Our First White Elephant Family Christmas?

Like families tend to do, the one I belong to is growing… and growing… and growing. Normally we get gifts for each other: parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews, etc. It has been great because I’m part of a great family. This year things are probably going to be different since we’re planning to do our first White Elephant gift exchange.

But instead of just grabbing a hunk of junk around the house, we have a spending minimum and maximum, which will hopefully make each surprise gift valuable in one way or another. We’re also doing 2 rounds so each person will end the day with 2 gifts from the White Elephant family gathering. Personally, I’m excited about it because while getting tangible gifts is fun and can be meaningful, I think the experience together is what will be the most fun. Hopefully lots of laughing and reminding ourselves that we love each other, tightening the knitting between us all.

How about you? Do you have Christmas day present opening traditions? What’s worked or hasn’t worked? What we’re doing might turn into an epic failure but at least we’re all in it together. 🤗

-Out of the Wilderness

The New Jasmine Crockett Commercial That’s As Bad As You’d Imagine

I’m always fascinated when creators (cinematographers, camera people, directors, etc) can do a long scene in a single take. Taylor Swift did it with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” the movie 1917 appeared as though it was a single take, and there are plenty more. Well, I’m thankful to be alive for another addition to the one-take marvels, the new ad from politician Jasmine Crockett. Make sure you’re sitting down so you don’t faint watching history in the making. Check it out…

Was that blinking or are her eyelids just not strong enough to hold the weight of those lashes? Girrrrrrrrrrrrl. Texas ought to be thankful for a candidate who lists their credentials, leaving no doubt that they’re capable of the job. Oh wait, alls she did was tell us Donald Trump thinks she’s dumb. Well, that was…….. dumb. She gave us the problem without the solution. I’d say that I’m *guessing* this ad really misses the mark and that maybe I’m an outsider who doesn’t know a thing about what works and what doesn’t, but it’s not really a guess at all when someone disables the Youtube comments. That’s basically like the losing team running the ball on 3rd and 25. They know they won’t get a first down. The other team knows they know. The fans know. Both teams know the fans know they know.

I’m so embarrassed for her that it’s almost spilled over to the “pity” part of my brain. She’s not quite to the same level as a movie that’s so bad, it’s good… but she’s definitely doing some really dumb things to which Southerns would respond:

“Bless her heart.”

“Oh, sweetie.”

“She means well.”

“Well, aren’t you precious?”

“Well, I’ll be.”

I think we’ve reached a new retro era in American society. At least I hope so. It’s the antiquated idea possibly making a comeback: Politicians are public servants. Not rockstars. Jasmine, today, yes today, you can still take your video down. At the very least you can get feedback from the people you want to serve– enable the comments on Youtube. You know, find out how people are really feeling about your outstanding commercial.

-Out of the Wilderness

Horses ❤️ Carrots

Just a simple post today to remind myself that the neighborhood horses love carrots. It is so inspiring to me that I reminded myself to go get carrots…for me! What’s good for the horse is good for the human, right?

-Out of the Wilderness

Pickleball on Garmin Watch

I’ve been playing pickleball pretty consistently for the last few weeks and while I’ve inched forward in my skills, the most interesting part is looking at the maps recorded on my Garmin watch.

To record this, I just set up a new “activity” because as far as I know there isn’t a pickleball setting on Garmin watches. If there is, I’m not sure what else it would record worth its weight in gold because for me the map is the coolest feature.

Lots of running just to hit a plastic ball, huh?

-Out of the Wilderness

Alabama is Officially College Football’s Villain

The big college football news today is who did and who didn’t make the college football playoffs for this 2025 season. Most people were curious about which teams would take up the bottom few spots. Chatter about Miami, Notre Dame, BYU, and Alabama. Two of those four teams lost this weekend, the other two were idle. Can you guess which of those teams for sure made it in even though they had a bad loss to make their overall record 10-3? Alabama. Is anyone surprised?

It’s so predictable. It’s not about the actual sport. If it were, Alabama’s spot would have been taken by a team like Texas, Vanderbilt, or Notre Dame. Teams that deserved it. But Alabama is a valuable double-sided coin. You see, Texas has money. Notre Dame has haters.

Alabama has both.

And this matters because every good story needs a villain, right? In college football, that’s Alabama. The best action movies, every plot in WWE Wrestling, and why you’re Thanksgiving dinner was fun, is because of the antagonist; The person, character, or in football’s case, the team, that gets people riled up. Including an undeserving Alabama in the playoffs is a win for the overall health of college football. Now the money is secured, fans of Alabama will watch the playoffs to see the Tide win, and people who hate Alabama will watch to see them lose.

Do they deserve to be in the playoffs? No. Was there ever a chance they wouldn’t make it? No.

-Out of the Wilderness