Do you find yourself stressed and anxious when it comes to giving holiday gifts? Have you lost the joy of the experience?

We sit down with financial wellness expert Crystal Flores to learn ways to stop the anxiety and disconnection of gift giving. Cyrstal explains how she gives gifts based on her values: thrift, creativity, connection, and environmental stewardship. When your values lead, the pressure fades and gifts start to feel like gestures of care rather than tests you can fail.
We start where stress often spikes: the workplace. Crystal shares how leaders can normalize no-gift policies. Crystal also offers a clear script for holiday bonuses or tips when money is tight, separating appreciation from price and protecting your financial health with honest, kind language. When giving obligatory hostess gifts, she offers respectful, low-friction choices like homemade granola and ethical treats, including fair-labor chocolate that tastes amazing (Tony's Chocolonely).
Crystal gets specific and suggests that for single parents and families, acts of service beat stuff: car detailing swaps, dinner drop-offs, laundry runs, and babysitting hours. For kids and tweens, she emphasizes how kids love volume when it comes to gifts.We also tackle the emotional side—anxiety, perfectionism, and rejection-sensitive dysphoria. If someone expects expensive items, Crystal shows you how to set boundaries early with a loving family note.
Leave the pressure, keep the joy, and make gift giving personal again. Discover your own core values and keep this process fun!

Gift of Granola

The original recipe came from Mark Bittman's cookbook "How to Cook Everything," but I've been making this for so long I've made it my own, and I don't remember his original instructions.

You'll need 2 big baking dishes. I use a Pyrex glass baking dishes. If you want to do one smaller batch, then halve everything.

Fill the dishes with:

4 cups rolled oats (not instant...too small)

2 handfuls shredded coconut (optional, but we love it)

2 handfuls of 3 kinds of chopped nuts (whatever you have on hand..so 6 handfuls total)

lots of cinnamon

a little salt

drizzle the whole thing lightly with honey or agave syrup (optional)

Stir everything together

Preheat oven to 350

Bake for 17 minutes (you could 15 or 20...whatever works for your particular oven...17 works just right in mine with two baking trays of this stuff), pull it out, stir it around, and put it back for another 17 minutes. You just want to get everything toasted to get a crunchy texture.

Pull it out, let it cool. Add raisins or other dried fruit if you want.

Works well by itself, as a homemade cereal with milk, as a topping for yogurt or ice cream... whatever

Homemade Dog Cookies (20 minutes)

1 15oz can pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling

2 eggs

3 tablespoons (or more, if you like) natural peanut butter, make sure peanuts and salt are only ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (you could use regular flour). I just only have whole wheat in my pantry, so that's what I used.

Preheat oven to 350

Mix ingredients. It should have the consistency of cupcake icing. If it needs to be thicker, add more flour. If you need to thin it, add some water.

Form 1-inch rounds on parchment paper and put them into preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

Allow to cool thoroughly before giving these.

Finished cookie rounds should have the consistency of a thick cake.

Music composed and performed by guitarist, JD Cullum

Edited by Brandon Moran

Sponsored by Soar With Tapping