Happy Holidays! We’re keeping it light and festive with a special replay of one of our favorite past episodes: Our Favorite Things(episode 72)!
We’re sharing everything from holiday traditions to snacks, gift-giving tips, and even our favorite tools for keeping life (and work) simple. Whether you’re wrapping presents or just need a breather during the busy season, this episode is perfect for bringing some cheer to your day.
In this episode, we chat about:
Christmas traditions we love (and some we’ve let go).
Go-to holiday foods (and why marshmallows belong on sweet potato casserole).
How we organize holiday decor for stress-free decorating.
Thoughtful gift ideas (including a 2-tier Lazy Susan and homemade cookies).
Why simple joys, like clean countertops and naps, are our ultimate favorites.
🎧 So grab your cocoa, turn on the holiday lights, and join us for this lighthearted episode. We’re so grateful to celebrate another year with you.

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The following is a rough transcript provided by Otter.ai.
Speaker 1 0:00
Hi y’all, welcome to hustle. Humbly, it’s Alyssa and Katie and we are two top producing realtors in the Baton Rouge market. We work for two different companies where we should be competitors, but we have chosen community over competition. The

Alissa 0:11
goal of our podcast is to encourage you to find your own way in business. So stop comparing yourself and start embracing your strengths. Hi,

Unknown Speaker 0:18
Alyssa. Hey, Katie. Welcome to episode number 281. A sweet little replay of episode number 72 perfect. We figured it’s Christmas Eve. Eve. Is that right? Is that what’s happening today? Yes, yes, wow. That’s what today is.

Speaker 1 0:33
That’s why we’re just gonna do a fun, casual little light replay, light replay of some fun little things.

Alissa 0:39
So it was our favorite things, yeah, I asked our searchie. So you know, if you’re in community, we have the AI feature where Jay has uploaded all of the hustle, humbly episodes, correct? So you can ask this searchie Any question, yeah, and it will give you what our answer, what our answer was, yeah, it’ll also tell you what episode we set it in. So I just asked, like, what are some things that Alyssa and Katie say are their favorite things? Please tell them. These are the answers. Clean countertops. True. Very true. Bacon. That was me, yeah, I love bacon. Love her bacon. Okay, love her bacon. Real fires in a wood burning fireplace. This feels like you, yeah, because I like a fire, but I’m fine with my gas. Yeah, I’m fine with my gas too, but I do like, like a bonfire. Okay, sure. Oh yeah, that’s fun getting her hair washed. That was me.

Speaker 1 1:41
Yeah, okay. I love having it washed. I like having clean hair, but I don’t need someone to do it for me. Oh, I love it. Having

Alissa 1:48
it done is just, yeah, such a treat. Being in the middle of a good book or series. Well, this sounds like you again. I know. I think it just gave me mine. I don’t. I know that I agree. I said, Girls, true. We both said naps. We are both snappers cookies. That’s you like me. I like a cookie, but you love a cookie, but specifically a chocolate chip cookie, yeah, maybe a little salt on top. Oh my gosh, so good, so good. And then the last one was you white walls with colorful decor. That sounds like me, because you’d like to change what it looks like. You know, don’t pick a color neutral base. Switch out your accessories. Yeah. Thank you to AI for helping us with those. Tell me now, because that episode was so long ago, yeah, what are some of your current favorite things? Not that we listen, we don’t remember. It could be a repeat of what you said. But are there any things that you feel like you’re feel like are new to you be a favorite? So this year, okay? For our fifth birthday, yes, for the podcast, we went to Waco, that’s right, and I bought this thumb ring. Oh, I’m showing YouTube faces. I don’t think I could go without it. You just love it. I just love it. I love how it looks when I’m holding a coffee cup. It’s cute. I’ve tried thumb rings before, okay, and they never work. This one is precious. It stays like getting them to stay has always been. This is just dainty enough. It’s real cute. I just love it. Cindy got the same one. Yeah, she lost hers already. He lost her. You’re no longer have a buddy. Okay, so the thumb ring, so if I lost it, I’d probably get another one. Okay, I did not see that coming. That’s a good one surprise. Um, sourdough, I feel like it’s now one of my favorites. And that’s literally two months old at this point.

Speaker 1 3:35
Yeah, and I love that. You love baking it because you like eating I do so like eating it. I

Alissa 3:43
think that I always laugh. I would love for anyone to like, message us and tell us their brand categories. You know, Chelsea teaches like your brand menu or your categories, like, what are the things that you talk about on your social media or whatever, or like, you know, some people wear the same color. Some people you know, talk about their dogs. Some people like, you know, your brand categories include treats, yeah, yeah, right. Okay. So, like, if you’re at the house, you always take a photo of a nice tree. Yeah? I have to laugh, because I have no shortage of things that I like, share and I’m interested in. And every time I get, like, into something, Chelsea or someone else will be like, this could be one of your brand categories. Or, like, this is your brand category. I’m like, another one. I can’t have another like, yeah, because now I feel like the last one she told me was estate sales. Oh, yeah, estates. Like, sure. Every couple of you know, weeks or so, we go to one on a Friday. I don’t know. I have no shortage of interest.

