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It’s early for a Christmas column, but with the holiday less than a week away and Wednesday being my usual column day, today seems the best time to spread Christmas tidings.
I love Christmas and all the day stands for on the holiday’s faith and secular sides.
My family has always treated Christmas as a celebration of the Christ child’s birth. ‘The Night Before Christmas’ was never read at our Christmas Eve gathering, but we do read the Gospel of Luke’s account of Christ’s birth before opening family members’ gifts.
Even now, at age 54, the little boy in me sometimes wants to rush through the sacred story and get to the gifts. But it’s always special to slow down and remember the night on which Christ was born that changed history.
In sports, coaches are always looking for the so-called impact player, and in my humble opinion, Jesus Christ remains history’s greatest impact player of all time.
The Christmas season is about hope and giving, so with that in mind, I’d like to offer some gifts for area teams and coaches.
I’ll start with the gifts I’d give Baker football coach Matt Brunson and Crestview boss Kevin Pettis.
I don’t have to look deep into my bag to know that every football coach can never have too many big nasty linemen, hard-charging running backs and quarterbacks with a rifle for an arm and the ability to run that will get them out of any tight spot. I’d throw in a couple of nasty linebackers with fire in their eyes for good measure.
Finally, I’d give both coaches a chance to hoist a district championship trophy above their head before I write my 2013 Christmas column. If they can win in their tough districts, the playoffs will take care of themselves.
To Baker girls basketball coach Brian Wagner and his daughter, Haley, I would give a special run through the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs that will strengthen an already strong bond and give them more memories than can count in the coming years.
My gift to Crestview volleyball and girls basketball coach Kathy Combest would be continued good health and the success in both sports she enjoyed while coaching at Baker.
My gifts to the Laurel Hill boys and girls basketball teams as well as the Hobo baseball and softball teams would be plenty of wins over rival Paxton and district championships as well.
I would give Dakota Dean, Tyler Henderson and the other Crestview baseball seniors a magical 2013 season equal to the magical moments they have given me since their freshman season.
I would give all of our local athletes good teammates that become even better friends for life.
Finally, I wish all the love and joy of the season.
Merry Christmas.
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Wishing all a wonderful Christmas