Slow Burn – The Slate Culture Gift Guide (December 17, 2025)

Episode Overview

This special crossover episode features Willa Paskin (host of Decoder Ring), Dana Stevens (Slate’s film critic and Culture Gabfest host), and Chris Molanphy (host of Hit Parade) launching into the holiday spirit by assembling a joyful, insightful, and occasionally ambivalent holiday gift guide. Their picks are designed for a wide range of budgets, tending mostly under $100, and, true to Slate’s culture-nerd spirit, the show delves as much into the history, philosophy, and psychology of gift guides as the gifts themselves. The hosts share clever, culturally rich, and sometimes delightfully odd objects **—from box sets to popcorn makers to cherry-shaped toilet brushes—**while exploring what gift guides reveal about us, our consumption habits, and our desire for connection and delight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Ambivalence and History of Gift Guides

• Gift guides as cultural artifacts: Willa acknowledges loving and dreading gift guides in equal measure, describing them as “deeply ambivalent cultural objects”—irresistibly fun but symptomatic of consumerist overwhelm.

  "Gift guides are, like, a pure ambivalence for me...I absolutely love some of them...and yet I simultaneously feel dread and loathe and deep capitalist fear and anxiety about...the way we interact with the world is just shopping.”
  (Willa, 03:00)

• Not just new—But very old: Gift guides date back to early 1900s department stores, serving as practical, beautifully illustrated marketing tools.

  “The earliest ones start in the early 1900s...they’re very recognizable, made by a company, just like advertorial content...But the way they appeal to the buyer is so familiar.”
  (Willa, 07:35)

• Gift guides as self-shopping: Instead of helping buy for others, hosts note they inadvertently shop for themselves while browsing guides—a modern twist on the tradition.

• The explosion of guides: The internet era, the demise of retail gatekeepers, and affiliate links have caused a proliferation of guides—leading to both richness and fatigue.

Fun with Historical Gift Guides

• 1910s robes and child’s “ermine fur” sets: The hosts have fun with century-old catalogs, marveling at elaborate and weird gifts, such as opulent robes and oddly triumphant faux-fur children’s accessories.

  “It’s giving like pope vibes...Real regal, very vestments vibe...sort of makes you want to time travel.”
  (Chris, Dana, and Willa, 09:38–12:00)

  "Make up your mind right now that you are going to make some little lady intensely happy Christmas morning walking around with fresh kill."
  (Dana reading catalog copy, 10:25)

• Enduring appeal of catalogs: The conversation traces the through-line from Esquire’s mod 1960s guides to contemporary Amazon toy catalogs, noting the persistent ritual of children circling wish-list items.

2025 Gift Picks & Themed Recommendations

Each host presents a mini-themed “guide within a guide”—summarized below with memorable commentary and product details.

Chris Molanphy: Content & Box Sets

1. The Beatles’ “Revolver” (50th Anniversary Box Set)

• Why it’s special: Remastered by Giles Martin, this set uncovers new facets even for lifelong fans—including outtakes showing “Yellow Submarine” starting as a morose John Lennon song.
• A gift-worthy object: Praises the “beautiful book” included and the thrill of learning something new about a legendary band.

“It’s weird to be a music nerd in this day and age and still learn something about the Beatles...”
(Chris, 17:15)

• Ties to Hit Parade: “Revolver” marks a pivotal Beatles moment discussed in Hit Parade’s “Great War against the Single” episode.
• [Timestamp: 15:53–21:34]

2. Mad Men Blu-ray Box Set

• Comprehensive set, including two commentaries per episode, documentaries, and not streaming everywhere—“for the true rewatcher and TV history lover.”

“If you really love a show or a movie...it’s a kind of augmentation of your love...the presence of it on your shelf.”
(Dana, 30:46)

• [Timestamp: 28:04–31:07]

3. “Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year” by Michelangelo Matos

• Vivid cultural history, with deep explorations of everything from the Betamax case to the Olympics to Michael Jackson.
• “Keep it next to the bed. When you need just one really well-written chapter...it’s very pleasurable if you like a good cultural history.”
  (Chris, 36:15–38:03)

Dana Stevens: The Ultimate Movie Night

1. Salbri Popcorn Popping Bowl & Amish Country Popcorn

• Popcorn, reimagined: A silicone, oil-free microwavable bowl makes popcorn “effortlessly,” ideal for movie nights.
• Pair it with artisanal kernels: “Amish Country Popcorn” comes in purple, blue, and white—tender, hull-less, and delicious.