Speaker 1 4:37
I know one of your new categories. What is it? Spanx? Oh yeah, tell them what happened. Okay, y’all, so I just get the regular emails where they send you an email to sell you stuff, because I buy clothes from there. Yeah. This is not an ad. This is not sponsored, not sponsored. I should get extra points. I mean, thanks. If you want to pay us, we’ll take it. But this is not sponsored. So

Alissa 4:58
they send out a just a. Regular email to anyone on their email list that says, Hey, would you like to become affiliate partner? And I’m like, Well, I wear the Spanx and I buy the Spanx and I don’t mind. And just so people know the Spanx jeans and sweatshirts and stuff are so nice amazing, because I think we were at Friendsgiving and someone was like, oh, Spanx isn’t just, oh yeah, Spanx. We’re like, it’s close. Like, it’s everything’s really good, yeah? Like, amazing. All the air essentials These jeans are, Spanx, are

Speaker 1 5:29
they? Yeah, I love it. They’re super old. They’re like, three years old. I

Alissa 5:34
love it. Okay, so they said in the email, do you want to do this? You just need to fill out this application and have 500 followers. And I’m like, Okay, done, yeah, application. And they’re like, thank you. You’ve been approved. And I’m like, well, thank you, great. They send me a voucher to get, like, a free item, and then they’re like, they just have, it’s an app, right? And they just have challenges or, like, post in your story, you know, what’s on your wish list or do, and they’ll give you points, and then you can, like, move up in tears or whatever. It’s not like you have to do this at a certain time. Yeah, pick some stuff. So I was like, All right, you’re like, I wear it anyway. I like it. It’s one of my favorite things. I know that’s what made me think, good call. Alyssa, yeah, what else do you got anything new? Hmm, I

Speaker 1 6:14
can’t I like, whipped cream on my coffee. That’s two. No, I just don’t think I said that last time. I love that. I mean, I feel like I like a lot of things. I know sometimes I wonder, like, when people like I don’t know what I like, I’m like, But how,

Alissa 6:30
speaking of trees, I have a quick, funny story. Please tell them. Maybe we can just let them hear our favorite right? Let’s do it from years ago. Okay, perfect. With our Home Inspector, he sent me a picture yesterday, and he was like, on a roof doing a home inspection, and the buyer, I’m not involved in this transaction, but there’s a gorgeous tree in the front yard. So he sends me a picture from the roof of the tree, and he’s like, so what do you do when other people sell the houses with the great trees? I said, I come in the night before the final walk through, and I chop it down.

Speaker 1 7:05
Oh, my God, you would never do that. I would never hurt a tree. You would never hurt a

