Christmas at the Kuyt's
Dirk Kuyt has lifted the lid on what it's like to be a Liverpool player during the Christmas and New Year holiday and provided an interesting insight into how an international footballer celebrates the festivities.
While many of us will be enjoying time off work and school with family and friends, and indulging in plenty of food and drink, the Reds squad - and indeed every other Barclays Premier League player - will be doing all they can to ensure they are in prime condition for what is traditionally football's busiest time of the year.
"You get used to it," Kuyt reflected when chatting with Liverpoolfc.tv at Melwood recently. "When I was in Holland, Christmas was different for me, but as soon as I came here I knew I'd have to play every Christmas.
"The good thing about it is instead of being with my family in Holland, all of my family is coming from Holland to visit me.
"It's a time of year I enjoy with so many games. I think everyone is enjoying their football, myself included. With Christmas and New Year you play so many games, and it's also a very important period because if you do well at this stage of the season, you can be right up there in the table."
Having played Wigan on Wednesday night, Liverpool welcome Blackburn Rovers to Anfield on Boxing Day before Newcastle United journey to Merseyside on December 30.
A trip to Manchester City is first up for the Reds in 2012 on January 3, quickly followed by the FA Cup third round tie with Oldham Athletic in front of the Kop three days later.
Such a busy schedule means the players will continue to maintain their usual training regime at Melwood - though such small sacrifices will be well worth it if Liverpool can send the fans home happy on Boxing Day, according to Kuyt.
He said: "I have exactly the same preparations (as for any other game). The only difference is normally the day before a game I like to focus on it and spend some time on my own with my kids and my wife, with not too many people around.
"But I think for one day in a year, you can be with your family and that can also give you strength and a good feeling.
"We always train the day before a game and the day before Christmas, so we're always focusing on football. It's just the way it goes.
"For my Christmas day routine, I will probably train in the morning and then after training go straight home and relax with the family. We will organise a big dinner with the family and stay in the house all day and be together.
"My family will probably be enjoying a great dinner with some lovely wines, and I'll just be looking at it!
"For me, in the last few years it's been more a case of eating pasta than the dishes I really like to eat at Christmas!
"You can't do the things you would normally do because you have to focus on the game. We have to eat good food and can't drink any alcohol before a match because it will have a big influence on the game. If we win the game on Boxing Day, it will give us a very good feeling and will be worth it."
He added: "It is like it is. Christmas is a time when everybody should be with their family. Even though I have to play a lot of games, I'll still be with my family.
"It makes me very happy, even the day before a game, just to chill out with the family. I know I have to focus on the game, but just to have my family around over Christmas and still play football is all I can ask for."
This will be the sixth Christmas Kuyt has spent in England after moving to Liverpool from Feyenoord in August 2006.
Holland, like several other leagues across Europe, suspend their programme over the Christmas and New Year period.
Kuyt, though, believes England's tradition of maintaining their fixture schedule is something fans enjoy.
"The main difference is in Holland they don't play football over Christmas or New Year," he said. "They start playing again in either the third or fourth week in January, so they have a bit of a break which gives you a bit of time to recover from the little injuries.
"England has a different style and you have to play more games than in Holland, especially over Christmas. It's a big difference, but it's good my family and close friends are coming over to join me. We will celebrate Christmas together and then on Boxing Day everyone will come to watch the game.
"I don't know if I'd like to see a winter break in England. People ask me that question a lot, but to play on Boxing Day is something that belongs to England and the Premier League.
"The families go to the game on Boxing Day, and that's something really special. At the end of the day, it's not up to me to decide whether it's good or not to play over Christmas."