TurkeyBowl

Last year, we started a new tradition in the community where we live(d). Thanksgiving Day TurkeyBowl.

There’s a huge play field in the center of the neighborhood, and families of all ages come for a mellow game of touch football while turkeys are roasting in near-by ovens. Players range in age from 4 to 64, and the sides of the field are lined by elderly neighbors taking photos for the community newsletter.

Last year was the inaugural year, and it was a little wet and dreary. The tradition could have lived or died, and nobody would have really noticed. But this year, a select few neighbors asked if we were playing TurkeyBowl again. The anticipation grew. The announcements went out. The snow fell to blanket the play field. And kids came out of hiding to participate in the game.

What was, last year, just a fun little game with a few of our friends, grew into something much larger. This year, the tradition was officially born. Aspiring football players, and former college football players alike, took the field. Determined to win. There was competition. And strategy. And a few illegal tackles.

Last year, we thought it would be a quirky little tradition for our kids to enjoy. This year, we realized that a few years from now, it will be a real tradition. They won’t remember a year without TurkeyBowl. The older kids will continue to lead the game. Soon, our kids won’t be the youngest kids out there. And soon, we’ll be the ones standing on the sidelines taking the photos. My quads will thank me for that.

This is exactly the spirit of this blog. These are the family and community events I am trying to encourage. Because a few years ago, I can tell you exactly what I was doing on Thanksgiving morning … combing the Black Friday ads and plotting my course to ensure maximum spending potential. Not this year. This year, I slipped and slid on the snow and ice, rolled on the wet ground, and ran in the fresh air with my children.

And the TurkeyBowl tradition was born. Second Annual.