He may be in the midst of promoting his Christmas album ‘Under the Mistletoe,’ working on a movie project with Mark Wahlberg and preparing to hit the studio with Kanye West for his next album, ‘Believe’ — not to mention finding time to frolic on Mexican beaches with girlfriend Selena Gomez. But Justin Bieber took some time to sit down with AOL Music to talk all things Christmas. We chatted with the 17-year-old pop star about his Christmas pasts, his Canadian holiday plans and what his little siblings think of their famous big brother.
What was Christmas like for you as a child?
Christmas was always a time for being with family and friends — and being off school and in the snow. In Canada, there’s lots of snow so it was always good fun. My cousins, aunts, uncles and friends would come down.
Did you believe in Santa?
My mom always told me there wasn’t a Santa. This was her logic: She thought if I grew up knowing about Santa then finding out he wasn’t real, that it would be like she was lying to me. And then when she told me about God, I maybe wouldn’t believe her. So she just wanted to be straight-up and honest with me all the time. But I didn’t tell my friends or ruin it for anyone — I was a good kid!
Did you have any Christmas traditions?
We played a game on Christmas Day where everyone brought a girl gift and a boy gift. You roll the dice and if you get doubles, you get to pick a present and if you don’t, it’s the next person’s turn. Then, the next time you roll doubles you get to choose someone else’s present and switch. One time I really wanted a Game Boy but I ended up with pots and pans, which was disappointing. I think I gave them to my mom.
What was your most memorable gift?
I remember getting my first red bike which didn’t have training wheels on it. I was stoked. I thought it was the best present ever. It took me a little bit to learn how to ride it; I banged myself up, but I learned.
What do you do for Christmas these days?
Christmas Eve is when [my mom's side of the family] get together. It’s also my grandma’s birthday so everyone gets together and we have a good time. Then Christmas Day I always go with my dad and now with my little brother and little sister so that’s always fun. That’s what I’ll be doing this year, I’ll be in Canada with my family.
Speaking of your siblings [Jazmyn, three, and Jaxon, two], what kind of big brother are you?
When it comes to my little sister and brother, I spoil them. With Jazzy, all she has to do is cry and she gets what she wants. She’ll be getting a lot of Christmas presents.
Are they aware of your fame?
Jaxon doesn’t really know. Jazmyn knows a little bit but she doesn’t really know the extent of it. She knows that I sing, she loves my songs and she’ll sing along to them — she’s really cute like that. And she has just now started calling me “Justin,” but for the past year she called me “Bieber” because that’s all she could say. It was like, “Bieber! Bieber!”
What are you most looking forward to about Christmas this year?
Just relaxing and being with my family. That’s the thing I’m most excited about.
Do you have any Christmas wishes?
To be honest, I really don’t have any Christmas wishes this year… I just wish to be happy and that everyone be healthy in my family. And I wish that everybody gets to hear my Christmas album — and hopefully like it.
You’ve had a pretty big couple of years since ‘My World’ came out in 2009. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned?
The biggest thing I’ve learned is to take everything with a grain of salt, be patient and remember that there are a lot of people who look up to me so I’ve got to be gracious and remember where I came from.
How do you feel when you look back at everything that’s happened in the last couple of years?
It’s so crazy to think it’s only been two years and all of this stuff has happened. My fans have helped me be so successful and I’m just really blessed and honoured to have Beliebers.
