It’s a busy time of year, and the holidays are in full swing. Hanukkah started yesterday, and Christmas is less than a week away.
Vanessa Cohen, the co-founder of the Cohen brand and the owner of Motor City Date Night, and Jasen Magic, a comedian and magician, joined “Live in the D” with Tati Amare for What’s the Buzz to talk about how some people deal with all the things that need to be done around the holidays this time of year.
First, what do you do if you don’t know what to get someone, but you have to buy them a gift?
Cohen and Magic both said “gift cards,” but Magic joked that it would have to be for a store where they wouldn’t normally shop.
How do you get all the wrapping done? Is it all at once? Little by little?
Amare said that she likes to wrap everything at once. Cohen said that for most of her life, she wrapped all of the gifts at once. Recently, though, she has been wrapping gifts as she gets them because she wants her tree to look finished all through the season. Magic agreed and said he and his wife would also wrap through the holidays.
What if you ordered an item and it doesn’t look like it’s going to arrive on time?
Cohen said that until she has the gift, she stays away from the person. Magic said that he buys standby gifts, like towels or candles, that you were planning to give or give next year. Amare prints out the picture of what you purchased and puts it in a card.
What if someone gives you a gift and you don’t have one for them?
Cohen said she handles it honestly, telling them she had no idea they were doing gift exchanges. She also said that if a friend buys her a gift, it lets her know that their friendship is elevated, and she will think of them next year or take them to dinner. Magic agreed again, saying that he would still be their friend.
Do you have a strategy for wrapping up the holidays? Taking down the lights, putting it all away. Is it gradual? The day after Christmas? How do you handle it?
Magic jokingly said that people should wait until they get a fine from the city. Cohen said that people should take down their snowmen and other outdoor Christmas decorations by the end of the year, but there is no deadline for Christmas trees.
Watch the video above for the full interview.