Luke Bryan has received plenty of Christmas gifts over the years, but one will always stand out above the rest. The singer, who lost his older brother, Chris, when he was just 19 years old, was given something that belonged to his brother, which he will cherish forever.
“By far the best Christmas present I have ever gotten and will ever get was when my wife Caroline went and found my brother’s old pickup truck from 1996,” Bryan shared with his record label. “They found the VIN number and it was down in Louisiana and it was still on the road. And her and my dad went down, they picked it up, brought it to Nashville and Christmas Eve night pulled into the driveway with it, and let’s just say that yes, the tears were flowing, and it will never be topped. I don’t know how you’ll ever top it.
“What an amazing moment for me and my family,” he continued. “It was pretty special. And that truck is where we do our turkey hunting; it’s the turkey hunting truck. So, all my turkey hunting gear stays in there, and when the boys see me pull up in my brother’s truck, they know we’re fixing to go turkey hunting.”
Now that Bryan is a father, his favorite part of Christmas revolves around his sons, Bo and Tate, and nephew Til.
“My favorite part of the holidays obviously is watching the kids – watching the boys’ excitement for what they may or may not be getting and watching them tear open Christmas presents on Christmas morning,” Bryan said. “You got the fireplace going. You got Christmas music on the TV. You get up at 6 AM. You’re exhausted and you’ve got all your family there. It doesn’t get any better than certainly waking up on Christmas mornings and just having that special time.”
The Georgia native celebrates the holiday now with a specific meal, which they have every year.
“We have a pajama night and we do chili dogs on Christmas Eve, and we’ve always done that,” says the singer, adding that his mother insists on specific ingredients for the unconventional holiday meal. “She makes me go shop with her, so we have to pick out all the right stuff. We have to get the proper buns, the proper wieners. It’s very important. All beef wieners for the chili dog cooking. It’s a ritual. So, we’re eating chili dogs in pajamas. It’s special anytime you can come up with fun traditions and hold true to them. Cooking chili dogs in a onesie is pretty special.”