Last week, we placed fake bets on which would come first: a successful rocket launch from the Space Coast, Eta or a winner in the presidential election.

Once Elon got that rocket up, I suggested he run for president since he seems to be the only one we can rely on these days. At that point, the race was between Eta and the presidential election. We were all SOOO sure Eta would get here first.

Well, I have some news for you: We were wrong again. We now have a president-elect and it’s not Elon Musk, since he’s apparently now working on selling Tequila? – in addition to launching astronauts, of course, which he plans to do again this weekend.

And Central Florida is dealing with Eta’s impacts as we speak.

This, ladies and gents, is why I’m not a betting woman. And based on your responses last week, may I kindly suggest you keep your day job as well? 😬

One thing I am willing to put money on, however, is that despite COVID-19′s best efforts, Christmas is not canceled this year. Instead, it’s just been SANTA-tized.

Ho-Ho-Hold on a sec and I’ll show you exactly what I mean by that.

Here’s what’s trending on ClickOrlando.com:

🌀 Eta churns off Florida’s coast

Since Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys last night and began dumping crazy amounts of rain on the southern portion of the state, we’ve been waiting and watching to see what the heck this storm decides to do next. Right now, the storm is off Florida’s coast, in the Gulf and its future is pretty uncertain. The models for Eta are so wack they’ll give you a headache and they aren’t exactly in agreeance right now but they are worth checking out as we wait to see where it goes. In the meantime, Central Florida is already feeling Eta’s impacts, especially along the coast. Brevard County even closed schools today due to the storm. Here’s what you can expect to see where you live.

🧑‍🚀 Countdown to crewed liftoff (hopefully)

Listen, Eta. If you’re gonna do something, just do it now or beat it (preferably the latter) because we have astronauts to launch this weekend. The astronauts set to launch Saturday aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule officially arrived yesterday at Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, which remains in Eta’s cone of uncertainty. So what does this mean for them? Here’s how NASA and SpaceX are dealing with the potential weather threat from Eta just days before launch.

If the launch does end up getting delayed (again), at least Elon Musk now has Teslaquila to fall back on -- bottoms up? 🥃 If that’s not your type of shot, keep reading. You may prefer the next one.

💉 America waits for COVID-19 vaccine

I’m about to cram a whole lotta news in one little paragraph here, you ready? If you’ve been living under a rock -- not judging, I know some of you have tried to do that this election season, don’t blame you there -- we’re now referring to former Vice President Joe Biden as “President-elect Joe Biden,” after he secured the electoral votes needed to win the presidency. As you know, Biden will be taking over during a very tough time in our nation, largely in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s not wasting any time getting to work, though. Today, after one of the companies that has been working to whip up a coronavirus vaccine ASAP said early data shows its shots could be 90% effective, Biden addressed the nation. While he celebrated the vaccine progress, he also said Americans still need to make sure they’re doing this one thing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also named the members of their coronavirus task force. Meet them here.

I know that was a lot so if you got lost in that sea of information and you’re just looking for a timeline of how soon we could see a COVID-19 vaccine on the market, here you go.

🦠 Changes in reporting COVID-19 cases

The Florida Department of Health never wants us to get too comfortable so health officials are mixing up their COVID-19 reports once again, according to one local leader. This time, it’s not exactly a change in how cases are reported but when, which could make it hard for me to give you those daily updates I’ve been giving you the past few months. Here’s when the FDOH will now be releasing coronavirus updates. In better coronavirus-related news, there are now more rapid testing opportunities in Central Florida. Here’s where residents can get test results in 30 minutes.

🎅 SANTA-tized: A clean way to Christmas

You know what they say: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, when life gives you a global health crisis and you still want to celebrate Christmas, you get some plexiglass, slap a mask on the jolly old man and put other safety protocols in place to make it happen. If that made no sense, here’s what I was trying to say: Christmas isn’t canceled, and you can still visit Santa in plenty of places throughout Central Florida -- just, with a few changes.

Since I just made Christmas come true for you by providing that link, can you help make it possible for thousands of Central Florida children this year? Maybe kids aren’t your thing or you have enough of your own to buy for this year. How about helping make a senior’s holiday wishes come true? You have some time to think about it, but I think we could all use a little magic this year. The best way we know how to share that with our community here at News 6 is through our annual partnership with the Salvation Army for its Angel Tree program, which kicks off today. And guess what? You don’t even have to leave home to participate this year. Here’s how you can help make the holiday season special for thousands of your neighbors.

It only took 11 months, but I’m finally starting to like 2020 a little better. 💜 And I have a feeling I’ll like it a whole lot better after Nov. 30, the official end to hurricane season.

Stay safe, and remember to keep an eye on Eta and its impact on our forecast during the next few days.

-Bri 🌬️