Sydney Sweeney & The Instagram Models Celebrate Christmas, Plus This Car Was Brand New The Last Time Lions Won The Division
I have to start this Christmas morning by saying congratulations to the Detroit Lions fans
There are so many of you who read Screencaps. I've heard you Lions fans tell me to stop acting like this is a playoff team. I've read your pleas to stop acting like this franchise has turned the corner. I have been yelled at by Lions fans who claimed I had no idea what I was talking about last year when I said this is a playoff team.
Now here we are, almost as if the football gods planned it this way, with the Lions owning the 2023 NFC North title. This team will actually get to hang a banner inside Ford Field for the first time in franchise history.
Ford Field opened in 2002. It's never hosted a home playoff game. Stop and think about that for a second. As a Bengals fan who has lived in NW Ohio to develop a soft spot for the Lions, I cannot imagine what Lions fans are feeling this morning.
I'm asking Lions fans, later tonight when the fire is crackling and you've had a couple of drinks, to write to me and share your emotions. Think about the loved ones who never got to see this moment.
Tell me what you're feeling. Let it out.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Speaking of my Bengals, Saturday hurt really bad. I had that game circled on the calendar. I knew we'd be at my dad's house in Dayton for Christmas. Spirits were high. The game was on a Saturday which meant I could have some Vanilla Crown. We had snacks. Dad's TVs were dialed in.
And then Jake Browning threw that pass into the end zone instead of out of bounds which would've set up the Bengals for a field goal. The Steelers go down the field for a touchdown and that was that. Christmas Eve Eve was sorta ruined.
Thanks Jake.
Then, as if the football gods were looking down on me saying 'Cheer up, big guy,' I opened my present from my brother, Scott the Beer Man, who now gets to go to salesman Christmas parties because he's now slingin' beer along I-75 from Sidney, OH to Troy, OH.
My brother goes to a company Christmas party where they're auctioning off all sorts of really nice stuff with fake money given to the salesman. He gets a drone, a Nikon rangefinder (had no idea he's become a golfer) and....then he ended up with the final prize of the night.
It's an authentic Riddell Bengals helmet autographed by Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase from Fanatics and he gave it to me for Christmas.
Hours before I got the helmet, I visited my aunt who wanted me to have a vintage leather Dale Earnhardt GM Goodwrench jacket that she'd had in her closet for 30 years.
What a Christmas weekend it was.
There's no travel section because Millennial Chris B. in Bowling Green is in France skiing and he keeps sending photos from the chalet where his family is staying and they're worthy of being posted right here instead of down by Dale
Millennial B. says this is La Plagne 1800 in SW France, which appears to be near the Italian border, but I'm not an expert on SW France. He says the place is nice, unreal, not AI-generated, says the text group has to experience the place, etc., etc.
He's sounding like one relaxed millennial.
At what temp is it time to put down the convertible top?
• Matt B. in Dunwoody, GA asks a question to ponder this morning while you're sitting there on the couch this morning:
As the arbiter of logic/illogic, what is minimum temperature required to put convertible top down? Seen folks doing this recently and I felt it begged an answer. Thanks.
Kinsey:
I'm no convertible expert, but I do remember a story from 2015 about a Detroit man who drove with his top down even in the winter. At that point in his life, he'd driven 2,809 straight days with his convertible top down.
Go read that story.
Wives who love their husbands a little more after their stories appear in Screencaps
• Chris B. in Johnson City, TN says:
I told my wife that you used the story of how we met on screencaps. I think she was more proud of that than any articles I’ve published in journals or patents that I’ve been granted. I hope you, and everyone, has a very Merry Christmas.
We were in GSMNP this week. I don’t know if it counts as “doing hard things”, but we popped popcorn on a campfire on the first day of winter.
As for the younger guy with the sleeping situation. I’m pretty old school. It’s been 20 years for us, but before we got married I always slept in a separate room out of respect for our parents. (Except for that one wedding where we got a little tipsy)
Running into Bill Walton -- Celebrities and athletes acting like normals in the wild
• Lee D. in Florida writes:
Couple of years ago I was at Aria in Vegas. There is no such thing as "vacation." It's always "working vacation." So one morning not too hungover was banging on the laptop and had to get some more caffeine. Went downstairs to get more coffee.
While in line, out of the corner of my eye, I see this monster of a guy walking up from about 40-50 feet away. Thought, "Damn, that's a *huge* white dude." Turns out it was Bill Walton. Just so happened the PAC-12 had its hoops tournament at the same time (yes, I had a ticket for the semifinals). Walton was working as part of the PAC-12 Network's broadcast crew.
Walton gets right behind me in line. Couldn't have been a nicer guy. Talked hoops for a little bit. Almost felt sorry for Walton in the sense that there is no way for this guy to ever blend into a crowd.
Someone drop off this gem at sunset hater Todd Z.'s house today
• Larry H. in Tennessee writes:
I saw this plaque at a local store and thought of your emailer that is anti-sunset and I think it is a good reminder that life is TOO short. Enjoy it while you can. Never know when it will come to an abrupt end.
Do you let your kids sleep in the same bed with their girlfriends/boyfriends under your roof if they're not married?
• Lions fan Duane V. writes:
Yep we do, gave that battle up a long time ago. I would rather have them in the house where we have a few laughs, some great food and drinks. Better to see them than not. Time with them and now the grandbaby is more important than worrying about things I don't control outside of our house.
Christmas movies to buy on Blu-ray before the streaming wokes kill it off for good
• Bruce in Myrtle Beach writes:
Joe, here is one my favorite Christmas movie
Merry Christmas to you and your Family!
That's it this morning. I'm actually writing this on Christmas Eve and it's time to spend the rest of the night with my family and wrapping presents.
I wish all of you a Merry Christmas wherever you are in the world this morning. Spend 10 minutes on Screencaps and then go enjoy your day. We shall talk again Tuesday morning.
Have a great day.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com