Growing up, the Super Bowl felt like a huge event. Not just a football game, but a whole day. The snacks, the noise in the house, the anticipation. The halftime show felt just as important as the game itself, sometimes even more, and the commercials, back when they actually felt like surprises. You waited to see them live, you talked about them the next day, they were part of the experience.
I grew up in North East Ohio and we are a sports area. Everything from the Browns, Cavs, Guardians, to Ohio State Football to even local high school sports. Through and through we are sports fans in this area.
Once the kids got a little older and in sports, I remember racing home from volleyball tournaments or once from a cheer competition two hours away. Driving home in a snowstorm, trying to get back in time, knowing in my gut we had already missed the halftime show. That feeling of turning on the TV and realizing it was already over.
The halftime show was and still is everything, but now I watch the game too. I’ve grown to appreciate the rhythm of the game, even if it isn’t a Cleveland team playing in it, the strategy, the energy of it all. There is something comforting about knowing millions of people are sitting down on the same Sunday night in February watching the same thing at the same time.
It’s one of the last shared TV moments we have.
The commercials, though?
If I’m honest, the past few years have been… fine. Some are cute, some are memorable, most are just there, and now they get leaked online days before the game anyway. You’ve already seen half of them on Instagram or YouTube by kickoff. That sense of surprise is gone, it’s not bad, just different.
What hasn’t changed for me is the food.
Even if we aren’t hosting a party or going to one, I still like to make Super Bowl food. Something about it feels cozy and nostalgic. A little spread on the counter. Something warm in the oven. Snacks that feel fun and a little indulgent. It marks the day. It creates a vibe at home.
It doesn’t have to be a big thing, sometimes it’s just us, sometimes it’s low key, but I still make the snacks. Still sit down, still watch the halftime show, still feel that little thread of tradition from childhood.
Super Bowl Sunday now feels less about who’s playing and more about the mood of the night. The halftime performance, the background noise of the game, the snacks, the feeling of winding down a winter weekend with something festive.
Monday Morning Thoughts
The Seahawks won.
Commercials this year?
Honestly, nothing super memorable for me. I was helping my youngest study for two exams and quizzing her. Maybe that’s just where we are now, like I said earlier, most of them get leaked or previewed before the game, so the surprise factor isn’t what it used to be. There were a few good ones, but nothing that felt like the iconic, talk-about-it-for-days kind of commercial from my youth.
The halftime show, I thought it was really good, my daughter and I took a break from studying and focused solely on Bad Bunny. She was excited she saw Cardi B and Alix Earle on the stage dancing during the performance.
Bad Bunny brought so much energy and heart to the stage, and there were messages woven throughout it but one really stayed with me. At one point the words appeared: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
It felt simple and strong and needed. In a time when everything can feel loud and divided, that message landed.
Also loved the subtle pop culture nods throughout the night. Coco Jones’ outfit was inspired by Whitney Houston’s iconic national anthem performance in 1991. That jacket, the silhouette, the presence. There was also meaning behind the details, with colors of the Pan-African flag reportedly bedazzled on the right sleeve. It was one of those moments where fashion, music, and history all meet.
And of course, the food.
Even though we weren’t hosting a party, I still made Super Bowl snacks. It just doesn’t feel right not to even though it was only the two of us, my husband went to his brother’s house to watch the game and my oldest had a superbowl party to go to with her friends and now today is another senior skip day which I swore they already had one?!?! She said they have 3! I remember only having 1 haha. . This year’s lineup for food I made for my youngest and I:
Vegan buffalo cauliflower dip
Copycat Chipotle sofritas with tofu
Simple, cozy, and honestly the real MVP of the night since her and I are the only two in the house that do not eat meat.
Super Bowl Sunday looks different now than it did when I was younger. Fewer big gatherings some years, fewer must-see commercials, but the feeling of the night is still there. The halftime show, the snacks, the comfort of a Sunday evening that feels slightly more festive than usual.
Nikki Lanigan
Nikki Lanigan is a yoga, HIIT, and Barre instructor, she is also a Holistic Health Coach through Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Nikki is trained in Yoga Shred, Yoga Psychology, meditation, chakra balancing, and EFT/Tapping. She has done trainings with Sadie Nardini and Ashley Turner. She got her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2017 at the Carrie Treister School Of Yoga. Nikki takes a holistic view of health, helping her students and clients reach a place of self-love not just through movement, but with mindset and lifestyle guidance as well. Nikki is also show prep writer for The McVay Media Show Prep and host of the podcast Fit, Fun, and Frazzled. Connect with Nikki on Instagram. www.instagram.com/nikkilanigan.yogaandwellness www.instagram.com/fitfunandfrazzledpodcast
