Family

At Sullivan Square Shopping Center in Spokane Valley lies Elite Gaming Center, where adults and children alike go to play video games and tabletop sports games like air hockey and ping-pong. Alongside its regular operating hours, the facility hosts birthday parties, corporate events and even offers a weekly day camp for summer and winter breaks.

For nine years, Jodi Rivas has matched the Christmas wishes of Medical Lake children with donors who buy those gift requests. Also a Medical Lake resident, Rivas decided for this holiday season, she had to do more for her town after the summer's Gray fire. Rivas extended the gift drive to any neighbor who lost a home or had a financial hit because of the disaster, including adults without kids. This time, donors covered entire families and were from across the region. Requests were humble, "lamps, extension cords, a snow shovel, cleaning supplies, warm socks, a jacket, a robe ... They just want a little bit of home back."

The Folwer United Methodist Church recently unveiled its Fireside Room – a warm, welcoming place for those with disabilities and their families or caregivers.

Each year around this time, Salvation Army volunteers know which tags still hang from the organization's angel trees in stores – gift requests for teenagers. That gift gap seems wider this season with inflation, said Captain David Cain of the Spokane Corps of the Salvation Army. Early this week, he said Christmas requests still weren't fulfilled for about 20 youth in Spokane, both males and females, ages 12-20. "Every year, teens are the challenge because it’s just easier to buy for the little ones, but particularly now it is when $25 used to go a lot farther," Cain said. The angel trees are located at Spokane-area stores of Fred Meyer, Walmart, J.C. Penney and Old Navy. The local organization also has an Amazon wish list open through this Friday, with a link on its website, www.makingspokanebetter.org.

Quirky antique shop Petunia & Loomis offers photos with Krampus, the creepy, demonic creature who symbolizes the start of dark nights and survival in the cold, each Saturday through December 23.

With some practice, we all can master the art of what experts call "conversational chemistry."

This week, Logan and I will be celebrating our 22nd anniversary. We were married just 10 days before Christmas on a snowy Spokane day; he in a rented tuxedo and I in a white satin ball gown with a red velvet wrap that I sewed myself (the wrap, not the gown). I was heavily influenced by Martha Stewart in those days, what can I say?

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Last week, I bought myself a tea towel that says, “My housekeeping style is best described as: there appears to have been a struggle.” This is true not just of my housekeeping, but of my home decorating style in general.

On a Monday afternoon, Wally and Woody stalked through towering pines atop catwalks in the backyard of their South Hill home, occasionally glancing down at guests from their lofty treehouse perch.

Growing up, I marveled at the themed Christmas cards my father created in our basement darkroom each holiday season. A hobby photographer who taught each of his four children how to develop film, dad’s magical ability to transform our entire family into dancing elves or spirited snow people was a wonder to my young eyes and a smash hit with both relatives and neighbors alike. Back then, mailboxes brimmed chock-full of colorful Christmas cards, but these days our options for conveying holiday wishes are vast and varied.

Jerry Lancaster has been preparing diligently for his starring role.

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Kids often wonder what career to pursue after high school. For Ed Stewart, the solution was set. You might say, permanently.

The first sign of trouble on our family trip to Italy was at a drawbridge in Delaware.

Everyone needs a home for the holidays, especially Santa. The Coeur d’Alene Resort made St, Nick a priority by recently constructing the Santa House, which is an all-glass structure with a welcoming lamp house vibe. The design includes an abundance of lighting and sound effects.