Alissa 7:12
tree. But it just made me laugh. That is really funny, but that’s how people know, like they see a tree and they text me, you know, look, that’s the power of having a brand menu at a brand category, telling people what your favorite things are. You may think it’s dumb, but everyone wants to know more about you. Yeah, I love it, all right, so I guess y’all listen to some favorite things, yeah? And have a lovely holiday. Have a Merry Christmas. Yeah, put your phone away. Well, yeah, right, if you’re here, thank you for coming. Yeah? Now, goodbye, bye. Hello, Alyssa. Hey, Katie, it is episode 72 the week of Christmas. The week of Christmas, yay. This comes out on the 21st of December. Okay, okay, so we decided we wanted to be light for Christmas, and we’re gonna do our favorite things. Yeah, our, you know, these are a few of our favorite things. Sure, in all sorts of ways, real estate things and not real estate things, not real estate things, and fluff things, and, you know, maybe more serious things. Okay, are you ready? Sure to tell us all about your favorite thing. I guess today, I brought my new mug, and I love your new mug, hot cocoa so I could feel festive, and I picked up my peppermint mocha on the way here, and love it. So we’re feeling super festive. Yeah, I’m not like a big pumpkin Spicer, but I like a peppermint mocha. I like, I like a peppermint I like a chocolate, yeah, anything peppermint and chocolate is good, yeah? Like, when I go to coffee, call to get beignets. I do half Cafe Au, lait, half hot chocolate. Oh, and then I dip my beignet in it. That sounds amazing. I let them soak them in it, and then I eat it. That really sounds good. It’s it’s something. Okay, so that’s one of your favorites. Look off to a good start. Yes, I need to try it. I need more than, yeah, maybe just in my hot cocoa. You know, I don’t want anything to do with the coffee. In fact, I actually wrote on here, and I’m so glad that you brought it up. What your favorite coffee order was mine? Yeah, but that sounds like it. What about non holiday? What is your favorite coffee order? We know I’m not a big, huge coffee drinker either anymore. Yeah. I mean, I just want whipped cream on top of it. It can be like a regular coffee like whipped cream on top of it, loving it. Yeah, that’s all I really need. I like a hot tea. I like a hot cocoa, and I like a ice tea. Yes, I could. I would rather go through a drive through and get, like, a sweet tea from somewhere, for sure. And like, munch on the ice after, yeah, good ice, the ice is important. I actually on my list of favorite things was ice. On there restaurants that have crushed ice. Yes, it crushed bistro Byrons has a good ice. Has to be like a sonic ice, like a real good ice, then you could chew on without breaking your teeth, right? Yes. So I look. Into getting, like, an actual ice machine. Yeah, they’re like, five grand or, like, I don’t know that I can always justify this. The thing is, is that I couldn’t really find one for residential, everything, commercial. Oh, I have a friend with one. I’m gonna find out for you. I think I found one residential for like, 2800 maybe that was better, much better. If I’d have found that first, I would have been like, no way. But after finding like, Oh, it’s a steal for 5000 I thought, well, that’s not so bad, I know. But then I don’t know. I’m I would still buy one. Okay, if I could, great. Now we’re all gonna go on a hunt for the perfect ice machine for you. You You have a crush ice machine in your house. Yeah? Sonic ice. Message us. Here’s my question. Is Sonic like an everywhere thing, or is that a southern thing? Or, like, I think it’s everywhere, big, national, you’ll know what the sonic ice? Yeah, the crushed ice, right? Okay, great. Okay, what about this Christmas week? Yeah. What’s your favorite thing about Christmas? Okay, so I love when Food Network starts doing all of, like, their holiday edition, like the holiday cakes, yes, holiday Baking Championship. You like when they’re in a competition? Yeah? I like those too. Like, see all their stuff, yeah? But they’re always in the middle of making something, and they’re like, oh, go ahead and add raisins to that. Like, oh, at Orange Peel now, right? But why? Yeah, the competition part of that is really funny, and my kids like to watch them, and they like to watch the ones that are like, children doing like, yes, competition. Our manager in my office, her granddaughter was one night the the Food Network fully forgotten. I think it was, I think it was cooking. I don’t think it was just big, yeah. It was like, it was cooking, yeah. She did a great job. She almost won. I don’t remember what’s called, she actually got really far. That’s pretty amazing. But also, just like my holiday candles, like I don’t do a lot of decorating, right? Um, I mean, I pay someone to put up my Christmas life every year, which