Christmas Memories from Prison; How My Mother Taught Me The Key To Holiday Kindness

Attempting to focus on the spirit of the holiday season, Collier shares some holiday traditions he learned from his mother, how she taught him the true spirit of giving, and the true meaning of Christmas.

Other episode highlights include:

• It’s Christmas time, and what better way to celebrate than Prison Christmas cards and letters?!

• Collier also shares how he struggles with getting depressed during the holidays and how this will be his first Christmas in 18 years without his chihuahua Blondie.

• Collier shares his father’s homemade prison Christmas cards and even an invitation to a Christmas play at the prison.

YouTube link to this episode: https://youtu.be/9aeXKwDKFhs

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MPM EP 69 Xmas Prison Letters

Collier Landry: [00:00:00] I was talking about my father, but I was talking about like other prisoners because when I would go and visit my father, I would talk to other prisoners who would be in these courses with him that would come up to me and say, Hey. You know, your father's really helped me so much with, um, you know, dealing with my circumstances here, owning up to my crime, whatever it may be, and every time I would listen to them and I would be very happy that they've gotten something out of this man.

Collier Landry: But I never wanted to let on [00:00:30] the fact that the only reason that he's helping you is because it serves himself. He's trying to get paroled. So it's all about.

Collier Landry: Testimony continued. Today in the most notorious criminal trial in Richland County history. Dr. John Boyle is accused of killing his wife, Noreen, and burying her body in the basement of his new home in Erie, Pennsylvania. The 12 year old son finally took the stand as I heard a scream. I heard a thud was about this loud.

Collier Landry: We are the jury, find the defendant guilty. When I was 12 [00:01:00] years old, my testimony sent my father to prison for murdering my. This podcast serves as a type of therapy and reconciliation for myself, and it is my hope that it helps anyone who has experienced deception, betrayal, and dark trauma. I'm Collier Landry, and this is Moving Past Murder.

Collier Landry: Hey, movers. Welcome back to another episode of Moving Past Murder. I'm your host, Callier Landry, and what's going on [00:01:30] on. And Jingle Bell. Jingle Bell, jingle Bell Rock. For those of you watching on YouTube, I have some fun sort of Christmas decorations, which is really just some lights and some colored lights and fun, big things.

Collier Landry: December 23rd today, and I do not have a tree. I do not have any Christmas decorations whatsoever, other than what you see in the frame. Yeah, it's really weird because I've been thinking about this a lot, so I know that the holidays are depressing for a lot of people. I mean, they're also [00:02:00] full filled with fun and laughter and love and all that stuff.

Collier Landry: And for the first 11 years of my life, or maybe really 10, they were amazing. And Christmas was always my mother's favorite holiday and like good practicing Catholic. Every Christmas Eve we would go to Mass and my mother would like candles for her mother and father and for my grandfather, my father's father, and anyone that we may have lost in our lives.

Collier Landry: Or just to remember people or just to [00:02:30] say thank you and all that stuff. And I've told this story before a lot of times, and I'm just gonna get right into it. Cause I've been thinking about this a lot. You know, the holidays are just something that's really wrapped up in a lot of emotion and you know, next weekend is gonna be New Year's and I'm gonna do a special episode about that because that was the night that my mother was murdered.

Collier Landry: So I have a lot to share. Honestly. I was hoping to go back to Ohio this year and, uh, right now I'm really glad I didn't. For those of you that are stuck in the bomb cyclone, [00:03:00] because the temperature goes from this flash freeze that goes from like 40 to negative three or something. I don't like the cold. I have lived in Southern California for over 20 years.

Collier Landry: I am not a fan of the cold at all, so I've been thinking about a lot about the holidays and my mother and just, you know, she just loved Christmas and one of the things that I would have to do every year is there would do, we would do Toys for Tots. I don't even know if that's a thing anymore, but Toys for [00:03:30] Tots, and that's where you donate toys for the kids to, that are less fortunate than you that can get.

Collier Landry: And if it's, if it's out there, it's a great cause to, um, patronize. It's a great thing for you guys to give to that organization because they're amazing. But anyways, every year my mother would say to me, okay, Collier, you know, and she would explain to me, and this is just sort of the core around her generosity that has made me sort of the person that I am.

