De-Influenced with Dani + Jordan - Holiday Hotline: Santa, Parenting Guilt, and Christmas Advice

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

Holiday sprint mode is in full effect: Dani’s juggling a Fredericksburg wedding weekend, then flying straight to Nashville for a school tour in actual cold weather, plus a last minute “festive casual” movie premiere invite that sent her into a spiral. Then it turns into a full Holiday Hotline on parenting guilt: what to do when your kid starts questioning Santa, why Elf on the Shelf pressure makes moms feel like they’re failing, and how the “Santa’s watching” Q4 threats might be doing more harm than good. We scored some great deals with a few of our favorite brands for our listeners: Own your health for $365 a year. That's a dollar a day. Learn more and join using our/my link. Visit www.functionhealth.com/DANI or use gift code DAN/25 for a $25 credit towards your membership. Visit evlofitness.com and use code DANI for 6 weeks free. You get a free two week trial, plus your first month at $0 For 55% off your order + FREE shipping, head to NurtureLife.com/DEINFLUENCED and use code DEINFLUENCED Modern-day makeup that's clean, strategic, and multifunctional for effortless routines. For a limited time our listeners are getting a free Cool Gloss on their first purchase when they use code DANI at checkout. Just head to Jonesroadbeauty.com and use code DANI at checkout Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code DANI at monarchmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. Go to https://OmahaSteaks.com to get 50% off site wide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And use code DEINFLUENCED at checkout for an extra $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply. See site for details. A big thanks to our advertiser, Omaha Steaks! Make sure you’re subscribed to our official channel on YouTube, @deinfluencedpodcast, and follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your De-Influenced fix! Stay connected with us on Instagram and TikTok @deinfluencedpodcast, and as always thank you for being a part of this journey. Produced by Dear Media

The following podcast is a dear media production. Hello, and welcome back to your favorite podcast. D-influence. Guys, it feels so good to win. Yeah, we just heard, because I don't read any of the comments or you don't need any comments, but apparently I really lost the last fight. Yeah, so if you haven't listened to our last episode, go listen to it because we start out the beginning of the episode with a good old fight.

No, we weren't fighting. We were rehashing the fight. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's usually what we do on this podcast. Yeah, but we're kind of fighting a little bit. Arguing a little. Yeah, I was like poking your buttons a little bit. Which they say it's healthy to have like discord, like to have fights.

You know, did you hear about how, who is it? It's not a Hugh Grant. It was a, Travis Kelsey was in an interview with, gosh, I can't remember who it was. Anyway, they both talked about how they never, how Travis was like, oh, I've never fought with Taylor. Like we've never had an argument. That's a lie. I know. But people were like, people have been going back and forth.

Like maybe it's true because like would you fight with like your billionaire sugar mama? Like, you know. Yeah. Would you fight with her? And but then a lot of people are like, hey, it's healthy to have little arguments in fights. But they're like, what are they going to fight about like you took the jet instead of me?

Like, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I was really surprised that I lost that one so hardcore. I really thought people were going to simplify. sympathize with me. Yeah, basically, it was just like a very common marriage fight, but it does feel good to win because apparently people were saying 95% of the time I agree with Jordan, but I'm with Danny on this one.

I'm losing my grip on my followers. We'd love to know y'all's feedback on that. Also, coming in, looking a little, looking at a little and feeling a little crazy. We have a really busy day today. We're going to the airport with all the children in like a couple hours. And so I had to come, like, I did my workout from 730 to 8.30 and straight to the podcast and then straight to getting ready and then straight to the airport. You know, we had a blessing the other day where we met another couple with four kids. Like she was holding a baby, a newborn. Yes. And they are going to be pretty much the exact same age gaps as ours.

Kind of. Or ours are harder. Ours are harder. Ours are harder. So what it's crazy though is like when we were talking to them, they did say the transition from three to four is not that hard, but what they did give me a reality check on is that usually what it looks like is you're going to be taking care of the newborn and I'll be taking care of the three. And so that was like a kind of a wake-up call for me

because, and I've kind of started getting used to it because like I'm usually with the big kids and I'm kind of like, okay, if I had to take care of summit to how would I do it? And I would have to put them in the kangaroo pouch and then like hold both their hands like if we're going to like target to be walking soon i know i don't know how to do it i'm going to be honest the good news is is stella's like on her own now so stratton is getting better but it's like you still he likes to be held whatever so you can just put stratton in summit now in the double stroller when you really need to yeah you know it just every once in a while i get a reality check that's like we we really did it the hardest way possible. Like there's not really, unless we had twins, there's not a harder way to do it than we did it.

But sometimes I even feel like twins is easier because you do everything all at once. Yeah. Does it make sense? Yeah. Like we have to like, it's like we're in so many different phases that you have to bring everything. If you have twins, they're both in the same phase. And honestly, it's double. So you just make two bottles. Twins. You make two backpacks. Like right now, we like just went through that. And now so now we have to take care of like a one year old plus a newborn. and they require different things. So you have a crawler and then you have like a breastfeeding baby. Like that's different.

That's if you had two twins, if you had twins, they'd both be breastfeeding and one would be sleeping while the other is breastfeeding. Like it's just. Yeah, it's just crazy. But sometimes I would maybe agree with you too because twins is like a cheat code because then you don't have to go through another pregnancy. Oh, 100%. All of us.

And the pregnancy is the hardest part about having children. I agree 100% I mean I I agree and as much as I can agree If pregnancy didn't happen We would have probably seven kids

Yeah For sure Yeah just bring them out Just bring them out Bring them out No but I just It was a really cool conversation Because it just

It made me realize Because we were at the divvy She was helping set up For the Divi Christmas party And then I was like Okay We built this company On top of having

three kids with those age gaps and a fourth on the way. I know. Like it's kind of, it's, it's kind of nonsense what we did. I feel like I'm kind of going to throw up a little bit. Why? I don't know. I think my workout this morning. Oh, I thought you meant because of the conversation.

Oh, no, like, sorry. No, not because of the conversation. When I did my workout this way, I think it's because of the fajitas I ate last night. I had my glucose test yesterday. So you had a glucose test and they drank all that sugar and high. had me because I know. Well, let me tell you what, let me tell you what happened was I had my glucose test yesterday, which I never really have a hard time with the glucose test. I think it's like a like a hundred grams of sugar. Does it taste good? It tastes like, um, remember as kids,

those like even still in strut and have them like when a like those push up popsicles. Yeah, yeah. You know when they all turn to juice. Yeah. It's like just like that, but it's a whole water bottle full of that. Oh man. You probably feel terrible after. No, I feel great. I mean, you get a little sugar high. Yeah. And then you crash because it's just so much sugar. But you have to drink it within like a certain amount of time. So like, but like for me, I just chug the whole thing.

And because I'm just like, get it over with. And so I chug the whole thing. I was feeling great. I was on my sugar high. It was all good. Did have a little crash. But I think because I had so much sugar, I was craving sodium maybe. Like, you know when you have a lot of sugar, you want salt.

Yeah, yeah. So like, every since I got home from that, I was like, fajitas, fetus, fetus, fetus. I couldn't stop thinking about them. Beef fajitos, really. Just beef fajitas. But then I were chicken because sometimes I don't like them. Yeah.

And so it's all I could think about. And then I had chips and salsa. So I really just did bad things to my body yesterday. And I think it's catching up to me. But surprisingly, oh no, my hands are swollen. I'm going to say the sodium hasn't hit my fingers yet, but it has. Does the color of your nail change at the end? Don't you love it?

Whoa. Guys, I got bed. optical illusion. I got red cat eye for the holidays. They look like ornaments. It is, it's someone best work. I mean, that's. It's pretty cool, right?

Yeah, I was, it's like confusing. They're called cat eye. Because they change color. They don't change color. They're just, yeah, it's like. Within the light. Yeah, within the light. It's so cool.

