Alright, folks, brace yourselves—the holidays are officially upon us.

You know, that magical time when every TV commercial is a focus-grouped fever dream of perfect families, and your Instagram feed becomes a relentless assault of curated "joy."

But what happens when your reality feels less It's a Wonderful Life and more Christmas Vacation? This week, Neils, BobbySox, and Bill are cutting through the tinsel-covered spin to tackle the Great Holiday Hype Machine.

We’re calling out the manufactured pressure to be 100% cheerful, 100% of the time, especially when:

• Your bank account is screaming. (Why does "showing love" mean "going into debt"?)
• Your family dynamics are... complicated. We're talking mandatory face-time with relatives you avoid for 11 months, like the aunt who needs to know why you're still single.
• You're just not feeling it. In a season obsessed with "togetherness," it can be the loneliest time of the year.

P.S. We have a new name! We're now Counterwave Radio (formerly 'Critical Defiance'). Why? 'Defiance' is reacting against the noise. A 'Counterwave' is creating a new, better conversation. That's what we're all about nowadays.

Instead of just accepting the holiday script, we’re rewriting it.

Bill breaks down the art of the "Strategic Boundary" (how to firmly tell someone their opinion wasn't on the menu). BobbySox champions the life-saving glory of the "Found Family Holiday," because the family you choose is often the one that matters most. Neils walks us through creating new, personal traditions that actually make you happy (even if it's just locking the doors and binging a show).

This episode is your official survival guide. We've got practical advice on self-care, deflecting those landmine conversations, and protecting your mental health.

So grab your headphones, spike that eggnog, and tune in. Let's survive the season without a full-on Griswold meltdown.

• (00:00:03) - How to survive the Holidays
• (00:02:36) - Counterweave Radio
• (00:05:29) - It's The Holidays Already
• (00:06:15) - Happy Holidays: The Holiday Ads
• (00:07:11) - The Pressure to Perform Holiday Joy
• (00:09:54) - Have You Ever Been Lonely During The Holidays?
• (00:15:03) - How To Avoid Conflict During The Holidays
• (00:19:34) - How Money Screws Up Relationships
• (00:22:01) - The Best Gifts For People
• (00:25:23) - How Hard Is The Holidays For People Who Are Single?
• (00:29:08) - Happy New Year!
• (00:29:48) - The Holiday Social Anxiety
• (00:32:22) - Self-Care for the Holidays
• (00:33:04) - How to Start Living With Gratitude
• (00:35:02) - Find Family
• (00:35:43) - Finding Family During the Holidays
• (00:37:16) - The Holiday Holiday Sitdown