Oklahoma State University Athletics
Christmas with the Cowboys, 2013
December 25, 2013 | Cowboy Football
Dec. 25, 2013
STILLWATER - Several members of the Oklahoma State football team shared some of their favorite Christmas memories. Here's what they said:
Fullback Kye Staley
What do you look forward to the most at Christmas?
"Mostly just seeing my family. I know I'm only 20 minutes away, but we work so much up here I don't get a lot of time to see them. So spending time with my aunts, my uncles, my nieces, my mom and sister. That will be a fun time."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"I was two or three, and my mother stayed up close to midnight because I could not tie my shoe. So my mother told me, 'If you don't know how to tie your shoe by Christmas morning, you won't open presents.' When Christmas morning came, I was able to tie that shoe. I've always remembered that, I don't know how I've remembered that."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"We don't really have traditions, just pretty much eat and go to sleep. I like to watch my nieces open their gifts and see the reaction on their faces. That's always a fun time."
What is Christmas like at your house?
"Hectic. Pretty much presents, presents, presents -- food, food, food and football and sleep."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"Go see my family and go eat, of course. And then hopefully get a workout in and burn off some of that Christmas meal. I'll probably be too full to even move."
What is the best gift you ever gave?
"I know that my mom, she is not very up-to-date on technology, she had a little box TV. I came in with a 32-inch plasma, and she freaked out. I think that's the best gift I've given my mom."
Received?
"The best gift I received would probably have to be when I was six or seven. I'd always talked about Power Rangers and Batman, and my grandmother came in with this huge box. There were Batman and Power Rangers and all sorts or action figures. I think I still have them to this day."
Receivers coach Jason Ray
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"Being with family. I'm kind of simple for gift giving, I don't ask for a lot these days. I just like being with family, seeing my two nephews, my brother and my sister."
What is your favorite Christmas memory?
"A lot of them when I was in college were actually traveling to a bowl site. One particular time, I think my senior year, I had to be at the bowl site on Christmas day. But we did Christmas on Christmas eve as a family. That was interesting. I also think the first Christmas with my nephews was pretty memorable."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"We do stockings as the last thing we do. That is probably the tradition I like most."
What is Christmas typically like at your home?
"It's relaxing and really intimate with family. Once we get all the extended family out of there, we do our Christmas with one another. We go to Christmas Mass at my grandma's church. The intimate setting is what I look forward to."
What are your plans for Christmas this year?
"I'll probably just go back home with my folks. I'll go to Christmas Eve Mass at my grandma's church and go home and go to sleep. Then I'll get up that morning and do stockings and open presents."
What is the best gift you ever gave?
"The best gift I've given was a bike I gave my sister one year."
Received?
"I asked for a toothpick holder last year, and they engraved my initials on it. I always have toothpicks, and it's probably the best gift I've ever received. Simple, silver toothpick holder. It's a keepsake."
Safety Daytawion Lowe
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"Spending time with my family. Getting to eat and being around with my family. Up here I don't get to do that a lot."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"I really don't have a favorite Christmas memory. I just remember some good times, some good laughing and having fun."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"Family getting together and having fun."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"Family getting together. We talk and laugh and tell jokes. We play games and really bond I guess you can say."
What are your Christmas plans for this year?
"I plan to see my family and just chill. Try to stay off my feet and get ready for this game."
What is the best gift you ever gave?
"I'd probably say shoes. I got my little brother some Jordans one year, and those cost a lot."
Received?
"I can't say off the top of my head. I'm a little too old, I don't get a lot anymore."
Offensive lineman Parker Graham
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"Being with my family. Getting to experience that family time, that's paramount for me. I enjoy that time with them and being around everybody; it's a lot of fun."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"That's a tough one. Every year it's a family deal. Probably getting my first gun is my favorite memory. I got a BB gun when I was eight years old and that was a pretty cool deal."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"We always take my mom to midnight mass at our church. Then we have biscuits and gravy in the morning. Those are the two traditions in my family."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"Well for one, my nine-year-old brother wakes us up at 6 a.m. to open presents, which is pretty funny. He's always excited to do that. We wake up pretty early and start the breakfast off and open presents. My sister and her children come over, and we open their presents. Then we have our whole family, where all sides get together later that night."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"This year I'm going to go home. My girlfriend and I are going to have to split between both our Christmases. So we're going to be running around all Christmas day, that's for sure."
What's the best gift you ever gave?
"My brother and I got our mom this matching pearl necklace and ring set and earrings. She really liked those."
Received?
