TRANSCRIPT
Office Ladies | Episode 273.1 – Holiday Chit Chat with Kate Flannery
Jenna [00:00:04] I'm Jenna Fischer,
Angela [00:00:05] and I'm Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:00:06] We were on The Office together,
Angela [00:00:08] and we're best friends.
Jenna [00:00:09] And now we're doing the ultimate Office lover's podcast, just for you.
Angela [00:00:13] Each week, we will dive deeper into the world of The Office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.
Jenna [00:00:21] We're the Office Ladies 6.0.
audio cue [00:00:22] [classic Office Ladies musical sting transitions into swinging saxophone music]
singer [00:00:29] There's this cool cat that I hang out with at Christmas. Never knew how to pronounce his last name.
[00:00:36] [singing] Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen / When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even / Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel / When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel
Angela [00:00:54] Woo-hoo, ho-ho-ho, happy holidays, everyone!
Jenna [00:00:57] Happy holidays! We are listening to a song on the album "Swingin' Little Christmas" by Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery, our guest here today.
Kate [00:01:06] Heyyyy.
Jenna [00:01:06] Kate, welcome! Oh my gosh, you are putting me in the holiday spirit.
Kate [00:01:11] I'll try not to sing everything today. So good to see you guys!
Angela [00:01:13] So good to see you!
Jenna [00:01:14] So good to see you! Thank you, thank you for joining us on our holiday chit chat episode. Here's what we're gonna do today, everyone. We are gonna talk about the holidays on The Office. We're gonna talk about holidays, in general, and all kinds of other stuff. We're so excited to have you, Kate. You have dressed for the occasion.
Angela [00:01:30] You took the assignment. You're like, "I'm on it, ladies." You look amazing!
Kate [00:01:35] Thank you so much. I do not phone it in, even on a podcast. I bring it 300%, whether you like it or not.
Angela [00:01:43] I love anyone that embraces a theme.
Kate [00:01:45] You guys, I might be drunk from last night. No, no, I just, I was like, you know what? Come on, we're talking about Christmas. I mean, every Christmas party, if anybody's ever worked in any kind of establishment that had a party once a year in December, you know what's going on. We gotta celebrate.
Angela [00:02:02] You got your outfit. I mean, I might have worn red velvet pants to a Christmas party one time.
Kate [00:02:08] You got your cute little sweater on.
Angela [00:02:10] I have my Christmas sweater on.
Kate [00:02:12] With your mini Cooper with a Christmas tree on top
Angela [00:02:15] It's like a ye olde card. With a Christmas tree on top. You, too, could wear this if you went to Marshall's last year.
Kate [00:02:23] And Jenna's got her black plaid jacket with Christmas earrings
Jenna [00:02:26] My Christmas earrings that you said look like Christmas earrings at Meredith wore.
Kate [00:02:31] They look like Christmas balls, like, the tiny ones that you take off the tree and you try to put in your ear when you're younger and realize it's a bad idea.
Angela [00:02:38] The same Christmas balls that Angela Martin smashed in the snow and screeched. Yeah. Your tartan jacket is super cute, though.
Jenna [00:02:46] Okay, lady, you gave me that jacket.
Angela [00:02:49] I know. I know I did.
Jenna [00:02:49] Do you remember? Because you complimented it today as if you'd never seen it before.
Angela [00:02:53] I do, we have matching ones. I bought myself one as well.
Kate [00:02:56] You both have great taste.
Angela [00:02:58] Thank you, or do I?
Kate [00:02:59] Let's get that out of the way right now, because that's what we're thinking. So let's say it, but it's true. They're so cute.
Jenna [00:03:05] Well, listen, let's get to it today. We are gonna talk about holidays on the Office, holidays in general, all kinds of other stuff unrelated to the holidays. We're so excited to have you.
Kate [00:03:16] Guys, I'm so excited to be here. Office Ladies forever.
Angela [00:03:20] That's right. And we are gonna kick things off with a question from Cindy. Let's hear from her.
Cindy [00:03:26] Hi, this is Cindy from Fort Worth, and I'd love to hear how you get ready for the holidays.
Jenna [00:03:31] Alright, how do we get ready for the holidays, ladies?
Kate [00:03:35] For me, I actually tour every holiday, every December. Well, actually right after Thanksgiving. So I have to put my stuff up before Thanksgiving or late Thanksgiving night. I tour with Jane Lynch because we did a Christmas album 10 years ago. So we're very busy in December. We're bringing Christmas to people. It's a huge responsibility.
Angela [00:03:54] It's so great though. Your show is wonderful. I have been. It's such a blast.
Kate [00:03:58] Yeah, it's like a Christmas concert. It's our album, A Swingin' Little Christmas, if you can't see it in person. But you know what, it it's fun. I feel like it forces me to do it early because I always want to come home and I would feel terrible if my place didn't look like Christmas when I got home. So I have to step it up.
Jenna [00:04:13] You have to decorate before you go on tour.
Kate [00:04:15] I have to, because I'd be so bummed when I came home and be like...
Jenna [00:04:18] Also, your tour is how other people can get ready for the holidays.
Kate [00:04:22] This is true and people do. Yeah, usually we're the first thing that they're seeing for the holidays because we literally start the day after Thanksgiving, so...
Angela [00:04:29] I play your CD. I still have the CD.
Kate [00:04:33] You might have to get a new car, Ange.
Angela [00:04:34] I played your Christmas album. I should say, you know what I mean?
Kate [00:04:37] Yes, because we're on Spotify and iTunes. No, no, it's fun. It's fun to listen to. I know. I'm just like, I actually have it on vinyl too, you guys. It's limited edition on vinyl.
Jenna [00:04:46] Can I get the vinyl? Because we play records on Christmas morning.
Kate [00:04:49] Yes, I know you do. Let me talk to my people.
Angela [00:04:52] Talk to your people because Jack plays records for us because his bedroom's right off the kitchen. He cranks it and we all...
Kate [00:04:58] I'll make it happen. And maybe if he becomes a DJ, he can [makes DJ scratching noises].
Angela [00:05:04] Well, for me getting ready for the holidays is putting up the tree. That's when I feel like things have started and I feel festive. But my hot tip is you don't have to do it all on the same day. Because for us, we have a fakie tree, okay? And it's out in the shed. That means we've got to dig it out and dig out all the ornaments and all my throw pillows. I love a festive throw pillow. Just give it to me. I mean, you're saying that as if you don't also love a festive throw blanket. Exactly. I have Christmas blankets, bedding, anyways.
Kate [00:05:35] Where does it end, Angela? Where does this end? This is an intervention. I'm not here for Christmas. I know, I have my Christmas. I'm here to...
Angela [00:05:41] I have my Christmas village, get very excited about.
Jenna [00:05:45] I love your village.
Angela [00:05:46] It's so cute and the kids help me set it up.
Kate [00:05:47] It takes a village to celebrate Christmas.
Angela [00:05:49] It does, and the kids set it all out. But anyway, what I've learned is that if we try to do it all in one day, someone has a meltdown.
Kate [00:05:56] Always, always.
