Ginyard: Best Christmas Present Of All

Marcus Ginyard played for the Tar Heels from 2006-2010. He now plays professionally in France and will post a regular travelogue column on Chapelboro.  Read his previous entries here.

NANTES, France – I’ve been lucky that from high school, through five years at UNC, and now professional ball in Europe, to travel the world.

Marcus Ginyard with his mother, Annise, in front of The Grand Elephant in Nantes, France

Still, it can be lonely around the holidays.  Especially when your team isn’t doing so well. We won our first five games and I thought we were rolling, but then we lost four of our next five.

But I got the best Christmas present of all when my mother – my friends know her as Annise – came to France to be with me.

It’s ironic that as my team over here is having issues with consistency, my mother – the most consistent force in my life – arrives. Since my first season playing pro ball in Europe, she has been with me over Christmas, making sure that even thousands of miles away from home I am still with family during this special time.

Most people would say I am a “momma’s boy,” which I do not contest at all. My mother and I have formed a special bond over the years, and I think of her more as a best friend in this time of my life. We’ve explored a good portion of the world as a result of her visits, and I’m very thankful she’s in Nantes to share Christmas with me.

We have always enjoyed spending time together but, like me, she loves the chance to see something new, and to experience different cultures and ways of life. The perspective that we gain is invaluable!

Together, we have been able to understand what life means to a wide range of people, helping us to evaluate our own lives with a clearer focus. Have we seen everything? Absolutely not! And the more we are able to see, the more we realize there is so much more to be learned!

Marcus Ginyard and his mother, Annise.

My mother told me something she noticed about France since being here, and I couldn’t agree more. In her words, “Food does more than nurture the body, it feeds the soul.”

I’ve had one the most amazing culinary experiences in France these first few months, and it isn’t always the fancy dinner at the four star restaurant. The simple combination of good bread, wine and cheese is something I will never underestimate again!

To all our family and friends back home, my mom and I say, “We miss you and Merry Christmas!”

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