‘Tis the season to unwrap some holiday-themed name magic! Join us today on Naming in an A.I. Age as we dive headfirst into the festive game of “What’s That Name? Holiday Edition!” We’ve got our holiday spirit on full blast, and we’re ready to sprinkle some cheer on your day.
In this jolly episode, we’re delving into holiday-themed product and company names to help spark some creativity and inspire your holiday marketing game. We discuss several names and their level of engagement and effectiveness while pocketing a few ideas for the next holiday shopping season. Finally, we took Gemini AI for a test drive to see what kinds of brand name ideas it could come up with. Now, let’s unwrap some fantastic and quirky holiday brand names…
#1 Easy Treezy– an extremely easy modular Christmas tree of just 4 sections, but the tree is hollow and comes in pre-decorated options so you don’t even have to decorate your tree AND you can unroll each section flat for easy storage. It’s lightweight & only requires one person to set up- it’s “Easy Treezy” icing squeezy!
Transcription:
Megan Dzialo (00:05):
Okay, well, Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone. We decided to do a last minute Christmas themed podcast because we are clearly in the Christmas spirit. Ashley is wearing actual ornaments for earrings. So anyway, we wanted to have a little bit of fun today. We also thoroughly enjoyed having Ashley on our podcast last week for her big debut, and we wanted to get her back on as quickly as possible. Today we’re going to play a game. Well, it’s kind of like a game, and I’m calling it, what’s that name? Holiday edition. We’re going to have more additions in the future apparently. So how this is going to work is I’m going to give you the name of a real holiday themed product or company, and then based on the name, you guys are going to tell me what you think the product or the company is about. And hopefully you don’t know any of these. It’s possible a few of these are for familiar to you, but I’ll also be interested to hear after you guess and after I tell you if you’re right or not and what these names are for just in general, what your thoughts are about the name and the product, if you think the name works or not, and why. Plus, I think this is just a fun way to learn about some products and companies that you might want to include in your 2024 holiday shopping. So are y’all ready?
Ashley Elliott (01:19):
I think so. We’re ready.
Megan Dzialo (01:21):
Okay, so the first name, we’re going to start off with an easy one. Easy Treezy, what is it?
Ashley Elliott (01:33):
Maybe like a car scented thing. I don’t know
Megan Dzialo (01:38):
Thing. Okay. Mike, what do you think? Easy Trees.
Mike Carr (01:43):
Christmas tree or candy? Easy Trees as in Treezy, so it could be a Christmas tree or Easy Trees as in treat, right? Something you might want to eat for Christmas. Those are my guesses anyway.
Ashley Elliott (01:56):
It could be maybe something that helps you put up your Christmas tree when you’re done with it to wear an easy package kind of thing. I
Megan Dzialo (02:06):
Dunno. Okay. Okay. Yeah, you’re getting close.
Mike Carr (02:07):
Yeah, like lights. Lights that you could stick on your tree. So easy trees, you can just throw these lights up and your trees done or whatever. That’s a great idea. Actually,
Megan Dzialo (02:16):
The scented car thing was interesting. Did Trees take you to Breezy?
Ashley Elliott (02:20):
It did. It did.
Megan Dzialo (02:21):
Okay, alright. All right. So Easy Trees is an extremely easy modular Christmas tree. It’s like four sections. It lays flat and the inside is hollow, so it’s a super easy way to order your Christmas tree. You can even get it if you’re that lazy in that much of a range and you don’t want to decorate it. It literally lays out in four sections and then you wrap it and you wrap it and you snap it, and then you stick it on top of each other and it’s an easy Tracy.
Ashley Elliott (02:50):
It’s like a tree Lego.
Mike Carr (02:51):
That sounds Great.
Megan Dzialo (02:52):
Yeah, so we would call this a name that kind of is more descriptive but also fun, I would say, and gets you most of the way there in terms of the type and style of name. Plus it kind of rhymes and it’s kind of fun. Okay, number two, beardaments,
Mike Carr (03:11):
Beardaments
Megan Dzialo (03:12):
Beardaments
Mike Carr (03:18):
Not beard mints but beardaments.
Ashley Elliott (03:20):
I would say it’s mints for your beard, but that doesn’t even make sense.