Well, thank you for noticing my nails. Oh, of course. You never do. That's so nice. Yeah, I do. No, I know, but it's like, it's cool that I, picked a color that you like notice. Yeah, it's kind of tripping me out. Yeah, so we're going to a wedding. This is the Latina side of our family, Latino, Hispanic? Yeah. What's wrong with the thing?

Latinx. I don't know what you looked at me like I was saying something wrong. It's the Ramirez side of my family. I'm super excited. My cousin is getting married and it is in Fredericksburg. Yeah, I told the kids they they have to speak Spanish. Yeah. And what's so cool is that this wedding, they're allowing children, which is cool, but also like a little stressful. Because like I needed to, I didn't need to. But I put this on myself that I need my kids to all be in coordinating outfits at this wedding. You know, like, I just have to.

Oh, so that's the stress. Yeah, because I can't have like stratton in a Navy suit. to sum it in something red and then Stella in a pink dress. I just can't do it. I was like, I am a failure as a mother. If I don't, and if I don't get a picture of all of them in coordinating outfits, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. This is just what goes through my head every day.

Did you iron my shirt, by the way? You're so funny. You're so funny because on Monday, I woke him up. And I was like, hey, babe, this week's going to be crazy. Is there anything that, do we need to make an appointment at suit supply? do we need to get anything ready? Do we need to like dry clean anything? I said because my week's be really busy and I'm worried about the kids. And he goes, no, I got it. Don't worry about it. Yeah. No, I said thank you. I feel so loved. Yeah, yeah. So it's so funny. I thought there

were more trad wives in this audience, but apparently not. A bunch of independent females. Okay. So, but anyway, I found this store in Dallas that everybody always told me to go to. It's called hip hip, hooray. It's more like that classic like traditional way of dressing your kids like you know where like if it's a baby like you don't know if it's a boy or girl because they're weighing an outfit that's like questionable you know the high socks with like the saddle shoes I've just I've never dressed my kids like that and I was like I don't know I just feel like this is the time and I just want to try it out so I went to one of those stores which is so funny because we're going to like the Hispanic wedding and my kids are like everybody's going to be like why is your son and me high socks like

you know it's so like not on brand for like the family but I don't know why like I just feel like summit they're gonna be like oh boy here's the white Dallas girl they always do call me the white cousin but um the thing is is like the um I just feel like when is like my 12 month old my 3 year old and my 5 year old ever going to be at a wedding again oh that's a good point you know so I'm like okay then I want to go all out and like dress them cute and get like because this is like a moment that they'll probably never forget. Like I remember when I was like four, I went to my aunt's wedding. And it's like something I'll never forget.

Like I got a picture with my grandpa and like, you know, so that's why I've been putting so much pressure myself. I'm like, this is a big deal. And so anyway, I went to this store called Hip Hip, Hi,

Jennifer, who works at the front desk, amazing. Like you literally just walk in and you're like, here are the ages of my kids. Here's their sizes. She styles in head to toe. Picked out everything. It was just like the most amazing experience.

So my kids are going to be looking like the like royals at this. wedding. The only downside. The only problem is I don't know what I'm wearing. The only downside to you going to that store is I really do feel like it took away from our moving to Nashville argument because you went to that store and you were like, see, Dallas has everything. I just, I love it. And I was like, man, this is such a bummer. We had the most gorgeous wedding. I mean, sorry, weather this week, this week. And so every day when I was leaving, like, I was like walking around these shops and like this place called Snyder Plaza. I went and got a smoothie by myself. And then there was like another cute shop I got to walk in. And then there's like another shop that has all this

like beautiful like dishes and like, like, and I was like, oh, God, you just like, can't recreate this. Not only that, but I'm like 10 minutes away from my house. You know, I'm like in Nashville, I probably have to drive two hours to get to all these places. So I was just like, oh, I'm really feeling myself. Like, it was so beautiful. Actually, I wasn't feeling myself, but I was feeling the weather, you know. The weather's so short lived though, babe. I know. It was just like one of those days. I know. If it would be, it's summer, I'd be like, get me out of here. I know. I know. You just got to remember summer. I know, I know. Just remember.

No, I know. But also, it's the high in Nashville when we go next week is 30 degrees. I know because they have four seasons. Yeah, I know. But like, what am I supposed to wear when it's 30? The high is 30. What is like the average for the day, like 17? I've only experienced 17 degree weather like once in my life. I know. I get it. I get it. Let's just see how it goes. Let's see that goes. So anyway, so that's what I've been stressed about. And it was funny because we had like a really big call this week for divvy at the divvy office. And like after the call, it went really well. And Jordan was like, man, I bet you're so happy because I can tell like you were so stressed about that that call all week. I go, what? I was like, no, I've been stressed about getting Stella the right size dress all week. Like that's what's been weighing on me. I was like this call is not what I was stressed about. It's just funny how like. And that's very. And that's very. relatable, right? To other people? Yeah, I mean, I'm stressed about that. And then not only this, so let me, let me like give you guys, like, for all the other moms out there, let me give you,

like, all the logistics I'm dealing with here. Okay, so we go from Dallas to Fredericksburg. We're flying to San Antonio, then we're driving to Fredericksburg because we're going to have all the kids with us. So we have to have everything for that excursion. And then also getting in the car, driving an hour and a half. Okay. So then we do the wedding over the weekend. We're giving to my mom, which is terrifying. And so summit has to be packed separate. And then we're flying with the two older kids straight from, from San Antonio to Nashville for a school tour for a school tour. And we're looking at a couple more like houses and like land. So they have to have outfits for their school tour too because they're doing like like a little observation there. And then we're staying there and then

we're looking at houses. But like mind you, it's the highest 30 degrees. Like I don't know how to pack for like 30 degrees for children. And not only that, but they outgrow everything. So then I had to go sell out a new puffer coat, strutton, like, you know, hand all this stuff. And then not only that, last night, we're supposed to leave. Last night, Jordan tells me, hey, an hour or two after we land, we just got invited to a movie premiere with the kids. We have to go. And I'm like, what? And then I'm like, he's like, yeah, they can wear whatever. And I go, no, text them and ask them like a movie premiere. Like you always see people like really dressed up. He's like, yeah, he's like, yeah, he's they can wear whatever, like, don't stress about it. Like, it's going to be fine. I'm like,

no, I'm not going to not stress about it. And they cannot just wear whatever. So he texts and they're like, yeah, it's festive casual. I'm like, what does festive casual mean? So now I have to get like another. A man told me that. Exactly, which I don't trust you guys. So these are all the logistics I'm dealing with. And people think I'm stressed about work, but I'm actually stressed about that. Yeah. And then, oh, sorry, last thing, let me tell you. I forgot about me. I don't have a dress that I'm wearing to the wedding. Did you know that? Yeah.

So I forgot about myself because I'm so, you know, selfless. And the dresses I ordered didn't fit. So I'm rewearing the dress that I wore to Bridget's event. Yeah. Can you believe it? I have to rewey it best. Just kidding. So, wow.

So I had this moment the other day where I opened the fridge, all proud of myself because I thought I had meals ready for the kids. and it was literally just a half of yogurt and three grapes that somehow shriveled overnight. If you're a parent, you know meals can feel like never-ending loops. Everyone is hungry. Everyone wants something different. And somehow it's always right when you're in the middle of something. And that's why nurture life has been a game changer for us. Nurture life makes nutritious meals and snacks the kids actually want to eat.

And it gives the parents the support we desperately need. Their menu is huge, everything from toddler finger foods to full meals for older kids. everything is fresh, fully cooked, and ready in one minute. One minute, which is surely a love letter to every parent who has ever tried to make a deal with a child hanging off their leg. And I didn't even think about the heavy metals in kids' food until nurture life told me, like what? They're the only kids' meals brand that test all their meals for heavy metals. So now I'm not only feeding them fast, I feel good about what they're actually eating. Their go-to right now is the mac and cheese, and yes, I fully accepted that I'm going to steal a few bites every time. After school, they come home absolutely starving. and I just don't have the bandwidth to cook three different things. NurtureLife makes it so easy to feed them something real without the stress. So how does it work? You pick from more than 50 nutritious meals and snacks. NurtureLife cooks everything fresh and it shows up at your door in refrigerated packaging.

