Bonus Episodes

This super special Valentine's Day bonus is dedicated to our dear Aunt Annie who is rocking the yellow pant suit on the right, circa 1975. Also pictured are our mom (Hi, Mom!) in the middle and Aunt Ruthie on the left. The Lewis girls at their fashion best! In front is Bootie, looking adorably sweet. Bossy most likely was off camera doing cartwheels. 

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Aunt Annie is known for her artistic ability (see pet portraits below) and her crafting skills. Bootie fondly remembers the Raggedy Anne dolls she made for her and our sister, Melissa. She's also an expert quilter. 

For our Christmas bonus, we asked Mom to write a Christmas memory. Here's what she wrote:

It was December 1946. We had traveled all the way from Colorado to fort Hamilton, New York, the port of embarkation for traveling to Germany, where our father was stationed. In a few days, we would board an old troop ship for an arduous trip across the Atlantic, heading to Bremerhaven, Germany, and then by train to Heidelberg. I was eight, my older sister was 12 and my younger sister was almost two. We were staying in an army barracks. When we woke on Christmas morning, our mother had hung our stockings at the foot of our beds with candy in them. On the nightstand, we each got a gift wrapped package containing a pair of mittens that had been knitted by our grandmother. That was our only gift. No tree, no decorations. When I look back on it, I am amazed that our mother was able to manage the Christmas stockings. We had no car, not to mention she was dealing with caring for our baby sister! I suppose she managed to get to the PX somehow. I have wished many times over the years that I had asked our mother more questions when she was still with us. In retrospect, although eight year old me was disappointed in such a sparse Christmas, I now realize how difficult that time was for our mother, and I am grateful for what little she managed to do under the circumstances. I wish I could tell her that.

A few things we talked about: Bossy mentioned the book, The Things they Carried by Tim O'Brien. Guess what? Bootie and Bossy were right and mom was WRONG about the commercial! It was the C&H commercial that inspired Bootie to sing, "to Erica from Hawaii" while counting her presents under the tree. Here's a link in case anyone else wants to relive the 70's advertising era (it is pretty cringy for many reasons). Mom was right, however about Prince Albert and Queen Victoria raising the popularity of having a Christmas tree in England and the US (at least according to this source).

In episode 24, we interviewed Melissa Klein, who has recently written a memoir about online dating. Melissa is a commercial artist, muralist, illustrator, logo designer, author, and standup comedian who works in a wide range of styles and mediums to reflect her client's vision. And she's our sister!! Here is Melissa reading the complete chapter (she read an excerpt during the podcast) entitled Imperfect Hearts and Roses for Valentine's Day.

For this year's super special Christmas bonus, Bossy reads a letter she wrote to Bootie and her husband from their first Christmas together as a married couple, almost 25 years ago. Whatever your traditions are (and we both think Big Sandwich Day is a great one), Bootie and Bossy wish you the very best this holiday season and would like to remind you to breathe, it's ok. If you do make or receive a homemade gift, remember that it comes from a place of love, which is the biggest gift of all. 

Dear Bootie and Arthur,

                Merry First Christmas! You might be wondering why your older sister has sent you a creche on your first Christmas together as a married couple, especially since I have shown no particular religious proclivities in the past. Let me explain. I wanted to do for you what Mom and Dad did for me on my first Christmas after getting married. They sent us a terra cotta creche, and I have always treasured it mainly because it reminds me of the creche we had growing up. Getting out the creche every year always marked the real beginning of the Christmas season for me as a child, and no matter where we were—Colorado, St. Louis or Philadelphia—what never changed was the creche that Aunt Betty made for mom and dad. I always thought the figures were beautifully simple and full of grace—made of clay or porcelain that Aunt Betty glazed with a simple brown bisque to highlight the folds in the garments and other features. To me they captured at once the humility of the moment and its momentousness.

Bootie found the letter that Bossy wrote in 2011! We decided for a special Christmas bonus to record Bossy reading it.