Bonding with Beer

I didn’t realize until looking at my site that I haven’t updated this blog in almost six months. So, I thought what better way to end this unusual year than by doing one of my favorite things in the world… writing.

2020 has been a struggle for many of us. But that’s not the focus of tonight’s entry. Instead, I want to talk more about the happy experience I had during the first 24 days of this month.

It all started at the end of November when I got a text from a friend who had made a special trip to Aldi in search of a Beer Advent Calendar. There was a limit of two per customer and she wanted to know if I wanted one. Of course, I jumped at the chance, as I’ve heard of these festive items but never had one before. When I was a kid, we did the chocolate advents, but this would be my first introduction to a more grown-up version.

Because I am always looking for new and fun content for my TikTok channel (yes, I’m on TikTok), my wife suggested doing quick beer reviews each night. I loved the idea and recorded the first one on December 1. I wore a different Christmas shirt for each one, a Santa hat, and poured the beer into my Marty Moose mug from the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Each video included removing the beer from the calendar, pouring the beer, and rating it either ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’.

That in and of itself was fun. I could end the story here. However, something even more awesome grew out of this experience. After the first night (my wife assisted me with the camera work), my 15 year-old daughter inquired if she could help with future videos. What dad wouldn’t want to have this extra quality time with a teenage child? I jumped at her willingness to help. She even encouraged me to wear one of my wife’s ugly Christmas sweaters for one of the shoots.

But she became more than just the girl behind the camera and wardrobe coordinator. She scouted out areas in the house for videos and in some of the TikToks, she is the one opening and pouring the beer. Maybe it’s not the most ideal thing for a minor who is still six years away from the legal drinking age to be doing, but we had a blast and no alcohol was consumed by her. Even after she accidentally got caught on camera, either laughing or walking into the shot, she didn’t mind being a part of the experience.

This project started off as a fun way to create new, original content for TikTok but along the way, it became a bonding experience between a father and daughter. I’m already working on new ways to create content and strengthen our bond in the new year.