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The best Christmas ever

IT was the feel-good holiday special of the season, this Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

(And the best part? No overtime.)

The only question is, in the clay-mation version, who's playing the narrating snowman?

There were hugs, afterward. In the game's final minutes Hawaii hero quarterback Tim Chang had a teddy bear stuffed in his helmet.

There were tears.

And just when you thought you'd seen it all, there went Britton Komine, dashing through the ... er, FieldTurf. O'er the field he goes. Laughing all the way. Making spirits bright.

This bowl was better, brighter. Attendance was up. Tickets issued were 39,754 and turnstile was close to that -- only 1,432 out of that number apparently still had Christmas shopping to do.

And if, by chance, today you unwrap, let's just say for example, an, um ... official game program from that special someone, please be forgiving. (Specifically, I am directing this to my wife.)

You wouldn't have wanted them to miss this one, shopping list or no shopping list.

Jasmine was there.

And they chanted Chad Owens' name last night. You know, "O-Wens! O-Wens!" It was crazy. It seemed like something out of the 1920s.

But it was spontaneous, and it was real.

Somewhere, some time, Chad Owens became Red Grange.

He gave us another classic, last night. Another highlight. Another present wrapped in a bow.

His runs are what little boys see in their dreams.

There is no higher compliment. No better gift.

He'll be in the open field forever, now. He'll be breaking away from BYU when he is an old man.

"He's the best player we ever had," a man in the stands said.

And a small boy asked me for notepad paper, to try to get an autograph. Then his sister did, too.

They had visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, you could see it.

It was already dark and it was Christmas Eve. Time to be home and asleep.

But no, not yet. Santa brings presents, but he doesn't return punts.

Owens and Chang were Hawaii co-MVPs. Which meant that my non-vote was the one that didn't break the tie.

It was a Festivus miracle.

UAB wasn't bad. Dan Burks flew over the goal line like a reindeer. The Blazers halted Hawaii on a fourth-down try, then went down and scored. They made a fourth-down conversion of their own, their quarterback brushing off a rusher, throwing almost blind.

Darrell Hackney wasn't just as big as the jolly guy in the red suit, but tough, too.

But he wasn't perfect.

And then Hawaii's Kila Kamakawiwo'ole Grinched an option pitch, and for UAB it was like Clark W. Griswold falling off the roof.

All the early Christmas shoppers were loving it.

If we've no place to go,

Let Tim throw. Let Tim throw. Let Tim throw.

The party was on.

Santa was in the stands, I saw him. He should have been already long gone. But, you know. The game.