Angela [00:05:57] And it's usually Josh, because he's the one that has to dig everything out. So he's like, "Let's just get it all out, I'll get the tree up and then we're done. Then, we decorate the next day." So that's how we do it.
Kate [00:06:07] That sounds very sensible, and usually Christmas is not very sensible for most people. You feel like a child and you have to do it the way your mother did, in some way.
Angela [00:06:15] That's so true, right?
Kate [00:06:17] I grew up in a household where we only got the tree a couple days before, because we always had a real tree. So if you get it too early, then you can't leave it up until the end of January.
Jenna [00:06:25] I know.
Kate [00:06:26] Exactly.
Jenna [00:06:27] Yeah, but that's such a good point; managing the traditions that you grew up with, versus the traditions that actually work for your life.
Angela [00:06:35] Yeah.
Kate [00:06:36] Right.
Jenna [00:06:36] Like, it wouldn't work for you to wait, you have to put it-
Kate [00:06:38] No, I get home too late, and then I usually fly to Philadelphia to see my family.
Jenna [00:06:40] Exactly.
Kate [00:06:42] Yeah, yeah, I'm all over the place.
Jenna [00:06:43] It's a busy time.
Kate [00:06:44] It's crazy. But I love the fact that you're figuring out the sanity. Whatever, whatever you need to do.
Angela [00:06:49] Whatever you need do. When you put your tree up is a hot debate online. I don't know if you know this. People get real strong opinions about it. I read a survey in "Good Housekeeping." Do you wanna know what it said?
Jenna [00:07:01] Yeah.
Kate [00:07:02] Please.
Angela [00:07:03] Okay, most folks put up their tree at some point between December 2nd and December 23rd. They also found that a common theme, is that one in four people say they put up there tree on December 1st. But they did note that putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it is becoming an earlier and earlier tradition.
Jenna [00:07:22] I know people who put their trees up before Thanksgiving. You know, my mom has to put up her tree before Thanksgiving because when we go home to visit, we visit on Thanksgiving. We don't visit on Christmas, but we celebrate Christmas. We do a Thanksmas. One day is Thanksgiving, one day is Christmas.
Angela [00:07:38] See, I'm fascinated by this.
Kate [00:07:41] Chrisgiving?
Jenna [00:07:41] Yes! So she puts up all her Christmas decorations -
Kate [00:07:45] Love it.
Jenna [00:07:46] - in time for Thanksgiving, so that we can go and open gifts in a festive manner.
Angela [00:07:50] Oh, I like that!
Kate [00:07:50] I know some people that never take down their lights, ever.
Angela [00:07:55] And that's okay, and that's okay.
Kate [00:07:56] Is it?
Angela [00:07:57] [laughing] I don't know, Kate. Is it?
Jenna [00:08:00] Wait, I saw something, I saw a meme online, or something ,that was like, "The great thing about November," oh my god am I gonna? I'm butchering it, but they were like, "The great thing about November is you see the trans-" Forget it. "You see the transition."
Angela [00:08:15] Don't give up! Stick with it!
Kate [00:08:17] You got this.
Jenna [00:08:18] It was like something like, "The great things about November is you see all the people in your neighborhood who have left up their halloween decorations and then all the people who already have Christmas up, and you can see very clearly who's type A and type B in your neighborhood. And to make a note for later."
Angela [00:08:32] And that is very funny. That is very,
Kate [00:08:35] That's hilarious.
Angela [00:08:35] because I do judge; if it's, like, mid November and you have a few skeletons in the front yard, I'm like, "Get it together."
Jenna [00:08:41] [laughing] Exactly.
Kate [00:08:42] My brief six months living in Brooklyn, there would be cobwebs on the pilgrims on people's lawns. I was like, "Oh, wow, you actually got pilgrims for Thanksgiving," which I thought was ambitious. But they doubled up on Halloween and Thanksgiving at the same time. Which is interesting.
Angela [00:08:58] Combo.
Kate [00:08:59] It's an interesting part of the brain that I don't have.
Angela [00:09:01] Zombie pilgrims.
Jenna [00:09:03] I don't want to tell people what to do, but I started decorating... A good amount of my Halloween decorations are just pumpkins and fall. Then I sprinkle in a few skeletons and then when you take the skeletons away, boom. They're already decorated for Thanksgiving.
Angela [00:09:19] I do the same thing.
Kate [00:09:19] Love it.
Jenna [00:09:21] It's, like, double decorating.
Angela [00:09:22] It's a double deck-erating.
Kate [00:09:23] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Multitasking
Angela [00:09:26] One last tidbit from Good Housekeeping, because I thought this was interesting. So, you know, in ye olden times (like, way, way back, ye old in times), Christmas decorations wouldn't be put up until the last possible moment because people decorated their trees with edible items like gingerbread, chocolates, other sweets. They were all hung on the branches with ribbon. That continued into the Victorian times. Most people didn't put up their tree until, like, Christmas Eve to preserve the tree.
Kate [00:09:53] Totally. And actually my parents, when they first got married, they used to do that. I'm one of seven kids, so my oldest sister is, like, 13 and a half years older than me. So when they were little, they would go to sleep Christmas Eve with no tree and then wake up. And it was like, "What?" So it was like Santa brought the tree.
Jenna [00:10:11] That's what I was gonna say. Wasn't there a thing, for a while, where Santa brought the treat? Could you imagine, as a parent?
Kate [00:10:17] Oh my gosh, no, my parents never slept.
Jenna [00:10:20] In addition to everything else?!
Kate [00:10:20] They never slept on Christmas Eve.
Jenna [00:10:22] Put a whole tree up with food on it?!
Angela [00:10:25] While you're assembling a dollhouse? Ugh.
Kate [00:10:30] Yes! Bringing out the bike... But you gotta wait for Santa for the rest of it, but boy you really gotta... You gotta have Santa's cookies. You gotta do it, right? It's another reason to drink, you guys.
Angela [00:10:39] [laughing] Meredith is here!
Jenna [00:10:41] You'll always find a reason, Meredith.
Kate [00:10:43] Guys, you know, my dad had a bar. So the apple doesn't fall far from the alcoholic tree.
Angela [00:10:48] [laughing] Just stop.
Jenna [00:10:49] This is not true about you, in real life.
Angela [00:10:50] This is not true, you are one of the most sensible people.
Kate [00:10:51] I'm not afraid of a party, you know. If I get invited, I'm usually... there.
Angela [00:10:55] You are fun, but incredibly responsible. But I do have to ask you, Jenna, because I know you guys have traditions in St. Louis, and now I've learned about Thanks-Christmas? Is that how you say it?
Jenna [00:11:08] No. Thanksmas.
Angela [00:11:09] Thanksmas, it's so easy.
Jenna [00:11:10] Lady, I told you. You're saying you've learned about it, I've told you about Thanksmas a million times.
Angela [00:11:14] No, no, no. No, I know the tradition. I didn't know you called it "Thanksmas."
Jenna [00:11:19] I've talked about it on the podcast before.
Angela [00:11:20] You've never called it thanksmas.
Jenna [00:11:22] I have. It's OK.
