Happy Holidays

When I was a kid, I remember I used to love Christmas. There isn’t a lot about Christmas when I was a kid that I actually remember, and maybe that, because it was so simple, is why I enjoyed it so much. I remember I would agonize over what I would put on my Christmas list and then once I had given it to my mom I would torture myself with thoughts of a larger than life individual dressed in red maybe not giving me what I had asked for, even though it was something completely small, like a couple of plastic GI Joe dolls. Then I remember running to the advent calendar every December morning to put an ornament on it. Once the day finally arrived, we would have a nice dinner, open a present on Christmas Eve, and then finish off our other gifts on Christmas morning. And that was it; perfectly dumb.

Now that I’m older and Christmas rolls around, I usually scratch my head for a whole month trying to figure out what to ask for as presents, and bang my head against the wall even more trying to figure out what to buy for presents. I already have everything and everyone I know already has everything. Why do we still do this gift thing? It’s the end of the year, so I’m swamped at work. I’m required to go to a hundred Christmas Parties, several of which I’d rather streak through than actually attend. And it’s dark and cold outside. Basically, Christmas has lost that simple hang out with the family and be a kid for a day feeling, and has become a big steaming pile of stress. I’m usually too busy running around with my hair on fire to actually remember what I’m supposed to be celebrating. Bah humbug! The highlights of my Christmas Days over the past several years have been watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy with my mom and playing some Euro board games with my broseph.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have a day filled with anticipation and excitement. It’s a day that I can’t seem to concentrate on what I should be thinking about, because my mind is filled with dancing sugarplums. It’s a day that I don’t really feel guilty for daydreaming all day at work when I should actually be working. Weeks before I agonize over my wish list and then torture myself with thoughts that I might not actually get what’s on it. The night before it I can’t sleep because I’m tingling with adrenaline. And I can’t seem to wipe off that goofy grin from my face all day. Indeed, my favorite day has migrated counterclockwise by four months to late August to the start of the College Football season. It’s a day that you can just have a big meal, relax, dress up in goofy clothes, laugh, jump around in circles, hug complete strangers, cheer on larger than life individuals dressed in red, and act like a silly little kid. And that’s it; perfectly dumb.

Happy Holidays to everyone, and to everyone a good game! Go Utes!

PS - Having your QB and RB go down with injuries in the first half of the first game is like waking up Christmas morning, opening your gifts, and getting nothing but socks. You're kind of bumbed, but its still a great day!