Christmas Cousins

It’s finally here — our yearly Trader Joe’s Christmas Tasting episode, one of the most loved and most requested traditions on the show. Every year we dig into Trader Joe’s newest and weirdest holiday releases, and this year’s lineup might be the most interesting yet. And we’ve got a very special guest joining us: Chad’s dad, Uncle Barry, making his first official appearance on the show. He jumps i...

We did it — 250 episodes! Yes, somehow 47.83 million listeners (give or take… mostly give) have stuck with us through Christmases past, present, and future, and today we celebrate hitting the big 2-5-0 with a very on-brand episode: a wellness check on Cousin Seth’s holiday spirit. We’re deep in the season now, which means it’s time to evaluate how Seth’s Christmas Journey is going—especially since...

The holidays are officially in full swing, and the Christmas Cousins are celebrating the only way we know how—by cracking open some questionable seasonal brews with some people we love. Join Cousin Seth and Cousin Chad as they welcome back fan favorites:  Joe the Christmas Aficionado (holder of just as many festive opinions as he has ornaments),  Festive Bob (whose holiday spirit is legally measur...

Cousin Seth has created his first-ever Christmas playlist—a chaotic, heartfelt, earnest attempt at “learning the way” of Christmas music. So we called in reinforcements: Scott from the Christmas Morning Podcast, one of Chad’s all-time favorites and a certified guru of festive tunes. Together with Cousin Chad and Cousin Seth, we’ll break down the playlist track by track: what slaps, what needs savi...

Fan-favorite Cousin Chris from ChristmasEveryMinute.com is back — and as always, he did his homework. This time he arrives armed with a full list of festive missions tailored specifically for the Cousins: everything Cousin Seth can do in Chicago to keep the holiday spirit pumping, plus a few North Carolina-friendly ideas for Cousin Chad. Chris also brings updates on his ever-expanding website, tea...

It’s another Hallmark Happy Hour, and the holiday chaos continues! This week, Cousin Chad, Cousin Seth, Cousin Lee, Joe the Christmas Aficionado, and returning fan-favorite Brian from Deck The Hallmark crack open a few carefully selected beers to pair with Hallmark’s newest holiday adventure: Three Wiser Men, the latest entry in the Brennen Brothers saga. Will the movie leave us enlightened… or de...

It finally happened. The moment historians, podcasters, and Christmas movie fanatics have all been waiting for — the great Christmas Cousins x Deck the Hallmark Summit. Yes, the world’s jolliest diplomatic mission since Potsdam (but with slightly fewer world leaders and far more eggnog). Cousins Chad and Seth are joined by the entire Deck the Hallmark crew — Bran, Dan, and Brian — along with Cousi...

Wondering what to buy for the billionaire in your life? The Christmas Cousins have you covered. This week, Cousin Chad and Cousin Seth are joined by everyone’s favorite (and fabulously wealthy) Cousin Lee for a deep dive into Oprah’s Favorite Things 2025. From $400 slippers to gold-plated everything, we’re walking through Oprah’s closet — metaphorically, of course (the security guards wouldn’t let...

It’s the most caffeinated time of the year — the red cups are back, the peppermint is flowing, and Starbucks has officially declared it’s Christmas season. Cousin Chad and Cousin Seth bravely step into the holiday battlefield armed with nothing but caffeine tolerance and questionable judgment to try every new Starbucks holiday drink. Are they merry and bright — or just overhyped and overpriced? Fr...

Have you ever watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and thought, “Does anyone actually live in a place like that?” Well, wonder no more, Cousins! In this episode, we’re chatting with Samantha, who actually grew up in a real-life Hallmark town in Michigan and now spends her holidays in South Haven, MI, home of twinkling lights, lakeside charm, and @RechargeCoffee (where the cocoa flows like Christmas...

Grab your favorite holiday brew and prepare for another Hallmark Happy Hour! This time, the Cousins and crew are diving headfirst into the time-bending world of “A Newport Christmas” — a Hallmark time-travel movie that left us asking one important question:  Do we wish we could travel back in time and never have watched it… or was it actually a Christmas classic in disguise? We’re once again teami...

 Season 10 is here! Break out the tinsel, cue the carols, and—brace yourself—because Cousin Seth is finally tasting eggnog. That’s right, in a moment that could alter Christmas history (or at least disgust the lactose-intolerant), the long-awaited pumpkin eggnog showdown begins! But that’s just the first stocking stuffer in this holiday triple-header. Joining Cousin Chad are the full festive crew:...

