When a Packers Game on Christmas Day isn’t Necessarily a Gift
Sadly, some families aren't too understanding about must-see holiday sports.
By Kevin Gibson
When I saw the “leak” that the Packers would play the Bears on Christmas Day at 1 p.m., I let out a loud sigh.
Luckily, my family and my fiancee’s family both know me – I’m not going to miss the broadcast, holiday plans be damned. But not all families are so understanding. And the truth is, it is going to put a slight crimp in our Christmas Day schedule.
Since 2000, the Packers have played on Christmas four times; twice were in the last five years. The team has played on Thanksgiving nine times during that span. There’s probably no doubting the assumption that a number of family holiday plans have gone awry thanks to those games, resulting in negotiation and hand-wringing as soon as the NFL schedule is released.
An aside here: Many years ago, for reasons I won’t go into, I vowed to myself that if there was any way I could possibly watch the Packers on live TV, I absolutely, 100% would do so. If the house catches fire in the middle of the game, I’m going next door to watch the end. Let the firefighters do their jobs, for crying out loud – I’ve got a GAME TO WATCH. Let’s just say that it finally hit me one day that life is simply too short to miss a Packers game. And I’m not getting any younger.
Fortunately, for families that bond over football, that daytime game come Dec. 25 could serve as the best possible gift they will collectively find in their stockings. By that point, we’ll have a good read on who is in line to win the NFC North. Both the Packers and the Bears will be eyeing potential playoff seeding.
It will be rife with drama, especially given how the rivalry was seemingly reborn last season when the Bears took two out of three and ousted Green Bay from the playoffs in round one as Ben Johnson smirked.
In my world, Christmas morning means time spent with my fiancee’s family. They’ll understand if I take off a little early. My extended family probably won’t see me at all that day, and they will understand. Because I take my Packers fandom that seriously, as likely do you if you are still reading this. Here’s hoping your significant other/siblings/etc.understand this Christmas and give you that gift. (And getting to watch the Packers take on the Bears uninterrupted sure beats an ugly sweater.)
Here’s an anecdote that amplified my determination to not miss a live Packers game, even for a family holiday event:
In 2011, Green Bay played at Detroit in the early slot. My now-fiancee asked me to accompany her to a gathering with her extended family so they could finally meet me, as we’d only been dating a few months. The first question I asked her was, “Will I be able to watch the game?”
“Of course,” she said, seeming almost bemused at my question. “They have TVs.”
Then we got there, I shook all the requisite hands and said the hellos. As kickoff approached, I politely asked where I could watch the game. And the host relative refused to turn on football. There was no negotiation. “Thanksgiving is for family,” she insisted. I wanted to say, “But I don’t even know you freaking people!” But I refrained.
And so I sat and listlessly talked with strangers while somewhere in northern Michigan my favorite team played my favorite sport with an undefeated season on the line. But I didn’t utter a sound of protest. You know: family. The ride home was, well, a bit quiet. I was very disappointed – not angry, mind you; just highly, highly disappointed.
When we arrived back at my fiancée ’s place, I dejectedly sat down on the couch to turn on the late afternoon Cowboys game. Cynthia leaned over me, kissed me gently on the lips and said, “I will never do that to you again.”
She then informed me that she had secretly recorded the game: “Just in case.”
And that was when I knew she understood. She understood. And I got to watch Aaron Rodgers throw for 307 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-15 Green Bay victory while she and her 5-year-old son napped in the next room.
Fifteen years later, that wonderful woman has held true to her promise – no matter the holiday, no matter the situation. So, yes, it will ruffle the feathers of our Christmas Day schedule just a tad, but even this far ahead, I know it’s going to be a merry one.
Well, assuming the Packers win, I mean. Stupid Bears.
Got any holiday football traditions of your own? Drop ‘em in the comments below.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Kevin Gibson is a professional writer and author based in Louisville, Ky. He's also a former sports writer who covered high school, college and professional sports, a Packers shareholder and a fan since 1975. Even John Hadl couldn't break him. Follow him on Twitter: @kgramone
__________________________
Comments (39)
Savage57
May 15, 2026 at 06:22 am
Holiday games conflict me. On the one hand you enjoy the chance to watch your team play.
