Our Christmas 2021 Trip to Myrtle Beach

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Sidney, Sloan, Beau, and I were blessed to visit my wife’s family (and our old home) this past month. Myrtle Beach treated us well as we celebrated the holidays and spent time with loved ones who hold special spots in our hearts. To summarize our trip, I thought it would be wise to briefly describe 10 happenings/themes from our time in South Carolina.

Staycation – Sid’s parents rented a condo right on the beach for our family and the families of Sid’s two sisters. We spent several days playing at the resort’s water park, creating Christmas crafts, eating family dinners, and enjoying the beautiful ocean scenery. It was a great opportunity to for everyone to come together, catch up, and get into the Christmas spirit.

Beau and Sloan look out at the ocean from one of our condo windows.

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day – Ah yes, the reason for the season! We attended the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve mass at St. Andrew. After that we went over to my sister-in-law’s house to hang out and eat baked ziti. We came back to my mother-in-law’s house and I stayed up until midnight until it was officially Christmas. On Christmas morning we all gathered to open gifts and later that day we went back over to my sister-in-law’s house for a prime rib Christmas dinner.

Sloan and I after Christmas Eve mass.

Gorgeous Weather – The previous two times we traveled back to Myrtle Beach we had no shortage of rain and cold. Not this time. We basked in numerous 75 degree and sunny days over the course of the two weeks we were there. The conditions allowed me to take Sloan to the park, play basketball outside with my nephew, and go for a run through my in-laws’ neighborhood. While Spokane was being pounded with snow, I made sure the savor the sunshine and warm temperatures.

The weather was beautiful and plenty of Otter Pops were consumed.

Old Friends – In addition to spending time with Sid’s family, we also got to re-connect with some of our dearest Myrtle Beach friends. One particular day Sloan got to visit the trampoline park and go out to lunch with Jacqueline, the BFF she was inseparable with when we lived in South Carolina. The day before we traveled back home, we went over to the home of our spiritual mentors, Tim and Kathy McCormick, for breakfast. I even got to see my former Knights of Columbus brothers when they invited me to drop by before one of their meetings.

Jacqueline and Sloan were re-united again and did lunch together.

Old Places – Over the course of our trip I worked out at the gym I used to exercise at on a daily basis, Iron Legacy. It is still old school and it still has the nicest owners. Best of all, we returned to St. Andrew a few different times for mass. So many good things happened to our family within those walls and it is always special to return to worship God.

A photo I took of Iron Legacy in Dec. 2021. This was taken from inside the class studio and it spans the main workout floor.

Baby Jack – We had plenty of time to see the newest addition to the Mathis family, Jack. When we visited Myrtle in June, he was only a couple weeks old. Now past the 7-month mark, he had grown considerably but was still as sweet as could be. It was fun and hilarious to watch Beau interact with his new cousin. Sid and I each made sure to get our snuggles with our handsome nephew over the time we were there.

Sidney holding Jack and Beau.

Sing 2 – The second week we were there a group of us went to see “Sing 2.” It was a super cute film that had us singing and dancing in our seats the whole time. Just having the opportunity to watch a movie in a theater was a special experience by itself.

Sloan and her cousins at the movie theater to watch “Sing 2.”

On the Small Screen – Going to the theater was really nice but watching programming on television wasn’t bad either. I had the pleasure of watching numerous college football games. Laying in bed at night, Sid and I would watch “Fear Factor” re-runs and after she fell asleep I watched poker. Probably best of all was watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve. Believe it or not, I had never watched the movie until that point. I truly was missing out!

I watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” for the first time this Christmas season.

Good Food – We ate and we ate and we ate. The best part? It was all delicious. From the prime rib Christmas dinner to our takeout favorites to the baked ziti we didn’t obsess over calorie counting. All the baked goods available kept us munching the whole trip.

We baked Red Lobster cheddar biscuits to go with our baked ziti on Christmas Eve,

Bananagram – A game we played both at the condo and at Sud’s parents’ house was Bananagram. It is kind of like a more individualistic, faster-paced Scrabble. It was the perfect game to relax and enjoy a snack with. I had a nice time playing it and even won a few rounds.

