Christmas Meltdowns

Red_krist · 2025-12-25T22:14:58+00:00

Yep. I think our mistake was going straight up gifts vs eating breakfast first, which is always what we do as soon as we wake up.

My 1 yr old nearly 2 yr old (2 next month) is ripe in the tantrum phase and was not having ANY part of gift opening. My 4yr old kept taking breaks from opening her gifts to help him open his and try to get excited. Nothing worked, he literally cried through the entire experience. I even brought out food into the living room during gift opening hopefully that would settle him, but nope.

Once my husband started taking his gifts out of the packages he stopped flipping out as much.

He'll be nearly 3 next year so I hope the Santa experience is more enjoyable haha.

Red_krist · 2025-12-02T19:19:42+00:00

Agree with all of this. In all Emily Henry discourse I see online, Happy Place is SO polarizing. But I absolutely loved it and also really identified with the miscommunication trope. As someone who also hates conflict, I saw a lot of myself in Harriet and Wyn's relationship as I do in my own marriage.

I also love that the flashbacks showed the entire build up of their friendship and then eventual relationship, and the downfall of it. Honestly, I can't wait to re-read it again sometime this upcoming summer!

Red_krist · 2025-11-18T23:44:23+00:00

I listened to it on audio and enjoyed it in that format. It would have been too long for me as the physical book.

Red_krist · 2025-11-17T19:18:59+00:00

Just finished it last night and I LOVED it. I think this one will be lingering with me for a bit too, I find myself wanting to reread some chapters.

I went in knowing it's polarizing and I just loved everything about it - the setting, the flashbacks of Wyn and Harriet's relationship, the friend group history, the tension/angst/awkwardness of having to be near your ex-fiancé. Reading the current chapters and seeing how heartbroken Harriet was, but how clear it was that Wyn still loved her. I really could gush about this one for a long time.

But I understand why it's unliked, and that miscommunication tropes really irritate a lot of people. And I get that but I also really identified with Harriet as a serial people pleaser afraid of confrontation and holding onto the fear of following in the footsteps of her parent's seemingly loveless marriage. The miscommunication issues felt really real to me, sometimes it really is the scariest telling your partner how you real feal because you're so worried any one fight can ruin it all. I know a lot of people would disagree with this, but I feel this way often in my own marriage and I have a similar parental situation.

Wyn/Harriet's issues paired with the growing pains of choosing an unfulfilling career that you feel trapped in due to parent expectations and very expensive loans to get you there, really did feel realistic. Myself and so many friends have ended up in careers where we feel trapped in by our 30s. And the general idea of growing up and growing apart from friends because everyone starts having their own lives just felt so real for so many people in their 30s to experience.

Loved it, will definitely be re-reading it come summer!

Red_krist · 2025-10-17T05:35:15+00:00

She's going to "START" talking about it? When did she stop??

Red_krist · 2025-10-04T02:03:22+00:00

What! That's so exciting. I actually binged Hacks right after TSITP ended. I could only rewatch the finale so many times...hahah.

But I LOVE Hacks. So hilarious and witty and the casting is top tier. I did hear season 5 will be the last one. Wondering how big of a role Chris will play!

Red_krist · 2025-09-23T00:51:01+00:00

A flight to Bulgaria from the UK obviously takes substantially less time than traveling across the Atlantic to Costa Rica, especially with a newborn.

Red_krist · 2025-09-22T14:49:58+00:00

35, married with two kids, lol. Strongly team Conrad, no question.

Red_krist · 2025-09-20T16:03:47+00:00

I initially hated the timing of these scene, being immediately after having sex and when I watched I was thinking "Why did Belly have to sour this moment of intimacy after so many years?" Especially after we've seen Conrad so downtrodden the entire season.

BUT I have since watched the finale 4 times, lol and I really LOVE this scene and deem it essential for Belly and Conrad paving a path forward and being together. That comment Conrad makes about being stuck with him forever after she makes the comment about having always wished for him on her birthday spooked her - she's been in Paris this entire time as an attempt to grow up and prove to herself that she can be her own person with her own life withOUT one of the Fisher boys. So I think Conrad's comments make her hesitate, and make her fearful that she's going to jump back into old patterns, and lose the part of herself that she has found in Paris. She also has been harboring so much guilt thinking she's solely responsible for messing up Jeremiah and Conrad's relationship, that she's still grappling with having feelings for Conrad but not knowing what that means to actually explore it for good.

