Friday open thread: What are some of your Lions game day traditions?

Whether you live two miles from Ford Field or 2,000, if you have been a Detroit Lions fan long enough, chances are you have developed some coping mechanisms along the way.

You could also label these habits as game day traditions—although, at this point, one could argue they are one in the same, especially among Lions fans.

They can take different shapes through the course of the years. Maybe for a few years of your fandom you were a college student, and a staple of your game day routine was having a heavy breakfast and copious amounts of coffee to counter the night before.

Or maybe you are the proud father of a (great) baby, and game days just got a little more complicated for you (godspeed, Ryan).

Then there are the dedicated souls that wake up at the crack of dawn every time the Lions have a home game, driving hundreds of miles from the northern or western parts of the state.

Others have to wear a certain jersey. Sit in a specific chair. Go to a certain bar.

Whether we really pay attention to it or not, we all have our own little routines we try and adhere to.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

What are some of your Lions game day traditions?

My answer: For the last several years, my routine has stayed pretty similar. As usual, I wake up way too early. Out of some strange habit that was likely born in the military, I clean our entire house—because what else do you do with anxious energy that early in the morning? I’ve also been known to whip up entire meals before the sun comes up. Depends on the mood, if we are being honest.

I make sure the dogs get their morning walk in, do my best to speed up time, and hop on Mack avenue heading west by 10:30ish. By the time I find a random place to park on or around Gratiot and walk to Ford Field, it’s a little after 11 a.m. and time to meet my friends at our normal spot in the stadium.

Nothing too out of the ordinary, but it gets the job done.

What about you? What does a typical Sunday in the Fall look like for you? Let us know in the comments.