Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson is looking forward to spending some time in his native Iceland over Christmas - as well as taking trips to grounds around the UK to watch his players in action at club level.
But what does Christmas in Iceland look like?
For children, there are 13 different Santa Clauses, each visiting on different nights from December 12 (last Thursday) to Christmas eve night.
READ MORE:Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson delivers some cheeky World Cup travel advice to fans
Ireland World Cup 2026 qualifying fixtures as schedule confirmed by FIFA
And as for Icelanders’ favourite Christmas meal?
“We have smoked pork on December 24,” revealed Hallgrímsson. “We do the 24th at 6.00(pm), it starts.
“We have a close family tradition on the 24th and then the bigger family on the 25th.”
As for the various Father Christmases, he added: “We have different Santas, the first one came two days ago. A different one every day before Christmas.
“They all have different names, really strange names.”
Those names have some very odd translations, including ‘Stubby’, ‘Bowl Licker’, ‘Sausage Swiper’ and ‘Door Sniffer’!
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
