have to tell yourself something this time of the year? Do you prep yourself for all this? Whether you’re experiencing, let’s say, on one side more joy, and on the other side a little more pain, what would you recommend or suggest to either one of those people?
Chris: Being open-handed.
Mike: On both sides?
Chris: I would say so.
Mike: How so?
Chris: If you’re expecting it’s going to be pain, then be open-handed in the sense that, and I know not everybody here has a relationship with Christ, and not everybody’s a Christian, but it takes a lot for somebody to invite people in sometimes. So if you’re being invited to something, give it a chance. If you’re a believer, go see what God has for you. If you’re not, then be willing to get to know new people.
Mike: You’re almost saying, if I’m the receiver of the invitation, recognize that the sender is taking a step too. They’re taking an uncomfortable step by inviting. Yes, it might be uncomfortable, or maybe you want to talk yourself out of it. But they’re putting themselves out there, and that’s great. And we can too.
Chris: I’m not trying to guilt you: “Hey, you’d better go.” But there might be something really good on the other side, where you feel like, “Okay, I’m glad I did this. I’m glad I got to know somebody a little bit better.” And maybe you even learn something about yourself: that closing yourself off and not going to events this time of year because of pain isn’t your only option.
Mike: Sometimes, when I’m in painful moments, I really think I know what the better thing is for me to do, and I talk myself out of it. I don’t do this perfectly, but I try to notice that tension more often and faster now, and just go, “You know what? If that tension is even there, I need to start defaulting to yes, because there’s a reason the tension’s there.” And again, it’s almost a hundred percent success rate. I look back and go, “I’m so happy I did it.” I’ve rarely ever looked back and said, “I regret doing that.” It’s always the opposite. So then I’m like, okay, clearly my MO is: I could be in pain, I could want to isolate, and “I don’t want to do blank” actually means I should probably do blank. Which is so countercultural. You’re like, “Wait, what?” It’s like Bizarro World, or opposite day. But it kind of is: we talk ourselves out of the things that are good for us.
Chris: And there’s nobody really holding you to account there other than you. So it’s easy to get away with it, but it’s not necessarily helpful to you.
Mike: So that’s the person in pain. What about the joy person?
Chris: The one for whom everything is wonderful at this time of year. Which is great. Then maybe just be aware that there are people who aren’t in that place, and maybe even be willing to have that conversation with them: “Hey, I’m sorry you’re going through something right now. But you have a place here, and you’re welcome here.” And just be open to the fact that they don’t have to be as joyous as you.
Mike: Yeah. They’re not going to, quote, “kill the vibe” when you step into their world. At some of my worst moments, I’ve probably looked at someone who was hurting, maybe even during this time of the year, and thought, “You know what? I don’t want that in my world, because I’m having a joyful end of the year,” or whatever it is. I’m not proud of those moments. That’s probably me at my most prideful or most simple-minded. But man, you can still have joy. You can have a great last couple of months of the year and have a lot of joy, which, as we’ve talked about, is really different from happiness. And reach out and be aware of people who are hurting, and honestly probably find some deeper joy through connecting with them and having that empathy. There are things for both of us, whether we’re on the joyful side of the year or the painful side, which could change each year, by the way. But it does seem to bring out one of those reactions in these last couple of months.
Chris: Yeah, I agree. So I think one of the best gifts we can give ourselves during the Christmas season, or Thanksgiving, is to take the pressure off of what it needs to be for you, and think about how you can show people more of Christ’s love. Whether it’s around a Thanksgiving table, while you’re out shopping, or at a Christmas gathering, you never know where people are or what they’re dealing with. Some will let you know. But it can be a really special Christmas just by listening, and maybe by encouraging. And let that encourage you, so you don’t have to make it about yourself, or the gifts, or the way things look. I’m not trying to be hard on anybody out there. Do your Christmas. Do your routine.
Mike: Sure. And just be mindful of others at the same time.
Chris: Remember, it doesn’t take a lot to be mindful of others and to make a difference.
Mike: I love it when you go away for a solo-noscopy, because you come back with a plethora of wisdom. A pantaloon full of wisdom, my friend.
Chris: Yeah. And I come back thinking about my favorite Christmas songs too.
Mike: Oh, dear. Are you going to see us out with a Christmas song?
Chris: “I’m dreaming of a white-hair Christmas.”
Mike: Oh, you mean a wide… a wide Christmas?
Chris: Well, that too.
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