Hearing Kevin gush with not-to-be-contained excitement practically the second Christmas was mentioned during his latest BOP one-on-one, it's easy to see just how special the holiday season, not to mention gift-giving, was and still is in the Richardson household. "It just brings back so many good memories," the green-eyed guy continues. "Everybody being together...the presents. I'd come home from school looking forward to getting out of Christmas break and seeing my grandparents and my cousin [and now my groupmate] Brian. It's just as soon as Thanksgiving is over, everything is building up to Christmas, for me."
Brian: family cheer and football gear
For Brian Littrell, spending time with cousin Kev and the rest of his family all the while enjoying his new gifts is the image he continues to hold onto whenever he thinks of Christmas, too. "We'd always go to my grandfather's for Christmas Eve," the 23-year-old singer shares. "We'd come back home late at night and we'd fall asleep...and then Santa would come while we were asleep, of course. Santa would pop in and eat the cookies and drink the milk." Really? "No, I'm just playing," he laughs.
"But I do remember getting a Philadelphia Eagles football helmet and jersey and pads," Brian continues when asked to think of his favorite gift. "I got the whole getup. We still have a photo in the family photo album of my brother [Harold] and I because he got the St. Louis Cardinals. We played football forever in those outfits." How cute would it be to see a baby B-Rok outfitted in all his green football gear?
Howie: Santa tears and starting a career
When it came to the holidays for a pint-sized Howie Dorough, gift-giving also played a very instrumental part in whether or not his yuletides were memorable. "Me being the baby [of the family], I was kind of a little bit spoiled," Howie, the youngest of five, blushes with a tinge of embarrassment. "I never made a list or anything. Pretty much my parents provided me with everything I needed. I wasn't the type of kid who needed all these extra things to be happy. But I think I was really upset when I found out Santa Claus wasn't really Santa Claus [because] it was one less person I got gifts from!"
Although the Santa Claus bombshell left little 7-year-old Howie rather than distraught, he admits that his parents, Hoke and Paula, certainly made up for any disappointed feelings--especially when they brought him his very own karaoke machine! "I was like 12 or 14 years old," the now 25-year-old sweetie recalls. "It really started me off with singing."
So to thank his p's for helping launch him into what has become an incredibly successful career in the music industry, Howie has taken on the reciprocal role as he now showers his loved ones with presents. "I finally got a chance to give a little bit more than usual," he says of a recent Christmas. "I gave my parents a central heating unit in the house, and all my brothers and sisters, I have them $150 each to spend for whatever they want, whether it was bills or they just want to go out." Perhaps Santa Claus really does exist!
A.J.: seeing snow and ready to go
Well, for A.J. McLean, Santa Claus' non-existence was never an issue that sent him over the edge. Believe it or not, it was the idea that people actually had white Christmases year after year that got this Southern songster in a tizzy.
You see, coming from toasty-warm West Palm Beach, Florida, A.J.'s first encounter with snow on Christmas never happened until he was out and about doing the touring thang with the rest of the music-making buds. "I used to go to the beach on Christmas," exclaims A.J., who celebrates b-day No. 21 on January 9.
The beach is not exactly a snowman-making climate, so when A.J. finally had the chance to fully experience Christmas abroad in all its freezing-cold glory a couple years ago, he was totally out of his element. "At first, A.J. was really freaked out, but he was looking forward to seeing snow," Kevin reveals. "But he didn't like it. He wanted to get back to the warm weather [of Florida]." Apparently, Christmastime is all about the sunshine for this Backstreet sweetheart.
Nick: the sibs, the p's and what's under the tree
Coming down from the warm sunny stretches of Tampa, Florida, blue-eyed cutie-pie Nick Carter can't admit to spending too many white Christmases with his family, either. But he can and does confess that Christmas is about sharing time with the family...and you guessed it, unwrapping all those gifts under the Christmas tree! "The best gift I ever got for Christmas was a go-cart," the almost 19-year-old says (his b-day is January 28). "It was when I was 11."
It's taken about seven years, but since then, Nick has been able to show his family just how much that go-cart really meant to him--by buying them all a house to live in! It just goes to show you that when the Backstreet Boys say Christmas is all about family, they mean it!
Bet you're pretty psyched for Christmas break. Perhaps you're going away on a little trip, or maybe you're just planning on hanging at home, sleeping in late and catching up on your soaps. Whatever the case, we here at BOP are kinda envious--we would love to have some extended chill time! But you know who's probably even more envious of your free time? Jet-setting international pop star Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys.
Okay, so you're probably thinking, "Why on earth would Nick Carter be jealous of me being a couch potato when he is a member of the Backstreet Boys?" Well, the answer is actually quite simple. Since becoming a member of the Backstreet Boys and adding his sweet voice and groovin' dance moves to performances of their hits "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "I'll Never Break Your Heart," this blue-eyed babe has had very little time to just chill out. After all, recording songs, doing interviews and photo sessions and peforming for live audiences all around the world takes up most of this 18-year-old's life.
Believe it or not, Nick says that the one thing that he misses most since achieving superstardom is "just doing nothing." "I'm serious," he stresses. "Like, after these interviews right now, I'll go back to the hotel or something there is only a few things that I will go and do, like I'll go to the mall or something like that, but I'm the kind of person who likes to chill, you know. I don't like to do anything. I will be sitting there watching a baseball game."
So just what would Nick do if he had a "Christmas break" from the Backstreet Boys? Aside from dabbling in art, perfecting his drawings for a cartoon book he'd love to publish someday, Nick would probably be spending a lot of time in front of the tube. "I love watching football games and baseball games," he tells BOP, adding that he would get comfy on the couch every weekend watching sports on TV "if I could."
However, Nick clarifies that being a couch potato doesn't always mean that he's just staring at the small screen--he's always up for some friendly competition on the tube as well. "I still like to play video games. I personally like this one game called Final Fantasy, it's the best game!" Nick raves. "I like to play anything. I'm like a little kid."
Fortunately, Nick's ultimate fave pastime is something he can always enjoy, whether or not he's working--and it doesn't require a TV set either. "One thing I love is basketball, and so does [groupmate] Brian [Littrell]." Nick says. "We play whenever we have a chance. Everybody has one thing they want to do in life, and being in this band was the thing for me, but I did have basketball at the back of my mind. About two years ago I was very good at it and thinking it would go somewhere. I love it."
Luckily for us, Nick's singing career took precedence over his hoop dreams, and as a result, he helped create one of our favorite things to do when we're chillin' out: listening to the Backstreet Boys!