Hammers defender Vladimír Coufal is enjoying the countdown to Christmas Day, when he will be celebrating more than one special occasion.
While he will be hoping to be able to toast positive results against AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, and later Southampton and Liverpool towards the end of the busy festive period, the Czech Republic international will also be marking his daughter's birthday on 25 December.
As Christmas approaches, our No5 - who has made ten appearances for the Irons so far this season - sat down to talk about his plans for the coming weeks, his family, Czech festive traditions and his football…
“For me, Christmas is one of the best parts of the year, and it’s a time to get all of your family and friends together,” said Coufal. “The most important thing is time together as a family, and being together with your kids and making sure you follow the tradition of Christmas.
“My daughter was born on 25 December, which is, of course, Christmas Day in the United Kingdom, so that was another amazing gift, and we have two important times of the year to celebrate.
“When I was a kid, I was excited to get as many presents as I could and was always excited. Now, I am a father, a husband and a friend of a lot of people, so I want to ensure they all have as special a Christmas as I had growing up, which makes me really happy and keeps me very satisfied.”
Coufal gave us an insight into what a Christmas celebration was like for him as a child growing up in the Czech Republic, revelling in his love for Christmas morning and what he appreciates about the day now that he’s a father of two and a husband.
The 32-year-old continued: “We celebrate Christmas Day on 24 December, so it’s a day we spend together. At the start of the day, we will go for a walk together, and always in the Czech Republic, we would go to the forest to feed different animals such as deer and rabbits.
“We would also sing a lot of Christmas songs, eat Christmas dinner and also unpack all of the gifts from under the Christmas tree.
“In the Czech Republic we eat carp for our Christmas dinner. We buy a live carp and always let it swim before we then have it for Christmas dinner. Some others buy it from the supermarkets and then release it again in the river.”
Similar to Czech compatriot Tomáš Souček, Coufal was previously used to a three-week hiatus from football in his native Czech Republic throughout the Christmas period.
Now no stranger and fully adapted to the hectic nature of the festive fixture schedule in England, Coufal insists he is relishing the run of West Ham United games over the next couple of weeks.
“I love to play as many games as possible, so I really enjoy this time of year in the football calendar,” added Coufal.
“It is a time [of year] to rotate the team with so many games in a busy period, so it’s something I enjoy, and we know it’s an important period of the footballing calendar.
“The first year here in the United Kingdom was tough because we played on the 23rd, 26th and then 28th of December, and it was something I wasn’t used to because I used to have a big Christmas dinner in the Czech Republic.
“I had to change my diet, obviously, but I don’t mind it because I feel fresher. My kids are at school here, so we try to make sure we follow both Czech and UK traditions.
“The biggest sacrifice for me is that I’m not able to spend as much time with friends and family as I would like to, and, for example, I haven’t been home for the last few years for Christmas or New Year with my family. It can sometimes be difficult, but you have to adapt, and I'm sure a few good results would make things a bit easier!”