• “This is going to count as one gift because that bowl is so, so cheap. But then I also got some very fancy, quality popcorn...”
  (Dana, 23:07)

• [Timestamp: 21:38–24:53]

2. Lagatti Knitted Chenille Blanket

• Throw-sized, warm, and soft, perfect for cozying up on the couch—“like those big mushy socks that teenage girls wear in their dorm room.”
• [Timestamp: 31:08–32:30]

3. [Criterion Collection] “The Adventures of Antoine Doinel” Box Set

• Four films following the same character from boyhood to adulthood (Francois Truffaut/Jean-Pierre Léaud; see also “The 400 Blows”), with a trove of Criterion extras and critical essays, including from Noah Baumbach.

• “Once you’ve fallen in love with him as a boy, you’re so interested in the quirky, eccentric adult that he becomes.”
  (Dana, 39:27)

• [Timestamp: 38:03–41:44]

Willa Paskin: Playful Domestic Delights

1. Fruit-Shaped Bowls (Bordallo Pinheiro and Etsy)

• Cantaloupe, lettuce, or dragon fruit—the bowls delight with their playful trompe-l’oeil designs and textural detail.

• “I really love it when things look like other things...that sort of playfulness.”
  (Willa, 24:53)

• [Timestamp: 25:24–27:58]

2. Candles That Look Like Food

• From croissants to oranges to potatoes—candles that you might mistake for produce. Willa loves these as visual pranks, even though she dislikes fragranced candles.

• “There’s lots...if you were like, I need rutabaga candles, you could find them at this point.”
  (Willa, 34:43)

• [Timestamp: 32:45–35:55]

3. Cherry-Shaped Toilet Brush

• Her silliest, yet most beloved pick: “It just looks like a cherry—that’s cool, that’s like a weird piece of pop art in my bathroom...it weirdly sparks joy.”

• “You don’t think you care...you do. It’s so nice to have something that just looks like a cherry. That thing is great. It is disguise away. Be a cherry.”
  (Willa, 43:43)

• [Timestamp: 43:18–45:08]

Notable Quotes & Fun Banter

• On self-shopping via gift guides:

  “I go to gift guides to get ideas for other people, but I find it’s actually not super helpful…I’m honestly reading gift guides being like, oh yes, me, that.”
  (Willa, 04:50)

• Gift fatigue vs. pleasure:

  “By the time I get my 50th gift guide, even if it’s lovingly crafted, I’m just like, oh, boy, this is just a lot of oh, boy effort for, like, this thing.”
  (Willa, 05:00)

• On the enduring charm of old catalogs:

  “The visuals are such an important part of making you covet stuff in gift guides…and you can see that they’re always illustrated from the beginning.”
  (Willa, 12:27)

• Regarding a cherry-shaped toilet brush:

  “You don’t think you care that your toilet bowl cleaners are ugly and you have to hide them in a closet…but you do. It weirdly does spark joy.”
  (Willa, 43:43)

• On the Criterion “Doinel” set and watching characters—or actors—age:

  “There’s something about watching...his physical form is really getting older and the character...It’s always very emotional to watch.”
  (Willa, 41:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:59–07:35 – Ambivalence about gift guides & personal relationship to them
• 09:20–12:00 – Fun with historical gift guides and their oddities
• 15:53–21:34 – Chris’s “Revolver” box set and a Beatles 101
• 21:38–24:53 – Dana’s popcorn bowl & gourmet kernels
• 25:24–27:58 – Willa’s fruit-themed bowls and homeware obsessions
• 28:04–31:07 – Chris’s “Mad Men” box set & the virtues of physical media
• 31:08–32:30 – Dana’s cozy blanket pitch
• 32:45–35:55 – Willa’s playful candles
• 36:15–38:03 – Chris’s book recommendation (pop history)
• 38:03–41:44 – Dana’s Criterion “Doinel” set & the emotional power of following a character’s/actor’s life
• 43:18–45:08 – Willa’s cherry-shaped toilet cleaner and the joy of whimsical necessities
• 47:37–48:03 – Closing reflections on mutual inspiration and trusted recommendations

Tone & Style

The episode is lively, self-aware, wryly critical of consumerism yet brimming with delight in clever finds and meaningful culture. The rapport between the hosts is warm, brainy, and playfully self-mocking.

Takeaway

The Slate Culture Gift Guide is more than a shopping list; it’s a vivid snapshot of how gifts—even the silly ones—create joy, nostalgia, and connection. The episode is a seasonal treat for listeners who love culture, want meaningful recommendations, and appreciate a thoughtful, critical eye on what we buy and why.

Links to all items can be found at: slate.com/culturegiftguide