Who's Driving
Who's Driving with Wesley Turner & Steven Merck is all about the entertaining stories we share and brainstorming topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip. Come along for the ride as we check in with friends & offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things Home and Garden.
Who's Driving
Who's Driving - Favorite Things S2E44
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Join us for a rollercoaster of holiday cheer and family dynamics. We take a light-hearted jab at the absurdity of some social media gift ideas—because who really needs a wall-mounted electronic body scrubber? Through humor and personal anecdotes, we ponder the motivations behind these bizarre products and share our thoughts on what truly makes a gift thoughtful and meaningful. As the year comes to a close, we encourage listeners to share their own gift-giving stories and look forward to wrapping up the season with a special finale. So tune in and get ready to laugh, learn, and maybe even rethink your own holiday shopping list!
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Holiday Gifts and in-Law Drama
Speaker 1Ho, ho ho, Get in this car. It is cold and rainy Go.
Speaker 2It is. I know it is a cold and rainy day and I am a little. I feel it today. I feel it. We're in the middle of the holiday season, but it's time for another episode of who's Driving. Welcome to who's Driving. I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 1And I'm Stephen Merck. We're two best friends and entrepreneurs who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendship and businesses. These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road trip.
Speaker 2Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden.
Speaker 1Buckle up and enjoy the ride. You never know who's driving, or?
Speaker 2where we're headed. All we know is it's always a fun ride and on this week's episode we're going to wing it like we always do. But I do want to talk about some of our favorite things, like gifts and that sort of thing. But we'll get into that in a minute. What do you say? Yeah, let's. Okay. What's been happening since last week? Working like crazy.
Speaker 1I did take, I did, we did take one shopping day.
Speaker 2You took a little shopping day, went and got some things. I'm going to I'm going to grill you about that in a minute when it comes to some of our favorite things, Because I want to hear about what was in those bags I saw on social media and I actually only had one thing for me and I did get some gifts.
Speaker 1Oh good, that's good. It was good because I don't have to go back.
Speaker 2Yeah, Well, that is really good. Before we get into some of our favorite things and gifts and that sort of thing, I think we first need to hit on we kind of hit on this, I feel like I don't know when it was, because everything's running together at this moment, but a little PSA, because we could save Christmas for some people. I feel like I think we need to go back and hit on telling you if you are listening, to watch out what type of gift you're buying, listening to watch out what type of gift you're buying specifically for. I feel like it comes down to your spouse and any type of in-law, like your daughter-in-law or maybe your mother-in-law or your son-in-law or your father-in-law. Because we talked about I put a little box up on Instagram and we had you, from last week's episode, text into our hotline or call and tell us your worst gifts that you've received, and there's a common theme when you look at this.
Speaker 2We're going to do part two next week talking about the worst gifts. This week we're going to talk about good gifts and favorite things, but because we're going to be running up against Christmas next week, I just want to give people time to reset their gift buying and save Christmas for some people Because, specifically when it comes to mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and spouses, the thing you obviously do not want to buy them is something that they can perceive like you're trying to send them a message such as a vacuum cleaner, you know, unless they specifically say I would love to have this Dyson.
Speaker 2I would love to have this particular vacuum cleaner, because if somebody bought me a Dyson.
Speaker 1It ain't going to hurt my feelings at all.
Speaker 2Oh Well, in the comments, you know, people got like scrub brushes from their mother-in-law. So they perceive, you know they're telling them they need to clean. They need to clean yes.
Speaker 1And they probably do People.
Speaker 2You know I've just realized in the last three years.
Speaker 1But maybe they don't. In the last three years of doing live sales and podcasts yeah, in the last three years of doing live sales and podcasts I don't think I ever fully realized or appreciated how much women in general, women hate their mother-in-laws. And how many mother-in-laws hate their daughter-in-law. I didn't, and maybe it's because I'm a man and I've never witnessed or lived that you know, because both of my partners of years I've loved their family Right and they love me. I mean, who wouldn't love me?
Speaker 1Right, right, it's not everyone, but it is a high number, it is in everyone, I feel like it is more woman and woman like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, because we talked about it.
Speaker 2I feel like the mother-in-law perceives that she's not good enough for their son, or whatever it may be, and the daughter-in-law feels like she's being picked on the daughter-in-law feels like she's being picked on.
Speaker 1Now, I do have friends and family that adore their mother-in-laws and adore their daughter-in-laws. I will say that I know some that are just almost like mother-daughter Right, but I'm just shocked at the number that will tell you that woman. And see, you know, I've always understood the stepmother and the step parent because my parents being divorced, I never liked anybody. My parents were with, it's just. I didn't know. My dad's current life has always been very, very, very good and respectful to me and to my mother. So I really do. I love her.
Speaker 2She's a good person right but typically I've always gotten that like you were also more grown when they were I was an adult when they got married. So then there's a different dynamic yeah, she wasn't raising you yeah, you weren't yeah. Um, and as time goes on, when parents are divorced and then they find new people, you know, things have settled down?
Speaker 1No, because, like I, have a friend now that parent, like our age, got divorced and hates the step parent.
Speaker 2But I'm saying but have they been recently divorced?
Speaker 1Oh well, but you know, I mean I bet what I'm saying is I completely get that because I've lived that Mm-hmm, I've never. And maybe if I had a horrible in-law, yeah, I would get it Right, but I really haven't experienced it. And the thing is is maybe they don't like me, but you know, I guess I mean my personality, I'm not, I mean You're very likable, though, but and you're very confident- independent and.
