Dan, Manny, & Billy invite longtime friend Dave Kucich back on the pod to put the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

“The plot [of Miracle on 34th Street], is basically there’s a guy who's nice to everyone [and] everyone is just very weirded out by that. Like he is just a nice dude, he knows how to speak Dutch, he's nice to the kids, he's helping people out, he's anti-capitalism. He's all these things, and everyone's like, f*** this guy.” -Dan

Happy Holidays! This episode is so much fun. It’s a classic Nostalgia Test Podcast tangent episode full of Christmas hot takes, deep dives into favorite scenes and odd 1940s behavior, and the guys finally crack the case on whether Santa is real or not. And it wouldn’t be an episode of The Nostalgia Test Podcast without that Long Island ball busting you’ve come to love on the pod. Plus, you’re going to want to hear all the Santa Claus conspiracies, Christmas traditions, calling out creepy guys, and all while their other longtime friend Steve Herrera is driving to Taco Bell.

So finish your letter to Santa, grab some beer and cookies, and invite your favorite elves over to party because hanging with The Nostalgia Test is going to be your new Christmas tradition.

Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and topics for our next Nostalgia Test!

Suggest A Test & Be Our Guest! We're always looking for a fun new topic for The Nostalgia Test. Hit the link above, tell us what you'd like to see tested, and be our guest for that episode!

Approximate Rundown

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

00:47 Nostalgia Test Begins

01:58 Miracle on 34th Street Overview

03:53 First Impressions and Reactions

05:37 Discussion on Christmas Movies

09:24 Social Commentary in the Film

11:45 Santa Claus and Commercialism

17:38 Plot and Character Analysis

32:42 Debating the New vs. Old Santa Movie

32:52 Iconic Scenes and Religious Symbolism

35:09 Oscar Wins and Acting Styles

41:50 Smoking Habits in Classic Films

44:03 Santa's Niceness and Society's Reaction

46:44 Violent Night and Other Santa Movies

48:48 The Dark Side of Santa

51:56 Nostalgia Test: Miracle on 34th Street

01:01:04 Wrapping Up and Viewer Comments

Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link.

The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected

On today’s special Nostalgia Mini episode, Dan, Manny, & Billy spin The Nostalgia Test Wheel to see what classic Christmas movie they’ll put to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

“Welcome to Jurassic Park. Um, I mean, Merry Christmas.” -Billy

The guys introduce the Nostalgia Test Wheel to the pod to pick which movie they’ll watch for the annual Christmas episode. They year’s movie will be either Charlie Brown’s Christmas, A Muppet’s Family Christmas (TV Special), March of the Wooden Soldiers, Scrooge (1951), Miracle on 34th Street, or It’s a Wonderful Life. The boys also can’t stop themselves from other tangents like the announcement of a sequel to Heat with Leonardo DiCaprio, taxes, Gen X’s obsession with everyone being able to do math on the spot, and so much more.

So grab a strong hot toddy, throw on the yule log, and get cozy with The Nostalgia Test Wheel, because it’s going to make a lot more appearances in 2026 (we’re available for parties people!)

Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and topics for our next Nostalgia Test!

Suggest A Test & Be Our Guest! We're always looking for a fun new topic for The Nostalgia Test. Hit the link above, tell us what you'd like to see tested, and be our guest for that episode!

Approximate Rundown

00:00 Introduction and Technical Setup

00:18 Nostalgia Test Podcast Overview

00:34 Christmas Movie Selection Process

01:14 Discussion on Classic Christmas Movies

01:53 Random Movie Talk and Tangents

03:42 Cash vs. Card Debate

05:41 Spinning the Wheel for Movie Selection

07:20 Conclusion and Sign-Off

Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link.

The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected

On today’s special Nostalgia Mini episode, Manny shares a harrowing air travel story and puts Delta Airlines to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

“In my head, I survived the crash, and all I needed to do is figure out how to keep Marty out of the water and get my wife onto the floating device.” -Manny

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and gratitude, Manny recounts flying home from Dublin when suddenly there’s catastrophic engine failure. That’s right! He goes over how the flashing of his life was kind of disappointing, the strict laws about dogs in Iceland, his plane for surviving the freezing ocean, and the almost insane amount of professionalism and calm of the in-flight crew. Dan has a little fun with on this episode by adding a nostalgic soundtrack to his story around the minute 10. Make sure your tray tables are in the upright and locked position, your seatbelts are securely fastened, and all devices are on airplane mode because this is a good one!

Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and topics for our next Nostalgia Test!

Suggest A Test & Be Our Guest! We're always looking for a fun new topic for The Nostalgia Test. Hit the link above, tell us what you'd like to see tested, and be our guest for that episode!

Approximate Rundown

00:00 Welcome to the Nostalgia Test Podcast

00:15 Introduction to Today's Episode

00:45 Manny's Near-Death Experience on a Plane

06:33 The Aftermath and Iceland's Strict Dog Policies

12:00 Delta Airlines: A Nostalgia Test

19:35 Concluding Thoughts and Farewell

Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link.

The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected

Dan, Manny, & Billy put a list of 6 cartoon theme songs to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

“Thundercats was my thing.” -Manny

Dan surprises Manny & Billy with a weird list of cartoon theme songs which all leads to the funniest reaction to M.C. Hammer’s “Pumps and a Bump” music video. You can watch the full episode on Substack. The list of theme songs include:

• Batman: The Animated Series
• Beetlejuice
• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
• Hammerman
• I. Joe
• Filmation Ghostbusters

For an episode that started with a few technical difficulties, this has to be one of the best of 2025! It’s full of childhood memories, tangents, and hot takes, plus you get to see M.C. Hammer “dance” in a banana hammock. Who wouldn’t want to see that (on Substack). So get your friends together, put on your favorite cartoon themed pajamas, and set up those G.I. Joes to do battle, because this is going to blow your minds.

Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and topics for our next Nostalgia Test!

Suggest A Test & Be Our Guest! We're always looking for a fun new topic for The Nostalgia Test. Hit the link above, tell us what you'd like to see tested, and be our guest for that episode!

Approximate Rundown

00:00 Introduction and Technical Difficulties

01:02 Meet the Hosts

02:07 Upcoming Guests and Episodes

06:19 Nostalgia Test: Batman The Animated Series

15:47 Nostalgia Test: Beetlejuice The Animated Series

24:15 Nostalgia Test: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

27:47 Captain Planet and the Fifth Element

28:34 Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

29:54 Nostalgia and Cartoons

33:37 Hammerman: The MC Hammer Cartoon

42:40 GI Joe Theme Song Analysis

47:55 Filmation's Ghostbusters

56:39 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link.

The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected