Ready to be rockin' around the Christmas tree!
Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley exclusively revealed to E! News that their upcoming family holiday special A Very Chrisley Christmas, premiering Wednesday, Dec. 15, has a slight twist on their traditional tree: this time, Todd's mother Nanny Faye is hosting...and her decorating skills can't compare to "Christmas fanatic" Julie's eye for festive decor.
"It was so difficult for me," Todd hilariously revealed. "My mother decided that she wanted to host Christmas, and Christmas was always a big thing for her when we were growing up. But she's older now and I try not to put anything on her. I want us to do the heavy lifting. When she said, 'No, I want to do Christmas, I want to do it my way,' it was like…she doesn't have good taste. This tree is going to look like a damn Charlie Brown Christmas tree and that's not what my kids have grown up with."
While Todd and his kids—Chase, 25, Savannah, 24 and Grayson, 15—are used to "tree connoisseur" Julie's half-a-dozen perfectly decorated trees that go up on Nov. 1 every year, Julie had to assure Todd that Nanny Faye hosting Christmas would turn out just fine...even if their "couture vs. kitsch" styles clash.
"Julie just said to me, 'It's not about that. It's about letting her feel like she gave a wonderful holiday, so let's just let her do it,'" Todd reflected. "It's not about how the tree will look, it's not about all of that. After, keep in mind, Julie has literally spent fortunes on doing Christmas from the time that we've been together, and it's all about making sure her trees are perfect. And now she's giving me the advice that it's not about how the tree looks, it's about the people who surround it."
He quipped, "I think that's the lesson you'll get out of that episode, because the tree is certainly not decorated to perfection."
The Chrisley Knows Best fan favorite family have also had their ups and downs in the decorating department over the years.
Julie deadpanned that the one time she decided to only use artificial trees, her children were in shock. "I said, 'You know, I'm not going to mess with a real tree. They're messy and you constantly have to keep vacuuming,'" Julie explained. "I thought they were going to need therapy at one point."
This year, the Growing Up Chrisley stars know home is where the heart is. "We did, several years ago, an amazing trip to Paris over Christmas. Todd planned this trip and it was so beautifully done. It was amazing," Julie noted. "But our children really missed being home for Christmas, and so we're going to be home and I'm OK with that. 2021 has been a crazy year and I'm OK just to be at home, enjoy my children, enjoy my grandchildren and be able to just be here and be present."
A Very Chrisley Christmas airs Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. New episodes of Chrisley Knows Best air Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on USA Network.
(E!, NBC and USA Network are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)