The Hyper-Specific Holiday Gift Guide
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Description
Your kooky aunties are here to tell you what to buy for all the loved ones and weirdos in your life. But this is not just any old gift guide, oh no! This gift guide gets quirky. Gifts for That One Friend Who Always Laughs When People Trip and Fall, or the Cousin Who Collects Elaborate Vintage Tea Sets. Definitely a gift for the Person We All Know Who Has Daily Mantras and Uses Essential Oils. Everything you need for those three and a couple more, right here.
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Transcription
SPEAKERS
Kulap Vilaysack, SuChin Pak
Kulap Vilaysack
Ho, Ho, Ho, Hey, Hey, Hey, this is your Santa Kuku.
SuChin Pak
And well, this is SuChin Pak.
Kulap Vilaysack
And who are you? You’re a listener to ADD TO CART.
SuChin Pak
Add To Cart this week. You’re welcome. It is our version of a holiday gift guide.
Kulap Vilaysack
Oh, yeah.
Kulap Vilaysack
But not just any holiday gift guide. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is our HYPER SPECIFIC GUIDE.
SuChin Pak
Like for instance, what do you buy for your friend that loves to collect vintage China?
Kulap Vilaysack
Or the friend that still uses their Weegee board, which is very reckless because ghosts are real.
SuChin Pak
Sure. So that’s an interesting friend. We need to call soon. Okay. You and I both love the holidays in our different ways. You know what I mean?
Kulap Vilaysack
I’ve been preparing for the holidays. Since I don’t know summer.
SuChin Pak
There’s not a question mark in that that’s a period. You know, more than ever. I think as we are putting the finishing touches on 2020. Just a drizzle of gravy. Just a marinade.
Kulap Vilaysack
Marinade upon the year, the meat that was 2020.
SuChin Pak
Yes. The dry have to meat that was 2020 as we try to juice it up and make it inviting, I think buying gifts, letting people know we’re thinking of them, even though we can’t be near them and haven’t seen them in quite a while feels more important than ever before. So here it is, you know, all of the things that you and I have come up with, because I’m so excited to see your list are available, not on Amazon on other places, because I think it’s also important during this time during the time that we as Americans shop the most that we support these smaller businesses, right.
Kulap Vilaysack 02:04
Yeah, Let’s all try to survive this holiday season.
Kulap Vilaysack
So my first category right? Is that safe? The category?
SuChin Pak
You say first category or the person, Yeah. Or describe the person that you had in mind for this particular gift.
Kulap Vilaysack
Because when you go on a gift guide, you know, they usually like for girlfriend for husband and mine is a gift for the proud bachelor whose life somehow improved during quarantine, and is named Kevin.
SuChin Pak
Kevin, Kevin is having a better life in quarantine?
Kulap Vilaysack
No, it’s better. Now my friend Kevin, Kevin Sasha, for my wedding. He was my man of honor. and walked the aisle with my dog Rocky. That was a big deal, because at the time he was allergic to dogs. And so..
SuChin Pak
He stepped up to the plate there.
Kulap Vilaysack
He really stepped up to the plate. And now Kevin, he is 44 I believe this year he’ll be 45. So he’s older than I am. And yet he is like my nephew. And that is sort of our relationship.
SuChin Pak
Oh, yeah. You’re auntie?
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah. Like when my house was being renovated. He stayed in it on an air mattress and was so happy. The house was down to its studs, and he was just having the time of his life. He said it was like being a newly divorced dad. In a noir film. That’s my friend Kevin.
SuChin Pak
Wait, is he married? Or does he have kids?
Kulap Vilaysack
No. Proud bachelor.
SuChin Pak
He just picked that feeling?
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes.
SuChin Pak
Okay, got it.
Kulap Vilaysack
Right now he’s working. So that’s great. Any he has always been a man of the apps still is a man of the apps during quarantine has he had to shift and date differently? Yes, but he still dating.
SuChin Pak 04:08
Oh, those kinds of apps.
Kulap Vilaysack
Dating apps.
SuChin Pak
Wait, how do you date during quarantine?
Kulap Vilaysack
Such a good cue. I will have to have him on sometime. But he is like visit
SuChin Pak
Wait, like he physically sees people?
Kulap Vilaysack
Not right away. It starts with Zoom just like me and you here.
SuChin Pak
Oh my God.
Kulap Vilaysack
And then it’s like sometimes like distance hiking. Maybe it’s an outdoor drink. And then you know, it leads up there.
SuChin Pak
Then there’s a COVID test.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes. Right. That’s right. And then generally for him COVID test, sex and he’s like, I’m not into the person.
SuChin Pak
Of course. By the way, that could be potentially three weeks in like that’s a relationship. Kevin, you did it. High five.
