Happy New Year (for real this time)! Todd and Tony return to the mics to recap their holiday breaks and set the tone for 2026. Todd shares the story of his “agent of chaos” moment in Berlin, Maryland: creating a DIY New Year’s Eve ball out of chicken wire and empty beer cans after the town nixed the midnight drop in favor of a 6:00 PM “kids’ countdown.”
The conversation takes a sharp (and hilarious) turn as Tony launches into a passionate manifesto against “children-forward America,” the “grandparentization” of local government, and why staying up until midnight is a right that must be earned. Plus, Tony reveals the accidental purchase of 5,000 “permanent” Christmas cards, Todd celebrates his wife finally listening to his other podcast, and the duo discusses the value of building community over chasing virality in the new year.