Karoline Leavitt And Margo Martin Send The Libs A Postcard, Jenn Sterger Wrapped In Lights & Woke Starbucks!

Ahem … is this thing on? Is ANYONE here today? Anyone? Hello? 

I am, baby! That's right. No days off for this patriot. Except, you know, the past 10 days. But those don't count. I'm back in charge, and ready to lead this class of great Americans into 2026. I'm full of piss and vinegar. I'm refreshed. I'm recharged. I'm rejuvenated. I'm … 

 None of those things! In fact, quite the opposite. 

In a shocking twist, my entire house is in shambles coming off a holiday week surrounded by little kids running around into all hours of the night, day after day, minute after minute, until the wheels finally came off. 

My toddler is sick. My 1-year-old hasn't pooped in days. The First Lady is sick. I'm … surprisingly fine. For now, of course. It's coming for me. I can feel it in my bones. 

But for today? For right now? For this class? We ride. Let's go. 

Welcome to a Hump Day Nightcaps – the one where Margo Martin and Karoline Leavitt send the LIBS a postcard for 2026. 

What else? I've got Jenn Sterger wrapped up in lights, Starbucks doing America a huge favor for the new year, Livvy Dunne closing the year in style, and nobody showing up to the second round of the college football playoffs. 

This is why these games need to be on college campuses, by the way. But you guys are smart, which means you already knew that. 

Grab you a margarita to celebrate the final day of 2025 – throw it out because it's disgusting – and THEN settle in for a New Year's Eve Hump Day 'Cap!

These CFP ticket prices are embarrassing

According to the internet, the Marg was, once again, the top-selling drink of 2025. 

Data showed that 29 states swung that way, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Libs! Margs are trash, along with tequila. Whiskey or nothing. Be a patriot. Martini, by the way, was the second-most popular. Florida voted that way, which makes me sad. An old-fashioned came in third. Folks in class today from Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin all get extra credit! 

Hookstead's from Wisconsin. Did you know?!

Anyway, let's get down to business. Big day of college football happening right now, including the Cotton Bowl tonight between Miami and Ohio State. 

And hey! If you're in the area and looking for something to do to kill time before the ball drops, you can easily go. 

And I mean EASILY:

Starbucks is more expensive!

Goodness gracious. I said it two weeks ago during the first round, and I'll say it again here. Not having the first two rounds of these playoffs on campus is the single dumbest thing the NCAA has done, and that's saying a lot. That list is HUGE. But that's how ridiculous this format is. 

NOBODY wants college football games to be played at NFL stadiums. Nobody. Nobody, nobody, nobody. The neutral site games to start the year are dumb, and the neutral site games to end it (or start it?) are even dumber. 

It's a disservice to the teams, the players, and the fans. Imagine the optics when one of these games doesn't get sold out? It's an easy fix, and one I would hope they make as soon as next year. 

They won't, because they're idiots, but one can hope. 

Speaking of things that are miserable, let's check in with Starbucks as we ring in the new year!

Jenn, Livvy, Margo & Karoline, oh my!

YES! What a way to start the new year! Woke Starbucks is closing down 2% of their locations across this great country. Two percent down, 98 to go. 

Get those woke, pink-haired baristas with nose rings and ‘My Body, My Choice’ shirts OFF of my local exit! We don't want them anymore! We don't need Starbucks in this country. We need them all gone. This is a good start. 

I could go on and on about why Starbucks is miserable, but, for me, it really boils down to the sizes they choose to use. The dumbest thing on the planet. 

• Short
• Tall
• Grande
• Venti
• Trenta

When the First Lady forces me to go, I never, ever, leave the drive-thru in a good mood. I'm always so beyond flustered because I have no clue what I just ordered. 

They could hand me a tiny little shot of coffee, or one the size of a big gulp. Neither would surprise me. It's the Wild Wild West of ordering, and it's so stupid. 

Tall is short. Grande is medium. Venti is large. Nobody knows what Trenta is. And we're all dumber because of it. 

Good riddance. 

Whew. What a rant. Told you I was full of piss and vinegar today. Let's end the year strong. Rapid-fire time!

First up? Jenn Sterger wrapped in Christmas lights because I was off last week and missed this:

This is why they leave lights up as long as possible.

What's everyone's opinion on not only taking down Christmas lights, but decorations in general? When does your tree come down? When do you stuff everything back in the bins, and back in the attic? 

The tree comes down last at my house. That's partly because I'm lazy, but also partly because I spent $100 on it and plan on getting my money's worth. 

I think next week is a natural starting point for de-decorating. I think the week after is probably a good time to toss the tree. If I had put lights up this year, they'd probably stay up until April. Nothing worse than having to take down lights. 

Next? Livvy Dunne is ready for 2026:

Big year for Livvy. SI Swimsuit shoot. Maxim shoot. She walked the runway as a bikini model. She, apparently, was a national champion. Paul Skenes had a sub-2 ERA for the worst team in baseball. It's all coming together for our girl. 

Cannot WAIT to see what 2026 has in store for her. 

OK, that's it for today. And this year! What a year it was. Thanks for coming to class every day. Well, most days. For those who skipped today, I don't blame you. 

For those who didn't, here's Margo and Karoline sending the Libs a postcard before dropping the ball. 

See you in '26. 

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots).

When does your tree come down? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.