Holiday Hot Seat

Welcome back to Proof It’s Possible! In this conversation, Dayle and Jamie are in the Christmas hot seat! They share their favourite Christmas memories, traditions, favourite (and worst) gifts, and what they love about this time of year. Tune in to discover: 

• Dayle and Jamie's favourite childhood Christmas memories
• What Dayle and Jamie look forward to the most at Christmas, and their ideal gifts
• The importance of choosing a gift that is thoughtful and meaningful
• Jamie's view on gift bags and why a gift-wrapping business would be a great idea

What are your favourite Christmas memories and traditions? Share your thoughts with us — we’d love to hear! DM us on Instagram @dayle_sheehan_designs & @jamiedfrancis! See you next time!

This episode is sponsored by our Ultimate Girls Trip! Be sure to go to www.proofitspossible.com for more info.

For More Information:
• Proof It's Possible Website
• The Ultimate Girls Trip Instagram

Dayle:
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• Website
• Interior Design

Jamie:
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Website

Transcript

Dayle (00:30)
Hi guys, welcome back. Today we're gonna do a very fun Christmas edition of Getting to Know Us. So, Jamie, the Queen of Christmas.

Jamie (00:39)
All right.

Christmas is the best time of the year, so why wouldn't we get to know us during Christmas? ⁓ Okay, what's your earliest Christmas memory?

Dayle (00:45)
true. Start us up!

think waking mom and dad up, like being so little, you you wake up at like 430 in the morning because you're so excited and mom and dad were like... Yeah. But I remember being like very little. For sure. For sure. I remember being very little and them being like, it's the middle of the night. Santa hasn't even came. And I was like, I checked. He came. Easier. So we can get in there.

Jamie (00:56)
did that till I was like 16 years old. So, I mean, every Christmas blur is together for me.

I would say my earliest memory or like the most memorable Christmas that I have the earliest is the year we got skis.

Dayle (01:23)
Really? Because that wasn't very early. Like we were like, yeah, I guess. Yeah, you're right. yeah, I really remember that. Yes, totally.

Jamie (01:25)
⁓ I was like five or six.

was big deal. I don't know. Looking all fly in my new Sennheiser ski suit and my new skis. We

got to go skiing that day. Like it was pretty, I don't know, it was pretty remarkable. You didn't like skiing like I did, obviously.

Dayle (01:40)
Pretty good, yeah.

No, I like the outfit though. Like I like that everything matched and like I had this cute, Sun Ice get up. Yeah.

Jamie (01:48)
Yeah, I know it's good. It is good.

Do you like a real Christmas tree or a fake?

Dayle (01:54)
I like a fake. my God, I can't take the stress of a real Christmas tree, the filthiness of it, the water leaking, the ruining the hardwood or the carpet. just know I'm not taking that chaos on.

Jamie (02:06)
You know what? It's the worst. A real Christmas tree. We do a real Christmas tree in my household because Ray insists on it, but you know what it is for me? It's not even the watering. It's not even the, all of that. It's how un-uniform the lights are. It's how they never look right. They're, cause they're not built into the tree. They just,

Dayle (02:10)
Yeah.

No, I'm not doing it. What?

Yes, yes. Totally.

Jamie (02:34)
look like shit every single, single time and I can't handle it.

Dayle (02:39)
Well, don't feel too bad. I have a very beautiful and expensive fake and we've had it for like maybe five years. Naughty, no, probably, yeah, maybe five years. Anyways, not very long. And the middle section is like not as dark. And like good luck finding the one bulb that's like impairing the whole tree. I thought to myself, we just throw the tree away and start over? Like, I don't know. Because what do you do? What do you, the lights are the problem for both things.

Jamie (02:59)
Yeah.

No.

I know.

When we used to, we get it from this one Christmas tree farm where we live and they're only open for one day a year. You pick up your, you pick out your tree and you can either take it home or come back for it, but there's only one day and it's first come first serve. So we, every year when we first moved here, we would bundle up and bring the kids out and it was like kind of a tradition. And now they've switched that one, one year or one day, sorry, to a school day and

Dayle (03:33)
wow.