Angela [00:11:23] Has she really? It didn't stick with me, clearly.
Jenna [00:11:29] [laughing] It clearly did not.
Angela [00:11:30] Be more interesting! No, I'm kidding. Let me pivot differently.
Jenna [00:11:36] [laughing] Don't pivot, this is staying in. This is an insight into my friendship with Angela Kinsey.
[00:11:41] [laughing] You stop it!
Kate [00:11:45] Aww, you guys. I blame myself.
Angela [00:11:46] No, no, no.
Kate [00:11:47] I do.
Jenna [00:11:48] Oh my God. Angela, you, of course, you're the most thoughtful and wonderful friend. You just forgot that I called it Thanksmas. Even though I've been calling it that for 20 years. Fine, don't worry about it. Let it go. We're letting it go!
Angela [00:12:00] Okay.
Kate [00:12:01] I prefer "Chrisgiving" but is that just me? I think we need to take a survey. I think I'm going to ask everybody.
Jenna [00:12:06] I can pivot to Chrisgiving. Chrisgiving?
Kate [00:12:09] Although it sounds like, it sounds like there's a guy named Chris who's just pretty generous.
Jenna [00:12:13] He's given me stuff.
Angela [00:12:14] Now Chris giving, I'll remember. No, I'm kidding. Okay, so what are some other traditions, Jenna, that you do to prep for the holidays?
Jenna [00:12:23] Well, my big prep for holidays... I shop early.
Angela [00:12:26] Now, I know this about you.
Kate [00:12:28] I'm so jealous. I really am.
Jenna [00:12:28] When I say early, my mom, Anne Fischer, she starts shopping in July.
Kate [00:12:35] Wow.
Angela [00:12:35] July?
Jenna [00:12:35] Oh, yeah. Because she would do a lot of shopping at the Lake of the Ozark outlet malls, which is now gone. But she would always find little treasures in the summer and she squirrels them away in her closet.
Angela [00:12:51] Does she forget about any of them?
Jenna [00:12:53] Yes!
Angela [00:12:54] Okay.
Jenna [00:12:54] Very often, she'll find something in March, when she's doing spring cleaning, and then she'll stick it in the mail. She'll be like, "I'm so sorry. I forgot I bought you a scarf. It was a Christmas present."
Kate [00:13:07] I'm glad she's not a hoarder and I'm glad she didn't keep it because, maybe unconsciously, she just wanted more stuff for herself. But that's clearly not the case. Good for her.
Jenna [00:13:14] This has rubbed off on me and I find the Black Friday shopping after Thanksgiving, if I wait that long to get the bulk of my gifts,
Angela [00:13:24] So stressful.
Jenna [00:13:24] I feel stressed out. I don't like that. I kind of actually like to shop and get almost all of my shopping done in October and November.
Kate [00:13:33] You guys, I'm a Christmas Eve shopper. I really am sometimes.
Jenna [00:13:36] Kate.
Kate [00:13:36] I know, I know. I know!
Jenna [00:13:38] You're at the mall, just, in person?
Kate [00:13:39] Yeah, and I feel like ever since high school; I would go into the city in Philadelphia from the burbs and deal with all the "there's only one box left" and someone screaming at someone else in line.
Angela [00:13:50] Do you like the chaos? Maybe you like throwing some elbows.
Kate [00:13:55] I didn't think I did. I don't know. I'm just addicted to trouble. I don't know. I don't know!
Angela [00:14:00] I want that on a pillow for you.
Jenna [00:14:04] Well, ladies, I feel like we've covered Cindy's question. Should we go to Maggie M. in Maryland? She sent us a really fun Meredith question.
Angela [00:14:13] Okay.
Maggie [00:14:15] Hi Office Ladies. I love it when you break down fan theories and I was wondering if you could discuss whether Meredith represents Pam's future if she had married Roy instead of Jim. Thank you!
Jenna [00:14:26] [laughing] Have you heard this fan theory?
Kate [00:14:27] I have not, but I kind of love it.
Jenna [00:14:29] It's sort of amazing, right? And don't you feel like the whole "Lice" episode was a little bit of a glimpse into Pam's life if she didn't have a supportive husband at home,
Angela [00:14:43] A good partner, yeah.
Jenna [00:14:43] because Jim was away. You know, Roy would have been totally absent, I think.
Angela [00:14:47] He would have on his wave runners.
Jenna [00:14:49] Exactly, with his brother. And her and Meredith really bond.
Kate [00:14:53] This is true, there's nothing like a little, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" karaoke.
Jenna [00:14:57] I know.
Angela [00:14:59] Kate, I just recently came across a ton of pictures of you from that episode. Do you know that you went around to every single cast member and took a picture with them?
Kate [00:15:09] I remember, yeah.
Angela [00:15:09] Oh my gosh, I actually have them on my computer.
Kate [00:15:12] I'm sure some of them were like, "It's OK. I don't need my picture with you today."
Angela [00:15:15] They are amazing. One of my favorites, though, and you'll have to tell us if Chris took this. It's just you playing solitaire, but you have no hair.
Kate [00:15:27] He might have, yeah. You guys, I don't know if you know, my boyfriend, Chris Haston, was the photographer on The Office, and he was the chief stills guy at NBC for years. He shot a ton of shows, "Seinfeld" and "Friends," everything, even "The Golden Girls" and "Johnny Carson."
Angela [00:15:40] Look at this one, in the conference room.
Kate [00:15:41] Oh my god. Hilarious.
Angela [00:15:42] Look at your face. You're cracking yourself up.
Jenna [00:15:45] I mean, every time I see that bald cap work, it is just masterful. I can't believe it.
Kate [00:15:51] It was crazy. The artist that did it, his name is Ed French. He teaches other makeup artists how to do the bald cap because he did the blood vessels. He did the stubble.
Angela [00:16:01] Look, he did little tiny moles because we all have moles on our scalp.
Jenna [00:16:06] The work he did was amazing.
Kate [00:16:08] Such an artist. Yeah, he's really incredible. I mean, he has done famous - Like, there's a Star Trek movie from 1980 where there's a bald woman in it. I can't remember her character's name, but she's on the poster and he did that bald cap.
Jenna [00:16:19] Wow.
Kate [00:16:19] Yeah, Ed French. He's unbelievable. So yeah, it was worth the four and a half hours, every morning, to get into that.
Angela [00:16:24] Four and a half hours, Kate?!
Kate [00:16:24] And then it took almost three to get out of it.
Angela [00:16:27] Stop. I didn't realize you were in there...
Kate [00:16:29] I have new respect for all my sci-fi actor friends who have weird makeup every day.
Angela [00:16:33] So what was your call time then?
Kate [00:16:35] I never left, I just would sleep in those - No, I'm kidding.
Jenna [00:16:38] I mean, kind of true.
Angela [00:16:40] It's just like, "Can I just wear it home, at this point?"
Kate [00:16:42] Honest to God, I know. It would have been faster. I think it was literally, like, 3:45am. It was early, or four.
Angela [00:16:48] Wow.
