Sixers Share Their Holiday Memories and Traditions

The Sixers are on a four-game road trip over the holidays. While many of the players are spending Christmas Eve at Jerryd Bayless' home in Phoenix, where they played the Suns on Dec. 23, they grew up with their own traditions. The Sixers shared their holiday memories, routines and and even favorite gifts. 

Joel Embiid
It was a big celebration in the whole country (Cameroon). It's a family thing -- a lot of family came from all over the place got together to celebrate. I haven't been back home to celebrate for six years. I miss being with my family and enjoying everybody.

Dario Saric
The day before Christmas in Croatia, we eat fish, some seafood. On Christmas Day, we had some turkey, chicken, ham, something like meat.

My favorite Christmas was last time when I went to my hometown, it was like five years ago. I got time to spend with my family and friends. I played in Turkey the last two years and I always had games because they don't celebrate Christmas and they don't have a break on that day.

For Christmas, for me it's best to be in my hometown. Everything is nice to be in Phoenix and with the team, but when you're in your hometown with your family, it's something special.

Nerlens Noel
My gift of a toy truck is probably my favorite memory. I wanted it for so long. It was a Hess truck. I wanted to drive something. Me and all my brothers got it. I was about eight or nine. ... [We had] a regular Christmas tree and the basics, nothing crazy. We might have a couple family members, but it was mostly me and my family.

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Ersan Ilyasova
Obviously now with kids being born in the United States, it's one of those things they always talk about in schools. We always go through it no matter what because the most fun thing about it is when they see the presents … Personally, I don't celebrate it (Christmas) … These days it's hard to surprise the kids. They've got all the toys you can imagine … My wife does more, as far as finding toys right for them. She got a robot cat that does commands for all three of them. 

Nik Stauskas
My family has a cottage an hour-and-a-half north of Toronto that we would always go to. They get absurd amounts of snow this time of year.

Me, my dad, my brother and my uncle, we had a tradition starting when we were 12 or 13. Once it got to about 10 o'clock and it was after dinner on Christmas Eve, we had walkie-talkies and we were on this really long street. There would be a ton of snow and the street has a ton of really grown, mature trees. We would play three or four hours worth of hide-and-go-seek with the walkie-talkies in pitch black and the whole street is in play.

Me and my dad would start inside the house. We'd give them five minutes to hide and when they were ready, they'd give us a clue and it was up to us after that to find them. It got crazy. Sometimes they'd bury themselves in the snow.

The last time (I did that) was my sophomore year at Michigan. 

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
I had dinner with family (on Christmas Eve). In the morning, you got the gifts and that's like the magic. I believe the best moment was one day I got a dog. I was probably around four or five. It was a Yorkshire named Roxie. My mom came out in the room (with him). It was for me and my sister and brother. That was nice.

T.J. McConnell
We have a huge family. I have 24 or 25 cousins on my dad's side. We always went over to one of my aunt's and uncle's house and had a good time. We have this thing where if someone is bringing a bad vibe or aura around the grab bag … If they come in and say, ‘This is so stupid' … we give them the Grinch hat. Until someone says another negative comment, they have to wear it the rest of the night. It's actually really funny. 

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