Fitness Expert/Entrepreneur Tony Little Talks about His New Holiday Traditions

Tony Little spent last year’s Christmas in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with his month-old sons, Chase and Cody, who were born extremely premature.

This year, the one-year-old boys are home and getting stronger every day.  Little is ready for holidays home with his family because, like so many things in his life, he goes all out on Christmas! The day Family First spoke to Little, his real 9 ½ foot Christmas tree had just arrived.

Little is one of America’s most recognizable names and faces, having pioneered selling fitness products on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) years ago.

Little is not one to rest on his laurels though. Besides his incredible success in fitness equipment, he also has an entire line of shape-up shoes and is the 2^nd largest distributor of bison products in The United States.  He’s in perpetual motion.

As a youngster in Fremont, Ohio, Little grew up in a family he calls “a little disjointed.” His father left when he was 14 but his single mom kept things going for the four children, even while putting herself through college to become an art teacher.

Little tells Family First she tried her best to keep holiday traditions as much as she could. He remembers sitting on the stairs singing Christmas hymns before going up to bed at night.

He also remember one funny holiday tradition he had as a kid – shooting out his “pain in the butt” neighbor’s porch light with his Red Ryder BB gun.  He says he still has that BB gun.

Now, it’s all about being together with family and friends. In his younger days as a single man, he used to have gigantic parties, like carnivals at his house, with elaborate decorations, themed rooms, even a court jester, fortune teller and character artist to liven things up. Hundreds of friends, family and clients would come.

Now that he is remarried and has young kids, he still decorates but the big parties are gone for now. His Spanish/Mediterranean home in Tampa, Florida, is surrounded by giant oaks which he decorates with 80,000 twinkle lights. He has full-sized Christmas characters like Santa and his elves throughout his home.

His burgundy and gold formal dining room, complete with bronze statues on pedestals, is set with china for their holiday dinners. He loves dimming the lights, like candle-light, and enjoying his favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner – pumpkin pie. Little says, “I can eat two pies and a gallon of milk.”

Throughout the year, he eats “clean and good” but for the holidays, he splurges a little – except for string bean casserole, which he says “90% of my family doesn’t like” but they make it anyway.

His son and daughter from his previous marriage join him for the holidays – he switches off with his ex-wife, like many divorced parents. He says his son, who is a medical student at the University of Florida, is fantastic with his younger sons. He loves playing with his little brothers.

Little and his older son like playing racquetball on Christmas morning after the family attends Christmas Eve services at church.

His favorite part of the holidays is being together as a family “period” he says. “It’s a time to reflect and give thanks.” Especially this year, with Chase and Cody home and healthier- it’s truly a year of celebration.

Tony Little's Christmas Star of Hope Ornament

Little recently designed an ornament benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital called the Christmas Star of Hope. He feels strongly about this cause because even as recently as 5 or 6 years ago, babies born under 2 pounds had little hope of survival and now, their chances are much better.

Keep up with all of Little’s pursuits including his body pillow, bison products and fitness equipment at www.tonylittle.com.