What one of my rounds of Bananagram looked like.

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What a blessing it was to spend some solid time with Sid’s family. We were sad to leave everyone in South Carolina but thankful for the memories we were able to bring back. We can’t wait for our next visit. Don’t Blink.

How To Make 2022 Special

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Do you want to do something really special this year? Do you want to do something that will undoubtedly distinguish 2022 from all other years? If so, do this: Read the entire bible.

That can seem like a daunting task but there is something (and someone) that can make it much more manageable. Friends, while it is still early in January, consider doing the Bible In A Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz.

The Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz is incredible.

After some nudging from a friend in mid-January last year, I started the journey. I crammed multiple episodes per day for a week and by about Jan. 20 I was all caught up. From that point on, I listened to a single podcast episode per day for the remainder of 2021 and on December 31 I had made it through the entire bible from Genesis through Revelation. It was awesome.

Don’t get too hung up on the fact that Fr. Schmitz is a Catholic priest. No matter if you are a different denomination, non-denominational, or even an atheist you will appreciate the way that he navigates through the bible and drives home key points. He is extremely inclusive, respectful, positive, and engaging. You will love him from the first episode.

Speaking of episodes, each one averages about 20 minutes. Fr. Schmitz breaks it up by reading a couple different books simultaneously in addition to a couple verses from Psalms or Proverbs. He reads the content first, offers a prayer, and then delivers a mini homily on that day’s readings. The format works perfectly and offers solid structure to an incredibly important endeavor.

If you choose to commit to the Bible In A Year Podcast, just make sure to carve out time on a daily basis to actually listen to it. I would always begin it on my morning drive to the gym and usually finish on my living room couch when I returned home. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to start my day. But timing might be different for you. Your ideal time to listen might be at night before you go to bed or possibly during your lunch hour. My point is that you can choose whatever time is convenient for you but just remember to do your best to listen to that daily episode.

Personally, the experience was very rewarding for me. I learned a lot about how the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament and how God wants us to worship. That’s not to say it was entirely smooth sailing. At times I was disturbed, alarmed, and confused. But Fr. Schmitz had a way of explaining a lot of the “brokenness” described in the bible.

There is just so much good stuff in the bible. When it came to the Old Testament, I especially liked the Maccabees books, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah. For the New Testament, besides the gospels, I enjoyed journeying through Acts and thought that James was beautiful. Speaking of the gospels, Fr. Schmitz does something that makes a lot of sense. Over the course of the year he introduces “Messianic checkpoints” where he will take a week to read through one of the gospels. Because the Old Testament is much longer than the New Testament, he didn’t want us to have to wait until November before we started to hear about Jesus. Thus, the gospels are sprinkled in throughout the 12 months.

Fr. Schmitz introduced his Bible In A Year Podcast last year. It quickly ascended to the No. 1 podcast in the United States. He recorded the show in a fashion that makes it timeless. You can start the podcast whenever you want and it will never seem out of date. Surprise, surprise….the podcast is once again No. 1 in the country as we begin 2022.

Take a chance and journey with Fr. Mike Schmitz by listening to the Bible In A Year Podcast. If you ever want to chat, please let me know. Whether you listen to the podcast in 2022 or not, may God bless you this year. Don’t Blink.

Back At It In 2022

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Happy 2022, everyone!

And with that first sentence, it looks like I am blogging again this year. I am sure this brings delight to some and disgust to many. But for my few fans, please keep in mind that I can’t commit to a rigorous posting schedule like I have in the past. We will just see how things work out and how often I am able to contribute to Don’t Blink. I will do my best.

Okay, let’s get down to business. Today can be a tough day for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are a grade school student or a mid-30s professional like me, the first day back to a school/work routine after the holiday season can be a little depressing. In fact, as I have mentioned before, the first couple months of a new year can at times feel melodramatic compared to the HalloweenGivingMas period that just passed.

