Wrapped And Ready

The shortest day of the year brought big energy: we kicked off with solstice coziness, then plunged into a Chicago adventure that ended with a minivan reversing down Lower Wacker so we could make the Nutcracker!

We trade laughs and real talk about value and scarcity—from wild penny auctions to a color-of-the-year that didn’t quite land—before landing on the joyful noise of a kid-made song that refuses to leave our heads. From there, we zoom into practical habit science and why Wednesdays are a smarter start line than Mondays. It’s a lighter lift, faster wins, and a better shot at keeping momentum through the holidays without the guilt spiral.

Then we unwrap the good stuff: how to wrap gifts that wow without overspending. We share where to find sturdy paper that doesn’t tear, why wire ribbon changes everything, and how to make playful pom-pom toppers from leftover scraps. We dig into the psychology of presentation (yes, wrapping changes how a gift is received) and the surprising history of modern wrapping thanks to the Hall brothers. We also debate unwrapped wedding showers and how to honor givers whether you display gifts or open them live—gratitude is the key either way.

We close with our highs and lows—eye drama, laundry fails, Nutcracker magic—and the traditions that make Christmas morning stretch longer. If you want a warm, witty guide to making this season feel intentional, beautiful, and actually doable, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves a big bow, and tell us: tags or stickers for your gifts? We’re taking votes.

Mike Haggerty Buick GMC
Right on the corner, right on the price! Head down to 93rd & Cicero & tell them the Noras sent you!

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Transcript

Solstice Vibes And Cozy Nights

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hi, thanks for joining us today. It's Nora. And Nora. Welcome to all. Yes. Welcome to this holly-jolly time of year. Welcome to the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year, December 20th. Is tomorrow. It is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Or a few days ago for our listeners who are listening to this Monday.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

As most of you know, I don't mind that it gets dark early.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

I know you love it. Mm-hmm. Yes, yes. And I prefer it to be a little lighter, but I do like all the Christmas lights that are out. I just like how cozy it feels.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

It does feel cool. And pajamas at five.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

That's my whole house was asleep last night by 8 30. Get even my baked.

The Lower Wacker Parking Ordeal

SPEAKER_01 0:50

No way. Well, it was dark for four hours. It was. So that's wild. I know. I've been going to bed earlier because I have this eye thing going on, but that's my low. We'll get to that at the end. Oh, gosh. Okay. But I did something, Nora, last weekend. What? I've never done before and hope to never do ever again. My mother very generously brought me and my daughter, my sister, her daughters, my sister. It was a little girl's trip to see the Nutrack. The Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House, and it's beautiful. It's Chicago's World's Fair themed. It's really lovely. It started at two. Okay. I was driving because I could fit everybody in my minivan. All eight of us. I bought a parking spot ahead of time on Spot Hero and it said, this is a tricky spot to find. I watched a video on how to get there. I looked at a map on how to get there. We left at 12:30. We got downtown at 1.30. And I got a little, I was like, oh, I don't think I know where I'm going for this parking spot. So I dropped off my all my family. They got out, went in. The spot was on Lower Wacker Drive. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

I have a few comments about a street being called Wacker and Lower Whacker and all of that, but that's a topic for another day. Continues.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

So for those who are not familiar with Chicago, there's Wacker Drive, which is on street level, and then Lower Whacker is underneath.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Like underground.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Underground. It's almost kind of like you're in a subway, but you're driving cars. Like a really long tunnel. It's humongous and it's confusing. And it basically has on and off ramps for how to get down there. I went down there and I was like, oh no, my parking spot is behind me. I was like, shoot. I was like, all right, well, I'll just turn around. Well, then I drove very far. I couldn't find like a turnaround, an exit, like a get off. I was like, I am stoned in Lower Whacker Drive. And then I had to call my husband because I was like, I know where it is. I just can't get to it. And by the time I got out, I got around and he was like, I'm telling you, go this way. I was like, I think the same thing's gonna happen. And I'm gonna be too far, I'm gonna be past it because there's, you know, one way, there's two lanes of traffic, but then on either side of those, there's like ring roads. Yes. Because you have to veer off to get to like the businesses and the parking garages and like the alleys and the garbage cans. So I pulled off and I'm like, it's like a block behind me. I was like, but if I go forward, I'm gonna get stuck down here again. So what did you do? I reversed a whole city block. And I was on any cars, at one point there was a car I had to pull over and they looked at me like, what are you doing? And I totally deserved it. But I was desperate because it was past two o'clock. Like I was already late for the show.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

