There will be no snow at this Christmas Eve gathering. South Florida is not the place for rum-spiked egg nog, corny reindeer sweaters or extended family reunions, yet a family of a different sort will spend the holidays together this Dec. 24.

Presents and even Santa Claus should make an appearance at the Penn State football get-together before the Orange Bowl in a few weeks, but the bearded one will be a recognizable face surrounded by the friends and family of the team planning to trek south for a winter vacation.

"I was just kidding the kids the other day now that [former Lions defensive tackle] Anthony Adams isn't with us," Lions coach Joe Paterno said, referring to the big man who donned the costume the last time the team spent the season in the South. "He was our Santa Claus for a couple of years. I am looking around, and they all volunteered [Lions defensive tackle] A.Q. Shipley because he is built more like Santa Claus than anybody else."

Students got a chance to solidify their reason to be in Miami yesterday, but tickets to the game are in short supply for even the most well-connected fan, a sentiment expressed even by family members of the Penn State football team.

Jeffrey Paxson, father of Lions defensive tackle Scott Paxson, said his ticket has already been secured, but there's still a lot of work to be done to get everyone into the Orange Bowl.

"Lynn, my wife, has been making arrangements all season to make sure everyone goes to the games, and if you see 50 people in the stands wearing No. 41 T-shirts that's all thanks to her," Paxson said.

Signs proclaiming that one was "Entering Scott Paxson's Neighborhood" made appearances earlier this year in Champaign, Ill., East Lansing, Mich., and State College, although Jeffrey Paxson missed traveling to several games due to a detached retina.

"I did get to Michigan," he said. "I went blind in my right eye."

Paxson said he hasn't been able to fly since he underwent surgery, but he wasn't about to miss an opportunity to spend New Year's with family and friends in Boca Raton, Fla., before the bowl.

"I missed Michigan State and Wisconsin. I was forced to watch those games at my house by myself," Paxson said. "[My doctor's] going to do work. I've told him, 'You're getting me on that plane.' "

Lions cornerback Alan Zemaitis is the oldest of seven children, and the whole family is ready.

"We're going to make an event out of it," Carol Zemaitis, his mother, said. "All five of the boys and the girl, we already have our tickets and the hotel booked."

Carol Zemaitis said that after five years Penn State football has become "just another part of the family."

"My 11-year old, he likes basketball, he's not quite as excited as everyone else, but they're always excited to watch their older brother," she said.

When the game is over, the clan plans to travel to Orlando and Universal Studios as a family Christmas present.

Jim Connor, father of Lions linebacker Dan Connor, who lives outside of Philadelphia in Wallingford, said he, like the Paxsons, was flying to the game out of Atlantic City, N.J., instead of Philadelphia because of the high prices of holiday season airfare.

"It's only about 80 miles away," Jim Connor said.

Connor said he already has tickets, but he's still scrounging Internet sites like eBay.com and others to make sure everyone in his family has the opportunity to see the Lions.

"There's still a lot of work to do," he said.