Jamie (03:34)
We've gotten more, like I've gotten more picky about the tree that I want. So I'm like, I've to be there at opening, which is at 10 o'clock. Like I'm not waiting till three when the kids are done school because all the good ones will be gone. So now I just do it alone. And I'm like, well, the tradition of it is gone. So like not only is this like the worst situation, because not the tree that I want, it's a hassle. It falls over it, you know, just all the things.

Dayle (03:41)
Yeah.

And that's the best part.

Totally.

Jamie (04:01)
This is one of those traditions that I'm like, I just wish Ray would just let it die, but he is not. What's your favorite Christmas movie?

Dayle (04:08)
for Christmases.

Jamie (04:10)
it's funny.

Dayle (04:11)
It's so funny and it's like an adult movie because like I like the kid movies or like the elves and the, you know, goofy ones, but I they're just ones you've seen them and like heard the joke. ⁓

Jamie (04:17)
Yeah.

I really like

Home Alone. It feels very nostalgic to me. I can actually recall the day that I unloaded my piggy bank on the Zeller's conveyor belt to pay for the Home Alone VHS. We can buy them. It was a good day. It was a really big day that day we got to take home the VHS of Home Alone.

Dayle (04:23)
Mm-hmm. For sure.

Yeah, well, we combined both piggy banks to pay the $20. Yeah, it was a big day.

I agree.

Jamie (04:42)
What's one holiday tradition you refuse to skip?

Dayle (04:45)
all of them. It's a religion. I don't skip any of them. ⁓ But ones that I really love, I'm very traditional around the like Thanksgiving dinner, or Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner. I'm lost guys. don't even know what time of year it is. No, Christmas dinner has to be turkey. Like I'm not the kind of person that's like, let's make steak and lobster for that.

Jamie (04:47)
I know. I know.

Thanks William, geez.

Dayle (05:07)
I'll mess around with Easter, I'll mess around with Thanksgiving, but I'm not messing around with Christmas dinner, that's that. And I also really love Christmas Eve, playing games, wearing our jammies, like all of that. Christmas Eve is as important to me as Christmas Day.

Jamie (05:25)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I would agree with that. I love the Christmas jammies. I mean, it feels ridiculous to get a new pair of jammies every single year, especially for the adults, because it's like we're not, we're not probably putting on our reindeer jammies ever again after that day. But it's like the joy that it brings the kids. It's next level. And even when we've tried to reuse jammies, they're like, what is happening? Like what kind of

Dayle (05:42)
Totally. Next level.

We've, yeah, absolutely.

Jamie (05:51)
you know, crazy has gone on here to allow for this. So that's one that I love. I also love looking at like the Christmas lights, but I feel like that's kind of a dying tradition. Like they're just nobody's doing it. Yeah. Yeah. They're more like elegant Christmas lights, which is not as fun. What's your favorite Christmas scent?

Dayle (05:52)
Yeah.

Not enough people, yeah. Or they're just really simple Christmas lights because it's just like one string.

Mm-hmm.

I only like like sweet sense. So I like like the like sugar cookie. Yeah, or like vanilla things like I don't like cinnamon. don't like I'm not a spicy sense liker. That's gross.

Jamie (06:16)
over 50.

I

don't mind like the like a real Christmas tree. I don't like like a candle meant to smell like a Christmas tree, but I like like the smell of a real Christmas tree. I like the smell of a real fire. You know, like things that remind me of Christmas and cozy, but I don't love a lot of fake sense at all.

Dayle (06:33)
Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes.

Yes, I love the smell of a rail fire, for sure.

No, me either.

Jamie (06:49)
What's the worst gift you've ever received?

Dayle (06:51)
I don't know. Gifts aren't that important to me. it's hard to like, like this is a terrible thing to say and I don't mean it because I don't appreciate them. But even when I love a gift, I, someone will say to me like a month later, they'll be like, what'd you get for Christmas? And I'm like, gosh, I like some makeup and that I needed. And I don't know, some gum and my stocking.

I like have no memory of what I even got, you know, because it's not about the presents for me at all. So whether they're good or bad, it's sort of just part of it's part of the fun for the kids. More than anything, the present part.

Jamie (07:20)
Yes.