My kids adore it and I love that everything is dietitian design, balance, and actually good for them. So head to NurtureLife.com slash D-influence and use the code D-imluence for 55% off your first order plus free shipping. That's right, 55% off plus free shipping. once again that's nurturelife.com slash de-influenced and make sure you use my promo code de-influenced. The holidays are basically here, which means every event, every dinner, every party suddenly requires you to look like you have your life together, even when you have three children and are constantly running around like crazy. And makeup during the season can feel like too much, too many steps, too heavy, takes too long or just doesn't look natural at all.

So when a brand comes along that focuses on clean formulas, skin-loving ingredients, and a more effortless, you but brighter kind of look, it definitely gets my attention. Jones Road is all about simplifying in the routine, creating products that are easy, intuitive, and don't require professional level blending skills. It's minimalist makeup that doesn't feel like makeup, which is especially nice when you're sprinting between holiday gatherings and just want something quick that still makes you feel polished. And the timing could not be better because starting November 6th, they dropped their most giftable exclusive holiday collection yet. Five gorgeous limited edition trios, each with curated shades and products that make getting ready feel so much simpler.

Whether you're gifting them or using them to take the guesswork out of your own holiday glam, the sets are designed to work together effortlessly. Swipe, tap, blend, and you're done. Their whole approach is really about enhancing instead of masking, making it easy to pull together a natural, glowy look without the overwhelm. Honestly, it just fits the season, clean, strategic, multifunctional and stress fee. This holiday season, simplify your routine with makeup that's clean, strategic, and multifunctional. Also, as a treat for our list, listeners, you'll get a free cool gloss on your first purchase when you use code Danny at checkout. Just head to Jones Road.com slash Danny and use code Danny at checkout.

After your purchase, they will ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you. I've been thinking a lot about what actually matters during the holidays. And honestly, it's not more stuff. It's peace of mind. It's feeling like you are taking care of yourself and the people you love. And that's a big part of why I chose function because it's the only health platform that gives me data most people never get and the insights to actually do something about it.

Inside function, you get access to over 160 plus lab test annually. Hormones, toxins, markers for heart health, inflammation, stress, things we normally never get tested unless something's already wrong. And for an additional fee, you can even access MRI and chest CT scans, all tracked in one secure place over time. It's truly a near 360 view of what's happening inside your body. that's why top health leaders like Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Dr. Jeremy London are all behind function. And with the holidays here, I keep coming back to this idea. Gift health, not stuff.

Because what's more meaningful than giving someone clarity about their body? If you're thinking about a gift that's actually life-changing, this is it. Instead of something that gets used once and forgotten, this gives people real information they can use all year long. For the people in my life who already have everything, function is honestly the person. perfect gift. It's the one thing that feels personal, thoughtful, and actually useful. I'm gifting it to people I love because I want to have more healthy years together. And yes, the FTC makes me say this clearly, but I use this and you should too. Own your health first $365 a year. That's a dollar a day. Learn more and join using my link. Visit www.functionhealth.com slash dany. Or use

gift code Danny 25 for $25 credit towards your membership. You should just not go out. anymore. It would be easier on you if you just stay inside. That's why I, besides things like this, I usually don't. I try not to leave. Yeah. I mean, how does like, how do these like TikTokers that are like always going to events? How are they doing? Oh, they don't have kids. Yeah, are you kidding? Yeah, they don't have kids. That's right. Like, yeah, they just have themselves to worry about. Yeah. And then I'd get a spray tan and I did like, I did one of those rapids and I don't know what happened when I got in the shower. It like streaked all over the place. So I kind of look like a Like a little tie-dye.

It really is like incredible. And my throat hurts all on the left side. Like it's just kind of incredible like just working moms in general. It's pretty incredible thing. I'm being honest. Because just hearing how your brain processes stress and information, it's the mental load is a lot. Well, and then I go to Divi and they're like, so what new products should we have? Yeah.

They're like, let's redesign this. And I'm like, but I don't know if my husband picked up his dry cleaning. You know, I don't know if my husband knows he's going to wear. Does he know that it's 30 degrees in Nashville? You didn't think about that. Yeah, I do, because you always wear the trouser pants that show your ankles. And it bothers me so much whenever your ankles are shown in 30 to grow up, 30 degree weather. It doesn't make any sense.

But you think that's okay in your brain. And then I walk in and I'm like, Jordan's wearing basically a loafer with his ankle showing and the high is 30 degrees, it just looks silly, you know? Yeah. And you don't think about things like that. Are you showing your ankles in Nashville? In Nashville or in the wedding? The wedding, I think the high is like 50, so it's not as bad.

But like if it is 24 degrees outside and you walk out in a pant that in a loafer, but where your ankles are showing, I'm not going to be happy. Well, I've been intermittent fasting and so I can actually pull my pants. hands down lower on my hips. And so I think you might get a glimpse of my ankle. Babe, people wear socks in the winter, maybe some boots, maybe like a loafer with a sock that, like, you, you can't show your bare skin in 20 degree weather. I don't look forward to Sunday. It's going to be a battle. But do you see what I mean?

Yeah, no. This is why I was like on Monday, I was like, do we need to go suit supply and get you like a different type of suit? Because he really likes the ones where the pants are cropped almost they almost look like caprice i don't the the stylist tells me that she's like oh you're that's because you're in summer in texas and it's 100 degrees outside listen i think the difference between men and women is like i know i'll survive this like it's okay like if our kids are not in matching outfits like it's okay but is it i don't know i don't know who's wrong here like to you it's like life or death. It's like, it's like, what's so funny is that I feel like you always get on to me.

Like you feel like I don't understand priorities, you know, or like women get onto their husbands or like, he doesn't know how to prioritize anything. Yeah, because he's wearing a capri with 20 degree weather. Yeah. And I'm like, I don't understand why that's the priority. You know, it's just men and women. It's so funny. So what is the priority?

Getting to Nashville, having a good attitude, making some. friends like smiling our kids behaving you don't you don't worry about you don't worry about your children being cold no it's like all I think about oh well I mean I think about that you don't think about like not having the coat no I don't think about like having a coat that like is clean without lint all over it like you don't think about that because it's all I think about I know and that's why I'm like I don't I I genuinely don't know I I genuinely don't know if you're right or not. I'm kind of like, did, did her mother raise her this way? And so it's just like, it is her reality. No, I think every female is like, does the coat go with the outfit

slash do I have the right shoes for 30 to grow? Like, I think that's very normal. Yeah, but like, what's the worst? Then I feel like I try to take care of you and you don't let me take care of you because you feel like you're right. That's probably true. But I'm like, hey, I think we need to go to. Let's not make this about me. I'm like, hey, I think we need to. you go to supply because like do you have something that's like appropriate for the what like and when i say appropriate it's not just like it's like appropriate for the weather appropriate for like the culture for the event like you know so like what's that who's that mel robbins she's like let them you know so like if our kids showed up in unmatching outfits the wedding i don't think mel robbins was

talking about children when she was saying let them no i know i know but i'm just trying to like so if your children are just you know they're just climb on top of the house no but i don't Just let them. I think her general message to females was like, hey, it's going to be okay. Like, let them. Like, you don't have to control everything. So, like, if our kids showed up in unmatching outfits to the wedding, like, then what? Like, just play it out in your brain.

I would feel guilty. Because. I didn't take care of my children. And that would mean. A bad mom. Yeah, exactly. So I'm trying to not be a bad mom. Yeah.

