One of the nicest things about Christmas is the time spent with family. That’s especially true given that the holiday lands on a Friday this year. A lot of people have the option to take a long weekend, starting with Christmas Eve on Thursday.

There are a lot of things to do while enjoying time with your loved ones and enjoying downtime: exchange gifts, come together for meals and attend church services. There is also plenty of sports action going on to enjoy.

Beaufort County teams are coming off the Northside Christmas Tournament, which featured plenty of thrilling games. There are lots of big games happening on the national scale, too.

College football bowl season is underway. There are showdowns on Christmas Eve, including Cincinnati vs. San Diego State in the Hawaii Bowl. The weather at that game should be comparable to what we’ve seen in eastern North Carolina recently.

Two other American Athletic Conference teams will clash with two ECU rivals the day after Christmas. UConn takes on longtime ECU rival Marshall in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Tulsa will meet Virginia Tech in the Camping World Independence Bowl, too.

Pirate fans also get a chance to scout new head coach and current Duke offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery. The Blue Devils will face Indiana in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City.

Basketball fans also have a lot to look forward to. College and NBA games have a lot to live up to after Friday’s instant classic between Northside and Terra Ceia.

The marquee college matchup will be No. 12 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Louisville the day after Christmas. The Cardinals currently top the Atlantic Coast Conference. Viewers not familiar with the Wildcats will get a chance to take a look at where Beaufort County native, and former Northside star, Edrice Adebayo will play next year.

The NBA will feature some strong matchups around Christmas, too. The highlight will be a rematch from last spring’s finals. Defending champion Golden State Warriors will meet the runners up in the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas day.

All those contests will be tough to follow some of the football and basketball we’ve seen in Beaufort County in the past month or two, but they will certainly be fun to watch for the whole family.