AUDIO: Dierks Bentley didn’t have any white Christmases as a kid in Arizona, so that meant he and his family engaged in some Christmas Day activities that snowbound folks have never thought of.

Dierks Bentley (Christmas in desert) OC: …in Arizona. :32
“I grew up in Arizona, so we didn’t have like a white winter kind of deal. It’s kinda…once you experience that, it’s hard to go back and like celebrate Christmas in the desert but…for us, we would…me and my family and a couple other families would go out to the desert and bring a big turkey and just kinda have a cookout in the middle of the desert…and drink beers and ride four-wheelers and…well, I wouldn’t drink beers, but they would. We’d ride four-wheelers and horses and just kind of spend it out in the middle of the desert, which was kind of a cool way to spend Christmas. So whenever I think of Christmas, I always think of the desert, which is a little weird, but that’s just the way we did it out in Arizona.”

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley says having children brings back the magic of Christmas.

Dierks Bentley (Christmas is for kids) OC: …become one again. :33
“Between touring so hard and being so busy and being away from my family, Christmas didn’t lose any of its real meaning, as far as the religious meaning, you know, Jesus’ birthday. But as far as the whole tree and all the Christmas spirit stuff, the secular stuff, it kind of goes away, to be honest. But then you have a family, all of a sudden, it’s like I’m Clark Griswold out there decorating the tree, putting lights up around the house. It’s all those things you did as a kid and appreciated as a kid, you get a chance to do over again when you have kids, because you kind of become one again.”

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about his youngest daughter, Jordan, being born on Christmas Day two years ago, and how that will affect the holiday in the future.

Dierks Bentley (Christmas-Jordan) OC: …get older! :31
“My daughter, Jordan, was born at 3 o’clock in the morning on Christmas Day. Some people tend to think that’s like a bad day to have as a birthday, because you’ve got to share it with Jesus and share it with Christmas and all the other presents, but I think it’s great. I mean, I think it was meant to be. Her name’s Jordan Katherine Bentley, so it all fits together. It was meant to be, and it’s going to be a very special Christmas this year. I’m sure down the road when she starts realizing that she’s having to share her birthday, she’ll want to change it. I already told my wife, she could have my birthday. She can take the 20th of November, and I’ll take Christmas as a birthday. Everyone will forget! I’ll never get older!”