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The Dr. John Delony Show

My In-Laws Are Ruining Christmas (Help)

24 Dec 2025

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

5.836 - 14.344 Kelly

My in-laws always want to talk about politics and current events when we get together. How can we set boundaries and keep the conversations civil over the holidays?

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14.845 - 15.665 Dr. John Delony

What do you guys do?

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17.387 - 19.709 Kelly

Well, we, because both of my parents are gone.

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19.749 - 37.524 Dr. John Delony

Wow, way to bring down a room. This is Christmas Eve, Kelly. Jeez. Ho, ho, ho. It's Christmas Eve. Why are you listening to this podcast right now?

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Chapter 2: How can we set boundaries with in-laws during the holidays?

38.206 - 54.682 Dr. John Delony

You should be eating too much, hanging out with your families, or like millions of people hiding in a closet at a relative's house you don't want to be at listening to a podcast. I'm glad that you're here. I wish you weren't here, but I'm glad that you are here listening to the show.

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54.722 - 79.397 Dr. John Delony

This is our annual Christmas Eve, Christmas-ish, around that day, Ask Me Anything AMA, where Kelly 1.0, Grandma Kelly, and the gang have curated a whole bunch of questions, and they're going to just drop them on me, and we're going to have a good time. Kelly, you guys all look festive back there.

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79.647 - 80.828 Kelly

Thank you. You don't.

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82.61 - 84.212 Dr. John Delony

This is my festive Christmas shirt.

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85.093 - 87.535 Kelly

Your best, most specialist black Christmas shirt.

87.795 - 93.801 Dr. John Delony

I picked the most specialist black Christmas shirt out of my closet. This makes me feel Christmassy inside.

93.821 - 94.863 Kelly

All warm and fuzzy.

95.123 - 106.534 Dr. John Delony

So stupid. Oh my gosh, look at this. There's so much Christmas decor. Or as Starbucks calls it, what do they call it? I don't know. Holiday day.

106.554 - 108.657 Kelly

Holiday, yeah. Yeah, they don't say Christmas.

Chapter 3: What are effective strategies for managing family conversations?

150.177 - 155.345 Dr. John Delony

I just see the horns go... They grow up. I think you should wear these all the time.

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157.488 - 161.494 Kelly

It's Christmas. We're being friendly and nice. Oh! Oh!

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161.812 - 162.934 Dr. John Delony

All right, go for it.

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162.954 - 179.618 Kelly

All right. First question. Now, these were sent in from our listeners, by the way. We did an ask on social. Okay. So these are all listener questions. Okay. My in-laws always want to talk about politics and current events when we get together. How can we set boundaries and keep the conversations civil over the holidays?

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179.716 - 207.276 Dr. John Delony

I got this from my wife, and it's the greatest thing ever. We send an email about what our travel plans are, and then I put in the email. She sent it the first year to teach me how to be a grown-up. This was not that long ago. But now I will put in the email things we will not talk about. And I put it in there. So during COVID, it's like, we will not talk about COVID. We will not talk about...

208.302 - 225.708 Dr. John Delony

I don't know, whatever conspiracy theory, a couple of them are fun, but not these conspiracy theories. We're not going to talk about blah, blah, blah. We're not talking about politics. And I, at least I got to give my family credit. I've seen somebody or I've experienced somebody launches into something and then another person polices it.

225.888 - 232.858 Dr. John Delony

And they're like, no, John said, we're not talking about that. And they all look at me and you know what? I don't care. Cause we're not talking about that.

233.007 - 255.269 Dr. John Delony

So that's the big thing is I always want to give people – I want to know that I was clear, not just – like you've heard me say this, not just cast somebody in a movie that they don't know they're in and they get mad at them for saying the wrong lines. Often when I go to holidays or any kind of thing, I have this – way this is going to play out in my head and it doesn't.

255.289 - 271.668 Dr. John Delony

And then I get mad that they didn't act right. So I like to just take full ownership of it now. And if they want to say, if I had a family that was like, if you come to my house, I can talk about whatever I want to, then I get to be a grownup and not go to that house. But that's how we handle it in our house, and it has worked to my family's credit all around.

Chapter 4: How do we maintain sanity with many guests during the holidays?

418.148 - 442.143 Dr. John Delony

Your sanity begins way upstream. In September, when y'all start talking about the holidays, not waiting till December, you start talking about this in September saying, hey, let's ask ourselves this question. How do we want the house to feel during the holidays? Well, I want it to be full of laughter and fun and family and cool. What about you? Laughter and family and fun and cool. Great.

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443.085 - 464.819 Dr. John Delony

How do we get there? And then you have to have the courage to say the last few years, your family stays a week. And after day three, I feel like they don't want to be here. You struggle. I struggle. what would it look like if we did for three days this year? And then you and I went on a weekend retreat to, or a weekend getaway to like whatever, something like that.

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465.219 - 485.277 Dr. John Delony

But it's having that conversation way before we get there. If none of that works and she's like, nice try, bucko, my family's coming for the whole week. They have, and they always will, whatever, great. Then you get to be a grownup. And by the way, just suck it up. It's a week. Good grief. Just roll your eyes when your father-in-law wants to talk about whatever, like it's fine.

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485.978 - 501.981 Dr. John Delony

Or like you said, go on drives, plan a hunting trip, pick up a, I don't know, whatever. Like, oh, I got it. I told you last year when y'all were getting with family, Kelly, if there needs to be a podcast emergency, just text me and I'm there. I'll show up for you.

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502.096 - 505.02 Kelly

Yeah, sometimes I have to run a lot of errands, a lot of unexpected errands.

