Goldendoodle Takes In A Lakers Game, DMX's Son Gives A Birthday Tribute & A Possum In A Pear Tree

We did it, y'all. We made it to Christmas week.

I'm not really sure how that happened. It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in 2023 with a bottle of champagne and a bad case of food poisoning. And here we are — almost 2024 — although I'm counting on my New Year's Eve celebration going a little better this year.

Regardless, we are less than a week away from Santa's annual chimney drop, and you know the drill.

Even I get a few days off work! And I'll be spending them freezing my tail off.

As we speak, I am headed north on I-65 out of Tennessee and toward my home city of Indianapolis. (I am not driving, obviously.) Then, after five days in Indy, we're going even farther north to the sprawling metropolis that is Dixon, Illinois.

You're jealous, I know.

But I'm actually really looking forward to it. Dysfunctional though they may be, my family knows how to do the holidays. I anticipate so much bourbon, ample foolishness and (hopefully) a Dolphins win over the Cowboys.

Man, bourbon sounds good right now, doesn't it?

Go ahead and grab one. You know you're not working anyway. Settle in — it's Nightcaps time!

Doggo Sits Court Side At Lakers Game

Finally — a court-side NBA fan who isn't a pretentious celebrity or thirsty Instagram model.

Well, he's kind of an Instagram model.

Brodie the Goldendoodle (who has more than a million social media followers) took in a Los Angeles Lakers game Monday night. And move over LeBron, because this dude — sorry, "dood" — stole the show.

I mean, look at his little dance!

Brodie is apparently no stranger to the spotlight.

The 3-year-old pup's owner takes him all over the country on all sorts of adventures. He's thrown out the first pitch at an MLB game, learned how to ride a jet-ski and was even named an honorary K-9 officer in the Miami Beach Police Department.

Lakers fans voted him "Fan of the Game" last night, but how could they not? That other guy didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Brodie was the highlight of their night. They fell to the New York Knicks 114-109.

And on the same night they unveiled their esteemed In-Season Tournament Championship banner, too! A shame.

Side note, do you know there are dogs making millions of dollars on social media?

I'm kicking myself because I really missed the boat here.

My nearly 15-year-old mutt (who is very photogenic) was born in 2009 — when social media was still in its infancy. If I had just made her her own doggie social media accounts back then, we could have really pioneered this thing. She could have been the queen of canine influencers!

She'd have MILLIONS of followers by now, and I (as her agent) would be rich. I'd be writing Nightcaps from my luxurious beachfront mansion instead of the passenger seat of my husband's GMC.

Man, I really blew it. No offense to my husband or his GMC.

But if any companies out there want to give this furry old lady a sponsorship, it's not too late!

DMX's Son Celebrates His Dad's Birthday

Legendary rapper DMX would have turned 53 yesterday.

So to honor his late father, DMX's 7-year-old son Exodus performed the legendary track "X Gon' Give It to Ya" on his keyboard.

"Happy Birthday Earl!" DMX's fiancée Desiree Lindstrom wrote on Instagram. "Thinking of you always, but especially today. You was New York!!! Exodus tribute to you! (X gonna give it to ya) We love you baby!"

Here's another one from earlier this year of Exodus playing "Ruff Ryders Anthem" on his keyboard.

You go, kiddo.

And not to take away from the cuteness of these videos, but I just learned DMX had 17 children.

17 children!

Maybe this is common knowledge, and I'm just out of the loop. But the child support alone was probably more than I'll ever make in my entire life.

On a positive note, though, if every single one of them played instruments like Exodus, imagine the birthday tributes they could do! A whole symphony orchestra!

Something like this except performed entirely by DMX offspring.

'...and a Possum in a pear tree!'

I love a good Christmas surprise, but not if it involves rodents.

And before any of you scientists come after me, I know possums are marsupials — not rodents. But you will not convince me that those ugly little f-ckers are more like kangaroos than giant rats. So they are rodents.

I also love that we, as Americans, collectively decided to drop the "o" in "opossum" because no one has time for that.

Anyway, a Texas woman was sitting in her living room when she heard a soft sneeze. She looked all over trying to figure out where it came from.

Finally, she found the culprit. A possum had ridden in on her Christmas tree.

Upon further review, I'm fairly certain that's an artificial tree, so the future roadkill probably snuck into the house after the fact and set up shop. But I kind of like the idea of the lil' guy hanging out in the tree watching the family decorate.

Wow, thank you for decorating my home. I love what you've done with the place!

If this happened in my house, it would be sheer chaos. My dog would lose her damn mind.

One time, a bird flew in my front door, and my dog lunged at it. The bird immediately panicked — flying back and forth between the kitchen and the living room and bouncing off the walls like a giant, horrifying pinball machine. My dog was barking and trying to climb the walls, my husband was attempting to shoo the bird out the back door, I was screaming and being completely useless.

Chaos.

We finally got the bird to fly out the door, but I'm positive it was in concussion protocol for quite a while.

All this talk about Christmas trees and wildlife in the house, though, really makes me want to watch Christmas Vacation.

And one more cautionary tale for good measure.

In short, this is a good reminder to check your Christmas tree before you haul it into the house.

Unless you're looking to liven up the family holiday party.

I want to hear about your holiday!

My next Nightcaps will be Tuesday — the day after Christmas. I'm going to be tired and likely nursing a red wine headache.

Please entertain me (and your fellow Nightcaps readers) with pictures and stories from your holiday celebrations. We want to see pictures of your Christmas sweaters, favorite gifts, festive cocktails, stories about your degenerate family members, even videos of your living room possum chases.

Tweet me at @TheAmberHarding or email me at Amber.Harding@outkick.com. Make my day.

Stuff That Made Me LOL

Birdwatching might be a cooler hobby than I thought.

You mean *Taco Bell Crunchwrap.

"There would be nothing left of the deer!" — Firearms Expert Jared Moskowitz.

But just in case you don't have an animal-disintegrating rifle, a frying pan will do in a pinch.

Kamala Harris loves Venn diagrams, but I love whatever this is.

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.

Follow me on X / Twitter at @TheAmberHarding or email me at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.