Kulap Vilaysack
He had somebody who I mean, I think this is okay to talk. He’ll tell me otherwise. But he had a woman that they were each other’s quarantine buddies. They are at the top of quarantine. He was seeing a lovely lady. And they weren’t seeing other people. And she has the audacity to want more.
SuChin Pak
More as in like more of his time?
Kulap Vilaysack
A commitment. I do not blame her. I am on her side in this. Like they weren’t seeing anybody else. And this went on for months. And she was like, I want more. And he’s like, uh-uh.
SuChin Pak
I was like, What more? I’m sorry. What more is there? We’re all stuck in our houses. Come on over anytime you want. Guess what? I’ll still be here.
Kulap Vilaysack
So you’re in Kevin side?
SuChin Pak
But she wanted more. Yeah, that’s about as much as one can give during these times, you know?
Kulap Vilaysack
Okay. Wow, this is a take I didn’t expect Alright, so maybe you’ll like this. What I think I want to give him is are you familiar with parachute or the.
SuChin Pak
Oh, yeah. Well, I’ve heard the ads.
Kulap Vilaysack
Great. I own a parachute, the linen sheets. And it’s a lovely, wonderful, cool, comfortable, soft through the weeks situation and I think generally all my guy friends they don’t care about bedding.
SuChin Pak 06:13
Neither do I.
Kulap Vilaysack
Oh my god. You are Kevin. You are my Kevin top. You’re both Korean.
SuChin Pak
This is why you love me. This is why you chose me. Among all the Asians in your life. You chose me.
Kulap Vilaysack
You don’t care about bedding?
SuChin Pak
Expensive bedding makes me nervous. Go on. This is your category. Go on. I’m already nervous. I’m already nervous. Yeah, I’m gonna spill on it like it’s too white, it’s linen. I don’t know how to take care of that. Like I’m already just.
Kulap Vilaysack
You just wash it. I was saying linen and maybe they do veil covered depends on if you know if he is naughty or nice. We’ll see. But here’s the thing. It’s like his it’s Christmas. His birthday is in December. Oh, and also potentially, it’s a housewarming gift.
SuChin Pak
Oh, that’s nice. Okay, okay, gotcha.
Kulap Vilaysack
So that’s my thought process.
SuChin Pak
This is beautiful bedding. Listen, I can appreciate beautiful things. I just owning beautiful things makes me nervous. But it’s gorgeous. My thing is that like, by like, week two, it’s got some sort of weird, mysterious stain on it. Like my kids have markered on it. There’s weird discoloration around the head area. That’s then gonna make me question what my scalp oil, you know, is doing and if the pH is right, do you know what I’m saying? Like, I just go down this rabbit hole.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah, I hear you. I hear you.
SuChin Pak
But it’s beautiful. Man. Kevin, you know what, though? If you want Kevin, to get with the partner, this is not how to do it. Because this stuff is so comforting and warm and luxurious. You don’t need another body in this bed. Like you want this bed into yourself.
Kulap Vilaysack
I can’t be too involved with what Kevin does romantically.
SuChin Pak 08:01
All right, Kevin, and I can have a real good session.
Kulap Vilaysack
People don’t stick around long enough.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, I want to meet your other Korean,
Kulap Vilaysack
You will enjoy him very much.
SuChin Pak
I want to meet all your Koreans. And I’m not joking about that.
Kulap Vilaysack
What’s your category?
SuChin Pak
Okay, so my category is, this is for your friend who like say you’re at a funeral. And one of you gets the giggles. And you’re like, don’t do it. And then you’re crying and running out of the church doors so embarrassed. So inappropriate. This is your friend. You’re walking in New York, let’s say a gentleman in his early 70s like trips and falls really hard. And everyone’s like, Oh my god, are you okay? And you guys cannot stop laughing like hysterical tears coming out. You have to run into a hotel lobby, because you’re so embarrassed. This is that friend. I don’t know why. But this is what I’m going to get him. His name is Ross. And this is a book called The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. And do you know about this book or this artist?
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes, I do.
SuChin Pak
Frances Glessner Lee, she was a divorcee, she was heir to a wealthy empire of monies. And she divorced her husband and did what she wanted to do, which was be like the most amazing forensic scientist of all time. She’s sort of almost kind of is the reason why forensics is studied and as popular as it is today. So she was obsessed with murders and crime scenes. So what she did was she created miniatures of houses and little rooms that were exact replicas of real murder scenes. So
Kulap Vilaysack
So picture a doll house.
SuChin Pak
Yes, a doll house.
Kulap Vilaysack
A doll house, a diorama of murder.
SuChin Pak
A murder. Let me remind you this was like in the 19th century, so it’s not like she could go to like Hobby Lobby.
