Jordan Davis started a Christmas tradition when he moved to Nashville a few years ago. He goes to the historic Belcourt Theatre to catch a viewing of the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. “They play it at a theater here in town, and it’s something that I really look forward to going and seeing that movie,” he says.
As a young man, he and his brother Jacob asked for a specific present together. “Me and my brother asked for go-karts together, and I was actually worried that we weren’t going to get ‘em, because I knew my mom probably thought we were going to kill ourselves,” says the Louisiana native. “We woke up Christmas morning and me and Jacob, we run into the living room and don’t see a go-kart. I remember being like sad opening presents, and then my dad tells me he thought he heard some reindeer in the backyard. So, we jet to the back of the house and there’s two blue-and-white go-karts in the backyard. So, that’s the one I always remember. That was a great present.”
Another favorite Christmas present Jordan received had two wheels and a peg. “My favorite Christmas present growing up is one I received, I don’t know, I was probably, I don’t know, 7 or 8 years old – it was my first-ever bike with pegs on it. You remember the pegs where you used to be able to carry people on the back of your bike? It was a Dyno GT, it had black wheels, it was silver. I will never forget that gift. It was a special one.”
Jordan says the music that signals the Christmas season is anything by Nat King Cole. “My favorite Christmas song is Nat King Cole’s ‘Buon Natale.’ I don’t know the record it’s on it, [but] we would just play that song over and over and over. So, that’s by far my favorite, but anything by Nat King Cole. I mean Nat King Cole is Christmas to me, always playing, always having some type of Christmas music on. I remember growing up, my mom, she would start on Thanksgiving. We would start listening to Christmas music and anytime you’d walk into the house if Mom was home, there was Christmas music playing.”
So, how soon is too soon to start decorating for Christmas? “My wife Kristen likes us to start around July 15th. No, I’m kidding. If it was up to her, I think we would have Christmas decorations up all year, but you better believe when October ends and November 1 hits, I start seeing a lot more green and red things around the house,” says Jordan. “So, I think it’s totally acceptable to have Christmas decorations out around Thanksgiving. To be honest with you, I think Thanksgiving is the most underrated holidays. It’s one of my favorites, and I like the decorations of Christmas. So, underrated holiday, awesome decorations of Christmas – boom, marry ‘em together. I don’t like to see a Christmas tree around Thanksgiving, though. I think the day after Thanksgiving, you can throw a Christmas tree up, totally acceptable. But, what do I know? All I do is sing songs.”
One of his favorite holiday traditions is pretty simple, but absolutely perfect. “Some of my favorite things at the holiday—every night me, Kristen, the kiddos, we pick a Christmas movie, watch it, or try to watch it, from start to finish. We usually start that right at the beginning of December. I know it’s something really small, but when you spend 120 to 150 a year gone on the road, I truly cherish those times where all five of us are on the couch, hanging out, watching a movie. As small as that is, that is truly my favorite thing about the holidays.”
Also, since both he and his family and his brother, Jacob, and his family live in Nashville, they’ve developed a joint Christmas tradition. “Now we’re in a spot where we have our kids and my brother has his kids, and we’re kind of moving on from the traditions that we had growing up to now we’re kind of creating our own. For us, we do Christmas morning at separate houses. My brother does his at his, you know, we do ours at ours, and then we come together in the afternoon. You know, we have a big lunch, and all the kids play in the backyard or play with the new toys, and then we sit around and cook and watch football and just hang out. So, the afternoon of Christmas day and then the day after when the family is still in town, and there’s not much going on and you’re just really getting to spend some time with family is becoming really special.”
There are a few reasons why this year is pretty special — this will be baby Elijah’s very first Christmas, and it will be the first Christmas that big sister Eloise will truly feel and experience the magic of Christmas…and not to mention another holiday tradition Jordan and his family take in, especially for son Lochlan.
“What I love most about having kids at Christmas is being able to start the new traditions,” he says. “For me, being in Nashville, Nashville does a great job of really getting into the holiday spirit, so taking ‘em out to Opryland Hotel and letting them see the lights, letting ‘em see the trees. My son, Lochlan, he’s obsessed with trains and trucks, so there’s a spot just south of Nashville that we go to, they do Christmas lights and have a train running throughout this big garden thing. It’s really cool. So, being able to do that stuff with them and just really kind of start our own Christmas traditions. We still kind of keep some of those that I’ve had growing up that my Mom and Dad did for me and my brother and my sister, but what’s really cool is me and Kristen get to create our own kind of thing with the kiddos.”
“Christmas is going to be a lot of fun and maybe a little chaotic, but what I am most looking forward to during the holidays is this is my youngest son Elijah’s first Christmas. So, he’s not going to remember it because he’s a baby, but I’m excited to have him here and to celebrate our first Christmas as a family of five.”
“Christmas at my house this year is going to be a special one. This is really the first year that Eloise is kind of truly getting the spirit of Christmas, realizing a little bit more about Santa and kind of getting really, really excited for it. So, it’s cool to see her experience this for kind of the first time. It makes Christmas a lot more fun.”