Kate [00:16:48] Yeah, it's was early. But you know, I mean, it was worth it. I didn't wanna shave my head for real, so...
Jenna [00:16:54] Yeah!
Angela [00:16:54] Oh my gosh.
Kate [00:16:56] It's alright.
Angela [00:16:57] How about this ladies, why don't we take a break and when we come back, we're gonna talk about our favorite The Office holiday memories.
Jenna [00:17:04] I like this idea.
Kate [00:17:05] Love it.
Angela [00:17:05] Okay.
audio cue [00:17:05] [musical outro/intro]
Jenna [00:17:16] Alright, I wanna chat now about the Office holiday memories. Kate, what Office holiday moment do you hear about most from fans that has to do with your character on the holidays? Is there a quote, is there a scene?
Kate [00:17:31] In the first Christmas episode, there's two. But the first is my talking head.
Angela [00:17:36] And people always-
Kate [00:17:37] They always quote it. Some of it was written and a little bit of it was improvised and I was really happy that my improv part made it in.
Angela [00:17:45] Oh, I think we should hear it.
Jenna [00:17:46] Let's hear it.
Angela [00:17:47] Let's grab it.
audio clip - Madge [00:17:48] The deal is that this is my last hurrah because I made a New Year's resolution that I'm not going to drink anymore during the week.
Kate [00:17:56] I just added the "during the week."
Jenna [00:17:58] You added "during the week?!"
Angela [00:17:59] That's the best part! Oh my gosh! That's the zinger of it!
Jenna [00:18:06] Kate! That's the whole thing! Oh, it's brilliant.
Kate [00:18:08] We have the best writers in TV, though. I always think, whenever I improvise on the show and it makes it on, I'm like, "Oh, because the writers literally tilled the soil, laid the bricks."
Angela [00:18:22] They tee'd you up, yeah.
Kate [00:18:22] "They laid a carpet, they put a brass band down the path before I got there and I take two extra steps and that's what happens." Yeah.
Jenna [00:18:30] Amazing.
Angela [00:18:31] It's so true though, because we've had such a great foundation.
Kate [00:18:35] Yeah, they just set us up perfectly. So if anything you had in your mind that might work or take it to another level... It was a dream.
Angela [00:18:42] It was a dream.
Jenna [00:18:43] Totally.
Kate [00:18:45] And then, of course, the scene where Meredith walks in and takes her top off and Michael Scott takes a picture.
Jenna [00:18:52] That's the one I thought, "I bet people...."
Kate [00:18:56] So happy to hear that in an airport, you guys. Thanks so much.
Angela [00:18:58] Oh, no!
Kate [00:18:59] Keep it coming.
Angela [00:19:00] What do they say? How do they do it?
Kate [00:19:02] "Hey, I remember when you took your top off in front of Michael-"
Angela [00:19:06] Oh my gosh.
Kate [00:19:07] I'm in Boston Airport, Logan. It's like, [doing Boston accent] "Remebah when ya took your top off? Yeah, hey." And my parents are so proud.
Jenna [00:19:18] Angela, what about you?
Angela [00:19:20] Oh man, I mean, my character had a bunch of Christmas-like moments because the party planning committee, right? We already talked about this, but when I throw the ornaments in the parking lot and smash them.
Kate [00:19:32] The best.
Angela [00:19:32] People love that.
Kate [00:19:33] The screech is, like, insane
Angela [00:19:35] You know, here's the thing, the screech was real. They were supposed to give me ornaments that shatter. Like, breakable ornaments. And I don't know what happened, but they got the wrong ones and those were plastic. So the first time I threw it on the ground with everything I had, expecting it to shatter and it bounced right back up like a tennis ball. I couldn't break them. I physically couldn't break them.
Jenna [00:20:01] Is that why you stomp them?
Angela [00:20:03] That's why I stomp them and shriek, because I'm like, "****ing break!" There was a guy on the roof, doing the snow, and Charles McDougal was like, "Are we going to get this shot or not?"
Kate [00:20:14] Our director was so great.
Angela [00:20:16] He was so great.
Kate [00:20:16] Loved him so much.
Angela [00:20:17] He was, but I knew if the ornaments didn't break, it wouldn't make it in. I really wanted that moment to make it in.
Kate [00:20:22] Totally, and it was such a great moment. Oh my god. It's chilling. It so leads to that Christmas frustration where it's like you end up being the opposite of what you want to be; which is happy and merry and kind. I don't know. I feel like most people have one - Especially if you're a woman, you have a moment where you're like, "Uh, why isn't this going perfectly?"
Jenna [00:20:46] "Why isn't it working?!" Yeah.
Angela [00:20:46] Yeah, I think the fact that they bounced and then I had to step on them actually played up the frustration. Then I would say I have two other ones: one is when my character sings "Little Drummer Boy," and then Dwight helps her out. People love Little Drummer Boy, you guys.
Kate [00:21:04] You just recreated it at the con.
Angela [00:21:06] I did! At the fan convention, Rainn and I did that.
Kate [00:21:10] So funny.
Angela [00:21:11] And then the quote people say, the first time someone said it to me, I had forgotten that my character said it. And I was like, "What?" But I literally had someone say this to me: "I'm not gonna judge Phyllis for desecrating Christmas. There is one person who will though, and Phyllis just stuffed him into a drawer." And I was literally at the mall, and I was like, "What, Phyllis did who, huh?"
Kate [00:21:33] Oh my God.
Angela [00:21:34] But yeah, that's when Phyllis is in charge of the party and she shoves my nativity scene into my drawer.
Kate [00:21:41] Oh my god. Yes.
Angela [00:21:43] So yeah, okay, wait. Jenna what about you?
Jenna [00:21:45] Well, I have one thing that comes back to me every holiday season and it's this: you know that talking head of Pam, I think she's in the break room. She says, "If you use more than three pieces of tape to wrap a gift, you're doing it wrong."
Angela [00:22:00] Oh wow.
Jenna [00:22:01] People send me that it, haunts me. When I'm wrapping gifts, I think of this thing that Pam said and I'm like, "I guess I'm doing it wrong because I need more than three pieces of tape."
Angela [00:22:14] It's ridiculous. Three pieces of tape?
Jenna [00:22:16] I mean...
Angela [00:22:17] So it's like, one on the one end on the other end and one in the middle?
Jenna [00:22:20] Yeah.
Angela [00:22:20] That's it, that's all you're supposed to use?
Jenna [00:22:23] My dad could do it. My dad, when he wraps a gift, he will line up the paper. He'll cut it so that it's, like, a seamless transition in the print, you know?
Kate [00:22:34] Is your dad a magician?
Jenna [00:22:37] He's an engineer.
Kate [00:22:38] Ohhhhhh. Smarty pants.
Jenna [00:22:39] Yeah.
Angela [00:22:39] So that matters to him.
Jenna [00:22:41] He wraps all the gifts in the family. My mom buys all the gifts, my dad wraps all of the gifts. This is their partnership.
Angela [00:22:48] That's very cute.
Kate [00:22:48] That's a perfect marriage. Literally, literally.
Angela [00:22:50] My mom is a bow master, guys.