Kulap Vilaysack 10:05
She can’t go on Etsy.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, she can’t go on Etsy. She had to sell all these and make all these like, look at this incredible scene here. It’s a bathroom with a woman on the floor that has been bludgeoned to death. But in a miniature dollhouse. I mean, she even replicated that the wallpaper that was in this woman’s house.
Kulap Vilaysack
Wow.
SuChin Pak
Each of these scenes are named, you know, this one’s called the Pink Bathroom. And there’s fish wallpaper. There’s a vanity mirror. And then there’s a dead body. I mean, I just love this. I’m so into this. It’s like, Oh, look at this cute little miniature scene. There’s a little cozy cabin. Oh, those little tiny little candles. Ooh, there’s a body in the miniature bed that’s bleeding out with brains coming out of the head.
Kulap Vilaysack
So this is, you know, it’s very specific.
SuChin Pak
It’s very specific. Now, listen, this gift is also for someone who’s like super into crime shows or crime podcast also, for someone who’s like into feminist history because Francis Glessner Lee is like she basically invented you know, forensics. So yeah, there’s a lot of people this could be for its broad. You know what I mean? Like, this is for America
Kulap Vilaysack
I’m not sure if this would be under the good housekeeping list. But if you say so, I mean, I love it.
SuChin Pak
And I just love the title The Nutshell Studies. Is it weird that the holidays elicit things that involve such gruesome crime scenes in my brain?
Kulap Vilaysack
I mean, I typically, I think it makes the most sense.
SuChin Pak
Going back to the Bible, the most violent. The book
Kulap Vilaysack
The book.
SuChin Pak
What’s your next hyper specific gift?
Kulap Vilaysack 12:00
Yes, I have a gift for a retired refugee mom who loves Bravo TV and Thai soap operas on YouTube, who legally changed her name to Patricia when she got her citizenship decades ago. And I’m thinking it’s, this is Christmas, but it would be a mother’s day trip to a resort in Los Cabos.
SuChin Pak
God, you are good. Wait, are you going with her?
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah, with her three daughters. Me and my two sisters.
SuChin Pak
Oh, God. That’s good.
Kulap Vilaysack
My mom turned 60 in October. couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t do anything big birthday.
SuChin Pak 12:33
Your mom is young.
Kulap Vilaysack
She was a wee lass. wee lass when she had me. I’m the oldest obviously. And so it would be a belated 60th birthday. We could do it on Mother’s Day. I could use my Marriott bonvoy points.
SuChin Pak
I would tell her that, tell her you paid cold hard cash.
Kulap Vilaysack
She would love it though. She would love it. You know we love a discount.
SuChin Pak
And then you guys are all gonna go on this beautiful trip. Whenever that may be 2021-2022.
Kulap Vilaysack
I’m gonna book the hotel for May and I have to cancel seven days before I cancel it.
SuChin Pak
When’s the last time you ladies were all on a trip just alone?
Kulap Vilaysack
I don’t even remember.
SuChin Pak
So is this. This would kind of be a good idea.
Kulap Vilaysack
My mom. I haven’t seen my mom since Thanksgiving of last year she visited for Thanksgiving. She lives with my sister Anita now. I think we just all really miss each other. And there’s no time we’re going to be able to see each other in person for a while. So it’s a little hopeful.
SuChin Pak
No, I love it. I love that you’re hopeful in 2021. And I am looking at gruesome murder scenes. But when you go on these trips, just out of curiosity, are you sharing rooms?
Kulap Vilaysack 14:05
So I would probably take care of my mom’s flight and the rooms I would guess is what’s going to happen and I think I would get two room so everything. Probably.
SuChin Pak
You are the oldest. I still do that. I mean, I’m like, Really? I guess I’ll put it on my card. No one? No one’s offering up their card here at checkout?
Kulap Vilaysack
I’m thinking it’s a two-bedroom situation. Everyone gets their own bed though. We’re at a certain age, you know? We got to.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, it’s hard. Hard to share.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah.
SuChin Pak
Share a room with your parents.
Kulap Vilaysack
Look, my mom also does have a Cpap machine. She sure does. She showed us.
SuChin Pak
That noise is actually kind of comforting.
Kulap Vilaysack
It might be like white noise.
SuChin Pak
It’s like the 2am like, fart train, but I just don’t you know what I mean? You’re like, wow, it’s I’m awake.
Kulap Vilaysack
I don’t can’t tell you the last time I’ve slept in a room with my mom, but you know what’s gonna be me? You know, it’ll be me. 2am portraying? Yeah, my sisters love it be in one room. And you know, it’s be me and mom, me and Pat.
SuChin Pak
Oh, man, my next item is also gruesome.
Kulap Vilaysack
Let’s hear it.
SuChin Pak
I don’t look at myself outside of myself until I present myself and now I’m like, Girl, you have got fucking issues.