I think that was very smart.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

And so I said to my husband, I was like, please stay on the phone, but don't say anything. I was like, I just need to do the job. So I reversed my minivan, an entire city lock on the ring road, like of lower whacker dive. So bad and so good. So bad. And I was like sweating.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

It was very nice parking garage once I got in. How does one get in there properly?

SPEAKER_01 4:17

You like I kept going down into Lower Whacker off Adams. I think I needed to go like back. You had to go up. Up. I needed to go way more south to get in. But I was just like, I don't have time.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

No, I think you did the right. I would have done the same if I was smart enough to. If I had a penny, it was forever somebody driving in reverse. You'd have one penny. No, I just wanted to say that because I have a story about pennies. Oh, okay. But anyways, it all worked out. But it was very stressful. I don't recommend it. Okay. The pennies, they're done. And you and I, you know, we had so many ideas. So our voices were not being heard.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

If I had a nickel for every time my voice wasn't heard.

Pennies, Auctions, And Oddities

SPEAKER_00 5:06

So there were the last group of pennies sold at auction. Oh, wait. They sold that? Just listen, it gets better. So they went ahead and put three pennies per group for 232 groups. Okay. And then they sold these groups at auction. And they made all the things. Is this the government? Yeah, they made a well. Yeah, they made a wAP. I don't know who sold them. Probably the mint. Yeah. Yeah. It just doesn't feel right that the government is doing that. No, maybe it's not. I'll have to finish. Sorry. I didn't need to cut you off. No, that's okay. I just didn't even think about who was actually auctioning them off. But they made 16.7 million dollars on these 232 sets of three pennies. Okay. Which, if I did the math correctly, is six hundred and ninety-six cents. Wow. Which would be six dollars and ninety nine.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Six dollars and ninety-six cents. But that's this is my question, and this is an interesting thing. So if the government sold those, where does that money go?

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Oh, Nora.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

I have no freaking clue.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

I'm gonna write to my congressman. But the last batch, the last set of three, sold for$800,000.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

That's a real penny enthusiast. So it's a collector? Collector of pennies. Wow. I mean, I'm really sad to see the pennies go, but I'm not throwing out like a cool 800,000 penny. And then what do you do with them?

SPEAKER_00 6:42

You're like the last ones. You gotta make sure you don't spend up.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Yeah, right. I don't know. I'm still sad about the pennies. I know. Did you hear what the color of the year is? Green. C cloud dancer? Oh. So it's like white.

Color Of The Year And Forgiveness

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Oh shit. I just took a guess. I didn't know. I wish it was green. I wasn't thinking paint color.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Oh, it's like the panatone color of the year.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Oh, was it peach last year or the year before?

SPEAKER_01 7:11

I think so. But it's cloud dancer. And that to me is such a wont-wah.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Basic?

SPEAKER_01 7:19

I don't know. I'm not all about it. Sorry, I feel like I'm complaining a lot. No, you're not. Please forgive me. And speaking of forgiveness.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

Oh gosh, go.

The Hot Cocos Debut

SPEAKER_01 7:27

So we talked about Rose's band, The Hot Cocos. Mm-hmm. Which I think is really just hot cocoa because I think she's the only one in the band now.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

But I do, I have Beyonce did okay by herself. Take that, Destiny's child.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Yeah. So I have I have a copy. You had an advanced screening.