Just know that if you find yourself a little down in the dumps that it is normal. With that said, you can neutralize some of those blue feelings by embracing this new year with as much enthusiasm as possible. I know it might be hard to summon that optimism but try to do your best. Set goals, do things for other people, and take steps to enter new positive habits into your daily routine. Even if you don’t inject the beginning of 2022 with change, take solace in the fact that after a few days of “back to the grind” that you will start to feel better if you did yourself missing the holiday season.

I am excited to blog again in 2022. I have several topics in mind to write about over the next couple weeks, including a look into what my family did over the past couple weeks. Again, have a memorable 2022 and hang in there! Don’t Blink.

A Nice 2021

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As I sit here and reflect on 2021, I am thankful that it was a year to adjust. After an insane 2020 that included the birth of Beau, a move across the country, and the beginning of a new job all while a global pandemic shook our world, things slowed down a little bit in 2021. It was our first full year in Spokane and with the easing of COVID restrictions, we took the last 12 months to become familiar with our new home.

Fr. Jeff Lewis blessed our home in 2021 as we took the year to take it easy after an insane 2020.

We have no complaints. This year wasn’t about us. Instead, we had the opportunity to celebrate others. Like Sid’s sister who gave birth to a handsome little boy, Jack. Or my brother and sister-in-law who wed on July 4. Or my parents who marked their 40th anniversary in August.

I was the best man at Glen and Carrie’s wedding.

With our loved ones thriving in the spotlight, we stayed backstage and really started making Washington our home. We solidified relationships, found a couple trusty coffee shops, played at a few favorite parks, became regulars at our local library, purchased season passes at Chuck E. Cheese, joined local swimming lessons, exercised hard with our gym community, stumbled upon a couple neighborhood watering holes, and so much more.

We spent a lot of time at Spokane parks in 2021.

Like I said, we spent most of the year on Spokane soil. That’s not to say we were stationary. We spent a May weekend in Walla Walla and had a blast. We visited Sid’s family in Myrtle Beach in June and are lucky to finish 2021 right here in South Carolina as well. We went camping in the middle of nowhere with my sister’s family. We ventured to Missoula. Sid and I took our first real vacation together in five years when we flew to Las Vegas for several days in July. We found our way back to Walla Walla in August where my parents rented a VRBO for a relative’s wedding weekend. I made numerous drives back and forth to Pullman for work but also spent a Saturday there with my dad and brother for a Cougar football game.

In August, we spent a family weekend in Walla Walla as my cousin got married.

As you can tell, a lot of our travels centered around family. But most of our everyday living did as well. We had numerous Sunday dinners with my parents, siblings, and their families. Although the setting changed from my dad’s backyard deck to the dining room of our childhood home depending on the season, the good times never ceased. Nor did they stop when we celebrated holidays, marked birthdays, or attended sporting events/shows. Although we didn’t have the quantity of time with Sidney’s family that we had with mine, we definitely matched it with quality. Just a couple weeks ago, we had a Myrtle Beach “staycation.” Sid’s parents rented a condo on the beach for us and the families of her two sisters. It was a really nice five days that preceded the Christmas holiday we also got to spend with them.

We got to celebrate lots of birthdays this year!

The other “F” value that flourished this year was our family’s faith. Our first full year as parishioners at St. Mary Catholic Church was blessed. We got to know our parish priest better and made friends with other church families. The relationships we started developing with our young adult Catholic group at the end of 2020 flourished in 2021. Beyond our regular meetings, we now all hang out together regularly at our homes. Sloan’s love for Jesus continued to grow as a student at St. Mary Catholic School. I committed to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year Podcast and went through the entire book from Genesis through Revelation.

Photo we took of Sloan prior to her first day of school as a Pre-K 4 student at St. Mary Catholic School in Spokane Valley.

Professionally, 2021 was a solid year. The social media team became its own unit within University Marketing and Communications at Washington State University and I joined the department’s leadership team. My responsibilities increased and I had the privilege of taking on tasks for the first time in my career. I work for a terrific boss and collaborate with a talented and supportive team.

In March 2021, I celebrated my 1-year anniversary at WSU. So thankful to work for the Cougs!

