Whether you wear burgundy and gold or another team’s colors, tailgaters welcomed everyone ahead of Thursday’s Christmas Day game.
LANDOVER, Md. — Christmas spirit was in the air in the tailgating lots of Northwest Stadium ahead of the Cowboys-Commanders matchup on Christmas Day. It’s the first time the Commanders have ever played a game on this holiday.
The parking lots were full of tailgaters hours before kickoff, including many who told us they were waiting at the parking lot gates at 8:30 a.m., well before they opened at 9:00 a.m.
We stumbled upon a group who says they’ve been tailgating together for more than a decade, and it’s grown every year.
“We’ve been here since the stadium opened!” Miriam explained.
The 84-year old is one of the original tailgaters of the group.
“I had season tickets, so I started here with just about eight of us,” she said, “and we moved up here and slowly, friends of friends came together.”
“Chef” as he’s best known, is a Steelers fan, but he grew up in Maryland and raised his son as a Commanders fan. He cherishes these home games where he gets to spend time with his family.
“For me, because my son is married. He got his family, I got my family,” he explained, “this is guaranteed 10 days out of the year that I’m going to be with my son, tailgating with these wonderful fans here.”
There was no shortage of food, which was breakfast-themed for the earlier kickoff time, as well as dancing and music.
The Commanders lost to the Cowboys, 30-23. The team falls to 4-12 and will now head to Philadelphia to face the Eagles to wrap up the season.