So, but that's not real. Yeah, it is. It doesn't mean you're a bad mom. Jordan, if you show up to Nashville and it's 20 degree weather and you don't have a coat and hat for your children, it is a bad mom now. Whoa, whoa, whoa, we're not talking about coat and hat. But that's what I'm worried about. I can handle coat and hat. No, babe, you can't.

Last time we went to Nashville, you didn't even bring a coat. And it was like 30 degrees outside. You can't handle that. You're about to show your ankles in 20 degree weather. No, no, stop making it about me. I'm saying like the kids. Like, okay, let's say they show up with weather appropriate outfits to the wedding, but they're not matching. What does that mean?

This is what you don't realize. They didn't have weather appropriate things before this week. They had outgrown them. For Fredericksburg? No, for Nashville. Do you see the pink puffer vest that Stella's wearing today? I bought that Wednesday. Yeah.

No, I get all that. That is stressful. That's real. That's real. But what I'm trying to get at is like the matching outfits. Like you were like, I have, it's like life or death. Okay. Then matching outfits are probably not life or death, but think about it. Then in 20 years, we're all going to be sitting around Christmas and then they're going to be like, mom, how can we never got pictures of all three of us together?

And I'm going to be like, because I was a bad mom. So you remember that show we watched? It's not her fault. Yeah. The reason I felt like that was such a like resonating show with women was because it did such a good job of like capturing. like this thing happens and so therefore I'm a bad mom and it like they showed they showed it really well how everything linked back to the female mind being like I'm not good enough or I'm I'm a bad mom like that's why they called it's not her fault because it was all on the mom even though

it was the husband that sucked in the show well I'm kind of in this like state of guilt because I'm also not doing elf on the shelf and it's like see this what I'm talking about this is what I'm talking about and they're like there's all these reals that are like thank you too much mom who like did all this and she's the one that brought out the magic of Christmas and I'm like well I I suck sorry I suck this is what I mean is like I'm trying to get oh I can't say I don't want to you're right what stuff about Santa Claus just in case oh yeah yeah so um she's trying to get in touch with Santa Claus and I'm trying to get in touch with Santa Claus and I'm writing him all these notes about what we want and then what we want changes every single day so I'm like isn't Santa Claus

communicating with Santa Claus enough. Do you remember in that one marriage counseling session we were in and she was talking about how like shame, like shame within females, like shame is like a trigger or I don't know what she say. Like bread into us, I guess. Bread into, yes. And I feel like the elf on the shelf example you gave and like the matching outfits, all of this is like pressure.

And like as husbands, I feel like we're like, okay, if you want to match the. them great, but if it's going to, like, affect the stress of the family, no need. It's all okay. But, like, it's interesting how you not doing elf on the shelf makes you feel like a bad mom. Like, that connection is such a weird. Are you kidding me? It's like, I think about it every day. And I have the elf. I even have a box that's like you could do this step by step and it like helps you do the elf on the shelf, like just they literally give you like a guide. Then I'm going to tell you something. This is going to sink our whole empire, whole business.

I don't think females should be on social media. Moms especially. It's got to be, if that is how you think on a daily basis, it's got to be torture. Because all you're doing is swiping and being like, oh my gosh, like her house looks better. Look at her Christmas tree. Look at her elf on the shelf. Look at this. Like I look at it and I'm like, oh man, they did a great job.

Oh, like when you see somebody got Christmas photos and you haven't even had your shoot yet, it's like dagger to the heart. I'm like, wow, I suck. So holidays are probably really hard on social media for females. Yeah, that's why I haven't really liked when you touched me this week because I'm like, there's so many tabs open in my brain. No, you were actually very communicative about, can I read your text? I won't read it if it's like, let me see. I was really confused.

I called her and when I was at the gym. I was like, hey, are you okay? Like I was, I was, I was worried. I was like, I don't know what's going on. I was like, she stressed about something, but everything's, too. Two trips back to back, all the outfits, all the, the weather change. It's just these divvy meetings, all this stuff. I'm feeling a little anxious this week and just I had a hard time sleeping.

I'm actually very happy and content inside. I think it's just a couple off days, but I think once I get a good rest tonight, I'll be good. I'm not really anxious about anything in particular. The wedding outfits for everyone was the main thing. worried about work or anything else. I just don't feel 100%, but I'm packed in everything, so feeling a little bit better. I packed Monday for a trip that we leave on Friday because I tried to not be stressed. December is just a crazy time for a lot of moms. I need you to understand this. Our brain's just bouncing to a million things and I'm entering a third trimester. I just need

some patience and grace, but there's nothing that can be done. I've already done what I think I needed to do. I just said, okay, I understand. I love you. But it really is, it's the holidays. No, 100%. I can't wait until January. Gosh. It's honestly after this trip, well, then I'm hosting Christmas.

Oh, Lord, Jesus, help us. Yeah, we haven't thought about that. But, man, people should fast off social media for the month of December. Well, that's why I think they do in January. In January, everybody's like, we're done. We're taking money. Yeah, we're, we're, we're, taking a break. But I'm probably not going to take a break in January because I'm going to take a break

when baby comes, which is like baby February, the end of February. And I like being, I like posting on social media. It makes me feel good. No, I know. And I think it's fun. No, I'm not saying that, I think, I don't think that posting is bad. Yeah, consuming. Unless you're making people feel envious. But you're not doing alpha show. Yeah, I purposely just try to show how beautiful I am every day. Just like I try to show my like I like following Danny because she doesn't do Elf on the shelf and she's also a bad mom She also her sprays hand looks ratchet and she doesn't make me feel bad about myself Because you know what she's not that great No honestly it could be it

It could be it no like people like people like she had her glucose test and then ate a whole bag of chips from me becauseina Yeah she I didn't do that. She's like, I am her. Or no, I'm better than her. Yeah, I'm better than her. Yeah. No, that's for real. Oh, that's so true. I do like, it's like probably the new strategy of social media is like, you just kind of like got to be. Just be bad. Just be bad. Don't be a good. Well, that makes sense. Like a lot of people hate follow a lot of people and they're just like, I'm better than her. Totally. You know? But I am getting away a car. So that's kind of cool. Yeah. Yeah. But I'm getting a lot of hate about that too. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm getting a lot of hate about that too.

Yeah, what's the hate on that one? I figured you were. There's a couple talking head videos. They're like, who is going to pay the taxes? And we're like, we already got all that covered girlfriend. Like, we've already thought about all those things. Oh, so it's the tax angle? Or they're like, is it real?

I'm like, dude, don't you think, like, the people that think giveaways are fake? Yeah, how are you going to fake that? It is always funny when you don't know you're getting hate and then like your friend's being up to and they're like, sorry, girlfriend. I saw. No, that's the worst. I was like, oh, I didn't know. I was like, oh, you're living in my bubble.

But it wasn't that bad. But there's like two or three talking heads about the giveaway and how it's like, let's talk about this. That's real, you know? And then people in the DMs are like, they're probably going to give away to a friend. I'm like, dude, if you are a friend, like, sometimes I see like a girl from college that I haven't seen in like, you know, seven years enter one of my giveaways. And I literally will DM me and be like, sorry, you're not going to win.

Like, if you, if you, if I, if I, ever like if we have any type of relationship you will not win one of my giveaways unfortunately because like I would be called like a fraud forever yeah so um I think even mr. Bs gets a bunch of hate for like giving way money and doing I know but it's like if that's the worst hate you're getting right now I'm just can you just imagine the hate that I would get though if my children were in 20 degree weather without a soap without a coat I mean that would kill me yeah it's funny how yeah priorities your priorities are in like line. Yeah. Yeah, you got it. So, um, that was that. You know who else is getting hate for giving

things away? Michael Dell. I don't know the details, but he literally gave away like $6.5 billion. And he put it into Trump accounts for kids. So I think it was like $200 each. And like if you look at how it's going to grow. And all I see on Twitter is this guy getting railed for giving away $6.5 billion. They're like, this is a tax write-off. This, here's how, it's like the talking heads and they're like, here's how this is a tax scheme for Michael Dell. And here's how it's going to be reinvested back into that's probably what we're getting hit about too. It's like a tax ride off or whatever. I'm sure. Is it? I don't know. I don't know. Maybe. We are paying for the cars just so, you know, so we didn't get the car for free. We might have gotten like a little

discount, but not much. Like, that doesn't change anything. Like, he gave away $6.5 billion. Dude, I'm telling you. To children. Yeah. It's crazy. It's so crazy. It's like, what do you want? What do you want to do?

