We caught up with some of your Stampeders — Joe West, Keon Raymond, Juwan Simpson, Corey Mace, Jabari Arthur, Charleston Hughes and Brandon Smith — to find out their thoughts on everything Christmas! Read on to find out what they had to say about Christmas presents, holiday eats and ugly decorations…

Where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?

Simpson: I’m planning to spend it at home in Alabama with my family.

Raymond: This year I’m planning to spend it in Calgary. Me and my family just bought a new house and we moved in three days after Christmas last year so we’re excited to spend our first Christmas in our new home and decorate it and everything.

Arthur: This year I will spend it in Montreal surrounded by my family and loved ones.

Smith: I’ll be spending Christmas with my family in Oakland, CA. We are all in this city from mom to brother to dad. So it’ll be good to spend the holidays with them.

Does your family have any Christmas traditions?

Simpson: Not really any traditions, we just all get together and have a big feast and give the kids gifts.  

Raymond: Every Christmas Eve we’ll allow the kids to open up one present and every year usually that one present is pajamas. So they know it, we know it. So they just kind of get prepared for it.

Arthur: Our family traditions would be open gifts on Christmas Day and have dinner later that day. But throughout the day, we call our family in Trinidad, Grenada, United States, etc…

Smith: Yea usually my brother and I stay Christmas Eve at my mom’s and eat dinner and set the presents under the tree. Then wake up Christmas morning to mom’s Christmas breakfast. Once up, we open gifts and then head around to my dad’s house and gift exchange. 

Mace: Absolutely. All we do is get together, we eat and the adults have adult beverages.

West: Just be together and let everyone know that we’re here for each other and we love each other.

Hughes: Yes, we eat dinner together as a family. 

What’s the best Christmas present you’ve ever given?

Simpson: All of my gifts are the same. Some clothing from Ralph Lauren. And that’s only for kids under 16. They are cut off after that. 

Raymond: I would probably have to say this year. My boys have been so excited about playing basketball. So my wife and I bought them a portable basketball hoop to put in the driveway. They have no clue but I think they’re going to be excited about it. 

Arthur: The best gift I ever gave someone was my mom. I made her a card and ornament when I was in grade 3. It made her cry.

Smith: The best gift I’ve given was last Christmas. I gave my dad these boot covers for cold weather. He tends to come out to visit and check out games towards the end of the year when the weather is freezing. He came out to the playoff game in 2010 and it was the coldest day of his life. He said his feet froze. So usually he layers up pretty good but the only problem is his feet. It’s only so many layers he could put in his boots. So we started researching answer to solve the frozen feet issue. And we found boot covers. They had good reviews and are supposed to work in weather up to -60 degrees. So I found them online and bought them. I gave them to him for Christmas and when he opened the gift he jumped up and down, smiled and put them right on. He was like a joyful kid that just saw Santa lol

What’s the best Christmas present you’ve ever received?

Simpson: The best gift ever was probably a laptop my first year in college. For whatever reason I felt like I was a little bit smarter after that.

Raymond: Wow, so many. My wife is such a great gift giver. Things I don’t even want or don’t even expect, she’ll get out of nowhere. I can remember getting an iPad a few years ago when they first kind of came out and I was like, “No, I don’t want it.” And she ended up kind of saving up the whole year because she knows if she makes a big purchase I can tell. It was good. She kind of brought it out of nowhere and I was excited for it.

Arthur: The best gift I ever got was my PlayStation 2 back in the day.

Smith: The best gift I’ve ever received was when I was 13 and my dad bought me a motorized minibike. Although it was against my mom’s better judgment, he still went out on a limb and got it. My brother already had one and I needed one to ride with him. So he surprised me on Christmas day with one.

Mace: I’d probably have to say something that has to do with Ninja Turtles or Ghostbusters when I was a kid.

West: I remember when I got my first bicycles. I didn’t walk anywhere for like the whole year. I was riding everywhere. I think I was in the best shape ever!

Hughes: The best Christmas present I think I ever received was a pair of socks.

Hardest person to buy a present for?

Simpson: My mother. She’s been around over half a century, what more could she want is what I always ask myself. 

Raymond: I’d probably say my wife every year. She’s not the typical woman where “Oh just give me a purse or some shoes.” She’s more of a thought-that-counts type of lady. And I really have to put thought into anything that I buy her because it’s so hard. I can’t just go “Oh I’ll get her some perfume.” It’s difficult but she likes simple things. She’s not impressed with all the big flashy stuff. As long as it comes from the heart I think she’s fine with it.

Arthur: I would say my mom. She has so much and never wants you to spent money on her. 

