Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2025

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Hit the music, DJ! I hope you have room on your playlist for five more songs because I am back with my top picks for 2025. This is my 11th time counting down my top five songs of the year but if you are a Don’t Blink newbie, let me give my annual disclaimer: I know as much about music as my dad knows about the 6-7 trend (which is to say NADA). However, I am a good American who always has an opinion so I never hesitate to grace my readers with what I feel qualifies as good music.

My overall assessment of music in 2025? Let’s just say that when November arrived I knew this blog post was going to be a tough one. The last time I struggled so much with picking five decent songs was in 2022. So, with that said, here is the best I could do from the past 11+ months…

Tonight I once count down my top five favorite songs from another year.

5. Anxiety –Doechii

If not for tremendous creativity, this song would not be on my list. Usually I select songs based on listenability and I would argue that this song is anything but pleasant to listen to. However, it did such a masterful job of creating a sound that encompasses the emotion of anxiety that I felt compelled to recognize it during a year where the pickings were slim.

A couple intangibles also helped this Doechii track crack the countdown. First, the music video is pretty entertaining. Just like with the song, it really captures anxiety. Also, the spoken part of the song (And it’s like I get this tightness in my chest…like an elephant…) is pretty great. 

4. What Was That – Lorde

Lorde, where have you been all my life?! After going quiet for several years, Lorde re-emerged in 2025 and I thought she did herself proud with her first single off the new album. In my opinion, “What Was That” fell right in line with Lorde’s distinct and at times mysterious vocals. It reminded me a little bit of her hit “Team” from 2013.

Out of all the songs on this countdown, “What Was That” provides the vibe-check, the one track that I can listen to while just chilling out. Even though I could care less about the lyrics and I couldn’t even tell you what they are about, the song has a quality that allows you to either do some deep thinking or to just zone out completely.

3. Ordinary – Alex Warren

What made this song work? When it comes to our family, the answer was simple: cadence. The beat of the song is structured and powerful, making it easy to follow along. While driving the kids to school it was so easy for us to all exclaim the word “ordinary” on key. For someone like your favorite blogger who is usually unable to sing anything by himself on key, this was quite thrilling.

The song is also ultra meaningful as it is a tribute to Alex Warren’s wife. Throw in the fact that Warren is Catholic and he uses religious imagery to describe his devotion to his bride and it just all seems to come together.

2. Golden – EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI

Was there anyone with a child in the 5 to 10-year-old range who didn’t find themselves secretly energized by “Golden”? The title track from “K-Pop Demon Hunters” became a smash hit and I can’t say it was unwarranted. Catchy and easy to sing along to, I admit that as a 39-year-old man I found it quite delightful.

I think the appeal of “Golden” goes beyond its pop culture significance and addictive melody. Again, I am not an authority in music, but I believe the vocals to be outstanding as the trio truly belts it out. I also find the song to be positive and inspiring overall. And if you never found yourself singing We’re goin’ up, up up then you are lying.

1. Undressed – Sombr

This is an unconventional song to find a spot on my annual countdown, let alone the top spot. I don’t necessarily think it is catchy or easy to sing along to. It isn’t even a song I am dying to play when doing the dishes. However, despite missing all those things, it does make me feel some type of way.

No, it isn’t the lyrics themselves that resonate. Rather, it is just the sound. “Undressed” packs some serious nostalgia as it transports me back to high school in the 2003-05 era. A lot of people connect Sombr’s sound to various singers and bands but for me one act comes to mind: The Killers. Yep, Sombr reminds me of The Killers, a band that I loved to listen to and reminds me of good times. When it comes to this challenging year in music, a solid dose of “retroness” was enough to ascend my list.

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That will do it for my top songs in 2025. Before I sign off, I want to answer the questions I asked at the end of my 2024 post: Yes, Taylor Swift still rules the world. Yes, Sabrina Carpenter is still on her upward trajectory. And, no, Shaboozy didn’t come close to releasing anything nearly as catchy as “Bar Song.” My only question for 2026 is pretty simple: Will the music please be better? Don’t Blink.

Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2024
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2023
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2022
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2021
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2020
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2019
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2018
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2017
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2016
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2015
Brent’s Top 5 Best Songs of 2012

2025 EWU Holiday Video: Teamwork

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To watch the 2025 #EWU Holiday Video, tap here.

The thing about creating something that is memorable and well-received is the pressure to replicate it. After our 2024 holiday video was released, it didn’t take long before the EWU community was asking, “How do you plan to top that?”

It was a question that packed plenty of stress. How could we surpass a highly-viewed video that was lauded for its creativity, student-involvement, and on-brand messaging?

My answer for rivaling last year’s video was simple: Let my team shine.

Thinking about how we would top the 2024 holiday video had me grabbing my head like the student in the middle (source: 2024 EWU holiday video thumbnail)

An Idea Is Born

In 2024, we had a direction. Our holiday video needed to reflect our newly-launched brand positioning (“The Region’s Polytechnic”). In 2025, the directive was more wide open. Because of this freedom, I decided to hold a pitch session.

The 2025 holiday video odyssey started in September. I summoned a small team to our meeting room. We went around the table and we each pitched two ideas. We listened as each person presented and then asked questions. The meeting went well-beyond its allotted hour but by the time we left the room, we had eight possible directions for the video.

Our 2025 EWU holiday video crew consisted of Amy Bradberry (social media manager), Luke Kenneally (multimedia specialist), Ginny Baxter (digital marketing supervisor), Swoop (mascot…but not a crew member), and me.

The Future Is Bright

Eric Limburg, our associate vice president of University Relations, took our ideas to EWU President Shari McMahan. She chose her two favorites and told our team to develop them more. Our crew returned to the meeting room and fleshed out each idea with a full script. Eric then took the built-out concepts to President McMahan for a final decision.

You can probably imagine that the four of us waited with great anticipation for President McMahan’s choice. When Eric relayed her decision to us, we were excited and ready to get to work. Our president selected a concept titled “The Future is Bright.” Originally pitched by our social media manager, Amy Bradberry, the script detailed a quest by Swoop to create an ornament using inspiration and collaboration from all four EWU academic colleges.

After a pretty intense process to identify a theme for our holiday video, President Shari McMahan chose an idea pitched by Amy Bradberry called “The Future Is Bright.”

Refinement

Reflecting on the evolution of the idea is fascinating. Over the course of different script workshops, we refined the story and made some significant changes. For example, the ornament changed to a tree topper, the opening scene changed locations from the Eagle Store to the Arevalo Student Mall, and the assembly morphed from the foundry to the robotics lab—just to name a few.

We also added enhancements that we originally didn’t specify in the script. Fun extras like a map overlay to show Swoop’s campus movements, the incorporation of CGI, and even some Easter eggs were added in the hope of keeping viewers engaged.

But even with those changes, the overall theme pitched by Amy stayed true to its original intent of Swoop uniting the colleges to create some seriously BRIGHT holiday cheer. With the script bolstered and the theme intact, it was time to throw caution to the wind and actually film this son of a nutcracker…

The filming of the holiday video would have our crew doing a lot of running around. Ginny Baxter and I carry the all-important tree with Amy Bradberry walking behind to pick up any ornaments that might fall off (photo courtesy of EWU/Luke Kenneally).

Lights! Camera! Action!

Filming took place over two days in mid-November. After checking the weather each day starting two weeks out, our fears of rain went unfounded. We had calm conditions for both days, a relief for our entire production team—including Josue Schneegans and Tony Thompson from Dryland Media. We brought on Josue and Tony midway through script development for their creative assistance with bringing our idea to life.

As a producer, you can only hope the work you put forth prior to shoot day pays off once the filming begins. Although we had a chaotic moment or two, filming for the most part went very smoothly. However, that isn’t as much to my credit as it is to EWU and the professionalism of Josue—but more on that in just a bit.

