AOL Music Blog chatted with AJ McLean (new dad to baby Ava Jaymes) and Howie (who will welcome his second child next year) about their childhood Christmas memories, plans for this holiday season and what's in store for their highly-anticipated 20th anniversary.
What are your standout memories of Christmas when you were growing up?
AJ: There are so many from when I was a kid, but I think me becoming a father is going to be the best Christmas memory I'm ever going to have. I think it is going to be amazing.
What was your most memorable Christmas gift from your childhood?
AJ: My mum got me the Nintendo Power Glove and I loved it. I thought it was the coolest thing ... so much so that I cut the cable off and wore it as an accessory to school. I got teased a lot, but whatever. I thought it was so cool!
Howie: I'll never forget my parents got me a karaoke machine when I was 12-years-old. It had a cassette track tape and a cassette player. So I guess I'm kind of dating myself by saying that. But it was the start of my career for me!
How did you used to spend Christmas Day when you were younger?
Howie: Normally all the family would get together, we'd eat a lot of food, open gifts early in the morning and then all the kids would play with all their new toys.
What are your plans for this Christmas?
AJ: I'll probably be changing diapers and cleaning up poo poo! I'm just going to be in Los Angeles with my wife's family. My family will be out here as well and finally now we get to have Christmas at my house. Usually I would fly back home to Orlando to be with my parents, but now they come out here. So my wife and I finally have our own Christmas tree. It's a Nightmare Before Christmas tree. It's got the Nightmare Before Christmas characters on it like Jack Skellington and Sally. It's a pretty gothic Christmas tree.
Howie, has how Christmas changed for you since you became a father?
Howie: Well, now I'm not playing with the toys anymore. Now my son [one-year-old James] is playing with the toys, although I'm normally having to set up the toys for him. But it's fun!
Do you have any New Year's Resolutions?
AJ: To quit smoking.
What can you tell us about your 20th anniversary plans next year?
AJ: We're still working on the brand new record and we have the new Christmas single which is out now on iTunes –- "It's Christmas Time Again," which Howie and Nick wrote – and we're just trucking away trying to get the record done. Then hopefully we will have a tour starting sometime mid-spring to early-summer. It's going to be an awesome tour –- we've got 20 years of music to compile into one show so it's going to be an awesome show!
And you're also getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
AJ: Yes, somewhere around March or April we'll be getting the star.
Q: What can you tell us about the new album?
Kevin: Well, we are in the studio recording, writing and working on it right now. Hopefully, it will be done the beginning of the year and we are going to launch it next year along with a 20th year anniversary tour all over the world. But now we have a song on iTunes called It's Christmas Time Again, written by these two guys.
Q: What is it like to get back together after 6 years apart?
Kevin: Well, they have always been rocking and rolling and it feels like we never skipped a beat.
Q: What are you doing for the holidays?
AJ: Well, I am having a baby, so that will take care of things for me.
Kevin: You are not having a baby she is...
AJ: Okay, we are having a baby...
Q: What do you want for the holidays?
Brian: Anything? Just to be home with my family. It's all about being around the tree and drinking some hot chocolate.
Q: Where will you be spending the holidays?
AJ: It's going to be here in LA with my family...my family will be out here as well and having Christmas at my house...so my wife and I finally got our own Christmas tree and we are going to do it at our house for the first time...It has all the Nightmare Before Christmas characters in it...so it is a pretty Gothic Christmas.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
AJ: Well, we have the new song on itunes and we are just trucking away trying to get the new record done and hopefully we will have a tour starting in mid-spring/ summer. It will be an awesome tour...we have 20 years of music to pile into one show so...it will be awesome.