Speaker 2I try, you try to be nice.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2I do so. You're not going to let. You're also not going to let someone else bring you down.
Speaker 1Like you're not going to.
Speaker 2You'd be just like whatever.
Speaker 1You would just write them off and you would be very cordial to them and just move on.
Speaker 2You'd be like, oh, I'll see them on holidays and I'll be nice for two hours, and then you can kiss my ass.
Speaker 1Well, now my ex's brother and his wife and I hope they're listening. I'm sure they're not. You're not that important. No, they're in Southern California. But what if they were? That would make my day Complete assholes. Yeah, Like you know, they had all of the stuff. It never worked for it.
Speaker 2Right and just assholes I mean.
Gift-Giving Stories and Family Dynamics
Speaker 1I don't know a nicer way to put it. In the 90s, or, yeah, late 90s, you're living in a million dollar home and you're like 30. Give me a break, yeah, like, and you didn't even earn it are you?
Speaker 2were they really assholes, or were you younger at the time and perceive them as assholes?
Speaker 1oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, because I was. I've always been happy for people like if, yeah, you know, no, no, no, no. My problem with them was, you know, oh, let. He would say, oh, let's take mom to lunch for her birthday at this very expensive restaurant in southern california, and then which was fine, and then would give us the damn bill because they had no money. And I'm like hello, we live in a $100,000 house which I was very tickled of and proud of and happy with, but you're giving us the bill Right, and then, like, just did things like that all the time, right, and so I could not stand them. So what I would do is I was very cordial and very polite in family situations, but I would have made a trip out there to see them. I wouldn't go see them if they had told me they had $50,000 waiting on me.
Speaker 2See, you can be cordial and just keep on going. Yeah, so we need to circle back around. You need to think in your mind. You need to look at your gift list If you've already bought it for your daughter-in-law, your husband, your wife, your whatever and you need to see what is on the list. You're giggling over there. Is there something you would like to share?
Speaker 1No, I was no, I'll tell you later. I can't share it Come on share it.
Speaker 2No, they're not listening.
Speaker 1No, no, no, I was just thinking he was so giggling. I will tell you. I'll tell you later, because it's really, it's silly, it's irrelevant.
Speaker 2Anyway, examine what you've gotten for your in-law and make sure it's not something to do. Not a vacuum cleaner, a mixer, a tile scrubber, any of those things, unless they specifically asked you for them?
Speaker 1Did I tell this last week about my friend?
Speaker 2Getting weird gifts, yeah. You talked about getting really weird gifts.
Speaker 1Oh, and then the last gift had nothing in it. No, you didn't tell that part, Okay, so I don't think so.
Speaker 2So um you said they get really weird gifts, yeah.
Speaker 1And a lot of times, if it's like related, she will ask me hey, would, would you like this? And sometimes I'm like, yeah, I'll take that. Yeah, you know, because it's usually a candle or something, but it's always, it's always a really nice brand. It may be Diptyque, for example, it may be a hundred and fifty dollar candle, but it's going to be a fragrance. She absolutely hates that. Everybody knows. It would be like you do not like lavender, right, yeah fragrance, fragrance.
Speaker 2I'm not going to buy a lavender candle.
Speaker 1It would be like me going and buying you a $500 Diptyque lavender candle.
Speaker 1Yeah, when you know I don't like it, but oh, I got you something nice, this is nice but really someone gave it to me and I'm just giving it to you even though I know you hate it, right? So, um, but she got they, she got her Christmas present early and she uh brought it home to open it, and early, and she brought it home to open it. And we're not talking, we're not talking average people here, these are people way out of our league kind of gift giving, like. So it was a private boutique, very expensive jeweler box, so you know, she was like wonder what this is?
Speaker 2Cause it was, you know she was like I wonder what this is.
Speaker 1Because it was. You know, it was something out of her drawer or whatever. So she sent me the photo. She opened it it was empty.
Speaker 2Wait, did the person giving it think there was something in there?
Speaker 1Yeah, she thought there was something in there that she just didn't want. I guess she had taken it, or maybe a cleaning person or somebody working in the house took it you never know the situation, but she cared so little she didn't even open it to check, slapped a bow on it and then had made this big to-do on how we picked this out especially for you and made this big production and there's nothing in it.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh so.
Speaker 1I mean, I don't even know.
Speaker 2How do you follow up on that gift? I don't know.
Speaker 1Thank you for the box, the box.
Speaker 2Or do you say, well, there's nothing in the box? I don't know if, maybe when you were wrapping it, you set it aside?
Speaker 1If I were to ever do first of all, I would never do that. If, but if I were to ever do something like that, that would be me. I would have said it somewhere and I would, and hell I may, have given somebody empty box at some point, but I didn't know it. If I did that, but oh my word.
Speaker 2I mean I was like okay, like, is there anything in the box? Like anything you could like? There was a Thank you for the tissue paper.
Speaker 1There was a very nice pouch that the piece should have been in. You can tell whatever was in. It was a very nice piece of jewelry because I knew the name on the box and then when it's a leather jewelry pouch, it was a travel and I said, well, you're just going to have to say thank you so much for this beautiful jewelry box.
Speaker 2Pouch, oh, pouch. Yeah, thank you for the jewelry pouch.
Speaker 1And then you know, and then maybe if they say, oh, was there not a bracelet in there? No but I love this travel case. I mean, that's the only way I know how to do it.