If he keeps it, he gets hate. They just want to be angry. But I get it. I stand by. I like being angry too. Sometimes it just feels good. In the comments, did I get any, did I get any affirmation for my understanding of inflation to wage growth?

Okay, cool. What about anything about that? Because I get it. Don't relate. Oh, okay. I get that. Yeah. A lot of us are looking for workouts that actually make us stronger without taking a toll on our joints or our schedules. And I kept hearing women rave about Evelow for that exact reason.

And something I love about this brand is that I actually know the founder, Dr. Shannon. She's a doctor of physical therapy, incredibly smart and created Evelow after seeing so many women push themselves through workouts that weren't giving them the results they wanted. Evelow is all about science-based strength training that blends weightlifting with Pilates principles. so you're building muscle in a way that's smart, joint-friendly, and sustainable. And the structure is honestly such a relief. Every week you get brand new 35-minute classes led by doctors of physical therapy, and you can choose a track for three, four, or five workouts a week. It takes the guesswork out of everything.

One thing I hear over and over is how surprised women are by how effective of Lowe is. Like, they've tried everything. And this is the first time they feel stronger, see real changes in muscle tone, and have more energy. Without the whole, I can't walk for three. day's situation. It's low impact but high results and it's designed to help you build muscle without burnout, which I feel like is the season of life so many of us are in. And if you're pregnant or postpartum, Evel has entire programs built just for you. There's a prenatal program where you

enter your due date and the app gives you the workouts tailored to your exact week of pregnancy taught by Dr. Shannon when she was in the same week herself. And there's a postpartum track too. So you're supported at every stage. It's evidence based. It's joint-friendly. It's smart. It just makes sense, especially if you've been frustrated by workouts. that leave you exhausted instead of strong. Visit evelofitness.com and use the code Danny for six weeks free. You get a free two-week trial plus your first month at $0.00. I always think I'm ready for the holidays until I actually look at how much everything costs.

Between family trips, buying gifts, hosting people, and all the little surprise expenses, it's basically a master class in how to lose track of your money without even trying. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. rated Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025, Monarch is the all-in-one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial lives together in one clean interface on your laptop or your phone. And right now, just for our listeners, Monarch is offering 50% off your first year. The thing that shocked me the most was seeing everything in one place. Like, I knew holiday spending was bad, but I didn't realize how easy it was to blow through

the whole budget without even noticing. Monarch was basically a wake-up call. It forced me to adjust before the credit card bill arrived and ruined my January. Right now, I'm checking my holiday spending category like it's my fantasy football score. It's honestly my year-end reset tool, and I love that you can literally link everything. Investments, 401k, and even your home value, so you get an actual picture of your net worth. It makes decisions way easier, and it's helped me stay on top of end-of-year stuff like maxing out contributions before deadlines. Plus, Danny and I do these little weekly money check-ins now.

Two minutes, quick glance at the dashboard, boom, no surprises, no stress, and I swear it's made our financial conversation so much smoother. Monarch basically does the heavy lifting for people who are busy and don't want to touch spreadsheets ever again. The clarity gives you worth it. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code Danny at monarch.com in your browser for half of your first year off. That's 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code Danny.

Holiday cooking always sounds fun until about 20 minutes in. When every burner is on, the smoke alarm is threatening to go off, and I'm Googling how to tell if his steak is done for the 30th time. The pressure to get the food right is real. And honestly, starting with high-quality ingredients is the only thing that keeps me sane. And that is exactly why Omaha Steaks has become my secret weapon. There is just something about opening a box filled with plump, juicy, air-chilled chicken, big, beefy burgers, the most insane sides.

and yes, those caramel apple tartlets that people go crazy for. It's like delivering all the warmth and magic of the season in one package, except I didn't have to wrestle anyone in a mall parking lot to do it. And their stakes, legendary. We're talking USDA certified tender fillets, bacon wrapped fillets, filet mignon, top sirloins, and all perfectly aged, hand cut by master butchers, and honestly better quality than half the restaurants I've eaten. It's the kind of gift people remember because it's not another can.

it's an experience. Plus, Omaha Steaks has the seriously fast shipping, which is basically a holiday miracle for people like me who think we have plenty of time and then absolutely do not. I've used them for last minute gifts so many times, coworkers, other dads, in-laws, and every single time the response is like, wow, it just hits different. And with over 100 years of expertise behind everything they make, the quality shows in every bite. They've got everything. Stakes, burgers, seafood, pork, chicken, even those decadent desserts that somehow disappear from my freezer faster

than I can hide them. It makes holiday gifting easy, which is honestly the greatest present of all. Save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with Omaha Steaks. Visit Omaha Steaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their sizzle all the way sale.

And for an extra $35 off, use code de-influenced at checkout. Order today for delivery or in-store pickup at your local Omaha steak store. Terms apply, see site for details. Are you excited about Christmas? It's so close to Thanksgiving that it kind of feels like a repeat to me.

Well, let's move into our first segment. We're just going to talk about holiday advice and just, you know, there's some questions that people have about the holidays. And I thought these are really good questions. Disclaimer, maybe if your children are listening to this, turn it down. What do you do when your kids question Santa? I'm telling you, I'm worried about Stella.

I don't think she really is in Santa Claus. And I keep telling her, I'm like, Santa's not going to come. I really don't think she really is in Santa Claus. Well, babe, she's seen like seven different Santas and they all look different. Well, Stella's wrong. Santa's real. No, Santa is real. And I'm worried about her because Santa is probably not going to come because if you don't believe he doesn't come.

Yeah, Stella's a hater. No, she's like, kind of a hate her. She's kind of a hate her on Santa. No, for sure. Like, every time I'm like, do you want to write your, like, list to Santa Claus or do you want to, like, tell them something? She's like, no. I'm like, oh. And Stratton's like, tell Santa this, tell Santa.

Please, please, want me tell Santa. Well, the other thing, though, I will say is that I think it, the one thing that we have done wrong is sometimes Santa re-gifts. Well, sure, that. But I will say that there's two things we've done wrong. It's Elf on the shelf. I knew it. I know it. I'm bad mom.

It's number one. I've caught Stella in the attic. So she's for sure seeing those gifts. Jordan. Are you serious? I didn't let her in. Was she by herself? Was she by herself?

No, she just knows the attic. She's like, what's in the attic? Well, did you hide them? Yeah. Walk in there. They're hidden. Amongst all the other junk. I'm actually being serious, like, off the record, like on this, like, did she really see them?

Or did she see boxes? No, she just, like, knows there's some good stuff in there. But she doesn't know what. I didn't. Don't look at me. I'm a great father. I've ruined my children. My children are ruined.

No. I'm a bad mom. I'm not. The second thing that we've done is I think that threatening, like, I'm going to tell Santa, because we start playing that card Q4. For sure. We're like, hey, like, we're going to tell Santa. Santa's watching.

I think that it becomes like an empty threat. So they're kind of like, like, okay, Santa, I'll call your plug. Jordan, though, the way that worked on me as a child, though. I know. I mean, there were times I would go into my bedroom and just cry and be like, just think about all the horrible things I did that year and think like, I'm not going to get Santa Claus. I had one friend who like, he really did get like newspaper from Santa Claus. And like we all heard about it at school and we all were like, hell no, we're going to be on our best behavior. It was awful.

