"My mom sat us down and told us there wouldn't be any gifts that year. Santa didn't know where we lived, or maybe we just couldn't afford it," Smallbone recounted. "I was so confused — Santa Claus isn't supposed to be limited by financial situations."
However, a local first-grade class learned about the family's struggles and decided to sponsor their Christmas. "It was such an oxymoron," Smallbone said. "We didn't have a car; we were sleeping on beds made out of clothes, but we had more presents that year than ever before."
Adding to the magic, it was Smallbone's first time experiencing a snowy Christmas. "My little boy brain fell out of its head, because I was like, 'This [is] what all those songs are about, this makes so much more sense," he said. "The fact that Santa Claus pulled through the way he did, it was pretty amazing."
With nearly 100,000 tickets sold weeks before its release, Smallbone called the new Christmas project a "pinch-yourself moment," adding: "We're pretty excited about it. It feels like a perfect gift to give folks at the end of what's been maybe the most epic year of my life so far."
The band's Christmas album features a set list including holiday classics like "Little Drummer Boy" and "In the Bleak Midwinter" and hymns including "Silent Night," "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "Angel We Have Heard on High."
Smallbone, whose wife, Moriah, is also a singer-songwriter, is no stranger to balancing a rigorous music, film and live performance schedule.
Last year, Smallbone starred in "Journey to Bethlehem" and co-wrote, directed and starred in "Unsung Hero," on top of releasing music and touring. The band will host residencies this Christmas season at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the Beacon Theatre in New York and the OVO Arena in London.
