For a quarter-century since the Browns returned in 1999, Cleveland football during Christmas time hasn’t exactly been the thing of holiday cheer. Disappointing results, lost seasons being played out and mostly meaningless games have been the equivalent of Christmas coal for fans of the Brown and Orange. The Browns have only played once on Christmas Day and that was in 2021, when they lost, 24-22, at Green Bay. Cleveland outgained the Packers, 408-311, but Baker Mayfield threw four interceptions. There was a time — mostly in the 1950s and 1980s — when Brownie the Elf (the first official mascot of the Browns more than 75 years ago) brought that holiday cheer to the shores of Lake Erie in the form of big games and big Cleveland victories. Here’s five of the most memorable Browns victories on or around Christmas time, plus three stocking stuffers: Otto Graham led the Browns to NFL championship game victories during Christmas time in 1950, 1954 and 1955. (Associated Press file) Presents Browns 30, Rams 28, Dec. 24, 1950 NFL Championship Game Christmas Eve at Cleveland Stadium had to be the ultimate pre-Christmas bash as the Browns rallied for 10 fourth-quarter points — the last a field goal by Lou Groza with 28 seconds on the clock — and won their first NFL championship. It was the first NFL title for legendary coach Paul Brown and all-time great Browns quarterback Otto Graham, who threw four touchdown passes in the game. Browns wide receiver Dante Lavelli had 11 receptions and two touchdowns, and Cleveland’s defense had five interceptions. Browns 56, Lions 10, Dec. 26, 1954 NFL Championship Game Cleveland took advantage of nine Detroit turnovers and won the championship in a rout. Lions QB Bobby Layne was intercepted six times — two each by Len Ford and Kenny Konz — and the Browns recovered three fumbles. Graham threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores. Browns 38, Rams 14, Dec. 26, 1955 NFL Championship Game It was the final game of Graham’s Hall of Fame career in front of a then-NFL record 87,695 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Browns sent Graham out a winner. Don Paul’s 65-yard pick six gave Cleveland a 10-0 lead in the second quarter before Graham stamped the lopsided win with two TD passes and TD runs of 15 and 1 yards in the third quarter. In the final minutes, Brown sent in reserve QB George Ratterman to allow Graham to receive an ovation from the L.A. crowd. Browns 27, Colts 0, Dec. 27, 1964 NFL Championship Game This week marks the 60th anniversary of the Browns’ historic win over the favored Colts, which were led by legendary coach Don Shula. What a post-Christmas treat this was for Browns fans, who enjoyed the game from their seats at Cleveland Stadium. They watched as the defense overwhelmed QB Johnny Unitas and Baltimore’s offense. The game was scoreless at halftime until Frank Ryan threw three TDs to game MVP Gary Collins on throws of 18, 42 and 51 yards. Jim Brown ran for 114 yards on 27 carries. Kevin Mack dives into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown against the Oilers on Dec. 23, 1989. (Associated Press file) Browns 24, Oilers 20, Dec. 23, 1989 With the winner-take-all battle for the AFC Central at the Astrodome seemingly in the Browns’ favor after a 17-0 halftime lead, the Oilers stormed back to a 20-17 lead with about 5 minutes to play in a stirring regular-season finale. That was until Bernie Kosar (228 yards, two TD passes) led a drive in the final minutes that was capped by Kevin Mack’s 5-yard TD run with seconds to play. Eric Metcalf and Webster Slaughter each caught TD passes while Oilers QB Warren Moon torched the Browns’ secondary for 414 yards and two TDs. Cleveland won the Central with a 9-6-1 mark, a half-game better than the Oilers, which finished 9-7. Stocking stuffers Browns 27, Bengals 24, Dec. 21, 1980 The week prior, Cleveland suffered a devastating loss at Minnesota on a Hail Mary catch by Ahmad Rashad on the game’s final play. So the Browns needed a win at Cincinnati in the final regular-season game and they delivered a 27-24 win on Don Cockroft’s field goal in the final minutes. The Kardiac Kids victory secured the franchise’s first playoff spot since 1972. Brian Sipe threw for 308 yards, and at the time became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season en route to winning league MVP honors. Browns 47, Chargers 17, Dec. 21, 1986 Needing a win to secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, the Browns answered with a season-high in points during the magical season of 1986 — one in which the team nearly made it to the Super Bowl before losing to Denver in overtime of the AFC Championship Game. Kosar played huge with 258 yards and two touchdowns passes while Mack, Curtis Dickey and Herman Fontenot each rushed for a score as Cleveland finished an AFC-best 12-4, one game ahead of the Broncos. Browns 19, Steelers 13, Dec. 26, 1987 The Browns finished the regular season at 10-5 and needed a win over their rival Steelers on the road to secure the AFC Central Division title. A Kosar TD pass, an Earnest Byner TD run and two Matt Bahr field goals were just enough. The Oilers would have won the division and the Browns a wild-card team had Cleveland lost.