Who's on Santa’s naughty list?

Lessons from Everyday Life By Theodore Lewis

Dear Commissioner Goodell,

I am writing to register a formal complaint regarding your schedule of three NFL Games this Christmas, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025:

Dallas at Washington @ 1 p.m. EST

Detroit at Minnesota  @ 4:30 p.m. EST

Denver at Kansas City @ 8:15 p.m. EST

\There are three components to my complaint.

First, Mrs. Claus, all my elves and I go to great lengths to fulfill every Christmas wish. Your scheduling of NFL games on this special family holiday makes my job virtually impossible. Let me explain with an example.

This year, Ashleigh Jardine has written to me wishing for a Minnesota Vikings win in their game with Detroit on Christmas. I also received a letter from her parents, Dave and Lisa Jardine, who are asking me for a Detroit Lions win in this Christmas Day game.

They have all been nice this year, so what do you expect me to do? I don't want to disappoint anyone, and please don't suggest the best way to handle this is with a tie.

Secondly, there are many wonderful adult children who play and coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos, who will have to travel on Christmas Eve this year and will not be able to be with their families. This includes one of my favorite boys, Dan Campbell, head coach of my favorite team, The Detroit Lions. You are forcing Dan to be away from his wonderful wife Holly and their kids on the most important family evening of the year. You are such a Grinch.

The third part of my complaint is that after scheduling these games on Christmas Day, you have committed the unpardonable football sin of making the viewing of these Christmas Day games exclusive to streaming services. The 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. games are exclusively on Netflix and the 8:15 p.m. game is exclusive on Amazon Prime.  

According to my EEF (executive elf assistant), up until this year, all 32 previous NFL Christmas games, including the one in 2024, were broadcast nationally without requiring a streaming service.

Don't give me that spiel scripted by your PR team—that out of the goodness of your heart and in keeping with the spirit of Christmas, you are making these 2025 Christmas televised broadcasts available on CBS, but only in the competing cities.  

Only in the six competing cities when there are 340 million people in the U.S.? Shame on you, Mr. Football Grinch!

The Detroit population is only 650,000, but my Siri Claus up here at the North Pole told me the Detroit Lions have over 2.06 million Facebook followers and 1.75 X followers in all 50 states, U.S. territories and around the world.

One of the Detroit Lions' followers outside Detroit is 95-year-old Elaine, who lives in Bridgman, Michigan, 200 miles west of Detroit. She has been totally nice this year and wants to see her Lions play in this important game against Minnesota. She has been watching her Lions for decades, but is outside the reach of the Detroit CBS station, and doesn't have access to Netflix in her Senior Living apartment. 

The author Theodore Lewis with Elaine

In desperation, she has written to me for my help. What am I going to tell her--that Santa Claus can't perform Christmas miracles anymore?

Like Elaine, I've become a real fan of those gritty kneecap-biting boys from Motor City. Last Christmas, my elf supervisors gave me an MC/DC (Motor City/Dan Campbell) shirt that I proudly wear at our Lions watch parties up here at the North Pole every time the Lions play.

In summary, Mrs. Claus and all the elves have voted unanimously to allow me to move your name from the “naughty” to “nice” list, if you will open up the Christmas Day telecast of these three NFL games to all CBS stations throughout the U.S.

I urge you to consider this opportunity to save yourself and save Christmas for all. Happiness, redemption and love are still possible for you this Christmas, Mr. Goodell.

Just do the right thing and help me give all your fans a wonderful Christmas present, without these streaming services.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Roger.

Santa

P.S.: Happy Holidays to all my friends and readers of the Pacific Island Times.

Theodore Lewis is the former CEO of Guam Memorial Hospital and has a healthcare consulting business in Bridgman, MI. He is collecting stories about lessons learned in life and can be reached at theodorelewis@yahoo.com.

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