Mike Carr (03:24):
Yeah, that’s interesting. Some kind of,
Ashley Elliott (03:26):
Oh, is it like the ornaments that you hang in your beard?
Megan Dzialo (03:29):
You got it.
Ashley Elliott (03:30):
I’ve seen people do that before.
Mike Carr (03:33):
Are you kiding me? You can put in your beard?
Megan Dzialo (03:34):
Yes.
Ashley Elliott (03:35):
Oh wow. Yes.
Megan Dzialo (03:36):
These are beard ornaments and not just beard ornaments that you hang from your beard, but beard lights, they make lights that you can put in your beard. They have beard glitter kits so you can get real festive. My husband’s doing the No shave November, don’t shave December, and he’s getting a pretty good beard. I could see him potentially getting festive this way. What do you guys think happening?
Mike Carr (04:01):
Well, let me ask how this works. So you’re at Christmas dinner, right? With your family all around the table and you’ve got your beer with all these, I mean, I can imagine this could be a real fun, fun experience for everyone else at the table besides the guy that’s got ornaments in his beard
Megan Dzialo (04:17):
Yep. Yep.
Ashley Elliott (04:19):
What if we just stuck…
Mike Carr (04:21):
I like it. I think it’s a great, I think names that are fun and clever and that lean into what it is. So they’re somewhat suggestive, but you don’t know exactly what it is until you see it on the package. I think those are fun. They’re memorable. They sort of fit the spirit of the holiday or in this case, the Christmas celebrations. That’s great.
Megan Dzialo (04:40):
You bring up a good point, Mike, because I’m giving you guys these names cold. You’re hearing ’em audibly, you’re not even seeing them. You’re not seeing them with any context in any packaging. And when I looked up these names with the context with the packaging, these types of names, and you’re like, oh, I get it. Bemans Beard plus ornament. And so it’s interesting in my mind I’m thinking, you guys are going to get these quick, but then you realize you don’t have any context whatsoever, and so it makes it a little bit more challenging.
Ashley Elliott (05:04):
Yeah. Mints took me to breath mints, but then beard didn’t make sense and then I was like, wait, is it beer something else or is it, and when you
Megan Dzialo (05:12):
See the spelling of MENT, it’s like, oh, okay. It’s not the type of mint that you’re okay.
Mike Carr (05:21):
The point you bring up, Megan is a really good one, right? If you just hear a name, which in many cases is your first exposure, can you spell it? Is the spelling obvious or are you going to get confused and spell it beer instead of beard? And then it takes you to a totally different place. So one of the challenges for sure in coming up with a great name.
Megan Dzialo (05:42):
Yeah. Okay, so this is kind of tricky. This one’s different. It’s Black Paper Party. What do you think
(05:52):
Black Paper Party.
Mike Carr (06:01):
It could be decorations for a party or it could be a vibrant brand dedicated to celebrating diversity and inclusivity through beautifully designed holiday decorations and gift wrapping products. I’m cheating.
Megan Dzialo (06:14):
You’re such a cheater.
Mike Carr (06:16):
I’m using Google’s new Gemini, which just came out, I guess recently to see if they can figure this out and it’s got a picture and everything. So
Megan Dzialo (06:25):
You are a cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater.
Ashley Elliott (06:28):
I still don’t even understand what that is.
Megan Dzialo (06:30):
Ashley’s like, okay. Okay. So I’ll give you their kind of spiel. Give Black Joy the season with holiday essentials that look like you. So all their products from wrapping paper to ornaments, to gift bags, focus on illustrations of black people. So this is specifically black people. It’s owned by black women. Fun prints patterns because representation matters. So wrapping paper with famous black people or just black people in general, not just wrapping paper though, it’s ornaments. It’s a bunch of different holiday products and gear and it’s called Black Paper Party.
Ashley Elliott (07:05):
I like that.
Megan Dzialo (07:06):
What I think is interesting is that they sell more than just wrapping paper, but they have paper in their name. What do you think, Mike? Is that a positive thing, a negative thing? What are your thoughts on that?
