It's our first family Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day in the UK — and honestly, what an amazing experience!We left our food shopping until very nearly the last minute- only to be pleasantly surprised by Aldi- fully stocked and shockingly affordable (the true Christmas miracle may, in fact, be their vegetable prices). Aldi, if you’re listening, we’re open to sponsorship… and possibly even a name change.Christmas Eve was a bit of everything: baking cookies for Santa, getting dressed up for a church service (our first ever together), and possibly—accidentally—starting a brand new family tradition by ending the night with milkshakes and fast-food burgers. And of course one early present to open before bed!Christmas Day itself was peak cosy. Cold winter walks, gifts from Father Christmas, homemade egg nog, far more Christmas cards than we’re used to, an impressive amount of chocolate, the King’s Speech, and falling asleep to one of our all-time favourite Christmas films.Boxing Day slowed everything right down — pyjamas all day, nibbles for dinner (pigs in blankets, scotch eggs, pineapple and cheese… yes please), and absolutely nowhere to be.We wrap up the episode by bravely discussing Love Actually, fully aware this may divide the comment section (as it does us). This year has been hectic, emotional, exhausting, and incredibly meaningful. We’re grateful… and very, very tired.Thanks for watching!-Gemma & Brett

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As the year comes to a close, we wanted to pause for a moment and take stock of how far we’ve come — not just where we are now, but everything it took to get here.Making an international move while raising two young girls and two dogs has felt like living in the "sticky middle" of where we were and where we hope to be.During this time of moving and settling, there’s always another decision to be made and another thing that needs doing. And while it’s easy to focus on the stress, we’re not always great at stopping to notice the wins — especially the small ones; like finding a vet for the dogs, finding your local supermarket, or knowing where to get that thing we need...then realising these are actually us building a life here!This week’s episode is a little shorter, a little softer, and very much about perspective. We have some laughs, make a plea for egg nog, and what's that about a single bed?! We also share some truly wonderful fan art given to us by a member of our Youtube community, and we are incredibly touched to share a special performance of a classic Christmas carol from the Torrington Silver Band made just for How Great Is Britain - Can you guess this American version?As everything feels hectic at the end of the year, we hope this episode is a reminder — for us and for you — that even when you’re still in the middle of it all, progress is happening - life is happening - it all just takes time. Sometimes you just have to stop long enough to see it.Merry Christmas from our family to yours!Gemma & Brett

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This week, we’re sitting down for a cosy chat about Christmas — and realising that even though we both thought we grew up celebrating like everyone else, it turns out our childhood Christmas experiences could be quite different.From subtle British Christmas lights to full-blown American neighbourhood light fights, stockings on the bed versus stockings on the fireplace, nativity plays and Christmas pudding versus holiday concerts and gingerbread houses, we’re comparing what Christmas looked like growing up on opposite sides of the Atlantic.We talk about the traditions that shaped us, the things that surprised us when we experienced Christmas in the other country (Italian food?!), and how we’re now blending British and American Christmases for our girls. Food, decorations, school memories, family quirks — we've got it all right here!Let us know in the comments: what Christmas traditions did you grow up with, and are you blending more than one culture in your celebrations? December is officially in full swing here, and we’ve got plenty more festive episodes coming!

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We’re back for Part 2 of our Christmas music extravaganza! This time we’re diving into our personal Top 5 Christmas songs, exploring why certain tracks stick with us, and discovering that we each look for something completely different in our festive favourites. Gemma gravitates toward the upbeat, classic British hits she grew up with, while Brett leans into the wintery, reflective songs that made Christmas feel magical as a kid.Before we get into our lists, Gemma and I share a genuinely heartfelt message for anyone who might be finding this time of year difficult. We understand and we are with you. We hope to bring even a little comfort and connection through our little videos. We then start with a quick recap of the UK and US Top 5 charts from the last episode. Along the way, we flip through a few childhood Christmas photos, take a nostalgic walk through our holiday memories together, and talk about why these songs are our favourites (at least for today!)As always, we want to know your favourites — tell us your go-to Christmas songs in the comments so we can build the biggest community playlist imaginable. And don’t forget: the entire month of December will be Christmas-themed here on the channel.Whether you’re driving home for Christmas, riding your boggy down the hillside, or wondering if they know it’s Christmas in Africa… this episode is for you.

