Have you ate a candy cane yet this year? Do you prefer a traditional peppermint cane or do you like the bacon-flavored variety or the tutti-fruity kind? Mini canes or large ones? Okay, this Thursday blog post has absolutely nothing to do with candy canes and all those questions were rhetorical. So, let’s get started with tonight’s five topics…

White Elephant Auction – This was a first for me. Although I have done too many white elephant gift exchanges to count, I had never participated in a white elephant auction. Last Sunday I attended a Christmas party for a ministry I am part of in the Spokane Diocese. The organizers held a white elephant auction and asked all of us to bring any items from our house that we don’t use much anymore but that others might find value in. Once at the party, the items were displayed with a bidding sheet underneath each one. We then made bids on the items we wanted. I walked away with a few items, including this jumbo snow globe that now adorns our living room. The best part? All proceeds went to charity.

My $10 bid was enough to take this guy home.

Best Birthday Party Ever – Last Saturday night, Sloan attended a pretty unique birthday party. Her friend and classmate, Aminah, invited Sloan to her sixth birthday bash at the Spokane Chiefs hockey game. The party attendees got to eat pizza on the Spokane Arena concourse, play in the kid’s zone before it was open to the public, slap hands with the Spokane Chiefs players, and watch the best game of the year—Teddy Bear Toss Night! The cutest part was during the second intermission when Aminah got to ride on the zamboni. Naturally, Sloan now wants to have her birthday party at a Spokane Chiefs game.

A collection of photos from Sloan’s experience at the Spokane Chiefs hockey game on Dec. 3. Aminah is pictured in the first photo with Sloan.

Rudolph’s Mix – It was six years ago that I tried Rudolph’s Mix for the first time. A half dozen years later, I must give it another plug in this blog. Available only in Target stores, it isn’t labeled as an “indulgent” snack mix for nothing. You just have to trust me on this one. I say year after year that Rudolph’s Mix simply tastes like Christmas. In fact, it rivals Christmas Crack for my favorite Yuletide treat not on this list. We are just now finishing off our first jar of the season and you should catch up with us.

That’s my hand holding the current jar of Rudolph’s Mix we have in our house.

Christmas Archive – In the not-so-distant past, I have written a couple Christmas-themed posts on December 8 in different years. Two years ago, I offered 10 fun and easy Christmas activities to do with your children. They are all still relevant today so I encourage you to check it out. Then, just a year ago on this date, I wrote an amusing post on the differing wrapping paper philosophies of Sidney and I. Trust me, you will laugh out loud if you read it. Feliz Navidad!

A Christmas-themed pajama party is on the list.

A Laugh to End It – My friend Lindsi posted the below meme to her Instagram Story. If this isn’t the best gingerbread house hack then I don’t know what is. Hey, this might be the perfect weekend to buy that gingerbread house kit at Walmart and do some building…just make sure to have your kid’s toy dinosaur close by.

Thank you to Lindsi for this meme.

——————————-

Thanks for sacrificing five minutes to read about five topics. I hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend…my family will be heading to the North Pole (sort of). Don’t Blink.