By Kayla DeKraker
Reba McEntire may be a big Hollywood star, but this year, she is taking a moment to reminisce on her simple Christmas traditions as a child.
“Daddy would get a pile of all of us kids and Mama in the truck and we’d go out into the field where there were just a ton of cedar trees,” McEntire told NBC about what it was like growing up in Oklahoma. “So we’d look, and we’d look, and we’d look. And we were like, ‘What was wrong with that one 30 minutes ago? We should have gotten it.’ We’re all hungry, ready to go home, cold. So we’d finally find the right Christmas tree, and we’d cut it down, we’d take it to the house, and we’d decorate it.”
THE VOICE coach added, “Mama would let us two little girls, [my sister] Susie and myself, decorate it first. Well, we’d have a blast, and we’d just rear back and throw the tinsel all on it.”
McEntire explained how other family members were given the opportunity to add to the tree.
“They would take forever, and it was just gorgeous,” she said. “So we’d wait a little bit, maybe two days, we’d say, ‘Can we do it again?’ Mama said sure, so we’d take it all down, redecorate it, and it looked terrible, but we didn’t care. So Mama would just let us do that. She’s a good mama.”
Related: Reba McEntire Asks Holy Spirit to ‘Sing for Me’ Before She Performs
Now, McEntire celebrates the holidays a little differently. Last week, she sang “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” on THE VOICE alongside the contestants.
The country music legend also had the very special honor of helping light the tree and performing at the Rockefeller Center on Dec. 3.
“Thank you for letting me light up the tree, @nbc! 🎄 Too much fun with all my friends in NYC ❤️#christmasinrockefellercenter” she said in a post to Instagram.
People in the comment section gushed over her at the event.
“You lit it up Reba!! Merry Christmas! 🎄💃🏼❤️” one person said. Another person added, “Loved seeing you. I also love your snowflake coat!” acknowledging her very festive outfit.
As for the holidays, this year McEntire plans to spend some quality time with her fiancé Rex Linn. In a discussion with US Weekly, the actress said, “It’s been a very busy year with doing THE VOICE and HAPPY’S PLACE, since June.”
She explained that they are “really looking forward to getting back to Tennessee, sitting in front of the fire, doing a lot of cooking and getting caught up with family and friends.”
No matter what your Christmas looks like, spending time with loved ones during the holidays is what matters most.
Read Next: ‘I Still Believe in Christmas’: Anne Wilson Reflects on God’s Love This Holiday Season
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