2022 brought us the first Backstreet Boys Christmas album, and member Howie Dorough is thrilled that he can finally incorporate his own group's music into one of his family's holiday traditions.
"One of the cool traditions I started with my wife was getting up in the morning, all wearing the same Christmas pajamas pretty much, going downstairs and I get out this record player, an old record player, and I put on … one of my favorite classics … A Charlie Brown Christmas," Howie told ABC Audio.
He continued, "So now I'm going to break the tradition by still bringing out the record player, but I'm gonna put on A Very Backstreet Christmas, and hopefully start a new tradition going forward."
Next year, 2023, will mark the group's 30th anniversary. When it comes to Backstreet holiday memories, Howie said he's got a couple: one from decades ago and one from 2012.
"In the early, early years, we were in Germany one year for Christmas. We were having success in Germany — we hadn't even broken in America yet," Howie recalled. So they went over to the home of a friend of their manager's and enjoyed the whole German Christmas vibe.
"They have these little villages … they have, like, the Christmas decorations and … the mulled wine … they really get into the Christmas spirit," he recalled.
Howie's other favorite memory is from 2012, when Backstreet sang their original song "It's Christmas Time Again" in the Disney Christmas Parade: "It was cool just to see Disney all, y'know, Christmased out!"
But after 30 years, do the Boys still exchange Christmas gifts?
"It's funny, me and A.J. joke that we're the only ones that in the early days gave gifts to everybody," he laughed. "But it's OK. Our gift to each other is normally Christmases off."
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