Turkey Day Traditions

I love Thanksgiving. I l-o, l-o, l-o-v-e it. No "ifs," "ands," or "buts" about it (except that I have grown to accept the fact that my "butt" is likely to grow a little over the course of the next month...damn you mom's cooking). For starters, Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season (well, in normal person world anyway...if we lived in shopping mall world, the holiday season would be kicked off somewhere in mid-October, which, to me, makes absolutely no sense). More importantly, however, Thanksgiving and the holiday season carry with them many traditions that have been, and always will be, some of my favorite times, year-in and year-out.

Several of my friends, whom have been avid readers of mine since my amateur days on Myspace (and for which I am greatly appreciative), indicated that they appreciated BAP's various "Top __" lists that I used to post on my page. So, I figured I would take this opportunity to post the first "Top __" list on GameTime, TBD©. Without further ado, I present BAP's "Top 5 Thanksgiving/Holiday Traditions."

5. Wednesday Night at BJ's: This tradition started about 4 years ago, and, though it likely won't happen this year, quickly became one of my favorites. The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving Day, all of my high school friends who were in town would meet up at BJ's Brewhouse (the sad part is that BJ's is the best watering hole in "The Bubble"). It is a chance for all of us to catch up on the past year and reminisce about the good times we have shared (I should also note that the first year we started this tradition was during the courting process of My Better Half. After we had consumed about 15 pitchers of Jeremiah Red, I must have called My Better Half about 20 times...surprisingly enough, she still fell for me...and you still wonder why I call her My Better Half?). I do not know many people who get to spend this much time with their old high school friends. It is time I will always cherish.

4. Decorating the House: The day after Thanksgiving (more below), my Mom begins redecorating the house for Christmas (well, she doesn't start decorating so much as my Dad and I carry in all of the decorations). It will be the third complete redecoration of my parent's house in roughly 40 days (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). My Mom treats my parent's home like a cast from Law & Order (the original series, obviously...Law & Order: SVU is making a valiant push to be the best Law & Order series, but, right now, the original remains the best). Seriously though, around this time of year I recognize my parent's home about as well as I recognize the current cast of Law & Order. It changes so quickly and so dramatically. How am I to keep up?

3. Guy's Day Out: The day after Thanksgiving my Mom and Sister partake in what can only be described as a marathon of shopping (it's uncanny...gone before sunrise and lucky to be back before midnight...their dedication is something to be desired...for example, my Sister will be spending this Thanksgiving with her in-laws in San Jose; Friday morning she's catching the first flight out of San Jose to John Wayne in Orange County...my Mom will be meeting her there around 8:00 a.m. so they can still enjoy their rich and full day of shopping...bravo ladies). This, of course, means that my Dad and I get to spend an entire day together on our own. I value few things in this world more than the opportunity to spend a day with my Dad. It starts with me hanging up Christmas lights on the house while my Dad does yard work (about 8 years ago my Dad made me switch from multi-colored Christmas lights to all-white Christmas lights...thankfully, he did not make me hang icicles...I still miss the multi-colored lights...they were pretty...my therapist says just a few more sessions). Afterwards, we go to a movie (when possible, ALWAYS the new 007 movie...in years where there isn't a new 007 movie it's a crapshoot...getting my Dad to sit still for 2 hours is about as easy as getting Zach Morris to not hit on the new girl in school). We end the day with a nice steak dinner from Outback (Bloomin' Onion sold separately). I value the time I get to spend with my Dad, especially because he worked so hard when I was younger to provide for his family. This is, by far, one of my favorite days of the year. (BAP Guilty Pleasure Confession: The day after Thanksgiving is also the first day I feel comfortable listening to Christmas music...and I love Christmas music.)

2. Thanksgiving Day Meal: A few years ago (three to be exact) my Dad floated the idea of having ham for our Thanksgiving Day dinner...HAM...oh the humanity! Apparently, the fact that we would not be having the usual large group for Thanksgiving meant it was okay to throw out all tradition without a second thought. I was on the edge...and, he was actually serious (I take my Dad seriously about as often as I take a movie written by, directed by, and starring Emilio Estevez [read: Bobby] seriously...Emilio, I've been waiting for Mighty Ducks 4 for ten years now; I'm pretty sure those kids are ready to win the Stanley Cup by now). Everyone knows that turkey is the only meat that may be served on Thanksgiving Day. Mix that with some stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie (plus an extra pie baked just for me...it pays to be Mom's favorite) and you are introducing yourself to 5 new pounds, minimum.

1. The Detriot Lions: A-ha, you did not actually think I would get through an entire post without discussing sports with you...did you? Silly you.

Being a Detroit Lions fan in Southern California is tough. Unless you have a brother-in-law who works for DirecTV, the only Lions game you will get to see in Southern California on television is their annual Thanksgiving Day game...err, more like their annual Thanksgiving Day loss. What is it about the sports teams I love?

With the media's love for unlucky/long suffering franchises, it's hard to believe that the Lions do not have more street cred. Since 2001 (including this season), the Lions have won exactly 23 games; between last season and this present season, the Indianapolis Colts have already won 23 games. From 2003 to 2005, the Lions had three top ten picks and selected wide receivers with each of them; only one started this season on the active roster. Here's a brain-teaser for you: there have been 40 Super Bowls in NFL history; can you name a team that has been in the league for 40 or more years and has not even appeared in a Super Bowl?

Well, let's see, there are the Browns, the Cardinals, the Saints, and...drum roll please...that's right, the Lions. This is a team that plays in the NFC North, a division known as the "Black and Blue" division. This is the team of Night Train Lane, Billy Sims, Lem Barney, and Barry Sanders...BARRY SANDERS, arguably the greatest running back in NFL history. And of those players, only Sanders has a playoff victory, the single playoff victory in franchise history (which, ironically enough, means Fred Flinstone...err...I mean Wayne Fontes coached the Liones to their lone playoff victory). Forty-eight years of football and one playoff victory (for those interested, and still reading this post, it was a 38-6 drubbing of the Dallas Comboys in 1991).

How bad is it you ask? Take the 1995 Lions for example. They started the season 3-6 before rattling off 7 straight wins to secure a playoff spot. That season the Lions had a 4,000 yard passer (Scott Mitchell), a 1,500 yard rusher (Barry Sanders), and three...yes THREE...1,000 yard receivers (Herman Moore, Brett Perriman, and Johnny Morton). The Lions were so impressive, they were favored on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. The result? A 58-37 loss at the hands of Rodney Peete...a Lions' cast-off. Ugh!

If this isn't sports purgatory, I don't know what is. But this Thanksgiving Day, I'll be in front of my television at 9:30 a.m. Maybe, just maybe, I'll actually have something to be thankful for this year...where's that extra pumpkin pie?