The Patriots may be in preparation mode for their upcoming matchup against the Buffalo Bills, but the holiday spirit is still alive and well in the locker room.
A few members of the Patriots’ roster shared their most memorable Christmas gifts from childhood on Thursday, and there are definitely a few laughs on the list.
Check out the list below to see the Patriots’ favorite Christmas memories. It may inspire a last-minute gift idea for the Patriots’ fan in your life.
Deion Branch, wide receiver: Probably the [Tudor] Electric Football Challenge where you stack the guys up. That was probably my favorite one. I was probably 9 or 10. You turn it on, and it makes this little weird noise, “Mmmm mmmm,” and guys just move around and then the play stops when the opposite guys touch — it’s weird.”
Matt Slater, wide receiver: Basketball hoop. I had been asking for it for years. My dad surprised us the day before Christmas. He put it up. My brother and I shot hoops all day.
Thad Turner, cornerback: When I was young, I got one of those really nice basketball hoops with the glass backboard. I thought I was going to be Allen Iverson when I grew up, but that didn’t quite work out.
Kyle Arrington, cornerback: The best Christmas present I got was the Power Rangers video game — the first one. I was so excited when that came out. That was my favorite gift of all time.
Thomas Clayton, running back: Mortal Combat. I begged my parents for it. [On Christmas morning], they said, “Okay, open up your gifts.” So I open up my gifts, and the one gift that I had was just like white Hanes T-shirts. So I was like, “Where are my gifts?” And they told me, “Look at it again.” They had hid the game underneath the white shirts. That was memorable because I had begged them for that one gift.
Matt Katula, long snapper: I remember when I was little, I got the original Nintendo. It was like two controllers [and] a Duck Hunt gun.
Zoltan Mesko, punter: I think my favorite present would be an Atari, back when I was in Romania. It was the first video game I ever played.
Sammy Morris, running back: I think the best one was the very first Nintendo. I had played the Atari and all those other cheaper games at my friends’ house, but that was just coming out, and it was the first thing we owned at our house. I’m talking about the first, first Nintendo where you have to blow in the disk — old school.
Quinn Ojinnaka, offensive lineman: My favorite Christmas present was the PlayStation I received in high school.
Lorenzo Washington, defensive lineman: My favorite Christmas present ever was probably getting the Duck Hunt on the Nintendo way, way back when I was a little kid.
Tracy White, linebacker: I’m going to have to say Sega Genesis. That’s my favorite one.
Julian Edelman, wide receiver: I shared a room with my brothers. We wanted a VCR because that was like the new cool thing. [On Christmas Day], my parents told us to go get our clothes out of the dryer. They hid the VCR in there. We had no clue. It was so cool.
Rob Ninkovich, linebacker: I was pretty spoiled as a kid. I’d have to say, when I was like 12 years old, all I wanted in my room was a television, and my parents would never let me get a television, and then I got it, so I was like, “This is awesome.”
Gary Guyton, linebacker: Race cars and box cars. I was happy with either one of those. I love those little remote control cars. Also my bike. I rode my bike all over the place.
Rich Ohrnberger, offensive lineman: One time, my mom put a lump of coal in my stocking. On Christmas morning, I was always up super early, and I was always the first person up. I woke up my sister, and there wasn’t a single present in my house for me. I had my stocking, and it was full, but it was newspaper, newspaper and then just one lump of coal. And they had hid my presents behind the couch in the corner, and I didn’t see them at first, so I was like, “What?!” I was young, and I was starting to get choked up, and my sister was like, “No, no, no! You can have some of my presents.” But then she went and found them. It didn’t take long, but that was probably the most memorable.
Ryan Wendell, center: A big yellow Tonka dump truck. I was real young — I think I was like 3 or 4, and I just remember that I really wanted it and I got it. I was pretty psyched about that. I think my mom still has it. It’s still around. I think the fact that it still survived is pretty amazing because I think most of my toys got destroyed.
Rob Gronkowski, tight end: The Great Adventure Toys — they’re at Toys “R” Us. That’s definitely my favorite.
Dane Fletcher, linebacker: When I was little, my parents got me a cat. That was always my best friend growing up. It was a girl, and we named it Jim.
Kyle Love, defensive lineman: I wouldn’t really say I have a favorite Christmas present, but anything that is given to me is something great for me, so I’m happy.
Thomas Austin, offensive lineman: My brother and I — I was in seventh grade, he was in fifth grade — and we both got paintball guns for Christmas. And then the next day, we were outside, and we shot the neighbor’s house, so they were taken away for like a month.
