Is it the beautiful, warm and sunny weather that has me loving July? Is it the good deals you can get at the local retail stores that make Christmas in July so special? Is having a first place baseball team causing this non-stop good mood? Nope, nope and well, maybe.
If you are a die hard football fan, you already know the answer. Or to be more exact, the two answers. July means the opening of NFL training camps. And if that wasn’t enough to widen that goofy grin on your face it is also the time of the year when NFL season tickets are delivered.
I wrote a previous post on how special the day is when the NFL schedule is released. At that point you can begin dreaming about your fall and winter tailgates and entire Sundays spent doing nothing but watching football . But the keyword in my previous statement is dreaming. Sure, the release of the schedule gets the excitement juices flowing but the actual games are still so, so, so far away.
But my fellow football fanatics those games are now almost upon us. The delivering of season tickets is the first sign. The training camp battles and reports are the next piece. Preseason games are the first sure sign of reality. Even better…September 2009 is only a bit over one month away. It’s coming…quickly…I can’t freaking wait!
So to all you season ticket holders I wish you nothing but happiness this week. Savor every single second of opening that precious envelope. Slowly slide out those tickets and just enjoy the moment. Let your mind wander with visions of Sunday tailgates filled with mounds of meat, coolers of beer and hopes that this is the year for your favorite NFL team.
I always have my tickets delivered to work. There is nothing better to brighten up a crappy week of work than having the receptionist walk into your cube with that flat FedEx envelope. It’s safe to say that from that point on, my work day is shot. But who freaking cares? It’s season ticket day! It’s time to call all my buddies, start playing out the W-L predictions, start making the prop bets, start planning out tailgate menus, and to do anything but work!
Sure the jolly fat man might bring you lots of gifts come December but when December rolls around the NFL season is on it’s last legs. No longer is your favorite team carrying a perfect record of 0-0. Tailgates have dwindled down to the final countdown.
So to my fellow football die hards, Happy Christmas in July! Soon enough our even more favorite holiday will be upon us…NFL Kickoff 2009.