Twins first baseman Joe Mauer celebrated Christmas with his family on Thursday, and described it as "a pretty good one," according to sources close to the former MVP.
"He said he got some nice clothes and a bunch of cool games and stuff," said a longtime friend of the Mauer family. "Plus some gift cards from his uncle Ken. He thought those were neat."
Per another source, Mauer was "slightly perturbed" by a stuffed Krampus doll, given to him as a gift from Twins closer Glen Perkins. The demonic figure from German folklore, said to punish the bad kids while St. Nicholas rewarded the good ones, showed up on the Mauer's doorstep atop a box of Omaha Steaks.
(Krampus, pictured above, is not Joe Mauer's cup of tea.)
"Joe likes grilled meats," said the family friend. "Steaks, chops, chicken. Nothing too spicy, just a good, plain piece of meat, cooked well, that's his wheelhouse. But the doll was spooky. He didn't like it very much. Said it gave him 'the willies.'"
Multiple outlets are reporting that the former catcher and 3-time batting champion also continued his Christmas tradition of politely turning down egg nog with his standard, "Too rich for my blood, ha ha" response.