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First off, what’s going on?
Not much, just the eight Premier League matches, three Pro12 ties, racing at Leopardstown, Limerick and Down Royal – as well as the King George VI Chase at Kempton – 10 Championship matches, an NFL showdown and, for those who actually want to leave the couch and exercise a little bit, 25 Goal Miles around the country.
And what are the biggest events taking place?
1. The King George VI Chase at Kempton.
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2. Munster v Leinster at Thomond Park.
I don’t really like to sleep and fancy starting my Stephen’s Day sporting bonanza as early as possible; how can I do that?
Well, lucky for you the live sport on TV starts just one hour past the stroke of midnight. At 1am on Sky Sports 1 you can tune in to the Denver Broncos trip to Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West Division.
That should take you up to about 4.30am at which point you should definitely get some sleep because you have a big day ahead of you.
Okay, I’ve slept for a few hours. Now what?
Well that depends on whether you want to spend the day in front of the TV, get out and take in some live sport or, if you’re feeling particularly active, actually partake in some exercise. I’ll break down the options for you.
A day on the couch: The action kicks off with the titanic battle of Watford and Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road (Sky Sports 1, midday). All jokes aside this is quite an important match as a loss for Crystal Palace could see them slip into the relegation zone by the end of the day. It's not going to get your pulse racing, granted. But it's a pleasant way to ease yourself into the day.
If the first half is as uninspiring as it might certainly be then fear not because there are options.
At 12.50 the live racing action from Leopardstown gets underway on RTÉ 2 with the first live race coming in the form of the Grade 2 Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle.
At 2.05 you can get your first rugby fix of the day as Cardiff Blues take on Newport Gwent Dragons Dragons in the first of three national Pro12 derbys.
It's live only on BBC Wales but, if you don't have the channel tuned in to your Sky box you can follow our simple guide here.
However at 2.20 you’ll want to flick over to RTÉ 2 for the feature race at Leopardstown – the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Steeplechase. Willie Mullins’ Min goes into the race as odds on favourite, hoping to claim the title which the legendary Douvan won last year.
At this stage the clock will be ticking towards 3.0 and the six Premier League games that get underway.
While none are live on TV you can keep up to date with all of the scores with Jeff Stelling, Chris Kamara and co. on a Gillette Soccer Special on Sky Sports 1.
League leaders Chelsea take on Bournemouth while David Moyes returns to Old Trafford with his Sunderland team to face Manchester United.
Meanwhile Burnley face Middlsebrough, Leicester take on Everton, Arsenal meet West Brom and West Ham travel to Wales to take on Swansea.
At 3.10 you’ll want to switch over to Channel 4 to see what’s sure to be a riveting battle in the King George VI Chase at Kempton between Thistlecrack and Cue Card.
At 4.05 if you’re lucky enough to have BBC Alba you can watch the all-Scottish Pro12 clash of Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.
The first half of that will take you up to full-time in the Premier League matches at which point you’ll most likely be tossing your losing accumulator coupons into the bin – if you’re into that sort of thing.
You’ve now been parked on the couch for a solid five hours and it’s having a detrimental effect on your eyesight.
But how can you possibly leave? At 5.0 you’ll have to tune into TG4 or Sky Sports 2 for the ultimate Irish rugby derby of Munster and Leinster at a sold out Thomond Park.
If you’re not so into the oval ball you can catch Hull and Manchester City on Sky Sports 1 at 5.15pm.
Then, to round off the evening and take you towards a grand total of 10 hours watching live sport you can stick with Sky Sports 1 to see if Newcastle can remain top of the Championship when they take on Sheffield Wednesday.
At that stage you should turn off the television and go to bed. This hectic sport schedule runs right into the New Year, don’t forget.
A day out in the fresh air: There are a few options for you here, with some more accessible than others.
The Christmas Festival at Leopardstown is a festive tradition for many and the action gets underway with the first race at 12.15 on Stephen’s Day. Tickets are available on the gate for €30 while students and OAPs pay €20.
