45 - Gift Giving

This episode is a fun one! Christina and Meghan talk about gift giving - favorite gifts received (wait until you hear what Meghan's late husband gave her for her birthday), and cool gift giving ideas. 

Full Book Cup Club Book of the Month:
Each month we choose a book to read together. Join us in reading our next Full Book Cup Club book of the month: "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth

Links we talked about this episode:
Chemex Coffee Maker -  https://www.longbottomcoffee.com/product/chemex-coffeemaker/80-0008-01.html
Long Bottom Coffee - https://www.longbottomcoffee.com/
Verve Instant Coffee - https://www.vervecoffee.com/collections/instant-craft-coffee
Copper Cow Coffee - https://coppercowcoffee.com/
Aeropress Coffee Maker - https://amzn.to/3uuYFG9
Audible - https://amzn.to/3Bfs4aX
Mandarin Cranberry Candle - https://amzn.to/3VYJ1yz
Instant Pot - https://amzn.to/3uxw42P
Pressure Cooker - https://amzn.to/3VXRulu
23 and Me - https://amzn.to/3BlL9bD
Sock Club - https://sockclub.com/
Yeti Cooler - https://amzn.to/3Y7FW0T
Paint By Numbers - https://amzn.to/3HlviOi
Weighted Blanket - https://amzn.to/3FB3HXS
Succulents - https://amzn.to/3HmrjAW
Bidet -This is the one we talked about: https://amzn.to/3W2v5DK, and here is a cheaper option with fewer bells and whistles: https://amzn.to/3P9mTPC

Transcript

00;00;00;01 - 00;00;29;17
Christina
One of the best gifts that if Michael were here today, that he would tell you that I ever gave him was and you have to know a little T.A. back story is that I was self-employed and I hate hate hated doing my taxes. So on Christmas, he would always beg me, please get the taxes done. So on Christmas morning, the gift, that best gift he ever opened was that my taxes were done up to Christmas Day.

00;00;29;17 - 00;00;29;23
Meghan
So.

00;00;29;23 - 00;00;35;05
Christina
I only had one more week of taxes to do. And that was the best gift that.

00;00;35;15 - 00;00;35;19
Meghan
I.

00;00;35;19 - 00;00;36;09
Christina
Gave him.

00;00;36;10 - 00;01;02;16
Meghan
You know what? Relatable. I started working for a big company recently, but I was self-employed for the past four years. What a nightmare having to just keep track of all my you know, I'm pretty organized. I have spreadsheets and stuff, but you still have to do it. You still have to like sort of expenses and your income and like an all in and just I just dreaded it.

00;01;02;17 - 00;01;03;28
Christina
Yes, exactly.

00;01;05;07 - 00;01;07;13
Meghan
Hi, I'm Megan and I am Christina.

00;01;07;22 - 00;01;10;04
Christina
And this is a full Cup Club podcast.

00;01;10;18 - 00;01;19;26
Meghan
We're here to talk through the good, the bad and the ugly of loss. Whether that's losing a loved one, a job, a dream, or even your marbles.

00;01;20;18 - 00;01;44;27
Christina
So whether your cup has coffee, tea or vodka in it. Welcome to the Full Cup Club, friends. On today's episode, we thought it would be fun to talk about gift giving. I know this is totally off of our regular, but we just wanted to have fun. Christmas is coming and I think this is relatable even for Christmas, birthdays, Hanukkah, whatever the holiday is.

00;01;44;27 - 00;01;53;15
Christina
That is coming up that you're celebrating. We just thought it would be fun because Megan is extra good at gift giving. So I learned a lot.

00;01;53;15 - 00;01;56;21
Meghan
Now there's a lot of pressure.

00;01;56;21 - 00;02;04;08
Christina
But before we get started, as usual, Megan, what is in your cup and what is metaphorically filling your cup?

00;02;04;13 - 00;02;22;16
Meghan
So what is in my cup? I was out running errands earlier and I stopped at 7-Eleven and got everybody in my house a drink and I got a diet. Dr. Pepper, which might be my favorite soda. I'm not sure. I don't drink a lot of sodas. Like I'm not really a super soda person, but I like that one anyway.

00;02;22;16 - 00;02;48;05
Meghan
But my favorite thing to get at 7-Eleven, I just wasn't feeling it. Today they have this green juice. It comes in a glass bottle. It's like 7-Eleven brand and it's called like clean and green or something. And it's like kale, apple, parsley. It's like a fruit and vegetable juice. It isn't so good. It's my favorite. I highly recommend you can only get it at 7-Eleven because it's a 7-Eleven brand.

00;02;48;05 - 00;02;51;29
Christina
Oh, okay. After I got down, because I've heard you should try it. Okay.

00;02;52;09 - 00;03;26;09
Meghan
It's super good. Nobody else in my house likes it. They say it tastes like vegetables, but I think it's kind of sweet. Like, I think it tastes like a fruity thing. So what is filling my cup? Metaphorically. So, listen, I've talked about this before, and it's not like I'm obsessed with playing Fortnite, but I did buy the battle pass for this season, which is which is like you you work towards a goal like for the season of the video game.

