Kim Zolciak-Biermann Shares Her Ultimate Guide to the Holiday Season

This holiday season has led to an unexpected first for Kim Zolciak-Biermann. "I’ve never had my stuff up before Thanksgiving ever. I used to think that was so weird," the Don't Be Tardy star told BravoTV.com exclusively. "But I could not wait to get [my decorations] up this year. It really makes me happy. It makes everybody in my house happy."

While Kim's Atlanta abode is already filled with unique Christmas trees and stunning festive décor, she now has big plans for transforming the exterior of the home as well. "I’m lighting up the whole outside of my house again, which I did probably three years ago. Most of our neighbors just do the front of their houses, I do my whole entire house with my entire roof line," she said. "Kroy [Biermann]’s like, 'Kim, I just can’t with you.' We just got a new roof and now he’s like, 'You’re going to have people climbing all over my new roof to put the lights up? This is ridiculous.' But it’ll look really pretty and that’s really gonna make me happy."

From gorgeous décor to delicious food to perfectly thoughtful gifts, here are Kim's top tips for all things holiday: 

"I like over the top. I like a big, bold garland. Big, bold trees. I would say [my holiday design aesthetic is] traditional to a certain extent, but the bigger the better. Big ornaments. The bigger the bow, the closer to God. I love Christmas, but my taste does change pretty often which is annoying to Kroy, of course. I like the grandness of everything."

"We have eight trees," Kim said, declaring that the dessert-themed tree she had decorated for her daughter Kaia Biermann is her "favorite tree of all time."
 
Many of the trees in Kim's house are special to each of her family members, who also include daughters Brielle Biermann and Ariana Biermann and sons Kash Biermann, KJ Biermann, and Kane Biermann. "I surprised my boys with a tree in their playroom and it’s beach themed because we all love the beach [but] my boys in particular really love the beach," she said. "It’s really fun and bright and blue and has starfish and all sorts of lighthouses on it. It’s really, really cute."

When considering what to give to others for the holidays, Kim turns to her tried and true products. "I’m obsessed with FabFitFun. I do that for my kids’ teachers every year. KJ has the same teacher from last year and my twins' teacher this year had Kash last year so they’re really stoked because they know it’s coming and they love FabFitFun. It is an awesome gift and one that I tend to go to because it’s like Christmas four times a year for people."

"I find a lot of my products from FabFitFun," she added. "Me, Brielle, and Ariana, they customize their box, I customize mine, they steal my stuff. Every time they’re on the front porch, we all run to get our box because Brielle will steal and then she’ll tell us, 'I never saw that. So weird. Never saw it,' and I’m like, 'Yeah right.'”

For the Biermann family, holiday baking begins the day after Thanksgiving. "We make cookies, the whole family. The whole day is just tons and tons of baking," Kim said. 

Although she explained that chef Tracey Bloom handles the cooking for Thanksgiving, Kim is hard at work in the kitchen on Christmas. "We always have an Italian dinner on Christmas day that Kroy and I make. I’m a pasta eater so that always excites me," she said. "A big thing for us is stuffed shells."

The family's go-to sweet treats for Christmas day are just as mouthwatering. "[I make] monkey bread in the morning every year. The only time I really make it is Christmas morning," Kim said. "Magic cookie bars, what my family calls them, we have to have those. The kids love those. I try to make cream wafers which are these cookies that are a pain [to make] but I try to make those every year."

While Kim explained that the (adult) family members will "have mimosas with [champagne] and orange juice or something on Christmas morning," there is one holiday drink in particular she looks forward to all year. "I grew up drinking eggnog. I love eggnog," she said. "Kroy thinks it’s disgusting. Ariana and the littles love it. I can’t drink glass after glass. I’ll just have one or two, maybe three glasses the whole season. I love it, love it, love it."

"The kids all get to open one present on Christmas Eve," Kim explained of a tradition from her childhood that she passed on to her kids. "I find a lot of people don’t open a present on Christmas Eve, which is kind of funny. I didn’t realize that was really a tradition for more so my family than others."

A tradition from growing up that even Kim herself is surprised to have continued with her own family is playing "Christmas music throughout the house every single day," something she begins in the fall. "I play Christmas music starting in October, every morning on the way to school. I just love Christmas music," she said. "My mom used to do the same thing, which is funny because it used to [annoy me] and now I do it to my kids, but they love it."

"Brielle and I have our own tradition and that is to give each other our gifts as soon as we get them," Kim said. "Kroy gets so mad every single year because we can’t help ourselves. I’ll give Brielle a few gifts, but the one I really love I will give to her [early.] It’s not necessarily her biggest gift but just something I know that she’ll love like a purse or whatever. That’s our own little tradition."

Use the code BRAVO to redeem $10 off your first FabFitFun box! 

Want more Don’t Be Tardy? New episodes air every Tuesday at 10/9c or catch up on this season through the Bravo app.