Danny Amendola talks all things Christmas
At least one thing has changed since Danny Amendola’s childhood holiday celebrations.
“It’s a lot colder here,” the Texas native said of his current Rhode Island home. “I have to wear a jacket.”
Amendola, who grew up in The Woodlands, is in his fifth season as a wide receiver for the New England Patriots. Other than the colder weather up north, however, December brings two familiar comforts for the 32-year-old: football and family.
“The holidays have always been pretty busy and hectic for me because of football,” he told Boston.com. “But I’m used to it. We get at least half the day spend with the fam and enjoy it.”
Amendola has yet to play a game on Christmas Day over the course of his nine-year career, but the Patriots have played on Christmas Eve for back-to-back seasons. After a 37-16 victory over the Bills Sunday, head coach Bill Belichick announced the team would have Monday off in honor of the holiday.
So what activities does no. 80 have in store for the special day? Nothing too crazy, really. There will be no caroling, no cookie decorating, no skiing or sledding. Just some good ol’ fashioned relaxation.
“My mom and my brother will come to the house for a few days,” he said. “We’ll make a bunch of food, exchange presents — just awesome traditional Christmas stuff. We all love it.”
Amendola used the term “we’ll” a bit liberally when describing his family’s preparations in the kitchen, for his mother, Rose, and brother, Matt, will be the ones actually cooking all the food. While he shamelessly admitted he’s no master chef, Amendola proudly proclaimed he’s quite the exceptional elf.
“I’m an extremely good present-wrapper and present-giver,” he said. “All my presents are wrapped extremely symmetrically and thoughtfully, with extra big bows. I just use brown wrapping paper — but with a cool bow — so it’s all uniform.”
When asked who taught him such a highly coveted holiday skill, the wide receiver said he’s “self-taught, like Jay-Z.”
According to Amendola, the best gift he has ever given was a luggage set to his girlfriend, Olivia Culpo, last year. The intent behind the suitcases and bags was to encourage the couple to travel more frequently, which they certainly have. The pair hit up a number of tropical spots throughout 2017, but Amendola’s favorite was Maui in February.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQygv7UAHCv/?taken-by=oliviaculpo
As for the best gift that he’s received, Amendola said nothing specific sticks out. Not even the skateboard he received as a nine-year-old. Or the pop-a-shot his brother got him last year.
“The spirit of giving is what it’s all about,” he said. “We always had amazing Christmases at my house, decorating the tree with ornaments and waking up Christmas morning to a bunch of presents. My parents — I mean, Santa Claus — killed it.”
Understanding that the holiday season goes beyond what’s under the tree, Amendola does his best to give back to the community so others can share similar experiences. He recently partnered with Stop & Shop’s “Food for Friends” campaign and has previously visited the Greater Boston Food Bank to “try and do whatever he can to give to people in need.”
“They do a lot of amazing things with the local food banks in the area,” he said of Stop & Shop. “They feed a lot of hungry people.”
For the Patriots, that spirit of giving is felt year-round. The two-time Super Bowl champion said the group is “constantly giving each other stuff,” so Christmas isn’t too different from the average day. But the holidays will sometimes inspire them to exchange festive cards, like his hand-drawn “daily Dola mail” to fellow wide receiver Julian Edelman.
If his teammates need any ideas for a future present, though, a guitar might just do the trick. Amendola said he wanted to be a rock star when he was younger, but Santa never came through with the necessary instrument. He ultimately got his hands on one for his NFL Mexico documentary with Edelman, but it’s still not the same.
“I learned how to play a little bit,” he said. “But not like I wanted to.”
Perhaps after football.