is my thing, that’s smart. It’s my thing. Um, we were laughing, though, because this year we have this one big tree in our backyard, and so I added it this year, and we, like, turned out the lights to go to bed, and it’s like, it’s like, blazing into your bed. It’s like, Oh my God. It’s like, Good morning, and we have blackout gardens, and it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Oh gosh, Clark, we like, well, we laid down and my husband Tanner goes, we’re gonna have to do something about this. Like, not gonna work. Are they not on a timer? They? Are they? They are on from 6pm until midnight. Oh, too long. Too long when you go to bed at night. Oh, well, yeah, that’s way too long. Oh, my heaven. So, um, it’s funny, though, because if I wake up in the middle of the middle of the night, I look at the window and I’m like, Oh, well, it’s after midnight. Very confused, yeah, like it started being dark outside, but yes, I put up the light, and I have a pre lit tree I’ll put up. But I really just don’t find much joy in decorating. I find the join decorating. So you know what I think I need, what I think I need someone to like, be excited to like, want to come over and do it. Would be the thing you don’t want it alone. But Haven is wanting to do it. So that might help a little bit, right? But um, and here’s where I’m at. I like to do the decorating, but I want it to look how I want it to look. And my children are obviously old enough to be interested in it, but also to want to participate in that. They want to put the things where they think they should go, Yeah, and I’m not so great about that, and I’m like, so really that they’re like, really, my goal is to get that thing like the I don’t mind, on the tree they can help and do whatever they want, and put the ugliest ornaments in the world, sure, like, I make some of the really ugly ones disappear, but, like, if they handmade it, the archery is multi, like, whatever. Okay, okay, it’s not themed. Got all different kinds of ornaments. I’m fine with that, but I just don’t want them to, like, start doing my bookshelves. Yeah, I feel about my bookshelves and your mantle, really, that’s got and so I’m trying to try to get it done before you’re out, like, out of school for Thanksgiving, right? Because then all of a sudden, it’s like, I don’t know how to get this done while you’re here and tell you, like, no, no, baby, that doesn’t look so good. Mama doesn’t like it there. Yeah, we move it. It’s just that. And I’m like, I’m too nice, and I’ll just let him do it. And then I’m like, oh, then you’re not as joyful. I’m not as joyful. I need the bookshelves to look how I want them to look, right? So anyway, but I do like to Christmas decorate. I’m going to start giving more of it away. Though, when you’re like every year, you incur, well, you might not, but I incur more Christmas decor because I’m at we I’ll go after Christmas and buy it on clearance and be like. I love this. This is great. And then I’m like, I don’t ever get rid of anything shirts. And then it’s just building up, and I need to, like, pair it down. Look. The posts that are drawing my eye the most this year are, like, so super simple. I’m like, Look, it’s one sprig of, like, greenery and a pillow. Yes, we’re done, beautiful, and the trees lit, and that’s it. Good night. I feel like lights go a long way. They sure do. They sure do. Haven doesn’t think it’s enough, though it’s never enough for kids. My kids want the blow up, yeah, and, you know, I don’t like a blow up. I saw someone on Instagram recently post like the holiday do’s and don’ts, and it was like, do white, simple lights, don’t inflatables. Yeah, don’t do those inflatables. But Haven lost them. They kids love them. I know. No, thanks. Okay, so do you have a favorite Christmas movie while we’re on Christmas? So I don’t know if, like, I had started this as an adult, if it would be my favorite, but growing up, we always watched the Muffet Christmas Carol. Oh, my gosh, really, that’s funny, the Muppet version Christmas Carol. Oh, and now I just love it. Okay? The Grinch gets me every time, and it even kind of makes me emotional at the end. Okay, right? Um, any version of it. Oh, all of them. I love all of them. Okay, um, what about you? I like a home alone, yeah, big fan of Christmas vacation. We used to decorate our tree while that was playing every year until we have kids. And it’s not exactly appropriate for children. Yeah, I haven’t seen it in a long time. Maybe when my kids are a little bit older, we’ll be able to go back to that tradition. But now I can’t so much, I mean, but I like a Christmas movie. Yeah, I’m a fan of frosty and Rudolph and all the like, the classics, yeah, but I have to watch Christmas vacation at least once in the season. It’s very important. Yes, okay, all right. What else you got? You have a favorite, like holiday food or holiday

