Do you prefer artificial Christmas trees or real trees? I’ve always preferred real Christmas trees just because of their smell and how much life they bring into the house during the Christmas season.
When do you decorate your Christmas tree? Usually the day after Thanksgiving. I’m a firm believer in giving each holiday their own time, so never before Thanksgiving is over!
What is your favorite Christmas song? What makes it your favorite? There’s so many great Christmas songs to choose from, it’s so hard! My most recent favorite has been Patty Loveless’ “Santa Train” which I chose to put out my own version of this year!
What is your go-to holiday drink? I’m a red wine girl year round, so usually just dressing it up with some kind of sangria recipe or just… red wine 🙂
What is your favorite Christmas present that you have ever received? My favorite and most memorable Christmas present to this day was getting my first guitar from my Papa when I was 10 years old. He didn’t know it at the time, but that gift would be the one that changed my life forever and sparked this career I’m chasing these days.
What were your Christmas traditions when you were younger? One of the most traditional Christmas things I could count on as a kid was my Papa taking my sister and I out to shop on Christmas Eve. It never failed that he would want to wait until the last minute and make a whole day out of it on Christmas Eve to get us to help him with everyone’s presents. It was one of my favorite parts of Christmas!
How have your Christmas celebrations changed since becoming an adult? Since my Papa’s passing, my dad has taken over the tradition of taking my sister and I shopping on Christmas Eve and it’s still been my favorite thing! As we have both gotten older and have other obligations and work, we’ve had to work around things, but it still never fails that we do some sort of shopping on that day each year before going to our church’s Christmas Eve Communion service.
How will Christmas be different at your house this year be different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic? With so much unknown, my family’s Christmas plans really haven’t been set yet. Obviously, we want to be able to gather together like normal, but making those decisions in these times is so hard. I just hope that, whatever we decide on, we can still make the most of the time we have with each other!
What is your favorite Christmas memory? As a kid, and even today, I struggled with keeping secrets. It would pain me to have to keep secrets about what other people got as gifts. One Christmas, my dad had sworn me to secrecy to not tell my mom what he had gotten her. I had done so well for a couple of days concealing it, but just as she was about to rip open her package I couldn’t hold it any longer and screamed “IT’S A CHICKEN!” as she opened her ceramic rooster. We still joke about it each Christmas!
How do you spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day? I’ve always been very confused about what to do in the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It’s usually spent helping my mom take down decorations and making visits with friends who I missed seeing over the holidays.
How do you spend New Year’s Eve? My NYE traditions have changed over the years. Lately, my family has started hosting a barn party with our close friends where we all just bring finger foods and two-step around the barn floor all night long. It’s one of my favorite nights of the year!
How will the pandemic impact your celebrations? I’m sure this year we won’t be able to have our friends over for food and dancing like usual. I’m very sad about this, but we can only hope for a better year next year!
What do you typically eat on New Year’s Day? My family has always been very superstitious about the New Year’s Day meal we eat. So each year, my mom fries pork chops, and we have collard greens to “bring dollar bills” and black eyed peas to “bring coins” in the new year.
Do you have a New Year’s Resolution for 2021? My resolution for 2021 is that, (hopefully) once things start opening back up and life starts getting back to normal for me with traveling and playing shows, that I never take any opportunity for granted, but to remain mindful and grateful for each opportunity!