Thanks be to God, it was a fortunate year for us. Despite a couple trips to the emergency room for our accident-prone Beau, everyone stayed healthy. We didn’t experience loss in our extended families. With a pandemic still very much impacting the world, the virus and its variants stayed away from us. Could we ask for much more?

This year was a blessing for our family.

As we close the book on 2021, I am thankful for what this year provided our family and our loved ones. I would be more than happy with another stable year in 2022 but I do know that even-numbered years usually bring our family more change and unpredictability than odd-numbered ones. We shall see. At the very least, let’s hope 2022 finally brings us some light at the end of the tunnel to the coronavirus. Amen to that, right? Don’t Blink.

My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2021

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The time has arrived for The Big Blog Post. At the end of each year, I always look back at the posts from the past 12 months and recognize some of my favorite writings. Most years it is quite tough to simply identify the 10 blog posts I wish to immortalize for this annual tradition—and that doesn’t even entail ranking them.

An element that makes the task hard is the volume of which to choose from. I don’t know how I did it, but I wrote more in 2021 than I did in 2020. The 173 posts I wrote this year barely edged out the 172 posts I wrote in 2020 while falling short of the 177 posts I penned in 2019. Of course, nothing will ever compare to the ultra-productive (and pre-wife/pre-kids) year in 2014 when I wrote 253 posts.

As I preface every year before jumping in, this countdown is based almost entirely on my personal preferences. Very little consideration is given to “how well” the posts did in terms of total views. With that said, let’s get the 8th edition of The Big Blog Post underway….

10. Dollar Tree Scavenger Hunt (January 25) – My sister and I put our heads together and designed a Dollar Tree scavenger hunt for our kids to participate in. Writing the blog post about the adventure was almost as fun as watching Sloan, Mikayla, and John complete it. The three children had to find five items that fit certain categories such as “a red drink” or “a green food.” The blog post captured some good, clean Dollar Store fun and recapped Sloan’s discoveries (this TikTok did too).

Sloan scored big with her Trolls bath bomb, an item that satisfied one of the scavenger hunt categories.

9. Rolling Out the Modernized WSU Brand (September 21) – A post that focused on my professional career made the countdown this year and for that I am really happy! In 2021, our Office of Marketing and Communications rolled out a modernized brand at Washington State University. What made this effort so unique was that it was mostly an in-house undertaking. In this blog post I was able to discuss my role on the project while shedding light on some of my co-workers who were the real heavy lifters. I was proud to be part of our brand team and enjoyed spending time this fall giving presentations to the WSU community about how the modernized brand should be reflected on social media.

It was an honor to work on the modernized brand. This is a screenshot of our brand new Washington State University secondary logo.

8. Don’t Blink’s 10th Anniversary (May 17) – This year marked the 10th anniversary of Don’t Blink and I took time during the month of May to celebrate. This blog post kicked off the festivities as I briefly addressed the past, present, and future of Don’t Blink. Although short, the significance of this post couldn’t be overlooked when building this list.

My blog turned 10 on May 14, 2021.

7. A Montana Homecoming (October 11) – October was a month of football homecomings for me. After seven years away from Washington-Grizzly Stadium, I finally got to watch the University of Montana football team play in its friendly confines once again. The football game was a blast but the entire weekend was one that Sid and I will always remember. A week later, I traveled to Pullman with my dad and brother to watch my first Cougar football game in Martin Stadium since 2004. In both posts I wrote about nostalgia I felt but I also detailed the new memories that were made.

It was a sweet homecoming as Sidney and I visited Missoula to watch University of Montana football and to enjoy other experiences too.

6. Marriage Advice After 40 Years (August 17) – In terms of word count, this post is the shortest, but it might contain the most significant advice of the year. My parents marked their 40th anniversary in 2021 and us three kids and our families had the pleasure of celebrating it with them. As the festivities came to a close, we asked my mom on our family text thread for the secret to their success. She selflessly shared it and I re-purposed it for this blog post so that I might share it with my readers.

My mom gave some great advice based on her 40 years of marriage with my dad.