Alissa 17:01
I just enjoy going to the holiday parties. And this is like the little finger foods, I know, but how are you 2020? Excited for them this year, because the ones I have been invited to are, first of all, of course, there’s not as many, right? But the ones that I have been invited to are much smaller, and I’m kind of excited about that intimate, yeah, that’s nice. Like, just being able to, like, sit around the fire. I usually chat. I like it. It being more casual, yeah? So I’m excited about that. And I like just finger foods. Like, holiday, yeah, you know, like things, yeah, little charcuterie type. Yeah, snacks. You like a snack? A good snack. I love a snack too. Okay, I like that. What else she like that? You’re just like thinking about things. Yes, I don’t know how I’ve ended up on the greening castle. I love green beans, Rubble too. And and I make it. It’s literally what the can of French onion site, you know. So, yeah, it’s not complicated. Yes, I do add extra green beans in the French cut variety to make it fancier. Okay, but still, always, always, always make that. My sister typically does some desserts. My mom still makes like, you know, the cornbread dressing. She’s getting pretty smart, though. She makes enough at Thanksgiving to freeze half, and it’s basically like the same meal again on Christmas. But we just got that thing right out of the freezer, and it’s a great idea. A dressing is ready. The She even does like the sweet potato casserole that way, I mean, and she freezes it and it unfreezes fine, yeah. Well, then, I mean, when now we get Here’s a great question for you, do you get marshmallows on your sweet potato casserole? Yes, yeah. Girl, so you freeze the sweet potato part, sure, not the mushrooms part. And then when you warm it up, you put this, put the marshmallow Correct. Okay, so it works out great. Like, yeah, she freezes. They even, they get a big ham at Thanksgiving, and they freeze part of that and take it back out, like a big sliced ham, yeah? Like a Honey Baked Ham, yeah? All comes back out at Christmas. I’ll just see my mom wants to get on that bandwagon this year, so smart, because then on Christmas, it’s just like, maybe my dad would still fry a turkey, or if they’re doing something like that, but all the sides and things, do it one time, while you have everything out, he got it out. That’s a great idea. If you’ve got freezer space, there you go. Hmm, that’s my hot tip. It might be a little late when people are listening to this next year, yeah, go for it. Everything is they’re gonna all be like, Oh, shoot. That was so, so genius. So after Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we have turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas the day. So the Friday after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas, my grandmother that does Monday night dinner every Monday Uh huh, has club sandwiches, oh yeah, and she has the turkey and the ham and has, like, BLT, yeah, she makes bacon and we have BLT. Cheese and, like, Lay’s potato chips, like a regular, right, right? And if there’s leftover casseroles and stuff, and we just, you eat it all, yeah, she’s like, it’s, it’s ready from like, noon till four. So it’s like an open house style, bring some to go, yes, but we do it on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And it’s like my favorite, because you literally just come in your sweatpants, right? And there’s no expectation, and, oh, that’s fun. It’s wonderful. I like that great tradition. That’s a good tradition, no pressure, right? And then on Christmas Eve, my family does waffles with my mom’s side of the family. Oh, like at night, morning, morning. That’s cute. That’s like, that’s the thing is always trying to figure out where to put families and as you have kids of your own, and incorporating in laws and making sure every see everybody right. And I’m really thankful. I feel like both of our families have been very flexible and willing to work with each other. Yes, my sisters get married and have married. It’s a lot of things to coordinate. It really is a lot of things to coordinate. But I I feel like, um, so like on Thanksgiving. I know it’s Christmas, but back in the day on Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, we always turkey trot. Okay with my husband’s family, okay, which is like a 5k downtown, wow. We just walk. Okay, you it’s beautiful. We have our coffee. We walk. The kids are in the strollers, and then it’s a three mile walk through the beautiful trees downtown, around the lake by the state capitol. Love it. And then we have breakfast brunch at my mother in law’s house. This is on Thanksgiving Day. On Thanksgiving Day, we’re usually done around like 1130 or 12, uh huh. We take a nap, you better. My family does cocktails at two o’clock, and we eat at four. I love it. So we have, we usually get there around 230 or three. Oh, but it’s just nice. It’s nice that they’re okay with doing breakfast with us. It’s kind of nice that, right? So you skip the middle of the day meal, yes? And you get, and there’s two, oh, you know, yeah, two lunches and trying to make everybody happy, and the kids don’t have rest. And, right? Okay, I like that. Yeah, and that’s it kind of reminds me of Christmas Eve, because we do my mom’s side in the morning, and then there’s like, a little break, and we usually do my husband’s side that evening. I like it. So, okay, that’s fun. It is fun. And I like knowing what to expect every year. Yeah, it’s kind of nice once it’s set. Yes, it’s hard once things start shifting again, right? Like, how do I figure this out? So I wonder how things will look different. You know, this year for I’m sure some people with big, big families, like they’re changing it all up. You know, I heard Zoom is allowing unlimited minutes for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Oh, that’s cute. So, like you, you know, normally I think it’s free for 40 minutes, yeah, stay on there all day. Yeah, if you want to talk to your family, imagine you had the computer open on, like, the island in the kitchen, and, like, just people who aren’t there, like, you’re just cooking out. Like, here you go. Oh my gosh, that’s fun. Yeah, okay, so what about when you’re shopping? This made me think of this. Do you have a favorite catalog or a favorite place to shop for? No thing you don’t care about any let me tell you you’re like, No, I have nothing I want to hear about. Your method, though, your method for buying Christmas decorations, storing them. Oh, my God, it’s that. I think the reason I just I have a mental block with getting on the bandwagon is the thought of like unloading them religious, putting them back, and I wanted to be neat and organized, a commitment, I will say, okay, I can commit. Luckily, because my house is two stories, I have what I call a walk up attic. I don’t have to get down attic stairs. Okay, the ladder, yeah, I’m walking up the regular stairs also. Okay, great. I walk up the regular stairs. I swing open the door to the attic, and Jay has made a set of shelves, right when you get in there. That’s pretty large shells, shells in the attic. Okay, that’s what you need. So I have a set of shelves, and that way I have probably, this is probably embarrassing. There’s probably, like, 10 good sized plastic tubs of Christmas. Sure, I’m trying to get it down, but it’s really hard. And they say 10, yeah, girl, there’s a lot of it. Okay? Some of it needs to probably go. It might be down to six. One of them is so big you wouldn’t even believe it if you saw the box. Okay? But they are each labeled as, and I did this a few years ago, Christmas, one of six. Let’s just say, six. Okay, since sounds embarrassing. Christmas, one of six. Christmas, two of six. Christmas, three of six. So I can see all of the boxes and then underneath it, like, let’s just say, and that’s what. Trying to tell you, I need to get rid of it. Back in the day, I used to have a red and green decorated tree. Why don’t do that anymore? So the red and green ended up in their own box, and it would say red and green. Maybe one day I’ll go just like the old jeans, right? Yeah, go back to that. Yeah. No, I’m not going back to it. So there the Christmas boxes are actually color coordinated, like, this box all has turquoise decor. This one all has white this one is silver and gold. So, like, if you’re doing a different Yeah, theme, theme, you could go that route. I’m not saying this is the right answer. It’s just what I’m doing. Okay, so I love my husband’s side of the family and how they are with gifts, and I can share the story, because I know that they will, oh, God, I can’t, probably be tickled by it. Okay, let’s hear it. So what I have found about them, okay, on Christmas Eve, everybody opens their present solo. Okay, you take turns opening. It’s not like a mass free for all. Yeah, I like this method, yes. So everybody, it’s like, okay, whose turn is it opens gift? Oh, great. Well, like, if you don’t like it, you can be like, Oh, do you have a receipt for this?

