I think my attachment stems from the fact that it's the one time of the year when my entire family is actually together. It's the one time, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, that we all try our best to get together and be thankful for the year that's passed and really look forward to the next year because you just don't know what's going to happen. So I think that's where the fondness comes from. It's not necessarily about Santa Claus and all those sorts of things, even if those are elements of it. It's about reflecting and really being thankful. I think the essence of this CD, I'll Be Home For Christmas, is what it's really all about. That's why I chose that song to be the title because for me, being gone all the time and knowing that this is the only time that I know I'm going to be home, this is what it's really about.
I think my favorite Christmas memory is with my kids. When I started having children that's when I started getting back to the whole essence of it because I was grown by the time I was 15. I thought that Christmas was just for little kids until I had my own little kids. I said, "You know what? This Christmas thing is really a special time that we really should cherish as much as possible."
Speaking of the kids, on Bethlehem you made it clear that Christmas is all about love. Well, two products of your greatest love, Nicholas and BJ, join you on a new version of "Let It Snow." As you were recording together, what did that experience mean to you, on a professional level and a personal level? What kind of thoughts were running through your mind when you were in the studio together?
I think both professionally and personally, I'm just so proud that my children have not only embraced their talents but they're actually using it the way that it was intended. A lot of people think that, because I do what I do, my kids would choose to not do that just because of my status. Nicholas and BJ are actually embracing it and they're doing it to the best of their ability. That's all I ever asked – whatever it was they did, just do it 110%. That's what they're doing. It's kind of surreal. You sit back and you watch them and you're a fan, but then you're the dad, too. So you can't be too congratulatory. It is really an amazing thing to see. It's hard for me to really put into words.
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