Speaker 2So that's hilarious. Speaking of that, my grandmother oh, this is funny, I know what you're going to say. On my mom's side, she would like, you know, as we got older, she would give everyone money and have an envelope, you know, with their name on it and she would just stick it in her tree. Every year she would leave one person off.
Speaker 1I think it was intentional. She just forgot it.
Speaker 2I think it was intentional.
Speaker 1No, no, no, no. How did?
Speaker 2every year I'm not joking Every year someone would be like, oh, I didn't get my envelope this year.
Speaker 1Would she?
Speaker 2give it to them when they were no, nobody would say anything. You're not going to go. Where's my envelope? Hell yeah.
Speaker 1I would have to my grandparents. I'd have been like where's mine. They wouldn't have forgotten mine because I was the favorite.
Speaker 2Mine was never forgotten. I was the favorite. I was never forgotten.
Speaker 1I was the favorite. I feel like it was usually one of the girls. Well, one favorite story I have of your grandmother Were you talking about Miss Bobby? Yes, okay, so one of my favorite things. So, miss Bobby, for those of you that don't know, she was a powerhouse of a woman and she was hysterical. She was a large and in charge personality and she owned Merle Norman stores for 50 years.
Speaker 1She she did it before women really owned businesses. She literally started it out of the trunk of her car. So she was, you know. I kind of looked up to her and I loved her personality. She was very much like my mother's mother, frances, and I love hearing your mom and your aunt tell how she would give gifts at Christmas and it would be expired.
Speaker 2Burl Norman, yeah she would give them, like the samples. Yeah, she would wrap up the samples and give it to him and you know, maybe that's where I'll get some of my entrepreneurial um jeans or whatever, because she, you know, I'm kind of I wouldn't give that or whatever. But she would make my mom pay her for the makeup, like full price for the makeup.
Speaker 1And the funny thing is she wasn't hurting for money, no that was what made it funny.
Speaker 2It's so funny you know different personalities.
Speaker 1Yeah, it was a personality. That's how my mom's mom was Like. It was just that's who they were.
Speaker 2But that goes back, I think, to what we talked about on last week's episode of why I always feel uneasy about giving stuff from my own store, because how's it going to be perceived to?
Speaker 1people.
Speaker 2That's a thing with us and then, like you said, if you do it, you end up over-gifting because you're trying to make up for the idea.
Speaker 1And you call me out on it because I'm like I'm getting a gift and I did that to you last night because you were like what about this? But should I give this and this? And I'm like, well, you have put together like a $300 gift Right Retail $300 gift. When we keep adding to it, we really say it really comes across like we had all this shit left over on the shelf which is not true, right, right, right.
Speaker 2So yeah, oh gosh, the funny stories. Yes, yes, yes, oh, bobby, she would, I still think, maybe intentionally, sometimes leave off that envelope or something. I don't know, maybe not, maybe, maybe not she was hysterical.
Speaker 1So she was the biggest snoot, like my biggest my funny thing she was just such a snoot when it came to makeup. Well, she'd been doing it for so long and let me just tell you her makeup at 80 years old was on point Her hair and makeup and eyebrows.
Speaker 2Oh, it was going to be on point for sure. I bet she never left her house without her face, oh no, no, and my grandmother was the type that was very into the makeup. Meryl Norman dressed great, do all of that. But she would also get on the ladder, go up on the roof of her building to patch the roof or do something In heels, in heels dressed up in full face.
Speaker 2She wasn't going to be up there roughing it or anything, but she would do it. She would get on the ladder, clean out her gutters, get on the roof.
Speaker 1It's funny because things that probably irritated your mom and your aunt about her is hysterical to me.
Speaker 2You know the stuff she would say.
Speaker 1But then my grandmother was the same way and she drove me insane, but other people thought it was hilarious. Yeah Well, that's how it works when you're not having to, when you don't endure it every day, right, that is. Yeah, my grandmother would, and I've never been. I've never been majorly overweight, the most I've ever been overweight in my entire life.
Speaker 2Well, you were kind of chunky when I'm 30 pounds.
Speaker 1But that was way or my early years. Yeah, you know my. I had to have my pants darted. I was so skinny, uh huh.
Speaker 2Darted, darted.
Speaker 1Darted, that's a country thing, I think. She would come up at, like Easter or Christmas, if you were getting an extra. She was very into how we looked Right and what we wore and everything. She would come and pinch your back fat and whisper in your ear do you think you need that? Do you think you need that?
Speaker 1And it made. It infuriated me so bad. It made me want to literally knock her head off. I would have never disrespected my grandmother or anything like that, but it made me want to slap the shit out of her every time. And she only did it to like.
Speaker 2My grandmother was like that too. She would do that to my mom or something. We had the same family dynamic. I'm like, oh my gosh, it's too funny. But then, once they're gone, that's the thing. You miss it you miss.
Speaker 1And it makes me giggle now, you know, because I'll think every now and then I'm like, ooh, I've got a little pudge going on there. I'm like boy, mama would let me know.
Speaker 2Well, let's talk about some things that it's dumb shit on Instagram. I think that needs to be a new segment dumb shit on instagram. First of all, you have one that you sent me that you want to talk about, and I have one that's an item that I want to talk about.
Speaker 1So, first of all, oh, well, there's so many, the whole thing with book trees.
Speaker 2Yes, this is the one that is driving Stephen crazy.
Speaker 1And now it's really awkward because it's also I'm seeing it on Facebook of like friends. I'm in love with my book tree.
