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While pondering whether the Pilgrims and Native Americans engaged in any type of athletic competition while celebrating that first Thanksgiving in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, it is time once again to express gratitude for all the happiness that our love of sports has manifested this year.
Of course, heartache comes with the territory, too, so let's start with that.
The most uninhibited expression of sheer postgame joy by a victorious assistant coach and the best catch of the season to date both came at the expense of Penn State football.
As if getting bested by the newly-appointed playcaller of a winless team wasn't bad enough, the Nittany Lions suffered the indignity of watching that assistant coach -- UCLA's Jerry Neuheisel -- being carried off the field by the jubilant Bruins.
Four games later, an acrobatic touchdown reception by Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr. sent Penn State down to the type of crushing defeat that Dallas experienced after Joe Montana's desperation toss to Dwight Clark in the 1981 NFC Championship Game.
Hopes for an FBS postseason splash by a team from the Keystone State now rest with Pitt.
After achieving bowl eligibility on the last Saturday of October and equaling last year's win total one week later, the Panthers have remained a surprise contender for a spot in the ACC championship Game, and dare we think it, the College Football Playoff.
A preseason media poll forecast a ninth-place finish for Pitt in the 17-team conference.
Raise the roof for the enlightened decision by Penn State administrators to schedule all but three of this season's Lady Lion home basketball games in Rec Hall.
The spin on the matter is that the return to Rec Hall was a proactive option to create a homecourt advantage that was lacking in the Jordan Center.
The reality is that average home attendance in the 15,000-seat arena has not topped 3,000 since the 2017-18 season. Seventeen losses in the final 18 games last season helped sink the average attendance to 2,269, which was down from 2,383 in 2023-24.
On the national scene, thanks are extended to the annual college football head coaching carousel for opening the gates to national deliberation much earlier than anticipated.
UCLA's DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech's Brent Pry, an Altoona native and former Penn State defensive coordinator, didn't even make it to Week 4.
Thank you, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers for re-introducing the term "poison pill" into the sports vocabulary.
The term refers to the negative consequences for re-trading a player to a division rival of the team that initially traded the player.
When the Cowboys and Packers swapped Micah Parsons and Kenny Clark, they agreed to a deal that subjected both teams to the same poison pill -- forfeiture of a 2028 first-round draft pick.
Heartfelt thanks to Prince Harry for again demonstrating how difficult the life of a former Royal can be.
In attendance at Dodger Stadium for Game 4 of the World Series between Los Angeles and Toronto, the poor guy sported a Dodgers cap and drew plenty of heat for it on social media because his father, King Charles III, is Canada's head of state.
Finally, sincere thanks to at least 90 Wampanoag and 52 Pilgrims who celebrated a successful harvest in the autumn of 1621.
The national tradition of commemorating their peaceful exchange with a family feast has always been a nice touch.
But, nothing quite captures the spirit and sentimentality of the occasion like a full day of televised pro football.
Wouldn't you agree?
Jim Caltagirone writes a monthly column for the Mirror.