00;03;26;09 - 00;03;47;29
Meghan
And so that's what I was working towards and I achieved it. I got there. And so now there's like bonus goals and I'm like, Oh no, I got to get all those. But I've been playing with my son a lot and it's so fun because because I've been playing so much and now it's been a few weeks I am not as bad at it.

00;03;48;11 - 00;04;06;06
Meghan
So when we play together, it's not like he's just fully dragging me, you know, a little bit because he is a lot better at it than I am. But, you know, so that, you know, just becoming better at this thing that we sometimes play together, it's really fun. That's cool. What about you? What's filling your cup?

00;04;06;06 - 00;04;28;28
Christina
What is the only my cup? I, I am having a cup of coffee and, and I talk about it a little bit later on the podcast, but it is so tasty, it's delicious. And what is metaphorically filling my cup is that I just bought something that I have been wanting for a while and you're going to laugh. But it's okay.

00;04;29;27 - 00;04;31;14
Christina
I bought myself a yeti cooler.

00;04;31;15 - 00;04;32;19
Meghan
The big cooler. The big.

00;04;32;24 - 00;04;52;25
Christina
Cooler. Yes, I need. It's probably just like it's not. I mean, I don't know that it's going to go on adventures, but it's going to go on adventures. With me to Costco over in the Valley because our closest Costcos two and a half hours away. And I got to tell you, I put all the Thanksgiving stuff in it and brought it home and it stayed nice and cold.

00;04;52;25 - 00;05;07;24
Christina
And so what's filling my cup about that is I got it. But now I have a place to put all my stickers from, the adventures I go on. So that's, that's a big deal. I have held on to my stickers and so I am very excited about that.

00;05;08;01 - 00;05;12;00
Meghan
Yeah, that's cool. That's awesome. You've wanted a Yeti cooler for a long time.

00;05;12;00 - 00;05;34;25
Christina
Yes. And I finally found one that I liked. And I mean, I felt like invincible the other day at Costco because I got a big cooler. It has wheels and it has a handle. And I love it. But girl, it had £20 of ice in it and a ham and a pie and two trays, mashed potatoes and all kinds of other goodness.

00;05;34;25 - 00;05;38;15
Christina
And I lifted that sucker and got it in my car all by myself. Wow.

00;05;38;15 - 00;05;41;15
Meghan
So why didn't you load it in the car?

00;05;41;16 - 00;05;44;25
Christina
Because the lid. Actually, I have a car, not an SUV.

00;05;44;28 - 00;05;50;28
Meghan
And the lid, I forget I see I forget that because I drive an SUV. I think that everybody does.

00;05;52;18 - 00;05;59;20
Christina
So, yeah, it's the lid doesn't come open quite like that. So yeah, that was, that was pretty like I felt, I felt pretty strong.

00;05;59;20 - 00;06;02;05
Meghan
So that's awesome. Great job.

00;06;02;15 - 00;06;16;04
Christina
Thanks so we are going to be talking about, I don't know, gift guide, gift giving. It's something that Meghan and I have done as friends for a very long time. Well, I mean, I feel like.

00;06;16;04 - 00;06;16;18
Meghan
Give have each other.

00;06;16;18 - 00;06;38;24
Christina
Gifts. Yes, we've given each other gifts at different times. And so I just thought it would be a fun episode when we were, you know, thinking about episodes and Christmases coming. And so Meghan, tell me your I know what it is, but tell me your philosophy on gifts. If somebody is going to give you a gift, what is important to you?

00;06;38;25 - 00;06;58;10
Meghan
I love a thoughtful gift. I don't care how much it costs. It's not about that. It doesn't have to be an equal value dollar for dollar to what I give you. The only reason I think about that is because I think other people think about that. So I'm like, Oh, now I have to get you a $50 gift, okay?

00;06;58;10 - 00;07;20;25
Meghan
Crushing it like I can do that. But you know what I mean. Like, I, I don't personally care about that at all. It could cost $0, but I love a thoughtful gift, something that you were like, Hey, you would love this. I made it. I love that. I love it because of the thought behind it. That is my favorite because like, honestly, I can just go buy what I want.

00;07;20;26 - 00;07;39;09
Meghan
Yes. You know, so it's the thought. It truly is the thought that counts. And that's cheesy, but that's absolutely my favorite. So I try to be thoughtful in gift giving because that's what I like. So, you know, I try like sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it, you know, like a joke, like a bad joke, like it'll flop. But I try.

00;07;39;23 - 00;08;07;29
Christina
I'll give you guys an example of the first year. On the first anniversary of Michael passing, Meghan sent me this whole box full of stuff and there were little notes attached, and the front of the note on it said, because and when you flipped it open, like there was a little journal and it said because and it was things like because you've gone through all of these things in the year, like you've come out so strong and you should write those things down.

00;08;08;07 - 00;08;14;20
Christina
And so there were, you know, there was a shot of Tito's vodka in there and it was like because.

00;08;14;20 - 00;08;19;28
Meghan
Because you shouldn't have to taxes. No, that's not it's I don't know.

