This week kicks off the holiday season for me. Today is my birthday; Thanksgiving is Thursday; and then the final weeks of Christmas shopping with Black Friday and Cyber Sunday.

In a season of madness, the world of sports has become an outlet to the holiday stress and has since become a part of tradition.

Professional sports have split the season right down the middle with the NFL all day on Thanksgiving and the NBA owning Christmas.

Fans watching the Cowboys and Lions every Thanksgiving is as old as time. Regardless of the fortunes of the two teams, eyes still tune in to see their success or disappointment, at least until dinner is served.

The NFL didn’t really do the Cowboys any favors this year by scheduling the undefeated Carolina Panthers for their annual afternoon turkey day game. It’s the Cowboys’ second game with their two most important pieces, quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant, playing together again.

I’ll be passing on the early morning Eagles vs. Lions game en route to watching the Packers and Bears square off in a divisional rivalry as intense as the Red Carpet Bowl.

Fast forward 30 days to the half-day’s worth of basketball the NBA works so methodically to schedule, and you’ll have my favorite aspect of Christmas.

As I got older and began to raise my niece and nephews, I’ve realized Christmas is more so for them and their happiness. Unless your family is like mine and can’t decide on when to begin opening presents, the noon tipoff comes in handy and saves a lot of headaches from holiday disagreements.

What the NBA has done with its Christmas schedule is give the fans satisfaction after the presents have been unwrapped and eggnog is consumed.

Fans are pretty much guaranteed to see the first finals rematch of the season, or greats engage in a one-on-one battle a la LeBron against Kobe.

The NBA takes its holiday flare a step further with special edition Christmas jerseys. These are usually more festive with exquisite fonts and lettering reminiscent of a greeting card.

While the holidays are all about spending time with family and loved ones, I’m glad pro sports are still played to help strengthen ties and traditions.

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Alexander Swatson is a reporter. He can be reached at alex.swatson@vicksburgpost.com