Smith: The hardest person to buy for is my mom. She is a person that has everything. I’ve never missed a Christmas, birthday, or Mother’s Day so she has gotten gifts three times a year for at least 20 years. That’s at least 60 gifts so I’ve run out of ideas on what to get her now. What do you get a person that has everything she needs? lol Plus its next to impossible for a guy to buy women clothes… We just can’t pick out nice outfits for women lol

Mace: I’d say my mother. She always has everything it seems. After 27 years of presents it’s hard to get something new.

West: My mom. She deserves the world, but unfortunately I’m not able to do that for her. But I try to give her the most, just bringing everybody together and just enjoying the moment. That’s what it’s all about.

Hughes: The hardest person to buy for would probably be my mom.

Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Simpson: Wrapping paper… Not done by me.

Raymond: I use wrapping paper. I do. I’m actually somewhat of a pro at wrapping. I’ve learned over the years it’s about the bows and the ribbons you put around the present that makes it look good. You gotta get a nice wrapping paper. Gift bags are ok if it’s too big or if you’re just handing a gift to somebody. But I’m more of a wrapper.

Arthur: Wrapping paper.

Smith: Gift bags! Best thing created for holidays lol. I like wrapping paper but I’m terrible at wrapping gifts. So I take the easy way out and buy gift bags.

Real tree or artificial?

Simpson: Real tree looks better but can’t deny the artificial has less clean-up, so I’m gonna have to go with that. 

Raymond: Well this year we did an artificial tree. I begged for a real one, so she compromised and we’re going to get a real one next year. The artificial one is ok but you miss the pine smell of the evergreen that’s in the house that reminds you of Christmas. But when it’s all said and done I don’t have to clean up! Growing up we had a real tree. Every year we’d go out and we would pick a tree. We didn’t want to do too much being in the new house all at once so we want to make sure we keep things settled and next year we’ll get the chance to go out and pick one maybe even chop one down.

Arthur: We’ve always had an artificial tree but I would like to try a real one.

Smith: I prefer a real tree but for the past four years we’ve had an artificial tree. It’s simpler to pull the tree out of the closet and set it up. At this point, my mom likes simpler. Lol

Angel or star on top of your tree?

Simpson: Star… For whatever reason.

Raymond: We have a star. It’s funny because in my church on Sunday our pastor did a thing about what was the most sold tree-topper and it was angels and stars. Me just being a Christian, I think some people forget what Christmas is really about and it was the star where the baby was born and I always want to make sure I instill that in my kids, what’s the true meaning of Christmas.

Arthur: We change what we put on our tree but it’s usually an angel.

Smith: We usually go with the star.

What’s your favourite thing to eat at Christmas?

Simpson: Pork Chitterlings because that’s the only time my family cooks them. 

Raymond: Pie, cakes, candies. I think that is the only holiday where you can just eat chocolates and sweets, except Valentine’s. But man just chocolates, cookies. My “Canadian mom” up here bakes cookies and she’ll bring them over by the boatload to my house and I’ll just sit and have some eggnog and eat cookies and then I have to make sure I go and work out. But I’m a big treats guy.

Arthur: I absolutely love to eat turkey on Christmas. Family dinners are always fun at my house. Until my two brothers and I have to decide which two of us get the legs. 

Smith: Pecan pie. My mom makes the best pecan pies. But for some odd reason she only makes them for Christmas. I’m looking forward to that.

Mace: Food.

West: I like sweet potato pie and I eat that on pretty much every holiday.

Hughes: My favourite thing to eat on Christmas would have to be cake.

What’s your favourite Christmas song?

Simpson: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer only because I still know all of the words. 

Raymond: This Christmas. It’s actually kind of a new one. It’s kind of grown into a new favourite when Chris Brown sings it. He’s got a little soul to it so I like that one a bit.

Mace: I like The Little Drummer Boy. Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum.

West: Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

Hughes: We with you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas…

Ugliest Christmas decoration ever invented?

Simpson: The Christmas sweaters tied with the hideous reindeer antlers that attaches to the cars. 

Raymond: Probably a Saskatchewan Roughrider tree topper.

Arthur: I won’t call it ugly but the most interesting Christmas decoration I’ve ever seen was when I was in Arizona. I saw a Christmas wreath made of peppers.

Smith: Those ugly Christmas sweaters! I hate a sweater with the Christmas trees and reindeers. Lol

West: I made a star and it was really crooked and it was something that I really worked on because I wanted to put it on top of the tree and it just didn’t work out for me. It was really bad.

Hughes: The ugliest Christmas decoration that I ever invented was an ornament that was shaped like a banana.