Speaker 2Well, you should burn it if you haven't seen this, and we're not talking about people can do really cool things with folding the pages, or like I used to do those fold the pages.
Speaker 1Those are. That's not what we're talking about art.
Speaker 2now these people are taking books, opening them up up, laying them down flat, stacking them up and calling it a book tree, and it looks like a hot mess.
Speaker 1It looks like you stacked a bunch of books Like I don't know it's the dumb, but the dumb one I saw was on Facebook of someone I went to school with and I. You know if she's, if she listens, she probably doesn't. I don't care. Somebody needs to tell her. She put damn lots around this pile of books and stuck Frasier first sprigs in it and posted the picture she said she was in love with it.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh, one of them I saw. I think I may have sent it to you, I don't know. I saw, I think I may have sent it to you, I don't know, but it looked like literally just a flat pile of books, like 10 high. It didn't even have a shape to a tree. It doesn't make sense, it wasn't even.
Speaker 1It's like stacking up a big stack pack of pancakes and saying I love my pancake tree. I don't know.
Speaker 2That is just weird to me. And the bows, the big bow, the pillow bows Well, some people have sent me. Since we talked about the pillow bows, they've sent it to me on Instagram. I should have saved some of them, but then I saw some others and I'm like that's got to stop.
Speaker 1The pillow bow is bad. The big bows some of them are really pretty, but let me tell you, those big bows take work and talent and they're very, very expensive, but they look amazing. The people that take the damn king-size bed pillow no, Save your money, that's the problem.
Speaker 2Some of them don't even take the king-size bed pillow it's the regular size and then try to put a big old tail on it, make it look like it's something. Uh, so this is one. I don't know if I sent this one to you, I'll let you look at it, but it is a. Um, I guess you put three. Oh my god, stuff is so damn dumb.
Speaker 1Let me see.
Strange and Unusual Gift Ideas
Speaker 2This just takes the cake here. Watch this whole video. Let me see what it's called. It is okay, do you know that? I don't know how to explain this on the podcast, but do you know the tile scrubbing brushes that people have on the pole? You know they scrub their tile. It's got the bristles that go around and around. Well, it's like that, but bigger and not on a pole. It's got the bristles that go around and around. Well, it's like that, but bigger and not on a pole. You mount it on your shower wall and then you can like back up to it or put your knee on it or whatever, like a deer. Yeah, you described this and I'm like who is? Who has this electronic brush attachment to their wall in their shower and scrubbing? I mean, get a loofah. Steven is looking.
Speaker 1That wouldn't have that crap. That would ruin your shower. That would look horrible and why do you need it?
Speaker 2Just get a brush Like an animal. Like an animal. Like an animal Like this is when we need the video podcast, so you can see your reaction and what we're actually thinking about. We'll get banned from Instagram talking about these people, though.
Speaker 1Well, somebody needs to tell them it's dumb. And then there's one and I'm not going to go into detail because it literally made me gag, but there's there's people out there and their whole shtick with Instagram is doing gross things on Instagram and I saw in, like there's this one person out there and she eats, like literally eats gross things, yeah, and records it. That nasty woman should be jailed.
Speaker 2I mean, you tried to send that to me. I was like I'm not even clicking on it.
Speaker 1Well, Dylan sent it to me.
Speaker 2I'm not giving her the views I'm not giving her the recognition.
Speaker 1He tried to force me to watch it till the end. I'm like no.
Speaker 2I can't. But here's what I don't understand Like, this person is an influencer. Back to the body scrubber thing that you mount on a wall and then you move your body around and it scrubs. For you See, when I post things because if you want to call me an influencer, that's fine. I mean, we sell mostly our own products, but whatever, whatever, there's nothing wrong with that. But I would look at that and I would say only one person Do you think, how many people do you think actually bought that? Why are you putting the time and effort into promoting that?
Speaker 1I would see that OK, on a serious note, I would see that I would buy that if I had a parent or grandparent or myself that had had a stroke or something and needed assistance in that area.
Speaker 2But then it's not practical. If you're in that kind of shape, you're not going to be able to move up against it.
Speaker 1That's true. You shouldn't be in there without somebody in there with you probably. I just don't get it.
Speaker 2Oh goodness, the other dumbest item I've seen this week. I hope it's not from the same person. Let me look it up. And then people and then other influencers comment. It's so cute, I love this no you don't? It's dumb. You thought it was dumb, just like I thought it was dumb. Let me find. I sent it to you so I'd have it in a place. Now I've got to go find where you are in my Instagram DMs. Okay, well, what do you know? It's the same person.
Speaker 1So she just likes dumb shit. There you go. Let me see what that is.
Speaker 2It's the one I sent you with the gloves, so this one people are going to figure out who I'm talking about, let me see the name.
Speaker 2People's going to figure out who I'm talking about and put us on blast. That's fine too. This is I don't know where you get it, maybe probably Amazon or something. It comes as a set of three fleece mittens, so set of three, because you get two regular mittens in your package and then you get one mitten that has a hole on both ends like a tube, and so you can hold hands when you're walking now.
Speaker 1Now, if you want to hold hands, why can't you hold hands with the damn gloves on?
Speaker 2or if you want to hold hands, can you not go on a walk and not hold hands for 30 minutes? I mean how, how long you?
Speaker 1gonna be outside with the gloves on needing to hold hands and what happens if you're like oh my god, my butt's itching, I need to scratch it. I mean seriously, things happen, let go of my hand, I need to scratch my butt. Or what if you're drinking? What if you're right-handed, okay, and you're you, you get hot chocolate or a coffee? How are you going to be like? You're not going to be using your left, you're?
