Elimination Day has become so commercialized. I hope it never fully reaches the stage where it's only about the sales and the long weekend (when it falls on a Monday night/Tuesday morning). Kids need to learn the true meaning of Elimination Day, why it needs to be held as sacred, why it brought such joy to our ancestors, why it brings us such joy still.

True, it may never have the same meaning as the first Elimination Day in the earliest part of the 21st century when it was established as an autumnal festival of schadenfreude and relief, but to think of life without Elimination Day...perish the thought.

So before putting up all your Elimination Day decorations and getting all dressed up for the big Elimination Day Parade, take a moment and remember how much better our world is because we have Elimination Day on the calendar every single year. As regular an occurrence as it has become, we must never take it for granted.

And don't forget to scooch over for the symbolic Making Of Room For Our Neighbors. It's a highly significant ritual, our way of annually clearing space on our couch and in front of our TV for those who have been freshly eliminated, our chance to say, "hey, we may have gotten here before you, but you're here with us now...let us watch the rest of the postseason together...'cause you're not gonna see it any better than we will from here on out."