SPEAKER_00 7:45

Oh gosh, it is a huge hit in our house.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

I have to warn you, it's kind of an earworm. It's gonna be stuck in your head.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

So do you think we should take a moment and share it with our listeners?

SPEAKER_01 7:54

I think we should. I have it. So get ready. Here's the world premiere reconciliation.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Somebody get that girl a contract, because she is on fire.

SPEAKER_03 8:40

The problem is Well, there's a lot of problems.

The Mystery Trombone Saga

SPEAKER_01 8:43

I was gonna say there's no problem at all. Her guitar playing it has no rhyme or reason to it. So the guitar playing does not match the key in which she is singing. Where did she get the guitar? From Five Below. Oh, it was Kevin's guitar that he picked out at Five Below with my mother-in-law. I borrowed it for the musical, and now Do you need a trombone?

unknown 9:05

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Because if you recall, my Kath and Grace. Wait, you own that tramble. Said she wasn't a trombone girl. Yeah. And she told us she instead was a hangout girl. Right. So I emailed the school to say, like, listen, we're not a trombone family. Yeah. When can I return this? And they forwarded me over to the company that provides the instruments and the instruction. And they never got back to me. So then I called them and I was like, hey, we're trombone dropouts. When can we return this? Nothing. Then I sent an email, a phone call, an email, a phone call, on and on and on. We still have this thing. Are you paying for it? No. Okay, you're not making like paint. Rented it for, I don't know, a semester. That's why I'm worried you're still paying for it. No, no, no. I don't think I am. Well, I'm not paying for anything. My husband might be. No, he said we're not paying for it. So now we have this trombone. You do. And no trombone girl.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

A lonely trombone. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

So if the hot cocos need a trombonus?

SPEAKER_01 10:08

They might be like the Mighty Mighty Boss Tones. They're gonna be like a ska band. The Mighty Mighty Boss Tone.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Trombone.

unknown 10:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Just gonna play a do a play on.

Start New Habits On Wednesdays

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Oh, Mighty Mighty Boss Trombone. Yeah, I don't know. Oh, it's we'll sh we'll workshop. All right. Yeah, yeah, for sure. But yeah, she's trying to work on another song. I don't know if she's exclusively sacraments. Hopefully not, because there's only seven. Well, hey, it's a good start. It's a good start. And speaking of starting things, wow, our transitions have been tight today. Wait, well done, us. High five to us. There was an article that said psychologists recommend if you want to start a new healthy habit, start on Wednesdays.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Why?

SPEAKER_01 10:50

That there's less pressure than starting on a Monday. I think because if you started on a Wednesday, if you're like every weekday I'm gonna do this, then you have only three weekdays and then you have the weekend to kind of regroup.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Or you don't fall off the wagon on the weekend because it's only been three. Two days. Yeah. Oh, okay. So I thought that was nice advice. Do you have any habits you're looking to start?

SPEAKER_01 11:14

I would like to start exercising again. I've been on a hiatus. And but I've got to wait till my um the searing pain in my eyeballs goes away.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

More on that later, listeners.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

I'd rather have a couple little, you know, nuggets there to follow up on.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

But what about you? I think I would like to start posting more on our social media.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

But I did read an article that said people that don't post on social media tend to be more confident people because they're not looking for the like reinforcement.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Right. Oh, because you're not like did anybody like that.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

They're like, you don't care.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

Yeah. You're just living your life. Yeah. No, I think there's a lot to be said for that.

Sponsor Jingle: Holiday Car Deals

SPEAKER_00 11:58

So I guess we're just a really confident shop. We're just a confident podcast. Not too confident nor us.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Totes all the time. Never waver.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

Should we check in with our sponsor?

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Let's do it.

