Sports · Advice & Questions · Oct 19

Our football watching ritual has become a rule about my laundry. How do I return it to a joke?

Sports

I put the lucky socks in the wash, and my friend messaged, "Take them out. We conceded." I sent a picture of the machine with "VAR review pending." That was meant to end the joke. It produced six more messages.

We watch football together at my flat. Wearing the same socks began as a silly ritual during a good run of matches. Now he asks whether I'm wearing them before kickoff and blames a bad start on whichever detail is different.

I like the ritual when it's playful. I don't like being instructed to change clothes or undo the washing because he wants the evening to feel right.

Would you keep a small voluntary part of it, or retire the socks altogether? I want to be able to enjoy a daft tradition without becoming the unpaid kit manager for eleven players who have never seen my washing machine.

Discussion

2 community replies

@softfocus

The machine's VAR appeal can remain closed. You can tell him, "I'll join the sock joke when I feel like it, but I'm not changing clothes or laundry plans for it." That keeps the distinction between sharing a ritual and obeying instructions.

@JulesAfterDark

Your own funny reply may have told him the exchange was still welcome. You don't need to blame yourself for that, but switch to a plain sentence when the boundary matters. Another joke may simply give him another round to play.

Our football watching ritual has become a rule about my laundry. How do I return it to a joke?

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