Kate [00:22:54] Wow.
Jenna [00:22:54] Does she do the homemade bows?
Angela [00:22:55] Homemade bows. She does homemade bows, but she'll get a red and black plaid bow to go on the brown parchment so it pops. But then one time, she got a little tiny red cardinal bird and made a little nest and put the red cardinal in the nest on top of the bow. I don't even want to open it. It's so beautiful.
Kate [00:23:20] Aww, well your mom did homemade bows, my dad actually made homemade booze. We have so much in common. Seriously, he would make the most amazing eggnog. Like, it was lethal.
Jenna [00:23:29] Like a boozy eggnog?
Kate [00:23:30] But he would make the actual eggnog, with the eggs. Like, he would do the whole thing.
Angela [00:23:34] Oh wow.
Kate [00:23:35] And he would always give it to the nuns and the priests. The meanest nuns would be like, "Oh, Mr. Flannery," all of a sudden they'd be so nice and they'd really flirt with him.
Jenna [00:23:42] "We're so happy to see you."
Kate [00:23:43] "We got your gift." I'm like, "What did you give them?" As a kid, I was like, "She's got another personality, what's happening?"
Angela [00:23:50] "What's in the eggnog, dad?"
Kate [00:23:52] But it's truly, truly magic, yeah. Totally.
Jenna [00:23:54] Well, listen, speaking of gift wrapping; I had to reach out to Kendra Adachi (you know her as the lazy genius) because she has an amazing tradition for wrapping gifts at the holidays that, lady, I think you're gonna like, especially.
Angela [00:24:08] Really?
Jenna [00:24:09] Yes.
Angela [00:24:09] Okay, let's do it.
Jenna [00:24:10] She sent in an audio clip explaining her holiday gift wrapping tradition.
Kendra [00:24:16] Hey Jenna and Angela, it's Kendra from the Lazy Genius podcast. Okay, Angela, I heard that you might really like something that I do every Christmas season. So I love giving gifts and we have a large family and I wrap every stocking stuffer, because maybe I'm crazy. But the point is, there are a lot of gifts to wrap. Now I do enjoy wrapping, but it can get monotonous when you're just in a fever dream of cutting paper and pulling off pieces of tape. So I like to make it more enjoyable. I feel that way about a lot of potentially annoying things. Do something fun while you're doing something less fun. The fun math is better that way. So here's what I do every year when I wrap presents: I watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.
[00:25:04] It's the only time of the year I watch it. I look forward to it, kind of to a ridiculous degree every single year. It makes wrapping presents, which sometimes could feel like a chore (especially when life is busy and the night has finally arrived and I just want to relax) and then I remember, "Oh wait, I get to be with Aragorn and the rest of them," but really only Aragorn because he's the one I care about. It just makes this season that much more magical and special because it's the only time I watch those movies. It's just so fun. And a little birdie told me that maybe you would think that idea is fun as well. Happy holidays, ladies. We'll see you soon.
Angela [00:25:47] Oh my gosh, Sam and I were literally, like, air high-fiving. That is amazing, Kendra. That is amazing!
Jenna [00:25:56] Isn't that such a great idea? To have this, whatever it is, this movie or a whole movie series...
Kate [00:26:03] Nerd alert. Totally.
Jenna [00:26:04] You know it's gonna carry you through all your gift wrapping.
Kate [00:26:08] I don't think I have enough gift wrapping to get through a trilogy of Lord of the Rings.
Angela [00:26:14] I have such a new vision of Kendra, as she's wrapping a gift for her child and the orcs are like [makes gnashing sounds].
Kate [00:26:26] I used to wait on Peter Jackson and Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom when they would come back from their breaks. They would come into the restaurant where I worked, like, the restaurant job I still had when I worked the first season of The Office.
Angela [00:26:38] Kate Manilini!
Kate [00:26:39] Yes, and they would come in, Brecken Mire. I remember those guys. It's so funny. I've talked to Sean Aston about this since. But it's so crazy. They would come in and I'm like, "What are you guys doing?" They're like, "We're filming something in Australia."
Jenna [00:26:49] Filming "something."
Kate [00:26:51] Something, yeah.
Jenna [00:26:52] Just a huge, just a massive trilogy.
Kate [00:26:53] Just making Christmas better. We don't even know we're making Christmas better, but we're makin' it better. See, that's what I love about The Office. People love The Office episodes. We really have a contribution to Christmas in our own weird, strange, wonderful way.
Angela [00:27:07] We do! I've had people tell me, I'm sure you guys have heard this too, that at Christmas time, they re-watched the Office Christmas episodes.
Kate [00:27:14] Yeah, there's a DVD with just the holiday ones on it.
Angela [00:27:19] Oh, I didn't even know that.
Kate [00:27:19] Yeah, I mean, it came out a while ago. I'm sure you can find it on eBay, or something.
Jenna [00:27:23] Really? Where it's just all the holiday episodes?
Kate [00:27:24] It's just the holiday episodes, yeah.
Angela [00:27:27] That's pretty smart.
Kate [00:27:27] I know, right?
Angela [00:27:29] Speaking of just a compilation like that: so when we were prepping this episode, I was looking up the different Christmas episodes, just kind of to refresh my memory, and there is a compilation on YouTube titled, (are you ready for this?) "Michael Scott Ruining the Holidays for 40 Minutes Straight."
Jenna [00:27:49] If you grab all the moments where Michael Scott is ruining your holiday, it equals 40 minutes?
Angela [00:27:57] 40 minutes! So you can watch all 40 minutes. It's amazing. I would add this, if you're an Office fan at the holiday time, if you wanna watch 40 minutes of Michael. I'm just gonna play you the first minute and a half, just so you can feel for what you're in for.
Jenna [00:28:10] Okay.
Angela [00:28:10] Are you ready?
Jenna [00:28:10] Yeah.
audio clip - Michael [00:28:12] I'm the real thing. Sit down on my lap and there will be no doubt.
audio clip - Group [00:28:16] Oh, okay. [groaning]
[00:28:17] No, it's not, it' not, like, penis-wise.
audio clip - Michael [00:28:20] Christmas is canceled.
audio clip - Stanley [00:28:22] You can't cancel a holiday.
audio clip - Michael [00:28:23] Give it up, Stanley, and you will lose New Year's.
audio clip - Stanley [00:28:26] What does that mean?
audio clip - Michael [00:28:27] Jim, take New Year away from Stanley.
audio clip - Pam [00:28:30] Michael, what's going on?
audio clip - Michael [00:28:32] Carol and I split up. Amicably, and I just don't think it would be appropriate to celebrate under the circumstances.
audio clip - Ryan [00:28:42] Will they still air Rudolph?
audio clip - Kevin [00:28:44] That's not fair.
audio clip - Dwight [00:28:45] Are we going to cancel Hanukkah as well?
audio clip - Michael [00:28:50] Fine, have your party. Just no guests
audio clip - Phyllis [00:28:54] But we invited guests.
audio clip - Michael [00:28:56] Well, you know what, fellas? All of your guests would have probably canceled at the last minute anyway. Leaving your life a stupid, rotten mess.
audio clip - Michael [00:29:08] Here's Santa! Hey, little girl, what would you like for Christmas? Ooh, you have been a very naughty girl, I see.
audio clip - Pam [00:29:16] Michael, we already have a Santa, Phyllis.
audio clip - Michael [00:29:19] What the hell is going on? Phyllis, Jim? Phyllis is Santa?
audio clip - Jim [00:29:20] Yeah.
audio clip - Michael [00:29:25] Phyllis?
audio clip - Jim [00:29:25] Yeah, I told her a long time ago she could do it.
audio clip - Michael [00:29:27] Take it back. That is absurd.
audio clip - Jim [00:29:28] No, I'm not going to do that.