Speaker 2going to be holding each other's hand with your right hands, and then well, no one right, one left somebody's gonna get screwed.
Speaker 1Yeah, that'd be like spilling it down my face. It's true, that is so stupid. If you buy that, you need your head examined.
Speaker 2We should buy this and send it to a few of our listeners.
Speaker 1We should and say send us video, we want to. Let's do that.
Speaker 2We should just have it.
Speaker 1We should buy some stupid gifts and send them to people and let them tell us if they were really as stupid as we thought. They were Right, Not them the gift Right, Just say evaluate this gift. Yeah, give us your feedback. Is it really as bad as it seems?
Speaker 2And I just see this and I'm like oh, here's another.
Speaker 1Another don't of in-laws. This happened to family members and they don't hate their in-laws. Well, that's good, but you have to be careful when you buy them clothing. But you have to be careful when you buy them clothing, mm-hmm, because if they're a small or medium and you buy them a large or extra large you know, women get real sensitive. Or you know, you buy an extra large shirt and they're like what?
Speaker 2so this brings up my ex back in the day, his parents, which I loved, or whatever. Um, the dad would always buy his mom like clothes for christmas and he would get them like small and she was like a normal size, a normal size he would always get, like she would always have to go and return them and get the correct size, and he thought that was so funny that you know he thought he was the opposite of what you're saying, like thinking she's smaller than she really is and she, she would be like no, I have to go return these.
Speaker 2And then she would get pissed every year and be like buy me the correct size. I don't want to have to go return my gift and exchange it for something after the holidays, but I guess it worked. I mean, I guess if you buy too large like you said, they're going to be like you think I'm this big.
Speaker 1There's no win. Yeah, and here's another thing like with my grandmother, that was like your grandmother, frances, when my grandfather was alive, my grandmother would say I want this for Christmas. It wasn't little hints. I want this, I want this purse, I want this, I want this purse, I want this brand. And usually my mother would go get it and it was always Christmas Eve and whatever it was, every year she would open it up and said this is not the one I wanted. And she always Every year this isn't what I want.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1Every year. Just, it didn't matter what it was. This isn't the one I want. This is too small. This is too big. Oh my, you wasted your money on this.
Speaker 2So my grandmother, on my other side, on my dad's side, my grandma, she would go buy whatever she wanted and put a bow on it and be like you got me this.
Speaker 1See, no, that was the way to do it. Yeah, nobody got their feelings hurt. Uh-huh, she was happy. Do it. Yeah, nobody got their feelings hurt. Uh-huh, she was happy, no drama.
Speaker 2Yeah, which is so funny? That is too funny. Okay, let's get into some of our favorite things for the holidays, favorite gifts.
Speaker 1Oh, I got to tag onto that. The first Christmas Dylan and I were together. Mm-hmm, dylan's a little picky.
Speaker 2He's picky. Well, both of you are, so let's not call out just.
Speaker 1Dylan, we were together. I went and bought him Christmas presents that I thought were fantastic.
Speaker 2You were laying it on thick. Very nice First Christmas. You gotta do it up, yeah.
Gifting Gucci and Bougie Finds
Speaker 1I mean, I did the cologne, I did all the things, and I did some Armani Giorgio Armani clothes which I thought were beautiful Shirts and sweaters and fast forward a few years, you know, after we knew we were going to be together. We listen and we don't judge. He told me he hated all that. He was like I didn't like any of that. He took it all back, Did he?
Speaker 2That is hilarious. Well see, that's because you're also like 20 years difference. No, that has nothing to do with that. You're a little out of touch.
Speaker 1No, no, it wasn't that, he just didn't like it. Oh well, and so you know, this year I was, you know, I took him shot. What do you want?
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Pick it out. Mm-hmm, I didn't do that last year, but I kind of narrowed it down.
Speaker 2I knew he had specific lists last year.
Speaker 1It was more specific, but you know, it's fine, everybody needs to be happy.
Speaker 2So let's get into talking about some of your favorite things. Specifically, we're going to head back to this past weekend, when you were shopping at some bougie designer stores I saw on social media.
Speaker 1What's some of?
Speaker 2your favorite things. Well, I I didn't get pressing. Well, it doesn't have to be your like for you. What was some great finds that you saw? What do you? What do you, um, if you're, if someone is breaking into the bougie department, what do they start with? What is some of your favorite?
Speaker 1what would I give someone. Yeah, okay, if I were, if I were gonna give somebody a really nice gift from, uh, hermes or louis vuitton or Gucci, I would probably, for a man, I would probably start with a wallet or a belt. Yeah, and because for men that is something I keep, I wear my belts.
Speaker 2You've had them forever, for 30 years.
Speaker 1Yeah, and that lasts and everybody needs that at some point. And then I always like the reversible, the reversible belt.
Speaker 2Belt. So you get two belts in one.
Speaker 1So one side's black one side's brown, or blue and brown. Whatever it is, I think that's a good gift. You have to be careful with the wallet. You have to know the person really, really, really well, because men just so y'all know, ladies men are just as particular with wallets as you, ladies, are with your handbags.
Speaker 2Right, because I like a certain style.
Speaker 1You like a bifold? Yeah, and I have one that opens up the opposite way. But I like a tiny Right and I don't want a lot of bulk.
Speaker 2So it is all personal. It's very personal.