00;08;19;29 - 00;08;39;23
Christina
Meghan's Meghan's on a campaign for minimum taxes. But there were all kinds of there was like a succulent in there. And it was it said a little note, like, because life sucks sometimes, you know, stuff like that. And so she is very thoughtful and the gifts that she gives and I've gotten, I received some very fun gifts from her.

00;08;39;23 - 00;08;41;09
Christina
So yeah, that is.

00;08;41;09 - 00;08;49;10
Meghan
True. I'm not a person who likes to make a list. I want what, like you think that I would like. That's what I like to receive.

00;08;49;22 - 00;09;03;29
Christina
I make no it's like there's a confession. Like I recently like she was like how did you know I like this is like cause literally on the podcast when we're talking and Meghan says she likes something, I literally make a note at the top and I add it. She did.

00;09;04;14 - 00;09;28;00
Meghan
She sent me a candle and it was my favorite scent from Yankee Candle. The Mandarin Cranberry. Mandarin Orange. Mandarin cranberry, I think, is what it is. And she sent it to me and I was like, Wait, because it was random. It wasn't on a gift giving occasion, it was Tuesday. And I was like, Wait, is this wait a minute, how did you know?

00;09;28;00 - 00;09;30;17
Meghan
And I forgot. We even talked about it on the podcast.

00;09;30;17 - 00;09;35;26
Christina
So yeah, yeah. That's how I like I have to like hope. Okay, like jot that down.

00;09;36;08 - 00;09;52;14
Meghan
Honestly, that's a strategy. So like when the people you love are talking about like what they want, just make a note in your phone. I have one going year round, you know, when the people in my life mention something, I'm like, Oh, that might be a good birthday or Christmas gift. You know.

00;09;52;25 - 00;10;22;07
Christina
I think you brought up a really great point that it's what's important to that person. And I know my daughter is the opposite of me in a lot of ways. And I bought her a really cute what I thought was a really cute, fun, whimsical backpack because she was a nanny at the time and it's an owl backpack and it's made out of a lot of different fabrics.

00;10;22;07 - 00;10;40;17
Christina
And she literally opened it and burst out laughing at me like, Are you serious? And I thought that I was giving her this gift that she would be like, This is such a great idea. I can pack the kid's stuff in it when they go to the park. She did not see it that way.

00;10;40;17 - 00;10;49;01
Meghan
People. Well, she is the type of person that would prefer. She wants a list and she wants the things from the list. Right. Yeah. And that's.

00;10;49;01 - 00;11;11;28
Christina
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. So my daughter is if you're into the Enneagram staff, which if you know what somebody's Enneagram type is, that's their motivation in life, what motivates them? And my daughter very much is like, do not buy me anything that's not on my list. And that is a smart move with some people. Some people want to give you a list because they're very practical.

00;11;11;28 - 00;11;34;11
Christina
There's nothing on their list that's like frivolous. Or maybe they don't have like like a lot of clutter. My daughter's really, like, gifted at de-cluttering things. And so with my daughter, I know that she's going to send me an Amazon list and I can buy from that where like with Meghan, Meghan likes a thoughtful gift and you, you know, you have to think about like, what would she.

00;11;34;15 - 00;11;34;27
Meghan
I make.

00;11;34;27 - 00;11;35;27
Christina
You work for it.

00;11;35;27 - 00;11;37;08
Meghan
You do, you do.

00;11;37;14 - 00;12;04;14
Christina
Let's be honest. You do. And so understanding people's gifting types and about them can help you a lot in gift giving. You know, ask somebody. It's not hard to ask somebody. I know with Michael. Michael did not like receiving gifts. Some people really don't like receiving a gift. So you really have to think about it like the taxes some.

00;12;04;14 - 00;12;22;27
Meghan
And for some people it's not about the gift, it's about the journey. So it's like maybe knowing what's coming and getting excited about it versus surprising some surprising them with something like you have to know, you know, which one they would prefer. Like, you're totally right. It's about the person, not about you.

00;12;23;01 - 00;12;44;03
Christina
Yes, that's a very good point. Yes. For some people, gift giving, they feel like you're giving them an obligation. And so that is another thing to remember. If somebody is saying, please do not buy me a gift, I think respecting that person is a really important thing. But for the rest of us who do enjoy receiving a gift, that's why we're here today.

00;12;44;12 - 00;12;57;00
Christina
So let's talk about some different gifts. What are things that I mean, you've talked about being thoughtful, but what are some of the like, fun things that you've given that I've given?

00;12;57;05 - 00;13;02;06
Meghan
Okay. Yeah. Oh, I thought you were going to say that I've received. I was prepared to answer that.

00;13;02;06 - 00;13;06;27
Christina
Go for it. Okay, then let's start there. What are some fun gifts that you have received?

00;13;07;06 - 00;13;36;27
Meghan
So I super love experiences as gifts because, you know, I just like I said, it's a lot of stuff I'll just buy if I want it. But to experience something with somebody or getting a little trinket after you do something like to remember that experience, I think that's cool too. So recently Billy and I celebrated our two year anniversary and we went to an escape room because the theme I think for two years is escape, right?

