In the spirit of the holidays, we asked softball players from all over the nation what today—Christmas—means to them. Touching on the spiritual and the secular as well as faith, family and friends, here are their responses…

 

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Christmas is a holiday where quality time is spent with friends and family. It is also when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

—C/SS Annika Baez (2017), Arizona Cats 

Spending time with people you love and people that love you!

—P DeNae Chatman (2017), Arizona Storm Mizuno-Tyler

 

Christmas is a great time to focus on my Savior and all He has done for me , my family and teammates and to spend time with family and friends.

—OF Hannah Johnson (2016), Georgia Fire

Christmas means spending time with my family.  Although we spend lots of time together at the ballfield, it’s fun just to hangout with them. We love to play card games, watching movies, sledding, laughing, etc.

—IF/OF Madison Lawrence (2016), Utah Hot Shotz

 

Christmas means the love of giving to others especially to my family, my relatives, my friends and also other people who are in need.  It is not just receiving a present that is fun, but seeing the excitement and joy of others when receiving a gift, nice gesture, or helping them.

— P/IF Sadie Lawrence (2018), Utah Hot Shotz

 

Christmas is an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Also, it’s a time where I can reflect on what I have and give back to others. The holiday break allows me to rest and recharge my batteries.

—P/1B Hannah Lilly (2017), OC Batbusters-Granado (Calif.)

 

Christmas is a time when I can spend quality time with my family.  I can get away from school, sports, and worries to be with the comforts of family.

–—OF Kelsey Miller (2017), Louisiana Patriots

 

Spending time with family and friends.  Happiness.  Cold weather and snow—I’m from Wisconsin and even though we moved to Southern California in 2004, I’m still not used to the warm weather during the Holidays.

—P/1B/OF Reilly Peters (2017), The Next Level (Calif.)

 

It signifies the birth of Jesus Christ and all the opportunities God has given me. Christmas is a time to spend with my family and give people presents to show how much I love them.

—SS Toni Polk (2015), Gold Coast Hurricanes (Fla.)

 

Christmas to me is a time when all of my family comes together and we exchange gifts to show how much we care about each other. Christmas also means hope and cheerfulness to me.

—C/IF Tatiana Santiago (2015), Overdrive (Fla.)

 

Christmas to me means spending time with the people you love. Not just all the presents and the decorations, but about laughing and making memories with those you care about!

— P/3B Lacy Smith (2015), TNT Gold (Pa.)

 

Christmas to me is a time of giving, whether it is an actual gift or a simple act of kindness. I personally have learned this year that life is a gift itself and you should cherish every moment.

—P/SS Taylor Strickland (2015), Lightspeed (Fla.)

 

I think the meaning of Christmas is giving, spending time with your family and friends and since I’m Christian it’s the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Christmas is a good time for family time and giving.

—OF Kalie Tafoya (2017), Colorado Cardinals

Christmas is a time to celebrate my family who, through the entire year, made it possible for me to play a sport I love. So I will honor them, hang out with them, love them always and give them plenty of hugs and kiss without the mistletoe.

—C/1B April Utecht (2015), WA Explosion (Wash.)

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I get to give presents and get presents to my friends and family.

—SS Kristyn Whitlock (2023), Nemesis Elite (Calif.)

Christmas means a time for family and being thankful for what we have. I love spending time with my family and making memories that will last forever.

—CF Kayla Yoshioka (2017), Nemesis Elite (Calif.)

 

Christmas to me is a time to spend with family and think about all that you have to be thankful for.  It is also a time to spend with my second family as well, my softball team.

—P/1B Lindsay Zdroik (2016), Wasco Diamonds (Ill.)

 

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… and, finally, we end with the thoughts of Sergeant Terry Pitts of the 4^th Infantry Division, Ft. Carson, Col. who is also the Co-Head Coach of the Colorado Springs Thunder 14U team:

As I am in the military, to me Christmas is a time of being with the family and experiencing the gifts we all have whether you are a religious person or not and that is family.  Things that are sometimes taken for granted but hardly ever waiver.