It took 16 years for Rascal Flatts—Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney—to release the first Christmas album of their career, The Greatest Gift of All. The guys believed the timing was never right between their touring and new music, until this year.
“It just felt right,” Jay tells Nash Country Daily about the album now. “It felt like it was time and the fans have been asking for it for a long, long time. We gathered up a bunch of songs that have been our favorites over the years and just took our time and really had a ball making it.”
With the Christmas season upon us and all in festive moods, Nash Country Daily sat down with the boys from Rascal Flatts to find out a few of their favorite things around the holidays. Don’t be surprised if you find out something you didn’t know about the guys, like their favorite Christmas movie, what they would want for Christmas this year and which list of Santa’s they would be on.
Favorite reindeer?
Gary: Rudolph.
Jay: Donner.
Joe Don: Blitzen?
Heat Miser or Snow Miser?
Gary: Heat Miser. People said that my hair used to look like the Heat Miser. I’ve had some Heat Miser issues.
Jay: Snow Miser.
Joe Don: Heat Miser.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or Frosty?
Gary: Rudolph.
Jay: Rudolph.
Joe Don: Frosty, I mean come on.
Favorite Christmas movie?
Gary: Jim Carrey’s The Grinch.
Jay: Christmas Vacation.
Joe Don: A Christmas Story.
What do you want Santa to bring you this year?
Gary: Health. Keep the ticker ticking.
Jay: I’m content and happy, but if I could wish one thing it would be to spend more time with my family. It was a really busy year and we were gone a lot. As the kids start to get older and they start to realize that we leave a bunch, it starts to take a toll. So I would ask for more time with the people that I love.
Joe Don: Another choice in the election [laughs].
How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa?
Gary: Joe Don just found out. I was probably 10 years old when some idiot ruined it for me.
Jay: 38 [laughs] I was a little older when I stopped believing. I was 12.
Joe Don: WHAT? You don’t believe? It dawns on you but you still go with it. As a teenager I was like ‘Yeah, of course I believe.’ You get gifts.
Eggnog or wassail?
Gary: What? I’m going to have to go with what I know. Eggnog.
Jay: Grey Goose.
Joe Don: What? What’s wassail? Eggnog.
Judging only on this past year only, are you on Santa’s naughty or nice list?
Gary: Nice.
Jay: Naughty.
Joe Don: Nice.
And with that, Merry Christmas!