Mike Carr (07:20):
Well, I think consumers will often give you permission to extend the name beyond what it might originally be associated with. So what I like about Black Paper Party is it’s easy to say it’s the first name, Megan, that you’ve mentioned that I know how to spell it right? I could actually spell that. Just hearing it. And it does lean into what’s something to do with party decorations of some sort, right? You don’t know exactly what and that gets you there, right? It’s like, what do you want the name to do? Well, if you want the name for stop you and then get you to take the next step, I want to find out more. So you click through the website or you pay a little bit more attention to the email. Then as a consumer, you’ve almost given the seller permission to say, well, yeah, we have paper products, but guess what? We have other party related products. So I think it’s a great name. If your goal for the name is to generate interest and to get the consumer or the prospective customer to take the next step, even though it doesn’t necessarily describe exactly what it is, and it might even be viewed by some as too limiting. There are many examples where things started out, meaning one thing and before you know it, consumers associated it with all kinds of other things,
Megan Dzialo (08:33):
Right? And it’s different from an easy treaty or a Bement in that it doesn’t just say Christmas Black Paper Party is something that could be seasonal or really all year long, which is a good thing too. What were you going to say, Ashley?
Ashley Elliott (08:44):
I was going to say I think it’s a sweet spot of if you just had black paper or a paper party or black party, those three separately wouldn’t have made it what it is. But putting all three together and the way that they did that I think does Telegraph more of what they do.
Megan Dzialo (08:58):
Okay, good. Next one, hire Santa.
Ashley Elliott (09:04):
Hire
Megan Dzialo (09:05):
Hire Santa.
Mike Carr (09:08):
Well, I mean the obvious association I have is this is a service where you can call up and they’ll, Santa Claus will come to your door for your party or your kid’s birthday party if it’s around Christmas, Mike or whatever. So that to me is a pretty easy name to understand. But I’m not the smartest person on this call. So that’s my association.
Ashley Elliott (09:29):
I immediately went to higher as in elevated. I just pictured Santa on a ladder for some reason. Not that that would be anything you could really buy, but that’s where my mind went instead of hiring.
Megan Dzialo (09:40):
This is where spelling is important, but you’re right, Mike, it’s just very straightforward. It’s descriptive, it’s telegraphic, it’s a service you can call up to hire a real Santa real beard, a professional Santa as they call it, for your holiday party for picture taking, whatever it might be, which I think a name like this is especially good whenever you’re just trying to hire for the season, you need a name that is going to tell you exactly what you’re getting and that’s going to stand out and the holiday season, especially when there’s just so much to be distracted by.
Ashley Elliott (10:11):
And I think if you’re searching, you’re going to say Hire Santa. It literally will just pop up immediately.
Megan Dzialo (10:15):
Exactly
(10:17):
Yep. Okay. What about, and I’m curious, you guys may already know this one. Tipsy elves. Tipsy elves.
Mike Carr (10:26):
Tipsy What?
Megan Dzialo (10:27):
Elves.
Mike Carr (10:28):
Tipsy Elves.
Megan Dzialo (10:29):
E-L-V-E-S. Tipsy Elves.
Mike Carr (10:35):
Well, is this actually something you buy or
Ashley Elliott (10:44):
No hiring tipsy Elves?
Mike Carr (10:46):
Yeah, guess
Megan Dzialo (10:47):
A company? It’s a company name.
Mike Carr (10:51):
Okay,
Megan Dzialo (10:53):
I’ve never heard of this one.
Mike Carr (10:55):
My guess is it’s a company that sells clothing or apparel that you can dress up in and sort of be fun and crazy and add a little bit of sparkle and something hip to your Christmas festivity. So
Megan Dzialo (11:11):
Are you cheating again, Mike?
Mike Carr (11:13):
I am.
Megan Dzialo (11:14):
I knew it!
Ashley Elliott (11:15):
Santa Claus is not coming to you.
Megan Dzialo (11:17):
Yeah, you’re a naughty boy.
Mike Carr (11:20):
Listen to me. Our podcast is about using AI for naming, so I’m reverse engineering this, right? You’re giving me the name and then I’m figuring out what it is now. Unfortunately, I don’t think AI is quite as good as if you gave it the description, would it come back with tipsy elves? I don’t know. I may try that during our podcast today and see what it comes back with, but yes, I did cheat on that one too. I’m sorry. I won’t cheat anymore, I promise.
