Good morning and happy holidays to everyone in the Canis Hoopus community!

Contrary to my usual writing, I’ll try to keep this short and sweet — there are a bevy of good basketball games on TV today, so I thought a fresh open thread would be useful (the full schedule of games can be found below).

But more than that, I just wanted to echo the same sentiment I’ve been sharing over the last few weeks — the 2020 holiday season is unlike any holiday season in my life time. I will be watching today’s games by myself in a small apartment on the West Coast, rather than spending quality time with my friends and family back in North Dakota. The COVID-19 pandemic has stripped a lot from so many of us, but just know that you are still loved, you are still appreciated, and this community will always be here if you feel the need to share your highs, your lows, or just generally look for support.

To all of you choosing to Gorgui Dieng this holiday weekend (i.e. traveling) — be safe! And for those of you (much like myself) spending the day/weekend at home and possibly isolated from loved ones, feel free to use this open thread to share your holiday recipes, most embarrassing presents you’ve ever given and/or received, and just generally use this platform to remain connected to others.

I myself will be (attempting) to throw it back to my Ukrainian roots with a Christmas day dinner of perogies and side pork (shoutout to my grandma Rita), all while mixing in copious amounts of red wine and frosted sugar cookies.

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Christmas Day NBA Schedule

(All times are listed in CST)

• New Orleans Pelicans at Miami Heat (11:00am, ESPN)
• Golden State Warriors at Milwaukee Bucks (1:30pm, ABC)
• Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics (4:00pm, ABC)
• Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers (7:00pm, ESPN/ABC)
• Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets (9:30pm, ESPN)

Again — be well, travel safely, and have a very happy holidays!