Jordan is closing in on the Top 25 with his latest hit, “Tucson Too Late.”
Jordan Davis (favorite Christmas movie) OC: …a great movie. :19
“The one Christmas movie I have to watch, which Elf has slowly taken over that spot, but I would have to say It’s a Wonderful Life. Then moving to Nashville, they play it at a theater here in town, and it’s something that I really look forward to going and seeing that movie. Man, it’s just a great movie.”
Jordan Davis (Christmas music) OC: …music on. :41
“My favorite Christmas song is Nat King Cole’s ‘Buon Natale.’ I don’t know the record it’s on it, [but] we would just play that song over and over and over. So, that’s by far my favorite, but anything by Nat King Cole. I mean Nat King Cole is Christmas to me, always playing, always having some type of Christmas music on. I remember growing up, my mom, she would start on Thanksgiving. We would start listening to Christmas music and anytime you’d walk into the house if Mom was home, there was Christmas music playing. It was just background music, and it’s something I’ve carried over like there’s Christmas music that is played all the time. If we’re home, there’s Christmas music on.”
Jordan Davis (favorite Christmas gift) OC: …great present. :41
“The one Christmas present that stands out to me – I can remember I asked for go-karts. Me and my brother asked for go-karts together. And I was actually worried that we weren’t going to get ‘em, because I knew my mom probably thought we were going to kill ourselves, but we woke up Christmas morning and me and Jacob, we run into the living room and don’t see a go-kart. I remember being like sad opening presents, and then my dad tells me he thought he heard some reindeer in the backyard. So, we jet to the back of the house and there’s two blue-and-white go-karts in the backyard. So, that’s the one I always remember. That was a great present.”
Jordan Davis (a favorite Christmas gift growing up) OC: …special one. :20
“My favorite Christmas present growing up is one I received, I don’t know, I was probably, I don’t know, 7 or 8 years old – it was my first ever bike with pegs on it. You remember the pegs where you used to be able to carry people on the back of your bike? It was a Dyno GT, it had black wheels, it was silver. I will never forget that gift. It was a special one.”
Jordan Davis (Decking the Halls) OC: …is sing songs. :47
“My wife Kristen likes us to start (Christmas decorating) around July 15th. No, I’m kidding. If it was up to her, I think we would have Christmas decorations up all year, but you better believe when October ends and November 1 hits, I start seeing a lot more green and red things around the house. So, I think it’s totally acceptable to have Christmas decorations out around Thanksgiving. To be honest with you, I think Thanksgiving is the most underrated holidays. It’s one of my favorites, and I like the decorations of Christmas. So, underrated holiday, awesome decorations of Christmas – boom, marry ‘em together. I don’t like to see a Christmas tree around Thanksgiving, though. I think the day after Thanksgiving, you can throw a Christmas tree up, totally acceptable. But, what do I know? All I do is sing songs.”
Jordan Davis (favorite thing about the holidays) OC: …the holidays. :31
“Some of my favorite things at the holiday—every night me, Kristen, the kiddos, we pick a Christmas movie, watch it, or try to watch it, from start to finish. We usually start that right at the beginning of December. I know it’s something really small, but when you spend 120 to 150 a year gone on the road, I truly cherish those times where all five of us are on the couch, hanging out, watching a movie. As small as that is, that is truly my favorite thing about the holidays.”
Jordan Davis (grownup family tradition) OC: …really special. :41
“You know, now we’re in a spot where we have our kids and my brother has his kids, and we’re kind of moving on from the traditions that we had growing up to now we’re kind of creating our own. For us, we do Christmas morning at separate houses. My brother does his at his, you know, we do ours at ours, and then we come together in the afternoon. You know, we have a big lunch, and all the kids play in the backyard or play with the new toys, and then we sit around and cook and watch football and just hang out. So, the afternoon of Christmas day and then the day after when the family is still in town, and there’s not much going on and you’re just really getting to spend some time with family is becoming really special.”
Jordan Davis (Kids at Christmas) OC: …with the kiddos. :45
“What I love most about having kids at Christmas is being able to start the new traditions. For me, being in Nashville, Nashville does a great job of really getting into the holiday spirit, so taking ‘em out to Opryland Hotel and letting them see the lights, letting ‘em see the trees. My son, Lochlan, he’s obsessed with trains and trucks, so there’s a spot just south of Nashville that we go to, they do Christmas lights and have a train running throughout this big garden thing. It’s really cool. So, being able to do that stuff with them and just really kind of start our own Christmas traditions. We still kind of keep some of those that I’ve had growing up that my Mom and Dad did for me and my brother and my sister, but what’s really cool is me and Kristen get to create our own kind of thing with the kiddos.”
Jordan Davis (Eloise Christmas 2023) OC: …a lot more fun. :20
“Christmas at my house this year is going to be a special one. This is really the first year that Eloise is kind of truly getting the spirit of Christmas, realizing a little bit more about Santa and kind of getting really, really excited for it. So, it’s cool to see her experience this for kind of the first time. It makes Christmas a lot more fun.”