00;13;37;04 - 00;14;03;13
Meghan
Like that's what I've heard. Oh, no, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. It's like, no, I'm just kidding. So we did an escape room, we completed it, we got out, we escaped within the timeframe. So we got t shirts that said like I broke out. So now we have matching t shirts to like remember that fun experience. So instead of doing anniversary gifts for each other, we do experiences.

00;14;03;13 - 00;14;24;17
Meghan
We go do something, you know? So we did the escape room this year and for our first anniversary went to this like art exhibit that was in town. So that's something I super like is experiences and that's something I like to give also. I think it's really important also, and this might be because I am an artist, but I think art is really important.

00;14;24;27 - 00;14;45;14
Meghan
So I try to give my son artwork. Art gives me a lot of time not not that I've created other people's artwork, you know, so that has walls, have art like cool stuff I think that he'll like I try to get him artwork. So that's kind of a unique gift I think for kids because, you know, we we decorate our kids rooms, right.

00;14;45;14 - 00;14;51;20
Meghan
But like, I think specifically giving artwork, I think it's important. I think it teaches that art is important.

00;14;51;28 - 00;15;06;11
Christina
MM That's a really cool idea. I've had some really fun guests that I mean, for other people it might not be a big deal. And but one of my favorites that I received is like a year's worth of Audible. That was a fun gift for me.

00;15;07;04 - 00;15;08;14
Meghan
That is a really good gift.

00;15;08;19 - 00;15;31;15
Christina
Yes. And and so I think it's like that the person knew that it was something that I valued. And so they gave that to me as a gift. And I thought that was really cool. Also, one of my sisters, she's done a couple of different times where it's personalized like Etsy stuff. So personalized cards, it has a mini pig on it and it's my name and it's postcards.

00;15;31;18 - 00;15;54;06
Christina
It's it's cards. So stationery and it was personalized with the little mini pig because I have too many pigs. So stuff like that. Recipe cards, I know it's like simple stuff, but I like things that I can use that's like, Oh yeah, that's a nice thing to have. So those were some nice ones. A fun gift that Michael and I got each other.

00;15;54;06 - 00;16;19;21
Christina
It it sounds, it's funny to me, but Michael got into canning. We live in an area that there's fishing and he would go out tuna fishing and then he'd come in and can it. And so I bought him this really big, like I think it's called like American Standard Canner. And it was for our anniversary. And then he got me the instant pot, which is like they're both pressure cookers.

00;16;19;21 - 00;16;20;07
Meghan
So that was like.

00;16;20;07 - 00;16;41;10
Christina
A fun anniversary gift. And as a side note, that's kind of random and fun. Was that after Michael passed COVID hit and a lot of people were trying to find Canter's and he couldn't, so somebody asked me if I was willing to sell Michael's pressure cooker, because in our family, I mean, it's so big that nobody could lift it.

00;16;41;21 - 00;17;11;03
Christina
And so when I sold the pressure cooker, I took the money from that pressure cooker, and I wanted it to be something meaningful that I went for. And so I bought Pemex's, the coffee makers. Yeah. For you and Carlos. So I wanted that gift to go to something special. So if you have lost somebody and you're struggling with letting something go, that is a cool way to do it.

00;17;11;03 - 00;17;14;17
Christina
As to, you know, sell it and re gift that and repurpose that.

00;17;14;18 - 00;17;18;27
Meghan
Yeah. Turn it into something. Yeah, I love that. That's cool. I didn't know that's what you did.

00;17;19;04 - 00;17;52;12
Christina
Yeah. And then that and the Kim X's were an experience gift I wanted you guys to experience. It's a different way of making coffee. So it's a fun gift and as a side can access are a great gift for people who love coffee. So what it is, is a coffee maker that it's a pour over coffee situation you use a gooseneck kettle to to pour the water over the coffee and it goes through what looks like a something that you'd find in a lab.

00;17;52;12 - 00;17;54;24
Meghan
A beaker like an hourglass shaped.

00;17;54;26 - 00;18;01;04
Christina
Yes. Glass situation? Yes. And so it's a fun experience that also it makes delicious coffee.

00;18;01;04 - 00;18;02;16
Meghan
It's very good coffee.

00;18;02;16 - 00;18;27;04
Christina
My very favorite coffee company that I use with my Chemex is the long bottom coffee one. I want to introduce you guys to another coffee idea and that is somebody just introduced me to Verve Coffee and they have instant craft coffee that is an individual envelopes. And so you have somebody who is a coffee snob. Let's just be honest.

00;18;27;04 - 00;18;51;17
Christina
Some of us know I really love coffee and a well-crafted coffee is makes my heart happy. And so these are perfect for if you're on the road and you know you're staying in a hotel and you have to get up early in the morning and you've got a flight, they are just perfect for instant, delicious coffee. Yeah. If they would just have half and half like that, it would make it perfect.

00;18;51;17 - 00;19;02;21
Meghan
Well, that's kind of like the copper cow coffee with. That's like that pour over a little. You could make a small cup of pour over coffee and then they send it with the little condensed milk packet.