Gift Wrap Love And Ribbon Rules

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Twas the beginning of December at Mike Haggerty Buick GMC. Not a creature was stirring, not even the Hummer HV. Their inventory was parked on 93rd in Cicero with care in hopes that customers soon would be there. It's the season of savings, and there are so many ways. Make your way to the showroom to see the display. And the enclaves are here, and the Yukons are too. Come see for yourself if there's something for you. If you don't live in Oaklawn, no worries at all. This sales event has something for all. Visit their website. This is the place for service and deals. Mike Haggerty Buick GMC is full of holiday steals. And now after the show. Our topic today, very timely gift wrap. Gift wrap. One of my very favorite parts of the Christmas season.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Your gifts are beautiful. Like that's what you should post on social media. My gifts? Yes. Oh, thank you. They're beautiful. And not only you know, it's not like you have all the same ribbon that's on every single gift. You have multiple spools of ribbon. And they're big fat bows.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

Thank you. Thank you. I pride myself in a big fat bow.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Maybe that's a new song for the Hot Coco's big fat bow.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

It's a game changer. Don't be shy, friends. Don't be shy with your ribbon. Don't cheap out on it.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

You're inspiring me to go get some ribbon and slap some up. Thank you. Because I do like to wrap gifts, but often I kind of teeter out at the the extras.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

And if you look at the one that's stacked, my son did that. Oh, that's the one that I like the most. Oh, well, thanks. Sorry. I thought it was yours No, he that's for his girlfriend. And I did teach him how to tie a bow. And I did teach him how to wrap, but he wanted to do it. So yeah, it's all it's a you have to have quality paper. None of this dollar store flimsy stuff.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

No, because it'll rip and it won't be great. The Charleston wrap sale. Is that where you get yours from? No.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

No. You know where I get mine? Where? TJ Maxx.

SPEAKER_01 14:21

TJ Maxx has good paper. Yeah. I do no combo.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Great ribbons. Who? Sam's Club in Costco. Really? Yeah. These are good. And HomeGoods has good ribbon if you get that. That's where I was early enough.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

Oh, okay. Yeah. I'm gonna get the bottom.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

But I went through a whole roll of wrapping paper yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Way to go. I did start wrapping yesterday, finally. I will make homemade bows sometimes. Oh, how do you think? How does one out of what? Out of wrapping paper. What? They're not bows, technically. It's more of like a little like looks like a little fry guy. Like a pom pom? Yes. Oh, thank you. That's probably a better visual. Because a lot of times you have extra scraps of wrapping paper, and I always feel bad recycling it all the time. So I'll cut it into strips and then I use scissors to curl it. And then I put tape in like a little square on the present, and then I stick the little curly cue pieces of wrapping paper on there. And it looks like a little pom-pa.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

I've never did you make that up?

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Maybe. That's cute.

unknown 15:19

Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

I've been doing it forever. Like since high school. Yeah. Oh. So it just, if I have time, and it just looks kind of cute and it matches because it's the same. I guess you could do different mix and match your wrapping paper. I think you should mix and match.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

But I think it's kind of a nice little poofy little bit. Well, I can't wait to I can't wait to peek under your tree. I keep it pretty standard with the ribbon. I like a wire ribbon. Oh, because then it stays fluffy. We have a friend, Katie Phelan, and she is killing it in the ribbon department.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Oh, really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

She does a great job with that.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

It is n where do you wrap your gifts? Do you s on the floor? At a table? On the kitchen counter. On the kitchen counter. A nice firm surface. I think I need to switch because I usually like to wrap on the floor, but I'm not as young as I once was, Nora, and it's starting to hurt my back.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

I hear you. I hear you need to move to the kitchen. I like the kitchen. A big space, a nice glass of bubbles, Christmas movie. Oh, that's nice. Or perhaps a diet coke with 40 minutes left, like wrapping as fast as I possibly can before children get home.

