Hello friends and FoGgers, we want to wish you a very special Merry Christmas with a unique release this week that we hope you'll enjoy.

Several years ago, I (Reed) wrote a handful of short stories for Christmas. One of them involved a shepherd and his young boy sitting and talking on a quiet hillside one uneventful, starlit night. Because of its dialogue-heavy structure, I asked my son if he would like to record a version of it with me. What you are about to hear is that recording.

I will resist the urge to provide too many details about the story's meaning. The story should speak for itself, if it speaks at all. But I hope it sparks something for you as you hear it. Perhaps it will make you remember a far-away moment to which you'd like to return. Perhaps it will make you dwell upon a hoped-for dream on the horizon.

But most of all, I hope it urges you to pause for a moment -- right where you are, perpetually on the verge of whatever comes next -- and take it all in. All the hope, all the pain, all the mystery. Take a look around. You're in this story too... I promise.

Merry Christmas, and God Bless Us Everyone.

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It's that time of year again folks! We're keeping up with a recently minted tradition of covering a different version of Charles Dickens' immortal classic A Christmas Carol by discussing the wonderful adaptation by none other than The Muppets. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL is not only full of all the laughter, whimsy, and heartfelt sentiment that have come to be synonymous with the Muppet gang, but it's also one of the most directly faithful adaptations of Dickens' tale ever put to film.

We share our favorite moments from the film as well was dive into why its unique interpretation of the story is particularly special. Also featuring a Patron-only section where we discuss the 1987 holiday special THE MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS -- which, if you've never seen it, it's available on YouTube and extremely worth your time -- this is a warm and joyful conversation that we really hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: THE MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS

5:10 - THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

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Continuing our trio of episodes this week about the films which adapt Dracula in a very specific but different kind of way. F. W. Murnau's 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was remade in 1979 by now legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog into a contemplative, grim, and lush presentation he called NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE. Distinguishing itself in many ways from its predecessor while still keeping the primary story intact, Herzog's Nosferatu is saturated with a dim and often oppressively bleak outlook. It's given power by a trio of strong performances in the main roles but also has an overt despair that permeates the entire story. Despite that tone, we have a surprisingly laughter-filled conversation about it.

Also featuring a Patron-only discussion about the recent awards contender, CONCLAVE, this episode is a disarming amount of fun and we hope you enjoy it.

Patron Only Segment: CONCLAVE

4:52 - NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE

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