Merry Christmas to all from Chowder & Champions!

I have no gift to bring.

Nothing material, anyway.  Nothing that you could place on a mantle, or in a team shrine, nothing that you could return, nothing that you could re-gift, as if you would…

Just my skills as a writer, as it were – which could mean something to you, or nothing.  There may be no skill at all, and I’m just fooling myself…that being said, even if it sucks, I know my gift comes from the heart.

Chowder & Champions wishes a Merry Christmas to the New England Patriots and their loyal fans!. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

I make all of the gifts that I give, I never buy gifts – I want each gift that I give to mean something to the people that I give them to, because that person means something to me.  I know exactly what to make them, because I know them and I pay attention to detail, I listen to them and I know their passions.

Due to the wonder of the Internet and social media, there are a group of people that, through our mutual love for the New England Patriots, I have gotten to know, though I recognize them by avatar alone.  Some are negative, most are positive, but we all get frustrated when our boys from Foxboro don’t perform to a level to which we’ve become accustomed…

…because they’ve spoiled us, these Patriots.  They have been so good for so long that sometimes we forget that they have feelings and passions of their own, that they have lives that revolve around their families and loved ones and that the gift that they give to us is a side effect of their skill and employment objectives.

From my heart, I wish all of the franchise the happiest Christmas, the most joyful and the most personal, because their skill and dedication to their craft makes every single Sunday of the football season seem like Christmas Day to me…

…the anticipation, the intrigue, the hopes and dreams that I will get what I desire, a Patriots’ victory – which is selfish, but the Patriots are the one thing that I allow myself in my world of responsibility to the ones that I love, the one thing that I allow myself to become lost in, and is the one thing that my loved ones understand my passion for.

Like my friends in the Patriots’ groups on Facebook, I know the players by image only, having only spoken personally to one as I was fortunate enough to interview Jerod Mayo several weeks ago in my efforts to become a sportswriter.

You take what you can get in this business, so I am taking on everything I can get my hands on.  In pursuit of my dream, I have spent less and less time conversing with my friends and more and more time practicing my craft and hoping to break through the ice wall that separates me from my dream of starting my career covering my beloved Patriots…

…Is it worth it, somewhat alienating the people who encouraged me to pursue this dream?  Only time will tell, but in the short time that I do spend engaged in banter with these folks, I feel as if they still have a passion to see me succeed, so I will continue to do my best to make them proud of me.

So, I’d like to take this time in this valued column space to let them know that I haven’t forgotten the people who encouraged me to chase this dream, for good or ill, and to wish them the happiest Christmas and, indeed, holiday season.

My gift to all of you is my promise to continue to do my best to bring you what I hope is a unique perspective on our New England Patriots…