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Cody Johnson Says Christmas 2021, When He Had Neck Surgery Two Days Before, Is His Favorite: “Something I’ll Never Forget”
That's an odd favorite Christmas memory for Cody Johnson choose.
However, you'll have to hear out the country music star, because the reasoning he gives clears things up. CoJo has always been a fan of the holiday season, and he was very much looking forward to being a part of this year's CMA Country Christmas show. While on it, he performed Christmas classics like "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." But we'll get to more on that in a bit...
Johnson was able to reminisce about his favorite Christmases, but before he got to his favorite holiday memory though, he touched on what this year's rendition of Christmas would look like for the Johnson family:
“We moved into a house on our ranch and we had several wonderful Christmases in this big new House. And right now we’re remodeling everything, so now we’re living in a trailer house. So, this year, while waiting for our home to be finished, I’m going to take them on vacation and we’re going to go someplace in the snow…which may wind up being a new tradition. In Texas, we don’t have white Christmases, and if you do, you’re generally outside repairing and wrapping pipes.”
Nothing like a white Christmas.
The "With You I Am" singer was later asked, if he had to choose, what his favorite Christmas would be. He was quickly able to recall the holidays that surrounded his neck surgery back in 2021. CoJo had to have surgery to repair a pinched nerve and a bone spur that he developed in his younger, bull-riding days, and the day of the operation ended up falling on December 23rd.
Most people wouldn't be so warm to the idea of having a big surgery so close to Christmas, and before it happened, Johnson wasn't in favor of it either. However, as he recovered from the procedure, he slowly found that the prescribed and necessary stillness helped foster a memorable holiday:
“One of my favorite memories was in a 2021. I had neck surgery. I had been going for quite a long time, probably, they said upwards of five years with a broken neck and I didn’t know this until my last MRI, I had a six hour surgery and it was right before Christmas, two days before Christmas, actually, and I remember my wife helping me to the couch, and for once, I didn’t have to do anything to entertain the kids.
I just sat back, watched and relaxed, and at first I was very disappointed that I wasn’t in the mix of things and being stuck on the couch and recovering. But in hindsight, getting to sit back and watch every little detail of their happiness opening every present was probably something I’ll never forget.”
There's nothing like being home - and present - for Christmas.
And speaking of, now seems like the perfect time to throw it over to Cody Johnson's performance of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" from this year's edition of CMA Country Christmas. He had previously said he was excited to show off the "Frank Sinatra side" of his voice, and you can certainly hear it in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rvRwqi5XEw