00;19;02;21 - 00;19;17;16
Christina
Yes. That. Yes, a little cream. Milk. Yes. So that's another if you are listening, there are three different coffee options for that. People will link those in the show notes. Yeah, those are some coffee options. And another couple of ideas.

00;19;17;16 - 00;19;24;11
Meghan
We now have another coffee option because this is just do a episode at this point. It is all the coffee we love.

00;19;24;20 - 00;19;26;27
Christina
So and the men we loved before.

00;19;28;25 - 00;19;52;22
Meghan
My my stomach can't handle like super acidic coffee. And I realize that I used to make French press coffee and it would come out very acidic. And I don't know the science behind it. I just know that French press coffee is more acidic than coffee from a chemist. Right. Okay. I started making my coffee with the chemex when you sent me that side note, I remember it arrived on like a day.

00;19;52;22 - 00;20;17;10
Meghan
I wasn't expecting packages and I didn't leave my house. And you were. It was like 11:00 at night and you were like, Hey, maybe go check your stuff. Because I was like this huge box because it had several, you know, components in it. Anyway, that was funny. But I'll say a new way to make coffee that I've discovered very recently is with an aeropress.

00;20;17;10 - 00;20;18;02
Meghan
Do you know what that is?

00;20;18;25 - 00;20;21;20
Christina
I feel like you've shared with me and I'm not remembering.

00;20;21;20 - 00;20;24;02
Meghan
I learned about it on Tech Talk.

00;20;24;29 - 00;20;25;16
Christina
Of course.

00;20;26;18 - 00;20;32;09
Meghan
And where basically half of my current knowledge in my brain comes from. But it's like.

00;20;32;09 - 00;20;36;21
Christina
You just say, I heard it somewhere and people would just be like, Oh, she's far from your reality.

00;20;36;25 - 00;21;00;17
Meghan
It sounds exactly. Yeah, it's this. It's like a pressure tool to make coffee and you make one cup at a time. You can travel with it. It's not like all it requires is your coffee and your hot water. And it's like this plastic like piece, and it has a plunger that you press down, and it it creates pressure that's pushing the water through your coffee.

00;21;00;17 - 00;21;12;23
Meghan
It makes a very good cup of coffee. So it's just a new a new method. If you're if you're leveling up from your drip coffee maker or you want to save money and not stop at Starbucks every day or whatever.

00;21;13;06 - 00;21;20;01
Christina
Hmm. I like it. I'm just going to, like, randomly over my notes. The idea of adding to somebody is collection with something.

00;21;20;01 - 00;21;30;19
Meghan
Yeah, that's fun. Knowing somebody well enough to know what to add to their collection. I think that could be a challenge for some people, though. Mm hmm. What do you collect?

00;21;30;27 - 00;21;39;01
Christina
Money, Yeti. You don't know. Like, I think plants, honestly.

00;21;39;11 - 00;21;50;26
Meghan
But see, that's the thing. Like, you collect yeti's in plants, right? But you collect Yeti. And so I'm like, Oh, I should get her a yeti. Obviously she loves them, but like, I don't know what color, I don't know what size because you have so many.

00;21;51;03 - 00;21;57;29
Christina
So yes, I do. And they all have specific like I don't just have extra yeti, they also serve a purpose.

00;21;57;29 - 00;22;03;05
Meghan
And so I don't want to give you labor, I don't want to give you work to create a purpose for this new cup. Right.

00;22;03;05 - 00;22;35;17
Christina
So there you go. Yeah. Plants are another thing. Yeah, I. Yeah, so let's see, what else did I have? I think I love that you talked about experience. Guest So let's talk a little bit about experience gifts. I was thinking, you know, we, you talked about escape rooms as but but what about if you have, let's say, as a child or it doesn't matter anybody that you're going to give to an experience gift as far as now gift certificate, some people are like, oh, a gift certificate.

00;22;35;17 - 00;22;59;08
Christina
And as kids get older, that's great for them. But what if you gave and a gift certificate? That is an experience. So let's say you gave for three different ice cream places so they can go and buy, try three different ice cream places and vote on which one is their favorite. So if you're going to get a gift certificate, level up and make an experience.

00;22;59;08 - 00;23;40;18
Meghan
Yeah, that's cute. Or Yeah, there are like different types of dessert places that are out now, so like somewhere you've never been before, you know? Yeah. So every year, speaking of that sort of thing. So every year in December we do an advent calendar which is we have this little claw machine and my son gets to like do the claw machine like play the game and it'll like pick up a, a numbered ornament or I've done Easter eggs with like a prize inside, but now he's older and so like we like the numbered ornament and so then he'll find the corresponding gift or envelope or whatever I do that year that has a number on

00;23;40;18 - 00;24;08;08
Meghan
it. He'll get to open it and it'll have like whatever experience we're going to do that day. And sometimes it's go buy food for the food pantry and sometimes it's breakfast for dinner, and then sometimes it's something like Go get Froyo or something, go to the trampoline park or whatever. So it's like a fun thing or it's like, Hey, here's a Reese's, like, you know, so, but every time from December 1st through the 24th, he gets to pick a little something from the claw machine.

