The Cold, Chaotic Sprint to Christmas
Todd Swank's Diary Entry for December 21, 2025
December 12 was Grandma Linda’s 83rd birthday, so we did what made sense. Dinner and a show at Mystic Lake, good food, loud rooms, and plenty of laughs. Mom has been dealing with more than her fair share lately, but she still shows up, still smiles, and still wants to be right in the middle of things with us. That alone says everything. Happy Birthday, mom!
When we heard there was a Beatles tribute show happening on the night of Grandma’s birthday, it felt like fate was doing us a small favor. Mom was always more of an Elvis fan, but the Beatles felt close enough to guaranteed joy that it was worth the gamble. Turns out, a birthday dinner followed by a loud, colorful night of familiar songs was exactly the right move.
What surprised us was how much Miss Sheri and I loved it too. We go to a lot of shows, but this one grabbed us fast. Before we knew it, we were singing along to Hey Jude, Yesterday, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and Yellow Submarine—Sheri hitting the notes, me providing volume, enthusiasm, and what I assume was a mild nuisance to everyone within a three-row radius. Great energy, big sound, and a reminder that some songs don’t age at all… even if the people singing them clearly have.
The next night we headed to Lindey’s Prime Steak House in Arden Hills with the Browns and the Zitzewitzes, a place that feels frozen in time in the best way possible. Big wood interior, old-school vibe, and steaks that show up massive enough to make you rethink your life choices. The menu is refreshingly simple. Do you want steak, or do you want steak? Our friends ordered theirs medium rare, one went full rare, and Miss Sheri and I quietly realized we may live a little further down the doneness spectrum. Either way, everyone was happy, the night was relaxed, and it was a great excuse to spend a few hours around people we enjoy.
We also caught an advanced screening of Song Sung Blue, which ended up meaning more to me than I expected. Tom D’Amato, played by Jim Belushi, was a longtime friend of my dad back in their Kmart manager days and later a friend of shortarmguy.com. We traded emails on and off for nearly 15 years. I remember him mentioning he managed a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning & Thunder, which I filed away as one of those fun facts you never expect to hear again. When I saw the trailer, I immediately thought of Tom and was genuinely delighted to discover he was part of the story. The movie itself was fantastic. I described it as the greatest Wisconsin love story ever told. I’ve always been a fan of Kate Hudson and she absolutely nails it here, with Hugh Jackman doing the same. Well worth seeing over Christmas break.
Friday night, Miss Sheri and I drove two hours down to Clear Lake, Iowa, to meet up with Krazy Kory at the Surf Ballroom. Two hours there, two hours back, all for a show that definitely wasn’t going to tuck us in gently. The Surf is pure rock-and-roll history, which made it even funnier watching a packed crowd settle in, knowing full well this was about to go way off the rails. Worth the drive, though we were already budgeting our energy for the return trip home before the lights even went down.
We were there to see Steve-O’s Crash & Burn Tour, which is less a traditional stand-up show and more a guided tour through his greatest hits of terrible decision-making. Part comedy, part storytelling, part video evidence that some ideas should never leave the brainstorming phase. I loved Jackass back in the day. Miss Sheri… not so much. And once the visuals started drifting into extended, deeply uncomfortable territory involving his own anatomy, she checked out fast while Krazy Kory and I laughed like middle-schoolers who definitely weren’t mature enough for this show. Not subtle. Not for everyone. Exactly what we expected.
Saturday took us to Buck Hill for Miss Sheri and my first skiing adventure in years, meeting up with Luke and Avery and Abby. The skiing part was fun. The wind on the chairlifts felt like it was personally offended by us being there. Things improved dramatically once we retreated to the car and upgraded everyone to full face masks, which turned misery into something almost enjoyable. Not every run was loved equally, but overall it was a cold, ridiculous, and surprisingly great way to spend the day with the kids.
A quick warm-up in the chalet before heading back out for a few more runs. Abby grabbed this picture of us with the boys—cold, tired, slightly overdressed, and still convincing ourselves we had another round in us. The last couple weeks were a blur of plans, miles, noise, and energy we absolutely did not budget correctly, but somehow that’s the whole point. Wishing everyone a Christmas filled with people you love and moments that feel special and incredible—even if you’re exhausted when they’re over.
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