Collier Landry: [00:04:00] She would say to me, you know, call your, you know, you have to pick out half of your toys. We're gonna give them to toys for TAs, because she would explain to me, you know, you're fortunate enough to have a mommy and daddy that love you. You have a roof over your head, you have toys. Santa Claus always comes and, oh, wow.

Collier Landry: I just thought of something like how I f, how I found out about Santa Claus, but I'm not gonna get into that right now. But Santa Claus always comes and then, And [00:04:30] how I should give I, I should donate my toys to those that are less fortunate than me because I have a mommy that loves me, a daddy that loves me, a roof over my head.

Collier Landry: Santa Claus always comes. I'm very fortunate, and she would not let me get away. She was tough. She would not let me get away with just like giving away the toys that I didn't want. I had to give away the toys that she knew, that I loved, that I wanted to play with. So I'd have to give away some toys that were really special to me because she told me it was about sacrifice and that therefore, when you sacrifice and you help others and you extend your, [00:05:00] your hand in generosity, good things come to you as well and good.

Collier Landry: You give good things to them and it's just sort of a very symbiotic relationship with God, the universe, whatever you wanna call. The world in general, just the spirit of generosity. So that's where I learned it from. And I, you know, I don't talk about my mother a lot on this program, or not as much as I should, because I'm always reading letters from my father and talking about all that other stuff.

Collier Landry: But this is the time of year that really makes me. Think of her and all of the [00:05:30] things that she taught me because she would volunteer and you know, we would do, every year we, at my school, we would do a Christmas bazaar. And I just remember even people over the years reaching out to me with stories, they had a sweater.

Collier Landry: This, this one person in Mansfield, when I was making a murder in Mansfield, they actually gave me a sweater back cuz they wanted me to have the sweater because my mother, and I'll show you guys in a second for you guys on YouTube, and then for you guys on Patreon, you'll have. Little goodies that I put up for Patreon.

Collier Landry: [00:06:00] My mother would do things like needle point and what is that? Crocheting and sewing and knitting. And she would knit sweaters and she would knit sweaters for me and she would knit sweaters for her teddy bears. Cause my mother loved teddy bears. In fact, I still have her teddy bear that is way older than I am that she had long before she had me.

Collier Landry: I still have it. I actually got that. I, I don't know how , how I ended up with it. I am so grateful I. But she was always [00:06:30] this, just this really generous spirit and just giving so much to not only the community that we were involved in, but also like my friends that may have been less fortunate. You know, I had a lot of friends growing up that were in single family homes or that had parents that were, you know, in, that were divorced and you know, they didn't exactly have the best time.

Collier Landry: And some of them had older brothers and sisters or, and or the. The father or the mother, or both families had other kids with other, you know, remarried [00:07:00] and had other children, so they felt sort of neglected. So my mother would always kind of take that on and really share that sort of, not really a burden, cause that's not the right word, but they, she would take that on to make sure that they were okay.

Collier Landry: And that is something that I learned. This is something that I want to carry forward in my life and I've always strived to be as generous as possible. And by the way, for those of you that I'm a little stuffy because , [00:07:30] speaking of generosity, my neighbor gave me a vacuum cuz I asked to borrow her vacuum.

Collier Landry: And she said, oh, well our vacuum's broken, but you can have it. And I was like, okay. And she like you, you can fix things. You're really good at it. You're a cinematographer, you're a filmmaker. You always have gears. So you're. You're a guy. You're a guy, you can fix this stuff, right? And I was using the vacuum today to try to, to try to obviously vacuum, right?

Collier Landry: and I, I noticed that the vacuum was leaving a trail. [00:08:00] Of everything that had vacuumed up on the carpet, on the hardwood floor. And I thought, oh, that's not how a vacuum's supposed to work. So I took the whole thing apart. It's like a Dyson, and I completely overhauled it, but I did not very stupidly wear a mask.

Collier Landry: So now I inhaled all this dust and now I'm wheezing and my nose is all stuffed up. So I apologize. It'll probably go in and out. But anyways, Christmas, the holiday. It has been sort of, and I, and I think a lot of, [00:08:30] you know, a lot of my sort of sadness has been, I really miss my dog. I haven't really talked about that a lot since she passed about six weeks ago, but I've been used to having her as my constant companion every Christmas for the last, you know, 17, 18 years.

