Thanksgiving spinach

**UPDATE** Our individual family took the football turkey this year!!! (thank you very much)

We started a new Thanksgiving tradition last year – an annual family football game. I’m not sure if it started as a method for weight control following a monstrously huge meal, a way to get our husbands off the couch where they usually remain glued to the NFL game, or a way to work the wiggles out of a bunch of crazy, sugar-buzzed kids (most likely all of the above), but it started nonetheless. This tradition comes complete with a very interesting…turkey…thing…that my mother-in-law plans to inscribe with the winner of the game each year. The winning team gets to hang on to the turkey…thing…until the next year when it comes up for grabs again to the lucky champion.

Last year, there was a lot of training that needed to be done beforehand. My kids are still young and had no idea how to play football…OK, neither did their mother. The guys gave us a brief lesson using phrases like “line up on the line-of-scrimmage” and “go for the first down.” After the lesson, I thought it was all about as clear as mud. My son, however, must have caught on much more quickly because he began shouting out instructions to his team during the game. Instructions like, “OK guys, ev’rybody line up on the line of spinach!” He even started copying his daddy’s touchdown dance (not pretty, people!)

So, this year, after you’ve stuffed yourself to the gills with turkey, cranberry sauce and (if you’re insane) sweet potatoes (gag!), drag your family out to the lawn and start your very own game of football. It’s actually a rip-snortin’ good time. And for heaven’s sake, don’t forget to line up on the “line of spinach”!!