Can We Survive the Gift Guide Industrial Complex?
The Sam Sanders Show
KCRW & Sam Sanders
4.9 • 709 Ratings
🗓️ 16 December 2025
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Tis’ the season! It’s that time of year when we’re bombarded by gift guides. Something for your partner, your friends, White Elephant gifts, and the always daunting task of getting something for your parents. It seems like every year we’re expected to GIVE so much.
Sam breaks down the gift guide overload with Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Interest podcast, a show all about what we wear. Together, they offer some thoughts on how to survive the craze of consumerism this holiday season.
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey listeners, it is the season of giving. Get that warm, fuzzy feeling. Make a donation, |
| 0:06.2 | pick out some cozy KCRW merch, or send meals to local food banks. Donate now at kCRW.com |
| 0:13.6 | slash give. |
| 0:20.7 | Hey y'all, Sam Sanders here at KCRW. |
| 0:24.3 | It is the holiday season, Chris Mahana Kwanzika, as I call it. |
| 0:29.1 | And one of the staples of this season is what I lovingly refer to as the holiday gift guide industrial complex. |
| 0:38.1 | You see it on TikTok, on substack, online. |
| 0:43.2 | People smarter and cooler than you telling you the coolest and smartest holiday gifts to buy. |
| 0:49.2 | Sometimes you get a great recommendation. |
| 0:51.2 | Other times, it's a bit overwhelming, a bit late stage capitalist, |
| 0:55.9 | a bit too much. Maybe that's just me. Actually, I know it's not just me. I'm talking about |
| 1:01.1 | holiday gift guide culture this episode because one of my favorite podcasters of all time |
| 1:06.7 | said that she wanted to talk about it. Her name is Avery Truffleman. |
| 1:11.3 | Avery hosts a wonderful podcast all about fashion called Articles of Interest. |
| 1:16.5 | The latest season of Articles of Interest is called Gear. |
| 1:20.7 | It is all about how most of the outdoor gear that you and I wear, |
| 1:24.6 | and let's be honest, a lot of us wear outdoor gear a lot. Most of that gear, it has direct ties to the U.S. military. Avery will talk about all of that and her podcast in this chat. But first, we gripe about and fix holiday gift guide culture. you sit me down a little rabbit hole over the weekend |
| 1:51.6 | looking into what I'm just going to call the holiday gift guide industrial complex |
| 1:58.8 | because I believe at this point, it is one, right? |
| 2:01.2 | It is. It is. Yeah. |
| 2:03.1 | So first question, why are you so into thinking about and talking about holiday gift guides? |
| 2:09.2 | Well, it is just what everybody is doing, especially if you work in like fashion or any sort of consumption. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KCRW & Sam Sanders, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of KCRW & Sam Sanders and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.