Collier Landry: So, yeah. Yeah, it's been a long, yeah, it's been a long time. So, yeah, I guess, you know, maybe I'm just sort of still dealing with that and, [00:09:00] you know, and I know the holidays is, you know, to speak about this, you know, look, if you guys are struggling with the holiday time, you know, it, it's, it's no shame to talk to someone to get help.

Collier Landry: I wish I could say, here, here's better help, but I'm endorsing them more. Whatever program. But, but no, in all serious. You know, if you're looking for, you know, get, get help, talk to a counselor, there's a lot of people going through tough times right now and the holidays and just the weather change and the sun setting earlier.

Collier Landry: [00:09:30] Even though now we've passed the winter solstice, so now we should be getting, days should be getting longer, which I'm very excited about cuz I love the summertime. But yeah, if you're feeling down, seek the help of a mental health professional. I digress on that. I wanna give a shout out. Speaking of supporting this program, I wanna give a shout out to my new Paton subscribers this month.

Collier Landry: I'm a thank you to tastic. B thank you to Nicole Fuller. Goding. Thank you to Morwenna McKinley, and thank you so much to Kass opinions and thoughts, who is from [00:10:00] Australia, who tweets me on Twitter and he just signed up like a few hours ago. So thank you guys so much for supporting the program. I'm actually offering now yearly Patreon subscription.

Collier Landry: So if you guys wanna sign up, you get 16% off on my Patreon and all. I have all this exclusive content and we're gonna get into some stuff today. All of that extra content is on the Patreon that you guys can see, and eventually the videos will be on Patreon only. So if you guys are really interested, check out the pay trailer.

Collier Landry: There's lots of good stuff. You can [00:10:30] start at $5. It gets you almost everything. I do live, meet and greets every month with you guys and you get to ask me anything you. Right there in our little Zoom call. It's super fun. Everybody really seems to enjoy it. It ends up being like a big powwow of people like talking about their trauma

Collier Landry: But it's great. It's a very supportive community that I've been cultivating this year, and it's something that I'm really grateful for and I'm grateful that you guys are a part of it, even if you're not part of Patreon. I'm grateful that you guys are listening and a part of this community. Anyways, so speaking of Needle point and all those wonderful things that I said [00:11:00] my mother, So I have, I wanna share, so if you guys are listening, the YouTube link to this episode is in the show notes, so you can check it out.

Collier Landry: So this is my Christmas stocking and I have had this Christmas stocking, I think, I think my mother made this Christmas stocking since before I was born. So this is, I've had this Christmas stocking for over 40 years and um, it's really cool. She knitted. It has a little [00:11:30] doggy and little, uh, giraffe. My mother really loved giraffes and, and there's a little, a little blonde boy

Collier Landry: You idea have blonde hair growing up with blue eyes and he's hanging, or events or something on the giraffe. I don't know. The giraffe is hanging out. There's some presents and dolls and doggies and things like that anyways, but this stocking is something that Santa left and no, it is not cold, but it is pretty darn.

Collier Landry: It is somebody who has perpetually gotten coal [00:12:00] every year, probably for every year of his life. Yes. I have spent the last several hours before recording here trying to find some Christmas letters from my father, and I didn't find any, you know, because I eventually had to record. Right. But I, I did find some interesting things and, and I think that a, you know, a lot of you guys reach out as listeners and you'll ask me.

Collier Landry: I can't believe this is, you know, this is your life and everything you've been through is really inspiring. Or, you know, I have the [00:12:30] same, I have similar experiences, or I've had issues and, and, you know, breaks my heart to hear that. But there are some times where I, I definitely, I portray that I'm a very strong individual, which I am, but I definitely do have moments where I sit back and I go, is this my life?

Collier Landry: And that was one of those moments today as I'm looking through these letters, so I have a. That are filled with some sort of things. But I think the thing that really struck me, [00:13:00] is I'm pulling out, and my father wrote this program at the prison for Christmas, and he put a little post-it note on it, and again, these will be on the pat so you guys can check it out.

