CHRISTMAS 2021: Travis Denning

Artist: Travis Denning

Travis Denning grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia with his parents and sister. One of the family’s Christmas traditions was to open presents on Christmas Eve, which actually gives them more time to spend together.

“My favorite Christmas tradition is we always open presents the night before and used to, I always thought it was ‘cause me and my sister ragged on my parents until they let us. But now the older I get, and to me it really does make a difference. I wake up on Christmas Day and think about what it really means instead,” says Travis. “My parents always do a big breakfast; mimosas on Christmas morning. It’s just such a great family affair, and I just think ultimately in opening presents on Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day, we get to spend time reflecting on what it really means.”

What Christmas means to Travis goes beyond exchanging gifts. “The older I got, as cliché as it sounds, I mean it really isn’t about the gifts. It’s more about drinking some whiskey with dad while the little nephew or whatever open presents or my little cousins,” he says. “It turns into sentimental things and what matters. For me one year, that was a shotgun and then it was a, just a Stranger Things coffee mug that my mom got me, which I drink [out of] every morning. Those things that are just more like, ‘Hey-I thought about you and I put a lot of you in this gift,’ you know, and that’s what I love about it.”

The Georgia native says his favorite Christmas memory and favorite Christmas gift were both musical. “My favorite holiday memory as a child was when I got my first guitar for a million obvious reasons, but I felt like I finally got something I was really passionate about and dove head-first into it.”

“I think the best gift I’ve ever received during the holidays to this day is still probably the mandolin my dad got me when I was 19 years old,” he says. “It was just super awesome, and I’d been wanting one for a while, and it was a really touching and special gift.”

When Travis is celebrating the holidays, he is dancing around to “Jingle Bell Rock” or Kacey Musgraves‘ A Very Kacey Christmas album.

Travis Denning (Christmas) OC: …love about it. :47
“You know, my parents, they took it very seriously. I mean, we had four Christmas trees up in the house all over the place. The older I got, as cliché as it sounds, I mean it really isn’t about the gifts. It’s more about drinking some whiskey with dad while the little nephew or whatever open presents or my little cousins. It turns into sentimental things and what matters. For me one year, that was a shotgun and then it was a, just a Stranger Things coffee mug that my mom got me, which I drink [out of] every morning. Those things that are just more like, ‘Hey-I thought about you and I put a lot of you in this gift,’ you know, and that’s what I love about it.”

Travis Denning (Christmas tradition) OC: …it really means. :41
“My favorite Christmas tradition is we always open presents the night before and used to, I always thought it was ‘cause me and my sister ragged on my parents until they let us. But now the older I get, and to me it really does make a difference. I wake up on Christmas Day and think about what it really means instead. Now I think about it all the times anyways. I think about the birth of my Savior, and it’s like it just makes Christmas morning awesome. My parents always do a big breakfast – mimosas on Christmas morning. It’s just such a great family affair, and I just think ultimately in opening presents on Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day, we get to spend time reflecting on what it really means.”

Travis Denning (Christmas memory) OC: …into it. :14
“My favorite holiday memory as a child was when I got my first guitar for a million obvious reasons, but I felt like I finally got something I was really passionate about and dove headfirst into it.”

Travis Denning (favorite Christmas gift) OC: …special gift. :14
“I think the best gift I’ve ever received during the holidays to this day i s still probably the mandolin my dad got me when I was 19 years old. It was just super awesome, and I’d been wanting one for a while, and it was a really touching and special gift.”

Travis Denning (Christmas songs) OC: …Christmas music. :21
“I love hearing singers that I love sing Christmas music. That’s what makes it for me. I mean, I’ll sing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ on karaoke in the middle of August. I love that song that much, and ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree?’ I love it. I’ve listened to Kacey Musgraves’ Christmas record a thousand times. It’s so good. So, yeah, I’m very pro-Christmas music.”