00;24;08;09 - 00;24;30;17
Christina
That's fun. Yeah, I like that idea. I like also gifts of anticipation. Like, as I know, like, more anticipating. I don't even know. Like, sometimes if the adventure is as fun as anticipating the adventure. So I think gifts like tickets to a concert or different things like that is another experience gift or that too.

00;24;30;17 - 00;24;32;27
Meghan
Like looking forward to something. Yeah.

00;24;32;27 - 00;25;00;19
Christina
So I think knowing the person and again they're their gift receiving style is, is important. You know, some people they're going to like a massage gift certificate. I think another fun one is like one year I got my kids 23 and me. So that's also kind of an experience. And then you, you know, find out that, you know, you were actually a surrogate child and that you have 20, 25 brothers and sisters.

00;25;00;19 - 00;25;04;01
Christina
Have you ever seen that one Tic TAC as a second like that?

00;25;04;02 - 00;25;24;04
Meghan
No, I haven't seen that. I guess it's not part of my algorithm. So what do we what if you don't know a person well enough to know their collection? Like you want to get a gift for somebody, right? You're your kid's teacher or something. You know, somebody who you don't really know that well, but you want to get them something.

00;25;24;04 - 00;25;35;01
Meghan
Maybe it's like you're if you have a housekeeper or, you know, like your aunt, like somebody who's like not in your inner circle. So what are some ideas that we can get those.

00;25;35;01 - 00;25;46;20
Christina
People comfy socks? Well, you tell me, because you're your son is little and you you do. He's younger, so, you know, stuff like that.

00;25;46;21 - 00;26;07;16
Meghan
We've talked a lot about like, hey, you just really have to know the person you're giving a gift to, to know what to give them. And it's like, okay, well, what are some ideas for people you you want to give a gift to, but you don't know, you know, and I, I think that, you know, for my son's teachers, I've done Amazon and Starbucks gift cards like almost every single year.

00;26;07;16 - 00;26;31;15
Meghan
I always ask them if they have an Amazon wishlist for the classroom, and if they do, I buy something off of that, you know, and half the time they'll have one. But that for teachers. Yeah, I just really default to like monetary gifts because I feel like particularly like in elementary school, I bet teachers get a lot of like mugs and candles and lotions and stuff, you know?

00;26;31;15 - 00;26;53;08
Meghan
So I'm just like, I tend to do gift cards, not because I'm being insincere, but because I think that they'll value that more. Mm hmm. That's my $0.02 on that. Like, I. I tend not to give gift cards to the people that are close to me. Sometimes I'll give my son one for, like, his favorite dessert place or something, you know, because then it's like, a fun, like, yeah, experience, right?

00;26;53;29 - 00;27;03;22
Meghan
But. But, yeah, I like to think outside the box more, but I, I think gift cards are awesome. Like, they're. I don't think it's an inconsiderate gift.

00;27;03;24 - 00;27;15;22
Christina
No, not at all. I love that my mom sends me Starbucks gift cards and I just love them. I can add them to my, you know, thing. And when I'm at Starbucks, it's like, oh, this is such a nice gift from my mom. So yeah, it.

00;27;15;22 - 00;27;25;26
Meghan
Is nice to receive a gift card as an adult too, I think, because I don't I don't get them that often. I think the last one I got might have been from you or crumble cookies.

00;27;26;00 - 00;27;52;20
Christina
And those are nice. Like I love an E gift card because if somebody is having a hard day like something really hard happen, you can send that. And it's immediate. Yeah. With like a thoughtful note with that, I also when you're talking about gift cards or, you know, doing an experience, I'm going to throw out a couple that most people probably wouldn't think of just because, like, my sister just opened a place where you can go and have blowouts done.

00;27;53;00 - 00;28;16;12
Christina
And so she does a really good scout massage and stuff like that. So if you're not familiar with a blowout, it's when you go and somebody else they wash your hair and they like do a really oh, wonderful, amazing job of doing a scout massage and then they blow dry her hair. I can't even talk blow dry your hair and curl it and style it.

00;28;16;19 - 00;28;38;26
Christina
So if that's an experience, but then also the person can use it. Maybe if they're going on a date night or going to prom or doing something like that. So that's a fun. If you're not, that is going to have a foot massage. Like if there's a place that does massages, something like that. So that's different than going to, you know, full blown massage therapists.

00;28;38;26 - 00;28;42;06
Christina
And those are just some fun ideas that I has ever.

00;28;42;06 - 00;28;49;00
Meghan
Had a blowout. It's. I guess I'll need to travel to your sister's salon. Yeah.

00;28;49;07 - 00;28;58;28
Christina
So I'm going to just randomly list. I have some, some that I'm listing here. So some ideas for guests. A coffee subscription?

00;28;59;05 - 00;28;59;19
Meghan
Mm hmm.

