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Couple's 'Merry Gen Xmas' song is the ultimate holiday anthem for 80s kids

"Nobody did Xmas like Gen X."

Holderness Family Music/Youtube

Wow, the things people did for a Cabbage Patch doll.

Once upon a time—the 70s and 80s, to be exact—Christmas didn’t have iPads, or FaceTiming grandma, or comparing gift hauls on social media. Instead, it provided trees filled to the brim with tinsel, holiday figurines that looked ancient and quite possibly possessed, and the only “high tech” toy in sight would be something battery operated. Or maybe one of those new fangled “video games” everyone’s talking about.

But alas, time moves on. These once cool and trendy gifts, along with many Gen X staples, have now become relics of a bygone era. Kim and Penn Holderness of The Holderness Family have a knack for capturing this strange phenomenon—otherwise known as growing older—in the form of endearingly funny parody songs and sketches.

Whether they’re poking fun at the *thrill* of perimenopause or the utter dismay of hearing your favorite jams get demoted to waiting room music, their videos offer equal parts nostalgia and relatable humor…and sometimes even certifiable bops!

Take for instance their recent "Merry Gen-Xmas" song, where Kim and Penn pay homage to when the holidays were simpler. When Pac Man, Teddy Ruxpin, Cabbage Patch Dolls and other rudimentary toys could make children’s spirits soar.

Keep listening to the tune, however, and the Holdernesses don’t spare us of the more…ahem…questionable aspects of Gen X Christmases—smoking inside being the norm, around a plethora of flammable materials, just to name a big one.

As icing on the cake, Kim and Penn include a ton of old childhood photos submitted by their viewers, which really take you back. So. Much. Sepia.

Watch how “nobody did Xmas like Generation X” below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Feeling seen, Gen Xers? Judging by the comments, you’re not alone. So many folks flooded the comments section of this one with their own similar childhood memories, or their own personal version of “LOL.” A few were even moved—and many felt a wave of appreciation to have grown up in a simpler time. Read below.

“Remember when we used to make ashtrays in school for gifts.”

“Goodness I wasn't prepared to get emotional watching this. As an 80's kid this was such a great bit of nostalgia. You all outdid yourself on this one.”

“As someone born in '69, I am so grateful I did not grow up in an electronic bubble! We knew how to have fun because we made it. This video is absolutely incredible, Thank you for making it!”

“Why am I crying? This is funny but making me cry too.”

“This song is awesome. It embraces nostalgia, but also acknowledges that not everything in the past was good.”

“Seriously getting teary-eyed at that. I'm a Xennial and so my memories of the early Christmases are vague. But I always love looking back at the photos. Me and my cousins all in matching Christmas dresses, yes made by my mom, and most likely worn the next year also.”

And boy, those Cabbage Patch dolls really brought out the worst in humanity, didn’t they?

“I'm a 60s and 70s generation fella. When the 80s rolled around, and when they showed on TV how people were fighting over those Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, I and others of my Generation were shocked in horror. MY WORD ! Those people should have been in the WWF ! In fact, I think the WWF would shivered in fear of those crazy CPF (Cabbage Patch Fighters) ! It was a whole different experience for my generation, seeing such things.”

“I can recall when I was 10 or 11 at the height of the Cabbage Patch Doll craze. I never wanted one, I was too old for dolls then, but we were at a store shopping when a shipment of them was revealed. I will never forget it, this crowd of women attacked that large pyramid of dolls like animals. Running, screaming, fighting. It was a spectacle I'll never forget. It was really disgraceful. It was weeks before Christmas.”

But also, the best…

“My parents were teachers and could NOT afford a cabbage patch doll so my mom made me one, with Pink hair! (She purchased the head at the craft shop) I was SOOOOO happy! The lady at the shop said to ‘be sure to stuff it really well’ so 41 years later this homemade doll is still standing up, arms out like she’s expecting a big hug. My sweet mom signed the bum with her own name and I still have it today. Rip to my mom who made me SO happy as an 8 year old!!”

Thanks to Kim and Penn for for giving us all a trip back in time, and all the complex feeling that come with it.

