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Blue Devils Share Their Favorite Christmas Memories
12/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C.-- Some of the Blue Devils shared their favorite Christmas memories as well as photos from different parts of their lives growing up around the holidays. In the photo gallery is a picture of Emily and Abby Waner along with their brother, Alex, and dog, Bailey; Carrem Gay along with her mom, Michelle, Brittany Mitch in three photos with family members, Keturah Jackson in her Barbee car and photos from the 2007 Coach P's Christmas party.
Happy Holidays from the Duke women's basketball team.
Emily Waner
I would say the most memorable gift was when we received our first puppy, Bailey. It was a chocolate lab and we named her Bailey. Abby and I had been asking for a puppy for years from Santa and had always just received stuffed animal puppies. So it was really exciting to finally get the real thing!
Some of the most memorable Christmas moments are when we where little and would always put on a Nutcracker show for our family on Christmas Eve. Abby and I used to do ballet (I know it's hard to visualize now). The real joy was that my brother was extremely young and naive so we could dress him up in tights and make him be the nutcracker. It's pretty classic to go back and watch those home videos!
Abby Waner
My favorite Christmas gift was our chocolate lab, Bailey. Santa brought her :)
Karima Christmas
My family was interviewed by Channel 11 News on Christmas day. They asked me how it was to have the last name of Christmas -- if people at school teased me or stuff like that. My whole family was interviewed and they went through my house.
On how it has been to have the last name Christmas:
Before it was exciting but now it is funny to have people ask me if that is really my last name. I am used to it now.
How is Christmas at your house:
It is really big as everyone comes to our house. My parents say it is Christmas all year around at our house. Some of the decorations come down but some still stay up. We have Merry Christmas signs up just because of our last name.
Jasmine Thomas
My grandma (Ma), my dad's mom, lives in Washington, D.C. She is stuck in her neighborhood. It is impossible to get her out of there.
I think back about two or three years ago when she came to our house for Christmas and she loved it. She didn't want to leave.
Keturah Jackson
One of the gifts that stands out for me was the Barbee Convertible car that I got when I was five years old (Keturah and the car are pictured in the photo gallery).
Krystal Thomas
The memory that stands out for me was the Christmas before my mom passed away was the best Christmas by far. It wasn't about the gifts; it was about all of us being together during Christmas. Yes, we did get some great gifts, but it wasn't about that. It was about being together as a family.
Joanne P. McCallie
This year I'm not going to get to do it but I've done it in the past. It's when our family goes to Chattanooga [Tennessee]. The McCallie Christmas is all of the McCallie relatives in Chattanooga which can go up to over 100. It's a huge event that is held at The McCallie School. You connect with people you haven't talked to maybe in two years or more. We are going to Chattanooga this year-- we can't stay for the McCallie Christmas party because it's on Christmas Day and we're going to spend Christmas Day at home with our kids. For our family that opportunity has been very small for us living so far away from Chattanooga. Now being in Durham we have a drivable something so for us that's what our memory is.
Brittany Mitch
My family is going to spend our first Christmas together in Raleigh and I am very excited about that.
Chante Black
This year was a funny experience for me. We do secret Santa with the members of the team and this year I got a little confused on what was on the pieces of paper we drew. I thought they listed numbers but instead they did names. I thought my number I received was 31, but instead it was TE. I guess looking back at it I was seeing it backwards for a 31. Anyway, I had bought a gift for Keturah Jackson but as it got closer I found out she had someone already so I ended up buying a gift for someone else not knowing who it was and I was going to see how things played out at the party. In the end, I bought a gift for myself since I picked my own name. It gave everyone a good laugh and was an overall pretty funny experience.
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