00;28;59;24 - 00;29;28;21
Christina
I love soccer. The Month Club is a great subscription where you get socks every month. A weighted blanket is one of my favorites. I use my weighted blanket every day, a magazine subscription to a very niche thing. So if your child is and to Minecraft, then maybe it can be a magazine that focuses on Minecraft and a comfy sweatshirt is always the most delicious, buttery, soft sweatshirt.

00;29;28;21 - 00;29;43;19
Meghan
Is a good idea. You know what soft means? Different things to different people, though, because like Sherpa is everywhere. And I don't think it's soft. It's not. I don't like a Sherpa lined anything. I like that real soft. I'm with you, microplastic or whatever.

00;29;43;19 - 00;29;56;20
Christina
Yeah, it's like I like that's what I'm wearing right now. And when I find it, I buy it and all the colors so wonderful. Anything cozy and paint by numbers. They have some really fun ones. Our Hobby Lobby.

00;29;56;21 - 00;30;12;04
Meghan
Just like crafty stuff like that. Like I like those little diamond painting things like those are I like and this is because I'm an artistic person. I think I like crafts that don't require my brain to use, you know.

00;30;12;09 - 00;30;12;26
Christina
Because it's not.

00;30;12;26 - 00;30;20;06
Meghan
Relaxing and it's not work. Yeah. So I mean, my number is probably not good for somebody who doesn't enjoy painting.

00;30;20;06 - 00;30;40;01
Christina
Yes. So if you have an artist, not what I would say is if you have an artist, if you get them something that they don't have to think about but they're still doing art. Yes. Yeah, I would recommend that. A new mug, if you see somebody who does seasonal mugs. I do seasonal mugs because my collection has gotten that big.

00;30;40;03 - 00;30;56;14
Meghan
I like, you know, if I'm going to give a mug, I like to fill it with something. So I'll put like I'll do like a mug and Starbucks gift card and like a candy cane and some hot chocolate if the person has like a Keurig, like I'll do some K-Cups, you know, that's all like fill it up with something.

00;30;56;20 - 00;31;01;26
Christina
I think another good one is the gift of time. So if you know that. Okay.

00;31;01;26 - 00;31;06;06
Meghan
Dr. Strange.

00;31;06;06 - 00;31;27;05
Christina
Oh, my gosh. Oh, if that is their love language, maybe it's something where, like, if they just taking that person to coffee, doing some, hey, like, I'm going to take you to coffee and this is the date. I'm just spending time with a person that can be depending on the person's love language, taking them to dinner or something like that.

00;31;27;10 - 00;31;52;29
Christina
Yeah, I think there's a subject that we've talked about a little bit and it's the idea of giving somebody a gift and you're putting the burden on them. And that would be, for example, you give somebody a gift and it's like, okay, put this together verses. And a good example of that is somebody gives you.

00;31;52;29 - 00;31;53;19
Meghan
Flowers.

00;31;54;14 - 00;32;03;29
Christina
And they're in, you know, you're sick or something and they bring you flowers versus somebody bringing you flowers and then actually putting them in a vase.

00;32;03;29 - 00;32;05;07
Meghan
Putting this in them.

00;32;05;07 - 00;32;25;05
Christina
In a vase. Yeah, exactly. So those are some things to think about when you're gift giving is are you giving them a gift that they're going to have to take care of versus a gift of like, oh, I got you. You're sick and I got you a gift certificate to go to the grocery store verses. So those are really great place called Southern Baked Pies.

00;32;25;20 - 00;32;48;05
Christina
And I've sent them to family before when they were sick and it's a long distance and I can't be there. And so instead of being like, Hey, here's a gift certificate to Safeway, I can send them a pie. And all they have to do is to, you know, pop it in the oven. Yeah. So just thinking ahead, am I giving this person a burden or am I actually giving them a gift?

00;32;48;08 - 00;33;01;01
Meghan
Yeah, that's really important. And I think a lot of people don't think about that. Like as far as the flower example, I think and I don't I mean, I have never been like, oh, when somebody gives me flowers, never exactly. Like I'm.

00;33;01;12 - 00;33;01;23
Christina
Ready.

00;33;01;23 - 00;33;13;02
Meghan
To like cut them and put them in the face and whatever because they're beautiful. I love flowers. Right. But, you know, going that extra mile and. Yeah. Setting it all out for them. Awesome. So cool.

00;33;13;13 - 00;33;15;12
Christina
Yes, exactly. I think that yes.

00;33;15;19 - 00;33;30;09
Meghan
I have a question related to gifts. You know how like on commercials and movies and stuff, you see people by other people, cars. Do you ever think about the logistics of that? Like like do you do.

00;33;30;13 - 00;33;31;25
Christina
They have to say than me.

00;33;32;06 - 00;33;51;18
Meghan
Well, do they have to pay cash for the car? How do you get the title in the other person's name? Like, are you financing it? Are you giving this person like that or are you committing to paying for it? How do you transfer ownership or like do you own it and they just drive it. And then how does insurance work with all that?

00;33;51;20 - 00;33;52;03
Meghan
These are.

00;33;52;03 - 00;33;54;13
Christina
Troubles that are beyond my.

00;33;54;16 - 00;33;58;20
Meghan
Clearly you can yeah I was going to say clearly you can tell we're not in that. Yeah.