Megan Dzialo (11:47):
Ashley, as a teacher, would you give him an A or an F as a student with ai,
Ashley Elliott (11:53):
A for effort F for follow through. I’ll just give you that, but exceeding my guess, I wanted to guess. My mind went to the little pocket shots that you can get. It’s just like little decorated pocket shots. They’re small, tipsy, you took me to alcohol. I don’t know. That’s kind where I went with it, but
Megan Dzialo (12:14):
That’s good
(12:15):
That’s cute product name for that. So yes, Mike AI is correct. So ugly Christmas sweaters essentially is what tipsy elves started out as, which I think of this as kind of like an angry Orchard name a little bit. It’s got some attitude to it. It’s something that catches your attention. It’s a little bit edgy, and you’re right, it’s a way to look zany and fun and ridiculous in the holidays. And Mike, I think they also sell men’s onesies and footy pajamas. So if you are into that, Mike, you could get yourself a onesie and you can nap children.
Mike Carr (12:50):
I don’t know if I want a onesie. Thank you. Anyway.
Megan Dzialo (12:53):
Okay, all. What about holy ball or Holly Ball? I actually don’t know. If you say holiball or Holly Ball, what’s your guess?
Ashley Elliott (13:04):
My mind goes to volleyball when you say it. Holly ball, but holy ball.
Mike Carr (13:10):
It could be a game, right? Hollyball. So some kind of game that is for families around Christmas time that maybe takes a soccer ball kind of thing using things you already have or maybe you buy it. That would be my guess is a game themed around the holidays.
Ashley Elliott (13:28):
I just think of those reindeer games where have, maybe you have a headband with Holly on and you’re trying to do something with a ball. I don’t know. That’s where my mind takes,
Megan Dzialo (13:37):
These are large inflatable ornaments, so imagine just those huge big balls and you inflate them. And a lot of businesses use them to put them outside of their business to make it look more festive, which I was struggling with this name because I said holy ball. And so
Ashley Elliott (13:54):
How’s that spelled?
Megan Dzialo (13:55):
H-O-L-I-B-A-L-L.
Ashley Elliott (14:00):
Oh yeah.
Megan Dzialo (14:01):
So I was thinking it was like some Christian or religious aspect to the holiday. Anyway.
Ashley Elliott (14:06):
Holiball. Yeah.
Mike Carr (14:08):
Interesting. So I prompted AI with large inflatable ornament name ideas. And so instead of Holly Ball, it came back with gigantic globe trotter as in a globe ornament, cosmic colossus as in a planet ornament Mary, mega mallard as in a duck ornament, twinkle, heighten as in a star ornament or winter wonderland whopper,
Ashley Elliott (14:40):
A winter whopper.
Mike Carr (14:43):
I think AI needs a little help from us or from others that are more creative.
Megan Dzialo (14:49):
I like the Globetrotter a little bit. I thought that was kind of cute.
Ashley Elliott (14:54):
We drive around every day after I pick up the kids and it’s just dark and we look at all the neighbor’s lights and we go to different neighborhoods each time. And they saw them, they put them in the tree. So it’s kind of not a big tree, it’s a new neighborhood. Wow. And they, it looks very mismatched in terms of size, but it looks really cool. I mean, it’s attention grabbing for sure.
Megan Dzialo (15:17):
I like that idea. I think I want to do that for next year. Okay. Ready Festive.
Mike Carr (15:27):
I would say it’s all the decorations for your plates and your napkins. So if you’re putting on that big Christmas celebration, you’ve got all the festive accessories on your table. Maybe it’s a tablecloth, the napkins, who knows, right? That’s what I would say.
Ashley Elliott (15:45):
Yeah, maybe a party pack of everything that you need in terms of decoration, something like that.
Megan Dzialo (15:52):
Yeah, you guys are really close. It’s a subscription box for people who don’t really, they want their house to be decorated, but they don’t necessarily how to put things together. And so this is a box where you can pick your box of decor for the season and they will send it to your house and they’ll send it to you, I guess every season. It depends on your subscription level, but you open up your box and you just kind of set it out wherever you want to and it all kind of matches and is cohesive. So that
Ashley Elliott (16:14):
Is, oh, do you get to keep it or do you have to send it back?
Megan Dzialo (16:17):
No, you get to keep it. That’s nice. It might even be like Stitch Fix where you kind of pick out your style. I didn’t spend a ton of time online. It was interesting. I was like, all right,
Ashley Elliott (16:25):
This is neat. I know a lot of people, they’re like, I haven’t decorated because I don’t know how to do it, or I don’t know how to make everything go together. So not a bad idea.