Grab your cocoa (or should we say cuppa? ), because the Christmas Cousins are going international! This week, Cousin Chad welcomes back our favorite English cousin, Craig the Christmas Guy 365 , for a festive cultural exchange that’s part Downton Abbey , part Home Alone 2: Lost in Translation. First up: Halloween in the UK. Why do some Brits think it’s a bit too spooky—or too American? We dive int...

It’s a very special week on The Christmas Cousins Podcast , as we continue our crossover with our friends from The Christmas-Aficionado for the Hallmark Happy Hour! Cousin Chad is joined by the always-jolly Joe the Christmas Aficionado , the festive legend Cousin Lee , and a super special guest — Brian from Deck the Hallmark! Together, they’ll unwrap the much-anticipated new holiday movie “Merry C...

Ever wonder how those magical Christmas stores that stay open all year actually survive — or who’s shopping there in July? In this episode, the Christmas Cousins take a deep dive into the fascinating, slightly bonkers world of year-round Christmas shops ...and maybe an epic Cousin Seth story! From the iconic Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan — the world’s largest Christmas st...

The Christmas Cousins are back — and this time, it’s a full-on crossover event! Welcome to Hallmark Happy Hour, another collaboration with Joe the Christmas Aficionado, streaming live on his YouTube channel and later available right here on the podcast. We’re kicking off Hallmark’s 2025 Countdown to Christmas season in royal style with "A Royal Montana Christmas" — and pairing it with a...

The Christmas Cousins are officially kicking off the Countdown to Christmas season — and yes, it’s only October, but you know how we roll. In this festive catch-up episode, we dive into Hallmark Channel’s opening weekend lineup, swap early-season impressions, and see just how ready Cousin Seth really is to sleigh his way into the holidays. We also tackle one of the most important questions of the...

The Christmas Cousins are back — but this time, we’re swapping snowflakes for cobwebs! Returning guest Kerry Frances (actress, writer, director, singer and future Hollywood legend — you’ve seen her in Knives Out and more) joins us to dive into Hallmark’s biggest Halloween event yet , Haul Out the Halloween . We break down everything from the casting and chemistry to the pumpkin-filled plot, the co...

The Favorite Christmas Ever series rolls on — and this time, we’re joined by none other than Brian Herald , one of the beloved cohosts of Deck the Hallmark ! We get cozy and nostalgic as Brian takes us back to his most magical Christmas memories, the traditions that made him fall in love with the season, and the cozy chaos that makes the holidays so unforgettable (there's also a classic Cousin Set...

Welcome back Christmas Cousins! In this episode, we sit down with the one and only Brian Earl , the legendary host of Christmas Past and author " Of Christmases Long, Long Ago" . We unwrap Brian’s own Christmas origin story — how he fell in love with the season, why he finds it endlessly fascinating, and how he turned his passion into one of the most beloved holiday podcasts around. We a...

Move over, Homer. Cousin Seth embarks on his very own epic journey: the long-feared, long-awaited Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats Challenge. Like Ulysses facing sirens and cyclops, Seth battles spoonfuls of Trader Joe’s pumpkin oats — not one, not two, but three consecutive servings.!!! Will he conquer his culinary nemesis and return victorious to his own modern-day Ithaca (a Chicago townhouse...err,...

The Cousins (plus the legendary Lee, the King of All Superfans and the inimitable Joe @christmas_aficionado) head back to the Hallmark archives to pluck out a forgotten autumn “classic” — Growing the Big One (2010). Why this movie? No one knows. Did it give us cozy fall vibes or just confuse us like a corn maze after dark? Did they really “grow the big one”? Only one way to find out. It’s a hayrid...

The Christmas Cousins are back with a very special guest: renowned film critic and author Alonso Duralde ! He’s here to talk about the newly revised and updated edition of his essential holiday classic Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas . We dive into how this book can level up your holiday season (and maybe even convince Cousin Seth to finally start his Christmas movie homework). Along the wa...

It’s back. It’s bigger than ever. And yes, people around the world (okay, mostly our listeners) wait all year for it: the Trader Joe’s Fall Tasting Extravaganza! 🎃🍁 The Christmas Cousins are grabbing life by the fall once again, joined by Cousin Lee, as they dive headfirst into aisles of pumpkin-spiced madness. Will Seth survive the onslaught of gourds, cinnamon, and questionable novelty snacks?...

Yes, yes—we know. The Hallmark Channel dropped their brand-new Countdown to Christmas movie list days ago, and the entire internet has already screamed, swooned, or side-eyed their way through it. But here at the Christmas Cousins, we do things differently. Translation: we’re late. But being late has its perks. Because while everyone else has had their say, only we bring you the one-of-a-kind, com...