Gift Guide, Be a Joiner & Men's Fragrances Explained

Plus, a grandma who loves playing pranks

by Brock McGoff

Hello again! I hope your week is going well so far.

In today's email:

• 2025 Gift Guide
• Be a joiner
• Cologne explained
• Crushed like grapes
• Practical outfit inspo

Let's dive in 👇🏼

🎁 Holiday Gift Guide

If you haven't seen it yet, I just posted my 2025 gift guide:

It covers stocking stuffers, like small EDC gear, and some bigger ticket items – there's something for everyone.

Hope you like it enough to accidentally leave your laptop open on the kitchen counter until your wife walks by.

🙋🏻‍♂️ Be a Joiner

I've never really been a joiner.

• I wasn't in Boy Scouts growing up.
• My parents weren't glued to one church.
• If a sibling didn't like their school, they'd switch.
• I didn't join a fraternity in college. In fact, I was sort of anti-frat.

I've always valued autonomy and independence. I never wanted to be tied down.

So when I volunteered to be an officer of my neighborhood association earlier this year, it was a weird move.

Uncharacteristic, if you will. Totally went against my instincts.

More meetings? Less free time? For no money?

Which is why I was genuinely surprised at how fulfilling its been.

Just like the guys night technique I wrote about a couple months ago, helping run the neighborhood association has been surprisingly good for my social life.

I'm helping adopt our local park. I worked with the city to install a Little Free Library that my wife painted.

I've spent weekend mornings picking up trash and chatting with my neighbors, getting to know them better.

This role has forced me to participate, to volunteer, build community, and even to lead, in ways that I simply wouldn't if left to my own devices.

Is it convenient? No.

It comes with all the inefficiencies and drama you'd expect from a neighborhood association.

But it's worth it. I don't regret taking the job.

So, if you want more community feeling in your life, don't isolate yourself.

Be a joiner.

👃🏼 Colognes Explained

The world of men's fragrance is confusing.

It's like coffee: I hear people talking about tasting notes and mouth feel and acidity...

And I think to myself, it just tastes like burnt bean water to me.

Fragrances have always been confusing to me, so I just wear what I like, usually without really understanding why I like it.

This isn't a bad strategy, but much like drinking wine or whiskey, wearing cologne is more fun when you understand why certain varieties appeal to you.

​This article from Primer Magazine breaks it down for ya:

My favorite scent these days is Creed Aventus. How about you? Hit 'reply' and let me know!

💭 Food for Thought

🍟 Snacks

Here are digital gems guaranteed to make you QCTY (quietly chortle to yourself):

• ​Some grandmas knit, some play pranks (Reddit video)
• ​Washington's Dream - SNL (YouTube)
• ​Using a urinal when wearing khakis (YouTube)

Please hit reply and send me your best LOLs 😂

🤳🏼 Who I'm Following

​@david.james.elliott​ David's tagline is "Approachable Men's Fashion", and I think he provides just that: Realistic outfit inspo and practical advice for regular guys who want to up their style game without going full New York Fashion Week. I like his emphasis on interchangeable colors, and his secondary focuses on fitness and family. After all, nothing beats a great physique, and family > fashion. ​ Check him out here

In Case You Missed It 👀

Here are my most recent videos:

• ​2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Men​
• ​17 Travel Essentials I Always Pack​
• ​My Watch Collection (2025 Update)​
• ​Why are men STILL making this fashion mistake?​
• ​10 "Buy It For Life" Products​

Got any video ideas for me? Hit 'reply' and share them!

​
​Did you know? You can buy a prop version of Sex Panther by Odeon (the fictional Anchor Man cologne), although one Amazon reviewer had this to say:

Does this mean the real Sex Panther exists? Does April know something we don't?? Or maybe she just hasn't seen the movie 😂

Until next time, Brock ​​​

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