Today is July 2nd and Table Town (the world of Disney Channel’s Kiff), we’re celebrating Halfway There Day! Today is the holiday where Tabletonians celebrate making it halfway through the year by putting 50% effort into everything, unless of course, you’re a “Beverly.” According to Tabletonian tradition, Centaur Claus rewards people who embody the spirit of Halfway There Day by visiting their homes with his magical trash can, allowing them to throw away their New Year's resolutions (written on paper) and go easy on themselves for the remaining year.
Take a look at what happened to Beverly when she put too much effort into her dinner for the dinner crawl.
In the episode of the series, Kiff is in charge of making dinner at the Chatterley home for the annual Halfway There Day dinner crawl, and is working hard to ensure that her meal does not look like it was made with more than 50% effort.
Despite her family encouraging her to relax, Kiff continues to let her perfectionism get in the way, which eventually causes her to use up all her ingredients. She rushes to Slim Pickins to buy more, but the store is sold out of groceries. A woman notices Kiff sitting dejectedly on the sidewalk and upon learning of Kiff's situation, she gives Kiff some extra packed meals she has cooked. While thanking the woman, Kiff remarks that she "almost pulled a total Beverly" earlier that day, unaware that the woman is Beverly herself. Back home, Kiff lays out Beverly's meals on the dinner table, then leaves with her family and Barry for the dinner crawl. While they are gone, Beverly breaks into the house through the chimney.
Eventually, as the crawl crew is kicking the Chatterleys out of the dinner crawl, Centaur Claus himself makes a miraculous appearance and suggests that if someone wants to put in 100% today to celebrate, that’s okay too but they shouldn’t feel pressure either way. He then invites the crew to throw all of their resolutions away in his magical trash can.
So today, feel free to relax, take it easy on yourself, and put in half the effort! Last year, I was able to talk briefly with Kiff creators Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal and asked them about today’s special tradition. Together, they explained where this special holiday came from, saying “We all love holidays, but it can be a little bit stressful to cater for the family, make your home neat and tidy, and worry that everyone is comfortable. In general, of course, many people (like Kiff!) put a lot of pressure on themselves to get everything exactly right all the time. We wanted to create a holiday where the whole point is to let your hair down, not feel pressure to look perfect, and to just focus on good times. July 2nd is exactly midway through the year – Halfway There Day! The one day of the year that's there to remind all of us to go easy on ourselves.”
With a second season of the hit series on the way, will we see more Halfway There day fun? Nic and Lucy say that “It's the most beloved holiday in Table Town. We just have to do more Halfway There Day episodes! When else will our dear Tabletonians have the opportunity to throw away their New Year's resolutions (that they know they’ll never actually do) in Centaur Claus’ magical trash can?” Here’s to having a great Halfway There Day, and more of this special Table Town tradition in the future!
From South African creators and executive producers Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal, Kiff follows an optimistic squirrel, Kiff, and her chill bunny bestie, Barry, as they navigate school, relationships and their often-eccentric community in Table Town – a world where animals and magical oddballs tackle day-to-day life together. Inspired by the people and places Heavens and Smal experienced when they were growing up in Cape Town, each half-hour episode, comprised of two 11-minute stories, includes a new original song.
With season one now complete on Disney Channel (with episodes available now on Disney+ and the DisneyNOW app), you can also listen to the soundtrack on most major streaming platforms.
You can catch the Halfway There Day episode of Kiff (episode 8) on Disney+ and DisneyNOW.