City Women’s Christmas traditions! | OneFootball

Find out what a number of City’s players have planned for Christmas this year!

Women's Team

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Andrée Jeglertz’s side signed off from 2025 in style ahead of the winter break, beating West Ham 5-1 to secure passage into the Subway League Cup semi-finals.

That success closed a fantastic season so far for the Blues which also sees us at the Barclays Women’s Super League summit at the pause in play.

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Our next fixture is against Everton at the Joie Stadium on Sunday 11 January, meaning our players will be enjoying a well-earned opportunity to rest up and celebrate the festive period.

But what will a section of our players be up to before they return to the City Football Academy?

Women's Team

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SYDNEY LOHMANN

We celebrate Christmas also on the 24th in the night time, so that’s when we have our Christmas dinner and it’s really special.

[What we’ll eat] depends on where you’re from in Germany. My dad is from Hamburg and they have fish, potatoes and vegetables. We’ll also have red cabbage, warm, and a round kanoodle which is like a potato and flour mixture.

We’ll just sit together, chat, have a good time, play games. We always play games like whoever wins can open the presents first then some presents.

Then the 25th and 26th, that’s when we celebrate Christmas but that’s just being at home basically. One of our family traditions, we always make a big puzzle over the three days while we’re all at home together.

Hopefully it’ll snow, but lets see. It doesn’t snow often close to Munich, but last year it did though.

Women's Team

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LAURA BLINDKILDE BROWN

I go home with my family and sometimes we go to Denmark so it’s different, but this year we’re in England.

In Denmark you open the presents in the evening of the 24th which is a bit different. That’s really the only difference.

They have duck instead of turkey but it’s similar. In England, the whole family would wake up, eat breakfast then open presents.

Probably then go for a nice long walk and play some games. Then have Christmas dinner before TV and more games. It’s pretty chill.

KHIARA KEATING

I was going to say matchday minus one! Christmas Eve we have a games night and then everyone will prep the food – season it and stuff.

And then Christmas Day, we’ll open presents, chill, have fun, eat food. Eat again and eat a bit more.

AYAKA YAMASHITA

For Christmas we tend to spend with friends and partners. For the meal, the Japanese have the reputation we have a very healthy food. But during the Christmas time, we are allowed to eat junk food.

They promote a lot for Christmas on the TV ads and KFC for Christmas they are all sold out.

Women's Team

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KATIE STARTUP

Me and my family always watch a Muppets Christmas Carol.

Yeah, that’s the only real main tradition we have!

VIVIANNE MIEDEMA

We’ve got this tradition in Holland and it’s called ‘Gourmetten’ and it’s tiny little hot plates where you put your own stuff in. So you can just cook and eat whatever you want.

So, I reckon we’ll be doing that this year.

IMAN BENEY

We have family meals together where we will often have… do you know Fondue Chinoise [Chinese Hotpot]?

It’s boiling water and you dip meat into it and we have a bit of everything.

REBECCA KNAAK

[My favourite present?] As a kid, we always wanted to have Lego and I got a very big helicopter and we absolutely loved that.

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