This is a great time of year to be thankful for what we have, where we have been, and what the future holds. Although the Chargers have lost their way a bit in recent years, the month of December used to hold such incredible promise! This advent calendar is an attempt to hearken back to these days of December joy. Each day will bring a new advent from the Bolts’ history that makes it wonderful to be a Chargers fan.

Dec. 25: Hope From an 0-4 Start

The Chargers hold many records with the NFL, and some of those are greater than others. They also hold some impressive feats throughout their 50+ year history. One of the most surprising feats was that a 1992 scrappy Chargers team managed to reach the playoffs.

While, yes, the 1992 team did exit immediately once they made said playoffs, that is beside the point. They gifted future Chargers, and the NFL as a whole, the cruel hope that an 0-4 start is surmountable. October is an interesting month in the NFL because most teams can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if their team has been largely terrible to start. Because of the 1992 Chargers, even teams that have been terrible through September can still have genuine hope for a turnaround.

Jason Michaels

That is a gift that should not be understated. The NFL season is one of the shortest in professional sports, but its long and arduous offseason always brings the brightest of hope for fans. Every season is a fresh slate. To have all of that hope dashed before even a quarter of the season is over is a tough pill to swallow.

Today we thank the 1992 Chargers for the gift of hope. As things would have it, that fools’ hope kept the flame alive through much of a difficult 2017 season. The turnaround in November was largely due to the men on the field not giving up.

This was, in my estimation, the hardest 12 months that this fanbase has ever had to suffer. There is only so much joy that can be siphoned out from the schadenfreude of a fumbling team. The sheer audacity of hope of a turnaround from game 5— that is a gift, and it is one that the 2017 crew made the most of.

So thank you, Chargers, for your gifts of hilarity and surprising good fortune, both in the face of overwhelming odds. Here’s to 2018!

2017 Advent calendar Recap:

1. Powder Blue uniforms

2. Dan Fouts

3. December football

4. October 3, 2004 – LaDainian Tomlinson becomes the Chargers leading rusher

5. Joey Bosa

6. Balboa Stadium

7. Jan. 2, 1982. Chargers 41, Miami 38.

8. The Dallas Texans (Kansas City Chiefs)

9. The bolt logo

10. April 21, 2001 – The Chargers traded down and picked Ladainian Tomlinson

11. Barron Hilton and the birth of the Chargers

12. Anti-Spanos Banners over LA. — Passionate fans!

13. The Riversmobile

14. Drew Brees

15. The City of San Diego

16. The Oakland Raiders & Denver Broncos

17. The logo debacle of the new LA Chargers

18. The Quaint Quality of the “Murph”

19. September 29, 2002 – LT’s first 200-yard game

20. Schadenfreude

21. Being a small-market team

22. Chargers get blown out 49-26 by 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX. But still—a Super Bowl!

23. Philip Rivers

24. Chargers playoff wins

25. 0-4 is still playoff-worthy. Thanks, 1992!

-Jason “God Bless Us, Every One!” Michaels