We filmed at seven different locations over the course of the two days. The first day wrapped after 8 p.m. but it was well worth it. We needed the darkness to film the final scene when Swoop revealed the illuminated tree topper to President McMahan and the 20+ students who volunteered to make cameos. In exchange for the positive vibes brought by the students, we reciprocated by serving them plenty of hot coco and cookies to maintain their high energy levels.  What a great way to end the day!

Josue Schneegans gives direction to President McMahan during the filming of the final scene that we shot on Wednesday, Nov. 12. It may have been late but this part of the shoot was a lot of fun as the students brought a lot of energy. (photo courtesy of EWU/Luke Kenneally).

The Talent

As evidenced by my description of the final scene, we had many people appear in front of the camera. However, the participation just didn’t extend to that one scene but rather the entire video. We were fortunate to have many students volunteer their time by representing their academic college in the scenes where Swoop picked up tree topper items.

President McMahan once again delivered a strong performance. She was a good sport and devoted an entire Wednesday evening to hanging out with our crew. Even with multiple takes and the chilly temperatures she was nothing but supportive and helpful. As always, she was in her complete element surrounded by the students.

But the true MVP of the video was Swoop. It is a big request to ask an intercollegiate mascot to be available for two hours—we asked Swoop to be available for TWO DAYS. That is a lot of time to be in the suit, especially for something as demanding as a video shoot. But no matter what we asked Swoop to do or how many times we asked him to do it, he always gave 100%. Swoop was professional and coachable from the beginning to the end.

I have so much gratitude and respect for the role Swoop played for us (photo courtesy of EWU/Luke Kenneally).

Post-Production/Launch

The collaboration continued after the filming ended. With each draft we inched closer and closer to where we needed to be. Nothing was more exciting than when the CGI was added that revealed the tree topper in its full glory. At that point, I simply couldn’t wait until the release date.

That day came yesterday. After more than two months of planning and collaborating, my team executed our distribution strategy and launched the 2025 EWU Holiday Video. As the positive feedback rolled in, I visited Amy, Luke, and Ginny in their offices to congratulate them and thank them for their commitment to the project.

Senior graphic designer Emily Ausere designed the YouTube thumbnail. If that isn’t clickbait I don’t know what is…

Gratitude

Speaking of thanks, any higher ed marketing director will tell you that gratitude is abundant with any successful holiday video. As I mentioned earlier, everyone at EWU was so accommodating. From faculty members providing students/classroom space to Dining Services catering meals to Facilities graciously halting their leaf blowers during outdoor scenes, my team was given every opportunity to succeed. Special thanks to the President’s Office for their support and to our Risk Management team for allowing us to do things I wasn’t sure they would.

Much appreciation also to Dryland Media. We have worked with those guys before and they always keep us sane with their talent and humor. On the first day we found ourselves in a couple tight spots and Josue, who directed the video, was so professional and quick on his feet. They did all they could to help us achieve our vision.

And last, but certainly not least, BIG thanks to our own department—University Relations. This year, I offered shifts during each scene of the video for our marketing and communications staffers to hang out on set and assist. We had nearly full participation as everyone contributed in unique ways. Special thanks to Eric Limburg for his support and guidance throughout the project and to Emily Ausere, our senior graphic designer, who is an honorary member of our crew. Emily created the YouTube/social media thumbnails, designed external pieces that promoted the video, drew the picture that Swoop references on-screen, and assisted during the actual shoot.

Ginny Baxter, Emily Ausere, and student intern Aaron Weer working behind the scenes of the 2025 EWU holiday video. It was a lot of fun to have so many of our University Relations staffers assist on the shoot days. In this photo, Emily is actually drawing the picture that Swoop holds up throughout the video (photo courtesy of EWU/Luke Kenneally).

