The Big Game is coming up on February 7 and I must say I’m getting pumped up for it.  The Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos will be playing locally and the anticipation in the city is palpable.  Buildings are being wrapped with ads, restaurants and shopping centers are preparing for the crowds, and friends of mine are packing their coolers for the tailgate parties!  Although I could be in the midst of the excitement within a 40 minute drive, I’m gearing up for our family Sunday at home with some of our Game Day Traditions.

PRE-GAME:  I’m a gambler, I like to play poker, visit casinos, and try my luck at Bingo with my mom.  So it’s no surprise that a football pool is part of our annual event.  To get all the family involved we print out a 10×10 blank grid and sell the squares to family members.  If the kids are participating we may sell the squares at 25-50 cents each, if it’s an adults-only pool it may be 1-2 dollars per square.  When the grid is full, we roll dice and assign numbers 0-9 across and down the grid along with the team names.  Depending on the number of people at our party we may shorten the grid to a 5×5 and double up on the numbers.  Decide what percent of the pot will be paid out at what interval.  We usually pay out after each quarter a percentage and then make the final score the largest dollar amount.  The numbers correlate with the score of the game, if Carolina has 10 and Denver has 14, then the numbers are 0, 4 and you find the winner on the grid.Now throughout the game, everyone (even those who aren’t big football fans) can keep an eye on the score and their numbers.  I love how in the past the kids are doing math constantly to figure out how many points/touchdowns the teams need to score to align with their number combination at different points in the game!  There are even websites that will do all the work for you leading up to the game and throughout, however you plan your pool, have fun with it.

I’m a sucker for decorations, truth be told, so don’t forget the party supplies.  I’ve held birthday parties for the kids for 17 years and I love coordinating all the goodies that include balloons, streamers, plates, cups, and napkins.  I love Party City’s decor this year because it showcases the 50 year milestone and it has a shout out to California’s Bay Area where the game will be located. 

If there is a Big Game related pinata, I’d buy that too and fill it with candy, toy whistles, inflatable footballs and more to please the kids.

GAME TIME:  My favorite part of our game day traditions is the delicious food!  Whether you cater, have a potluck, or make the entire menu, munching on good food and drinks all day is part of our game day tradition.  I usually have a spread of cheeses, fruit, and meat out with a variety of wines to start off the party.  Of course there is beer for the guys and soda and juices for the kids.   I have some great recipes here on the blog for some game time favorites like spinach dip, sweet and sour meatballs, beef and cheese enchiladas, and turkey chili that are tried and true and basically staples for year-round events in our household.  Two of those recipes are made in the slow-cooker so it gives you more time to relax and enjoy the day.HALFTIME:  If the weather permits, there’s always a group that heads outside with a football for some catch.  I tend to enjoy watching the commercials that are always a big hit and the halftime show is usually entertaining.

POST-GAME:  It’s been a few long years since our team has been in the running for the big game, so it’s kinda nice that no one in our family has any preference to the winner of the game.  In the end, we gather the pool money for distribution, we tidy up from the festivities, pour some coffee and dessert and call it a day.

HIT THE SHOWERS:  After a long, but fun day, it’s time to hit the showers with P&G beauty and grooming products from Walmart.  I start with Crest 3D White Whitestrips, especially after a day of enjoying red wine.  I’m also a coffee drinker, so my teeth take a beating during the week and these can remove up to 14 years of stains! I’m a multi-tasker, so I put mine on then jump in the shower. 

Sure it’s winter, but we were just in Hawaii, so I was in shorts and a bathing suit for 9 days and had to shave my legs for the occasion.  Now that we’re back and my legs are mostly hidden I don’t do it as often, but when I do, the Gillette Venus Swirl Razor takes care of business.  My husband asked to borrow it due to it’s FlexiBall technology, he’s impressed by it’s five contoured razors since his facial hair grows back so quickly, he may have to fight me for it. Finally, a classic and something the whole family uses is Head & Shoulders shampoo.  Winter brings dry, itchy scalps and it even works on color-treated hair thank goodness!

Now that I’ve shared our game day traditions, tell me about yours!  And, for more Game Day Traditions visit Walmart’s P&G page at traditionsforgameday.com.

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/P&G.