5. The Youngest He Will Ever Be (September 8) – This year I have back-to-back short but sweet posts on the countdown. Just like with my mom’s marriage advice, I got to the point with this one about my son. I articulated a thought that came to my head during a recent morning that Beau would never be younger than he was at that moment. I ran with it and realized that no matter how challenging he might be on a given day, we need to treat the present as special because he will only grow older from that point on. The post seemed to resonate with other parents and my wife even shared it on her social media (something that is only reserved for the posts she feels passionate about).

During 2021, I started to put in perspective that Beau would never be younger than each passing day.

4. Hey Southern Belle, What Have You Learned After a Year? (May 12) – Around the one-year anniversary of Sidney moving to Washington, I wrote this blog post chronicling some of the major themes my wife learned from her coast to coast move from the South to the West. From food to drink to accents to climate to politics; it is all included! It was lighthearted and fun, but definitely a testament to the fact that Sid is a rock star and made a major transition look easy.

Sidney made the adjustment from the South to the West with ease.

3. What Made #GlenGotCarriedAway Special (July 6) – A big highlight of the year was watching my brother get married and serving as his best man. So much planning and anticipation led up to the July 4 wedding. The excitement truly reached its peak the week of the wedding when family and friends of both the bride and groom converged in Spokane. Those several days were filled with wedding activities, preparation, and camaraderie. This post examined the collaborative attitude embraced by people from different geographic regions, faiths, and life experiences to give Glen and Carrie a week they would never forget. This post allowed those who played a part in #GlenGotCarriedAway to truly reflect on how special it was.

Glen and Carrie got married on July 4, 2021. This is a photo during the reception with Beau.

2. My Top 10 Blog Posts of All-Time (May 31) – If I annually call this entry The Big Blog Post, the top 10 list I wrote at the end of May should be called The Biggest Blog Post. As part of my Don’t Blink 10th Anniversary Celebration, I counted down my top 10 posts of all-time in the decade-long history of my blog. That required me to look back on approximately 2,000 blog posts and choose the top .2%. It was a lengthy and involved process but I think the countdown succeeded at representing my best work. It also showcased the evolution of my writing as the posts that appeared on the countdown ranged from the blog’s first year in 2011 all the way through 2021. In what was probably the easiest decision in terms of compiling the list, my Beau Meets World blog post from 2020 was tabbed #1 in the history of Don’t Blink.

This year, Don’t Blink celebrated its 10th anniversary and I wrote a blog post ranking my top posts of all-time

1. Gary Baskett: One-Of-A-Kind (September 25) – This was a pleasure to write. At the same time, I also felt the weight on my shoulders. Mr. Baskett was a legend and who was I to write a piece about such a special man? After all, he had molded thousands of athletes who were much more successful on the field than I ever was. After going back and forth, I went for it. Coach B was about instilling confidence in others and how would I be honoring his memory if I didn’t have the confidence to write a piece that might bring some comfort and joy to those reading it?

The post would be shared widely and I had the pleasure of hearing from former Panthers who I both knew and didn’t know. However, it became evident that what I wrote about Coach B just barely touched the surface of the amazing person he was. I attended a “Victory Lap” memorial for Mr. Baskett held at the Mead High School track several hours after his funeral. It was there that former students from every decade throughout his career spoke about the impact Mr. Baskett had on them. These testimonies were incredibly passionate and I was so touched by the multiple people who mentioned that they came from broken families and that Mr. Baskett served as a father figure to them. Coach B deserved all the tributes that came his way, including this blog post that I am recognizing as my #1 entry of 2021.

My blog post I wrote about the impact of Gary Baskett is at the top of my list for 2021.

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A big THANK YOU to all my readers for your loyalty and support during this milestone year for Don’t Blink. If the posts listed above failed to pique your interest, I hope a couple of the 170 other posts I wrote in 2021 did. Be on the lookout for tomorrow’s yearly reflection. Don’t Blink.