I mean, I wonder what he did. We might just, basically, we might just need to ramp up the propaganda. We might need to tell her a story. You know what I'm going to do? Her friend Harper in on it and we'll be like, tell her. No, let me tell you something because this is all F now, okay. Everything's F. We don't know.

The holidays are F. The magic is gone. So I'm going to do, I'm going to do Elf on the shelf five days before Christmas. Yeah, I am. I don't know if that's the solution to this problem. I'm going to do it. Okay. I'm going to do it to just reignite the.

the magic. Okay. Because that's my job. Okay. Well, I'm gonna say, so don't talk to me the 20th through the 25th.

I'm, I'm gonna move out. You probably should. I'm gonna move out for five days. I'll come back on Christmas. Daddy's home. I'll be like, how was mom?

They were like, she was great, but she was really stressed. No, they're gonna be like, who cares? Because the elf was in our house. Yeah.

Okay. All right. So there's that. What was the question? What do you do when your kids question Santa? I don't know. They haven't verbally questioned yet. So maybe ask us in here.

She did at the lake with that Santa. She did go back to him and made you tell her to him what she wanted. Yeah. That was a good sign. But that's because he was a happy looking Santa. She doesn't talk to mean looking at Santa. Listen, we live in a pretty nice neighborhood. There was a reindeer.

there she didn't give an F about that reindeer. She like knew it was not like She was like you're not Rudolph. She's like where's your red nose? She's like you're Randy. That's not Rudolph. That's Randy. It really did look like a Randy.

Wait. It was great. Wait, real talk though. It was great. It was the most beautiful reindeer I've seen. No, Jordan. Like actually though, this is a stupid question. Was it real?

Because it looked real. The antlers. Do deer ever grow things like that? Babe, those antlers are real. They were real? Yes, reindeer have. Oh, okay, okay. Sorry.

What do you think? They just like super glued it onto its head? Yeah, kind of. I've never seen a deer like that. No, babe. That pita would have been right there. Babe, it was, like, I thought they were fake. No, reindeer have antlers.

I've never seen that. Yeah. I don't know where they live. Do they live? The reindeer? Do they live in the North Carolina? They live in the North Carolina. Like where do you just go and see live reindeer?

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Are reindeer's real? Yes. What? Yes. You're crapping me right now. No, but I don't know where they live. Wait, you're telling me if reindeer's are real?

I think they're like Norway or something? Wait, they're not fake? No. Oh my gosh. Well, how come I've never seen one before? Let me tell you something that's going to blow your mind. You can also build a snowman. I know that

I've done that before So I'm not as chat to be T Are reindeer real? I'm not convinced elves are not real If I'm being honest Okay I was right They are really are

They're basically in the North Pole They're the same animal as caribou Yes The name just depends on where they live Reindeer usually domesticated Or semi-demicated in Europe and Asia Blah blah blah They both male and

female grow antlers. Wait, so you're telling me, but are they the same thing as deer? I can't believe this right now. I'm like a little, I'm like a little dizzy. I'm just, I'm really confused how you thought that reindeer, that, that antler stuck to its head. I know. That's why I was like a little impressed. I know. I was like, man, what they can do these days with these deer. It's crazy. Wait, I just can't believe reindeer are real. Yeah. Well, well, I wish you would have known that because you would have been much more excited to tell Stella about this reindeer. Well, because I kind of was like, I kind of was like, don't look too close because you might see the glue, you know? Yeah, no, it was a real reindeer.

Oh. They did it right. Wow. Look at them. Yeah, look, babe. But they only live in really cold places. That's why I've never seen one before. I wish people could see this picture.

This is the giant, most giant set of antlers on this thing's head. That looks fake. I didn't even want to look too close because I didn't want to lose the magic myself. You know? You know, like, it's like when you don't, like, like, I remember when I started to question Santa Claus and I remember being like, just don't even go there. Just don't even go there in your brain. Because that would be so sad if he didn't come.

Which, do you ever think about the fact like that if you have an older sibling, they got Santa Claus five more years than you did? I always think about that. When did you? Just think about it. Because they go until the younger, you go until the younger sibling stopped believing. So Landon got five more years. Let's just say I stopped believing when I was 10.

He was 15 at that point. He got five more years of Santa Claus. Yeah. Gosh, the older. That's kind of crazy. Which part, the reindeer's? Both, honestly. Both.

Like Stella will get, I'm just, I just. just it's so unfair. I don't, we might, we might only get one more year out of Stella. She's on. No, because that's the thing is like, Santa Claus can't just bring three kids gifts. He has to bring everybody a gift, whether, you know what I mean? Like in the world? No.

I'm saying like if Santa Claus stopped, or I mean, if Stella stops believing, she's still going to get Santa Claus because the other kids believe in Santa Claus. That's my point. So she's going to get like five years out of it that like the other kids. Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah. That's like you're, do you mean? Yeah, yeah.

It's a rig system. Poor Summit and baby number four. I'm just saying. They're going to have a very, they're going to be accountants because of their lack of wonder. Yeah, they'll probably be like influencers because they're going to need affirmation from the world because. Yeah. Because they didn't get Santa Claus such as their siblings. Yeah.

Um, does the wife do all the Christmas shopping, even for the in-laws? Yes, absolutely. Jordan has no idea what he's giving anyone for Christmas. Like not one thing. Not the one thing. No, you don't know anything. The one thing that you're, the one thing that you're, you know that you're giving is to your dad. Because that was the only person I didn't know how to shop for it. I was like, you're responsible for your dad. Yeah. And then I got something for your dad. Yeah, but I told you. Yeah. And your gift. Okay. Which I wonder if the same like logic applies to people who agreed with you in the last fight where it's like I'm so stressed out about your gift that like I can't handle the mental load. Here's the thing.

So I knew that like as December, you know, as we got closer to Christmas that I was going to be so freaking stressed about gifts. Oh my gosh. If you had to shop right now. No, but like, give me credit. Give me credit. I literally shopped for Christmas like two months ago. Like I was prepared. Like I covered every single person. I didn't even wait till Black Friday to shop because I was like the discount isn't worth the stress for me. Like I was like I would rather pay an extra $10 for that because I know like I will be dying inside. So I shopped for everyone so early. so thank you. How do you keep the holidays centered around Jesus in your household?

I'll let you answer this one. Well, you didn't want to go to church on Christmas Eve. I'm kind of like, okay, it's really funny because I, okay, wait. I'm just kidding. No, I really didn't. It's true. It's true. Everybody in our family is like, okay, so we'll go to Christmas Eve.

Or go to church on Christmas Eve. I'm like, no, no, I'm not doing church on Christmas Eve. Like, here's the thing. Church on Christmas Eve is a lot. Okay. It's a lot to pack up to get everybody dressed up. All the things, the matching outfits, the weather, the parking, all this stuff. And I would rather be a family that goes to church every Sunday and then skip Christmas Eve and have good time with a family.

True. Then just go to church on Christmas Eve. Eve and never go to church the other day. Like, I just don't, yeah, it's, it's really, I don't really have a good argument, except for the parking. Yeah, this is why we're not Christian influencers. We are influencers that are Christians because we are flawed. Yeah, and that's why if you want to feel better about yourself, you can come follow me and

I won't be at Christmas on Christmas Eve and you'll feel better about yourself and be like, I can keep watching her because she sucks. She's going to be doing a chili cook off. That's what I want to do a chili cook. off on Christmas Eve. Okay, Sue me. Sorry. I would say, like, on a scale of one to ten of how rooted in Jesus are our kids, I would honestly, I'd probably give us like a seven. Yeah, I would say, I would say an eight. Like, they, like, no. Like, she's like, oh, I can't stop thinking about the witch. Like, I need to talk to Jesus. And I'm like, great. Yeah, no. And I, I mean,

a lot of that's you. Well, I pray with them, like, every single night. And Shredden every night asked me to pray with him. Yeah. we always pray. So like when we do our, like, I feel like that's like a big thing. And then just integrated throughout the day whenever I'm like, oh, you have boo-boo, like, you need to ask Jesus to heal it because I can't do anything about it. Like, you know. Yeah.