00;33;58;24 - 00;34;03;26
Christina
We're not in that tax bracket. How does that work.

00;34;04;08 - 00;34;17;00
Meghan
Something funny. I think I've talked about it before for my birthday one year, Jason gave me a a birthday toilet seat and it is like a heated toilet seat. So it's winter right now. So it's like nice.

00;34;17;11 - 00;34;17;21
Christina
Right?

00;34;18;29 - 00;34;37;05
Meghan
And then, you know, it's a bad day. It's got all these options, right? And I was like, I'm sorry, did you just give me a toilet for my birthday? And he goes, I didn't give you a toilet. I gave you a lifestyle. We call.

00;34;37;05 - 00;34;37;09
Christina
It.

00;34;37;21 - 00;34;44;18
Meghan
The Starship Enterprise because it's like a space ship toilet. Oh, my gosh.

00;34;44;18 - 00;34;47;23
Christina
I love it. So what's the best gift you've ever given yourself?

00;34;48;02 - 00;35;11;08
Meghan
Oh, my gosh. The best gift I've ever given myself. The gift of not having to do everything all the time. Be everywhere all the time. Like the just the gift of what does that. Grace, Hmm? Yeah, like Thanksgiving just happened, and I was like, I don't. I don't want to cook. Like, let's just buy pies, whatever we can buy.

00;35;11;08 - 00;35;20;01
Meghan
Let's just buy it, and we'll cook what we have to. You know, I don't want to. It's unlikely of it speaking up, I think.

00;35;20;16 - 00;35;40;28
Christina
Oh, yeah. I mean, well, and along those same lines, it's like I feel like letting go of like the gift I gave myself was letting go of other people's expectations. Yeah. Yeah. It's the same thing of, like, not worrying what other people think about what I'm doing. And so that frees all that brain space up for me to do things I love.

00;35;40;28 - 00;35;42;12
Christina
So. Yeah. Same.

00;35;42;20 - 00;35;47;19
Meghan
Well, great. Do you have any other cool gifts to add to our list?

00;35;47;29 - 00;36;09;14
Christina
I think the the one thing that I would close with is that some people can buy things for other people, but they have a really hard time buying things for themselves. I don't know if you've met anybody like that. And so maybe listen really closely when that person's talking about and looking and maybe it's a little bit bigger ticket item.

00;36;09;26 - 00;36;32;01
Christina
Sometimes you see this with parents that they give so much to their kids and they're like, Oh, no, I don't need anything. But if you look, there is something that they want if you listen, but they're just struggling with letting go of that money to buy that for themselves. Yeah. And you have to listen close. But I think those are some cool things to be able to get people.

00;36;32;05 - 00;36;36;17
Meghan
The moral of this episode is knowing your recipient, knowing.

00;36;36;18 - 00;36;37;15
Christina
The person's.

00;36;37;16 - 00;36;51;05
Meghan
You know, just like how do they like to receive gifts? What do they like to do? My love language is acts of service. Have you taken those? You've taken a love language and you've taken all of them. Yeah, all the personality, all the.

00;36;51;05 - 00;36;51;15
Christina
Just.

00;36;53;02 - 00;37;13;09
Meghan
My love language is acts of service. So a gift that I enjoy is like when somebody takes the burden off of whatever it is for me. Like, for instance, for Thanksgiving, we just had Thanksgiving and I was like, I don't want to cook all this food. So my dad was coming over and he was like, I'll bring the pies and mashed potatoes.

00;37;13;09 - 00;37;34;13
Meghan
And I was like, Great. He just went to Costco, got them, and came over, you know? So that type of thing where it's like somebody just takes responsibility for something and I don't have to think about it, love it. That's not even a gift thing. That's just like everyday life. That is something that I really appreciate. This is a whole nother episode.

00;37;34;13 - 00;37;59;16
Meghan
I think. But I mean, ways you could do that for other people is like hiring a housekeeper for like a one time clean. Like, you don't have to commit to doing it, you know, every month or whatever or hiring or having somebody go mow somebody's yard like that's just a way to help somebody without, you know, taking a taking something off their plate.

00;37;59;22 - 00;38;12;26
Meghan
And I think that's really helpful for a person who's gone through loss. Right, or a big change divorce. Right. Like that. Also, when you've lost to that second that other adult in your house.

00;38;12;27 - 00;38;37;01
Christina
Yeah, I think what what you're looking for when you give the gifts like that is what problems could I solve. Yeah. What, what, what can I solve that would make this person's life easier is when to do it. And, you know, it doesn't need to be a year commitment. It's just maybe a one time commitment that's like for this month, I'm going to help take the weight off this person's shoulders with this.

00;38;37;05 - 00;38;40;06
Christina
Yeah. Item or this act of service. So.

00;38;40;15 - 00;38;52;22
Meghan
Yep, love it. Okay, friends. Well, the time has come. So whether your cup is empty, half full or overflowing, raise it up. Here's to the craziness of life after loss. Cheers.

00;38;52;22 - 00;38;53;05
Christina
Cheers.