Mike Carr (16:32):
Okay. So in this case, Gemini came up with a couple ideas that I think are pretty darn good. So the prompt was subscription box for festive party name ideas. So that was just a prompt subscription box for festive party name ideas. And it came up with things like Deck the Halls hamper, which is sort of fun. So it leaned into Christmas with Deck the Halls, and then coupled a hamper with it, confetti countdown Crate, which isn’t Christmas specific jingle and Joy Jamboree, which has those three J’s. So on this particular one, I think AI did a little better job than on some of the other things.
Megan Dzialo (17:14):
Yeah,
Ashley Elliott (17:15):
The Winter Whopper, but it’s memorable. I still remember it from the last, it was winter something Whopper, but I like Winter Whopper better.
Megan Dzialo (17:23):
All right, Mike, what do you think about lightnetics? I feel like this is a name that you would come up with and that you would like Lightnetics.
Mike Carr (17:31):
Light. Well, in the Christmas venue, it could be smart Christmas lights where you could actually have an app on your phone and you could program different designs into the lights. So I can remember driving down the street and someone had their house decked out, and it was all synchronized, right? The upstairs windows were sort of like these unusual Christmas figures and they were dancing. And then the downstairs windows would do the same thing. And it was amazing because all the lights were sort of thinked up with one another. So if I had to guess it would be some kind of a smart or intelligent lighting system that you could do some of that netting, synchronizing and get everything to have some motion and some designs to it that would really catch the eye. If you’re driving by the house
Ashley Elliott (18:18):
I think I went to magnetic, like magnetic lights that you could put, I don’t even know. Maybe on your house
Megan Dzialo (18:26):
Ding, ding, ding,
Ashley Elliott (18:27):
Is that what it is?
Megan Dzialo (18:28):
That’s it. That’s what it’s easy to house magnetic light strands.
Ashley Elliott (18:33):
Interesting.
Mike Carr (18:36):
I thought my explanation was a lot cooler than just magnetic lights.
Megan Dzialo (18:41):
It was cooler.
Ashley Elliott (18:41):
It takes you there, light magnetics,
Megan Dzialo (18:45):
It puts you in the space you were go in the right space. And that seems to be the theme with a lot of these holiday themed names is the names are suggestive enough to put you in the right space. And then again, once you get that packaging and that context, the names make even more sense. Alright, what about the mensch on a bench?
Ashley Elliott (19:02):
Minch?
Megan Dzialo (19:03):
The mensch on a bench.
Mike Carr (19:06):
I just think of it as a blowup Christmas scene for outside. So you see all these decorations now that folks have of sand in the reindeer. So this would be a bench with some kind of a Grinch figure or a minch like figure laying down on it lit up so that you’re driving by and you get another different kind of Christmas scene that you maybe never seen before.
Ashley Elliott (19:31):
So I think of Elf on a Shelf, so maybe it’s a play on that. Maybe it’s like an evil version. I don’t know if there’s an evil version of the Elf on a Shelf, but the opposite version, the arch nemesis of the Elf, maybe. I don’t know.
Megan Dzialo (19:45):
Okay, this is funny. So you’re on the right track, Ashley. So it is an elf on a shelf analog, but for Jewish and interfaith families, I don’t know how to say it’s the Mensch mosh. The mensch tells the story of Hanukkah and promotes the values of being a mensch. I don’t know what a mensch is,
Ashley Elliott (20:06):
But yeah, I didn’t, that’s why I probably went to evil, unfortunately so I apologize
Megan Dzialo (20:09):
Because it rhymes with Grinch.
Ashley Elliott (20:11):
Okay. Yes. That’s why
Megan Dzialo (20:12):
Why is my guess is where it took you to. So there’s Elf on a shelf, and in addition to Mensch on bench, there’s Shepherd on the search for Christians. The Shepherd is searching for baby Jesus. And then I discovered Snoop on a stoop. If you’re familiar with Snoop Dogg, a totally different direction. There’s Snoop on a Stoop
Ashley Elliott (20:32):
like a little version of him ? Interesting!