Speaker 1But if you know what they like, that's a good gift.
Speaker 2Did you get me anything in those bags?
Speaker 1Hell. No, you don't appreciate any of that stuff. You're not an unappreciative person, but that's not something you care about. Let me pull out my wallet.
Speaker 2So I have my wallet in my hand and it is Gucci.
Speaker 1This was your first like bougie purchase.
Speaker 2Yes, so have we told this story? I don't know. This would have been in the last two years probably. It'd probably be two years this coming, I think January-ish. We all went to don't touch it. No, we should not, do not touch my things, it's like dangling. So we went to Vegas you, dylan, daniel and myself, which I think we need to do again this time and I was there and I was like you know what?
Speaker 2I think I've won a little money and I said I'm going to get myself. Daniel and I both Didn't we both get wallets. We're like, let's get ourselves some wallets, because they weren't for a designer wallet, they weren't crazy expensive, they're not, I mean, more than my previous one, uh, but not insane. No, like a couple hundred dollars. I feel like, um, so this was like 450. No, it was under that. It was like 300 and something. Maybe, maybe, um, I can't remember it, it'd probably be $450. Now Things have changed. This was my first. Oh, treat yourself. Get the Gucci wallet.
Speaker 2I got this wallet and we came home and I swear to you, the first day we got back, JoJo got my wallet off the counter and chewed on the corner of it.
Speaker 2And she has since done that at least three or four times. So every corner of my wallet is chewed up. Now let me just tell you something. Jojo does not chew up anything. She does not bother our furniture. She is in all ways really really good Like she's never chewed up. Never chewed up a shoe, never chewed up a piece of furniture, nothing. But for whatever reason she was like this is nice.
Speaker 1Let me chew on this, Guys. Let me chew on this and let's. I have to say this, Okay, first of all, I could care less if you carry your cards and your money in a Ziploc bag or a Gucci wallet. I could care less.
Speaker 2But I want to tell you with my OCD, literally that would drive me insane.
Speaker 1I would have had to have ordered me a new one because I would have gotten so upset every time I took it out.
Speaker 2Oh, we know your damaged goods would be.
Speaker 1How do you do that? It just doesn't bother you. I don't even look at it. I don't even look at it.
Speaker 2Not only is the corner of my wallet chewed up, the cards have the chew marks in them too. So I keep the cards in the same place. I'm like, oh, this one's chewed up on the left side, so this goes over here on this left.
Speaker 1It matches and I couldn't do that.
Speaker 2I would have had to order all new cards. Yeah, I mean I thought, well, eventually they'll just go out of date and I'll get new ones. This one's the worst. It expires in 26, so we only got a couple of years left. I get a new one of that oh, my word I mean, this is why we can't have nice things.
Speaker 2I guess this is probably the only real piece of leather in the house and it was so fresh smelling because she hasn't done it in a long time they are attracted to leather some a lot of times. Yeah, she did all of these shoes within the first year of having this, and I've had it a few couple of years at least. Now she hasn't done it in a long time and I'm like can't have nothing nice.
Speaker 1So but gifts, you know, on that trip I did some gift cards like to some specific stores.
Speaker 2But gifts cards I mean I know they're easy.
Speaker 1I don't love them. But with teenagers you have to.
Speaker 2They are easy and they have a place and there's nothing wrong with them, teenagers like them. But those can't be like a favorite thing.
Gift Ideas and Personal Memories
Speaker 1No, that's kind of a no, and it isn't, but I did get some um candies, some stocking stuffers from william sonoma oh, that's, they were quite good and they were on sale, which? Made me happy. 20 off, um, but I do love. I do love giving some gag gifts Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. I do like that. It's got to be a really good, not just some stupid. It's got to really tie into something. You know, it just can't be. I like giving consumables, because most people have a lot of things, a lot of crap. They like consumables.
Speaker 2Right, so something that you're going to use up and throw away. I mean you use it up, whether it's food-related candles, cologne what's the one that Daniel loves to cologne? I feel like everyone loves that one, the one I wear. The one you wear, then Daniel's. Louis Vuitton Limonciteon ct no, no, no, it's not that one. That's not the one. Is it creed? Oh creed yes, that's what it is creed. Creed is a great one I feel like universally, people just love that like you will wear that one and people at market are like who smells so good?
Speaker 2and steven's? Well, it's not him talking about me.
Speaker 1The funny thing is okay, so I have two different.
Speaker 2You've gotten stopped. I mean, I can't count the number of times, so that could be, a favorite. Thing.
Speaker 1And funny story on Creed. So I'm a huge Cologne person, I love smells, good smells, and I had heard of Creed but I had not smelled it. But people were. You know, it was the number one fragrance line. So I found it on a bougie discount site for a 1.2 ounce. That's when I first started taking it to market, because it was a tiny bottle but it was still astronomically expensive and I was like I better like this crap. Well, I got it and I didn't like it and I thought, well, you know, I've got it, I paid a lot of money for it, so, but that was just it smelling, you know. And so I dropped it in my toilet tree, on my body. It smelled really good and people were like, oh my God, yeah, and that's when I started wearing Creed, aventus, okay. And last year I bought a they had one that was a small batch, it was like a one-time deal.
Speaker 1And it smells yeah it smells really good, but all the fragrances, you just have to be. To me, creed is kind of like the baccarat line you have. You really need to go there and because they've got some that I you know, creed and baccarat, that's just two lines that I absolutely love, and then there's some that, oh my word, it is horrible to me because it's just so personal, you know and like.