Collier Landry: He put a little post-it note on it, and when I read it I was like, are you like, are you kidding me? Like, are you, are you, are you fucking serious? I'm gonna read it bumper. Hope your Turkey day was good. Had this [00:13:30] program the other day for the Christmas program here at the prison. Christmas is always bad for me.

Collier Landry: Love and miss you dad. Christmas always bad for me. And I just, there's so many levels to narcissism, psychopathy, sociopathy, these types of things. And look, I am not a mental health expert. I'm just a guy that's been through a lot of shit in dealing with a psychopath for a father who murdered my mother.

Collier Landry: But there are [00:14:00] so many layers and levels as I, you know, because this, this program, look, this, I think this is episode 69 of moving past murder. And you know, it was really this year that I really. Jumped full on into the program and I've, it's, this has all been a process for me. Not only is it a process for like me just living in existing and processing every day, knowing what I've been through and, you know, Making the most of it and making the best of it, and [00:14:30] trying to show you guys, uh, and, and the world that like, hey, you can come through really horrific circumstances out the other side, and you will be bumped, bruised, scraped, you'll have some broken bones, but you'll make it, you'll make it, you're gonna survive.

Collier Landry: Like, and I always wanted to tell that kid, it's really the reason why I made a murder in Mansfield. I wanted to speak to like that one kid. And I, I, I don't need to get into. . But there are times like when I look at this and I'm going, is this my life? And just the, the, the [00:15:00] levels as I'm, you know, opening these letters, going through stuff, getting correspondence from people, even getting correspondence from distant relatives that have stories or just finding stuff like I found a bunch of letters that were addressed to my adoptive parents from my.

Collier Landry: To George and Susan, and I'm going to be reading those on the program very soon. And because I, I saw them, I looked at the date, it was like right after I graduated high [00:15:30] school and I was like, oh boy, I can't even imagine. And what was really interesting to me is the fact that the handwriting is way different than the letters he wrote to me.

Collier Landry: Like it was very prim and proper. It was also done in pencil, which was really strange to me. Not all of them, but a few of them. And. It's kind of odd. Uh, but there's layers to this and just the, I, I feel like narcissist or or abusive personality people, that when they're dealing with you, they drop these [00:16:00] little bombs on you that you don't even know exist.

Collier Landry: They're like little mind fox. Something is as just as simple and subtle as Christmas. Always bad for me all about him, but of course I read that as an empathetic person and go, I'm really sorry that Christmas is sad for him. It must be really sad to be in prison. And then I have to realize that he's in prison for murdering my mother and destroying my family, and yet I'm [00:16:30] still compelled.

Collier Landry: To feel bad for him, and I have been my whole life, and I think about that and I think like, oh wow, this is just, just these little notes. It's just like the sheer nerve and the hutzpah of all of it. Which by the way, to use a Yiddish term, my mother also loved about Christmas, Hanukkah. Now we did, I grew up Catholic.

Collier Landry: We were not like ca I use Catholic with air quotes, , because. You know, like I said, we would go to [00:17:00] mass on Easter, we would go to Mass on Christmas Eve, and then probably another time during the year. But it was, and I went through all the things as a good Catholic boy does. You go to the first holy communion and your confirmation when you're older woman, mother was already dead at that time, but whatever the, the steps are in the Catholic church, I did them, you know, the, the whole thing.

Collier Landry: And, uh, but my mother really loved Jewish. and her one, her best friend was, was Jewish, Shelly Bowen. And my mother loved baking. Well, I [00:17:30] love my mother. Loved baking in general and everything that like, I guess what you'd say, you know, for lack of a better term, a housewife would do is my mother loved to bake and cook and all that stuff, and especially during the holidays, what she would make, prune, paste Hammond Hak.

Collier Landry: And for those of you that do not know what Montin and is, Montin is a cream cheese pastry. That is the, the, the real ment tain is filled with prune paste and they are delicious. And I, I believe they're a cream cheese. I think every Jewish [00:18:00] baked good. And you guys can correct me, I'm sure. Sure. I'll hear a message from somebody.

Collier Landry: I believe it's all cream cheese dough, but. It has prune paste in it. And they were, and the hoach are like the hats that the, that the nuns wore, or I, I, look, I don't know a lot about Judaism, but the, the people that were in the synagogue wore them were, I, I don't know. It, it was a hat that the women wear called Hoshin.