Megan Dzialo (20:35):
You can have your very own Snoop Dog on a stoop in your house. So there’s a lot of different naming versions that are pretty hilarious that are analogs of Elf on the Shelf. We’ll do a couple more. Let’s see. You might know this one. Scent Sickles.
Ashley Elliott (20:53):
Okay, I think I have these. They’re like, maybe I don’t have these, but they go on your tree and they make your tree smell like pine or whatever. And so you put ’em on. They’re like, I don’t know why they call ’em sickles, maybe because they look like icicles or popsicles, but they hang on an ornament and then they make the tree smell real.
Megan Dzialo (21:14):
I love that name. Yes, you’re exactly right. Yeah, they kind of look like icicles. They’re not as, but they’re real subtle. They’re kind of meant to hide in your tree, and they kind of make green and brown to hide in your tree to help it smell good.
Ashley Elliott (21:26):
So they do smell good.
Mike Carr (21:27):
I think that’s an example of a great name, right? I agree. You probably don’t have a ton of money to spend. You want the consumer to quickly get the idea. The biggest problem with artificial trees is one of the biggest problems that people complain about. It doesn’t smell like a real pine tree. And so this idea that you can hang these things, it looks sort of like a icicle. So they decorate your tree, but then they provide that pine scent. I think it’s a great product idea. And I think the name almost telegraphs what it is. You don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s pretty darn good. If you saw a picture of this, I think you definitely get the idea. So kudos to whomever came up with that name.
Megan Dzialo (22:08):
And they typically sell them next to Christmas trees. So that’s the other thing is the context in the store, the part of the store that it’s at. You’re buying your Christmas tree. There’s a whole stand of scent and sickles really easy to understand. Yeah. I’m going to grab one of these with my Christmas tree. So I’m going to run through a couple more of these, and then I have a couple of final Christmas questions for you guys. There’s eave drop, eave drop, our permanent Christmas light hangers. So instead of Eve’s drop, it’s talking about the eaves on your house. This word play pun going on there. There’s hoppy pos. So if you are a parent that loves to do some fun things with your kids in terms of having Santa’s footsteps through your house or reindeer, oh, that’s cool. Legs through your house. They have these stamps that you can buy and they do it for every season.
(22:55):
So there’s Easter Bunny too, I think maybe Tooth Fairy to where it’s like you can put these stamped feet in your house and they call them Hobby Paws. Elf yourself. I think both of you and most people, if you’ve been around for a while, have heard of Elf Yourself. And Mike, I think leave and sent you a Christmas card a few years ago where you get to put your face inside a digital card where you become an elf and they put music to it and you get to dance. And I love that name because of how edgy it is. Elf yourself may take you to the controversial f yourself, but that is the thing that draws you in, right? You’re like, what is this? And then it’s a lot of fun. Well, thanks for playing my game with me.
Ashley Elliott (23:38):
That was fun.
Megan Dzialo (23:39):
Good. So I have two great, very important holiday questions. What is your holiday movie? What movie should we be watching this holiday season?
Mike Carr (23:54):
Well, I really identified with Scrooge and the very old Christmas Carol. I think about Scrooge is actually pretty cool. I actually liked all, he’s got all this money and he’s counting it out. And then of course, I learned the errors of my ways when I was little, and I thought, oh, Scrooge is not as good a guy as he really should be, but that’s got to be my favorite. And certainly it’s one of the classics.
Megan Dzialo (24:23):
I actually saw that Christmas Carol play last week at Georgetown Palace, and now I’m going to think about you every time I think of Scrooge.
Mike Carr (24:32):
No, I don’t want to be equated to Scrooge. I’d rather be equated to someone else that’s a little bit more kind and charitable for sure.
Megan Dzialo (24:40):
Really, you look like Santa. You’re Santa right now, so that’s good.
Mike Carr (24:44):
And at the end, Scrooge turned out to be a pretty cool guy, so maybe that’s an okay association.
Ashley Elliott (24:49):
Yeah, no, my husband wanted an ATM for his birthday when he was four because it just gave out money and he didn’t understand the concept of it.
Mike Carr (24:56):
When he was four, when he was four, he wanted an ATM.
Ashley Elliott (24:58):
Always been an entrepreneur from the start.
Mike Carr (25:02):
What a great request. Can you imagine getting a request from your kid, mommy? I want an ATM for Christmas.