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Joy

'SNL' cast can't keep it together during a sketch where Ego Nwodim battles her steak dinner

Bowen Yang had to cover his face.

via Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Pedro Pascal and Bowen Yang can't keep a straight face as Ego Nwodim tries to cut her steak.

Most episodes of Saturday Night Live are scheduled so the funnier bits go first and the riskier, oddball sketches appear towards the end in case they have to be cut for time. But on the February 4, 2023 episode featuring host Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Last of Us), the final sketch, “Lisa from Temecula,” was probably the most memorable of the night.

That’s high praise because it was a strong episode with a funny “Last of Us” parody featuring the Super Mario Brothers and a sketch where Pascal played a protective mother.

In “Lisa from Temecula,” Paul, played by Pascal, takes a few friends out for dinner played by Punkie Johnson, newcomer Molly Kearney, and breakout star Bowen Yang. The trouble comes when Johnson’s sister Lisa, played by Ego Nwodim, orders her steak “extra, extra well done.”

The sketch is a play on the notion that it’s a faux pas to order well-done steak, especially in a fancy restaurant. However, Lisa doesn’t care and won’t tolerate “one speck of red” on her steak.

The sketch is one of the rare moments on SNL where things are so funny that the cast breaks character. Pascal has difficulty getting through his lines and Yang has to cover his face because he can’t stop laughing. But Nwodim only has one small break in the scene and keeps it together as the sketch’s comedy core.

“Lisa from Temecula” got a lot of attention online, sparking articles, posts, and lots of praise. Shout out the sketch's writers Alex English, Gary Richardson, and Michael Che.


This article originally appeared last year.

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Joy

Comedian's viral video perfectly nails how each generation arrives at someone's house

"Millennials will arrive late, but they will text you to let you know they're on their way, just as they're about to get into the shower."

Samuel Peter/Pexels

Boomers knock. Millennials and Gen Z text "here."

Playing with the contrasts between generations has become a modern pastime, as baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z see and experience the world quite differently. Generation gaps have always existed, of course, but the tech age has widened those gaps in big ways, sometimes creating challenges, but often resulting in hilarity.

For instance, watching a Gen Zer try to figure out how to use a rotary phone is pure entertainment. The way emojis are used and interpreted varies vastly by age, making for some chuckle-worthy communication mishaps. Slang terms can be hard to keep up with the older you get, but they can also be manipulated by savvy elders to great comedic effect.

And now, comedian Jake Lambert has compared how the different generations arrive at someone's house in a viral video that's been viewed more than 12 million times.

"You've basically got boomers who will turn up completely unannounced any time from about 7:00 in the morning and they will knock on your door just slightly louder than the police using a battering ram carrying out a house raid," Lambert begins.

"And then you've got Gen X. They would have made the plans well in advance, and they would've also checked in a couple of days before just to make sure the plans are definitely still happening," he went on. "You see, Gen X is the forgotten generation and they're so scarred by this title they would've assumed that you'd forgotten not only about the plans but about their very existence."

"Millennials will have hoped that the plans would've been canceled. There's no reason that a millennial will ever actually want to come to your house," he continued. "They will arrive late, but they will text you to let you know they're on their way, just as they're about to get into the shower. And a millennial will never knock on your door. You'll just get a text either saying 'here' or 'outside,' and that's your cue to go and let them in."

"Similarly, Gen Z will never actually knock," he concluded. "But the chances are they won't have to, as they would have been documenting the entire journey from their house to yours, maybe even on Facetime using this angle [camera facing directly up at the chin] as they go along for some reason. Either that or they'll just send a picture of your front door or a selfie of them outside it. And again, just like the millennial, that's your cue to go and rescue them from the outside world."

People felt alternately seen, attacked and validated by Lambert's assessments, with the most common response being "accurate."

"I‘m a millennial, my husband GenX. Scarily accurate! 😂"

"Described this millennial to a T."

