Cody Johnson‘s Christmas this year will be a lot different than one he celebrated a few years ago. The father of two recalls a holiday season when he was recovering from major surgery, to repair what could have been a life-altering injury that he was unknowingly dealing with for several years.
“One of my favorite memories was in 2021,” Johnson shares. “I had neck surgery. I had been going for quite a long time, probably they said upwards of five years with a broken neck and I didn’t know this until my last MRI. I had a six-hour surgery, and it was right before Christmas, two days before Christmas, actually, and I remember my wife helping me to the couch, and for once, I didn’t have to do anything to entertain the kids.
“I just sat back, watched and relaxed, and at first I was very disappointed that I wasn’t in the mix of things and being stuck on the couch and recovering,” he adds. “But in hindsight, getting to sit back and watch every little detail of their happiness opening every present was probably something I’ll never forget.”
This Christmas will also be a bit different for the Johnson family, since their house is undergoing major renovations, forcing them to live — and celebrate — elsewhere this year.
“We moved into a house on our ranch, and we had several wonderful Christmases in this big new house,” Johnson says. “And right now we’re remodeling everything, so now we’re living in a trailer house. So, this year, while waiting for our home to be finished, I’m going to take them on vacation and we’re going to go someplace in the snow, which may wind up being a new tradition. In Texas, we don’t have white Christmases, and if you do, you’re generally outside repairing and wrapping pipes.”
Johnson has something else to celebrate in December besides the holidays. The 37-year-old will also celebrate his marriage to his wife, Brandi, whom he wed in 2008.
“My wife and I got married in early December, and by the time I blinked my eyes, Christmas was there, and there we were, newlyweds with hardly any money, living in a one bedroom apartment,” Johnson recalls. “We were just so happy back then. We didn’t have anything and somehow we had it all. I remember that very first Christmas of us being married and we were broke as a joke and somehow we were just like that old Alan Jackson song just ‘Livin’ On Love.’ There was something pure and happy about that.”
Johnson performed “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” as part of the annual CMA Country Christmas. Click on the links to watch his performances. He currently has a Top 25 hit with “I’m Gonna Love You,” his duet with Carrie Underwood.
Johnson will wrap up his Leather Tour with back-to-back shows in Las Vegas on December 12 and 13, and kick off his Leather Deluxe Tour in early 2025. Find Leather Deluxe Edition and all of Johnson’s music and upcoming shows at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.
All photos courtesy of the CMA