Thanksgiving Week

Staples Stadium, Westport, CT

So, with little fanfare, Monday smacked us all awake today.

In my case, it was a cat that seems to be nocturnal, thus showing no interest in letting his owner sleep. The humor in this is that Sean was already in the kitchen and Rascal could have nagged him for food.

But, no. It's me who gets that honor.

So begins the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has sort of changed. At least it has for me. 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'll once again be at a football field early on Thursday morning to set up, gorge at an amazing tailgate, and then call a football game. I've called Greenwich and Staples every year since 2005 save for two exceptions -- 2014 and 2015.

After that? Well, things are a bit up in the air. Sean and I will be together but our plan isn't entirely firm. Part of the problem (and it's a longer story than that) is that the game will likely end by 1 p.m. but my invitations aren't quite timing out right. So, we have a game plan but it's sort of on hold for the moment.

We've also thought about doing what we've done before: our own thing. That began happening probably four years ago when family gatherings got complicated. Oh, and my birthday was on Thanksgiving that year so we just jumped in the car and went to ... yes ... Golden Corral. 

We sure did. In fact, I think we did it twice and it was fantastic. There was no family stress. The food was fine. I called the game, went home, got Mom and Sean, connected with my niece Stephanie, and away we went. No fuss.

Sleep in heavenly peace, indeed.

With Thanksgiving comes the grief of the holiday season. Look, people love the holidays and that's awesome. I wish I could love them. I find these little pockets of moments where I feel joy. 

I always like looking at holiday light displays and I greatly miss the one in Norwalk that we went to for years. There was tradition and happiness in all of it with pizza, ice cream, and laughing. It was one of those things that were "our kind of thing."

Now, going into Post Corner Pizza in Darien -- where we'd always meet for dinner -- is bittersweet at best. Family members are gone or have simply moved on.

For me, the holidays are a time of loneliness. This isn't begging for any invitations. It's not that I lack company. It's just that ...

If I continue down the road, I'll sound like a charter member of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and that's not my intention. It's more a statement about the unsettled nature of my life and the holidays are a manifestation of that. I'm not a fan.

I truly wish I didn't have such a taste in my mouth about this time of year. I do love the fall. But it's tough. So I just grind my way through with my head down until roughly January 2nd.

I do love Thanksgiving morning. It has been such a great joy to do exactly what I said: be at the field, set up, have an egg and cheese sandwich with chili from the tailgate (oh there's plenty more), and call the game with a big crowd on hand. Many alums come back and visit with their friends. Sometimes, they even come to visit us.

It's that sense of community that I've talked about.

US 6 and NY 118/Baldwin Place Road, Thanksgiving 2018 (ish)

Now that I live in Greenwich, it will be strange to not leave Mahopac bright and early -- usually before daylight. The drive to Westport for the game from here is a straight line. I used to leave Mahopac around 6 a.m., always taking a picture of the traffic light in Baldwin Place on my way to either Westport or Greenwich.

We saw some great games. Even classics. Chris Erway and I called the last two FCIAC Championships that were "Turkey Bowls" between Darien and New Canaan. One went to overtime. The other came down to a late touchdown. Each one was at Boyle Stadium in front of a large and delirious crowd. 

I was in heaven.

Greenwich and Staples have also given us classics, such as last year when an overtime touchdown gave the Cardinals the win. I expect a good game again this year.

And, if people aren't there, they're tuned to WGCH or watching LocalLive. Or even Robcasting. Or the HAN Network in those "Turkey Bowl" days. We feel a certain level of being the "voice" of the event.

Then it's over. Everyone packs up and goes to their destination. One year, I left Greenwich and drove to Pennsylvania when my niece was living there. I didn't have Sean with me so this was the best answer and I loved it. I told everyone to just leave me a plate that I could microwave. Instead, they waited for me as I fought traffic.

There were other family gatherings that were honestly quite nice. One year, Mom got a hotel room, and Sean and I crashed with her. It had a pool and a water slide in it and, you bet, the two kids -- father and son -- went careening down.

So, while alone, there are some good Thanksgiving moments. Once again, I'm holding onto that this year.

Remember to check on everyone's mental health, especially at the holidays. It's a rough time.

More often than not, I also find myself struggling to stay awake after the early rising and the three hours on the air. I've fallen asleep in a chair or two, especially after a glass of wine has settled me down.

Somewhere along the line, I'll find eighteen minutes to listen to "Alice's Restaurant Massacree." The song is "about Alice ... and the restaurant."

Then begins the slog to Christmas.

That's a bridge decorated with holiday lights to cross when we get there.