Alissa 26:08
Thank you. This isn’t gonna work right or, Oh, I don’t know if this is the right size or blah, blah, blah, but my mother in law is so good about being like, here’s your receipt. Yeah, do you got that? She’s like, do you need to return it, but then she’s excited when you do return. She wants to see what you got. She wants to see what you got. You better show her what you got. And, you know, in the beginning, everybody’s just trying to be polite, and I’m new to the family, like, Oh, thank you, right, yeah. So, okay, so this is funny, okay, Miss Sharon Taylor’s mom, you listen to this episode. I know you will at some point. Hi, Miss Sharon. Um, I think we have even talked about this before, but oh God, in the beginning, when I was new, Miss Sharon loves traditions, and she was going to get me a Santa Claus every year. Okay, so that’s fine. So it sounded like a good idea at the time, so the first year, well, it started out as these little, I say little, I mean, they’re a good, probably 18 inches tall. Wow. Santa’s, Santa’s, like, statues, but they’re the cute ones where, like, Santa is kneeling down by baby Jesus. Love it, or the one where Santa at the top of the tree on a ladder and the dog is at the bottom, because we have dogs, I know, yeah, that’s cute. But then after year, like three four, suddenly you’re like, where do I put all these Santas? Right? And so then one year is the mack daddy year. I think it was the year Haven was being born, and I think she got this more for us to do with Haven, but out comes, like, a four foot tall, Oh, my word, Santa statue. Where do you keep that? Um, so I back at the store. I was laughing, because I’m like, I look at Jay Tanner sister, huh? And she gives me this look like, I understand, you know, like, I know you probably don’t like it. And so it’s so funny, because we actually do like it, and we use him every year. He’s holding a platter, and it’s where you put the little cookies for Santa. But it got to the point where Miss Sharon came to me, because I like you, don’t like the Santas, do you? You’re like, No, I’m just all good. And I said, Well, here’s my thoughts on it. I said, if it’s an annual thing, and I’m gonna be in the family for, you know, 50 years, it’s a lot of, Oh, yeah. I never really even thought about it that way. That would be a lot of scenes if we did this every year, but it was, it’s so funny, because I love that they just have this the way they talk about gifts in their family is so matter of fact, yes, it’s not emotional. Nobody gets their feelings hurt, right? You can just be like, Oh, thanks. Do you have the receipt? I’m gonna switch this one out, yeah. Or, hey, let’s not do Sanders anymore. Or, right ever I look, I think that’s fine. Jay Thomas like that too. She’ll be like, tell me what you want, or I’m gonna pick it out, or hear all the receipts in the envelope. Yes, do whatever you need to do. Yeah, it’s funny. But in her, in their family, and they started it, I saw it when we used to get at Jay grandmother’s and we would do like gifts, they always started the youngest person in the family. They open first, and then you go around in age order, okay? And so same thing though. You watch everyone open their gift. And so if you have more than one gift, you know you’re just going around and around in a circle until everyone’s gotten all their gifts open, which is really fun. But as your family gets larger, takes a long time. Takes a long time. Whereas the flip side of that at my parents house, where we have, like, cousins there and my, you know, the three of us, my parents kids and our families, they just tear into all of it at the same time, yeah, and I’m like, But wait, I want to see the people open the gifts that I got them. And then we’re like. Maybe we’ll try this, where everyone would open their gift from me. I’m like, well, that’s not working, because now I still can’t see because everyone is opening the gift from our family at the same time. Sure. So I can’t. Do you have a go to for, you know, gifting gift like, if is there something that is a good mass gifter last every year, I guess what’s hard is that if I mask give, let’s just say, last year, I think I got a lot of gloves. Okay, you gave a lot of Yeah, I gave a lot of gloves. Okay, but I wouldn’t then this year give a lot of gloves. Yes, maybe Yeah. So you know what I did last year? Let’s hear it. So I went to red stick spice, uh huh, local find, like a local spice shop, or local tea place or whatever, and just find something yeah for everybody. I did that last year, and I really enjoyed it. I felt like I was giving back everything, yep, but kind of like you, I did that last year, so then you gotta, like, shake it. I know I kind of feel like I’m reinventing the wheel. Dudes are hard, but I find that the local, like meat shops where you get, like, a stuffed chicken or sausages or something like, you know, maybe they wouldn’t necessarily go get for themselves, right? Like, the guys get a lot of meats. Sometimes my sister would do that a lot. It’s hard. You know, what I did last year for my family, what I got them all address stamps. Oh, I like that. That’s my go to I used my closing gift as Christmas gifts, or like a painting of their house. That’s cute because that you’re like, I’m ordering those already, right? I mean, especially if it’s your family members forever. I mean, yes, Grandma is always then you can write it off. Photos the kids, that’s my go to every year, because every year the photo is different, right? So those are always good. I would like to maybe draw names at some point, but in none of the families that I’m participating in Are they okay, they’re name drawing. So on my dad’s side of the family, we only buy for the kids, okay, the adults pick a name. I like it. Instead of buying a gift for that person, you just you have to buy a wine, oh, that has a label that describes them, what? And we go around and you hold up your wine. That’s amazing. You hold up your wine, and everybody like, Who is it? So you really have to put a little bit of thought into it. Wow. And prize for the person who picks out the best wine, because I feel like that means to happen, right? It’s funny because sometimes, like, so last year, someone held up one that said, Haven’s court. So obviously that was mine, yeah, Haven makes sense. But then they have a lot of law enforcement ones. You know, we have law enforcement in my aunt. My aunt used to be a teacher. They had some like, they educated, yes, yeah, stuff like that. So good. The middle sister wine. They probably do that once, yeah, but we do it every year. So fun. It is really fun. Last year, someone gave me the dreaming tree just because I love trees, and they were like, that’s the last trees, you know. And I also love Dave Matthews, so I’m down for the dreaming tree wine, but it’s really fun. And then you just get your bottle of wine, and we don’t need more. It’s very difficult to buy for adults who are employed and yeah, like, they just buy whatever. That’s all Tanner is,

