Everlife’s Sarah Ross talks about Her True Christian Christmas Traditions

She’s toured with her sisters as part of the rock trio Everlife on major tours including Miley Cyrus, The Cheetah Girls and the Jonas Brothers, but Sarah Ross keeps her feet on the ground when she and her family emphasize the real reason for the Christmas season – Jesus Christ.

The Ross sisters – Amber (26) Julia (21) and  Sarah (24) (pictured at right)– recently returned from their third European concert tour, and they’re currently writing and recording new material with hitmakers like Glen Ballard and Matchbox Twenty’s Kyle Cook. Their new single “What’s Beautiful” is now available at iTunes, along with their 2009 EP at the Love Library, and their self-titled Walt Disney Records debut. Visit Everlife online atwww.everlifeonline.com. 

Here Ross answers questions from Family First about her family’s holiday traditions and how they keep the true reason for the season as the cornerstone of their Christmas celebration.

Where did you grow up? 
Good ole Pennsylvania We always tell people that we grew up in Pittsburgh, but we actually lived in a place called Indiana. Its a small town a little outside of Pittsburgh. It’s easier to say Pittsburgh than to try and explain that we didn’t live in Indiana the state, but the town!

Any traditions around preparation for holidays? Any specific activities like cookie baking, charity work or crafts and gift-giving?

When we were little we had a lot of traditions and such, and then when we started getting older we were away a lot for the holidays, so we would try and make things different every year. But when we were younger we would try and find a family that we could buy gifts for and then leave them on their doorstep on Christmas Eve. We didn’t want them to know where they came from because it wasn’t about that, it was about loving others and giving when you can.

We also love baking, there’s nothing better than a house that smells like fresh cookies I actually haven’t even decorated yet this year, which isn’t normal for me. Amber, my older sister, has already decorated her house. She rocks at that kinda stuff, her house looks amazing.

For Christmas dinners/celebrations was there a specific place you would go as a family when you were a child?  Have you continued or do you have new traditions for these celebrations?

We would always make sure that we woke up in our own beds on Christmas morning. The girls and I would wake up SO early, and we would grab the stockings from the foot of our beds and run into Mom and Dad’s room, wake them up and look through our stockings. When we got older we started getting Mom and Dad stockings as well. Then Dad would read the Christmas story from the Bible, we would sing happy birthday to Jesus, and then go to the tree and open presents! Now that we all live in different houses, things look a little different, but we have tried to always be together on Christmas morning, or if we aren’t together to at least video chat with each other  
Were your big holiday dinners casual with paper plates and plastic cups or was it formal with nice china and sterling silver?

Mama loved to go all out for the holidays! She would break out her best dishes and set the table up so beautifully. We felt like royalty. 

Any unique guests or funny events that occurred at any of these celebrations?

If you have celebrated a holiday with us, you know that it is ALWAYS an adventure! Something always seems to go wrong with one of the main courses. One year Mom forgot to turn the oven from pre-heat to bake! We didn’t eat dinner that night until around 9. We tend to laugh all the time, no matter what happens, because at least we are together!

What’s your favorite holiday dish? Any dishes you have that are unique/strange/noteworthy?

My little sister Julia and I are both allergic to gluten/wheat, so the table is always full of strange or odd dishes. Things are really healthy most times, lots of vegetables and fruit. I have tried to make a few gluten free desserts the past few years, and they haven’t turned out that bad! They may look weird, but they taste great to me.

What’s the strangest tradition your family either had when you were a child or has now?

Strange? We could possibly be the strangest family around, but it’s normal to us, so I’m not sure! We were never allowed to see the tree with all the presents until after the Christmas story from the Bible and sang happy birthday to Jesus. That may not be that strange, but it really tested our patience as kids! We knew that the holiday was celebrating Jesus, but we really wanted to dig into those gifts!

Any traditions from childhood you miss either because the things don’t exist, same people are gone, or you live in a different place and can’t continue?

I miss all 5 of us, the girls and I and Mom and Dad, being able to wake up together and just share Christmas morning as a family. I miss decorating together before the holidays, and trekking through a few feet of snow to find the best Christmas tree. There are definitely a lot of things I miss, but I am grateful for the new memories and new traditions that we can have together. 

What’s the most important part of the holidays for you?

Being with the ones I love, and knowing that it’s all about Christ, not about the gifts or the lights or the good food. It’s about loving others and the love that we were showed so many years ago. 

What new projects do you have going on that you would like the readers to know about?

The girls and I are working on a lot of new things! You can see any new updates on our website, www.everlifeonline.com or check us out on Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. Thank you all for your support! Have a very Merry Christmas!