On the other, you know there are going to be inevitable, ill-timed distractions and interruptions.
Add in the chance of losing a critical game to an important opponent, and I'm not sure they're worth it.
Boneman
May 15, 2026 at 06:43 am
Dude! Fifteen years and she is still just your fiancé??? C'mon man! Is she a Bears fan? LOL, just kidding...
SicSemperTyrannis
May 15, 2026 at 11:05 am
He found a keeper. Put a ring on it already!
Cheezehead72
May 15, 2026 at 06:48 am
When I was young and in the Air Force I could not watch Packer games regularly for 20 years. When I was stationed in Asia I would go to bed early and wake up at 2:00 am to watch the Packers if they were on TV before I went to work.
When I retired from the AF and settled outside of Wisconsin I would find any means to watch the Packers games. Usually going to a sports bar and watching it. When My daughter got married she scheduled the wedding so I would not miss the Packers game.
I still watch the Packers games but there are times when other things are more important. Maybe it is me getting old after all I am turning into a curmudgeon and have lost faith in this team.
This is a nice story and Kevin I hope someday the Packers will do something for you and your wife on your anniversary.
NickPerry
May 15, 2026 at 07:04 am
"Fortunately, for families that bond over football, that daytime game come Dec. 25 could serve as the best possible gift they will collectively find in their stockings. By that point, we’ll have a good read on who is in line to win the NFC North. Both the Packers and the Bears will be eyeing potential playoff seeding."
Sorry Kevin, but the Bears WILL NOT be eyeing a playoff seeding. They'll be eyeing vacation destinations and where they want to go and start their offseason, WATCHING the Packers in the Playoffs.
The Bears won last year in basically two ways that are NOT sustainable in the NFL year after year. They won a lot of one score games in the final minutes AND they crated a lot of turnovers. As Packers fans found out last year, it's hard to create that many turnovers year after year. Matter of fact it usually goes if you had a lot the previous year, it's really drops off the next year.
I really like this schedule the Packers have and I especially like the last 5 weeks of the schedule. 4 of the last 5 games at Lambeau. The last three home games either against warm weather teams or Dome Teams. Either way, I like the idea of playing the Texans who IMO will be really good, at Lambeau in January!
GO PACK GO!
#The Bears Still Suck!
## The Bears Will ALWAYS Suck!
dobber
May 15, 2026 at 09:00 am
"The Bears won last year in basically two ways that are NOT sustainable in the NFL year after year."
Those one-score, last minute victories are going to be hard for them, yes. The Vikings have ridden that roller coaster for years.
The Bears' OL looks like it might be taking a step back. They'll have to put more in Williams' hands--and if he continues to be a sub 60% passer, that will be hard. They essentially played two quarters per game and got away with it last year. I hate Dennis Allen, but he has a little better defense lining up so far and he has a track record of generating turnovers. I agree that there will be regression here, too, though.
Reading a Bleacher Report (the equivalent of sports McDonald's) article, they predict 11 wins for the Bears. They also pick the Vikings to get to 12 and win the division, FWIW.
Brewcity_BearsFan
May 15, 2026 at 06:19 pm
Way I see it, we have the opportunity to ruin Christmas two years in a row. Maybe even clinch their second consecutive division title in the process ;-).
Starrbrite
May 18, 2026 at 06:02 pm
Me too NP.
Coldworld
May 15, 2026 at 07:53 am
There is nothing in this schedule that we or the Packers can really complain about from a football perspective. I can understand fan irritation with the Thanksgiving Evening and Noon on Christmas Day in some quarters. Football wise though, there are no excuses to be found here. In fact really not much to talk about at all, though no doubt writers will try in this dead zone of the football year.