Alissa 33:31
oh my gosh, even Jay. And I’m like, Dude, it is now, like, let’s just call this mid November, and you’re gonna go buy yourself something that you don’t need today, right? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to return a Christmas gift, because then he just went and bought the same thing. You want me to tell you what I’m doing for my parents this year? Sure. Well, are they gonna listen to this episode on the 21st they usually listen after, hey, plug your ears, my dad, if you if it’s not Christmas yet and you’re actually on schedule with the podcast, right, right? If you’re up, they stay in their house forever, okay? And their medicine cabinet is a legit disaster. Oh, my God. It’s just they’ve been there so long and there’s so many like, you know, expired things, yeah, now throwing grandkids, dog, Kid medicine, Kid medicine, adult medicine, you know, whatever you name it. And not to mention the plethora of hair products that you get, yeah, yeah, yeah, all those things. So me and my sister, who is a nurse, we are going to empty it Yes, wipe it down. Yes. Shelf. Line it. Love it. Get the little lazy Susans. I was about to say that’s on my favorite things list. Yes, I love Go Lazy Susans that go in the cabinet. Yeah, and you can get them in the bathroom department at the target. Oh, and they’re the tall sided. It’s the Lazy Susan tall side. I’ll show you later. I have one in my bed, okay, because I recently did that to my medicine cabinet. Me too. So one. Wonderful. Feels so and then I put like, all my allergy medicine here, and I got a cute jar for all my cough drops. Oh, yeah. Oh, when we I just can’t wait. Stop. I’ll take you to the bathroom okay for them, because that’s just something nobody wants to do, that they’re gonna love it. Sneak in there and do, yeah, I’m gonna do it while they’re at work. Oh, I love me. And my sister are gonna meet there while they’re at work. I also just want you to put like a bow on the cabinet, and not tell them. When they open the cabinet, they’ll be like, Oh my God, yes, that’s amazing. Okay, that before they also Yes, yes. They it’ll it may be done by the time this episode deadline, 21st 21st they also make, which I just got from my medicine cabinet, a two story lazy suit. Oh, yeah. So you know you have stuff on the bottom, yeah, and on the top, your cabinets tall enough, which ours is, yep, but it’s just so nice. And then you can categorize it by what you need. Oh yes, that all the people who watch the home edit are nodding with us, yes, yes. So let’s see. I have done my personal medicine cabinet, same I have done our pantry. Love it. I feel like I did something else with this, but anything else that you’ve done yours? Yeah, I’m now on to the Lazy Susan that’s getting filled with the travel size. Like, basically, if we go to pack up to go on a trip, oh, they’re getting put on the Lazy Susan. And then you can, like, grab the things you need. Gotcha, yeah? But I did it for the medicine and mine, and in the medicine the kids, because I have them in separate places, yeah, I need to get, like, one. I did it for my makeups and, like, face that, like it. I’ll show you. I got them all that target, the target, Lazy Susan is hiding in the bathroom department. It is amazing. Okay, and they’re stackable, so you can make it three stories if you wanted, really. Oh yeah, girl, okay, you could do anything you want. Okay, well, I like that one. So that’s a gift for my parents. I would. I might want to even do it for my do something like that for My in law. I’ve been telling my mother in law I’d help working out closets for a while, yeah, but I like to be like, sneaky. You want it, but you know, you also need input. Maybe some people need to get out of their own way. Yeah. I think she’d be good with, like, letting you just do it, yeah? But you know, it’s easier to sneak into your own parents house. More appropriate than it is. Remember that time I snuck into my in laws house? Yeah, clean out their clothes. My father in law sounds all bad, but I think the point is it doesn’t always have to be like this gift and I encourage like, Oh yeah, you know, I my sister in law, bakes. Yes, she would bake stuff and give it a week. Yes, we give some baked goods. Sometimes. I think that’s, yeah, my husband is, you know, super healthy, paleo, keto, whatever stuff. And she made him, like, almond flour cookies, like, a big batch, wow. You know stuff that you don’t know in store. And, yeah, keep forever. Yeah, I’m gonna tell you my other favorite thing that I ended up with a whole bunch of and you walked away with recently, the Costco cookies. But then, yeah, y’all those coconut and chocolate cookies are amazing. So good. And that’s a that’s a decent gift, yeah, especially if you’ve got someone who doesn’t go to the Costco, that’s fun. I mean, you know, yeah, okay, anything else that you have on your favorite things list? I mean, I could just read you my list really quickly. Sure. Rattle them off. Okay? Clean countertops, yes. Okay. Bacon, same, same. Real fires in a fireplace. Yes, okay, but they have to have wood, or can they also be gas. It has to be like a wood burning. Got it, okay? Uh, getting my hair washed. Oh, yes, being in the middle of a good book or series, okay, in the middle, not the end, yeah, because then you’re like, like, I’m in one right now, and I’ve been getting event at eight o’clock every night. What’s happening? Oh, girls trips, yeah, you get to go. I need to do some of those. Oh, they’re so wonderful, so fun. Yeah, it’s just different, you know, yeah, and naps. Oh, naps is totally on my favorite things list. That was my, my list of random things I like it. I didn’t really make a list. I mean, I had cookies, oh, white walls and colorful decor. Yeah, that’s on my list. Can our YouTube see this? That’s right, YouTube sees white walls, colorful decor, yeah, I like, I like a good candle. I’m learning to burn them more, because that’s where I fall off. I buy a nice smelling candle, and then I just look at it. Oh, and I don’t ever use it. I burn them so quickly. It’s good for you. Use what you have. I guess I’m like saving them. I don’t know what I’m saving it for, but I do. I got a good candle from the hearth and hand in the target. That was Aspen, and that Joanna Gaines is a genius. We. Took the lid off the candle. It fit right inside the bottom. Oh, yeah. So the top is it? Yeah? Top like sits right under the bottom. I love that. It’s very nice. Okay, I made a list of things our favorite things as seen on scene, on hustle, humbling. Okay, would you like to hear what I think your favorite things are based off of our interviews together, based off of the show, okay, yes, number one, clean email. It’s on my list of favorite things under work. Clean email, clean email, a database, a clean database, act right, an occasional and maybe more often than others. Open House, yes, I have simplicity under your thing. Your favorite things, yep, loving on your people. Efficiency. I know no one more efficient than you, templates, templates, boundaries, and has heard on hustle, hum, like Disney princesses. Oh my gosh, I love them so much, so much, so funny. So when this episode airs, I will have just gotten back from Disney World. Oh my gosh, wow. I didn’t even know I decided, like last week, to go to Disney World. In January. I messaged my Disney person and was like, we want to take Haven before the baby gets here. And so we were planning it, yeah, COVID happened. Canceled everything, right? Well, about a week ago in November, yeah, I was like, Okay, you got to do it. I just, I have the itch to do something. I want to do something with her. She’s right at this age where she just believes everything, yeah, so fun. And I said, is now just the worst time to go? Like, should I just let this go? And she said, actually, it’s like the best time. It is the best time to go because they’re cutting off. How many there are there? Oh, yeah. And if you are flexible and can go during the week, right, it’s even better. No, wow, they’re not even doing fast passes, because there’s not really any laws. Oh, amazing, yeah. And everything kind of has to be scheduled, right? You have to, like, go a certain at a certain day, which, which means that you’re not sitting there waiting for an hour. Oh, I love it, yeah. So we are gonna make it happen. This is very exciting. I know just the three way you’re going. It’s me, Tanner and Haven, and we are bringing Tanner’s mom, Oh, fun. And me and Tanner are gonna have date night, cute while his mom stays with Haven. Love it. Love it. I just can’t wait. Oh, I’m so excited. I know. Oh, that’s lovely. Okay, I have a few things written down for you. Okay? I have some too, if you don’t get them all, okay, okay, a clean desk, yeah, I like that. Painting your fingernails, yeah, I do like to paint my fingernails. Comfy shoes, for sure, tea and tea cups, yeah, uh huh. Notepads, yes.