SPEAKER_01 16:25

I like that. I like rapping under pressure.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

You know who is one of my best gift wrappers I've ever known? Who? My mom.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Oh, that does not surprise me. Yeah, she's a great gift wrapper. I bet. Always has been. And meticulous, and I bet it looks beautiful. It does. My sister-in-law, both my sister-in-law is my sister-in-law Beth on the Taylor side and my sister-in-law Joanna on the Ryan side, fantastic gift wrappers. They are.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

But don't sell yourself short, because you're a good gift wrapper.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

I'm okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Yeah, if I did a gift giver.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Oh, well, thank you. You're won't. But there have been studies done by Southern Methodist University, I believe. Yeah. And it they wanted to know does gift wrapping have an impact on the gift? And they their findings said yes in 1992. I would say. That receivers tend to value wrap gifts more.

DIY Bows, Paper, And Tools

SPEAKER_00 17:13

I believe that. If somebody just gives you something, I even do that with my kids' stuff sometimes. Like if I have to pick stuff up at the store, tie a little bow around it. Or if they ordered something from Amazon instead of just throwing it on the bed. Oh, yeah. I think presentation is key. Yeah. Don't you? Yeah, 100%. And so did the Hall brothers. Oh, the Hall Brothers. Rolling and Joyce. What I love about these guys is they had a problem. Yeah. That they turned into a real cash cow. Yes. Yes. Tell our listeners about it.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Well, I just did a little bit of research, just that they owned now I'm blanking on it. Hallmark. Yeah. Well, they had they were the Hall brothers. And then then it Hallmark, which makes sense in Kansas City, Missouri. And they ran in the 1910s, uh, teens, they were wrapping paper in very thick or wrapping gifts in very thick paper. And they ran out. So they took these paper liners from France out, and it was a thinner, more decorative paper, and people went crazy for it.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

Yes, it. And I love that it only took them two years to turn it into an empire. But they were like, let's go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Let's get this stuff on rolls and in people's hands. Yeah, cha-chang. In the yeah, and I've what was really nice. I went kind of down a rabbit hole, is that Hallmark is very generous to their community. They do a lot in Kansas City. And you can go and visit.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

There's like a Hallmark museum. I know I want to go. I never buy wrapping paper from Hallmark. Never. No. No. Cards. But it did make me think, like, oh, I want to support. They have some good Jesus gifts. Like through sacraments. Or maybe you wouldn't recognize DR.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Do they have Christian rock rock bands?

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Well, no, but they have some reconciliation chatchkis.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

The burning thing. They have lovely cards and gifts. And my sister said when she retires.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Is that she's gonna work? Yes. She just wants to stock cards at Hallmark. But here's the thing. I'm afraid there'll be crabby older women there.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Typically there are. Yeah. Yeah. But Erin won't be crabby. Well, she might be. Who knows?

SPEAKER_00 19:28

No, no, no. I feel like the c like the patrons.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Oh, the patrons. Oh no, they are crabby. Yeah, they are. They're they're not happy. I mean, they're not all crabby, but I mean, you cannot use the bathroom, so don't even ask.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

You know what? We've had that rather than we had to leave. Yes! Oh, say wait, are you referencing my situation? No, like his situation. Do not ask to use the bathroom. We went to the running store instead. Oh. Because somebody had to go to the bathroom. Yeah. And I was getting gifts. And no. I and I didn't go back and get them. Oh. Because I thought that was a good thing. You know what?

SPEAKER_01 20:04

The Hallmark the Hall brothers would not approve. Absolutely not. They would want your gift.

The Psychology And History Of Wrapping

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Speaking of gift wrapping, we haven't talked about gift tags and cards. Oh, yes. I think there's a lot to be said. It's kind of like the icing on the cake. It's just like a that little detail. Yep. Is a gift tag. A gift tag. Versus just sticking. Oh, see, I use stickers. But I think in bulk stickers is okay. Like if you're So, oh you have the tie-on ones. Well, yeah, I do. But I think a nice gift tag. Mm-hmm. Mine are cute. Makes it or breaks it.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

