Hard to believe Christmas is almost here, yet here we are. Meanwhile, the 2025 NFL season is winding down, and the Green Bay Packers are quite possibly one win away from a playoff berth. 

And so, in the spirit of both seasons, and inspired by Twitter/X user Wisconsin Family, here are 7 Things Packers Fans Want in Their Stockings This Christmas (in no particular order):

One More Win Over the Chicago Bears

Not only might this wish, if granted, catapult the Packers into the playoffs, it also massively improves the chances for an NFC North title. I have no illusions it will shut the always overconfident Bears fans up, but maybe that’s more of a birthday wish. 

A Rashan Gary Sighting

I mean, come on, Rashan. You’re wearing that No. 52 and not quite living up to its previous occupant's standards. In Week 7, Gary had two sacks in a 35-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to put him at 7.5 for the season, prior to even reaching the halfway mark. It worked! Trading for Micah Parsons unleashed the beast in Rashan Gary! Not so fast. That Week 7 game was the last time No. 52 got both hands on any quarterback. And now Parsons is out for the season, so where does the pass rush come from now? Prime Clay Matthews is not walking through that door, Mr. $25.77 million cap hit. It. Is. TIME.

No More Freaking Injuries

Speaking of Micah Parsons, the big question this Christmas is … why? Parsons was essentially ripped out of our stocking, just like tight end Tucker Kraft, center Elgton Jenkins, Devonte Wyatt and, heck, even Mar’Shawn Lloyd, although we have no idea what he might have contributed, if anything. So, Santa Claus, can you just leave that particular stocking alone for the rest of the year? We’d like it to be a Merry Christmas.

Continuity at Defensive Coordinator

Speaking of empty stockings, it seems like everybody with a mouth or a Twitter/X account is saying Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is as good as gone, even going so far as to say he’s destined to be the next head coach of the New York Giants. You see, THIS is why we can’t have nice things. After years of up-and-down defensive play, Hafley Claus finally shows up to bring a measure of efficacy to the defensive side of the ball, adding a dash of fire and meanness in the process, and now he’s already as good as gone? Thanks a lot, Krampus. We’ve been mostly good; we deserve a Jeff Hafley in the stocking for at least the next couple of seasons. Keep the sugar plums and candy canes; give us defense.

A Healthy Christian Watson

Yes, I know he’s been back for a few weeks now, but how about letting us have him, fully healthy, at least through the end of the season, Kris Kringle? We don’t ask for much. (OK, this list disproves that, but bear with me here.) I mean, the passing offense just isn’t the same without him, as we saw before his return. Moreover, the young man has been through enough. He’s a budding star, and the injury elf just keeps on making him toys that don’t work. Heck, just last Sunday, he ended up in a Denver hospital after a hard fall while trying to reel in a Jordan Love bomb. He’s not naughty, he’s nice, and he deserves better. WE deserve better. Check it off the list, Santa.

All Gas, No F***ing Brakes

When Matt LaFleur is digging in his bag of tricks, he can often catch fire as a play-caller – a fire fit for roasting chestnuts. (Or something, I don’t know.) And while that third-quarter shot play, on which Watson was injured, has been criticized, that’s the Matt LaFleur we want to see, not Bo Melton jet sweeps. The Packers were having trouble converting red zone trips into touchdowns against that stingy Denver Broncos defense, and in my mind that’s what helped LaFleur decide to dial up that longball – the attempted kill shot. And who knows, if Love wasn’t hit as he released the ball, it might have been caught, and Watson might not have gotten injured. The point is, there’s no sense in getting timid at this point. It’s December football – no brakes. Sounds like a helluva stocking stuffer to me.

Special Teams Consistency

I know, I know. Even Santa can’t grant a wish like this. (Apparently. Because, lord knows we’ve been asking for it every freaking year like it’s a Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle.) But “we-fense” coach Rich Bissacia is getting paid a pretty penny and has even brought in a few of his ringers from his days with Raiders, and still we can’t get basic consistency in the Packers’ special teams performance. It’s maddening. It’s enough to make you stop believing there even IS a Santa Claus. The Packers are 29th in the league in kickoff returns of 20-plus yards, per NFL stats. They’re dead last in average punt return yards. And the penalties just seem to never stop – 21 special teams penalties so far this season, sixth most in the league. Yuck. Oh well, I guess we should be thankful for Daniel Whelan.

Merry holidays, folks. And as a Packers fan, what are you wishing for this Christmas?