Wynonna Judd Revealed the Christmas Tradition She Shared With Naomi and Ashley Judd as a Child: ‘I Miss Her’
Country music icon Wynonna Judd opened up about some of the Christmas traditions she used to share with her mom Naomi Judd and half-sister Ashley Judd. And now that she’s the family matriarch, Wynonna said she plans to carry on one of her late mother’s favorite holiday rituals that used to make her complain.
Wynonna Judd opened up about preparing for her first Christmas without Naomi Judd: ‘I miss her’
Wynonna talked to E! News about some of the holiday traditions she shared with her famous family when she was a kid.
“[Naomi] took us out in the woods, … made us sit still in the cold, and read us the Christmas story about Jesus,” she recalled. “I used to complain about having to go to the bathroom because we had so much clothes on.”
“I miss her. I’m going to miss those times,” she added. “So I’m going to do it to my grandchildren.”
Wynonna Judd revealed the Judd family would ‘literally march out’ and cut down their Christmas trees
Wynonna also talked to Southern Living’s Biscuits and Jam podcast about Christmases from her childhood, sharing she, Naomi, and baby sister Ashley Judd would find and cut real trees.
“I remember it was a big deal because we always chopped down our own tree…,” she explained. “We would literally march out, … pick one, and cut it down.”
Wynonna added, “We had time, and that was such a gift. I didn’t know it at the time. We had no TV, no telephone. And we made things. It was a way of life for us. We sang, and of course, we prayed.”
Wynonna Judd said she’s using Naomi Judd’s cookbook to get through the holidays without her
Wynonna talked to Biscuits and Jams about what more modern Christmases on the Judd family farm are like. “All the kids are here and everybody’s talking about their lives and that’s what I’m going to remember the most about this time are the stories that everybody’s told me,” she shared.
“And I’m writing some really good songs. And so the food is to get everybody around the table, no cell phones. You will put it in the basket or over on the other counter, and you will not touch it until we’re done — or you have to do the dishes.”
After Naomi died in April 2022, Wynonna eventually realized she was left in charge of holidays. “I’m the matriarch now, so I’ve got my Naomi Judd cookbook,” Wynonna told E! News, “and I’m going to be making the recipes as close to hers as I can possibly make them.”
Wynonna spoke to grief expert David Kessler about her first Thanksgiving without Naomi, revealing, “Thanksgiving day sucked.”
She disclosed that she had moments when she panicked, thinking, “‘Oh my gosh, my mom isn’t here this year. And I made her favorite foods, and I did it really well.”
