Saints, LSU gear popular items this holiday season

With Christmas less than 48 hours away, thousands of Tri-parish residents are currently jamming the aisles of local stores to find the perfect last-minute gifts. But despite the panic and frustration that late shopping may bring, hope still remains. Here are a few stocking stuffers that sports fans can still purchase as Christmas nears.

Saints Jerseys

There is no more popular show in town than the Saints, who are pushing for their first-ever Super Bowl championship this season, but shopping for jerseys is a tricky situation. The prices are sometimes borderline outrageous and the best players’ jerseys are sometimes hard to find in the holiday season.

But Kief Hardware in Cut Off and Raceland is giving fans a jersey deal that is tough to refuse.

Kief Hardware starts their authentic jerseys at $89. But the store reduces that price $1 for every point the Saints score in a respective game and another $1 for the number of wins the team has on the season.

So if the Saints score 45 points this Sunday against the Buccaneers, Kief Hardware will chop $45 plus $14 off the original price.

The jerseys are sold primarily at Kief’s Cut Off store, but shipments are made weekly to the Raceland store if needed. This deal has worked out well this season for thrifty fans when you consider that the Saints have already set a franchise-record for points scored in a season.

Location: Kief Hardware locations in Cut Off and Raceland

16230 Highway 3235, Cut Off,

4560 Highway 1 #1B, Raceland

Price: Variable (depending on how many points the Saints score each week and how many wins the team has in the season)

NFC South Division Championship T-shirt

Division championships are hard to win in the NFL. The Saints are living proof of that and have won just four division championships in more than 40 years of existence. That makes this year’s NFC South Division Champion shirt a “must-have” for many fans.

These can be purchased online or at local stores, including Academy Sports in Houma and Thibodaux or Foot Locker and Sports Avenue in Southland Mall.

Price: Starting at $19.99

Saints Fathead

For those who haven’t seen the commercials, a Fathead is an abnormally large sticker or decal that most folks place on the walls of their homes.

Purchasing a Fathead would allow the biggest Saints fan to celebrate the team’s season in a big way – a 3 feet by 6 feet way. Options for sale include Drew Brees, Reggie Bush or a Saints helmet.

Fans who are not willing to sacrifice that much wall space can also opt for the Fathead Jr., which is roughly 2 feet by 3 feet.

Location: www.fathead.com

Price: $74.99 for full-sized; $39.99 for junior-sized

LSU Capital one Bowl gear

Even though LSU’s season may not have gone as planned, don’t forget about the Tigers’ big Jan. 1 showdown with Penn State when shopping for family and friends.

Houma store Tiger Tyme always has the cream of the crop for LSU merchandise and if they don’t have what you need, www.lsusports.net and other Web sites have plenty of Capital One Bowl merchandise.

Location: Tiger Tyme, 1216 St. Charles St., Houma

Price: Variable among items

Alex box memorabilia

Fans with a larger budget can own a piece of LSU history – literally. The LSU athletic department is hosting an auction of the old Alex Box Stadium where fans can bid on items from the old stadium.

Among the items for sale are stadium seats, outfield signs, infield dirt and locker room lockers. According to Ron McDaniel with Maxon Media, plenty of items are still available with the most popular items currently being authentic stadium bleachers with legs and framed photographs with authentic infield dirt.

Location: www.alexboxauctions.net

Price: Variable among items

Courtney Theriot holds a pair of Saints jerseys at Kief Hardware’s location in Raceland. Kief Hardware is a popular holiday destination because they are offering a discount on Saints merchandise. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN