3LFPOD 81: Holiday Hits, Misses and Family Moments We Love

This week’s episode is all about Holiday Traditions — the movies we swear by, the music we love (and hate), and the family rituals that still make the season feel magical…even when half the house is down with pneumonia, the dog is eating the Christmas decorations, and the Elf on the Shelf is MIA.

The sisters list their top five holiday movies, discusss contrast and compare how they all stack up.  Lynne and Kathy clash on It's A Wonderful Life and Nancy has never actually seen it.   How would you rank your five favorite, and which are you putting on your

"I Never Need to Watch Again" list?

Lynne 

#5 Home Alone

#4 Elf

#3 White Christmas

#2 Meet Me in St. Louis

#1 The Holiday* 

Kathy

#5 Die Hard (Is this really a Christmas movie?)

#4 Love Actually* 

#3 Polar Express

#2 Miracle on 34th Street (The New version)

#1 The Holiday*

Nancy

#5 Miracle on 34th Street (Classic)

#4 Love Actually*

#3 The Holiday

#2 Home Alone

#1 Elf.Producer Tim

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

What’s for Dinner? Get Better Chicken Soup

Kathy has a couple boys down with or recovering from pneumonia, Nancy is struggling with a cough and some laryngitis...it's that time of year.  So just what the doctor ordered here's Lynne's chicken soup recipe.

Get Better Chicken Soup

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks

Salt and Pepper

1 Onion, diced – I like a sweet onion

2 Carrots, peeled and diced

2 Stalks celery, finely diced

4 Cloves garlic, minced

16 Ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ Tsp. dried thyme

½ Tsp dried oregano

8 Cups chicken stock – I like to use bone broth

2 Bay leaves

½ Cup uncooked orzo pasta or small pasta or rice

1 Sprig rosemary

1 Bunch kale, stems removed, and leaves chopped

1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbs. fresh parsley leaves – chopped

Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season Chicken and add to the Dutch oven – cook until golden (2-3 min) set aside. Add the rest of the oil, add onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender. Add garlic, mushroom and cook until tender. Stir in thyme, oregano and stir until fragrant. Wisk in chicken stock and add bay leaves. Bring to a boil and add orzo, rosemary and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until the orzo or pasta is tender – about 12 min. Stir in kale and cannellini beans until the kale has wilted. Squeeze in lemon juice and add parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fishes Out...

As we wrap up this week’s holiday deep-dive, the big takeaway is simple: the traditions we love—movies, music, food, and the chaos of family life—are the things that anchor us to the season. However you celebrate, we hope this episode sparks a few laughs and maybe even inspires a new favorite tradition of your own. Don’t forget to catch new episodes every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts.