MANY fans thought Christmas came early when Bjarki Gunnlaugsson netted his first hat trick for North End earlier this season.

But for the Ice man, the festive season is going to be a day late this year.

For Bjarki, who arrived at Deepdale earlier this year, is preparing to spending his first Christmas in the UK, celebrating like the rest of us on December 25.

And while that may seem normal to us Brits, for Bjarki, the whole thing will be starting a day late.

"In Iceland, we always celebrate Christmas on December 24," he explained: "We have a big family meal at about 6pm, and it is normally made up of pork steaks. We then open all the presents. But it is a big family affair, especially when we open the presents."

And while Bjarki may be swapping pork steaks for turkey this year, family will still play a big part in his festive plans - his twin brother, Leicester player Anar's partner is expecting a baby! The 26-year-old added: "I am going down to Leicester on Christmas Eve to see Anar. Their baby is due on December 28, so it is a very exciting time.

"I am really excited because my child's birthday is on December 25, and Anar is my twin brother, so it would be really good if his child is born three days early."

However, Bjarki will have to wait until the New Year before seeing the rest of his family, when they visit the latest addition to the Gunnlaugsson family.

Snow is also likely to be a thing of the past for Bjarki this Christmas. And relaxing on Christmas Day is out of the question too, as the ex-KR Reykjavik will be back in Preston, and on the training pitch. He said: "We are all training on December 25 at 5pm ahead of the Wrexham game. We don't mind because we are all working so hard towards promotion. I am enjoying playing football here and the people are similar to people in Iceland, so friendly and all.

"I want to continue playing here and play a part in Preston's promotion. I got the hat trick the other week and hopefully I will be able to build on that.

"It is up to me to play the best I can between now and the end of the season."

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