Collier Landry: And so that, that was these cookies. So I would, we would have that, she would make roula. And anyways, just a total side note, just [00:18:30] sort of deviating off of what I was talking about, but again, about the holidays. So every year, and I could still smell those cookies. It's just like it burned into my, etched into my memory for all time.

Collier Landry: But what I wouldn't do to have one right now. Oh, and then, oh yeah. Okay. Here we go. So, so this is from December, 2012 and there was a card, which I'll show in a second, but it says, good talking with you today. We'll, we'll send [00:19:00] along graduation photo when I. Chrissy is good now, Chrissy is my half sister that was born 12 days before he was arrested.

Collier Landry: Chrissy is good. She applied for C N P, which is certified nurse practitioner program at Oberlin University. It was Oberlin College, but I think that's what he meant, or Otter by. I don't remember where, where she went. She's working at Medc Central, three to 12:00 PM shifts. My job is quiet. Thought this was funny.

Collier Landry: Stay safe and [00:19:30] healthy. Proud of you. Love and miss you. Dad, X, x X oh oh oh. And what this is, is this is a, like a, you know, like a cartoon, like a political cartoon or whatever you call it. Not, not the comics that have like the different cells, but the, like the, just the one static comic like Dunes Barry or whatever.

Collier Landry: It says this time of year with the office parties and the family visits and having to shop for everyone. You know, I'm truly thankful that I'm. and it's a picture of, [00:20:00] it's a, a drawing of two convicts in a prison cell. He thought this was funny. I mean, again, this is what just sort of escapes me when my father corresponds with me and says these things is yes, I guess I could find that somewhat humorous if perhaps he had done like a, a dumb fuck thing, like stole a car or you.

Collier Landry: Committed some sort of act, [00:20:30] illegal act that didn't have any violent ram ramifications or repercussions on anyone outside of himself. Right. You know, something that he did that just was stupid and, and committed a crime and went to jail for it and didn't hurt anyone. I, I, I might find a little humor in that, but I, I don't find any humor in this because I just, I have to think to myself like, Why wouldn't you think that that's appropriate to send to your son whose, whose mother you murdered?

Collier Landry: But [00:21:00] again, it just doesn't occur to them. So when you're talking about people who are narcissists or psychopaths or sociopaths, and it's this fundamental lack of empathy and it's all about them and it's just the sol to use the word so cystic, but that's not even, that doesn't even do it justice. Just the sheer, as I said to so to earlier to.

Collier Landry: To that he would think this is funny. Like this is not funny. Like it's not [00:21:30] funny to someone who's getting your kid, whose mother you murder, whose life you just completely sabotage. It's interesting. I, you know, I, man, I don't know. Oh, okay. So then, anyways, so, and he mentions this graduation, right? So in here I have a couple of things that he sent me for my perusal.

Collier Landry: One is a certificate of completion for the Grief Recovery Institute, uh, the Grief Recovery Methods Program. Certificate of Completion, John F. Boyle Jr. [00:22:00] Has successfully completed the 15 week. 40 hour program of Grief recovery methods that provides the correct action choices that help people move beyond the pain caused by loss.

Collier Landry: Creating a safe environment in which to look at old beliefs concerning loss, to look at what losses have affected one's ni, to look at what losses have affected one's life, and to take new actions with which lead to [00:22:30] completion of the pain attach. To one of those losses. Now, I ended up, full disclosure, I ended up meeting with a woman who, um, who ran the grief recovery program in Marion, and she was a lovely woman.

Collier Landry: And I actually went to, they had an event out here in Hermosa Beach, which is not far, which is, it is just, it's in, it's in la and they had an event. I actually went there and spoke about [00:23:00] my sort of, My father's involvement in the program, but like what that means to me and how prisoners can, can cope with grief.