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After all those notes of gratitude, I hope to not appall you with one more “thank you” but here it goes: Ginny Baxter, Amy Bradberry, and Luke Kenneally…what a pleasure it was! Thanks for the creativity and positivity you brought to this entire process. As I noted earlier, watching an idea come to fruition that evolved greatly but still maintained its initial integrity was the most rewarding of all.

The future truly is bright…because I don’t have to worry about another holiday video for at least 9.5 more months. Don’t Blink.

One Of Them Days Thursday Rundown

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Well, it is three weeks before Christmas, I hope you are managing any stress you might be feeling. It is my hope that this latest Thursday Rundown can be a welcome distraction for the next 10 minutes…

Tree Lighting – For the second year in a row, my family attended the Riverfront Park tree lighting. The event combined ice skating, caroling, hot chocolate-sipping, and Santa Claus greeting with the illumination of an impressive tree on the edge of the park. The occasion also allowed us to visit the Lego Store and ride the carousel. The holiday magic was definitely in the air.

Our family had a really nice time at the Riverfront Park tree lighting.

Domino’s Visit – My family eats Domino’s a lot…probably much more than we should. Normally, I pick it up by myself. Every now and then, we have it delivered. But rarely do my kids actually see inside the store where their pepperoni pizzas are made. I changed that on Thanksgiving Eve when I brought Sloan and Beau to our local Domino’s location. They had the chance to watch the pizza artists in action on a very busy night. I think when we ate that evening, the pizza might have tasted just a little better considering they got to see behind the scenes.

Beau and Sloan watch how pizza is made at our local Domino’s.

Netflix Recommendation – If I didn’t see the recommendation in the newspaper, I don’t think I ever would have watched “One of Them Days.” But since the column said the film was a great post-Thanksgiving meal option, Sid and I decided to give it a chance. Let me be honest with you, we laughed the whole way through. The movie stars Keke Palmer and SZA as they try to raise enough money in one hectic day to satisfy their rent payment. If you are looking for an option that doesn’t require all your brainpower and will put you in a better mood, give “One of Them Days” a chance.

Sid and I got a pretty good laugh out of “One Of Them Days.”

Simon Cowell – Much publicity was generated this week as Simon Cowell apologized for the insults he hurled at “American Idol” contestants during his time on the show from 2002-10. Cowell has definitely softened over the years and I think his consciousness got the best of him…which I consider a good thing. However, I don’t think all the blame falls on Simon’s shoulders. I watched portions of several “American Idol” seasons and I must admit that I found Cowell’s rants and put-downs to be extremely entertaining. It was the viewership and approval from people like me that aided Cowell and show producers to keep it coming. I need to apologize for being complicit, too.

I laughed right along with most of America at the insults delivered by Simon Cowell.

From The Archives – Just a few items to reminisce about. On this date four years ago, my family tried the viral Pepsi sensation Pilk for the first time. I would later write about the experience. After two ornament-related blog posts in a row, you are probably sick and tired of the topic but nine years ago I wrote about my five most-treasured ornaments on our Christmas tree. The following year I would write about an additional special five ornaments. Then, going back 11 years, I wrote about an extremely creative and unique tradition that my did carried on for my siblings and me. Fast forward to the present, and my dad is doing the same tradition for his grand kids.

Sloan trying Pilk. She claimed to like it.

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That will put a fork in the first Thursday Rundown of December. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for a rare Friday blog post coming your way tomorrow. Don’t Blink.

Making Our Ornament Tradition Official

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Last holiday season, I stumbled upon a magical warehouse tucked away in a non-descript industrial area of Spokane. The space belonged to Old World Christmas, a national ornament company that produces and ships their products to locations all over the world.

There is a lot of Christmas goodness inside this warehouse.

On the same property as the warehouse is a gift shop that sells the company’s overstocked, outdated, and chipped ornaments for a fraction of the retail price. Entering the shop is like strolling into Santa’s Workshop. The kids and I made a couple trips to Old World Christmas last year and at the time I declared that a new tradition was born: Each holiday season we would visit the shop so Sloan and Beau could choose an ornament to hang on our own tree.

