'Tis the season to give thanks

December 23, 2016 | Dian Chaaban


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Many of you reading this are long-time clients, friends and family and so while I have the very special opportunity to do so, let me sincerely thank you for your continued loyalty and wish you and all those you love the happiest of holidays and all the very best for a happy, healthy and wealthy 2017.

As a numbers person, I look forward to Bloomberg’s Year in Money report every year. 2016’s statistical roundup serves as a timely reminder that we certainly didn’t enter the year as we are exiting it. Among the numbers a few standouts are that the loonie actually gained a few cents on the U.S. dollar over the course of the year, OPEC pumped a record 34.16 million barrels of oil per day in November and with Trump fueling the market, the Dow broke its own record 43 times and set an intraday high 34 times.

I also came across the most interesting and appealing Christmas tree* I ever did see today, which lists 12 positive catalysts that are in place right now as we get set to welcome 2017:

In addition to liking numbers, I also really like games (it is perhaps a combination of my love for people, laughter and being a little bit competitive). Earlier this week, a friend introduced me to a game which her family “invented” (they even coined it the Goodfellow family game) but true to the original thought theory, I’m sure it already exists several times over. Regardless of where it came from, I had a blast playing it so thought I would also share it with you to play with your family and friends over the holidays – and all you need is a paper, pen, a timer and some creativity.

The Set up:

Step 1 – break up into 2 teams, call them A & B

Step 2 – rip up some paper into smaller pieces, everyone gets ~5 empty pieces and writes down the name of someone common to all of the players – it could be a politician, an actor, a family member, a common friend, a singer, a writer, whoever.

Step 3 – crumple up all of the names into little balls and throw them in a bowl.

The Game: There are 3 rounds, each lasting 60 seconds each.

First round: Charades style, players on team A attempt to guess as many names as described by player 1 on their team. You can say anything except for the name. Player 1 keeps going until the time is up. Player 1 from team B continues with the rest. Player 2 from team A will follow and so on until all of the names have been guessed. Tally and crumple the names back into the bowl.

Second round: Same as the first but no words. Acting only. Tally and crumple the names back into the bowl.

Third round: Same as the others but you can only use ONE word. Tally the final score.

Well, I’m off to meet some friends for dinner. Those of you who might be standing in the middle of a crowded mall right now, here are 6 awesome last minute gifts that will save your holiday.

With so much going on and information coming at us from every angle, it's sometimes hard to keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening. In an effort to keep you in-the-know and provide you with some conversation nuggets for the holiday weekend, I've compiled the following hit list to fill your conversation pipeline.

Now you are in-the-know with Word on the Street.

Enjoy the weekend and happy holidays!