Speaker 2So what's the one that you have in daniel ventus, ventus? Okay, that's a good universal one.
Speaker 1I feel like, because everyone loves, it is their, is their number one.
Speaker 2Yeah, I like my gadget type thing. That's always my.
Speaker 1Electronics and gadgets Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2That's my go-to. You love that personally. Right, right, right. That's what I'm saying. My favorite things to receive is anything gadget-related, so you can get me something.
Speaker 1You have every gadget.
Speaker 2That's the other. That's the bad thing If it comes out you're going to get it.
Speaker 1And I think for young couples, like young married couples like my nephew got married a couple of years ago, so I give I mean it's not their only gift, but I give he and his wife a dated ornament every year because I feel like they're building their collection. Because you know if you're not in retail and you don't have to sell everything in your house most people do at least one tree, that's, you know. Collected they build collected items on.
Speaker 2That's true. I don't have anything like that Collected ornaments. I need to start one, but I don't really collect. That doesn't really. I like what we sell and I like switching it up. I don't have, but I do as a kid, you know, remember, and my mom will do a tree like that, and then I've gotten some of those items. So I need a little small tree to put some of those.
Speaker 2That's what I want to do you do In the well. Some of these are from a text message and some are from the box, but one person told me their favorite thing was a heated vest, which is pretty simple.
Speaker 1I didn't even know they had that they do and they're in heated coats and vest and they're not. They the first ones looked a little hokey, yeah, but now they kind of look like this Patagonia and there's literally you just press a button and it heats up, so it's. I think that's a really good gift, like especially for teachers that have to do like car duty in the winter and stand out Anybody that's outside like that. But for me and my family I think of teachers doing car duty because they freeze to death Right.
Speaker 2If you have someone that just works outside in general.
Speaker 1Construction I never thought about that or they walk or jog. It's a good gift. Get some warm before they get warm, and I think amaryllis and paper whites are always nice.
Speaker 2Oh, absolutely, those are such fun. We talked about that in our live sales, how you can give those. You know, you can give them already potted, or you can give someone a nice pot, you can give them the soil, you can give them like a whole little kit and then they can grow them after the holidays and Daniel always sells the best amaryllis and paperwax.
Speaker 1Oh, absolutely, and they last, they can last forever.
Speaker 2Yeah, so you can keep using them year after year. That's a good sort of consumable but also memorable thing. Or you can just enjoy it for the season and toss it out.
Speaker 1The other thing I think is a really good gift and I've never gotten one, oh, but I think like picture books of your children and grandchildren. Mm-hmm, those are nice.
Speaker 2Or if you do a family trip or something. Yeah.
Speaker 1I think that is a nice personal gift that people, even if you don't set it out, it's just a way to capture the memory.
Speaker 2Yeah, I've given those before.
Speaker 1You know, when my nephews were little, I dropped the hint like 48 times. I've yet to get a damn Shutterfly book.
Speaker 2Maybe they could go back and do one, now that they're like adults Of all the years, all the years.
Speaker 1And it could just be one book, it would be nice, but you know, it never happened.
Speaker 2Never happened. It ain't gonna happen.
Speaker 1It ain't gonna happen. Ain't gonna happen, mm-mm, but it's fine.
Speaker 2But I think happen, but it's fine, but I think that is a nice little gift. That's special, right. You know what is so weird now, and I don't know at what point. Well, I guess 2008 ish is when the iphone came out, so we're that, however many years in to that. Because now what is weird? I'm thinking about going back and doing it like my nephew um has. I forget what year he's born, I don't know, but he's like what?
Speaker 2uh, 13 ish something like that uh, but has always, like every, I have pictures on my phone from when he was a baby born, like that's the first time and I know, depending on what year it is because because I was thinking, oh, they're going to have to go back, depending on their age, and get regular pictures that were printed off, and then it's kind of complicated to go back. But if they were born like 2008, 2009, 2010 and afterwards, then you probably have all of that already like on someone's phone.
Speaker 2The parents do and you can easily go back and do that. So it would be good to do, because I feel like people start out doing those books when their kids are little and then they stop. So maybe if you've done that before and then your kids are now at maybe a milestone starting high school or even graduating or whatever you could go back and then do one book and you might easily be able to get all that from here Another great gift that I've given are hotel gift cards.
Speaker 1I've given y'all several.
Speaker 2Yes, never used them, I have them.
Speaker 1You have them, yes, and I like to give those as wedding gifts because you got to think. You know, when you're getting married you're not going to probably have the extra money to do little weekend getaways and that's a nice.
Speaker 2That is a nice.
Speaker 1Little.
Speaker 2I know I need to use that one. Well, I need to use both. You've given me two Mm. Hmm, yes, I need to do that A little. We need, aren't they the same?
Speaker 1hotel.
Speaker 2No one is for grove park in and then I thought one was for downtown, for um, yes, here in greenville, because yes that's what I, that's the one I was like, oh, that would be it yes, to use the Grand Bohemian.
Speaker 1I gave you one to Grove Park Inn and the Grand Bohemian Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2Need to do a little winter spa weekend. Daniel and I Go stay there. I'm going to do that for that. Another one in my wherever I got my notification someone sent in their favorite gift was they were moving homes that they had lived in for, I think, 30 years or something a long time and they got a gift of it you know, a sketch of their house. They had it framed and it's now hanging in there.
Speaker 1And you can do that for dogs. That's a nice gift.