This schedule is effectively a non factor in terms of our prospects. It provides nothing that will prevent Ed Policy’s leadership from demonstrating why he couldn’t understand calls for change. So now, just go out and back that certainty up.
Leatherhead
May 15, 2026 at 09:22 am
""It provides nothing that will prevent Ed Policy’s leadership from demonstrating why he couldn’t understand calls for change""
So, now Ed Policy joins LaFleur and Butkus and others as guys who aren't as smart as you.??
I love this "excuses" thing. Do Philadelphia, Seattle, or LA have excuses? Because at least two of them will not win the Super Bowl this year. Why not? Because their coach/GM/ assistant coach/CEO aren't good enough?
Coldworld
May 15, 2026 at 09:47 am
He’s the one baffled by the idea that change was necessary. He’s the boss who concluded it was not and we were lucky to have Gute and LaFleur and then retained their co-equality beneath him. So yes. He put himself smack bang in the firing line with either savant-like forethought or complete delusion.
If it works he’s a hero, if it doesn’t he will look like a guy with judgement unworthy of his position. He polished those property contacts so diligently that now he is the ruler of Lambeau you see (Apologies to WS Gilbert).
Coldworld
May 15, 2026 at 09:50 am
You are a master of excuses. I will leave you to fret about those chimeras.
barutanseijin
May 15, 2026 at 02:25 pm
Plus, what are the oh so tuff no excuses people going to do when their team doesn’t win? Stomp their feet REALLY hard ?
Since'61
May 15, 2026 at 03:07 pm
Coldworld so far Ed Policy is the product of the no accountability Murphy era and he is continuing along those lines. He had his chance to put Gute or another GM in charge of all football operations. He accepted a 5 game losing streak at the end of his first season as team president. Not only accept it but reward MLF with an extension.
I can understand him sticking with Gute for now but failing to send a message to the team by chucking MLF is unacceptable. He basically told the players, lose the last 5 games including a playoff game, no worries, it's all good.
So here we are. At least we have, what I consider to be, a decent schedule with a bye in week 11. We should know where we're at by then. Thanks, Since '61
Starrbrite
May 18, 2026 at 06:05 pm
That’s how I feel also ‘61.
BuckyBadger
May 15, 2026 at 08:21 am
I don't like the Christmas games and I am not religious at all but I do have family. I will not alter holiday plans nor will I even mention "but the Packers play at...". Not many times in a year we can all get together and that will always mean more than the NFL which only wants my dollar. Love football but everything has its limits.
Cheezehead72
May 15, 2026 at 10:05 am
Its all about priorities. I am with you family comes before the Packers.
SicSemperTyrannis
May 15, 2026 at 11:09 am
You're quoting Vince Lombardi.
barutanseijin
May 15, 2026 at 02:28 pm
Very happy to have a game on a holiday that i don’t observe. Less happy that it’s on some crappy streaming service.
GregC
May 15, 2026 at 08:41 am
I don't like holiday games either. They are fine if I'm with my own family, who are Packer fans, but usually I am with my wife's family. They have no interest in football.
Geographical note: The Lions do not play in northern Michigan.
BuckyBadger
May 15, 2026 at 10:03 pm
Depends where you are in the UP. East side is solid lions fans. Middle are Packers and the West side has their share of Vikings fans. It stems from the blackout days when the Lions didn't sell out their home games.
GregC
May 16, 2026 at 05:44 am
I'm from the U.P, I know all this. My comment was referring to this sentence from the article: "And so I sat and listlessly talked with strangers while somewhere in northern Michigan my favorite team played my favorite sport with an undefeated season on the line."
LeotisHarris
May 15, 2026 at 08:42 am
The game is certainly not a gift because it we be a Netflix exclusive. No thanks.
Nice article, Kevin. Like so many of us, you seem to have outkicked your coverage with Cynthia.
dobber
May 15, 2026 at 09:03 am
I have a former college housemate who is a news editor for the GB Fox affiliate, and he says that game will have a local feed for Madison, MKE, and the Fox valley, but if you're western or northern WI, you'll be SOL.