They're not tags. I just did stickers. But yours tags look nice. I worry about with those that they're gonna get ripped off. I know. So do I. So we do worry about that. We put funny gift tags ours for yes, same C's.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Well, my mom really started that.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

And it's funny. Like, yo, what is so like my niece dances at Impact and Rose dances for Trinity. So I, for one of them, I went to Impact's Best from Trinity's Finest. Oh, see, that's great. Yes. Yeah, so they're like I should say clever. Not necessarily funny. Because and then like Al is was the first son-in-law in the family. So he's always says like son-in-law number one. And he's like, What that was Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

I I love that. I think it adds a little something to do.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

And then my dad reads them all out. And we did that like when I was growing up with my cousins. Oh, you did. And my grandfather. And my cousins would always put their names backwards. They're Mike, Jim, and Steve. So then my poor grandpa's like, Ekem, midge, and eat, eats, eat, eat sits, eat.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Just made us laugh. And when do you do the talent show?

SPEAKER_01 21:50

That was Thanksgiving. Oh, Thanksgiving. That's been retired. No, no, no. That that retired when my own. I think you should bring it back. Oh, no. I'm not going to put that stress on my kids. Okay. Fair enough. That's very stressful. So outside of Christmas, I know we both had wedding showers.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

How do you feel about unwrapped gifts at a wedding shower? I feel like that is the perfect way to do a shower. Really? A gallery table? Really? Okay. I'm not a huge shower fan. And I think sitting and I think it's awkward to open gifts you've asked for. Correct. And I think it's nice for the guests that don't have to sit and watch. Yes. And if they can display them, then guests still have an opportunity to see what would Yeah. And I think it's like cool to display. You can be creative in your display. How about you?

SPEAKER_01 22:40

How do you think? I see both sides because on one hand, I'm like, I had to sit there and open all those gifts and vamp and make my sister and I were like putting on a show. Plus, my sister was sitting next to me writing ridiculous things in the notebook. Like she was writing down all the gifts and she'd show me, I'm like, what are you doing to me? Like, that's not kind. She'd be like, I can't believe you just said that. Stop doing that. I'm doing the best I can. Because I I think there are people who, when they buy you a gift, they're like, I want to see you open it. I think you're probably right. You know, and then there is that kind of that immediate thank you and that opportunity to thank the person. I think as the bride, there is only so much excitement you can muster over spoons and bowls. But also in the same time, like you've asked for these really nice gifts. Is it fair to say that the people who have given it to you deserve that moment to be thanked in real time?

SPEAKER_00 23:40

You can thank on the gallery table.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

Yeah. But as the bride, you have to make sure you do that.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

Yes, that's true. But then maybe they're gonna stand there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Like a like a price is right girl.

Tags, Cards, And Clever Labels

SPEAKER_00 23:51

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. But then the other thing is, then what do you do in a shower? Feel like opening gifts. Just a luncheon.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

Yeah. I know. Honestly, but there's because then I feel like that takes up all the time. You're like, we're gonna eat, we open gifts, and goodbye. Otherwise, you're like, whoo. I have one coming up. What do we do? How do they do a wedding shower? I know they're vibes.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

But something really special.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

I feel like then people just drink too much.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

That's true. Let's see. I was gifted with a really special quilt as a wedding gift from one of my bridal shower attendees who's a quilt maker. So she used all the ribbon from gifts. I registered at Bloomingdale's and they had a nice like khakian white ribbon and it was thin. So she used all of that ribbon in between the patches for my wedding gift. Isn't that so cool? Okay, fine. No, I'm just, you know, for the sake of debate. Right? Yeah, you're right. But isn't that cool? That's an amazing gift. An incredible gift. Are you gonna do that for the person whose year whose shower you're going to? I guess if I knew how to make quilt, I think about it. Hopefully she has a gallery with people, so I don't have to. You're like, oh, I was gonna make you a quilt. But shoot. Where's the wrapping? Where'd you save the ribbon? And then don't some people save the ribbon to use as a bigger one. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Yeah. Which is kind of a cute way to do it. Yeah, it is kind of but yeah, I see both sides. And they've been, I mean, people have been wrapping gifts since ancient China in 2 BC. So it is.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