Speaker 2And that was actually on my list, not for dogs. But one of my favorite things that Daniel and I got this year was when we went to MB's wedding and they had a person there who did live sketch watercolors of you and I have that little. Have I shown you that it's really cool? So it's just, you know they took a picture of us and then they did it. But I know you can get that done on like Etsy or something. You just take a picture and send it in and then it's like a watercolor kind of sketch version. So something like that's always fun and thoughtful. It kind of like captures a moment yeah, I love that idea and I can't remember the artist's name oh, I didn't see it.
Speaker 1I was going back in my mind.
Speaker 2Yes, that was cute yeah, so I'm like that would be cool to look someone up and do something like that. They're fast. I mean, this girl did it like right then, so you probably could still get that in time for Christmas. That would be a cute gift. Yeah, but I never thought of doing it like of your pet or something too. It'd be cute you could get the same like a sketch or something done.
Speaker 1And I think you know who's the hardest person for me to buy, for ever is my dad, don't you think older men are hard?
Speaker 2Yeah, I just skip them.
Speaker 1I mean, he buys everything, right, right, and my dad is really, really a nice guy and he won't tell you if he doesn't like it.
Speaker 2I feel like that's when you do get them something that is a consumable.
Speaker 1He doesn't like gift cards.
Speaker 2He likes, he loves Get them some type of you know like butcher box where they get steaks, or something like like that. I could do that. You know what I'm saying yeah they get it, use it, love it, because they don't want something that sits around and, like your dad, tools is in his profession because he's a contractor so then, he wants his own kind and style that he's used to. You know what? What I'm saying?
Speaker 1And I've done every. I mean I have bought him every golf ball known to man. I've bought him golf bags, golf clubs. I've bought him a Harley Davidson, I don't know what else. You know? I mean that's true.
Speaker 2I forgot you got that. I don't know.
Speaker 1That's true, I forgot you got that, I don't know, I seriously, and he, you know, at one time I had thought, well, I'll get him a trailer for his bike, but I really don't want to encourage that Right, that you know, because he's in his mid-70s. I don't know that he needs to be hauling that here and there and riding, so I don't know. I don't know that he needs to be hauling that here and there and writing, so I don't know, I don't know what ever.
Speaker 2But something like that, something a box that can be shipped there and then gets it uses, it is always good.
Speaker 1Or maybe he'll prostitute for a weekend.
Speaker 2Enjoy that. He loves his ladies. No, no, no, no, I'm kidding, but speaking of that, another thing that I had on my list was experiences.
Speaker 1So, like you, said See, there it goes.
Speaker 2That is an experience, he would laugh. But no, but, like you said, a hotel gift card would be good. Or maybe, if it's for your own family, you know, do a trip or a day trip or something. An experience is always good that you can all do together too, if you like them enough, if you want to spend the time with them, it would be good. So any type of experience is always great.
Speaker 1Well, I was talking to a friend of mine earlier today and I actually walked into my office to do something and I said, oh my gosh, I completely can't remember. I mean, I sat in my desk chair and I was like I don't remember and I said you know, that is bothersome, Like when you've had a grandparent that had Alzheimer's. Your mind goes to that. You're like oh, my word.
Speaker 2Am I getting it?
Speaker 1And maybe, maybe, maybe not, who knows well, and she was saying well, you know, you've got to listen to your body and you've got to rest when you need to rest well, uh, this is funny she said trauma and fatigue brings on alzheimer's. You know if you've got it. And I said I'll be damned. That's going to be the name of my book.
Speaker 2Trauma and fatigue.
Speaker 1I said that's the name of my book. If I write a book, I'm going to call it trauma and fatigue.
Speaker 2Am I trauma or am I fatigue? You're in both categories. That is funny. That is too funny.
Speaker 1We got a good laugh out of it. I'm like that's the name of my book.
Speaker 2Okay, If you're listening, remember, call our hotline or text it. It's 864-982-5029. Next week we are going to talk about worst gifts you received, so I want you to send in the worst gifts you received. We've already got a little collection going. We're talking shitty, shitty, rude just bad gifts and not, you know, the gift of whatever, a tangible like my husband got me cigarettes.
Speaker 1I don't know Something you still talk about and I don't smoke Something you still talk about and cuss about.
Speaker 2Yeah, something that you still, deep down, can't let go. So let us know on our hotline 864 982-5052.
Speaker 1I've never gotten anything like that.
Speaker 2Anything horrible? I haven't really either. Have you.
Speaker 1I don't think I've gotten anything that infuriated me.
Speaker 2No, nothing that sticks in my head, nothing that was mean and not necessarily mean, but just dumb, like my husband got me camouflage and I don't hunt. You know something like that. Or you know something that's just so far off base where you're like, does this person even know who I am? Sort of situation. That's what we want to hear about. We're out of time for this week, but we will definitely be back I mean, I shouldn't say definitely. We will be back next week with another episode. I think that's going to be our last episode of the year, though next week, and we'll go on a little hiatus, yes, and then we'll be gone, so we'll talk all about that next week.
Speaker 2Have a great one.
Speaker 2Remember to leave us a review. It's the end of the year. We still have time. I'm waiting any day now for our review to come out in my email. I looked up last year's review. I got it on the 20th of December, so I'm thinking it'd be towards the end of the month. So there's still time. Share us with your friends. Leave us a review wherever you're listening to us, Play us over and over, whatever it takes, and we'll let you know. I guess we may not get those stats until we're back in January, but we'll be here. See you next week. Bye y'all. Thanks guys.