I just polished off my fifth round of Thanksgiving leftovers, which means I’m already three weeks behind on erecting holiday decorations and checking my list twice. And don’t even get me started on what’s going on with Hanukkah this year, because by the time you read this, the holiday will be over. Instead of moving forward with the holiday-related tasks I should be tackling, I’m sitting here with a nice cup of tea (it’s too early for it to be spiked, so get your mind out of the gutter) and looking at my crystal ball. When I said “it’s that time of year,” I meant it’s prediction time! The cover story will give you fancy tips on how to get ready for 2022, and my column will get you into the holiday spirit with a healthy helping of gossip.

Both RE/MAX Legends and RE/MAX American Dream hosted their annual pie giveaway for Thanksgiving where clients, affiliates and friends were invited to swing by and grab a free pie! Alex Wolking, The Young Lee Group, Leslie Collazo, and Leigh Marcus were also giving away free pies, so if you didn’t eat pie this Thanksgiving, that’s really your own fault. Also, another slice of pie sounds like it would go nicely with my tea, so I’ll be right back.

The award for best Thanksgiving post goes to April Moon from @properties, who Photoshopped a picture of her head onto a dancing turkey with the caption: “Let the cooking begin! Happy ‘almost’ Thanksgiving”. I would’ve been slightly more impressed if she actually danced with a turkey, but the post was amusing, nonetheless.

Tommy Choi may be expanding his family … with a new puppy! This rumor hasn’t been confirmed, so please go ahead and spread it everywhere, and perhaps we’ll get the real answer. Tommy posted a cryptic picture of an adorable puppy in front of a tree and noted that he was terrified that this is happening and asked everyone to wish him luck. As a proud fur-parent myself, let me give you a bit of sage advice: get that puppy away from the tree!!

Shout out to Cheryl Morlock of Exit Strategy Realty for hitting $100K in gross commission income and capping to 100% commission. Next time you see Cheryl out and about, wish her congrats and make sure to let her pay for the drinks.

New NAR president Antje Gehrken attended the NAR annual conference in San Diego and managed to get an awesome shot of the GOAT herself, Simone Biles! I can confirm Simone was not wearing any of her seven Olympic medals, which is crazy, because if I had medals, I would wear them at all times. Rain or shine, in the bathtub, in bed and certainly if I were speaking in front of a bunch of admiring Realtors.

Now to celebrate all those folks whose birthdays get overshadowed by the holidays. Let’s start with a shout out for Kelly Maguire, Andy M. Shiparski and Barbara O’Connor on Dec. 8. Next up, Todd Mullen will mull over getting older on Dec. 9. Your day is always lucky when you spot Judy Pettas, so give her a high-five on Dec. 13. Michell Mills Clement will party on Dec. 15, right before Michael Bauknecht on Dec. 16 and Mike Sato on Dec. 17. Kathleen Malone and Rafay Qamar share a Dec. 19 birthday, while Jeff Lasky may be on his own on Dec. 20. Walter Krajewski gets wiser on Dec. 22, and Leo Aubel is already pretty smart, so he’ll do something else on Dec. 23. Denise Salazar-Carosella will get double the presents on her Dec. 25 b-day, and then Jeff Metz will sip some eggnog to celebrate on Dec. 27. Joann Sworan and Jennifer Evans can start thinking about 2022 on their Dec. 29 birthdays, and then Mimi Luna always enjoys a day off on her New Year’s Day birthday. Rachel Rohn and Leslie Struthers are Jan. 2 birthday buddies, while Ted Guarnero can crash their fun and celebrate early or wait until Jan. 3. Last but never, ever the least is Kelly Price rounding out my holiday birthday wishes on Jan. 5.