My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2020
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2019
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2018
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2017
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2016
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2015
My Top 10 Blog Posts of 2014

Off to the Airport Thursday Rundown

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Well, if you read last night’s post you know that I really don’t have a bunch of time to write. So, in the interest of getting to the airport in time, let’s begin today’s Thursday Rundown…

Advent Wreath – It has been nice taking the time to truly journey through Advent this year. Sloan made an Advent wreath after mass a couple weeks ago and Sidney trimmed around the edges to give it that certain aesthetic touch. Each Sunday we have lit the appropriate candles while praying as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” plays in the background. Sure, Sloan and Beau might be just as excited about blowing out the candles as they are about meditating during the lighting of them but hopefully this is a step in the right direction of teaching them how to prepare for Christmas.

Sloan admiring the Advent wreath after we lit the three candles this past Sunday.

Christmas Card Display – When it comes to displaying the Christmas cards we receive, Sidney and I use an idea we stole from her sister. We hang twine and then attach the cards to it with clothes pins. I think it looks really nice! We have an entire Christmas card routine. Sloan and Beau walk with me to the mailbox during my lunch hour and fetch the incoming cards (and bills). We wait until we get home before dividing up the cards between the two kids. They then open them up, Sid or I read them, and then we clip them to the twine. It is one of our highlights of the day.

This is the Christmas card display at our house.

Santa Letter – Speaking of Christmas mail, Sloan received a letter from the North Pole this past weekend for the second year in a row. When she ripped it open, she had official correspondence from Santa Claus himself. Santa confirmed that Sloan was on the “nice” list this year and that brought a lot of relief from our daughter as she was initially hesitant to open the letter for fear of bad news. This year we used the City of Spokane Valley to help us “connect” with the North Pole. For just a $2.50 contracting fee, they helped make sure that Sloan’s letter reached Kris Kringle’s desk.

Sloan received this letter from Santa.

Popcorn and a Haircut – I have chronicled the evolution of my hair care journey from years of Great Clips cuts to venturing out of my comfort zone to a salon to finally settling on a barbershop. Since moving to Spokane, I have frequented The Man Shop for my haircut needs. In addition to televisions at each station and lots of other “guy” stuff throughout the shop, there is also a popcorn machine. The popcorn that is popped is complimentary and surprisingly very good. When I went to get my holiday cut earlier this week I definitely helped myself to a bag while I waited to be called back. It’s the little things.

Popcorn while I wait to get my hair cut? Yes please!

Sallie Scavenger Hunt – On Tuesday morning, Sloan went on an elaborate scavenger hunt staged by her Elf on the Shelf, Sallie. The hunt took an excited Sloan through the entire house. In the end, Sloan located Sallie in the refrigerator. The elf pointed Sloan to the pantry where a special Elf on the Shelf brownie mix awaited her. The brownies would be baked later during the day and decorated that night during a special Christmas party that Sid threw for Sloan, Beau, and their cousins. To watch the epic scavenger hunt in all its glory, check out this TikTok I made.

Sloan holding the envelope from Sallie that started the whole scavenger hunt.

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Okay, time to get our luggage in the car…we have a plane to catch! Please pray for our safe travels. Myrtle Beach, here we come!

Myrtle Beach Eve

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Let me tell you, the excitement is sure brewing in the Reser house! Not only did the four of us just have our Christmas gift exchange but it is Myrtle Beach Eve. Just one sleep separates us from boarding a plane to South Carolina.

Beau and Sloan opened up gifts from Sid and I just moments ago.

As you can imagine, we are elated to head to the east coast to spend the holiday season with Sid’s family. It has been more than six months since we last saw everyone and Sloan can’t wait to give her “Gami” and “Dada” a hug. Little does she know all that is planned so that she can spend a lot of time with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Of course air travel is a slight concern. Beau is at an age where he can’t stay still for more than a minute. The flight from Spokane to Atlanta will be a big challenge but it will all be worth it when we land in Myrtle Beach around 10 p.m. on Thursday. We have become pros at flying cross country with kids and we will just have to give it our best effort come tomorrow.

This trip will mark the second time we get to see the newest addition to the Mathis family, Baby Jack. Sid’s sister, Court, had her first baby in May and we will soon know how much he has grown since we saw him as a newborn in June. Speaking of getting big, Jack isn’t the only one growing. It will become apparent that Beau has not slowed down one bit since the early summer.

