BLUE SPRINGS, MO — A local man observed a peculiar late-night ritual this week, as his wife successfully put all of the children to bed, tidied up the kitchen early, and went upstairs to relax after a stressful day by settling into a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine and the latest episode of her favorite podcast highlighting the horrific crimes of serial killers.
"There's no better way to unwind," said Anna Kelly, mother of four. "With little kids, it's nearly impossible to find any moment during the day to take a breath, let alone do anything peaceful. But once the kids are in bed, it's time to pour myself a glass of Moscato and enjoy a long soak in the tub while listening to true stories of torture, murder, and dismemberment."
Anna's husband expressed no concern. "If this helps her unwind at the end of the night, I'm all for it," he said. "She deals with a lot during the day, so it's nice for her to have some quiet time. As for the podcasts she listens to, I've learned to just go along with it. She's watched way too many episodes of Dateline and heard too many true crime podcasts, so I know it's probably not a good idea to ask too many questions."
At publishing time, despite the interesting subject matter of her favorite podcasts, Anna's husband was convinced there wasn't anything he needed to worry about. "If I ever notice her starting to take notes while listening to stories about murder," he said, "that's when I'll start to get nervous."
Citing concerns about stiff competition from Amazon and an impossible-to-please Gen Z, Santa has announced he's hanging up the hat for good.