Mm-hmm. And I

feel like we don't have like a big weird expectations around gift giving like in our family. We are just like if in both directions. So it's this is very going to be very hard to explain. But like I don't have this big expectation that there's going to be something really grand, really fancy, a huge surprise to me sitting under the tree. I don't expect that at all. But do I expect?

Dayle (07:31)
No.

Yes.

Neither.

Jamie (07:50)
at least something to acknowledge that I am ⁓ there. 110%. But I don't have like, some people have really clear expectations on like a price range that they want their husband to buy them a gift in or, know, like I don't have that at all. And I think I'm so blessed in my life that like, if I really want something, I typically just go get it or I work towards it or something like that. it's like,

Dayle (07:53)
a part of the family and you should open a present. Yeah.

Yes, me either.

Exactly.

Jamie (08:13)
Gifts are just like, if you see something and you're like, Jamie would love that, then I appreciate that you had a moment where you thought of me, but I don't have this like weird tie to gift you.

Dayle (08:22)
Yes. And honestly,

I don't even need gifts. Like I don't, I, I'm more happy to watch everybody else open a gift. I don't care about gifts. Yeah.

Jamie (08:31)
I 100 % agree, but then I also

hear about people where they're like, yeah, my husband has never gotten me a Christmas gift. That's absolutely terrible. So when I say I don't care about gifts, I actually do.

Dayle (08:37)
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, totally. Yeah, for sure.

And it's because I've gotten enough gifts in my life that I'm like, box checked. I don't need more. And if there was like something I really wanted, I'd say to Darren like, Hey, this what I want for Christmas. And then he'd get, you know, like

Jamie (08:49)
Yes, yes, for sure.

Mm-hmm. And

you what? think my, the worst gift I've ever received isn't like, you know, one thing in particular. It's when somebody named Ray goes to the store and he's like, oh, she just needs things. Things. You know what I'm saying? Like there was a year where I got like really expensive markers to write on a wine glass. And I'm like, what the fuck is this? Like.

Dayle (09:09)
Don't listen.

Yeah. Yes.

Mm-hmm Yes,

and like you don't even drink really this is just money

Jamie (09:23)
No, and so it's like a gift that I'm like, I know that this

is, it's just like wasted money and he felt obligated to buy me something so he bought me something. And those are the gifts that I always am like, I hate that. Please don't do that again. Like save the money and get me something I actually care about at a different time. Cause I don't care about the teeth. And like it doesn't have to be like, on the exact day I better have something big, you know?

Dayle (09:29)
Mm-hmm.

Yes. Darn. Yeah, I agree. Well, and you know...

about anything right now. Yeah, well, that's

Yeah, I used to when I was a teenager, dad would give me his credit card and he'd send me to the mall and he'd say, buy your mother a bunch of things for Christmas. And so I would go for eight straight hours and like fill up pretty much two shopping carts of stuff that I thought she wanted. like mom's a tomboy, mom doesn't like wasting money, mom could care less about stuff.

Jamie (10:04)
Bye.

Dayle (10:14)
So the fact that I was in Lucenza getting her $200 pajamas and then being like, yeah, nice perfume set. Meanwhile, she's allergic to all perfumes. then, And then I'm like, a body wash set to match the perfume set? Yeah, I'll take it. Yeah, that'd be great. And like just one store to the next, to the next. And I remember one time, like the guy at one of the stores was like, can I see some ID?

Jamie (10:23)
Well, I'm like, what a teenager likes and what a mom likes are not one and the same.

Dayle (10:42)
for your credit card. And I'm like, I was like, how dare this guy want verification that I am not Patrick Sheehan. Yeah, and my friend who's 13, aren't the owners of this credit card spending $350 on stuff. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Jamie (10:43)
Totally.

That me? Me, the 12 year old?

Yeah.

What a loser!

Fancy pajamas and body sprays. Victoria's Secret body spray.

Dayle (11:10)
So anyways, and mom used to just be like, I don't need any of this. I'm gonna take it all back. And I'm like, mom, I worked hard for that. I looked in the mall all day for that.

Jamie (11:20)
you know

what, she's kept that tradition strong. Doesn't matter where you get her, she's taking it back.

Dayle (11:23)
yeah.

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Jamie (11:27)
Okay, what is one thing that you want this year if you have any?