If you live further west then the Limerick Races are the place for you with the action getting underway at 12.25. Admission on the gate is €20 while you can also get a bus transfer to Thomond Park for Munster v Leinster for an extra €5. However, if you’re looking to get a ticket to the rugby you’re out of luck as the ground has fully sold out. Don’t lose hope though, there might be one under the tree for you on Christmas Day.
Even if you’re north of the border there is racing action for you with a full card getting underway at Down Royal at 12.30. Tickets on the gate are £15 and at 3.30 you’ll be treated to a point-to-point race where you can get right down to the fence and see the horses up close.
I want to exercise and work off my Christmas dinner: You can do exactly that while also raising money for the charity Goal by taking part in one of the 25 Goal Miles across the country. The concept is simple: people run or walk a Mile and contribute whatever they can afford to Goal on the day. The full list is as follows:
Carlow: Palatine GFC, 11am
Cavan: Fay GAA Park, Ballyjamesduff, 1.30pm-3.30pm
Derry: Derry, Sainsburys Car Park, 12pm
Donegal: Narin Beach, Donegal, 12pm
Donegal: Downings GAA Grounds, 12pm
Dublin: Porterstown Park, 11am-1pm
Dublin: Corkagh Park Car Park, Clondalkin (meet at main car park), 12pm
Dublin: Wildgeese GAA Club, Oldtown, 12pm
Dublin: Terenure College, 11am-12:30pm
Dublin: Round Tower GAA Club, 10.30am
Kildare: Manzors Car Park, Clane, 10am-1pm
Kildare: Kingslane, Kilteel, 10:30am-12pm
Kildare: St Catherine Park, Leixlip, 11am-12pm
Longford: Church Hall/Grounds, Strokestown, 2pm
Louth: St Feichins GAA Grounds, Beaulieu, Termonfeckin, 11am-12pm
Louth: Bush Athletic Track, Home of Glenmore AC, 11am-12pm
Meath: St Patricks GAA Grounds, Stamullen, 11am
Monaghan: Beech Hill College, Monaghan Town, 12pm
Monaghan: Carrick Aces Running Track, 11am
Monaghan: Latton GAA Club, 11am
Sligo: The Golf Club, Rosses Point, 3pm-3:30pm
Waterford: The Square, Portlaw, 11am
Westmeath: Castledaly GAA Grounds, Westmeath, 12pm-2pm
Wexford: The Quay Front, Wexford Town, 11am
Wicklow: Askanagap (outside Aughrim), 10am-12pm
I feel like having a bet. Any recommendations?
The standout bet of the day naturally comes in the myriad of horse racing taking place. But you’ll have to choose wisely. On Monday Colin Tizzard announced that stablemates Thistlecrack and Cue Card would go up against each other in a much-anticipated battle for the King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Cue Card is the older and more experienced horse and goes into the race as odds on favourite (5/4 with Paddy Power at time of writing).
However, Thistlecrack has been heavily tipped for big things this season and comes into the race with five Grade 1 wins and 10 wins in his previous 10 races.
At 11/8 the eight-year-old is a must bet. If you put him in a double with Min – favourite for the feature race at Leopardstown – €20 will return just less than €80.
But wait, it’s Christmas so that means films and documentaries. Any good sports one on today?
As a matter of fact, there are. At 6.20 on RTÉ One you can catch a quizzical sporting review of the year with Jacqui Hurley, Shane Byrne, Ruby Walsh and a panel of guests on Know the Score.
At 7.45 there's a bit of GAA action for you on TG4 as Cork hurling legend Dónal O'Grady goes on a journey to trace the origins and history of his county's jersey. That's An Fhuil & An Bindealán.
On RTÉ 2 at 9.35 you can settle down to watch Rush, the superb portrayal of the intense rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda and the life-threatening risks they took to get over the finish line first in the golden days of the sport.
Finally, at 10.55 on BBC One you can catch up on all of the days Premier League action with Gary Lineker and co on Match of the Day.
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