505.04 - 527.389 Dr. John Delony

That's part of it. And by the way, it happens every year. So if every year you're surprised that you're in a bad mood again, that's on you. It's going to happen if it's going to happen. So be a grown up about it. Have some fun or come up with some things to do. Take the kids to the movie or whatever. So it's just doing that. It's just choosing. I'm going to do things to not be miserable here.

529.211 - 532.996 Kelly

All right. Question number three. Top five Christmas movies.

537.643 - 538.264 Dr. John Delony

Die Hard.

539.486 - 541.609 Kelly

That answered my next question. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Chapter 5: What are the best and worst holiday traditions?

677.967 - 678.928 Dr. John Delony

So it's going to be great for us.

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680.73 - 683.793 Kelly

I would rather set myself on fire than watch a Hallmark Christmas movie.

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685.035 - 688.799 Dr. John Delony

I know. Even though your romantic life is so like straight from one.

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690.761 - 692.483 Kelly

No, no, no.

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693.07 - 698.521 Dr. John Delony

That's true. That is true. There's so many jokes I'm not making right now. Go to the next one.

698.761 - 699.403 Kelly

I'm so proud of you.

699.423 - 704.794 Dr. John Delony

Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Next. How is that a debate? The whole thing's at a Christmas party.

705.034 - 712.529 Kelly

I know, but it is. So Chris Wright, who leads our team, he was a huge Die Hard fan.

712.65 - 714.866 Dr. John Delony

Also... Guitarist.

Chapter 6: How do we handle the first holiday after losing a loved one?

861.415 - 891.304 Dr. John Delony

I think few things make me question whether God is real than when I hear the little drummer boy come on. And you know what? By the way, I live in Nashville, which is home to the St. James family, for King and Country, that whole family, they're awesome. And everybody always is like, yeah, yeah, but what about for King and Country's version?

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891.824 - 893.085 Kelly

Is pretty awesome, though.

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893.105 - 925.363 Dr. John Delony

You know what? I've seen them play live, and they're astounding how good they are. And there's only so much polishing of a steaming pile of dog chotch that you can do. And so, for whatever, like, they gave it their good college try. And I love those dudes. They are awesome, great human beings. I love it. And... That song, like when people are like, AI is going to take over and destroy humanity.

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925.383 - 931.469 Dr. John Delony

I'm like, well, that's the same group of people that wrote the little drummer boy. So maybe that's what we get. That's what I think about that song.

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932.01 - 938.816 Kelly

My thought is always, yeah, that's what Mary was looking for. You know, I have a sleeping infant. Please come play the drums.

938.836 - 940.758 Dr. John Delony

Yeah, let's go, idiots. That's the most man thing.

940.938 - 943.8 Kelly

Yeah, that's exactly what every mother of a newborn wants.

943.84 - 948.865 Dr. John Delony

Check out, hey lady, check out my drum solo. Gosh, dude.

949.739 - 951.801 Kelly

Bring a casserole. Do nothing.

Chapter 7: What should we consider when starting new family traditions?

1036.049 - 1037.671 Kelly

That's right. I think you've said that almost every year.

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1037.692 - 1064.167 Dr. John Delony

I love that song. I love it. I don't know why. I just sing it when I'm by myself sometimes, even in the summer. I just love it. Makes me feel happy. Out jumps good old... It makes me think of like kind of a little bit overweight, but kind of like a... Like a fit Santa. He just jumps on out and he's like, hey! Right? I don't know. Just makes me think of Santa as like, hey, buddy. I don't know.

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1064.187 - 1076.166 Kelly

Have you seen the Christmas Chronicles on Netflix with Kurt Russell? No. Okay, by the way, great current Christmas movie. But Kurt Russell is Santa and he's pretty amazing Santa because he's Kurt Russell. So maybe it's that Santa.

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1076.206 - 1081.975 Dr. John Delony

I'll also say this. This is not good for your kids. The movie Bad Santa with Billy Bob Thornton. Hilarious.

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1082.613 - 1088.762 Kelly

That is a great movie. Also not good for your children in any way, shape, or form. Fat Man with Mel Gibson.

1088.782 - 1090.324 Dr. John Delony

I don't know that movie.

1090.344 - 1097.455 Kelly

Oh my gosh. Is it great? Yeah. Not appropriate. It's like very violent, but it's so good. Great Christmas movie.

1098.456 - 1101 Ben

Also Violent Night. Violent Night?

1101.16 - 1101.821 Kelly

With David Harbour.

Chapter 8: How do we navigate gift-giving with income disparities?

1176.432 - 1178.315 Dr. John Delony

I told y'all she was old.

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1178.355 - 1180.558 Kelly

I hate you.

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1180.598 - 1181.64 Dr. John Delony

Told y'all.

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1182.301 - 1186.127 Kelly

I think the folklore was either that they were brothers or whatever, but it's basically...

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1186.141 - 1188.764 Dr. John Delony

As we call folklore, as she called the daily news.

1189.185 - 1209.229 Kelly

Go ahead. Seriously, y'all. It was Santa Claus, you know, gave gifts and stuff to good boys and girls. Krampus, who looks a little like, what, like a demonic goat, some might say? Okay. He would take bad boys and girls, put them in a sack, beat them with a stick, and then take them to hell.

1209.935 - 1217.047 Kelly

And parents would use it for like, well, if you're not good, then this is, but still over in like Austria and stuff, they have like Krampus parades and everything.

1218.569 - 1221.314 Dr. John Delony

In case y'all are wondering, how did Kelly end up on the mental health show?

1221.454 - 1221.895 Kelly

Here it is.

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