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EPISODE · Dec 11, 2025 · 41 MIN

Jingle All the Way

from Verbal Diorama

In his chaotic quest for a Turbo Man doll, Howard Langston goes to extremes to find the toy on Christmas Eve. It's the stuff of Christmas slapstick comedy, right? In reality, society has always been obsessed with 'the must-have' gifts during the holiday season and parents have gone to even more extreme lengths for their kids, with both the Cabbage Patch riots of 1983 and the Power Rangers craze of 1993 proving beleaguered mums and dads will do anything to get the latest toy for their children, including chasing trucks and beating up store staff.Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Howard, a great mattress salesman, but a less-than-adequate husband and father. When his disappointed son tells him he wants a Turbo Man action figure, Howard springs into action on Christmas Eve, only to find every store out of stock. This is why you don't leave your Christmas shopping to the last minute!Despite the initial poor reception, Jingle All the Way has become an unlikely holiday classic, and an effective satire of the commercialization of Christmas. The movie has found new life through annual holiday season rewatches, with nostalgia playing a significant role in its enduring popularity.And in a weird twist of fate, the movie, which came out in November 1996, predicted exactly what parents would do to get a Tickle Me Elmo that year...I would love to hear your thoughts on Jingle All the Way !Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMAVerbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioPatrons: Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle, Aaron and ConnerThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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Jingle All the Way

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The Confident Speaker Simon Lewis The Confident Speaker is a vital resource for aspiring business leaders who want to speak with authority, passion, and poise but are held back by fear and self-doubt. You’ll learn actionable strategies to overcome stage fright, structure your message like a pro, and captivate your audience with non-verbal cues—all without spending years trying to figure it out on your own. This podcast saves you time and heartache by fast-tracking your journey from timid talker to confident speaker, giving you practical tools to succeed with every speech. Grappling Hour Raf Esparza A show hosted by Verbal Tap's Raf Esparza, featuring a mix of athlete interviews, on-site coverage, and commentary. Love and Abuse Paul Colaianni: Relationship and Emotional Abuse Expert Helping you identify toxic communication, emotional abuse, manipulation, and other forms of difficult behavior in relationships. Love and Abuse offers the perspective of both the victim and the perpetrator. Full of tips and advice for your friendships, family, love life, and marriage.You'll learn about covert abusive communication that takes away your power. And you'll discover how to pinpoint the specific toxic behaviors, such as narcissistic abuse and verbal abuse, before you are dragged into a psychological game so deep you come out a shell of your former self.Love and Abuse is the official podcast of The M.E.A.N. Workbook, an assessment and healing guide to help you evaluate the emotionally abusive and manipulative patterns in your relationship. Get the guide that will tell you exactly what's happening in your relationship over at loveandabuse.com.https://loveandabuse.com/ Save Your Sanity - Help for Toxic Relationships Dr. Rhoberta Shaler The Save Your Sanity podcast offers episodes filled with the expert insights, validation, strategies, and support you need to recognize, manage, and recover from relationships with the relentlessly difficult, toxic--and often disturbing--people that host Dr. Rhoberta Shaler calls Hijackals®. She offers invaluable help to stop the second-guessing, undermining, and crazy-making traits, patterns, and cycles you have encountered in relationships with folks like those. Understand the ways, whys, and hows that verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and spiritual abuse affect you over time. Whether the Hijackal is a partner, parent, ex, or colleague, what you will learn here will strengthen and empower you to step up, speak up, and stand up for yourself in healthy, assertive ways. Many Hijackals have behaviors that are considered the same as those who are diagnosed as narcissists, bor

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This episode is 41 minutes long.

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This episode was published on December 11, 2025.

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In his chaotic quest for a Turbo Man doll, Howard Langston goes to extremes to find the toy on Christmas Eve. It's the stuff of Christmas slapstick comedy, right? In reality, society has always been obsessed with 'the must-have' gifts during the...

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