The Jets-Giants showdown today will mean a humbug holiday for somebody in the Lestingi household.
Andrew and Virginia Lestingi love each other, but each is hoping the other will be miserable at around 4 p.m. today.
Andrew, 38, is a Giant fan, and wife Virginia, 33, is a Jet devotee.
“This game means so much to me personally — probably more than any Jet player,” Virginia said.
That’s because she’s going deep into enemy territory to watch the game — the home of her Big Blue boosting in-laws in Malverne, LI.
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“They have to win so I can once and for all shut down my husband and [two] brother-in-laws’ delusional belief that the Giants are the better team,” she said.
Her hubby, accountant and hard-core Giants fan Andrew, conceded he’ll be a sore loser compared to his Jet-loving wife.
“She’s going to say it’s Christmas, and our kids and family come before football — but for me I’ll take it a lot harder,” he said. “It may ruin my weekend.”
Virginia gleefully agreed.
A Jet win would “probably ruin his Christmas,” she said.
As former co-workers, the Lestingis have known each other — and their team preferences — since 1998.
They’ve managed to strike an uneasy peace over the years.
Virginia said she even got Andrew to go to a Jet game a few years ago, but a picture she took of him among the sea of green “has conveniently disappeared.”
Despite it all, the couple got married, and they have two young children who are now wrapped up in the rivalry in their home in Oceanside, LI.
“My younger daughter [Mila, 2] just learned how to say ‘Go Blue!’ ” Virginia said.
“But my older daughter [Ella, 4], she sort of gets it; she knows Mommy is a Jets fan. She roots for the Jets.”
But Andrew is working hard to make sure Mila grows up to love the Giants as much as he does.
“He’s gaming for this one, but I’ve got the older one already, [Mila] will come around soon.”
While they typically can watch games together in peace, the stakes for today’s game are much higher than usual. The two teams’ precarious playoff hopes make this a make-or-break affair.
Meanwhile, storm clouds have been gathering in Springfield Gardens, Queens, where Jet fan Kasia Squire warned: “It’s been very quiet all week, there’s underlying tension,” in her mixed marriage to Giants-loving hubby Rohan.
They devised a strategy to keep things from getting ugly this week — no talking football.
“We’re not talking about it, so we can have a peaceful week,” Squire said.
Staten Island IT analyst and Jets fan Scott Cooperstein said he’s hoping for a win to knock down Giant fans, including girlfriend Denise Anzelmo.
“I guess you could say the Giants have been a big brother compared to the Jets because of all their previous Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl appearances,” he said. “But I think the Giants should be jealous about the Jets and all our playoff appearances.”