Sun, Dec. 29 | Eat a wheel of cheese
Not sure how you operate, but during the holidays I like to feel as gross as possible about myself. No — I'm dead serious. I'm a big eater. It's gross, and I try to keep in check the rest of the non-holiday days of the year. But from Christmas Eve until New Year's Eve, I usually can be found consuming as much as my stomach will allow because it is more socially acceptable to be gluttonous, and because I know I'm going to torture myself at the gym come Jan. 1. A few years ago, I discovered the sharp, piquant joy that is Cougar Gold cheese — made by hand at the WSU Creamery down in Pullman — at my grocery store, and brought a can home. Between Christmas and New Year's, my husband and I ate the entire 30 oz. wheel of cheddar. How? You do it by eating Cougar Gold for breakfast. Cougar Gold for lunch. For snacks. With coffee. In front of the TV. Laying in bed with a book. Do yourself a favor: buy a can now and suck it down before your New Year's resolutions of juice cleanses and morning yoga kick in. Trust me: Cheese doesn't mix with fitness. Find it at local stores and at cougarcheese.wsu.edu (LEAH SOTTILE)
Mon, Dec. 30 | Get all Norman Rockwell
When Norman Rockwell was painting his portraits of American life, he had to have been imagining a place like Spokane, where horse-drawn carriages clop along the streets during the holidays, where holiday music emanates from invisible speakers downtown and twinkle lights brighten up the industrial facade of the city. A city where at the very center, there is an ice skating rink. Suit up the family in their winter finest and head down to Riverfront Park for an evening of skating and hot cocoa at the Ice Palace. Admission for kids is just $3.50, and for adults (13 and older) it's $4.50. Rentals available. Visit spokaneriverfrontpark.com (LS)
Tue, Dec. 31 | Dance 'til Dawn
There's a lot to do in Spokane on New Year's Eve — from the traditional Spokane Symphony performance of Beethoven's Ninth at the Fox, to the glittery Lincoln Center party Bling in the New Year to First Night Spokane. But if pressed, we're the types who like to ring in the new year with a good old-fashioned dance party. Spokane's hippest soon-to-be-open joint, the Bartlett, has got you covered. Electronic artist Helado Negro comes to town, toting a catalog of warm, ethereal, upbeat tunes that reflect both his tropical South Florida upbringing and his newfound attraction to the woods of Connecticut. This is the exact opposite of the EDM rave stuff you'll hear pounding away at lots of clubs; Helado Negro makes electronic music for the more mature, cocktail-sipping set. Get your tickets now for the show, which is 21-and-over only. They're for sale at thebarlettspokane.com for $30 a pop. (LS)
