Christmas a big day for 22-member polygamous family in Vegas

It would be easy to assume that the holidays are a chaotic time of year for a family of 22, composed of one dad, four moms and 17 children.

But the Browns, the polygamist family featured on TLC’s reality show “Sister Wives,” said Wednesday that Christmastime in their households is more like organized chaos.

Planning for the celebration-packed season begins in October when the children, ranging from 3 to 20 years old, draw names out of a hat for their annual Christmas gift exchange, said the fourth wife, Robyn, 36.

Early December festivities soon follow with Saint Nicholas Day on Dec. 6, when the Browns fill the kids’ shoes with candy, and St. Lucia’s Day on Dec. 13, a Swedish holiday the Browns observe by having the oldest girl in each family prepare breakfast for everyone, Robyn said.

“We have a Christmas tree in everyone’s house,” said the family patriarch, Kody Brown, 46.

Each of Brown’s four wives has her own house, but the holidays are spent as a single family. The four homes are within feet of each other in a Las Vegas cul-de-sac, making for easy access.

“You could put it in a contest,” Brown said of first wife Meri’s 12-foot tree. Brown and his wives voted unanimously that she has the best-decorated tree.

Christine, 41, Brown’s third wife, said proudly, “Mine is never one that you could put in a contest.” It’s full of homemade ornaments from her children, she said.

The moms have their own traditions, Meri said.

Meri, 42, has been making pajamas for each of the children to open on Christmas Eve “their whole lives,” she said. “It’s kind of my tradition.”

Christine said the kids have come to expect them, but she likes to pretend it’s still a surprise.

“What do you mean pajamas?” Christine said she will ask the children who are speculating about what is in their Christmas Eve package.

The Browns said they are fundamentalist Mormons. Christine Brown’s holiday tradition is to cook dinner on “Christmas Eve Eve,” she said, to honor their religion’s founder, Joseph Smith, on his birthday.

Brown jokingly said his Christmas tradition is “I am grumpy all through Christmas Eve!”

“All of the kids run around to all the houses,” Robyn said of the Christmas morning scene, which starts at 7 a.m.

“It’s a crazy rush to get all the kids in one spot,” Robyn said.

This year, the Browns will celebrate at Christine’s home. “We kind of rotate,” Brown said.

Janelle, 45, Brown’s second wife, makes Christmas breakfast every year, Robyn said.

Opening gifts, like everything else in the Brown households, is organized. The entire family will sit around the tree while Brown passes out presents.

“It’s a mountain,” Robyn said, describing the amount of presents that will be handed out.

“It takes a really long time,” Janelle said. “We stop and have breakfast or lunch.”

In the name of equality, the moms said they are given a budget that is the same for each child.

The wives will give each other gifts, too, they said. “Kody is normally hard to shop for,” Janelle said. The other wives agreed.

Brown said he was recently working at a gun trade show for the family’s jewelry business and was disappointed when none of his wives asked to take him Christmas shopping.

“I buy the most amazing gifts for all of them, and they complain that I’m hard to shop for!” Brown sarcastically explained.

Christmas Day won’t just be spent opening presents, though. Each wife will contribute her favorite dishes for the large, informal dinner, Robyn said.

It’s eat-and-go style, she said.

The family then will relax together, watching movies and playing games, Robyn said.

“We play a lot of board games,” Christine said.

Christmas is not just one day, Robyn said. “We stretch it out.”

For the past 15 years, “I made it a habit of making that week my vacation week,” Brown said.

The Browns moved to Las Vegas from Lehi, Utah, when the show’s popularity sparked an investigation into their plural-marriage lifestyle. Plural marriages are illegal.

As for the family’s plans for New Year’s Eve, “we have a week,” the wives said, laughing about the short amount of time remaining to make arrangements.

The winter season premiere of “Sister Wives” will air on Jan. 4, said Raúl Rojas, a TLC spokesman.

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.