Kulap Vilaysack
All right, I cannot wait.
SuChin Pak
This next category. I have this amazing friend like you go to her house. She’s very into, you know, floral arrangements. She does fundraising for like, Robinson’s gardens or something like that. You know? It’s like this garden. Society woman.
Kulap Vilaysack 16:13
She’s like a society J Lo.
SuChin Pak
Yes, yes. And so I went to her house once and she was having I don’t remember one of her, you know, elaborate brunches? And I was just like, wow, there’s a lot of vintage stuff here. Like tea sets and cut crystal punch balls. You know, I’ve never seen.
Kulap Vilaysack
Fine things.
SuChin Pak
Fine things but very specific things and she was laughing she was like, oh my god. Like I can’t stop buying this stuff on eBay. So one year I got her this it’s an artist that makes these I mean I think that they’re beautiful works of art.
SuChin Pak
Oh my god. Kulap has left, she has stood up. Did you get it from the Pygmy Hippo Shoppe? Oh my god. You know what I’m talking about? Your that lady. Oh my god. I can’t believe you have this. This is amazing.
Kulap Vilaysack
It was a gift for my friend Laura Kindred, but I love it so much.
SuChin Pak
Isn’t it so good? So let’s tell everyone. So basically, what this artist does is they take antique tea cups, antique ashtrays, they almost look kind of Victorian.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes.
SuChin Pak
They’re just beautiful and dainty. And their little floral and they’ve got little gold flourishes on them. And then in what looks like blood. This artist writes phrases on these teacups and this one says, bad bitches run this shit. And yours says feminist as fuck. And there’s just something so wicked and funny about it. It’s so subversive. I really like obviously, now that I’m sitting here with you. I like gifts that make people laugh. I like gifts that are very subversive. I like gifts that you wouldn’t buy yourself.
Kulap Vilaysack 18:09
Yeah, it’s a fun juxtaposition.
SuChin Pak
Yeah. So I don’t know they’re little works of art. You can drink your lady’s tea in it, or you can kind of have it around. They’re fun conversation piece. So for me, that’s like a perfect gift for me.
Kulap Vilaysack
I think that’s a great one.
SuChin Pak
That’s so funny that you have it.
Kulap Vilaysack
I saw that. I was like, wait a minute.
SuChin Pak
I didn’t put a lot of things on this list. Because they’re things that I’m considering buying you for the holidays. I was like, Oh, no, I can’t put this on. Because you’re just so easy to shop for. Because I know exactly. Because you and I have the same sense of humor.
Kulap Vilaysack
I mean, that’s kind of funny, because I just want to then jump ahead. And I have a category. It’s a gift for your new podcast co-hosts. Who wears poise pads during travel. I’m not sure yet. I know it’s not coffee. It’s not alcohol. It’s not sparkling water with big bubbles. But things I’ve been looking at. I’m just gonna give you a preview. I’ve haven’t tried it, but it’s something called jungle firming body oil.
SuChin Pak
What is that?
Kulap Vilaysack
It’s from BRAZIL. Here’s this is something that it’s not cheap. And thing is you would never buy it for yourself.
SuChin Pak
I would never be oh my gosh, no, I would never buy this. It’s $98.
Kulap Vilaysack
I could get this for you. And you can try it and if you didn’t like it would be okay. You wouldn’t have to like think about it.
SuChin Pak
What does it do?
Kulap Vilaysack
It’s a fast-absorbing body oil made with rare Amazonian ingredients that firm tone and hydrate.
SuChin Pak
Wow.
Kulap Vilaysack
And it’s eco-friendly rare Amazonian ingredients rich in vitamin.
SuChin Pak
And it’s so luxurious. I bet it smells like the most amazing jungle garden. I love it.
Kulap Vilaysack
The other thought I had was cryofreeze tools.
SuChin Pak 20:02
Now you’re talking my language. What is this? You don’t stick it up your vagina, do you?
Kulap Vilaysack
Once I gave it to you, you can do whatever you want.
SuChin Pak
Okay, I thought that’s what I thought we were playing off of.
Kulap Vilaysack
Other episode and all of our conversations.
SuChin Pak
Yes, you’re right.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes. So that you put these tools in the freezer for Do-It-Yourself Cryo Facial At Home.
SuChin Pak
God I love a cryo facial, you know that.
Kulap Vilaysack
The first thing I thought about, is you take that into your infrared sauna.
SuChin Pak
There’s nowhere else, where else would I be?
Kulap Vilaysack
Right? So you’ve got the cold. The frozen. You put guasha down. You give her a break. Just for a little bit. And then you take these cold metal popsicles and rubby, rubby.
SuChin Pak
Oh my goodness. Look at that. You know me. I love to rub round things on my face. I love to just scrape my face with curved edges.
