Yes, Hanukkah: the less-important-than-Passover yet still gift-laden Jewish holiday. The faith of menorah-lighters and dreidel-spinners follows a "lunasolar" calendar that schedules important dates based on the movements of both the sun and moon. So their holidays fall at different times each year, which is rather refreshing, if not vexing for social and professional calendars during the Christian holiday seasons.
But this year, the first since 1888 (according to the Washington Post), Hanukkah comes "early" (read: much before its holiday-in-crime Christmas) with its first day falling serendipitously on Thanksgiving. The coincidence has brought Hanukkah media attention the likes of which it hasn't seen in some time, by my judgement, paired with the coining of a Franken-holiday distinction: "Thanksgivukkah".
This would all be very clever... if it hadn't already been done before, to wonderful effect, on the hit Fox teen-novela "The OC." Here's a little taste.
Pure genius. Forget GOT, Dexter, Breaking Bad -- this was premium, addictive television before any of those so-called "award-winners". But I digress.
What does this have anything to do with a swimming blog? Just that the cosmic confluence of consumption-centric holidays means time spent away from the pool with spiking caloric intake. We cancel practices so kids can be with their families and stuff their faces. It is the American way. And for the right or wrong of it, competitive athletes like swimmers tend to be competitive when it comes to eating, especially around Thanksgiving.
Though if your body is used to burning hundreds, if not thousands of calories in a given workout, one day of total gluttony shouldn't be too much of an obstacle or setback. As a rambunctious little yardage machine, my high school self wouldn't think twice about serving up seconds, thirds, fourths of everything on Thanksgiving. No conscience, no regrets, no limits. Where did it all go?
Wherever it went, it's not going as rapidly, if at all, these days. Having been on the losing end of numerous "food coma" Thanksgivings nearing the conclusion of my third decade, the discomfort just doesn't seem worth the thrill of actually chowing down. I've grown to value enjoying the time after the meal as much as the before and the during.
Does that mean I'm not trying to get in as much swimming, lifting and other cardio as possible in hopes of supercharging my metabolism to comfortably process more than it's used to on a daily basis? Hell no. As much as I love Thanksgiving leftovers, they're never as good as round one. I'm not planning to overeat, but just trying to free up a little more room in tank.
Now our soon-to-be-family (by mehwage) hosts are Jewish, so my sincere hope is we'll take every opportunity to meld the non- and secular holidays into the next-best super holiday known to man. We miss you, Seth Cohen.
