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Amy and Emily are back, and surprise! One of them is named Emily! (This probably isn't a surprise, huh?) The two go over the wild past year, when Amy was the first person Emily told she was a trans woman, but they also make lengthy pit stops to discuss the recent Norman Lear live TV event, the film A Simple Favor, and Emily's complete inability to properly summarize concerning Supreme Court cases. With music by Martin Denny and Ferrante & Teicher!

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It's our annual Christmas music mix, with minimal Todd and Amy and almost 80 minutes of tunes to open presents to, or navigate crowded airports to, or just hang out to. Enjoy! All links point to where you can buy the songs that are available for purchase, at sound quality much more agreeable than on a podcast, where we’ve had to cram the quality way down.

Track listing: 1.) Christmas greetings from Weird Al Yankovic 2.) "Silent Night," Huey “Piano” Smith 3.) A message from your hosts (backed by "The Boar's Head Carol," Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band) 4.) "The Little Drummer Boy," Salsoul Orchestra 5.) "Good King Wenceslas," The Singers Unlimited 6.) "In the Bleak Midwinter," The London Festival Choir 7.) "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" Louis Armstrong 8.) "The Blessings of Mary," Elizabeth Mitchell 9.) "Silver Bells," Alice Smith 10.) "Suzy Snowflake," Little Marcy 11.) "O Holy Night," Sufjan Stevens 12.) "We Need a Little Christmas," The Monterey Brass, featuring Mary Louise & The Michaels Brothers 13.) "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Michael Buble 14.) "The Secret of Christmas," Ella Fitzgerald 15.) "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," Rosanne Cash 16.) "Someday at Christmas," Stevie Wonder 17.) "Winter Wonderland," PJ Morton 18.) "Shepherd's Star," The Tudor Choir 19.) "Auld Lang Syne," The Yobs 20.) "Jingle Bells," The Hollyridge Strings 21.) "I Saw Three Ships," The Milton Street Revival Band 22.) "When the River Meets the Sea," Rose Polenzani with Session Americana 23.) "The Christmas Song," Leslie Odom, Jr. 24.) Another message from your hosts 25.) The Christmas Story, as read by Dick Van Dyke 26.) "The Spirit of Giving," The New Pornographers 27.) "Stille Nacht," The Bach Choir 28.) "Frosty John," Secret Santa 29.) "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," The Kickin Kazoos

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Todd and Amy reach the end of the road (almost) with their thoughts on one of their favorite of all Christmas songs, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." But if this song is so good, why are so many versions of it so bad? And why is Todd saying heretical things about Michael Buble? Plus: Stick around for Amy spoiling what presents she got her kid, William E. Studwell not particularly caring about this song, and Todd's last-second shopping. With music by Rosie Thomas and Aimee Mann!

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Todd and Amy are joined by Todd's wife and roommate Libby Hill, who wants to talk about "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," being a depressive 8-year-old, and just what it is about this haunting song that endures. Along the way, William E. Studwell will admit nobody really knows when this song was written (either a really long time ago or a... less really long time ago), Amy will try to remember some of the other Advent songs, and Todd will talk (again) about getting a nice Christmas dinner out of the house. With music by Billie Holiday and Kendall Payne!

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The year is almost over, so Todd wrangles Amy into talking about his favorite religious carol: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." But did you know no less than five people were responsible for the writing of this song? Or that it used to have a title that included the word "wellkin"? Well it did! We're also going to discover what Todd and his wife are doing for Christmas dinner and what Amy's been yelling at people in her office (mostly the names of Christmas carols). With music by Kate Rusby and Corky Hale!

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Todd and Amy talk about Darlene Love's immortal "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" but get sidetracked by discussion of talk shows (like you do), Todd's other podcast (like you do), and the Rosie O'Donnell Christmas album (which Amy would very much like to find under her tree this Christmas). Here on the shortest day of the year, don't you want to hear one of the all-time great songs of Christmas longing? And hear Todd realize about five minutes in that he doesn't have that much to say about this song? And hear Cher??? With music by Justin Wilson and AB & the Sea (featuring The Shes)!

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Todd and Amy talk about one of Todd's favorite songs ever written -- and that's only slight hyperbole -- when they discuss "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." They'll talk about why Todd loves this song so much, why William E. Studwell loves this song so much, and why this edition of the Spotify Game is the most perplexing yet (and also why Amy's reference to this particular game made yesterday's episode extra confusing). Also: Todd will teach you a life hack to make this song even more enjoyable, one he learned from a former coworker! With music by The Going Thing and Reverend Horton Heat!