LeotisHarris
May 15, 2026 at 10:47 am
Indeed SOL in my corner of WI. Same as it ever was.
Coldworld
May 15, 2026 at 10:55 am
Well that’s better than I expected if Madison will get it. Technically, the only reserved official team markets (those contractually reserved for free local viewing access) are Green Bay/Appleton and Milwaukee. That would exclude Dane county and the entire western 2/3 of the state.
Jefferson is in the Milwaukee area, as are Dodge and Walworth. Green Lake and Waushara are in Green Bay as are Waupaca, Shawano, Menominee, Oconto, Marinette and any counties east of those. Anyone west of those will be out of luck unless Madison gets some kind of exception.
Cheezehead72
May 15, 2026 at 10:06 am
As I mentioned before, I live out of state but I will watch it on UZZU.
LeotisHarris
May 15, 2026 at 10:49 am
Same pricing as Netflix per month, correct?
SicSemperTyrannis
May 15, 2026 at 11:10 am
Netflix in Christmas?!? I gotta go to a sports bar? BOO
splitpea1
May 15, 2026 at 10:06 am
Holiday games are fine with me; it's an entertaining way to kill the day off without worrying about the more important things that normally need to be done during business days. I honestly don't like most holidays, and I can 't wait for the time Labor Day either gets eliminated or replaced with "Android and Robotics Day." As for any family get-togethers, everybody knows I won't be coming if the Packers are on, and that got settled decades ago. Nobody loves me anyway.
LambeauPlain
May 15, 2026 at 11:09 am
Faith, Family, and Friends in that order of priority. Can always record and watch later.
Christmas and Family come first on Christmas Day. And my Family are all loyal, game following Packer fans.
MitchAnthony
May 15, 2026 at 05:16 pm
Ordo amoris ?
Alberta_Packer
May 15, 2026 at 01:09 pm
So Christianity vs. the NFL on Christmas Day. Or - one religion vs. another. Just another instance on how the NFL is inserting itself into every major Holiday - while in defiance of age-old traditions.
MitchAnthony
May 15, 2026 at 05:19 pm
Used to be NASCAR would never put their national series on the track on either Mother's Day or Easter. Being that it was a spring to fall series those were their revered days. That was then, thi$ is now. Different management came along.
Alberta_Packer
May 15, 2026 at 05:27 pm
Such is modernist capitalism MA. That only reveres the maximization of profit and little else.
HarryHodag
May 16, 2026 at 07:58 am
The NFL has lost its mind. No sports activity should occur on Christmas day. Ever. I thought the NBA was terrible when it went to its full slate of hyped games on Christmas. Bad.
If ever you think the NFL gives a hoot about 'faith, country, family', etc. this is prime exhibit "A" about what a bunch of phonies they are. They want the fans to pay premium buck for a ticket(or extra on pay-per-view), leave family and religious gatherings, and go see a game that easily could be played another time. The team is also away from family.
Sick.
The next thing will be the 18 game season. They don't care about player safety . They don't care about family . All they want is money and power.
This is symptomatic of a larger problem that the average fan rarely thinks about.
Since'75
May 16, 2026 at 08:51 pm
They just don't care!!!
Those sons of bi...s
Since'75
May 16, 2026 at 08:43 pm
I just don't really understand why football cant be on tv during the holidays at family get togethers.
Does that imply you don't love your family.
It's not like you get there, watch the game while eating, and then leave when the time clock reads zero's....lol
Maybe your the only Packer fan in your family, which would suck.
But that's never been my world.
********
Remember Kevin, you don't just marry the girl, you marry the whole family.
You didn't get married yet, there is still time.
*********
JK 😏😛
Since'75
May 16, 2026 at 08:47 pm
As far as anyone who is appalled and despises the idea of the NFL having games on Holidays....just don't watch it.
Yes, they do it for money. 🤷♂️
How dare a business conduct itself in that manner!! 😲
*********
Luckily, the Macy's Day Parade isn't shown on TV for money.