Ashley Elliott (25:09):
Pretty ingenious, I would say. I mean, I like the old Rudolph, like the clay animation one. I don’t know, I just think that’s classic. It’s when we always watched because we only had 12 channels growing up, so it was always on. So that’s the one I think. I don’t think my kids have watched it yet, but that’s one I would probably just watch just because it’s a classic, even though there are way more graphically accurate ones now.
Megan Dzialo (25:39):
Yeah, we,
Mike Carr (25:41):
Claymation is a cool name. When you think about what it actually was, animating, taking clay and turning it into animated figures. I mean, that’s an example of a name that it’s almost a new category name. There’s nothing else out there like it. And you’re claymation, why not? I mean, so great name for whomever came up with that one too.
Megan Dzialo (26:01):
So speaking of Claymation, there’s kind of a modern twist on it with a new holiday movie that came out this year, candy Cane Lane with, I think it’s with Eddie Murphy. We are trying to watch new holiday movies this year. I love the classics, like you said, Ashley, but I was like, we need to start adding a few more into our repertoire. So Candy Cane Lane is one I would recommend that has a little bit of modern claymation to it, which is neat. And then we also watched Violent Night, if you are.
Mike Carr (26:26):
Oh my gosh.
Megan Dzialo (26:28):
Yeah. I don’t know if I would recommend that one, but if you’re into violent movies, violent Night is a new one too,
Ashley Elliott (26:35):
Man.
Megan Dzialo (26:37):
Okay, my last question before we’re done, what is the one Christmas song you’d be happy to never hear again?
Ashley Elliott (26:45):
Oh, I know this one. Grandma got run over by a reindeer.
Megan Dzialo (26:49):
Yeah, so bad
Ashley Elliott (26:49):
I was in an Uber and I was listening and they had all these beautiful songs. Christmas was playing the radio and then all of a sudden it’s like Grandma got run over by a reindeer. And even the driver was like, I’m sorry, it’s so awkward when this one comes on. I’m like, yeah, it’s so awkward.
Megan Dzialo (27:07):
It’s bad. It’s so bad.
Ashley Elliott (27:09):
Not my favorite.
Mike Carr (27:10):
Well, one of the songs I like, but I guess my dislike is I can never remember all of it is the 12 Days of Christmas. I mean, by the time I get to the 11th day of Christmas, I’ve forgotten, or I mix up the eighth and the 10th and my wife always has to help me. Why can’t you remember? Because you’ve sung this like 10 times now and I just can’t. So I like the song, but it does challenge my feeble memory sometimes.
Megan Dzialo (27:37):
So then you need to watch Candy Cane Lane. It’s all about the 12 days of Christmas. It’ll help you remember. Okay, my least.
Mike Carr (27:46):
I would much rather watch Eddie Murphy over Violent Night. Holy cow. Megan, I can’t believe you. Were your kids watching violent Night?
Megan Dzialo (27:55):
No. No. This was kind of a way for me to try to bond with my husband who’s into movies like that
Ashley Elliott (28:02):
Action type stuff.
Megan Dzialo (28:03):
Very sacrificial on my part, I would say. Okay. My least favorite one is, I don’t even know if I know what it’s called, Christmas shoes. The Christmas shoes song where
Ashley Elliott (28:14):
I don’t know what that is.
Megan Dzialo (28:15):
It’s one of those songs or story songs of the kid or all he or the mom that’s dying and all she wants is a pair of shoes and the kid is, y’all don’t know this song?
Mike Carr (28:27):
No.
Megan Dzialo (28:28):
Good, good for y’all.
Ashley Elliott (28:31):
Don’t listen
Megan Dzialo (28:32):
To. You’re going to have to go listen to it. It’s like one of those songs that makes all the boomer moms cry. Oh yeah. Anyway, don’t listen to it. It’s bad. On that note, Mike, any last words from you? Santa Claus on, I don’t know, naming, holiday naming?
Mike Carr (28:52):
We just want anyone that listens or watches this podcast, they have a great holiday, whether that’s Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever your spiritual tradition is, we think it’s a really important time of year to get away from the stresses of work to reunite with family and friends, and just take a few days off and reconnect with why we’re all here. So best wishes for a wonderful holiday. Yeah.