And so yeah, I feel like it's more like an integration. And I think that's why I don't put so much emphasis on like a Christmas Eve like service. Because I'm like, yeah, like it's, it would be great. Like it's cool. But it's not everything. It's not like my kids are going to be like. like believers just because they went to church on Christmas Eve. Like they're going to be believers because we like infuse it into like the culture and

in the small moments, you know. So that's why I don't feel guilty about it because I'm like, you know, but maybe I should. I'll pray about it. I'll pray about it. Maybe you'll see me at church on Sunday. I'll Christmas Eve. The pastor comes up. Hey, Danny, listen to the podcast.

Let's talk about driving people away from the church on Christmas Eve. Yeah, y'all should go for sure. Yeah, y'all should go. Wait, what do you think about Preston Wood? Yeah, I know. Every year. Every year they get hate for this. How much is that, how much do you think that performance is?

There's just like megachurch in Dallas that puts on this like insane, extravagant, like Christmas show. It's like a Broadway show about Christmas. What are your thoughts on that? It gets hate. What's the hate that it gets? It gets hate every year because people who don't know Preston Wood or, like, like they just put it in the umbrella of like it's like they literally have like standing like flying through the air like it's so over the top they say like non tax paying you know

entities like churches like this is where their money yeah this is where their money is going but i do think that like a lot of people for preston wood in particular i'm always like fine to dunk on megachurches usually but like i feel like this is like actually a good thing because i think that it brings people who It's like your family gets together Yeah like wouldn't have like I think about Friends who are not believers like they would go To that show and they would like

Hear the gospel and they would like feel welcome In a church and like it could It's like a really good way to get people in the doors of the church You do? Oh how expensive is it Oh that kind of changed my mind a little bit Oh I didn't have to pay for it I changed my mind a little bit

If it's like 20 bucks. It funds the show. So it's standard ticket dollars. I think that's fine. Yeah. I think it's fine. But if you have four kids, it's a lot.

But it's like not, that's like a little bit more than to going to a movie. Like could they cover it? Probably. But they're in, I think they're an interesting church because they have like an older demographic and they're trying to reach younger people. They just hired the Portuguese.

guy. David Marvin. Yeah, and I was like kind of like, you know, I think it was like a good move for them because they're, you know, he's known for the porch. I thought that they had a lot of young families over there. I thought it was an older. I don't think so. I think it's like a, I mean, it's like a.

Do you know anything about it? Both. Both. But like their social media presence and like their. And they have like traditional services. Yes, yes, yes, yes. They've been around for a. a long time as like a big mega church.

Yes. So maybe a lot of their demo is like older now. Right. Older kids. So this is what's so funny about Prestonwood is Prestonwood Church used to be, do you know like that Exxon that is at the corner of like Arapaho and Hillcrest like where I grew up? Yeah.

It used to be the building like behind that. And that's where I actually went to Prestonwood Christian Academy and that's where the church was. It was so small. It's so crazy how. And that's actually where we went. Like we went like for a year growing up. Yeah.

Is that church? And so it's just like wild, how much it exploded. I watched this. This is kind of off topic, but sort of not. I watched this fascinating YouTube video. I should share it out like the links or something. But it was by this guy named Jeremy Pryor. And he talked about why so much, so many of the church leaders are failing.

And he basically like breaks it down into like a really methodical culture that's accidentally created of like if you are a pastor these days like they the churches are setting up these pastors to be super charismatic like super good on social media because they're like that's how we get people into our church but they're not giving them any framework of you know like okay that's really good for the church but then how do we make sure that you stay grounded and not get too sucked into the fame and there's like no accountability in guardress then then they fall and then the church like if you look at like case studies the church wipes their hands clean brings out their PR agency distances themselves finds the next

charismatic leader it's like really what he was pointing out was like a really thoughtful it's like unbiblical to like just be like you messed up by we don't want you here anymore well it's like interesting because you know but you would be so hurt that like even if they did invite you back maybe not to work for for that, but like, you know, in some capacity, like, you would just be probably so ashamed that you probably wouldn't feel comfortable going back. Well, and I don't know if he offers a solution in the video, but he talks about, you know, just the dangers of the modern day church because, like, the Acts Church was, you know, it was very relational, very discipleship focused. Wasn't it like at people's

homes? Yeah. And by virtue, it has to be small because like a pastor cannot lead a flock of that size. It's like impossible. And so. So this modern. You get colonist system. Yeah, this modern day mega church of like more, more, more bigger, bigger, bigger. It's like kind of being done under the disguise of reaching more people for the kingdom. But there's some like inherent flaws in the way it's like design. That's why it's so cool that Francis Chan, he was like literally like, I'm getting too big.

And he basically stepped back and was like, I'm going to go pastor a really small church, I think is what he did. that's like so like truly Christ-like well Preston trout I mean sorry I was Grant Trout is kind of like the same way yeah isn't he like a kids pastor yeah and he was like the same way where he was like like Maddie and him like really struggled with like what's our purpose within like social media and our presence and I know they have their podcast and stuff but they both decided that they wanted to put more of their energy I think that's when you moved to Waco. They wanted to put more energy into like the local ministry than like the online ministry because that's like what that God calls us to do. I thought it was like cool.

Yeah. That's yeah. Exactly. Because like you can it's so a lot. There's just like I'm not saying it's all bad, but there's a lot of danger in this argument of like social media is the boats by which we reach the masses. I think a lot of things are being used. It's just a dangerous game to play. I know. And it's like the thing is. There's one church pastor right now and I'm not going to say who it is. Like I think he is on fire. He is so good at social media. He is so good at Twitter. He is like such a good leader in like this generation. But I am just so like he hasn't done anything wrong. I'm just worried because I'm like, man, I don't want it to like get to your head. I know. It's hard. It's so hard. And if it does, I would be the first to be like, man, I forgive you. Like, give me a hug. But the, the hard thing is, is like, you post this stuff.

You get so much, like, positive affirmation, but I feel like you're just hitting the people that agree with you. You know, and so it's like, is it even really doing anything? No, but why he's good. Why he's good is that he's also really good at hitting the people who don't agree with him. And he's, it's a very, it's an art to poke at the people that don't agree with you, but not shame them. Like he's so good at it. Do you think that the people that don't agree with him are actually changing their minds because of a video he posted? Maybe.

Maybe. Maybe. I don't know. I always struggle with. He's very gifted at it. He's very, very gifted to what he's doing. Very gifted. Yeah.

That's cool. Yeah, I don't know what I think about the present thing. I don't, I'm really for anything that's wholesome that brings people together. Yeah. Like I really am. If it's 20 to 60 bucks. If it was like 100 plus, I'd be like this is good. Especially for like a Christmas.

thing. But like that's why I'm also so for Taylor Swift concerts. Like I just love whenever people can come together and do wholesome things together. And it's like I love when there's like opportunity to like get your family together. And yeah, it's done by a mega church and they're probably not perfect. But I like that it's like maybe there's this like family that they have no tradition. Maybe they have a small family. They have, you know, nobody really cooks in their family. And I like that they can have something to look forward to. Yeah. So I, I think it's. school but um okay let's see how do i get my mom and mother-in-law to stop buying my kids toys they don't need more toys yeah i would just probably like ask them to not buy you too many more toys

they won't listen but you can ask well i'll tell a story that we experienced lately that's been killing me too so my mom bought stella like a watch that has a screen it's kind of like an Apple Watch for kids and did not consult me before. And that watch, so I, like, immediately it was like, Stella, you can play with it at Coco's house, but like, you cannot have it at our house. Like, we're not giving Stella a screen to play with. And, you know, Coco does, I remember like when I told my mom this, she's like, oh, Danny, it's fine. And I'm like, but it's not really fine because, you know, what she actually said was she wanted it. Yeah, well, she wanted it. And she asked me for it. And then, but there was one time I was like, mom, this is why we don't do screens.

