“Everybody is coming to our house,” Self, Kansas University’s fourth-year basketball coach, said, asked by a wise-cracking reporter if he’d be enjoying a “Griswold family Christmas” – that is, leaving town like Clark Griswold and his clan in “Christmas Vacation.”

“The Christmases in the past were more like ‘Vacation.’ We go everywhere else, stop and see a moose and the Grand Canyon. We’re staying put this year.”

Like Lawrence natives Brady Morningstar and Brennan Bechard, Kansas Citian Brandon Rush didn’t have to go far for today’s holiday.

“We all go to my grandma’s and chill. It’s laid-back,” Rush said of today’s festivities.

Julian Wright, who drove back to Chicago with relatives after Saturday’s 84-66 home victory over Boston College, departed town looking forward to a couple of days off. The Jayhawks won’t practice again until Tuesday in preparation for Thursday’s 7 p.m. home battle against Detroit Mercy.

“It’ll be fun just to be with my family – not really involving the gift thing. I’m just glad to be home,” Wright said. “So I’ll take three days off and come back and get ready for the rest of our non-conference games and just try to get better.

“But it’ll be great to go home for a nice little break. For me, it’s a big chunk of time considering how long I’ve been here without going home, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Freshman Darrell Arthur, who drove to Dallas with his AAU coach after Saturday’s game, said his Christmas would involve good food and simple family fun.

“I haven’t been with my whole family in a long time. I love to be home all day and have a conversation with them about what’s going on,” Arthur said. “We just sit around and talk.”

Self said he’s glad the players get a small break in the schedule.

“We need a break. It’s a long season,” Self said. “Two days isn’t exactly a break. In the past, it’s (been) good to take four, five days. With the schedule we have, we’ve only got 2 1/2 days. It’s probably not enough. They need to spend as much time away from here as they can.”

The team appears to be rounding into shape for the start of conference play. KU will enter Thursday’s game with a 10-2 record compared to Detroit’s 3-8 mark.

“I’m looking forward to Christmas, then Detroit, Rhode Island (Saturday at home), South Carolina (Jan. 7 in Columbia, S.C.), then conference play,” Self said. “We need to get a lot better before we play Oklahoma State.”

KU opens the Big 12 slate against Oklahoma State on Jan. 10 at Allen Fieldhouse.

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Good atmosphere: Boston College standout Jared Dudley on playing in Lawrence: “This is a real talented team in a hostile environment,” he said after scoring 14 points in defeat. “That’s what college basketball is all about right there, their fans and this town.”

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Kareem to Europe?: Rush’s brother, Kareem, who lives in Los Angeles, is back in K.C. for the holidays.

“He might go overseas for the rest of the year and come back and try next year again,” Brandon Rush said of former Missouri player Kareem’s trying to resume an NBA career after getting cut by Seattle’s SuperSonics several weeks ago. “It happens. He’d been hurt the longest time.”