Collier Landry: And I was talking about my father, but I was talking about like other prisoners because when I would go and visit my father, I would talk to other prisoners who would be in these courses with him, that would come up to me and say, Hey, you know, your father's really helped me so much with, um, you know, dealing with my circumstances here, owning up to my crime, whatever it.[00:23:30]

Collier Landry: And every time I would listen to them and I would be very happy that they've gotten something outta this man, but I never wanted to let on the fact that the only reason that he's helping you is because it serves himself. He's trying to get paroled, so it's all about him, and it's really, really difficult to, to say that to someone who, like, I don't wanna say that to a prisoner who's now on the right path and who's looking forward to getting out and being rehabilitated.

Collier Landry: Gaining control of their life and leading a [00:24:00] positive life and being a positive member of their community. Like the last thing I wanna say to them is, you know, by the way, he's pulling a con job on you. So don't listen to a damn thing this man says, because he is full of shit, because he is doing it for his own.

Collier Landry: So cystic reasons, because he wants to get outta prison. He wants to have all these little diplomas that he can put into a parole file, which is exactly what he did. And. It's, it's, you know, I never wanted to say that cuz I don't wanna be that guy. And, and you know, and I'm happy for them that they've [00:24:30] gotten something out of this man.

Collier Landry: But his motives were not genuine. It wasn't like he genuinely wanted to help. It's like he wanted to do it because it makes him look good. And there's another certificate here that says Assets Toledo. This certificate is to witness that John F. Boyle Jr. Has successfully fulfilled the prescribed requirements of assets Toledo's.

Collier Landry: Business Design and management course with regular attendance completion of the workbook and class participation, and therefore earned the designation of Graduate of Assets Toledo, [00:25:00] which is given with all rights, honors and privileges and responsibilities here to there too on this 19th day of December 20 12th and signed by these people and I, and you know, I think I've mentioned this before, all the podcasts, so if there's you watching this on YouTube and there's you on Patron, you'll see all.

Collier Landry: I think I've mentioned this before, that the prison that my father is in now is Marion Correctional Institution, and they, you know, kudos to them because they have [00:25:30] 70 different programs for inmates where most of the other prisons in this country have maybe a dozen, if that. Most of them are centered around religion, organized religion of some sort, and these are like, they have vocational programs and things like that that are actually giving inmate skills to be better citizens When.

Collier Landry: Leave prison and hopefully reduce recidivism rates, which I think is a very admirable thing and I think it is something that could be accomplished. But my father got involved in all these programs and I guess, you know, if I was in [00:26:00] prison I probably wouldn't wanna be as busy as I could too, to be quite honest with you.

Collier Landry: But he sends all this because he is building this whole file because he is, you know, it's, it's all about his next parole and, and then I was received and he's obviously, again trying to make me feel sorry for him, but this is, Reentry accountability plan. And it is, it's, it's like a score here, risk score, and, but he has highlighted [00:26:30] dynamic assessment.

Collier Landry: And under dynamic assessment, it says, education, asset to community, marital family interaction, asset to community associates, social interaction, asset to c. Substance abuse, asset to community. Community functioning, asset to community, personal, emotional orient, personal and emotional orientation, asset to a community, attitude, asset to a community, [00:27:00] employment asset to community and PSI available.

Collier Landry: I have no idea what PSI stands for, but on this is all a list of all of these programs that he has taken over the years, and there is one at the bottom of this. Two second full page, one in almost one and a half pages of these programs that he had taken starting in at this particular prison when he got there, which was December 28th, 1999.[00:27:30]

Collier Landry: Toastmasters was one of those things I remember him sending me. I, and I have, as I've said many times, I have 400 some of these letters and I have the Toastmaster's degree. I even have pictures, graduation pictures of my father graduating in these programs that he would send to. Which obviously makes for fantastic fodder for a podcast for sure, and for TikTok videos, I guess.

Collier Landry: But yeah. Oh boy. Yeah. He went to the social interactions class 2007, [00:28:00] resolving Conflict. Graduated with honors. Another multiple Toastmasters things. Money Smart Doctorate degree in Ministry. Oh yes. My father also got involved in doing this whole Masters of Divinity while he was in, he got somebody to pay for it while he was in prison to take this Masters of Divinity course cuz he was going to do this.

Collier Landry: If he got released from prison, he was gonna become a priest or [00:28:30] pastor or, I don't know, a Jesuit scholar who, who the hell knows. So yeah, that's, that's what he was he's gonna do when he gets outta prison again. Yeah. And then there's a Christmas play, a Merry Milkshake. Christmas at the hop. There you go. I gotta put it in front of me.

