Forever35
Mini-Ep 473: Holiday Traditions and Gift Giving
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu
Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this festive mini-episode, Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu dig into their favorite holiday traditions and approaches to gift-giving, answer listener questions about family rituals, and discuss how they manage dry skin (and eczema) in winter. The discussion weaves practical advice with warmth and humor, along with thoughts about happiness inspired by a Michelle Obama clip. The hosts also share holiday movie favorites and reflect on being present and content during the season.

Serum Chat & Winter Skin Care

(02:20–10:18)

Highlights:

• K-Beauty Finds:
  Elise shares a Korean beauty product discovery, the Glaze Craze tinted lip serum, brought back by a friend:

  • “Mine is cinnamon sugar, but it’s called Glaze Craze. And it’s in like a little tube with a donut top. It’s very cute.” — Elise Hu (03:39)

• Winterized Skincare:
  Discussion about switching up body care routines for winter dryness, utilizing products like Osea’s body oil, and their experiences in various climates (Boston, New York, LA).

• Eczema Solutions:
  Sharing family eczema-care strategies, including Aquaphor, Eucerin, CeraVe, and, when necessary, doctor-prescribed steroid oil.

  • “There have been a couple times where it’s been pretty bad and hasn’t gone away with just Aquaphor. And then I will go to the doctor and get him… a steroid oil.” — Doree Shafrir (08:32)

• The Struggles of Dry Environments:
  Elise notes how moving between arid cities triggers flare-ups for her and her daughter Issa.

Podcast & Patreon Announcements

(10:20–12:02)

Key Points:

• Recap of a recent, lively Patreon video chat (and upcoming shift to more video content on Patreon).
• Reminder about the ongoing 20% off Patreon sale, and notes about the podcast's holiday break.

Gift-Giving Strategies

(14:53–19:34)

Listener Question:
“How do you go about purchasing gifts? I always want to be an advanced planner but find myself running around like crazy in December trying to pull it all together.” (14:57)

Hosts’ Strategies:

• Online & Early Bird Shopping:
  Elise leverages Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for bigger purchases and personalized gifts with longer lead times, such as monogrammed items.

  • “I actually feel like I kind of got ahead because I wanted to take advantage of Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals, which tend to be pretty good.” — Elise Hu (15:19)

• Wish Lists for Kids:
  Both hosts use Amazon or Target wish lists for their children and share these with relatives to streamline gifting and avoid uncertainty.

• Minimalism for Adults:
  Doree and her husband usually skip big gifts for each other, sometimes opting for something small or just a card.

• Experience Gifts:
  Elise suggests experience gifts—like concert tickets or dinner out—as memorable alternatives, though Doree comments it’s not everyone’s preference.

  • “The gifts that have stood out that I’ve gotten him have been concert tickets… it’s more experiential.” — Elise Hu (19:01)

Holiday Movie Favorites

(19:34–21:49)

• Family Favorites:

  • Home Alone (Elise), who also votes for Die Hard as a great Christmas movie:
    • “Die Hard is a Christmas movie and it’s excellent.” — Elise Hu (20:23)
  • Love Actually (Doree):
    • “On Rewatch, I’m kind of like… but I do still really enjoy Love Actually, like, as a movie.” — Doree Shafrir (20:23)

• Honorable Mentions:

  • It’s a Wonderful Life, Charlie Brown Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Elf.
    • “Some of the holiday movies are like, good for being a holiday movie, but some of them are, like, actually good. And I think Elf is, like, actually good.” — Doree Shafrir (21:49)

Holiday Traditions

(22:02–25:12)

Listener Question:
“What are some of your favorite holiday traditions for this holiday?”

Elise’s Traditions:

• Hot pot on Christmas Eve—a family tradition with roots in her Taiwanese American background.
• Navigating the “Ava stocking” tradition, where her daughter Ava sneaks into her stocking throughout December, now resulting in Elise waiting until the last minute to fill it.
• Visiting LA’s Candy Cane Lane (a neighborhood with elaborate Christmas lights).

Doree’s Traditions:

• Making cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning (though not this year due to travel).
• Annual visits to holiday light displays, especially Descanso Gardens’ “Enchanted” show.
• Trying something new: a tour of the historic Greystone Mansion’s holiday decorations.
• Attempted reservation at Tam O’Shanter for the Christmas experience (but canceled).

VOICEMAIL: Should You Officiate a Wedding?

(28:11–31:12)

Caller Comment:
A listener advises caution about officiating weddings if you suffer from severe stage fright, suggesting other special roles if public speaking would cause too much anxiety.

• “...if you think you’re going to have a shaky voice and be really nervous, it’s going to make the lead up to the wedding really painful for you... I think if you really want to do it, you need to commit to practicing a lot and... write for the ear.” — Listener Voicemail (28:17)

Host Thoughts:
Elise emphasizes it depends on the caller’s comfort level:

• “It is a cool experience if you get to do it. So it was one of my favorite speaking assignments of all time...” — Elise Hu (30:25)

On Happiness: Michelle Obama Wisdom

(31:12–33:40)

Listener Email:
A listener reflects on measuring happiness via meaningful, ordinary moments, inspired by Michelle Obama, emphasizing contentment with “the nothing in the middle.”

• “Bottom line, I think I’m ‘happy’ that I’m comfortable being content, angry, sad, worried, delighted, and many other states of being.” — Listener Email (31:25)

Michelle Obama (quoted at 32:19):
“We have a generation of young people in their 20s who think that the goal is their personal happiness, period. And that is just not life. Service is a better goal than happiness... Most of life is just the nothing in the middle... you gotta learn how to be happy alone, a little bored... be satisfied when you failed, things don’t go your way, because all of that keeps you getting up.”

Hosts’ Takeaway:
The discussion echoes the value of embracing the ordinary, not striving for continuous happiness but finding contentment and meaning in day-to-day life.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She was like, oh, be sure to get me the cooling water jelly thing.” — Elise Hu, on her daughter’s encyclopedic makeup knowledge (04:34)
• “My niece and nephew always just want a gift card. Oh, that’s easy.” — Doree Shafrir (18:14)
• “Most of life is just ordinary. You know, you gotta learn how to be happy alone. You gotta be happy, a little bored.” — Michelle Obama (33:13)
• “Elf is so good.” — Both hosts, about the perennial favorite (21:40)
• “Holiday movies are, like, good for being a holiday movie, but then some of them are, like, actually good. And I think Elf is, like, actually good.” — Doree Shafrir (21:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:20 — K-beauty product discoveries
• 06:55 — Skincare transitions for winter & eczema care
• 14:53 — Gift giving: planning and wishlists
• 19:42 — Favorite holiday movies
• 22:13 — Family holiday traditions shared
• 28:11 — Advice on officiating weddings
• 31:12 — Listener letter on happiness & Michelle Obama discussion
• 32:19 — Michelle Obama on happiness and “the nothing in the middle”

Summary

This warm and witty mini-episode blends practical skincare and gift-giving tips with reflections on the messiness of the holidays, ways to find meaningful moments, and the comfort of ordinary life. Doree and Elise celebrate tradition, family, and self-care—reminding listeners to enjoy the “nothing in the middle” this season.