I think Andy Williams sang it best with his famous line calling the Christmas season "The most wonderful time of the year." Between the decorations, parties, holiday cheer, ugly sweaters, eggnog, and endless repeats of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey, what's not to love?
What really revs my engine during the holiday season is simple: the movies.
There's nothing quite like coming in from the cold to a nice wood stove fire, a freshly brewed cup of hot chocolate, and curling up with a significant other to watch quality flicks like "Home Alone," "Elf," "A Christmas Carol," and, yes, "Love Actually" (it's a beautiful film).
That scene when Colin Firth learns Portuguese and tracks down Aurelia in order to propose to her, and then she comes back to him with a response in English, I mean come on! Nothing beats it.
I'd love to take this time and list my top five Christmas movies of all time, but given that this is a sports column, I've decided to construct a hybrid list of holiday stories and their connections to the world of professional and collegiate sports.
"Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" & Tim Tebow—Don't get me wrong, I would have been the first to tell you that Tebow was not going to be a good NFL quarterback, and then again I probably would have been one of the reindeer hanging with Dasher or Dancer talking smack about Rudolf behind his back as well.
Look how that turned out.
Everyone—even his head coach John Fox and executive vice president John Elway—seems to be hating on Tebow because he's not like great quarterbacks of the past, but that's the beauty of Tebow...and Rudolf.
They're not like their predecessors. But you know what? They get the job done.
Last time I checked, winning was the most important thing in football, and Tebow seems to be doing just that.
"It's A Wonderful Life" & the NBA— For those of you who know me well, you know basketball isn't my forte. I can't watch it and I sure as hell can't play it, but I figured I would show my basketball readers some love; after all, 'tis the season of giving.
Sports fans saw what the world was like without basketball over the past few months, and for many—similar to life for Jimmy Stewart's character George Bailey—the days were dark and depressing.
But have no fear: the NBA is back. I've got to say I do like the sound of the opening Christmas Day matchups: Celtics vs. Knicks and Heat vs. Mavericks, followed by the Lakers vs. Bulls for the night cap.
"Christmas Vacation" & Bruce Boudreau—Clark Griswold is an idiot, but he's a lovable idiot. All he wants for his family is the best Christmas experience possible, but it seems that the universes refuse to let that happen.
Whether it's fighting the snooty neighbors, a turkey dinner gone horribly wrong, or having the only Christmas tree available be a dead one, there is always one disastrous element.
There's little denying that coach Bruce Boudreau wanted the best for his Capitals, and there were certainly flashes of brilliance that made you think that things might have been going his way.
But with so much talent on the Washington roster and no results to show for it, time ran thin for Boudreau.
"A Christmas Story" & Urban Meyer—In what is probably considered the most overrated and overplayed Christmas movie of all time, "A Christmas Story" parallels Urban Meyer's recent decision to become the next head coach at Ohio State. So much for giving up coaching to focus on health issues.
Frankly, I don't buy it for one second. He has yet again entered a high-strung environment where there is an expectation to win right away and where he has to reverse the team's tainted image.
Give me Brady Hoke and the Michigan Wolverines any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Hail to the Victors!
Jam of the Week: In keeping with the Christmas theme, it's hard for me to not put "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by my girl Mariah Carey. Now I know what all of you are thinking: "Wow Pierce, you really are a sellout."
And maybe I am, but come next week, when this jam comes on at holiday parties, I'm sure all of you will be dancing your socks off.