What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.

Todd R.: The holidays at the Rapp household will be celebrated Dec 29-Jan 1, when all of the kids (and grandkids and soon-to-be grandkids) can gather.  Baked potato bar with beef brisket on the 30th, rib eye roast on the 31st with a Packer-Viking dessert, and plenty of bowl games on the 1st.  Our December movie feature was Barbie (loved how the premise of the story worked into the history of Mattel) and I will see Iron Claw this weekend, which looks amazing.  We are through five episodes of Apple TV’s The Morning Show and I am pleasantly surprised by the narrative and very impressed with the acting.  And for those of you who have given up on the Minnesota Wild, we now need to go 29-14-6 to reach 100 points again, which feels very doable after this 11-3-0 start under Coach Hynes.  

Rich: It’s pretty easy to give a happy report about December. I took a long weekend trip to Scottsdale for golf with my good friend, Joe Coyne. Great weather and lots of fun. I was back in Minneapolis for a day before Kari and I flew to New York to see our two kids who live there and Kari’s sister and her spouse. Warm weather, shopping, great restaurants and trip to the Rockefeller Center to see the fantastic tree. A Christmas delight.

Less than a week after we returned to Minneapolis, our kids from New York, and their significant others, came to Minneapolis for Christmas. We had the whole family (all five kids, spouses and significant others) together for eight days of Christmas celebrations. We spent lots of time with other relatives, friends of our kids we don’t get to see that often and friends of ours.

The entire month was a great reminder of the joys of Christmas and the importance of family and friends. During the shortest days of the year, we embraced the light. Both the light of the rising and setting sun and the light that shines through to your soul when surrounded by family, friends and the joy of Christmas. To all of you, I wish for more light in your life.

Todd S.: Well, we survived the first holiday season with our new kitten, Lucy. I also survived the three most terrifying words in the English language: “Some Assembly Required.”

Jodi: December was filled with family, friends, fun and more food than one can imagine. The last two weeks of the year flew by, and we rolled into New Year’s Eve thankful for the year that was and optimistic for the year that will be. I received six books for Christmas, which will help me achieve my goal of reading one book a month. I am starting with The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride before moving into Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. We hosted Jim’s family for Christmas with homemade pizzas on the menu and a few of them cooked on the Presto Pizza Pizazz (quite the kitchen gadget!). The December weather was a surprise, but I am still counting down the days to our annual trip to Puerto Vallarta in late January.

Sean: What an incredible cap to 2023. James’ increasing mobility is amazing to watch, but also presents some challenges for us (and Franklin, the dog). December flew by with unrelenting family events, which, while tough on the schedule, allowed us to hand over the baby for a few hours at a time and watch him get passed around from uncle to aunt and back again.

I was also able to escape on a snowboarding trip with some friends and am relieved to report that I came back without a major injury (though admittedly, the ego was a bit bruised up by the endless amount of young people flying by me).

We ended the year with a cabin getaway that we desperately needed after the crowded and action-packed holiday events. Looking forward to a productive start to 2024!

Anna: December was truly a ONEderful month for our family as we celebrated Owen’s first birthday. His curiosity, cuteness and cheerfulness bring so much joy to our life. Isaac and I also celebrated our anniversary with a getaway to Stillwater, where we strolled the quaint downtown area, perused a variety of literature at Black Letter Books, ate American comfort food at Leo’s Grill & Malt Shop and snuck out for late-night cocktails at the atmospheric Velveteen Speakeasy. Isaac and I found time to re-watch some holiday movie favorites: Elf and Home Alone 1 and 2. Of course, the best part of the month was remembering and honoring the birth of Jesus Christ with our church and families – a radical gift to the world. We feasted, laughed, played games and joined the ranks of parents everywhere juggling disrupted schedules, naps, car rides, sweets and everything in between. Still wouldn’t change a thing.

Meredith: This December has been an odd one, but full of joy nonetheless. My boxes of holiday decorations were brought out of storage, but most did not get put up. My yearly update and holiday card has been written, but not printed and sent. But most shocking of all, I haven’t watched a single Christmas movie. Instead, we celebrated a friend’s wedding, played with our kitten, hung out with friends and played volleyball. With rainstorms instead of ice storms or blizzards this year we were able to make it back to Illinois to see Cory’s family and a few friends. We even had a bonfire on Christmas Eve!

Cullen: The month of December felt like one big holiday. We kicked it off with the always-amazing Christmas in Christ Chapel show at Gustavus Adolphus College and ended it with a slew of gatherings with family and friends in Minnesota over the Christmas weekend. Back in Wisconsin, I went full Benedict Arnold during a trip to Green Bay where we snagged some last-minute tickets to watch the Packers upset the Chiefs in snowy primetime. Lauren and I also celebrated five years together with an unparalleled meal at Fairchild. It took exactly one bite of foie gras to know that their James Beard award was well deserved.

Other highlights of the month included a yummy visit to bartaco, the new Wonka movie, and a tour of the Epic Systems campus which was equal parts fever dream, amazement, and disgust at the American health care system. Cheers to 2024!

Colette: This month I brought my holiday cheer to the rolling green hills of Ireland for a week-long adventure with my mom and sister. We didn’t quite know what to expect from the trip, but we came away with a greater appreciation for Ireland’s history, culture, and people.

The week started in Dublin where we battled jetlag by exploring the festively lit streets of Dublin. Highlights were the Temple Bar area, the Ha’penny Bridge, and Dublin Castle finished out with a supper of seafood chowder and beer bread. The next morning, we took off on a tour bus to Northern Ireland to visit the Titanic Museum, and an enlightening Black Taxicab tour covering Belfast’s troubled past and political atmosphere.

The next day we set off by train to our next destination, the City of Limerick, where we walked along the beautiful Shannon River and toured King John’s Castle, which featured a gorgeous view from its lookout towers. A day trip took us to the Cliffs of Mohr on a gorgeous, blue-sky day with stunning views.

The last leg of our trip took us to Galway, a Western coastal town known for its lively atmosphere, and as we found out, rain. Despite being soaked, we managed to explore the city's gorgeous streets, walk along the River Corrib, and enjoy the beauty of the seaside.

Alex: The month was filled with family and friends as we came together to celebrate the life of my stepfather, whom we lost early this month. It was a beautiful sight to see all of his friends and family come to share the memories of his life.

Other than that big change in my life, the rest of December was fairly tame. I watched the Vikings lose three times this month (here’s to a better draft pick), enjoyed a relaxing weekend at my girlfriend’s parent’s house, celebrated the holidays and visited with old friends from out of town.