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It’s officially December, which means the stockings have been hung, the festive pyjamas are on, and we’re kicking off a whole month of holiday themed episodes! This week, we’re diving into one of our favourite parts of the season: Christmas music.We begin by talking about how important it was to get all of our Christmas decorations safely over from America, and then swap stories about the songs that shaped our childhood holidays — including the mysterious Christmas track Brett absolutely hated when he was eight but still can’t explain why. (Spoiler: we think we finally get to the bottom of it.)Brett also breaks down his three categories he believes every Christmas song falls into, and we tackle the age-old question of whether Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie. (Don’t get too wild in the comments.)Then it’s dashing through the snow as we go head-to-head in not one but TWO Christmas quizzes: Brett tests Gemma on the UK’s biggest Christmas songs, and Gemma challenges Brett with the most popular American holiday hits. Things get competitive, nostalgic, and opinions fly like tiny reindeer.We wrap Part 1 right after the quizzes, and in part 2 we’ll be revealing our personal Top 5 Christmas songs, along with a few surprises we’ve been saving.Crank up the record player, deck your halls, and get ready to jingle those bells -

IT’S CHRIIIIIIIISTMAS!

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After a week of exploring coastline, memories, farm shops, and childhood favourites, we’re back with Part Two of our Cornwall adventure — and this is where things get really special.This week, we finally reveal the new favourite place we discovered on this trip. It’s the spot that completely surprised us, made us slow down, and turned the whole week into something we’ll be talking about for a long time.We also visit Bude, go searching for hidden treasures at Cornwall Gold, and share a few life updates now that we’re settling more into the UK. We wrap up Gemma’s birthday week with some final reflections on what this trip meant to both of us.If Part One was about nostalgia and memory, Part Two is about discovery, connection, and the joy of experiencing somewhere meaningful together. Cornwall has a way of holding you — and now we finally get to show you how the moment held us.

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This week we’re kicking off the first half of our Cornwall adventure — a place that holds a lot of meaning for Gemma and her family.

We talk about her memories of visiting Cornwall as a little girl, why it mattered so much to her grandparents, and how that connection has now become important to Brett too.

We spent our days exploring the coast, eating our way through Trevaskis Farm, and standing at the edge of the map at Land’s End. And in true British-cottage fashion, Brett continues his ongoing battle with doorframes built several centuries before tall Americans existed.

We also touch on Gemma’s birthday celebrations and reflect on how this trip felt like the perfect reset. And because this is Part One, we end on a little cliffhanger — the moment we discovered our new favourite place in Cornwall… which we’ll reveal in next week’s episode!

Warm memories, beautiful views, nostalgic stories, and the beginning of a two-part adventure.We're excited to share it with you!As always, thanks for watching!- Gemma & Brett

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Now that we’ve been in the UK just over two months, we’re finally settling in enough to share some real first impressions — the things that surprised us, delighted us, and made us rethink what “normal” even means.This week we talk about the beauty of the countryside and the way open spaces are woven into everyday life. It feels like everything is accessible here, from footpaths that cut across farmland to green spaces tucked between villages. We’re pretty sure the nationwide recycling culture plays a big role in how clean and cared-for everything feels, too.We also dive into how small so many buildings are compared to the US, how nothing gets torn down just because it’s old, and the strange-but-lovely contrast of narrow homes surrounded by endless fields. Add in the sense of community — pubs, cafés, tiny bars, and parks that seem purposely built for talking to actual humans — and it’s been genuinely refreshing.Representation and inclusion keep surprising us as well, especially in media and public life — it's interesting to notice how the UK does it differently. We wrap things up with our favourite British superpower: saying something negative in the most positive way imaginable. It’s not what you say… it’s how you say it.We also chat about:How many things do you really have when you say “a couple”?Can Americans get away with saying “quid”?What can you learn about a whole culture from the children’s menu?And with Christmas just around the corner, we’re getting excited for a festive month full of fun videos ahead.Finally, we've heard your recommendations and we are excited to pass those recommendations forward!Thanks for being here — and for letting us share what these first months have looked like from the inside.

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