By Mandi Bierly
They headlined at their home recording studio in April. Now country greats Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are back to take more requests in another live one-hour special on CBS on Dec. 20.
“There will be holiday songs, but other than that, I really have no idea!” Yearwood says of their plans. “Best of luck to us all!”
Here, she shares some of her own holiday traditions and memories.
When do you start listening to holiday music?
I used to have the hard and fast rule about no Christmas anything until after Thanksgiving. But I got rid of that almost 10 years ago after my mom passed away. We start decorating and listening to music now every year on Nov. 8, her birthday. Whatever floats your Christmas boat is OK by me!
What holiday song can’t you wait to sing first each year?
When Garth and I recorded our [2016 Christmas Together] duets album, we included some solo performances. One of my favorites that I love to sing is Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas.”
Name a song so beautiful, it makes you tear up.
I wish I had been given the chance to tell Karen Carpenter how her vocal on “The Christmas Song” inspired me as a singer. It’s so conversational, and real. It gets me every time.
Are there holiday specials or movies that you have to watch every year?
I always watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I think I love them because as children, my sister and I would wait every year to see them on TV, so it’s just a tradition that takes me back to a simpler time, and I love that.
You’ve performed on various Christmas specials over the years (and hosted). What’s a favorite memory (that either happened to you or that you witnessed)?
So many great memories flood through my mind, but I absolutely loved singing on Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas special with Kelly and Reba [McEntire]. We recorded “Silent Night” together and performed it live on Kelly’s special. Singing with those two greats was a dream come true, and we all had so much fun. I’d do that again in a heartbeat.
You’ve said a grocery cart, to wheel your groceries in from the garage, is the most romantic gift Garth has given you. How so?
Garth is much more thoughtful and romantic than I am! Several years ago, we were talking about how cool it would be to have a grocery shopping cart in your garage, so when you got home with all those bags, instead of making all the trips to the kitchen, you just loaded up the cart! In lieu of stealing one (ha!) Garth surprised me one Christmas with a cart from my childhood grocery store. I love the cart, but the story is even better. He enlisted my mom to get the cart. My childhood grocery store was called Red & White and it was long gone, but Mom knew the old owners and asked if they by chance had any old carts left. They did! When my mom asked the man how much he wanted for the purchase, he said, “Miss Gwen, I couldn’t take a dime for it. Your husband, Jack, our local banker, gave me a loan on a handshake to start my business when nobody else would take a chance on me. Please just take the cart with my thanks.” So yes, a grocery cart made me cry and was one of the most thoughtful, romantic gifts I’ve ever received, and now you know why.