Kulap Vilaysack
This is it. And the thing is, it’s tough like goop. It’s for a maybe a specific Lulu lemon type person.
SuChin Pak
I dip in. I can’t live there. But I can dip in.
Kulap Vilaysack
And during gift time. It’s such a special thing.
SuChin Pak
I love to that your philosophy about gift giving is really about spoiling someone.
Kulap Vilaysack
Oh, yes.
SuChin Pak
That’s so you. You’re such a like, mama bear taking care of things, you know? Like, that’s the type of gift giver you are. I’m more like, this is a gag. Let it be. Yeah, let me make you laugh. But I love that, that’s the kind of gift giver you are. It’s very sweet.
Kulap Vilaysack
Ah, thank you. So this is up in the air. You may get one of these.
SuChin Pak
Okay, okay.
Kulap Vilaysack
You know, maybe, but I’m thinking, I’m thinking.
SuChin Pak
So, we are leaving 2020. We are entering 2021, and here we are just sitting in our own filth. Unsure of our future.
Kulap Vilaysack 22:11
That’s right. I’m wearing a sweatshirt. I am indeed. sweating.
SuChin Pak
I am urinating more in my pants than I’ve ever done before. And I haven’t even left the house. And this is 2020 we go into 2021. And what I say is alcohol is not enough. It’s just not enough.
Kulap Vilaysack
Okay.
SuChin Pak
What I’d like to give to someone who’s maybe had a pretty rough 2020.
Kulap Vilaysack
Everyone.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, everyone.
Kulap Vilaysack
Except for Kevin.
SuChin Pak
And we just want to sort of obliterate 88% of it are beautiful French desserts made with high quality ingredients that have large amounts of wheat in them. These are cannabis.
Kulap Vilaysack
Wow.
SuChin Pak
French macarons. They’re hand painted. They’re lovingly put together by some French culinary person and they’re just infused with the max amount of cannabis.
Kulap Vilaysack
I am going to add to cart for like I already rolodex in my head right now.
SuChin Pak
Yes, but there’s something that just how beautiful it is now elegant. And there’s a lot of things like this out there now especially in California because it is legal. But there was just something very festive and holiday about it.
Kulap Vilaysack
I mean, that’s gold foil.
SuChin Pak
It’s gold foil and beautiful packaging. Even the name is not that funny. They all got high. And they said, Dude, what’s the most like boozy name we could come up with that we’re going to make cannabis French desserts? So that’s better than a person in your life that you’re like, Can we just forget 2020 happens? And go into 2021 with lots of hope.
Kulap Vilaysack 24:10
And a little bit of decoratives Yeah, also, I’m getting a word that our producer Claire’s mom would also like this as well.
SuChin Pak
Yeah. Claire’s mom is our is our jam. Oh, she could have these with the run this bitch teacup.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes. While reading the nutshell.
SuChin Pak
Nutshell studies. I want to meet Claire’s mom.
Kulap Vilaysack
Okay, so how about a gift for your 10-year-old sneaker head gamer athletic nephew who got a perm in July now wants to cut it off.
SuChin Pak
Wait, why did wait? Why did he get a perm?
Kulap Vilaysack
He wanted it. He is such, he is the funniest guy. His name is Kai. He’s 10 years old, one of the funniest dudes I’ve ever met in my life.
SuChin Pak
Oh my God, my Kai would love this.
Kulap Vilaysack
So I’m thinking, you know, it is a ninja warrior obstacle course so you can set up in your backyard. Now I’m just realizing that Christmas is always in December and he lives in Minnesota. And that may be that could he just have to wait, he’d have to wait. Maybe he could set up inside but basically, so it’s 10 accessories, different training equipment. It’s a slackline and you just put various things on it. You got a swivel wheel. You got a monkey fist. You got a rope ladder.
SuChin Pak
Oh my god. It’s Ninja Warrior training.
Kulap Vilaysack
Exactly.
SuChin Pak
In your backyard, perfect.
Kulap Vilaysack
My nephew. You know, he asked me for Yeezys all the time. I mentioned he’s a sneaker head. I just am not going to do that. I’m not gonna give him that.
SuChin Pak
No, for so many reasons.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SuChin Pak
Problematic.
Kulap Vilaysack
So I don’t want to give him Yeezys. And then he also is a big-time gamer. He’s always asking me to play games. And I’m like, Auntie doesn’t want to, I just don’t want to. So I want him outside. He also plays basketball and football, soccer. He’s very athletic. So I want him I want him you know.
SuChin Pak 26:20
Outside.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yes, outside again. And now I out loud, I realize it will be winter. And maybe I need to rethink that. I want him to be outside more in temperate weather.