Collier Landry: There we go. Merry milkshake. Christmas at the hop. Hu j Daley Theater of Ministry. Min Hug. J Daley Ministry of Theater Cordially invites you to attend the special [00:29:00] public presentation of our Christmas play performance states. And times bunch of, okay, 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM and about MCI i's Ministry of Theater.

Collier Landry: In 1986, Reverend Hugh a Daley sparked an interest in beginning the very first ever ministry of theater within a prison. Through careful planning and perseverance, this company became dedicated to reaching the public through the talents of men who resided. Carry on with [00:29:30] his dream. The men volunteer their f their time and talents as writers, actors and singers in order to deliver powerful messages about God and the miracle of his love performance after performance, they make people laugh and cry as they perform and sing year after year.

Collier Landry: The message of God's love in Christ always shines through, blah, blah. And my father is listed on the back as, yeah, as like one of the, as [00:30:00] the, as the, the, the head honcho. Oh, this is what this, this particular production is. This is the 46th production. A merry milkshake at the, a Merry milkshake, Christmas at the hop, a theatrical presentation with music.

Collier Landry: The McKinley Bulldogs have the state championship game on their list for Christmas, but Jesus has better plans for the high. The high school teacher, ed Hawkins, gives a dreamy depiction of Christmas on that wintry night so long ago when the Savior came to us, wrapped in swaddling [00:30:30] clothes, lying in a major Coach Ows, no Futa, Flatto whiskey.

Collier Landry: It's, yeah, Flatto. Yeah, I can't even pronounce it. Coach, coach flask. is in, for her surprise this season and the fanciest paper in the world could never wrap the gift he receives in the hustle and bustle of things. We sometimes get sidetracked from the real meaning of Christmas, but God is faithful. He allows things to [00:31:00] happen, which bring us back to matters of greater importance.

Collier Landry: Yes. Even to that lowly manger on a cold, dreary. So come on out to Mickey's Malted milkshake Shop this season. And you might get more out, more out of Christmas than making a young Elvis Presley's acquaintance or even a milkshake. This could be the Christmas of a Lifetime. You don't want to miss this. It sounds like a very fine performance.

Collier Landry: Uh, a photo idea is required. State [00:31:30] driver's license, state id, dress code, no shorts, skirts must be below the knee, no shorts. This is in Ohio in. It's cold. You're not wearing shorts. Well, maybe you are. I don't know. Please leave persons wallets. Cell phones, cameras, recording devices, and other valuables locked in your car.

Collier Landry: Please arrive 45 minutes at the institution before the Port Michigan before, before pro, before processing. Boom. Age permitted to the to attend is eight years old. Please specify any 88 needs. The play will last about one and a half hours. Chairs, no charge, blah, blah, blah, [00:32:00] donations, nor can donations be accepted, yada yada.

Collier Landry: Christmas performances. I mean, look, it is, it's a slippery, I I, I, you don't even know what to say. I mean, look, you gotta do something with your time in prison, I guess. I'm glad there are programs for that, and it's not inciting violence and all of these things, I guess. But again, as my father says, as I read in the beginning, Christmas, always bad for.

Collier Landry: Meeting him. Not me, by the way. And here's the thing, I feel bad for [00:32:30] him. You know that, that that's the thing that sucks. And here we have a Christmas card. So this is from another year, actually this is from 1994. But I wanted to show you guys what the Christmas cards look like in prison. This has got Bugs Bunny on the front.

Collier Landry: And just so you guys know, these are all made out of manila envelopes. So that's how they make cards in prison. They take a envelope and they cut it. And that way you have the fold in the back of the envelope and things like that. . There you go. And interestingly enough, my father always autographs the back of the cards too.

Collier Landry: And I know he doesn't draw these, he [00:33:00] always claimed that he did. He doesn't, my father didn't have this kind of artistic talent. I mean, maybe he honed it in prison. I don't think so. But he, yeah. And then this one, not only, it's very colorful, it's very nice, but it also has a picture and it literally looks, my father is at a fucking country club and there it.