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Todd and Amy are joined by Amy's friend Libby Wiebel, who can finally talk with Todd about what various musical symbols mean. The three of them dig in to "The Twelve Days of Christmas," pondering whether the "true love" gifts the song's narrator with just one partridge in a pear tree, or 12 spread across 12 days. They'll also discuss how boring this song can be, why that John Denver and the Muppets album was EVERYWHERE for a little while, and whether the song is a coded Christian message. They'll even check Snopes! With music by Speedomaster and Mabel Mercer!

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Todd and Amy take on that classic Christmas animal song, "Do You Hear What I Hear." They'd quibble slightly with William E. Studwell's classification of this song as being about animals, simply because it mentions a lamb, but they do enjoy the dulcet tones of Whitney Houston (who somehow never recorded a full Christmas album). Also, they'll delve into how many of the songs in this year's countdown were by couples and just why this is called "Do You Hear What I Hear" when that phrase doesn't appear until verse two! With music by Fat Daddy and the Living Strings & Living Voices, as well as a special appearance by Alec Guinness.

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Todd and Amy unexpectedly find themselves teaching the controversy again, now that they're talking all about "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," which apparently some people want to ban or something? The controversy is very, ahem, trumped up, but talking about it allows the two to delve into issues of problematic art and how to deal with it in our own lives. Then Todd rants about why he doesn't really like the Rankin-Bass special, while Amy holds it up as a great show for all the weird kids out there. With music by Luke Flowers and Sara and the Stanleys!

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Todd and Amy talk about one of Amy's favorite Christmas songs of all: "Go Tell It on the Mountain." But can it be a favorite when Amy can only remember the first two lines of the song? And is "Go Tell It on the Mountain" a good title for Todd's proposed Hallmark Christmas movie about lesbians falling in love at a ski resort? And is this the most William E. Studwell has ever liked a song in the history of this podcast? (It might be.) With music by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and Smokey Robinson!

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Good news, Amy fans! This is an Amy-heavy episode, as she reflects on playing podcasts for her coworkers, swearing in front of people who visit the church, and not enjoying the dulcet tones of children singing. Todd, meanwhile, reads a very cantankerous entry from William E. Studwell on "Away in a Manger," the day's carol, and then the two play an incredibly dispiriting round of the Spotify game, in which men, once again, shove women aside. With music by Palast Orchester and Mahalia Jackson!

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Todd and Amy talk about John Lennon and Yoko Ono's classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." But did you know Jimmy Buffett covered the song? And Celine Dion? And... a lot of other people, too? Also: Amy reflects on all the times this song has helped her through tumultuous periods in America's political life, while Todd attempts to explain his love for the Polyphonic Spree (poorly). Also: What are you reading? And the Spotify game! With music by the Beatles and Snowden!

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Todd and Amy discuss "White Christmas," one of the most popular songs ever recorded, though possibly not as popular as "Candle in the Wind '97." (Just kidding. It's totally more popular than that song!) Along the way, they discuss the horrible elements of the movie that gave birth to this song, play a very dispiriting round of the Spotify game, and attempt to summarize what they've learned about -- again -- one of the most popular songs ever recorded. With music by Elizabeth Mitchell and The Candy Store!

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Todd and Amy talk "What Child Is This," which is not as old as you think it is, though its melody ("Greensleeves") is ancient. However, Todd would take issue with William E. Studwell's claim that it's one of the most beloved melodies in all of the western canon. Also: Amy doesn't like marriage, but Todd does, and a long-teased cliffhanger finally pays off. Also, we ask the most pressing question of all -- just... uh... what child is this? With music by The Gothard Sisters and Fisher!

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Todd and Amy get together to talk "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Todd extols the virtues of being snowbound. Amy extols the virtues of not having to have anybody else around you. Then Todd discovers that Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne are his favorite people to ever have lived and shares some memories of what he thought romance must be like when he was a fifth grader. Amy is mostly along for the ride in this one. With music by Martin Sexton and the Eddie Higgins Trio!

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Todd and Amy tackle one of the hottest debates of the season: In "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," is Mommy kissing the real Santa or her husband DRESSED as Santa? The answer, at first, seems obvious. But then Todd and Amy start asking the real questions and disappear down a labyrinth of terrifying possibilities. At least they got what sounds like a super sweet screenplay idea out of the whole thing! With music by Dan Marshall and The Three Suns!