SuChin Pak
So there are two types of people in our lives. There’s the type of person who wants to drown their sorrows, you know, in French macaroons that are filled with cannabis. And then there are those that see 2020 and 2021. Like their lessons their restarts, they’re human kind, you know, reaching out for.
Kulap Vilaysack
It’s an opportunity.
SuChin Pak
Exactly. These are people that have mantras. These are people that use essential oils. These are people that believe in poetry. And these are people that believe in hope. So I don’t have many people in my life like this.
SuChin Pak
Ah, oh, this is good.
SuChin Pak
So this is from the Marie Kondo site. She’s got a lot of really cute gift ideas. But this is a Wabi Sabi. I’m going to pronounce it incorrectly, kintsugi repair kit. So Wabi Sabi is sort of the Japanese art of repairing something that is broken, usually, it’s like a piece of porcelain with it’s almost like gold, I guess, gold blue or gold paint. And so when you put it back together again, it’s beautiful. And it’s stronger at the points that it broke, you know what I mean? So there’s a real poetry to it, right? That it celebrates imperfection, that it celebrates things that are broken, and that you can put back together again, and that somehow in that putting back together, they’re stronger and more whole. So this kit comes with all of the you know, the gold paint that you would need for that and then two little ceramic cups that you can break and then glue back together again with this beautiful gold paint. And there’s enough of it where you could break everything and you’re all the ceramics in your kitchen as you rant and you know range.
SuChin Pak
I don’t know if there’s enough gold paint to do that, SuChin. $25 kid is going to help you put back your TV that you’ve throwed out.
SuChin Pak 28:52
I know. That’s why I said it was for people who have hope. I thought this was a nice $25 it comes in beautiful wrapping. I am a big Marie Kondo fan I just love her philosophy. We’ve talked about this before about just sparking joy and all of that.
Kulap Vilaysack
Respecting your items.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, so I just thought that this was a nice gift for someone who maybe is looking at 2021 a little differently than you and I, or let’s just speak for myself.
Kulap Vilaysack
I let’s see. What else do I have? Oh, a gift for your sister-in-law who is (UNCLEAR) things of everyone first. Thera gun Mini. I’ve been using it.
SuChin Pak
And?
Kulap Vilaysack
I love it. I think it’s great now.
SuChin Pak
For real?
Kulap Vilaysack
I really do but I don’t have experience with other gadgets as you described you know past episodes before but this guy has been doing me great.
SuChin Pak
Where do you use it?
Kulap Vilaysack
I discovered newly and it totally makes sense to I guess everyone but me until this moment that this right here, my, I don’t know the muscle names, but my breast meat, you know, my chest and breast meat. I’m constantly hunched over my computer writing Oh, so right under like your armpit where your breast meat is. And even like just the side, just my chest in general, me working on that area opens my upper back, which historically I’ve just had a really tight upper back. So I’m using it there. I’m using it on my calves. I’m using it on my feet.
SuChin Pak 30:28
And it’s like a good force. Like it’s like a good punch.
Kulap Vilaysack
Oh, yes,
SuChin Pak
I’m getting one this.
Kulap Vilaysack
It’s a really good punch.
SuChin Pak
I’m going to get it from that app you’re using.
Kulap Vilaysack
Fast AF.
SuChin Pak
I want to try this like today.
Kulap Vilaysack
Oh, great. And my sister-in-law, she’s a nurse.
SuChin Pak
This is a great gift for someone like her.
Kulap Vilaysack
We’ve talked about this before. And we’ve only had three episodes of the podcast, very little episodes, but just the desire to have a massage. I miss it so and this is this is giving me something. So far, we’ve talked about it on every episode.
SuChin Pak
Maybe the desire is strong, I hear you. And this is an item that I feel like it has been talked about so much. It’s so highly rated. It’s been in an open cart of mine, probably for about a year and a half. So I’m actually gonna pull the trigger on this. I’m excited.
SuChin Pak
My next gift is for your world traveler stuck at home.
Kulap Vilaysack
Okay.
SuChin Pak
It’s for the person that loves to travel that gets life from traveling. Can’t obviously do it now and instead has to eat his or her feelings.
Kulap Vilaysack
Is it me?
SuChin Pak
I considered getting this where you may get it. Have you seen this? It’s called Baksu. And it’s a subscription box of artisan handmade Japanese snacks. That comes once a month.
Kulap Vilaysack 32:06
This would be for my youngest sister Alyssa.
SuChin Pak
And it’s just beautiful Japanese snacks that are made by small makers in Japan. They’re really unique. Every box is filled with them and they come delivered to your door and you can get a minimum subscription of three boxes, which I really like you can do the three for someone. And that way they’ll get it you know, in December in January and February. I like giving subscriptions as gifts to you know, it’s like every month you’re like oh SuChin thought of me you know that sort of thing. So anyway, it’s a beautiful box.