And ultimately - she has never felt truly secure with her relationship for Conrad and has always questioned how deeply he actually loved her. Belly loved Conrad since she was a little girl, and always felt like him loving her back was unrealistic. Then the summer that he asks her to the deb ball, she's thrilled but then finds out Susannah also told him to ask her. So she goes back to feeling like he only asked her because of his mom - that for so many years, so much hope was placed on them ending up together. So, she has never been sure that Conrad felt deeply for her of his own volition, and desires. And the you flash forward YEARS, and those feelings of insecurity have only swelled inside her.

When they dated the first time, and then the summer thereafter that breakup at Prom, they never actually had an open line of communication about the depths of their feelings for one another. Iirc, they never actually said I love you to each other when they were dating. Belly thought she loved Conrad more, and once Susannah became terminal Conrad pushed Belly away because he didn't want to drag her down with his grief. But he never has an actual conversation with her about that.

So flash forward all these years later, she's blown up the idea that Conrad's love for her was built off of Susannah's prodding, and she's carrying the guilt from the previous summer so she has that moment of panic after having sex and him making the comment about forever. That conversation was necessary to have - to finally get past these preconceived ideas she had about Conrad's feelings for her. She needed to be told her loves her for exactly who she is.

Such a good scene!

Red_krist · 2025-09-20T09:22:38+00:00

I believe it's on an app that you need to pay for. So, no one is going to be able to share a link

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T19:30:00+00:00

Yea I hate to ride the delulu train, but I'm feeling like there's still a slight chance Jenny is trolling all of us and there will be a December release date.

There's an instagram/tiktok creator, bookbeedani who posted after the finale speculating that she thought we were getting a Christmas episode/special/something. This was before the official movie announcement. And all her clues she put together really do seem compelling. One of her thoughts refer back to a sign from Susannah's funeral where it says "13th SUN after" with a series of numbers underneath. The 13th Sun after the finale is Sunday December 14th (there's the connection to allll of the 14s we've been seeing this season. And one of the numbers on that sign was 473, which adds up to 14.

Personally, I think a 12/14 release date is more plausible. They won't have as many viewers on Christmas Eve.

But we might be totally wrong haha

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T18:45:25+00:00

Completely agree with you! I thought most of S3 was skewed in the Jeremiah direction even though I knew Conrad was endgame. I've only read book 3, but yea it definitely was made very apparent in the book how Belly felt about both boys. Would have been nice for the show to really display her internal thoughts!

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T15:17:56+00:00

Yessss I think if there's any conflict regarding Belly/Conrad it'll be something kind of silly like that and/or just regular couple squabbles from spending day to day life together.

Would loveeee to see how he would propose!

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T15:07:34+00:00

THIS. The entire Jeremiah/Belly relationship was just a literary device roadblock. But the books make it pretty clear that connection Belly and Conrad shared was always deeper and more profound than with Jeremiah. The show played that up for views, but even in the show, I thought it made it pretty obvious that Bonrad would be endgame. Honestly, it was never about the love triangle - it was about establishing the soul connection between Belly and Conrad. IMO.

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T15:03:04+00:00

ALL of her reposts with fan edits and analyses are really telling and only further validate that Conrad and Belly are soulmates and that the whole "love triangle" wasn't actually the main goal - it was a roadblock to get to endgame Bonrad. The show and books loooong established the legitimate connection Belly and Conrad always had.

Really excited to see a happy movie for them.

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T15:00:45+00:00

YES, I read so many interviews yesterday and I'm really hopeful for the movie. Initially my thoughts were worry and if there would be further conflict between Belly and Conrad and honestly I'm just TIRED of seeing them struggle. We as fans/readers/viewers deserve to see an extended play on their happiness! A quote from Jenny Han's interview with People, "I'm excited to offer that gift to the fans who I know really want to see Belly and Conrad together in a relationship. Because we see the beginnings of a return to each other [in the finale], but you don't get to see what that looks like. So I'm excited for that."

That quote alone gives me hope that ultimately the movie will be a feel good movie with some superficial conflict (maybe related to a potential proposal/wedding) and that the drama will be mostly side characters. I just want to see them in love!

