mobile app bar

“I Turned Into Ebenezer Scrooge”: Savannah James Opens Up on Childhood Trauma That Made Her Not ‘Love’ Christmas

Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar
Published

Savannah and LeBron James

LeBron James’ wife Savannah admits she isn’t a big fan of Christmas, though that wasn’t always the case. She loved the festivities until one incident when she was about to hit the teenage years, soured the season of joy for her.

Savannah revealed that when she was around 12 she got mocked by her friends for being upset that Santa Claus wasn’t coming to Northeast Ohio.

“I’m from Ohio so there’s likely gonna be a snowstorm around Christmas. So this particular year, there was a snowstorm… This was around the time you could first track Santa and where he was… I’m watching the news at my neighbor’s house, and the newscaster says, ‘Well, this weather. I don’t think Santa’s gonna be able to make it to Northeast Ohio, it’s getting a little rough out there’. [I started] bawling,” Savannah said on the Everybody’s Crazy podcast.

Her friends, perplexed at first, made fun of her for thinking Santa was real. Savannah immediately tried to play it off by claiming she was kidding. But it was too late. They continued poking fun at her, eventually shattering her enthusiasm for Christmas.

“All my Christmas dreams got crushed and I turned into Ebenezer Scrooge,” Savannah told co-host April McDaniel.

After Savannah and LeBron started dating, things became a little better. The four-time MVP is always busy playing on December 25, and she has had to scurry around to ensure they celebrate the day wherever he’s playing. It’s taxing, but she finds joy enjoying the festivities with the family.

Savannah’s sour Christmas memory remains with her though, making it her least favorite holiday of the year.

About the author

Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar

Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar

linkedin-icon

Jay Lokegaonkar is a basketball journalist who has been following the sports as a fan 2005. He has worked in a slew of roles covering the NBA, including writer, editor, content manager, social media manager, and head of content since 2018. However, his primary passion is writing about the NBA. Especially throwback stories about the league's iconic players and franchises. Revisiting incredible tales and bringing scarcely believable stories to readers are one his main interests as a writer.

Share this article