Kulap Vilaysack
My sister Alyssa. She really wanted to try mochi donuts. And there wasn’t any in Minnesota. So she just started making them and cut to.
SuChin Pak
This is perfect for her.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah, cut to her doing three sold out pop ups. The last one being Halloween weekend.
SuChin Pak
Wow.
Kulap Vilaysack
So she works full time at Target. And then it’s just liked her side hustle of making mochi donuts. So like this is so good for her.
SuChin Pak
There’s a lot of snacks, subscription boxes, and I kind of looked into a lot of them. This was the one that I liked the most because it was so very handpicked and curated. Like they have Korean snack boxes, but it was like gin ramen. And you know what I mean? Like stuff that you can already get.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah, I’ve seen Thai ones where it just seems like oh, you went to a convenience store and just like yeah, add to cart.
SuChin Pak
No, this is stuff that you could really only get in Japan. I feel like this snack box in particular. They did a really good job of doing that. So that’s my idea.
Kulap Vilaysack
I miss travel so much, SuChin
SuChin Pak
I know. And I love going into an airport. No in a foreign city and just buying like their version of potato chips.
SuChin Pak
Yes, thank you.
SuChin Pak
You know you’re like, Okay, sure. I think there’s macadamia nuts on this. Honey and chocolate. Alright, I’ll try it.
Kulap Vilaysack
It’s French toast chips. Yeah, okay. Oh,
SuChin Pak
it’s a fried snail. Haha. That’s interesting. Yeah, like and we’re just snacking all day long. So it’s practical.
Kulap Vilaysack
So my last one my last category, in our HYPER SPECIFIC GIFT GUIDE is a gift for a husband who collects albums, blu rays, and comic books and CDs and CDs in a storage unit that I guess will always keep apparently just in case he’s hard to buy for in a way because.
SuChin Pak
I hate buying for my husband. I never know what to buy.
Kulap Vilaysack
They’re the generally you’re going to get what they want. Already. You know? So I have to kind of think outside of the box. And so have you heard of the aura ring sleep tracker?
SuChin Pak
No.
Kulap Vilaysack
When the NBA was going to go into the bubble before they went to the bubble, which was very successful. By the way, no one got sick, it was pretty successful not like baseball or football. This ring was talked about because of that it was a sort of a health tracker. And that it would kind of help indicate COVID. But really more than anything, it’s good for like sleep study into kind of like, it’s just another kind of like health monitor type thing.
SuChin Pak
So you wear it?
Kulap Vilaysack
You wear to sleep. And it provides data.
SuChin Pak
So it’s like on an app. So you’ll see like how many hours you slept.
Kulap Vilaysack
Exactly. Its ability to track your heart rate, heart rate variability, and shows how those vital signs change when you sleep, meditate and go about daily activity, as well as give you concrete suggestions for improving your sleep based on that data. And Scott has a hard time sleeping. And this 100% could go in the category of he tries it once, like free. He tried an Apple Watch maybe for like a couple weeks and he put it away. But I wonder if maybe this would help at all? I don’t know it’s not cheap, but it’s highly recommended. I read about it in the New York Times in a wire cutter. So it sounds good.
SuChin Pak
No. And it’s just the type of thing that like someone like Scott who either has trouble sleeping likes data, you know what I mean?
Kulap Vilaysack
Loves his phone.
SuChin Pak
At least he will enjoy like trying it out, you know?
Kulap Vilaysack
But it also could be really cool as well. Yeah. So I think he’d appreciate it.
SuChin Pak
Especially if it helps.
Kulap Vilaysack
That’s true. And then the other thing that is a little different is I would also get him the Epicurean Stainless Steel Pizza Cutter, which is just looks like a hardcore.
SuChin Pak
Do you guys but make your own pizza at home a lot?
Kulap Vilaysack
Scott. During quarantine. Early quarantine. He was making cakes. And now we’re past cakes. We’re living in a post cake quarantine. And then he started making pizzas now.
SuChin Pak
Like handmade pizza like he does the dough himself and every?
Kulap Vilaysack
Well the dough usually it’s fresh premade.
SuChin Pak
Right. Do you guys have like a pizza oven?
Kulap Vilaysack
No, we don’t. But yeah, we’ve been making it and truly, like it tastes better than delivery. So it’s just been, you know, fun to do.
SuChin Pak
Oh my god.
Kulap Vilaysack
I’ll make pizza. It’s great. He’s not really like cooking otherwise. So it’s been such a delight for him to either make a cake or make a pizza. Thankfully, again, we’re post cake. We’re probably going to start doing more cakes in the holidays. But we were doing quite a bit of cakes early quarantine.