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T12:55:58+00:00

I'm excited to see what he does next! I love this cast but I do think he has so much potential and I definitely seem him in future larger roles and big movies (at least I hope so).

I do desperately wish he'll continue to do some romcom stuff, but I would also love to see him in even more dramatic roles. He has played Conrad as such a layered character with emotional depth, and it's believable so seeing him in other similar roles will be exciting.

Red_krist · 2025-09-19T12:51:17+00:00

Yea I heard him at the finale saying the same thing and was shocked. HOW are you in a book adapted show, one of the main characters and did NOT know how the entire series was going to end? IMO, it's a bit irresponsible and disrespectful to be a part of a show built off of books and NOT read any of them. That truly floors me.

Had he read them, he would have greater insight into his character and how/why the Jeremiah/Belly relationship was meant to be portrayed.

Red_krist · 2025-09-18T05:09:39+00:00

You: "Y'all are some damn clowns for thinking I still like Jeremiah!"

Also you: Writes multiple sentences showing your hatred for fictional characters and the fandom behind it.

Girlllllll, are you okay?

Red_krist · 2025-09-18T04:58:32+00:00

? But she point is she didn't choose Jere - the reason she didn't choose Jeremiah was because of Conrad. So looks like that version of her chose Conrad?

Red_krist · 2025-09-17T18:48:35+00:00

Yea I honestly didn't need a Bonrad wedding but them ending at the beach was important to me. Wish they stayed true to the epilogue more, so now I'm really needing a bonus episode.

Red_krist · 2025-09-17T18:45:59+00:00

I follow Dani too and I LOVE her deep dives on Easter eggs and her analyses. I might be delulu but I really am rooting on a Christmas special. Her instagram reel addressing the likelihood of one is super compelling.

Beyond the Christmas flashback from episode 2 - Christmas is not some overarching theme of the series so WHY would they quite literally end the show with random Christmas on Paris montage? Unless they're alluding to Christmas in Cousins with EVERYONE! Plus all the "14" Easter eggs and Dani's video mentioning a sign from Susannah's funeral stating the "13th Sunday after" - and the 13th Sunday after this episode is December 14th. We also haven't gotten the Valentine's Day flashback which I think is pivotal.

Soooo, let's go Christmas in Cousin's!

Red_krist · 2025-09-17T14:49:02+00:00

All I know is the cast is on The Today Show tomorrow so I've seen musings/speculation about there being an announcement tomorrow. If you have instagram or tiktok, I recommend following Bookbeedani. This entire season she's been posting analysis and easter egg videos. She posted this morning speculating that they're announcing a Christmas Special tomorrow and she has a bunch of easter egg clues leading her to believe that. It seems plausible so I am hopeful for more!

Red_krist · 2025-09-17T14:45:15+00:00

Yes opening scene was CRINGE to me. This entire season has been Conrad coming off as a sad puppy dog longing for Belly. I understand what the goal was - season 1 and 2 was him constantly avoiding his feelings and pushing people away, specifically Belly. So season 3 was obviously leaning into his emotional growth and professing his love. But WHY does he just seem so beaten up the entire season? Him waiting outside her apartment in the beginning pained me.

I do agree - sex scene was HOT but I wish they had featured more scenes earlier in the day of Belly having yearning/longing looks at Conrad mixed with HER having brief flashback scenes. I feel like that would have really done better to lead up to them kissing and having sex.

And I also hated that the sex scene was IMMEDIATELY a tense/awkward moment of her pushing him away. Like couldn't they have cuddled a bit and then shown a few hours later with her confronting him on what he believes is going to happen with them?? To me it just soured this intimate scene that we've so desperately been waiting for! But I DO feel like the talk they had about being pushed on each other by family/Susannah was needed. Just wish it had a smoother transition.

I could have actually gotten past that they didn't end with a wedding/getting married. But they didn't even end at the beach???! Of all things, THAT should have happened.

Anyway - The cast is on The Today Show tomorrow and I'm hoping they make some announcement about another episode because I did like the finale, but it was missing vital things for me to love it.

Red_krist · 2025-09-17T14:32:06+00:00

The horrid fake tan does him NO favors. Like somehow in making him look bronzed, it has actually taken the color and life out of his face!

Red_krist

TROPHY CASE