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How To Celebrate Christmas with a Tailgate Party in Miami

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The 12 days of Christmas have become the three days of Christmas. Christmas Eve is on December 24 and Christmas Day is on December 25 but the Dolphins play the Buffalo Bills on December 23. So why not have your Christmas Eve early by planning a little Christmas party Dolphins style? You can start by decorating your car and then decorate yourself. There are so many ways to spread the Christmas cheer!

Deck Your Car

Some of you may have already seen these on the road. Retailers like Walgreens have the Elf Car Costume kits. It comes complete with an elf ear for the driver's and passenger's side and an elf hat. It's a little cheesy but the red and green elf hat will blend nicely with aqua and orange tailgating flag that you already have. It's just one way to let the world know that you're serious about Christmas and Dolphins football.

Nothing says Christmas like holiday lights and some of you tailgating phenoms are already so prepared that you brought the outlets to plug them in your tricked-out tailgataing trucks. For those of you who don't have the proper outlets, you can buy christmas lights that use your cigarette lighter for power. You can shop online on sites like Ebay for $10 and up. Your car won't be as awesome as the vehicles from Tron but it'll be pretty close.

Set the Table

Nothing says Christmas like good food, so it's a good idea to bring out some of your favorite Christmas recipes. We're talking Christmas cocktails, red and green football cakes with Dolphins players hob-nobbing with Santa, Christmas tree-shaped Rice Krispies treats and all the Christmas cookies you can stand. The possibilities are endless. Accent these treats by placing them in Christmas plates and serving trays. You can find these at any Party City. You can also decorate the table with tinsel and a mini Christmas tree, and for you frisky fans, a hint of mistletoe. It's the little things that count.

Where's Santa?

Fanatics are always trying to outdo themselves and often engage in a friendly rivalry with fellow fans and opposing team fanatics. Christmas is no different. This is your time to be as creative as your imagination will allow. You can dress as Santa in a Dolphins uniform and put reindeer ears on an inflatable Miami Dolphin. Alternatively, you can dress your children as Christmas elves. If all of that seems like a lot of work, visit your local Goodwill and find an ugly Christmas sweater, preferably one with a dolphin on it. You can't go wrong there.

Open Your Presents

This Sunday, December 23 is not only the last Dolphins game before Christmas. It's also Fan Appreciation Day. Lucky ticket holders can treat themselves to 15 percent off stadium store merchandise and 10 percent off food and beverages. So if you didn't bring gifts to exchange during your tailgating party, you can buy some for your guests at a discounted rate. You can also indulge your gluttony and save your wallet by treating your family to $1 hot dogs at the grand plaza through kickoff. Good luck thinking of a better gift than that.

Check out Tailgate Fan to keep the party going at tailgatefan.cbslocal.com.

Niema Hulin moved to Miami after graduating from the University of Florida and has lived there ever since. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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