SuChin Pak
Pizzas and cakes. I think people love making them because they’re just, they’re very satisfying things to make. You know what I mean? Like, it’s so like, tangible what you did with your time, you know, and you know, pizza, there’s something very, like visually satisfying as well about baking and making things like this. I think it’s you, you know, when it comes to shopping for your partners that truly, I don’t believe in this very phrase very much. It’s not universal. It’s a thought that counts. Because I’m more like, just give me cash if you’re not sure. But when it comes to your partners, it is really truly the thought that counts. I can see you’re not going to get it perfect. Because Yeah, the person that you’re with, they usually will bite themselves or, you know, it’s hard.
SuChin Pak
I may disagree on that when you know my habit, which is for Scott, I make a list. And then that’s like me creating a little boutique for him to shop from. And that way, you know like it, I will be forgotten it by the time. You know, it comes to me and it certainly is like a surprise come Christmas morning. But it’s a list.
SuChin Pak
I would love it. If my husband would accept such a list. He finds that to be crass. And because of you know, demeaning. And I mean, he just puts so much on it. I’m like so basically, you don’t want to get me a gift. Just say that. I would love to get him a list. My List says one thing.
Kulap Vilaysack
Yeah. What if one of my gifts is that you accept this list?
SuChin Pak
Exactly. He just he doesn’t. He’s never subscribed to that. I don’t know. He just doesn’t really like it.
Kulap Vilaysack
He won’t add to cart.
SuChin Pak
No, he will not add to cart. Yeah, this is that we’ll have to have him on our show and talk about his he’s got a thing about buying stuff and gift giving that like we have to like have extra therapy sessions around the holidays because I really like doing that. I like gift giving. I like the whole gesture of it. I don’t care. You know, really what’s in the box. Yeah. And that kind of stuff drives me crazy.
Kulap Vilaysack
Is he more about like experiences?
SuChin Pak
No, he’s more like, this is what he’ll say. He’ll say, I’m more like I want to spontaneously give you gifts. I don’t want to give you gifts at a prescribed time that someone has put on a calendar of, you know, whatever. Now, how many times have I gotten a spontaneous gift?
Kulap Vilaysack 40:10
One time?
SuChin Pak
No, the other one.
Kulap Vilaysack
He doesn’t like authority. Institution telling him when how, but then again, doesn’t at all. Okay, copy that Copy that. Yeah. Loud and clear.
SuChin Pak
So my last gift because every year it’s like teachers gifts is like a really big thing. Because you have to get something for your teachers like.
Kulap Vilaysack
They don’t get paid enough.
SuChin Pak
No, they don’t get paid enough. We’re not barbarians, they do such hard work. And especially now during this time, they’re doing work that they themselves are, you know, struggling with and they show up every day for our kids, you have to get a bunch of these. And you know, I wanted to make sure that it was something that everyone could enjoy. And so I found this thing on Etsy. It’s a beginner knitting kit. And it’s a starter kit. It’s a DIY starting kit. So they have everything in this box to make a really beautiful big cozy scarf and then you they have a video that apparently is really, really good. That is very clear on the instructions. And so you can sit and knit your own scarf. And it’s not a difficult thing. You know, like, I think it’s something that you can do in an afternoon or, you know, learn very quickly. Like it’s pretty basic coming from someone who’s never knitted one thing in her life,
Kulap Vilaysack
I was gonna ask you like, this is not a skill that I have.
SuChin Pak
No, it’s not a skill that I have. But if someone got me this, I’m like, Oh, of course. I want to learn how to bake bread and make pizza and knit things.
Kulap Vilaysack
You’re more prompted to try it if someone gives it to you.
SuChin Pak
Yeah, and I think it’s also really nice because it’s very tactile and there’s something satisfying about seeing an end result. It just reminded me of giving back to our teachers who are in a virtual world you know, that got into this because they love being around kids because they love being around the classroom and being able to see, touch, smell, you know the environment and they’re not able to do that. So this felt like something that was akin to that that they could get back to I think this is going to be my teacher gifts this year.
Kulap Vilaysack 42:25
That’s really nice. so that’s it our HYPER SPECIFIC GIFT GUIDE for all your hyper specific friends.
SuChin Pak
And everything you heard us talk about will be on our Instagram at @addtocartpo
Kulap Vilaysack
Happy Holidays everyone.
SuChin Pak
Don’t worry we will be back literally next week.
CREDITS
ADD TO CART is a production of Lemonada Media. Our producer is Claire Jones and our editor is Bill Lance. The music is by WASAHHBII and produced by La Made It and Oh So Familiar with additional music by APM music. Executive producers are Kulap Vilaysack, SuChin Pak, Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Be sure to check out all the items we mentioned today on our Instagram at @addtocartpod. Also take a moment to rate review and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts.