Jenna [00:29:31] He's such a child.
Angela [00:29:33] That is just a minute and a half. There's 40 minutes of him ruining the holidays.
Jenna [00:29:38] Well, I found something in prepping this episode. It is a moment that was added back to "Secret Santa," in the super fan episode. You know, they're on Peacock.
Angela [00:29:52] You have that look in your eye. You have a shifty look in you eye. You're looking very smug right now. What is happening?
Jenna [00:29:58] Do I look a little smudge?
Angela [00:29:59] You look a little smudge.
Jenna [00:30:01] This is a Jim/Pam moment, it's very brief, but it was added back to the end of Secret Santa. Secret Santa is the episode with the dueling Santas.
Angela [00:30:12] Mm-hmm.
Jenna [00:30:12] So Jim and Pam, at the end of the party, they're sort of standing back and they're surveying the party and there's this little exchange between the two of them. I just want you to hear what Jim says to Pam. I just you to hear it and then we can discuss.
audio clip - Jim [00:30:28] [whispering] Not in front of the kid.
audio clip - Pam [00:30:30] This is a great party. Would you buy the company just to save your Christmas party?
audio clip - Jim [00:30:35] I promise I will never buy a company without telling you first.
Jenna [00:30:41] Did you hear what he said?
Kate [00:30:42] Yes.
Jenna [00:30:42] He said, "I promise I will never buy a company without telling you first."
Angela [00:30:48] Oh, and he didn't! He created a company!
Kate [00:30:52] Foreshadowing.
Jenna [00:30:52] He created the company and put all their money into it without telling her.
Kate [00:30:56] Wow.
Angela [00:30:58] When you said you had a secret Jim/Pam scene, I thought for sure it was going to say when their first kiss was.
Jenna [00:31:06] Oh no, this is just about Jim and -
Kate [00:31:14] How he almost ruined everything.
Jenna [00:31:17] Thank you, Kate.
Kate [00:31:18] Sorry, Jim fans.
Angela [00:31:19] Maybe there's a compilation of all the times Jim did things without telling Pam.
Jenna [00:31:23] That would also be forty minutes.
Kate [00:31:26] Oh my God, right?
Jenna [00:31:27] It might be.
Kate [00:31:28] Although Pam did buy a house without telling Jim.
Jenna [00:31:30] No, Jim bought that house!
Kate [00:31:32] Oh that's right, I'm sorry. You guys, I'm still drunk. I'm sorry.
Jenna [00:31:34] No, Pam sold the house without telling Jim. That was her romantic gesture. She sold it and said, "We are going to Austin."
Kate [00:31:44] I just want to make sure you guys remembered it right.
Angela [00:31:48] I feel like in therapy, the therapist would be like, "Will the two of you stop it? Will you stop buying and selling houses without telling each other?"
Jenna [00:31:54] I know. "Maybe you guys should have a conversation before you make big life moves."
Angela [00:31:58] Yeah. It's not a "surprise!"
Jenna [00:32:01] I know, exactly.
Kate [00:32:03] That's so funny.
Angela [00:32:05] OK, well ladies, we also spent a ton of time together on set during the holidays. We would sometimes work right up until the actual real holiday. We even traded gifts sometimes. I just thought we could share some of our personal holiday memories that we've spent together over the years.
Kate [00:32:21] Well, season one, we didn't make it to Christmas.
Angela [00:32:25] That's right.
Kate [00:32:25] Yeah, there was no Christmas episode until season two. But you and I went to the dollar store and got Halloween decorations because we worked until through November. Remember that, on all the trailers?
Angela [00:32:35] Yes I do, we decorated the trailers with little cobwebs and spiders.
Kate [00:32:38] And then it rained and it was very sad.
Angela [00:32:41] Yeah, and it was gross and I think it just was annoying people because this crap was hanging off the trailers.
Kate [00:32:46] "Take the trash off of the trailers, please, ladies, before you leave for the season."
Angela [00:32:50] I remember one of our first Christmases that we all worked together. Kate, you made us all candles that said Dunder Mifflin.
Kate [00:32:57] That is not true. I read this in your book. This was the end of season one.
Jenna [00:33:02] That's what I was going to say. I think we had this wrong. It was a wrap gift.
Kate [00:33:06] It was. And I'll tell you why. So this is before you could get anything with the logo that said "Dunder Mifflin" on it. So I took something off the set, like a pad off the piece of paper, and I went to Kinko's and I copied a bunch and I bought white votive candles. I went 12 years of Catholic school, you guys. I always learned that if you want something to work out, you have to pray. So lighting a candle is a wonderful thing to do. I mean, we do it in the church all the time. So it was an intention candle.
[00:33:34] And I told everybody. I literally was up the night before, I bought a case of these white votive candles and I literally just glued the Dunder Mifflin on each one and I handed it to each person. I didn't wrap it. I was just like, "Here, light it and let it burn. Light it and let it burn. We gotta come back next year. We gotta come back." That was my thing about it. So I actually still have mine.
Jenna [00:33:53] I have mine!
Angela [00:33:54] I have mine!
Kate [00:33:54] Oh my God. I love that you guys - Okay. So to me, even if it's not your religion, I feel like if it brings goodwill and somebody has an intention that's positive for you, why not?
Jenna [00:34:07] Hey, after I got my breast cancer diagnosis, before I even had my surgery, I was in that place where I had my diagnosis and I was waiting to start my treatment, I was also raised Catholic. I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, but that stuff doesn't leave you, right?
Kate [00:34:21] Right.
Jenna [00:34:22] So I went to a little chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they have the holy dirt.
Kate [00:34:28] Yes.
Jenna [00:34:29] People take pilgrimages, from all over the world, to this chapel to get this holy dirt. I got the holy dirt. I lit a candle, I prayed to the saint who helps you.
Kate [00:34:41] Saint Jude, who's the patron saint of lost causes.
Jenna [00:34:43] The patron saint of cancer! There's a patron saint of cancer.
Kate [00:34:47] Ohhhhh!
Jenna [00:34:47] Now I can't remember his name. So I lit candle, prayed to patron saint of cancer, got the dirt and I rubbed the dirt on myself before my surgery. Then I washed it off because obviously you wanna be very clean when going for surgery.
Kate [00:35:05] [laughing] Of course.
Jenna [00:35:05] But I get it, and it was very powerful. It is in the power of prayer and the power of ritual.
