Christmas Day is almost here, and for Sweet Magnolias lead JoAnna Garcia Swisher, that means plenty of quality time with family and lots of rest and relaxation. Swisher has had a busy year in 2023 between traveling, filming for Sweet Magnolias, hosting The Ultimatum: Queer Love, and raising her two young daughters, just to name a few. It's safe to say Swisher has earned her time off, but what does the actress have in store for the holidays with husband Nick Swisher and their daughters Emerson and Sailor?
"I'm really excited just to have a little bit of time with the family. It's been a crazy year, and it's about to be another crazy year. So, I feel like the holidays for me are just a time to take a deep breath, reset, and spend some time together. You know, it's a little chilly outside so we can cozy up and really just be together and use this as a time to prepare for a crazy year ahead," JoAnna Garcia Swisher told Country Living.
When the Swisher fam isn't cozied up by the fire, they're incorporating new and old traditions to make the holiday season magical. Swisher emphasizes incorporating elements of her Cuban heritage to pass along to her girls during the holiday season. "Most of our holiday traditions surrounded around big meals, and the type of food that we eat. We have some Cuban recipes that we always have at our dinner table, it's like a non-negotiable," Swisher revealed. When the Swishers aren't gathered around the table for a Christmas feast, fun and games are on the agenda.
Even before Christmas Day arrives, the fun kicks off with Emerson and Sailor's two elves, Dotty and Skippy, making an appearance. This year, Swisher admitted Dotty and Skippy got into her "sacred" candy stash among other nightly antics, much to her daughters' dismay. On Christmas Day the fun continues with games for the entire extended family, "We used to do a kickball game that was really fun and that sort of transitioned into Minute to Win It. So, we get the whole gang together and pick names out of a hat and create teams. It's always really wild and fun and the kids love it and the grandparents love it too," Swisher explained.
Of course, Christmas isn't Christmas without presents for all! Before doling out gifts to her family, Swisher spreads the cheer outside of her home. "We work with foster families in our community to help make sure that Christmas is magical for everyone," JoAnna revealed. Swisher also spreads the love to the unsung heroes of the holiday season: her mailman, UPS driver, and Amazon delivery driver. As for JoAnna, her Christmas list only has one wish: surprises. "I don't really have crazy Christmas lists. I like to be surprised which is probably the bane of my husband's existence," Swisher joked.
Through Swisher family Christmas may seem all fun and games, with two young children in the house, Swisher always makes sure her family's health is a top priority. After all, Christmas fall right smack-dab in the middle of cold and flu season! "Prioritizing our health is a big one, getting enough rest, hydrating, eating fresh food, you know anything to keep our immune system going, but also knowing that this time of year is when people do get sick and I think everything is flying around and we have our plan of attack. That’s why I was so happy to partner with Abbott's BinaxNOW Covid-19 Self Tests because we have them stocked. Just knowing what we’re working with when symptoms arise, it’s all about the planning, it’s all about how are we going to tackle the next thing and the first thing for us is having the information,” Swisher revealed.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season, here's to hoping it's as magical as the Garcia-Swisher family Christmas!
Maggie Horton is the Associate News Editor at Country Living. She covers all things entertainment from celebrity news to TV shows and movies. When she's not posting to social media, researching the latest celebrity gossip or binging the hottest new TV series, you can find her at a local concert or outside enjoying nature.
