Christmas started off bright and early for a group of Central Michigan players and coaches as they served breakfast to those less fortunate before heading into final preparations for Wednesday’s bowl game against Western Kentucky.

Seventeen players, all seniors, and a group of coaches and staff arrived at the Masonic Temple at approximately 6:45 a.m. to take part in the event, which was sponsored by the Salvation Army. The group helped serve breakfast for just over an hour before heading to Ford Field, where they meet up with the rest of the team for a final walk-through and team photo.

The players were given the afternoon off to celebrate the holidays with their families. They will reconvene this evening for a team dinner and a trip to see the movie Jack Reacher at a local theater.

Central Michigan (6-6) will appear in its fifth bowl game in the last seven years when it meets WKU (7-5) in the 2012 Little Caesars Bowl. The game, which is the lone bowl contest on December 26, will kick off at 7:30 and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. The Chippewas will be playing in the Detroit bowl game for the fourth time after appearing in the Motor City Bowl in three consecutive years, from 2006-08.