"The best gift I've ever received is probably that gun again. It was a fun thing that got me started on hunting and being an outdoorsman so that was nice."
Receiver Charlie Moore
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"I love sitting around with my family, cracking jokes. And the good food."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"There are a lot of good ones. I remember when me and my brother were little and the excitement when we woke up one Christmas morning and saw dirt bikes. That was pretty cool. We were probably 9 or 10."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"Dinner at my grandma's. There are a lot of good times and a lot of good food."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"It's a lot different now. If me and my brother are both at home at the same time, we just sit around and spend time with our parents."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"I'm going to spend Christmas day with my fiancée and her family. Then, I'll drive back home that evening to have dinner with my grandparents."
What's the best gift you ever gave?
"Last year, I bought my brother a beer brewing kit. He learned how to brew his own beer, which is pretty cool. He always wants weird gifts so it's been interesting buying for him the past couple of years."
Received?
"That's a tough one. I think my best gift will come this Christmas."
Cornerback Tyler Patmon
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"Spending time with my family and getting to go back home to be around all my loved ones."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"When I was younger, there were these break-a-way pants that were coming out, and I was really excited about them. My grandma bought me a pair, and I remember being really pumped about that."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"Our family coming together from wherever they live and just spending time with them."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"There's a lot of fun, a lot of eating, a lot of games for the younger kids and a lot of laughter."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"I'm going back home to Austin, Texas, and hanging out with my family and siblings."
What's the best gift you ever gave?
"When I was at KU my sophomore year, I was actually able to get my mom a custom-made jersey, and she really appreciated that."
Received?
"It was probably those breakaway pants."
Defensive back Deion Imade
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"I'm big on food so any time my mom gets to cook for a special holiday, that's the thing I look forward to the most."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"I think I was 10. I remember I was the first one to wake up, and I ran downstairs to see our gifts and there were three bikes lined up for me and my two brothers. When it was time to wake up, I already knew what I had and I was really excited to just go down there."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"It's waking up and after all the Christmas gifts have been opened, I'll go in the kitchen with my mom and watch the parades with her."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"We're not big on decorations. It's more about cooking and spending time with each other."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"After the practices, I plan to drive home and spend Christmas Eve making cookies with my brother and wake up on Christmas morning and unwrap gifts."
What's the best gift you ever gave?
"My little brother loves Michael Jordan so I gave him a North Carolina blue-and-black Michael Jordan jersey."
Received?
"That same year, my older brother gave me a Devin Hester Miami jersey. That was probably the best one."
Linebacker Caleb Lavey
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"I never really get to see my older brother because he goes to school in Alabama. So, I always look forward to getting together with my brothers and getting into trouble, staying up late and goofing around."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"Getting to spend Christmas on the San Antonio Riverwalk with my teammates. Me and Charlie Moore just tearing up San Antonio on Christmas night."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"My family eats Chinese food and we go see a movie every Christmas Eve."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"It's a lot of fun. We love getting gifts, but we love giving them too. There's always funny stuff that goes on. It's a blast. Always fun."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"I'm going home to eat Chinese and see The Hobbit with the family. Get some good stuff and give some good stuff."
What's the best gift you ever gave?
"People love to get signed footballs, and my dad is one of them. So one year, I gave my dad a football signed by the team."
Received?
"I love my iPad mini. My older brother got me the 'Big Lebowski' on DVD last year. It's probably my favorite gift. I watch it at least once a month."
Quarterback Clint Chelf
What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
"Getting gifts, no doubt."
What is your best Christmas memory?
"When I was eight, I got my first bike. I think it was a Dino. It was silver and really sweet. That's probably my best memory."
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
"Every year on Christmas Eve, we go to church and then we go to my grandma's house to open gifts. That's something that our whole family is there for, and it's always really fun. Afterward, all the guys sit down and play poker. I usually win a lot of money."
What is Christmas typically like at your house?
"It's always laid back. We sleep in then open presents and kind of start moving around. Then, we eat all day and spend the rest of the day hating ourselves for eating so much. So it's not very rigid. We just enjoy having everybody at home."
What are your Christmas plans this year?
"I'm going to drive the entire hour back to Enid and hang out with everyone for a couple of days and then head down to Dallas on the 27th."
What's the best gift you ever gave?
"I gave my dad a new driver. It was a Taylor Made that had a white head. He was pretty pumped."
Received?
"The first laptop that I got. We went to Crested Butte that year to go skiing, and I got to have a laptop the whole trip. It was pretty awesome at the time."
