Holiday Chit Chat with Kate Flannery - Office Ladies Recap

Podcast: Office Ladies

Published: 2025-12-19

Duration: 44 minutes

Guests: Kate Flannery

Summary

This special holiday episode features Kate Flannery discussing her holiday traditions, memories from 'The Office,' and her Christmas album with Jane Lynch. The episode also includes insights from Kendra Adachi on gift-wrapping traditions.

What Happened

Kate Flannery, known for her role as Meredith Palmer on 'The Office,' joins Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey for a festive discussion. They reminisce about holiday memories from the show, particularly focusing on the various Office holiday parties, like Angela's chaotic Yankee Swap and Phyllis's Moroccan Christmas. Kate humorously talks about her character Meredith's infamous line about not drinking during the week, which was improvised.

Angela and Jenna share their personal holiday traditions, such as decorating early and the joys and stresses of holiday shopping. They reference a Good Housekeeping survey revealing that most people decorate their Christmas trees between December 2nd and 23rd. Historically, trees were decorated with edible items and put up at the last moment to preserve them.

Kate opens up about her musical endeavors, touring every December with Jane Lynch to perform songs from their Christmas album, 'A Swinging Little Christmas.' This collaboration continues to bring holiday cheer to audiences each year. Kate also shares a fun anecdote about having waited on 'Lord of the Rings' stars during her time working in a restaurant.

A particularly memorable moment involves an improvised scene from the 'Moroccan Christmas' episode of 'The Office,' directed by Paul Feig. Kate describes how a chase scene with trash cans, originally meant to have a voiceover, was brought to life through improvisation.

Kendra Adachi, known as 'The Lazy Genius,' contributes her unique holiday tradition of watching the entire 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy while wrapping presents. This tradition makes the often tedious task more enjoyable and engaging.

The episode touches upon the challenges of holiday filming schedules for 'The Office' cast, who sometimes worked right up to the holidays. Despite the hectic schedules, they exchanged gifts and celebrated together, fostering a sense of camaraderie.

Kate recalls her creative contribution of making Dunder Mifflin votive candles as wrap gifts for the cast, a gesture rooted in the absence of official merchandise at the time. These personal touches highlight the close-knit bond among the cast members.

Key Insights

• Kate Flannery and Jane Lynch tour every December to perform songs from their Christmas album, 'A Swinging Little Christmas,' providing holiday entertainment to audiences annually.
• A Good Housekeeping survey indicates that most people decorate their Christmas trees between December 2nd and 23rd, a shift from historical practices where trees were adorned with edible items and set up last minute to ensure freshness.
• During the filming of 'The Office,' the cast sometimes worked right up to the holidays, yet they maintained a tradition of exchanging gifts and celebrating together, which helped build a strong sense of camaraderie.
• Kate Flannery created Dunder Mifflin votive candles as wrap gifts for 'The Office' cast members, a personal touch that reflected the lack of official merchandise available at the time.