Alissa 42:59
Pencils, yeah, and online friends, yes, oh, I like all of these things. Okay? And then I had some for myself as hurdle and hustle, humbly, okay, goal setting, yeah, client management, staging, systems and buyers, sellers at the same time. Great, all of my favorite things. Yeah, I know that’s so fun, but it’s funny. Do you have any other favorite things that you want to share today, the week of Christmas. I Christmas is one of my favorite things. Oh, just, just love it. There’s Christmas music, all of it the lights driving around. Yeah, the webmaster, yeah. Happy, I know. So nice it is. I hope that when this airs that everyone is feeling happy, sure and healthy. So every year, our leadership group at the Board of Realtors, yes, brings Chick fil A, okay to guard your Christian School. Love it, and they are a public school, but they get no funding because they allow the kids to pray. Oh, yes, so it, like, eliminates the public school funding because, like, Jesus is involved, I see, and it’s, you know, lower income families, a lot of them, okay, so there’s one group that usually does, like, one big present where every kid gets like a brand new pair of Nike shoes. Yeah, they get their sizes ahead of time, you know, girl versus boy stuff like that. And then we, as the Board of Realtors, provide Chick fil A got a lunch shoot, and it is the cutest thing. And they come in and they get their little tray last year, oh my gosh. One of the kids was like, I haven’t had this since last year. Chick fil A, yes, I just wanted to like, but they’re, they’re like, the sweetest kids. I don’t know how they are doing this. In this school, yes, but the kids are just so well mannered. That’s nice. They are so sweet and appreciative of it. But I encourage you, you know, if, if you’re if someone in your community, like delivers hams or turkeys, I’ve done that before too, where you like, get five turkeys and five addresses. Oh, and you just show up with the drop them off. Oh yeah. People usually know that you’re coming, like they were signed up somehow. Yeah, you know, but they knock on the door and give them the turkey. Okay, yeah, um, so there’s just so many things that just really, like, melt my heart. I love it. I know that’s nice. It’s a good time of year. Maybe, like, adopt a little school or something. Oh yeah. We always are. Every class at school adopts a family, usually. And yes, we’re in the midst right now of the food drive. Yeah, we like to bring the things, yeah, sure. Share, share the things. Kiss the season. That’s right. I love it. Okay. Are you gonna read us a toast? Sure. We got just a super friendly email this week, and we’re gonna toast those. And it was super friendly. I love it. So this is Gia. Did we decide geotain? Yeah, Jay is a jay, j, i A, G, yes, you said she Oh, Jay, I a tang, G Tang, I don’t sure. Anyway, she is from Seattle, and she was just saying how glad she was that we talked about keeping her business simple. Yes, love it, and that it gave her permission, yes, that you don’t have to do all the things that she said she had just finished reading The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, and they talked about the 33 touch, and she was feeling super overwhelmed, worried about the 30 How am I gonna do that to all these people? Right? I’m like, have all the time, and then I listen to your podcast and realize I don’t have to do that. Um, but I just thought it was really sweet that she just took the time to send us this nice message. I like that. That’s good. Let’s toast our always nice to take time out and tell someone what you’re thinking. I know I love it. Yeah, okay, and keep it simple for the holidays, yes, don’t make a real estate life. Hey, don’t be afraid to be off. Oh, this week, take off. It’s okay. It’s a perfect time of year to have excuses. Yeah, oh, I’m sorry. Family in town, I’m with Family, Yeah, gotta do the Christmas thing. I love it. Okay. So cheers to GIA from Seattle. They love it for letting us know that we helped you. Oh, no, that’s amazing. Merry Christmas all. Oh and to all the good night.

Alissa 47:40
Thank you so much for tuning in to the hustle humbly podcast. If you enjoyed

Speaker 1 47:43
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Alissa 47:51
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Speaker 1 47:58
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