Collier Landry: Right there for those of you watching on YouTube. And then this is all on Patreon, by the way, guys. So he's wearing, [00:33:30] he's wearing a green sweater and then he has a navy blue sweater over his shoulders. And then he has a, a, a polo shirt with the collar flipped up very stylish. And I'm just like, how, like, how does this happen?

Collier Landry: You know? And, and, you know, anyways, and so the card says, Prayerfully, you are well, prayerfully, , Collier, Collier, [00:34:00] prayerfully, we will all have a brighter future. Remain caring, loving, and considerate in your life. Remember the love of your family. God bless you always. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Love, always love, love, and caring for you always.

Collier Landry: Daddy. X X x oh oh oh 1290. These are the emotions that I go through when I think about all this stuff. It's just like a constant, a very [00:34:30] consistent processing of it. It's a very consistent processing of all of it. And I, and look, I've, you know, doing this program really helps and I get to talk about it, and I get to do things, and I get to reach out to you guys and you.

Collier Landry: Are really engaged with this content. And I love that and I love talking about that. And you, and it's interesting because, you know, when I, you know, I have other friends, obviously , you build a community around yourself of like-minded people and I, and, [00:35:00] and people who have been through similar circumstances.

Collier Landry: And I have friends who fathers are incarcerated. None of them that I have are, well, I guess actually one, yes, I, I do have a friend to, she's gonna be actually on the program soon. Her name is, She has a father who's incarcerated for murdering her mother. It's a whole different story. He's in California, it's a whole other thing.

Collier Landry: They've actually recently started communicating since she sort of came into my orbit after finding the podcast and reaching out to me and yada yada, which is very interesting. [00:35:30] And, but I have other friends who, whose who, his father's a serial killers and they didn't even know that this was going on. I'm also gonna be bringing them on the program too.

Collier Landry: But they didn't even know that these things were, were, were happening and they grew up as children and then they found out that their father's a serial killer and they've destroyed all these lives. So it's very, it's, it's, it's really interesting to, to get to know other people's perspectives in this world and just in general.

Collier Landry: I mean, that's what life is about, right? But when you're really trying to cope with like [00:36:00] what your circumstances are and you find people that are even. They're not in the same circumstance, but it's like also an equally really bad experience. , it's a really bad circumstance, and I imagine this goes through anyone that's been through trauma, whether it's through medical trauma, whether it's physical, domestic violence, you know, murder, things like that.

Collier Landry: Whatever it is, I'm sure we all have, we all have a trauma bond as, I guess what I'm trying to say. As I said, the beginning of the program, grammatical decay is set in, it's the holidays. My nose is all stuffed up. [00:36:30] I don't feel. But at least I'm warmer in California than I am, than I would be if I was in Ohio right now.

Collier Landry: If I could even fly into Ohio. Mind you. Yeah. Anyways, I'm gonna do a special episode over the weekend, and I might even do it live as well. I will do it live as well. I am going to find I my mother. My mother had a night, a night before c. Pop-up book [00:37:00] that she used to read me every year on Christmas Eve. It was our tradition, and I'm gonna find that and I'm gonna read it because I think it's really cool and I think it would be cool to do for the program.

Collier Landry: And by the way, for those of you, when I was talking about the letters from Santa, maybe what I'll do is I will talk about how I found out about the Christmas letters on my Christmas Eve special when I read this very amazing papa book that my mother had. Was for the night before Christmas and I read it and it's gonna be a really cool, maybe it's a holiday tradition from now on on the podcast.

Collier Landry: [00:37:30] I'll do it every year. It'll be really fun and it'll be a way I can remember her and she can kind of be with us all and it'll be really cool. So anyways, although it's been said many times, many, anyway,

Collier Landry: Merry Christmas. To you. I'm Collier Landry, and this is Moving Past Murder. Merry Christmas, y'all.[00:38:00]

Collier Landry: This podcast is made possible by support from listeners just like you. Please subscribe via Apple Podcast, Spotify Audible. Find us on YouTube, youtube.com/collier landry.

Collier Landry: The film A Murder in Mansfield is available on Investigation Discovery, discovery Plus and Amazon Prime Video.[00:38:30]

Collier Landry: This podcast is a production of Don't Touch My Radio.