Joe Nichols Admits the Holidays Turn Him Into a ‘Big Kid’

Joe Nichols performed at Charlie Daniels' 10th annual Christmas 4 Kids concert this week in Nashville, along with Phil Vassar, Colt Ford and Sawyer Brown, but he's actually been in the holiday spirit long before taking the stage to help raise money for a holiday shopping spree for underprivileged children. He admits he's "a big kid at heart," so it doesn't take much to get him into the spirit of the season -- which, for Joe, kicks off with Halloween and doesn't stop 'til New Year's.

"I absolutely love all three of the holidays this time of year," the singer tells The Boot. "I love Halloween, trick or treating and decorating the house. And I love Thanksgiving, because of the football and the fall weather. And of course, I love Christmas – that's my favorite of all! I love to be around family, and I'm like a big kid ... I love all the lights, just all of it!"

For Joe, the holidays are doubly special because he often gets to spend time with his wife Heather's family at their East Texas hideaway in a cabin on a local river. The retreat is one of the Arkansas native's favorite parts of the season, and a place he and his wife can escape to relax, unwind, and even engage in some healthy competition with other family members on game nights!

"That's how we plan on doing it for Thanksgiving and the holidays for sure this year," says the 'Take It Off' singer. "It's a great place. It's actually on the Big Cypress River in Jefferson Texas, and it's such a cool vibe out there. It's a big cabin way out in the country on the river, and we all get together and go fishing, play cards and hang out together. It's hard to describe all the fun we have there together, but it is."

Joe may drop a line in the water while he's there munching on leftover turkey sandwiches, but don't count on him to be out hunting any game during his Thanksgiving break this year. "I'm big into fishing, but I've never been much of a hunter. I never was really raised around it a whole lot, so I never got a chance to do it a whole lot. I've only been hunting a couple of times, and one of them was with Hank Jr., and that was incredibly embarrassing because he's a major hunter and knows a lot and I don't know anything about it! But I'm looking forward to being out there at the cabin this year for sure."