Justin Moore Keeps Christmas Plans Simple

Justin Moore could certainly afford to celebrate Christmas however he wishes, but the “Kinda Don’t Care” singer says he prefers to keep the holidays low-key, spending time at home with his wife, Kate, and their four children instead.

“Our Christmas plans are really basic,” Moore tells PopCulture.com. “Shockingly, we stay at home. I’m telling you, I’m a recluse when I’m not on the road. We do my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve, gifts and eating and all of that. We do her side of the family usually Christmas Day, but we open our presents at home Christmas Eve, and then Santa comes, and we do all of the gifts from Santa Christmas morning. Traditions change after you get married and have your own family, but the best one is two things, and both of them include my wife cooking. She’s from Louisiana, south Louisiana, so she started a tradition making gumbo Christmas Eve, so we have gumbo, and then she makes waffles Christmas morning. That’s the best tradition we have.”

Moore will continue his Hell on a Highway Tour in 2018, with Dylan Scott serving as Moore’s opening act.

“It will be fun,” says Moore. “He’s off to a great start in his career. His first single went No.1; in turn mine [‘Back That Thing Up’] went to No. 38, so he’s off to a little better start than I had. It’s going to be fun. I don’t know Dylan. I’m looking forward to getting to know him a little better. I’m thrilled to have him out. One night we’re playing a place that holds 22,000, and the next night we’re playing a place that holds 3000, so it’s fun to mix and match those type of venues. I’m an artist who has always liked to play really intimate venues, and then obviously the big ones are fun, and so hopefully, it’s mutually beneficial for he and I. Nonetheless, it will be fun.”

While some might fantasize what life as an artist is like, playing in front of thousands of fans, the reality is far less glamorous than most people might think. Aside from his time on stage, the rest of his days on the road are, actually, pretty boring — not that he’s complaining.

“The rest of the day kind of sucks, honestly,” Moore concedes. “People would be sorely mistaken as to what goes on. You just kind of sit around all day and wait to go on stage. There’s only so many YouTube videos of Waylon Jennings you can watch on the bus, and so many golf shots you can hit. You’ve got to stay busy. But the moment you get to walk on stage, you’re like, ‘This is why I do this.’ It’s a lot of fun. We’re certainly blessed to have the opportunity to do what we love for a living, because the majority of the world’s population doesn’t.”

The 2018 leg of Moore’s Hell on a Highway Tour kicks off on Jan. 18 in Rio Rancho, N.M. A list of all of his upcoming shows is available on his website.