"This is surprisingly accurate 😂 I laughed slightly louder than the police using a battering ram…"

"Sooo accurate…guilty of the lateness and ‘here’ text 🙃"

"I must admit I'm a millennial. But knocking on the door feels so aggressive, uknow? 😅😇"

"Millennial texting to say almost there but just started getting dressed to go out. Why do we do this? It's not intentional, at least not for me."

"Honestly your observations are just brilliant! GenX-er here!"

"The Gen Z angle omg 😂😂"

Some people didn't resonate with their generation's description, but there are exceptions to every rule and some people will never fit a stereotype. However, judging by the wave of affirmative responses, Lambert nailed the generational generalities across the board—and did so in a way that allows us all to laugh at ourselves.

You can follow Jake Lambert on Instagram.


This article originally appeared in July.

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News anchor mom reports on her toddler's tantrum from outside his room, and it's comedic gold

Kayla Sullivan's "news report" has been viewed a whopping 30 million times.

Kayla Sullivan/TikTok

Kayla Sullivan nails the reality of toddler tantrums in her mock news report.

Anyone who's ever had a 2-year-old knows that they can be … a lot. Adorable for sure, but … a lot. Toddlers are just starting to figure out that they have their own free will, but they have zero idea how to wield it or use it for good. They want what they want, when they want it—except when they change their mind and absolutely do not want what they just wanted—and they don't really have the emotional maturity or verbal acuity to adequately express any of these things without crying, whining or screaming.

There's a reason they're so darn cute. For parents, handling a 2-year-old's 2-year-oldness can be a challenge. You can't rationalize with them. You know they're not being little toddler terrors on purpose. You know that they're just learning and that it's a stage and a phase that won't last forever, but when you're in it? Phew.

The key to getting through it is to be able to find the humor in it. Sometimes it's just so absurd that all you can do is laugh. And laughing with other parents who have survived toddlerhood—or who are running the gauntlet alongside you—is one of the best ways to not lose your mind.

That's why former news reporter Kayla Sullivan has gone viral with a fake news report about her toddler's tantrum at an Olive Garden.

Standing in the hallway outside her son's room, speaking into a toy microphone, Sullivan puts on her professional broadcast voice and says, “Kayla Sullivan reporting live from outside my son’s bedroom where he is currently being detained until naptime is over. Now, this story does involve a minor so I can’t release specifics, but what I can confirm is my son is a 2-year-old terrorist who held me hostage at the Olive Garden earlier today.”

@kaylareporting

Now accepting donations for babysitters & or take out! Venmo: @Kayla-Sullivan-96 🤣 #NewsVoice #ToddlerMom #EveryKiss #newsvoice #YerAWizard #2022

Sullivan is a former reporter for Indiana's Fox59 and Indianapolis' CBS4 and a former news anchor at WLFI who, according to her TikTok description, is "now coming @ you live from #MomLife."

Her delivery is spot on. People in the comments said they were just waiting for the cut to live footage.

"I brought my son's favorite snacks, and even risked judgment from other moms by bringing an iPad"—oh yeah, felt that.

"Not even Cocomelon could stop this meltdown." Yep, been there.

"Chech-up! CHECH-UUUP!!!" Definitely felt that, too.

We've all had moments when we feel like we completely suck at the "gentle parenting" thing, but fortunately, the tantrummy toddler years don't last forever.

Sullivan's video has been viewed a whopping 30 million times and has gotten praise and shares from tons of well-known people, from Alyssa Milano to Andy Grammer to Nick Cannon. Sullivan hit a comedy nerve that all parents can relate to and did it in an unexpected way.

But she didn't end there. She also posted a follow-up report with eyewitness interviews, and holy moly, the accuracy.

@kaylareporting

I don’t like to ruffle feathers but… JK I’m a news reporter of COURSE I love ruffling feathers🤣 #FYP #NewsVoice #Funny #Parenting #momtok #2022 #fypシ

We've all run into some Tammys and Karens in our lives—the moms who just can't help telling you you're doing it wrong, despite the fact that they are no more of an expert on parenting than you are. But the caricatures of these moms are hilarious.

Sullivan seems to have successfully carved out a niche for herself in the mom comedy space. Follow her on TikTok @kaylareporting for more.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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