🎄The Most ‘Green Bay’ Christmas Tradition Ever

Happy Holidays and a belated Merry Christmas!

Since I hope you’re not actually reading this newsletter and are instead spending some meaningful time with friends, family, or just away from your inbox, we’re going to do things a little differently today.

Instead of sending you all individually wrapped presents, I figured I’d send some things I’ve done recently that you could read, watch, or listen to if you find yourself with some extra time this holiday season.

In today’s newsletter:

📘 1 Thing to Read: The Most ‘Green Bay’ Christmas Tradition Ever

📺 2 Things to Watch: Day in the Life of an NHL Chef and Zamboni Driver

🎧 3 Things to Hear: Meet the People Behind the Arm Sleeve, the ProV1, and the NBA’s Glass Courts

📘 1 Thing to Read

The Green Bay Packers have one of the coolest Christmas traditions in all of sports, and it just saved one woman thousands of dollars.

Background: For the last 19 years, the Packers have accepted submissions from local fans for which tree they’ll display outside of Lambeau Field, and this year was no different, with thousands of fans sending photos of their trees to the team, as well as a letter explaining why theirs should be chosen.

However, local Packers fan Laura VanBoxel had the best pitch of everyone's.

Family History: 25 years ago, Laura and her family planted three 3-foot-tall blue spruce saplings in the front yard of their home located just 10 miles away from Lambeau Field. However, after one died of natural causes and the other from an electrical fire, the VanBoxel family was left with just one tree that they had grown up decorating every winter.

However, after more than two decades, the tree grew to over 40 feet tall, making it too big to decorate safely and leading Laura to reconsider whether she even wanted it in her front yard anymore.

Still, not wanting to toss it in a wood chipper, Laura reached out to the Packers to see if they’d like to use her tree for their Christmas display; however, what she got in return is much more impressive than some extra space in her front yard.

The Perks: That’s because, on top of having her family’s tree be enjoyed by thousands of football fans this Christmas, the VanBoxel family also received four tickets on the 50-yard line to the team’s December 27th game against the Ravens, which are currently going for over $320 each.

But maybe the best part of this whole deal is that, instead of paying more than $1,000 it would have cost to cut this massive tree down and haul it away, the team paid for the whole operation.

Only in Green Bay…

📺 2 Things to Watch

Any hockey fans in the building?

1. I Survived a Full Gameday as an NHL 'In-Arena' Chef

2. I Survived a 9 Hour Gameday as a Professional Zamboni Driver

🎧 3 Things to Hear

1. Meet the Athletic Trainer Who Invented the Arm Sleeve (Lenny Currier)

2. The Man Behind the Titleist ProV1 is Disrupting Golf Again

3. Glass Courts: A Peek Into the NBA’s Next Big Experiment

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👋🏻 Happy Friday!

Shameless self-promotion over.