While Danny Pellegrino is known for his interviews and analysis of all things reality TV and pop culture on his podcast Everything Iconic, the 38-year-old storyteller’s personal life and upbringing in Solon are also sources of constant conversation.
Those stories make up his latest book, The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories, which follows his book release in 2022, the bestselling How Do I Un-Remember This? This time around, Pellegrino takes a festive turn, sharing stories centered around Christmas.
Pellegrino traveled from his Los Angeles home to Cleveland for a book launch event in October, and we caught up with him backstage at the House of Blues for a lightning round of festive questions ahead of the holiday season.
Favorite Cleveland holiday tradition?
"I think the thing that I look forward to the most outside of my family’s cooking is Malley’s Chocolates. I’m a big chocolate person and so I like getting all the seasonal chocolates. I love a solid Santa Claus chocolate."
Favorite family traditions?
"We tend to do my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve. She is the one who takes on the holiday and is doing most of the cooking and planning and gathering. There’s always a lot of chaos on Christmas Eve. Now that I have a bunch of nieces and nephews, I think it’s fun to see them opening gifts and playing with gifts on Christmas Day, so I love that part of the holiday."
Favorite holiday movie?
"Christmas Vacation — but I love so many. Really, with my book, I wanted it to feel like Christmas Vacation. Of course, I love The Family Stone, Home Alone. I love The Muppets’ Christmas things, whether it be A Muppet Family Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol."
Favorite holiday song?
"Mariah Carey. Not “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” To me, it’s probably the best-made song ever, but I really have a more emotional connection to “Miss You Most (At Christmastime),” which was on that first holiday album. It’s such a beautiful ballad and it’s heartbreaking, but I love it."
Favorite gift you’ve received for the holidays?
"There was a 101 Dalmatians Patch plush that I got when I was really little. It was a special Christmas, but also I had wanted it so badly."
Favorite gift you’ve ever given?
"I like to give myself something, usually something that’s a nostalgic thing from my past. Oftentimes, it’s something that maybe I wanted as a kid that I didn’t get. That gift recently was a JC Chasez from NSYNC doll. Which I know makes me sound crazy, but that was the gift last year that I gave myself."
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