Dayle (11:31)
Honestly, no, I the things I want are going on trips. I want to go on trips all year long that's all I want like I would rather save every dime and Just make experiences get to see come see you guys lots like that's what I care about I do not want one thing under the tree at all

Jamie (11:36)
Me

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I'm just trying to think if there was like one physical item that I would like to open under the tree.

It would be a plane ticket, I think, just printed.

Dayle (11:58)
Yeah, same

like just a surprise trip somewhere big and like that's that. Okay. I don't want anything for Christmas. That's big and unnecessarily expensive unless it's a really nice trip. Plane ticket wrapped up surprise. All the plans made. I'll take it. Yes. Very good. Very exciting.

Jamie (12:01)
Thank

to do.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yep, I would agree with that. I could also go for some like heated socks. But.

Dayle (12:25)
Okay,

just those two things and then you're good. That's it.

Jamie (12:29)
Yeah, I mean unless

you're taking me on a beach vacation then I don't need them.

Dayle (12:33)
Right, you're right. But I mean, that's probably only for like a week,

Jamie (12:37)
Yeah, true. What's one thing like a tradition that you want to start like a new or a new thing or like I don't it could be anything doesn't have to be tradition. It could be like a new dish you want to try or something new you want to do that you haven't done yet. This Christmas.

Dayle (12:52)
I don't know. I don't know. Do you have one?

Jamie (12:56)
Um, the only thing I can think of is I really want to try. I don't know if I'm at the, my kids are at the right age just yet, but I really want to try one year doing a Christmas, um, up at the ski hill, like waking up in a place that's not your norm, you know? Um, like logistically, it's harder when you have little kids cause it's like toys and the magic and all the things that have to happen. And how is Santa going to find you if you're not laying on bed?

Dayle (13:10)
you

Yeah. Yep.

Jamie (13:24)
You know, there's just like a lot to consider, but as they get older, I feel like they're more chill about things. And, and like, think it even be fun to like wake up Christmas morning, like on a beach vacation. I've never done it and I want to.

Dayle (13:31)
for

yeah, that's something

I was like after you said that I'm like, well, I'd like to also try a nice house on the beach where we all wake up somewhere fun, warm, do different things. You know, I might even like go have turkey dinner there and just go for a beautiful dinner.

Jamie (13:44)
Yeah!

Yeah, then a couple of years ago, we went on a big,

we went on a vacation right before Christmas. So we were there and then our flight got canceled. So we were there like till December 23rd or fourth, like way closer to Christmas than we had initially planned. And it was kind of fun because there was just like different stuff and you're on a beach, but there's also a Christmas tree that's all lit up and like all the palm trees have Christmas lights strung from them. And like, it's just a whole different vibe. And I feel like as kind of like

Dayle (14:00)
Hmm.

Yeah, totally.

Jamie (14:16)
the magic of like the kids childhood Christmas fades away and they turn into teenagers, then you have to find new magic. And yeah, so I would do that.

Dayle (14:21)
Yes.

exciting things to do. Yeah. One thing I will

say though with that is like using that kind of a trip as an example, I don't want to have Christmas in a hotel room ever. I want it to still in that situation, I'd want it to be like in a house setting more like where we're still together, you know?

Jamie (14:37)
Yeah. Yeah, know. Yeah, totally.

Totally. Yeah. Okay, last question for me and then you're going to do rapid fire, right?

If you could relive one Christmas morning from your childhood, what would it be and why?

Dayle (14:53)
I know exactly what went. It would be the one where we were all up at grandma and grandpa's farm and grandma like renamed, named all the beds and like assigned everybody a bed and we all, she was like all the Disney characters and it was so fun. And when we woke up in the morning, because there were so many of us, there was hundreds of presents. Like we couldn't even see the, so small, so, so small. And like,

Jamie (15:04)
Yeah, so fine.

And their house was so small. Yeah.

That was the most fun Christmas too because our grandpa had like all the toys. Like he was a hunter so he has like quads and snowmobiles. They had like a little, I don't know, pond that was frozen and we all played like all the cousins and all the aunts and uncles played hockey that morning and it was just sleeping all day. And then we were pulling each other.

Dayle (15:17)
Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Pond. Yeah.

and skated all day and yeah, it was just so.

