How the Royal Blues celebrate Christmas

Loris Karius

After a successful first half of the season, in which he kept several clean sheets on the way to giving Schalke the best defensive record in the league, Loris Karius is looking forward to enjoying the holidays. “I’ll be relaxing at home with my family over Christmas,” said the 32-year-old. He’ll have to juggle some last-minute stress in the lead-up to the holiday, however, with the goalkeeper confessing that he tends to leave his gift-buying to the last minute: “I only start picking out presents one or two weeks before. I’m a last-minute shopper.”

Given that his wife is from Italy, Christmas dinner in the Karius household tends to vary each year. Karius, who grew up in Baden-Württemberg, can remember serving a roast with spaetzle and red cabbage in previous years, whereas “now it’s always something different, but with an Italian focus, of course.”

Mika Wallentowitz

Mika Wallentowitz can look back on a memorable year, with the youngster from the Knappenschmiede having made his first few appearances for the club’s first team. In his household, the decision on who is allowed to unwrap the first present on Christmas is left to chance: “We always play a dice game to decide who gets to go first.”

This is just one of the Christmas traditions that Wallentowitz and his family keep. “We go to church in the morning and then later on we always eat raclette,” he shared. Afterwards, the family gather to open presents together. “When I got my first PlayStation 4, I remember spending a lot of time playing with it,” Wallentowitz said of what’s been one of his favourite gifts he’s ever received. This Christmas, he’s looking forward to sharing the magic with his younger siblings, before celebrating his 18th birthday on 28th December.

Finn Porath

Finn Porath will return home to Schleswig-Holstein over the holidays. “Usually I’d travel somewhere during this time,” he said, “But now that I’m living further away, I decided to stay at home with my family in Kiel.” Even during the winter break, Porath will still find time for a kickabout with his friends, saying “Over the last few years, I’ve always met up with my friends to play some indoor football with them.”

His family also enjoy taking long walks together over the holidays. Meals in the Porath household during this time include all the “Christmas classics,” with one key difference for the midfielder: no meat. “I’m vegan, so I’ll have a vegan roast with potatoes, red cabbage and sauce.”

Giving gifts to his nearest and dearest is something the 28-year-old really enjoys. “I always try to find cool presents for everyone,” he said. “This year I ordered several items from the Schalke shop, as there’s so much to choose from. I added a few babygrows and some kids’ shirts to my basket.” One of Porath’s favourite gifts he received when he was younger was a pair of adidas Kaiser 5 football boots. “I thought they were the greatest thing ever,” he remembers.

Peter Remmert

The striker will spend Christmas with his family, where they will first eat dinner together before unwrapping presents. In the Remmert household, there’s always plenty of choice on the dining table during the holidays, “from roulades to chicken drumsticks.”

“Now that I’m a bit older, opening presents isn’t as big a production as it once was,” the 20-year-old said. As a child, he remembers being a big fan of any sports-related gifts. “I once got a football goal for our backyard and a basketball net. I’ve always loves sports, which is why I was most excited about gifts like that,” he shared. After Christmas, the striker is looking forward to some rest and relaxation in the sun: “I’m flying to Gran Canaria with my girlfriend on the 25th, where we’ll stay until the new year.”

Felipe Sanchez

The Argentine is looking forward to heading home for the holidays. “I’ll be celebrating at home, where it’s currently summer, with a delicious barbecue, family and friends,” he shared. When asked what gifts he used to receive as a kid, the 21-year-old didn’t need long to think: “It was always, always a football.”