We've got good news and good news

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here and everything is going right for the local teams.

What's next? I think I know. First, Governor Romney will declare that the Turnpike, the bridges, and the tunnels are free. Then the New England Journal of Medicine will publish findings about a new drug that makes you lose weight by eating pizza and ice cream. Mayor Menino will announce that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play a free concert on the Boston Common. Every night.

It is December 2003 and it's a great time to be a sports fan in New England. Currier & Ives -- those twin cornerbacks who play a nifty cover-2 -- seem to be appearing weekly on the Foxborough sod as the Patriots steamroll their way to another Super Bowl.

Patriot fans are eating it up like tasty snow cones. Absolutely nothing discourages this crowd. Snow, wind, and cold can't keep them away. They show up early, they stay to the end, and they fight their way home through unbearable elements. And they seem to be happy all the way. The Kraft A.C. is truly blessed.

There was not enough snow to toss skyward when the Patriots went ahead of Jacksonville, 27-6, late yesterday, so fans sang and smiled when the public address system piped Andy Williams's "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" into the rare air at Gillette.

Indeed. It's the most wonderful time to be a Patriot fan and these winter grid festivals have become like weekend Woodstocks, with the Razor playing the part of Max Yasgur's farm. You can absolutely feel the love.

"It's the fourth quarter and we have a lead and they're still there," said veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi. "We look up at them and smile and they smile back at us. It feels like we're one with the fans. We see them brave the elements. That's New England Patriot football and we play no matter what the elements are. They're sticking it out in the stands, so we'd better stick it out."

Quarterback Tom Brady (how soon before he applies for membership in the Orr/Bird Pantheon?) said, "Counting preseason, we've played nine games at home and we've won all nine. That's a credit to the fans. They make it difficult for our opponents to hear and we appreciate that. I think the people here kind of like the bad weather. They're New Englanders and this is what we live in."

Did you catch that we Brady threw in there? Smart guy, QB No. 12. He's from Northern California, but he considers himself one of us. Think Nomar would ever use the royal "We" when talking about New England folk.

There are still two more weeks of regular-season play, but already the records are falling. This is the first Patriot team to win 12 regular-season games. It is the first to win 10 in a row. If the Patriots beat the Jets and Bills, they will need only two playoff wins -- both at home -- to advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. And Gillette has turned into an outdoor version of the old Boston Garden. The 1985-86 Celtics went 40-1 at home en route to banner No. 16.

Woe is the opponent that comes to Foxborough in December or January. Ask Al Davis.

"The fans love it and we love it," said Patriots guard Damien Woody, who played his college ball in Chestnut Hill. "You get a team that's on the golf course on Wednesday and then they come in here and it's freezing with snow. Our fans thrive in this type of situation. They love it."

The Patriots love it, too. Lifetime, New England teams are 6-0 when it snows in Foxborough. This current group is 3-0, including the last two weeks and the infamous Snow Bowl, when the Patriots tucked it to Oakland in the playoffs.

It's all good, especially since it appears that the road to the Super Bowl goes through Frostbite Falls off Route 1.

Let's see, at this rate, the celebration at City Hall Plaza should be Tuesday, Feb. 3. Wonder if Larry Izzo again will feel compelled to lead fans in the anti-Yankee chant that seems to have become a part of any gathering of more than three New England sports fans.

"Can the Sox keep Nomar if they get A-Rod?" Brady wondered as he stood by his locker yesterday. "I've been following that stuff a little. I guess they're still figuring out all the angles."

Meanwhile, Brady and Co. seem to have figured everything out. Right now, around these parts, it's just good news on top of good news, like snow on top of snow.

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is dshaughnessy@globe.com.