The members of Little Big Town have their own traditions, but one they’ve all seemed to have adopted is Kimberly Schlapman’s annual holiday tradition.
“My favorite holiday tradition is, it’s happened every year that I can remember that I’ve been alive,” she says. “We would go over to my grandmother’s house and have Christmas over there, and everybody would come home to Mama and Daddy’s house. We’d sit down and Mama hands out everybody a gift, and we act like we don’t what it is, but we do ’cause it’s always Christmas pajamas. So, everybody opens their Christmas pajamas and goes and puts ’em on, and we come back to the living room and we sit around Daddy and he reads ‘The Christmas Story,’ and we tuck ourselves in until Santa comes.”
For Jimi Westbrook, nothing says Christmas like Elvis Presley. “My favorite Christmas song is this song I start with every year Thanksgiving drive, my first Christmas song to play is Elvis Presley, ‘Santa Claus is Back in Town.’ Sexy. Rockin’. Love it.”
One of Karen Fairchild’s traditions include making candy. “Christmases at our house usually included making candy with my mother and my grandmother,” says Karen. “We did everything from potato candy to chocolate dipped peanut butter (JIMI: “That all sounds amazing.”) and fudge. My mom’s fudge recipe is amazing.” KIMBERLY: “What is potato candy?” KAREN: “It does use a potato, but it’s rolled and it has peanut butter inside.”
Phillip Sweet and his wife Rebecca start early with their gift-giving for daughter Penelopi. “We do a little Christmas tradition in our house,” he says. “We do, you know the little tree in the countdown to Christmas? We put little treats in each little doorway. [Penelopi] opens the countdown to Christmas. (KIMBERLY: “Cuuuute.”) She gets a new little treat every day leading up to Christmas.”
The band, who released “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” a few years ago, has added a new tradition or two to their family and their group. They now end the year with a performance at Blackberry Farm, a 4200-acre resort located in the Great Smokey Mountains.
Audio / Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman and her family have their annual Christmas tradition.
DownloadLBT (Christmas) OC: …Santa comes. :28
“My favorite holiday tradition is, it’s happened very year that I can remember that I’ve been alive. We would go over to my grandmother’s house and have Christmas over there, and everybody would come home to Mama and Daddy’s house. We’d sit down and Mama hands out everybody a gift, and we act like we don’t what it is, but we do ’cause it’s always Christmas pajamas. So, everybody opens their Christmas pajamas and goes and puts ’em on, and we come back to the living room and we sit around Daddy and he reads The Christmas Story. And we tuck ourselves in until Santa comes.”
Audio / The members of Little Big Town talk about some of their favorite Christmas movies and holiday specials.
DownloadLBT (Holiday movies) OC: (Phillip) …whatever I touch. [LAUGHS] :38
KAREN: “One of our favorite Christmas traditions is gathering around the television to watch holiday movies. And I know [for] Kimberly, it starts with [KIMBERLY: “It’s a Wonderful Life.”] It’s a Wonderful Life. Ours is holiday movies and records, like certain records have to be played in order for Jimi.” JIMI: “You have to start out the season right with Elvis, a little Elvis Presley.” KAREN: “I like the Charlie Brown Christmas movie.” KIMBERLY: “It’s sweet.” KAREN: “Yeah, it is sweet.” JIMI: “I like all those classic ones like the Rudolph and what is the one with the Abominable Snowman?” KIMBERLY: “Frosty, the Snowman?” PHILLIP: [sings] “I’m Mister Heat Miser/whatever I touch…” [LAUGHS] (The song is from the Claymation special ‘A Year Without a Santa Claus.’)
Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about making candy at Christmas with her mother and grandmother.
DownloadLBT (Karen-candy making) OC: …peanut butter inside. :19
“Christmases at our house usually included making candy with my mother and my grandmother. We did everything from potato candy to chocolate dipped peanut butter (JIMI: “That all sounds amazing.”) and fudge. My mom’s fudge recipe is amazing.” KIMBERLY: “What is potato candy?” KAREN: “It does use a potato, but it’s rolled and it has peanut butter inside.”
Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet talks about having his own Christmas tradition with wife Rebecca and daughter Penelopi.
DownloadLBT (Phillip-tradition) OC: …to Christmas. :13
“We do a little Christmas tradition in our house. We do, you know the little tree in the countdown to Christmas? We put little treats in each little doorway. [Penelopi] opens the countdown to Christmas. (KIMBERLY: “Cuuuute.”) She gets a new little treat every day leading up to Christmas.”
Audio / LBT (New Christmas traditions)
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