Do you open your gifts one at a time? Oh, that was weird. That was your was it your bunny bones? Wait, no. Oh, just your elbow. Throwing bones. Oh, yeah, we do. Yeah. On the same. Because otherwise Christmas would be over in the morning. Yes. Elle asked if we could, my daughter asked if we could all wake up a little bit later and start later so we have something to do during the day, to which I reminded her, could, but our family wakes up early by default. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Like I guess we couldn't. Wrapping paper on the entrance to our family room. I hang it from like the top so that nobody peeks. So I we wrapping paper both sides of the entrance into the family room. It's cute. So then the kids can't go down. So then we I take a picture of them on the stairs and then we do they run through? And then they rip it down. That's really cute. Where did you come up with that? I don't know. I like we did it in our old house too. It was easier in our old house because it wasn't as tall. Like I gotta get that's the other thing I have to get at HomeGods today is a gigantic roll of wrappy paper to drop from my from our stairs. But it's fun. It's nice to have little traditions like that. And the kids like even it's nice when they get older. Aiden asked me, he's like, Are you gonna you're still gonna put like the wrappy paper up, right? I was like, Yeah. Of course I am. Well, of course.

Wedding Showers: Unwrapped Or Not

SPEAKER_00 26:55

Alright, should we launch a new highs and lows? Let's do it. All right, my low is that I started the dryer yesterday and I must have either not hit start or I hate that maybe something kicked it open. I don't know. But I opened the dryer this morning and everything was like wet and like went a musty, and I probably overfilled the washer, which means I overfilled the dryer, so I really have like two loads of laundry that now. Now I have to redo. And I was already behind on my same seas. But I'm like, I just didn't press start. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

So that was real annoying. I'm sorry about that. Thank you. My low is my eyes. Last week it was also my low. They're still red. I've gone to one, two, three, four doctors, still red, and taken a steroid drop to try to get the red out, and then I have a pain relief drop, but that dilates my pupils. So my eyes are huge. The black part of my eyes is huge and the red, so I look totally crazy. So if you see me, that's why.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

I hope your high is that you have darling Christmassy sunglasses to cover.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

I do have cute sunglasses. And you know what's funny? I bought two pairs and I was like, oh, I'll give them out as hostess gifts. And then I gave one out as a hostess gift, and then the other one, I was like, this one's for me. And now I'm really glad I kept them because I truly do need them. I need them. Because I wore them inside a basketball practice yesterday for Rose. And I'm wearing them for you. And I'm wearing them right now as we're shooting this podcast. I love them. That. But my high is the nutcracker, like the day I had with my family and my mom. The show is stunningly beautiful. And we had a really lovely dinner afterwards. Just the ladies. What a nice day.

SPEAKER_00 28:42

It was really, really nice. I'm glad you made it.

unknown 28:45

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 28:46

How about you? What's your high is that I planned appropriately for Christmas. And even though it feels scrambled and crazy, most of my shopping is done.

SPEAKER_01 28:55

Same. Actually, most of I've got a few couple people I've got to sort out, but I'm in decent shape.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Yeah, I'm in, I'm pretty I'm in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in. I'm hoping I'm hoping by Saturday. And I put a limit on Sunday. I was like, Sunday's when I'm done.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

That's a good idea. I might be out of money by Sunday, too. So I might, yeah. So that also helps.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

But next week, so enjoy this episode. Merry Christmas to all of our listeners. Happy holidays. But also, we're not gonna have an episode after that. We're giving ourselves a little Christmas break.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

Yep, we're going on Christmas vacation too. See you in 2026. Yay! We're excited for everything that 2026 will bring. Did I say that right? I think you do. 2026, yeah. All right. Um, well, Merry Christmas and happy holidays, and bye.