Sloan browses inside Old World Christmas in Spokane in 2024.

And since I made the tradition pledge via this blog, I knew I would have to update my readers each year we honored it. I can report that we made good on our Old World Christmas tradition in 2025.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the kids and I made our pilgrimage to East Central Spokane. The shop hadn’t changed a bit nor had my children’s indecisiveness. However, after a considerable amount of time, Sloan and Beau selected their ornaments…

We kept our Old World Christmas tradition going in 2025. Beau went with a Siberian husky and Sloan chose chicken tenders and fries.

Sloan chose an ornament that fits her dining preferences perfectly: chicken strips and fries. The only thing that would have made the ornament better, she said, would be if the dipping sauce was ranch instead of ketchup.

Sloan decided upon a chicken tenders and fries ornament at Old World Christmas.

Beau was more of a wild card. Instead of choosing something that aligned with his personality, he decided to reach for randomness. My son’s decision? A Siberian husky. Hmmm…okay.

Beau selected a Siberian husky ornament.

Both of these ornaments now proudly hang on our tree. They join the Taylor Swift ornament (Sloan) and mushroom ornament (Beau) from last year. More importantly, they add to a tradition that is now fully established within my family—because like Sidney says, it is officially a tradition once it happens twice. Don’t Blink.

My Recommended Gift for the 2025 Holiday Season

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Black Friday was last week. Hopefully you finished all your shopping but if not, no sweat—your favorite blogger is here to help. I am just about to solve all your gift-giving conundrums but before I reveal my recommended present for 2025, let me provide some context…

For “Brent’s Gift of the Year” I choose a practical and inexpensive gift suggestion that retails in the $10-$15 range. The goal is for it to be versatile in a way that makes it a perfect choice for a white elephant gift exchange, stocking stuffer, or thoughtful present.

For example, in 2018 I suggested an LED cinema lightbox marquee, in 2019 I championed a blanket, in 2020 I pushed a framed photo, in 2021 I recommended a book of stamps, in 2022 I invited my readers to pick out a tasty six-pack of beer, in 2023 I pitched cookie mix, and in 2024 I endorsed premium air freshener.

My goal each year is to suggest a gift that goes beyond something that is solely material. Although I always pick something that is tangible/physical, I try to ensure that it elicits emotion, too. I think this year’s gift once again hits that benchmark.

Each year, our Christmas tree becomes more special. It obviously has nothing to do with the tree itself—we put up the same artificial pine every December. However, what increases its value is the collection of ornaments we hang from it. And no, I am not eluding to monetary value because we surely aren’t hanging diamonds or gold nuggets. Instead, I am talking about the sentimental value that is priceless.

Most of the ornaments that hang on our tree are special. This ornament follows the “date it and name it” formula I will mention below.

Take a look at our tree and most every ornament will tell a story. Either it marks a milestone, vacation, experience, preference, belief, or gift. Did you catch that last item? I said gift. Some of our favorite ornaments were gifts that now hang on our tree year after year.

My recommended gift of the year is an ornament.

There are so many options when gifting someone an ornament. The easiest route might be to simply find something that matches the person’s tastes. Give them an ornament of their favorite team, food, beer, or board game. This gesture conveys that you know the person and that you took time to celebrate their preferences in a meaningful way.

Sloan looks at a Snickers ornament found inside Old World Christmas. Gifting someone an ornament of their favorite candy bar shows thought and uniqueness.

You can also go the extra mile and customize an ornament. Head to the mall or go online where you can easily use a vendor to produce a picture ornament. Capture a special moment for the recipient (and even yourself) by choosing a photo that includes both of you. The picture ornament will be etched in time as it hangs on the person’s tree through the decades. Although the person will get older as each Christmas passes, their youthfulness will remain intact on whatever branch the ornament hangs.

Sloan will always be a baby in this picture ornament we gleefully hang from our tree each year.