Kate [00:35:14] Yeah, something collectively positive. That's really what it is. So I don't want to take responsibility, completely, for us coming back for season two...
Angela [00:35:22] But maybe...
Jenna [00:35:23] Maybe your candle...
Kate [00:35:25] It couldn't hurt.
Angela [00:35:26] You guys know, my mom has her Tuesday Bible study and my mom's always like, "Angie, you want us to pray for anything?" And I'm like, "Yes!" And I will call her up with whatever it is. When we were gonna maybe do this podcast, I was like, "Mom, Jenna and I are taking a big swing here. Can you and the ladies pray about it?" And she was like, "Well, if you come in agreement with me." So we all like... I mean, I believe in prayer. I do.
Kate [00:35:49] Me too, yeah.
Angela [00:35:50] Even if it's just something you do for yourself.
Kate [00:35:52] Absolutely.
Angela [00:35:53] To reset yourself. So, Kate, you got The Office on season two!
Kate [00:35:58] [laughing] Well, I don't know about that, but I thought, "I'll bet nobody else is gonna give this gift." I was trying to be original.
Angela [00:36:05] It's true though, because I think that was the first Dunder Mifflin anything I have and that's why still we kept them.
Jenna [00:36:11] Same. It was the first thing with the logo on it.
Kate [00:36:14] I could probably be arrested, if the show didn't go and I actually created something - I'm just kidding.
Jenna [00:36:19] Alright, everybody, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but our time is coming to an end. We have one final question.
Kate [00:36:26] What? I didn't even get to talk about being dragged into rehab by Michael Scott during "Moroccan Christmas."
Angela [00:36:29] Oh! Wait, that's, but that's-
Jenna [00:36:32] Please.
Angela [00:36:32] Please, wait wait.
Jenna [00:36:33] Before we get to our final question, will you please discuss being dragged into rehab by Michael Scott?
Angela [00:36:38] It's truly a brilliant scene, Kate. You are brilliant in it and -
Jenna [00:36:44] All the trash.
Angela [00:36:44] Oh my god.
Kate [00:36:45] That was one of the only, okay, so in Moroccan Christmas, when Michael Scott pretends like he's taking Meredith to get a drink at a bar but instead drags her to rehab, that whole scene in the parking lot was completely improvised. That's the only completely improvised scene I got to do on the show. I feel like not a lot of us had an opportunity to do that. I think Paul Feig was the director, I think they were gonna do a voiceover over the whole thing. So I don't think they intended on keeping it.
Jenna [00:37:13] Oh, so they were thinking, "We're not going to use this dialog, say whatever you want."
Kate [00:37:17] Right. But they ended up using a lot of it, which I was really happy about. But I just remember, also, there were two stunt people dressed like us, like Michael Scott and Meredith, out of the corner of my eye, just in case one of us got hurt, because we really didn't plan what we were doing. The chase was not really planned. I mean, I knew he was going to throw trash cans at me. Oh, I was throwing trash cans at him. What am I saying? But it was all a weird way. We had this whole negotiation and running thing. I was screaming so much, literally, when he was dragging me once we got into the hospital. Kelly Cantley was the attendant at the rehab center.
Angela [00:37:52] That's right, our assistant director played that, yeah.
Kate [00:37:53] Our first AD, and that was the only time I think she's ever been on an episode. I literally lost my voice by the end of that, and it was totally worth it. It was totally worth it. But that whole thing where I'm negotiating, where Meredith's saying, like, "Wait a minute, wait a moment, wait, wait." I was so happy that Paul Feig kept asking me to repeat certain things that I would say. I just saw Paul Feig last week at a Women in Film event, and we were just totally reminiscing about how wonderful it was to work together on The Office.
Angela [00:38:23] Yeah, but aren't you so thankful of all the directors, that it was Paul Feig? Because of course Paul gave you all of that agency to just go for it. And then he supported you when you found a nugget that was really good.
Kate [00:38:37] Totally. We had so many great movie directors on our show. I mean, really. I used to wait on J.J. Abrams. I remember seeing him when we won the Emmy for Best Comedy. He was like, "Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you! You were our waitress!" Because when he was working on "Alias," they would have writing groups. Like, everybody would have headphones and they'd sit at a big table and they barely order anything, but they would be there for hours to shake it up. He was just the greatest. Then he got to direct the episode where Roy punches Jim.
Jenna [00:39:09] Yeah, yeah.
Kate [00:39:10] Oh my gosh, that's so crazy. Then John Favreau, who I knew from years ago from Chicago in our Second City days, he was actually the host there, seating people. Couldn't get hired, and we worked at Improv Olympic together, and we did a show called "Manson the Musical" together at the Annoyance Theater. He did "The Real Life Brady Bunch," and then he came back and directed season 9. I mean, just crazy, it's crazy.
Jenna [00:39:31] Yeah.
Angela [00:39:31] So cool.
Kate [00:39:31] Oh my gosh. Harold Ramis, my gosh, such a legend. Oh my god. Jason Reitman, you guys...
Angela [00:39:37] I know. I said to Harold Ramis, "Harold, I don't sing. I don't think I can do this for Little Drummer Boy." He patted me gently and goes, "But you will." I was like, "Oh God."
Kate [00:39:47] He was so kind.
Angela [00:39:48] He was so sweet.
Kate [00:39:50] He really was. He was awesome. You guys, we had it so good
Jenna [00:39:52] We had it so good, so good. Worked with so many talented people.
Kate [00:39:58] So true. Guys, it's a **** show now. I'm just kidding. No, but it is a different world.
Angela [00:40:03] It is and when you're out there you realize how wonderful we had it, right? When you're out there doing other gigs.
Jenna [00:40:11] Alright, are we ready for our final question? Here it is: if you had to attend one Dunder Mifflin holiday party, which one would you pick? And now we're gonna give you the choices.
Angela [00:40:24] We're going to give you the choices, but basically you're looking at a party either thrown by Angela, Pam, Phyllis, Jim and Dwight, or Andy. Jenna, why don't you list them off?
Jenna [00:40:33] Here they are. Would you want to go to Christmas party? Angela is in charge of Christmas, and you're going to have a real sad Yankee Swap. Do you want attend a Benihana Christmas? This is the dueling Christmas parties. You have Pam and Karen versus Angela. Moroccan Christmas, this is the one that Phyllis is in-charge of. This ends in Meredith's intervention.
Kate [00:40:56] And burnt hair and hair on fire while she's belly dancing. Thank you so much.
Jenna [00:41:00] There's also Secret Santa. This was Jim and Dwight's holiday party. We had dueling Santas. You had both Phyllis and Michael as Santa and Michael as Jesus.
Kate [00:41:10] I was sitting on Phyllis's lap when Kevin was sitting on Michael Scott's lap, at the same time.
Angela [00:41:15] Oh, that's so great. Great scene.
Angela [00:41:16] So great.
Kate [00:41:18] Try not to laugh.
