Fox News' Bill Hemmer: Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without family and home

It is so easy to be cynical about occasions these days — but Fox News’ Bill Hemmer, cohost of “America’s Newsroom” (weekdays 9-11 a.m. ET), doesn’t subscribe to that. Not one bit.

Nor do any of the other contributors who shared their beautiful Christmas traditions, family memories, favorite recipes, and much more in the new book All American Christmas by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy. 

The book is a balm for anyone feeling strung out or stressed at this time of year. It’s for anyone who wants to enjoy and celebrate — with genuine gratitude and joy — the true blessings that come with Christmas.

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For Bill Hemmer, those blessings are rooted in family. In the following excerpt from his essay, he reveals for readers the satisfaction and happiness that comes with “creating memories at Christmas, exchanging gifts, [and] making more of life’s moments.” 

Bill Hemmer of Fox News says that "sharing what you’ve learned [with others in your life] is a great gift." He also says that at Christmas, "Our house gets loud. Festive too, but loud."
(iStock / Fox )

He also explains why “sharing what you’ve learned [with others] is a great gift,” too.

Check out Hemmer’s personal revelations, as featured in All American Christmas.

Read these Christmas sentiments from Bill Hemmer

Bill Hemmer in All American Christmas: Like it is for most people, Christmas for me is about family and being at home in Ohio.

For most of my adult life, I’ve lived away for my job, but I’ve had the good fortune of making it back to Cincinnati, Ohio, for Christmas. It is a special aspect of life that I have both parents together at Christmas along with my five siblings. 

A young Bill Hemmer (far right, front, in stripes), with four of his siblings — and Santa, too! — at Christmas years ago. This sweet photo and many others, along with essays, recipes, playlists, and more, appear in the book ‘All American Christmas.’
(Courtesy Bill Hemmer)

And I have an entire litter of nieces and nephews — eleven of them now — and today they are having kids, which makes me a great uncle. Twice now. Our house gets loud. Festive too, but loud.

I know my parents love to have the crowd around them; after all, it is what we grew up with. 

Just like my folks, I have fond memories of my grandparents George and Helen Knittle. (The “K” is silent, but they were not.)

My grandmother had certain dishes — like sugar cookies — that were her specialty. Today, my sisters carry on her traditions, and they bring back memories of my grandparents.

— Bill Hemmer

They really loved to cook a giant Christmas brunch and have us over on Christmas Day.

We called my grandmother DeeDee. She would prepare an enormous spread for us all, and I know it would take days to make all the food. 

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We would eat so much, a food coma was inevitable and all of us would end up lying down on their carpet. Comatose.

My grandmother had certain dishes — like sugar cookies — that were her specialty. Today, my sisters carry on her traditions, and they bring back memories of my grandparents.

There’s just nothing like sugar cookies (and milk!) at Christmas — especially when freshly made by Grandma. Bill Hemmer shares memories of his grandmother’s sugar cookies in the book ‘All American Christmas.’ (File)

My grandfather George Knittle lived to be one hundred years old. For the last three years of his life, he lived at a senior facility called Bayley. 

Imagine being ninety-seven years old and transitioning to a new resident. Well, Papa did it with real ease and grace. He embraced the staff and they embraced him. He had a real winning way with people and he left a real impression. 

He befriended everyone, and I know he was grateful to spend his final years there. 

To honor his memory and to thank the staff, I helped organize a charity golf tournament. We’re coming up on nearly twenty years for the event, and we are eager to see it resume after a COVID-related hiatus … 

Bill Hemmer at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan with Fox News colleague Martha MacCallum during the Christmas season. While his "professional home has been in New York City for the past twenty years," he says in the book, "Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the satisfied feeling of being at home with family."
(Courtesy Martha MacCallum)

I grew up in a Catholic home and attended parochial schools, and the messaging of giving and being of service was deeply ingrained in both environments.

As a kid, celebrating at home was important, but we had a second Christmas to look forward to with our grandparents. It was wonderful to see how much joy and love the act of giving produced in them. They experienced the same sense of anticipation in the lead-up to Christmas as we did.

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Sharing those moments with the whole family was really what Christmas was all about. Any time we went to see them, we were all so happy. 

Christmas helped shine a brighter light on that happiness and made stronger memories over time …

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the satisfied feeling of being at home with family.

READ MORE FOX NEWS LIFESTYLE CONTENT HERE

It’s an annual reminder of the love you share for the Christmas season, its spirit, and one another. 

Exerpted from All American Christmas by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy. To purchase a copy, click here.