The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Monday, December 12

Sorry the Hoddle is late this morning, Hoddlers. Let’s open with a quick question: what are some of your winter holiday food traditions?

Many people eat a Christmas dinner and if you want you can expound on that. But maybe there’s some other special food thing you do around this time of year. Our family always goes to the local German import store just north of town and places an order for several pounds worth of spreadable sharp New York Cheddar cheese, and a couple bags of rum balls. What NYC white cheddar has to do with Germany is a mystery, but it’s the only place in the area that sells the stuff and it is to DIE for on crackers. And the rum balls? Well, I just like them.

But not everyone celebrates Christmas. If that’s you, do you have certain food items that you tend to gravitate towards during the winter months? Is there another special holiday or tradition that you celebrate, and if so, what do you eat?

Song of the Day: Fountains of Wayne, “I Want an Alien for Christmas”

And now, the news.

Tottenham Hotspur Women dropped their second straight winnable WSL match, this time to West Ham. Abbie will have a piece coming, but here’s the BBC recap.

There is some MAJOR drama emerging from the USMNT over Gio Reyna right now. Pop some popcorn and get stuck in.

England may have lost to France in the World Cup semifinals, but John Stones and Kyle Walker are adopting and bringing home a stray cat.

Another journalist has died at the World Cup, this time a Qatari national covering the tournament.