Which Thanksgiving side dish represents your NFL team?

Arizona Cardinals – Expired can of cranberries

Every year, the same thing happens. You use a can of cranberries for a Thanksgiving meal and you say, “These are pretty good, I should use canned cranberries more often.” In the days after Thanksgiving, you buy a couple cans of cranberries, swearing you’re going to use them in the next week or so. You’ve got all the meals planned in your head and you’re excited to add canned cranberry dishes to your cooking repertoire.

You never use them.

They sit in your cabinet for years. Then, one day, you discover this whole shelf of expired cranberries. You’ve seen them every time you open your cabinet, but you never paid attention to them because you were too busy looking for the can of baked beans.

You find a Carson Palmer can that has been dropped on the floor multiple times. An Adrian Peterson can that is leaking. It looks like you’ve actually tried cleaning it, but instead of throwing it away, you just kept it on the shelf. There’s a Patrick Peterson can that still looks in good shape, but smells a little weird. The Larry Fitzgerald can is only slightly past the expiration date and you’d feel good about donating it, but wouldn’t keep it for yourself.

Years ago, these cans would have been perfect for a post-Thanksgiving meal. But in 2017, they’re just taking up shelf space. But, for some reason, you can’t get rid of them. “I spent too much money on these cans,” you say. Stop it. Donate them to your trash can and get new cranberry cans.

Sometimes, you just need to know when things are past their expiration date. And when that happens, you’ve got to cut your losses. Clear your shelf and buy something that isn’t canned cranberries.