Jenna [00:41:19] You could attend a classy Christmas. This is when Pam was in charge of a regular Christmas that got turned into a bigger, fancier party to impress Holly. Michael has kind of a meltdown, and there's the insane snowball fight with Jim and Dwight. There's Christmas Wishes. Andy's in charge of Christmas. Dwight and Jim prank each other. Robert California announces his divorce.
Angela [00:41:42] That's always fun at a party.
Jenna [00:41:43] Mm-hmm. Or, finally, Dwight's Christmas. He throws the traditional Schrute holiday party with bell schnickle. And you are either impish or admirable.
Angela [00:41:54] And you get swatted at at with a bunch of sticks.
Jenna [00:41:56] Which Christmas party would you like to attend?
Kate [00:41:59] This is like picking your favorite child. You really cannot do it. Can you? It's really just...
Jenna [00:42:06] I don't know, some of these children are much worse than the others.
Kate [00:42:10] But I will actually say I had the most fun shooting Moroccan Christmas, but I will say A Christmas Party, the first one, was my favorite because we were in new territory for the show. Do you guys remember the big tree that didn't fit?
Jenna [00:42:30] Yes.
Kate [00:42:30] They had to get the biggest tree.
Jenna [00:42:31] Amazing.
Kate [00:42:32] And then Yankee Swap, which was endless but fantastic. There was an iPod in there that weighs the weight of a brick. That's how old this episode is.
Angela [00:42:42] I know, the old tech. I'm with you, Kate. I felt like that group scene of us all in a circle handing out the gifts is one of my favorite group scenes we ever did on the show. Everyone had a moment and it was just amazing.
Jenna [00:43:01] I'm going to go another way, guys.
Angela [00:43:02] Where are you going?
Jenna [00:43:03] I'm go with a Benihana Christmas, the dueling Christmas parties. I just loved, because we had the singing and everything, and I loved that in the conference room.
Kate [00:43:16] Pam and Karen had booze.
Jenna [00:43:18] Yeah, it was like two parties. You can go to two parties, but Angela had some good food. You had some good treats and cookies and things. So I don't know, if I had to attend a party, just as a guest, I think I might like to show up at the dueling Christmas parties. If I had go back in time and re-experience shooting a Christmas episode, then I think... Gosh, that's very difficult. But then I'd have to go to the original Christmas party.
Angela [00:43:46] Okay, so same. So if me, Angela (Kinsey, not Martin) wanted to revisit, it would be Yankee Swap because I just want to live in that group scene again, just selfishly. But if I'm just a party-goer, I think I would pick Secret Santa because I love the idea of two Santas and Jesus, all at the same party. That sounds like a great party.
Jenna [00:44:12] That was my runner-up.
Kate [00:44:15] I think Meredith is all in for the first Christmas episode and so is Kate. Because I just remember David Koechner, who I knew 20 years before, because we together in Chicago in Second City Touring Company. He had this piece of mistletoe on his belt. So bad.
Jenna [00:44:34] Oh, I remember that.
Angela [00:44:35] Ridiculous.
Kate [00:44:36] So bad, there was so many things in that episode that were just... Like that montage with Daryl as the DJ and Kevin with his foot fixer. I mean, that was hilarious.
Angela [00:44:46] So many great moments.
Kate [00:44:47] Oh my God, and then all the pictures that were on Michael Scott's camera, except he did take the card out before Meredith was topless in his office by herself. Steve was very productive of me during that scene.
Angela [00:44:59] Right, Steve took care of you in that way.
Kate [00:45:00] I had never been topless before on TV, you guys, and at that point, boy, I just couldn't wait. I'm just kidding. Yeah, it's the weirdest feeling ever.
Angela [00:45:07] But you had stickies.
Kate [00:45:09] Very small stickies, honey. Oh, honey. The camera guys... No one could look at me in the eye at lunch. It's just not happening. It was off the monitor, it was very private, you guys.
Jenna [00:45:20] Yeah, I've been there. I've done that, where I've done scenes where there's implied nudity and they put little stickies on your nipples and you wear a little flesh-colored thingy on your lady bits. But I mean it's like, "Why bother?" You're seeing the whole show.
Kate [00:45:40] I just feel like Randall Einhorn and Matt Sohn, they looked at me different afterwards. And that's okay, that's OK. That's OK, I can live with that, you guys. I just remember calling my parents, literally, five minutes before it aired because I didn't want to upset them too much in advance. I was like, you guys, "I just want to let you know, I'm gonna be topless. But it's not HBO, don't worry." They were not happy, my dad was not happy.
Angela [00:46:02] Your dad was not happy.
Jenna [00:46:03] Even though you couldn't see anything on the show?
Angela [00:46:06] He didn't even like the implication.
Kate [00:46:07] No, I mean, eventually he got a sense of humor about it. But yeah, at least my back was to the camera, so it wasn't as bad as Casual Day. Casual day was a little more like, "Whoa." I really had to be like, "Dad. I'm so sorry."
Angela [00:46:23] "Dad, I'm an actor. I'm doing it for the role of Meredith."
Kate [00:46:27] And my mother would say, "Can't they give you more makeup, or better clothes?" Like, that was always their big argument. That's how it goes.
Angela [00:46:35] I know, my mom would be like, "Will they let you just wear your hair down, just once?" Like, in those early seasons. Oh Kate, this is so fun.
Kate [00:46:45] So fun.
Angela [00:46:46] I mean, Kate, I do kind of feel like I need you to lead us in a Christmas carol.
Jenna [00:46:51] Yes!
Angela [00:46:52] Are they free? Can we have one?
Kate [00:46:54] I know a bunch that are free, but I'm trying to think of something from The Office and the only thing I can think of is, "Come they told me pa rumpa-pumpa" [drum noises]
Jenna [00:47:11] Thank you guys, and thank you to the folks at Macy's for supporting Office Ladies. We love these holiday bonus episodes. We love you guys. Kate, thanks for coming in.
Kate [00:47:19] Thank you so much, you guys! I love you, Angela. I love Jenna. You guys. It's so fun.
Jenna [00:47:24] Are we going to sing our way out of this, or what?
Angela [00:47:26] Okay.
Kate [00:47:27] [singing] Oh come let us adore him.
Angela and Jenna, in unison [00:47:31] [singing] Oh come, let us adore him. Oh, come let us, adore Mr. Michael Scott.
Jenna [00:47:43] Boy, would Michael have loved that.
Kate [00:47:45] Right?
Angela [00:47:45] He would have, yeah.
Kate [00:47:45] "Eat it, Phyllis!" He's so competitive with Phyllis in that episode.
Angela [00:47:51] Happy Holidays everybody!
Jenna [00:47:52] Happy Holidays!
Kate [00:47:54] Happy Holidaaays!
audio cue [00:47:54] [outro music plays]
Jenna [00:47:59] Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.
Angela [00:48:01] Office Ladies is a presentation of Audacy and is produced by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:48:06] Our executive producer is Cassi Jerkins. Our audio engineer is Sam Kieffer and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico.
Angela [00:48:14] Audacy's executive producer is Leah Reis-Dennis.
Jenna [00:48:17] Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.
Angela [00:48:20] Our theme song is "Rubber Tree" by Creed Bratton.