Join the Dolly 4 Sue bandmates—Aaron, Kirsten, and Leslie—for a festive episode exploring multiple advent calendars in anticipation of the holiday season. This unscripted conversation features three Generation X musicians tackling a unique collection of countdown calendars, including murder mysteries, dad jokes, Baileys Irish Cream samplers, artisan cheeses, and hot sauces from Aldi.

The hosts dive into solving "The Poisoned Pudding" and "Murder Under the Mistletoe" mysteries while taste-testing bruschetta cheese, white chocolate Bailey's, and jalapeño hot sauce. Between solving crimes and sampling flavors, they discuss disappointing Halloween candy quality (particularly Reese's and Kit Kats), share hilarious stories about cooking with hot peppers, and discover that Amazon's dad joke calendar might be the worst purchase ever.

This episode perfectly captures the authentic, humorous conversations midlife music enthusiasts crave—balancing family responsibilities, nostalgic memories, and the simple pleasure of trying new things with friends. Whether you're a classic rock fan, podcast listener seeking genuine dialogue about midlife experiences, or simply someone who enjoys murder mysteries and food tastings, this episode delivers laughs, insights, and a reminder that growing older doesn't mean growing boring. The bruschetta cheese earns unanimous praise as the evening's winner, while the dad jokes get universally panned.

• Try Aldi's specialty advent calendars: The hosts discovered impressive finds at Aldi, including artisan cheese calendars, Baileys samplers, and hot sauce collections—proving budget-friendly doesn't mean low quality
• Research candy quality before bulk buying: Rising cacao prices have led manufacturers to add fillers and reduce quality, making pre-purchase research valuable for holiday shopping

• Murder mysteries require literal thinking: The hosts learned that over-analyzing clues and looking for red herrings can lead you astray—sometimes the obvious answer is correct
• Shared experiences amplify enjoyment: Even mediocre products (bad jokes, mild hot sauce) become entertaining when experienced with friends

• Use protective gear when handling hot peppers: The oils from peppers remain on skin long after washing and can cause serious discomfort hours later—always wear gloves when chopping

Resources Mentioned:

• Clues Club on Etsy: Murder mystery advent calendar (downloadable PDF)
• Berman's Flamin' Holidays Hot Sauce Advent Calendar (from Aldi)
• Connelly's Irish Cream 12-day sampler (from Aldi)
• Winter Wonderland Cheese Advent Calendar (from Aldi)
• Dad Jokes Advent Calendar from Amazon ($10 - not recommended)

Shopping Tips:

• Aldi's seasonal aisle offers unique advent calendars at reasonable prices
• Wegmans carries framboise (raspberry liqueur)
• World Market previously carried quality advent calendars (though locations are closing)

"Nothing says 'living your best midlife' quite like solving fake murders over Bailey's while your dog threatens to eat the evidence cheese."

00:00 Introduction to the Advent Calendar Series

06:46 Exploring Advent Calendars: A Variety of Themes

13:55 Tasting and Reviewing Advent Calendar Treats

17:44 Murder Mystery Advent Calendar: The Poisoned Pudding

30:59 Solving the Mystery: Who is the Killer?

38:17 Hot Sauce Tasting Begins

43:47 Murder Mystery Setup

54:40 Solving the Murder Mystery

01:13:39 Final Thoughts and Reflections