But you don’t even have to go the lengths of finding a photo to achieve customization. You can convey thought and uniqueness by marking or engraving your ornament with something special. Honor someone’s milestone or life event by “naming it and dating it.” For example, the white elephant gift I am bringing to my work’s holiday party simply commemorates the party itself. Honestly, it’s not that hard…but it is thoughtful.

This is the EWU ornament I had customized for our office holiday party later this month.

And again, let me re-iterate in a bold way the best part of gifting an ornament: it has lasting power.

If the ornament you give is thoughtful and unique, it will stay on the recipient’s tree every year. Whenever they take it out at the beginning of the Christmas season or return it to storage post-December, you (or your family) will most likely be on that person’s mind. If the combination of the event/preference the ornament celebrates and the thought of yourself brings a smile to the recipient’s face, you have succeeded at giving a truly remarkable Christmas gift.

This ornament celebrated our wedding and was a gift from our mentor couple, Tim and Kathy McCormick. Sid and I remember them each time we look at this ornament.

Go on, give a thoughtful ornament to someone this Christmas season. I recommend visiting Old World Christmas for an impressive collection of branded ornaments or reaching out to JJ’s Designs for a beautiful but inexpensive customized ornament. Don’t Blink.

The Annual Home Stretch for Don’t Blink

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We are now in the home stretch!

It is December and that means we are in the final month of 2025. My best advice to my readers is to end the year on a good note and make the most out of the next 31 days.

Over here at Don’t Blink, I am going to try to do the same. December is always the most significant month for my blog. However, it’s not the quantity of content that will make December shine. In fact, my overall blogging output for this month will be the lowest of the year.

It is a huge month for “Don’t Blink.”

But the quality of the content (at least I hope) is what will distinguish this month’s output from all the others. I have several annual blog posts that will hit over the next 4+ weeks.

Tomorrow I will publish my annual recommended gift for the holiday season. This will be the seventh year in a row that I provide you with some shopping inspiration so make sure you don’t miss it.

The following week I will embrace my totally undeserved role of music critic and reveal my top five songs of the year. When you view my choices for 2025, it will mark the 12th time I have evaluated the world of music for Don’t Blink.

Then later in the month I will present my most beloved annual blog posts. My BIG blog post—a look back at my top 10 blog posts of the year—will drop the last week of December. Finally, my blogging for 2025 will conclude with my annual wrap up/reflection post of the past year.

Thanks for your readership this year. I am excited to end 2025 on a bang and I hope you will come along for the ride. Don’t Blink.

The Gift of Advent

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This morning after mass, we headed to the St. Mary School gym. My wife bypassed the pastries and coffee and went straight to a table against the wall. She grabbed a base-like structure and started attaching pine branches and leaves to it. What was this strange activity she was doing?

Sidney made an Advent wreath this morning after mass at St. Mary Catholic Church (Spokane Valley).

Sidney was making an Advent wreath.

Beau stands next to our Advent wreath from last year.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a holy period prior to Christmas. Over the next four weeks, Christians around the world will prepare both for the historical/miraculous birth of Christ and his future return to earth for the final judgment.

During this time of the year, many of us (especially me) focus our attention on purchasing the perfect gifts for family and friends. Advent invites us to re-direct some of that focus to securing the perfect gift for Jesus.

We are now in Advent season.

As Fr. Joseph Mary from EWTN said in his homily this morning, that perfect gift is obvious: our hearts.

In order to adequately “gift” Jesus our hearts when Christmas arrives next month, we can do a couple things: First, we can clean our hearts. Eradicating sin is the best way to do this and that is why confession is so critical during Advent.

Next, we can warm our hearts. In the same way that Jesus’ birth brought warmth on a freezing cold Bethlehem night, our hearts can bring similar comfort. How can we warm our hearts? By sustained and meaningful prayer.

Sloan admiring our Advent wreath from 2021.

As I try to prepare my heart for presentation to the Lord in his manger, I am going to do my best to practice contrition and prayer over the next 25 days. Easier said than done—especially for a sinner like me.