Jamie (15:38)
on the toboggan behind the quad. It was reckless and completely chaotic, but nobody died and it was a good time.

Dayle (15:45)
But we did it, 80s.

I mean, you do stuff in the 80s that you're not doing today, but I would relive it. It was very, very fun. For sure. For sure. Okay, rapid fire. Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Jamie (15:50)
Yeah, yeah, it was very fun.

Neither.

Dayle (15:58)
Yeah, hot chocolate, but like a nice vanilla latte. Me either.

Jamie (16:01)
I guess I don't love hot chocolate either, but I would take more

of like an English toffee coffee from the gas station. Like that's what I love.

Dayle (16:09)
Yeah,

the gas station in Okotoks. And two things I bring back from Okotoks childhood, just not to do with Christmas, but hi-ho buns. All of the Okotoks people will know what we're talking about. And the English toffee coffees from Shell. good. Christmas movies or Christmas music?

Jamie (16:11)
The gas station in Northland.

Ugh. Ugh.

Ciao.

Mm-hmm. I love a Christmas movie so Christmas movie, but I love Mariah Carey Christmas, too. So I'm eating dinner. want Christmas music if I'm Huddled in for the night. want a Christmas movie. I don't know

Dayle (16:32)
I've divorced

Exactly.

Totally. Gifts early or last minute, like buying them? Early, early, obviously early. You plan ahead for this stuff. Do you think you're...

Jamie (16:45)
early.

or else you're gonna

end up with a stocking full of wine markers.

Dayle (16:52)
Exactly. And like your kids' Christmas list can just go in the fire the first day because there's no way you're getting the hot ticket items last minute. that's our public service announcement. It's too late by the time this airs. Mariah Carey or Michael Buble? Mariah Carey, of course. Michael Buble is good too, but no.

Jamie (16:57)
⁓ Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Of course, for iCarry.

He's more just like if there's conversation, he's like nice background music. Whereas Ryan Carey's more like you're decorating your Christmas tree, you're getting into the zone, you're singing along, you're having a good time.

Dayle (17:19)
Yes.

You're singing along, yes. Okay,

we can all hear Jamie rage on this next one, because I already know the answer. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Jamie (17:35)
Stop. Stop. You guys, let this message fill the airway. Nobody wants their gift in a gift bag. It's acceptable for birthdays. People tolerate it for other special events. But on Christmas, God dang it, bring out the gift wrap and like put a little effort in. And I'm talking, I want ribbon. I do it all. Yes.

Dayle (17:37)
Night out.

I do.

No.

No, I don't want to do any of that. I hate wrapping. Wrapping's the worst part of Christmas. Wrapping's the part I want off my plate at Christmas. I hate it.

Jamie (18:09)
You guys, if you're looking for a business opportunity, offer to wrap people's gifts for a small fee. People will pick you up on it.

Dayle (18:13)
Yes. Yes. Especially

the like week or two before Christmas, like now is your zone. Now's the time. Put the thing on your community page. Tell people your address and the DMs. Yes.

Jamie (18:19)
Absolutely.

Right now put it on your Instagram right now.

You will have customers like Dale coming out the yin-yang

Dayle (18:29)
You'll have a custom rose.

I hate it. And Jamie like refuses my gifts. Christmas, she's like, a gift bag? Are you kidding me? What does it matter with you? I'm like, just open it. Leave me alone.

Jamie (18:41)
At least I've got her converted so that like the kids gifts are in wrapping paper.

Dayle (18:45)
That's true, but like mom and dad's gifts, definitely not, because they don't care. Gingerbread or sugar cookies.

Jamie (18:49)
Definitely a gift bag.

to eat sugar cookies. Sugar cookies actually, you missed one. Yeah.

Dayle (18:56)
course.

Shortbread, yeah, totally. ⁓

Okay, last one, naughty or nice list.

Have you been?

Jamie (19:04)
It's

always better to be nice than naughty.

Dayle (19:07)
I agree. I don't align with the naughty list at all. I'm a nice person. I think. All right, well, yes.

Jamie (19:12)
Yeah. Well, we're you very Merry Christmas and thank

you for listening. Happy New Year. Bye.

Dayle (19:19)
See you next time.