And then she's like, oh, Danny. But I think that what my mom doesn't realize, it's like a different type of screen. Like a handheld screen is different than like a TV that we watched growing up. Like, I don't know. It's different. And I think our parents don't understand that. That's not their fault. But that watch has been like the death of me.

Like she asks about it probably every other day. She's like, can I go to Coco's house to play with a watch to play with the watch? And I'm like, on this trip, she's like, Coco's coming. can she bring the watch and my mom's like let me just bring the watch and I'm like no we're not doing that like I don't want this watch at all but I think the biggest thing it's so hard because like you want to communicate with your mother-in-law and your mom and you want to tell them like what your rules are but they're gonna roll their eyes at you because they don't understand like just how things have changed like and it's not their fault but they're just like whenever I text and I'm like

hey like they have to go to bed by 730 and they're like oh come on just this one time I'm like no you don't understand. Like, it, it can't just be this one time because it's honestly, even if I say 730, they're probably going to go to bed at 9, you know? And like, it's, it throws off everything for the entire week. And it's like, but they look at us and they're like, oh, she's such an annoying mom. Like, she's so strict or whatever. And so I don't know. I try to do my best to like explain this all to them and to be like, like, heartfelt about it and be like, I know that you guys probably think I'm crazy, but they really need to go to bed by 730. or like they really we really cannot do screens it just like messes up they get so upset when you take it away and like so i try to be like over communicative so they don't think like we're wild and we're mean or we're just being like snooty but um but yeah it's just really communication honestly that's all you can do like we don't need more toys maybe like experiences or like an arts and craft would be cool um like giving like them like an experience like taking them like taking them

you know, to Michael so that y'all can make a toy or like to decorate a picture frame or something. Like, I don't know. Stuff like that is always, the experiences are always more fun anyway than the toys. Yeah. I agree. I don't like my church. My family goes to on Christmas Eve. Suck it up or do my own thing.

Do your own thing. I don't go. That's what I do. Dude, just don't go. Do a chilly cook off. No, I'm kidding. I don't like the church my family goes to it on Christmas Eve. suck it up or do my own thing.

Next question. Well, what would you do? What? I would do what they want to do. That's just me. Jordan says go to the Christmas, go to the church with your family.

Yeah. I think unless you're trying to pave your own traditions, that's the only justification that I think is like okay to divide up from family. But what, like what we do, Well, we're probably going to have drama about this, by the way. About what? Like, because, like, your family's going to church on Christmas Eve and they invited us and, like, we haven't officially said no.

And then we're going to be like, no, but we're doing actually cook off. So it's like going to. But, but we spent, we created our own tradition on Thanksgiving at the Lakehouse and we invited everyone into our tradition. I feel like that's unifying, not divisive. Okay, but what about Christmas Eve? Christmas Eve, I mean, I think it's very fair to not, for, for, for, for, for, expectations to be set that you can't have both. What?

Like if you, if we're having to like, if it's like your family or my family, like splitting Thanksgiving and Christmas is very normal. And I think that that's like a fair set of expectations. Okay. Okay. How do you deal with family drama around Christmas time? I mean. Just pretend.

It didn't happen. Probably like, I don't know. Just. It's hard. We're kind of experiencing it a little bit. Not this year? Last year, maybe. The funny thing is, is like we're about to experience it.

Why? Because your mom and dad invited us to do something and we're going to say no and then we're not going to see them at all. But we invited them to everything. Yeah. But they're going to go be with Luke and Brooke. So then we're not going to see them at all. She's literally saying, I think it's fine. She's staying here this weekend with Summit.

Oh, great. great. I'm just like I'm just saying like we I feel like we do a really good job of trying to be fair and equitable. Okay. I, I will die on that hill that I did my best. I will. I will go to my grave saying I did my best. Okay. I mean, I think the best thing is just like communication and planning. That's my job and I feel like I kind of have it on lock. Okay. I am behind on my car. Christmas planning them. What's the worst gift you've received but had to pretend you loved?

It's a good question. I don't really want gifts anymore. I know, but in the past. Okay, I have something. Like, it's really hard when somebody gives you something that you already have, but then you act like you don't have it. I've done that somebody does. Yeah.

Like a book and you're like, really? What's it about? You're like, I've already read this. Or like, you know. But I'm always like, or sometimes I'll be like, oh, I already have it. I have this, but I'm out of it. So I really needed another one. Yeah, I just, I don't know.

I just don't want anything. But you've ever been disappointed when it's not about what you want, baby. It's about a gift you've received in the past. I would say like, you're like everything you've ever got. I would say, I would say that because I don't want anything, like, it. Majority of what you get, you don't want like.

It's just a burden. I'm like, where am I going to put this? Like, I, what am I going to do? do with this. I mean, it's very rare. What I like to get is like a toy that I can play with on Christmas and then be over it. Like one time, I think your brother maybe got like this like remote control plane and then we all flew it outside. Yeah. And then I crashed into a neighbor's yard. And then I was like, all right, well, I'm over it. It's fine. So, like, something that makes that day better is a great gift. Or genuinely I'm at that phase where I'm

like I would genuinely appreciate new socks or underwear. I'm like, cool. Functional. I didn't want it to buy it anyway. Yeah, because everything else. But you have to admit, the sneakers I get you every year you love. I do love. I wear those a lot.

And you never expect that. Yes. And I have a feeling I got something coming. What? I saw there. I wasn't looking at your phone, but it was on the counter. And there was a text that popped up from Raw kicks. This is what I'm talking about.

I can't do anything right. Literally, I try so hard. I was exciting. And there's no magic. I have no idea what's coming. I'm so excited. So you're looking through my phone now, trying to find out what you got.

No, no, I don't care. I genuinely was like, I don't want to know. I want to be so shocked and surprised when I open up. I got you a lot of gifts because I, and I'm trying to decide,

do you want me to give them all to you for Christmas or wait and give you like half Christmas, half birthday? because his birthday is January 3rd. It took me like seven years to remember his birthday's January 3rd, not January 4th, but just so you know, I have it down. I have a friend who's like our birthday's a day away from each other like January 2nd. And Danny was like, oh my gosh, are you coming to Danes Jordan's birthday on January 4th?

And we had been married like six years and he was like, Jordan's birthday's on January 3rd. And I barely talked to him. I don't know why. I can never remember his birthday. I do that with Stratton. I'm always like, because it's always like. Is it 14? 20? It's 420. I'm like, okay, 420s, they anchor. Is it the day before the day after?

I know. I always think it's the 19 and it's the 21st. But yeah. Again, I'm excited for my shoes. I don't know what they are. But that question is, do you want to get half your gifts on your birthday and half on Christmas or all on Christmas? Maybe half and half so you feel special birthdays. Yeah. I don't want you to stress anymore after, after Christmas, which is what, December 25th? Yeah. No more stress. But your birthday is January 3rd. I know.

So what I'm saying is like if you gave me all the gifts on Christmas, then you're going to be stressed from the January 25th through January 3rd about we're going to get me from my birthday. Don't think about the stress. Don't think about the stress. Don't think about the stress. Do you want half on your birthday? I want it all on Christmas.

I'll do half on your birthday. Okay. I'm sorry. I want it half. Yeah, half and half. Okay. Cool. That's what I was thinking.

Half and half. Okay. Well, I'm really happy we did this podcast because we didn't make it to any of. of the segments at all. We never do. We never do. Well, thank you guys for listening. Will we see them before Christmas?

This is last episode. Oh, Merry Christmas. Dude, you know what? I'm sorry for every time on my Instagram stories I write X-Miss. It's just faster. But Jesus knows my heart. Yeah, see you in 20206. We love you guys.

Bye. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.