Over these next four Sundays, we will light the Advent wreath that Sid so thoughtfully made this morning. As the candles glimmer, it will symbolize the light of Christ dispelling darkness. May this holy light of Jesus reveal pure hearts in us all. Don’t Blink.

Thanksgiving 2025

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Thanks be to God for another memorable Thanksgiving. Our 2025 Turkey Day was spent joyfully engaging in some of our family’s favorite traditions. In hope that my kids can look back on this reflection decades down the road, here is a glimpse of this past Thursday…

Thanksgiving 2025 was an awesome day for my family.

Speaking of traditions, let’s start with the most fruitless one. Once again, I made the lame effort to justify my overeating by hitting Snap Fitness at 4 a.m. I went through a routine with anaerobic and aerobic components before busting out of that gym as quickly as possible because I had a parade to watch.

I found myself at Snap Fitness at the Ponderosa Village area at 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving. It was my pathetic attempt to make up for the calories I would eat later that day.

Upon my arrival back at home, I woke up Sloan and Beau and allowed them to come into our bedroom to watch the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. By the time the parade started at 5:30 a.m., they may or may not have finagled their way into our bed. We enjoyed our 3.5-hour tradition thoroughly as I took a liking to the high school band that performed a “Christmas Vacation” arrangement while Sidney gravitated toward the Broadway acts. However, the live performance of “Golden” definitely stole the show for Beau!

Beau watches the performance of “Golden” during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Once the parade concluded, we headed to River Park Square in downtown Spokane. Our ultimate destination within the mall was the AMC Theater. We caught the 10:30 a.m. showing of “Zootopia 2.” It was super cute and the experience was only amplified by the reclining seats and delicious popcorn.

Sloan and Beau settle in for “Zootopia 2” at the AMC Theaters in River Park Square. It was a cute movie!

After admiring the magical 50-foot tree in the atrium of River Park Square, we headed up north to my parents’ house. We were the first ones to arrive and passed an hour or so by watching the Chiefs vs. Cowboys game. Soon enough, my siblings and their families were over. My brother staged a Thanksgiving word scramble/picture riddle challenge for everyone to participate in that was super fun (congrats to my wife for winning!). Once the dust settled on that friendly competition, we ate the Thanksgiving meal. All I can say—and you just have to trust me because I am being 100% genuine—is that it was the best Thanksgiving feast I ever had.

Welcome to the Reser family Thanksgiving table! The meal was absolute perfection.

As is custom for the Resers, my family prefers to wait 1-2 hours after the meal before eating dessert. We spent that grace period chatting in the living room before converging on the different pies in the kitchen (apple, pumpkin, peanut butter). As per usual, I didn’t think twice and opted for pumpkin.

My slice of pumpkin pie—I went a little generous on the cool whip.

We then capitalized on the sugar high by playing a game of What Do You Meme? It was another competition won by my specific Reser family unit as Sloan came out on top. After some more socializing with our big group, we departed back to the Spokane Valley around 8:30 p.m.

Congrats to Sloan on winning our “What Do You Meme?” family game session.

By the time we arrived back at our house, we could not have felt more thankful. At the same time, I also felt guilt for how lucky our family is when so many others suffer. Please pray that my family finds an adequate way to give back in relation to the abundance of our blessings. Don’t Blink.

Past Thanksgiving Posts
Thanksgiving 2024
Thanksgiving 2023
Thanksgiving 2022
Thanksgiving 2021
Thankgiving 2019

Rejoice And Be Thankful

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It seems like five years is a good benchmark. This specific amount of time is seemingly a sweet spot. You can look back on something without fresh emotion influencing your evaluation nor the passage of too many days clouding it.

As I reflect on this Thanksgiving morning, I can’t help but think of the peak of the COVID pandemic five years ago. As the virus brought unimaginable negative impacts, many people weren’t in a celebratory mood. My blog post from November 25, 2020, titled “A Subdued Thanksgiving,” sums up the pulse of the country at that time. As people were told not to gather it goes without saying that Thanksgiving 2020 wasn’t a banner holiday for many.

