Lions owner Martha Ford attends Christmas Day practice

She could have spent Christmas in the Hamptons or on a beach in Florida, but Detroit Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford instead chose to spend part of her holiday with her team.

Ford and about a dozen of her family members attended part of Lions practice today and afterwards took time to greet players on their way off the field.

"Small things like that, it means a lot," guard Larry Warford said. "It was really great of her to do that and show up."

Defensive tackle Gabe Wright said Ford and other family members exchanged handshakes and hugs with players and wished them all a Merry Christmas. After practice, Lions coach Jim Caldwell spent a few minutes on the field talking to Ford.

"It was nice," Wright said. "It definitely felt good. Christmas is a time of family. usually everyone is enjoying their individual family times and for her to come out here and support us, especially with the way things are going this year, it really says a lot about her."

The Lions (5-9) host the San Francisco 49ers (4-10) in their home finale Sunday (1 p.m., Fox) at Ford Field.

"It means a lot," safety Glover Quin said. "It's Christmas Day and for her to be out here with her family, obviously, they could be at home eating Christmas lunch right now, but for her to be out here it means a lot."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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