As a child, my family would always travel during the holidays and I can still feel in my heart that youthful exhilaration when we would make the trek to my grandparents’ house. Although Beau might be a little young to feel it, I know the feeling isn’t lost on Sloan. This is a special time and we plan to make the most of it.

Making the most out it for me means that I will be taking a holiday break from this blog. I will publish a Thursday Rundown tomorrow and I will offer my top 10 blogs posts of 2021 and my year in review post at the end of the month. But between tomorrow and my annual posts on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, I don’t plan to write much (if at all).

Please pray for safe travels for our family. I will touch base with you tomorrow before we head to the airport. Don’t Blink.

Christmas Tree Elegance

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Downtown Spokane is a special place to be during Christmas time. The trees on all the streets are strung in lights, Riverfront Park boasts a “trail of lights” through its premises, and a festive “ice ribbon” is open for those who want to do some open air skating.

Sidney and I eating at the Twigs in River Park Square.

On Friday night, Sidney and I ventured downtown to soak up some of this holiday spirit. We ate dinner at Twigs in River Park Square. The restaurant is located on an upper level that allowed us to admire the 60-foot Christmas tree that towers inside River Park Square. What a setting it was!

Our table overlooked the famous River Park Square Christmas tree.

But for all the glory of River Park Square, Riverfront Park, and the Spokane streets themselves, there is not a more prominent Christmas experience in the city than at the Davenport Hotel. If you remember, Sid and I stayed at the historic hotel in October of 2020. Although beautiful in its own right during the autumn, we didn’t experience the Davenport during December. We made sure to change that.

After dinner, we strolled over to the Davenport Hotel to experience its Christmas Tree Elegance event. Before entering the lobby, we paused to admire the display at the entrance.

I snapped this photo of the entrance of the Davenport Hotel.

Christmas Tree Elegance is hosted by the Spokane Symphony Associates. It takes place in the lobby and the second floor Mezzanine of the Davenport.

A couple moments after we entered the lobby of the Davenport Hotel for Christmas Tree Elegance.

The event is built around beautifully decorated trees meant to “wow.” Each decoration is placed with care and, trust me, there is no shortage of elegance.

Many of the Christmas trees are gorgeous.

Who owns these 15 trees? That’s a good question. Spokane businesses donate the trees and decorate them. In addition to all the decorations, they have additional display space around the tree that they can load up with products and prizes.

I wish I had enough space in this post to show you all the trees.

But why the products and prizes? Christmas Tree Elegance is actually a fundraiser. The general public can purchase raffle tickets for $1 and deposit those tickets into the basket of whatever tree (and all the prizes associated with it) they would like to win.

If you look at the left of this photo, you can see the bin with raffle tickets.

Regardless of whether you want to purchase raffle tickets or not, the opportunity to stroll through the Davenport to look at the trees is available to everyone. Take it from me, it is an opportunity you don’t want to pass up. There is just something special about walking inside an historic hotel during the holiday season. You can feel the Christmas spirit (click here for a TikTok I did of many more trees).

Sid and I felt some type of way after walking through the Davenport.

Unfortunately, Christmas Tree Elegance concluded its annual run last night. Although that means you can no longer purchase raffle tickets they might still keep the trees up through Christmas (sorry, I don’t know for sure). At the very least, you can still walk through the Davenport and view the lobby Christmas tree. Something to think about as we reach mid-December. Don’t Blink.

My Opinion on the Die Hard Christmas Movie Debate

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Before Mike & Mike ended in 2017, I listened to (and watched in-person) the popular ESPN Radio program for many years. Although the duo did talk a lot of sports, they also had recurring pop cultural debates. Like clockwork, once December rolled around, the Mikes would always go back and forth about a certain hot button issue.

Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie?

Every damn year I listened as Greeny and Golic hashed out the same old arguments about Die Hard’s Yuletide merits. The redundancy was borderline embarrassing but I kind of admired the passion with which they debated. However, the back and forth never stimulated me intellectually because of one main reason: I had never watched Die Hard before.

After about a decade of being aware of the Die Hard controversy, I finally watched the film this week. Over the course of a couple nights, I watched it on Peacock. I have a brief, but strong, opinion.

“Die Hard” was playing in our living room over the course of the past couple nights.

I don’t believe Die Hard is a Christmas movie. In order to be a Christmas movie, the film must be about Christmas. Die Hard happens to take place on Christmas (Eve) but it is definitely not about Christmas. Jack in the Box serves tacos but that doesn’t make it a Mexican restaurant, right? Okay, that might be a bad example.

But bottom line, Die Hard contains no Christmas themes. The holiday is mentioned, you see a couple decorations, and a carol is played at the end…that’s it. There is no Christmas vibe whatsoever.

Let me put it this way. If a person was brought into your midst who had never heard of Christmas before and you had to explain the American commercialization version of the holiday by showing them a movie, would you ever in a million years choose Die Hard? Not in a million years.

As for the movie itself, I got more invested as it went on. My first reaction was that it was corny and really outdated. But it started to pick up once Sgt. Al Powell/Carl Winslow/Reginald VelJohnson was introduced and the tactical game of chess started to transpire between the bad guys, law enforcement, and Bruce Willis’ character. The climax with the attempted helicopter assault, the detonation of the roof, and the death of Alan Rickman’s villain character was really entertaining and the effects pretty good for the late 1980s.

However, no matter how good the action scenes were I wasn’t feeling holly and jolly at the end of Die Hard. Come on everyone, it simply isn’t a Christmas movie. Don’t Blink.

Snowy Thursday Rundown

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Are you starting to feel that holiday spirit yet? It is the best time of the year and I am thrilled that you are taking a moment for my latest Thursday Rundown. Here are tonight’s five topics…

First Snow – It took until December for it to happen, but Spokane finally got its first real accumulation of snow this week. Our kids are still completely enamored with snow, even to the point of being overly enthusiastic about shoveling—or raking—it. I walked outside after a meeting during the work day to see Sloan and Beau using rakes to help Sid shovel the driveway.

Sloan and Beau helped Sid shovel the driveway on Monday.

Inflatables – Tis the season for lawn decorations! Several years ago, I wrote about inflatable holiday decorations and debated whether they are festive or tacky. There is no such debate with Beau. He absolutely loves them. We walk a few blocks to get our mail and I always take the kids with me. Whenever we pass a house with a large Santa, Grinch, or Snoopy in the yard we must stop so he can ooh and aah. This photo is of one such instance from last Saturday.

Beau (and Sloan) both like holiday lawn inflatables. This was on our mail walk last weekend.

New Football Coach – A week ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Jake Dickert press conference that introduced him as the new head coach of the Washington State University football team. It was pretty cool to see him ace his audition as he served as interim head coach for the final five games of the regular season and then receive his rightful reward. The Cougs will play Miami in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31. GO COUGS!

I snapped this photo at last Thursday’s Jake Dickert introductory presser.

Pass Me a Pastry – If there is high fat food I have a particular weakness for, it is the pastry. There is nothing I enjoy more than stuffing my face on a weekend morning with something sweet from a bakery. Donuts, scones, and croissants all call my name from behind the glass. I even like factory produced, low maintenance pastries like Pop-Tarts. It was my intention to celebrate National Pastry Day, which is today, with one of my all-time favorite breakfast foods, a Costco muffin, but apparently a muffin is not a pastry. That really put a damper on this “national day” for me.

Without a doubt, Confetti Cake Pop-Tarts are my favorite!

Best Santa Investment – On this date six years ago, I wrote about one of the best Christmas investments ever…the Santa suit! By throwing on a Santa suit not only do you bring instant joy to others but the inner happiness you create within yourself is really special. I bought a cheap Santa suit roughly a decade ago from Walmart. I have worn it probably 50 times over the years making countless memories and generating a sentimental value that far exceeds the $30 I spent for it. Remember, everybody always loves a Santa.

Busting out the Santa suit is fun.

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That’s all I have for tonight. The last item I wrote about tonight had to do with Santa. Don’t get me wrong, Kris Kringle is great, but let us continue to focus on the true reason for the Christmas season. Don’t Blink.