So today a portion of my thankfulness is devoted to the fact that there isn’t a pandemic raging right now. People aren’t dying at a terrifying clip. We can freely gather with our families and eat, talk, and sing without restriction.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Seriously, just take a couple moments to reflect on what you were doing five years ago today. And then be thankful.

To end on a positive note, I want to share a Thanksgiving prayer my family has said for the past 7-8 years:

Good and gracious God. You do all things well. You make the sun and rain come, nurturing the earth, making it fertile and fruitful. Through Your gift of creation and the work of our hands, we reap an abundant harvest. We give You thanks for Your many gifts that sustain us; for health and home, dignified labor; for family, friends, neighbors, and those whom today we may still consider enemies. As we reflect in thanks this day, may we remember those who lack something we have. May our gratitude move us to love, serve, and give. Together we rejoice in Your gifts, and in Your abundant life! Amen.

Yep, when it comes to Thanksgiving 2025, I think it is pretty simple: rejoice and be thankful! Don’t Blink.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

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Who is ready to feast? In the past, I have served up helping after helping of Thanksgiving content. Well, on this Thanksgiving Eve I am re-heating the leftovers and setting the table with a handful of my favorite Turkey Day-related posts.

The Thanksgiving MVP – By far my favorite Thanksgiving post I have ever written, this entry pays homage to all the brave and talented (and those who are just brave) people who prepare the Thanksgiving meal. Preparing a feast the magnitude of a holiday meal like Thanksgiving is no small undertaking and there is a lot of planning and stress that goes into it. Make sure to thank the cook tomorrow.

Hats off to my mom for all the delicious Thanksgiving meals she has produced over the years. Make sure to tell your Thanksgiving cook “thank you” tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Traditions – It was 10 years ago that I wrote about the Thanksgiving traditions I grew up with. A decade later, we are still honoring those traditions. What are they? Well, chiefly, we go to a movie and always serve lasagna with the turkey. But the most beloved tradition that my wife and I have instilled for our own little family is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade together every Thanksgiving morning.

Lasagna is always part of the Reser Thanksgiving spread, including this Turkey Day meal back in 2012.

Getting Your Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Fix – Speaking of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, let me expound a bit more on this beloved spectacle. As I mentioned, our family is pretty much obsessed with it. Every year we watch it live (starting at 5:30 a.m. PT) as we embrace the 3.5 hours of pure Americana. However, during 2020 when the parade was canceled, we had to get our fix somehow. What did we do? In an obvious example of our affinity for the event, we watched a past Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (2007). In fact, doing that was so fun that we watched a previous year’s parade the next year too (2013) as a “day-before” warmup.

Beau holds his stuffed Spider-Man as the actual Macy’s Parade Spider-Man float goes by in 2024.

My Top Choice for Thanksgiving Dessert – I am passionate about this, friends. When it comes to Thanksgiving dessert, give me pumpkin pie or give me pumpkin pie. The spices, the texture, and the crust are all reasons why I like pumpkin pie. As someone who will devour rich and heavy desserts with plenty of chocolate and peanut butter, Thanksgiving is my time to eat something more focused on flavor than something that is trying to induce a heart attack.

The Costco pumpkin pie is a classic and I will eat it for days.

Turkey Bowl – I have played in a few turkey bowls in my day but I retired from pickup football games in 2014. Why? Well, after competing in that year’s turkey bowl with high school friends I spent the rest of the weekend dead sore. It was baaad. I do feel it is important to engage in some exercise prior to the big meal so these days I either do a turkey trot or just head to the gym for an early workout prior to the parade.

My brother and I goofing around before the notorious 2014 Turkey Bowl.

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I will publish a brief post tomorrow, but for those who prefer to concentrate on turkey instead of blogs, let me wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Don’t Blink.