Maddie & Tae just released the Extended Version of their We Need Christmas EP earlier this year with three new songs, including “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” and “White Christmas.” These three new songs round out the track list for the nine-song project, that features both holiday favorites and festive original songs.
Since Maddie Font has been together with new husband Jonah Font, whom she started dating in high school, the pair have a handful of Christmas traditions already. “We always get a real tree every year, because Jonah’s a stickler for a real tree thing. We always shave off a little part of the bottom of the tree and make an ornament out of the little thing, so we’ll put the year on all of them and collect them,” says Maddie. “We’ve actually just started collecting nutcrackers, which is super weird, but we name them all. Oh, and White Elephant. We play White Elephant on the Font side of things, and I always end up with the best gift somehow, because Jonah and I tag team White Elephant.”
Taylor Kerr (Tae) says her parents – especially her father – would make Christmas so special for her and her two brothers. “My family has always done Christmas to the nines. My dad is a very big Christmas decorator. He would have the entire house decorated. We had this like life-sized, giant nutcracker, and at one point, we had like a talking Santa at our front door that my dad would talk through,” says Tae. “But the decorations were always just like so much fun, really got us all in the Christmas spirit. And every Christmas, one of our traditions was the kids – me and my two brothers – we would all stay in the same room on Christmas Eve and then we’d wake up when it was time to wake up, and we’d go down the stairs my parents would have a sheet at the bottom of the stairs so we couldn’t see all the presents; not that we weren’t going to see them in two seconds, but to them it was just the magic of the big reveal, them showing us all the gifts that Santa had gotten us. I’m just so thankful that my parents really kept that magic alive. And for me, I’m already thinking about Elf on the Shelf. I’m going to do all of the fun stuff.”
Tae is also very excited to see the magic of Christmas through her daughter Leighton’s eyes. “Leighton is such a happy, energetic, like cheerful child, and so just to even think about her at Christmastime, it’s going to be so special to see it through her just wonderment eyes, that new lens of life through her,” she says. “I’m excited to experience that, and you know, just to wake up and have a Christmas with us as a family. This is our second Christmas as a family, but this is the first Christmas that Leighton is really like aware and she’ll be able to help open her presents, she’ll get to play with her toys and really understand what’s going on. It brings a whole new level of excitement for me and my husband.”
Especially with the release of the Extended Version of their We Need Christmas EP, Christmas music has always played a big part in their lives. “Christmas music is so joyful without even trying,” says Tae. “I think, for me, listening to it personally, it reminds me of sitting around the piano at my Nanny and Papa’s house and my Nanny would play on the piano and sing Christmas carols and all of us grandkids would sing along, and my Papa was a fantastic singer, as well. So, it really just brings up a lot of great nostalgic memories and makes me think of my family. And with the very busy, crazy, chaotic life that we lead, Christmas is always a place for home, for rest, for those traditions, and it feels so good.”
Both Maddie and Tae have their favorite Christmas movies, and they are planning a Christmas movie night sometime soon, so Tae can see one of Maddie’s favorites. MADDIE: “Favorite Christmas movie? I know Tae’s.” TAE: “What?” MADDIE: “Polar Express!” TAE: “I do love me some Polar Express. Every time the kids do the duet, my heart breaks.” MADDIE: “I would say my favorite Christmas movie – I love Polar Express. I love Arthur Christmas.” TAE: “Arthur Christmas is great. People sleep on that one.” MADDIE: “And The Holiday! Ahhhhhh.” TAE: “I’ve never seen that one.” MADDIE: “Jude Law-It’s a rom-com, but it’s so heartwarming.” TAE: “Christmas movie night.” MADDIE: “YES!”
If Maddie could play one character in a holiday film, it would be Clark Griswold’s wife Ellen (played by Beverly D’Angelo) from “Christmas Vacation.” “If we could be any movie character, who would we be? I think I would want to be a part of Clark Griswold’s vibe. Like, he’s so funny. I don’t know. I’d want to be Clark Griswold’s wife ‘cause I feel like Jonah is Clark Griswold, and that would be really funny, and she just allows his Christmas chaos happen and just embraces it.” Tae pipes up and agrees. “And you would totally do the fork thing where ‘Oh, this is so yummy.’ (laughs) It’s so you.” (both laugh)
Check out their favorite Christmas gifts growing up and their must-haves at their holiday meals below.
The duo is climbing the country charts with their smash hit “Heart They Didn’t Break.”
Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Font (Marlow) has several Christmas traditions she shares with husband Jonah Font.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (Maddie’s Christmas traditions) OC: …White Elephant. :31
“We always get a real tree every year, because Jonah’s a stickler for a real tree thing. We always shave off a little part of the bottom of the tree and make an ornament out of the little thing, so we’ll put the year on all of them and collect them. We’ve actually just started collecting nutcrackers, which is super weird, but we name them all. Oh, and White Elephant. We play White Elephant on the Font side of things, and I always end up with the best gift somehow, because Jonah and I tag team White Elephant.”
Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Taylor Kerr talks about her family’s Christmases while growing up.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (Taylor’s Family Christmas) OC: …the fun stuff. 1:01
“My family has always done Christmas to the nines. My dad is a very big Christmas decorator. He would have the entire house decorated. We had this like life-sized, giant nutcracker, and at one point, we had like a talking Santa at our front door that my dad would talk through. But the decorations were always just like so much fun, really got us all in the Christmas spirit. And every Christmas, one of our traditions was the kids – me and my two brothers – we would all stay in the same room on Christmas Eve and then we’d wake up when it was time to wake up, and we’d go down the stairs my parents would have a sheet at the bottom of the stairs so we couldn’t see all the presents; not that we weren’t going to see them in two seconds, but to them it was just the magic of the big reveal, them showing us all the gifts that Santa had gotten us. I’m just so thankful that my parents really kept that magic alive. And for me, I’m already thinking about Elf on the Shelf. I’m going to do all of the fun stuff.”
Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Taylor Kerr talks about daughter Leighton will get to experience the excitement of Christmas this year.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (Christmas Leighton) OC: …and my husband. :40
“Leighton is such a happy, energetic, like cheerful child, and so just to even think about her at Christmastime, it’s going to be so special to see it through her just wonderment eyes, that new lens of life through her. I’m excited to experience that, and you know, just to wake up and have a Christmas with us as a family. This is our second Christmas as a family, but this is the first Christmas that Leighton is really like aware and she’ll be able to help open her presents, she’ll get to play with her toys and really understand what’s going on. It brings a whole new level of excitement for me and my husband.”
Audio / Maddie & Tae's Taylor Kerr talks about how joyful Christmas music makes her feel.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (Christmas music) 2 OC: …feels so good. :39
TAE: “Christmas music is so joyful without even trying. I think, for me, listening to it personally, it reminds me of sitting around the piano at my Nanny and Papa’s house and my Nanny would play on the piano and sing Christmas carols and all of us grandkids would sing along, and my Papa was a fantastic singer, as well. So, it really just brings up a lot of great nostalgic memories and makes me think of my family. And with the very busy, crazy, chaotic life that we lead, Christmas is always a place for home, for rest, for those traditions, and it feels so good.”
Audio / MADDIE FONT OF MADDIE & TAE REVEALS WHAT MOVIE CHARACTER SHE'D WANT TO PLAY IN A HOLIDAY FILM.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (Christmas movie character) OC: (Tae) …it’s so you. (both laugh) :28
MADDIE: “If we could be any movie character, who would we be? I think I would want to be a part of Clark Griswold’s vibe. Like, he’s so funny. I don’t know. I’d want to be Clark Griswold’s wife ‘cause I feel like Jonah is Clark Griswold, and that would be really funny, and she just allows his Christmas chaos happen and just embraces it.” TAE: “And you would totally do the fork thing where ‘Oh, this is so yummy.’ (laughs) It’s so you.” (both laugh)
Audio / Maddie & Tae talk about their favorite Christmas movies.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (favorite Christmas movies) OC: …YES! :24
MADDIE: “Favorite Christmas movie? I know Tae’s.” TAE: “What?” MADDIE: “Polar Express!” TAE: “I do love me some Polar Express. Every time the kids do the duet, my heart breaks.” MADDIE: “I would say my favorite Christmas movie – I love Polar Express. I love Arthur Christmas.” TAE: “Arthur Christmas is great. People sleep on that one.” MADDIE: “And The Holiday! Ahhhhhh.” TAE: “I’ve never seen that one.” MADDIE: “Jude Law-It’s a rom-com, but it’s so heartwarming.” TAE: “Christmas movie night.” MADDIE: “YES!”
Audio / Maddie & Tae talk about their favorite Christmas gifts.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (favorite Christmas gifts) OC: …favorite Christmas. :40
MADDIE: “My favorite Christmas gift as a child was definitely my karaoke machine. My sister and I, we have so many videos of us just, I mean I can’t even believe it’s even lasted. That karaoke machine, I mean, it was hanging in there for like 10 years. Like, it was holding on for dear life, because I was using it every single day.” (laughs) TAE: “My favorite Christmas gift as a child – most people probably don’t really know this about me, but I actually collect snow globes, and as a child I started out collecting dolphin snow globes. It’s very weird, and then it evolved to angels and now it’s a Christmas tradition that every year for Christmas, I get another snow globe. So, it started out as a child, so it’s my favorite gift.”
Audio / Maddie & Tae talk about their favorite Christmas food.
DownloadMaddie & Tae (Christmas food) OC: …breakfast casserole. :33
“One Christmas food we can’t live without…” TAE: “Mine’s cranberry sauce. Mmmmm. Straight out of the can.” MADDIE: “I think mine is mashed potatoes. I love mashed potatoes. I also I make this thing called corn pudding, where it’s like cornbread casserole. Oh, it’s so good. It’s like one of the staples.” TAE: “Oh, I just thought of my family tradition. It’s breakfast casserole. Every (Christmas) morning, we open our gifts and eat breakfast casserole. That’s been ever since I was a kid.” MADDIE: “Can you share that recipe because I need to make it?” TAE: “It’s so good.” MADDIE: “I love breakfast casserole.”
