Many families who celebrate Christmas are enjoying fire, cocoa, cookies, carols, and myriad other family activities today, but for those families dealing with absent family members, there’s also a bit of a somber tone. That’s been true for the Chrisley family, as dad Todd and mom Julie were incarcerated just at the beginning of the year in 2023. They had one last holiday with daughter Savannah, Nanny Faye and the rest of the family before surrendering to prison. Which means this holiday is their second behind bars. And Savannah Chrisley is tired of pretending everything is hunky dory while her family is apart.
In fact, she said as much in a memorable conversation with her Nanny Faye during a recent episode of her podcast ‘Unlocked.’ Savannah’s been taking charge of her brother Grayson and niece Chloe (whom Todd and Julie had previously been watching) while her parents serve their prison sentences. After a whirlwind year in which Julie tried to appeal her amount of prison time, she said trying to pretend the holidays were normal last year was a lesson learned.
Obviously mom and dad aren’t here. I learned last Christmas. I did Christmas for the kids, I cooked a whole meal, all of that, and friends came over, you [Nanny Faye] came over, it was great. We enjoyed the time… but also mom and dad aren’t here, so trying to pretend everything’s the same really is not what’s in the best interest for anybody.
Now Christmas is here again, and she and the kids booked a trip out of the country in order to try and make new memories. It’s seemingly a solid strategy as the Chrisley family adjusts the new normal with the glue of the family behind bars.
So this year I decided. I asked the kids, ‘Do you want gifts or do you want to go somewhere?’ They decided they wanted to go somewhere. So I am taking their stockings and … so we’re going out of the country and that’s how we’re spending Christmas.
Savannah has been very candid about the changes to her life during the Chrisley's respective court cases, and she's straight up blamed the government for the Chrisley Knows Best stars' legal troubles in the past. She said here she is still struggling waiting for her “good karma” to kick in and she also told her Nanny Faye she firmly believes “it will make sense in the end.”
And Nanny Faye herself is bullish the Chrisleys will be out of prison in time for the holidays next year so they can all be together, though she plans to spend Christmas with her other son, Savannah’s Uncle Randy.
Hopefully they will be [out] next year. And you know our hearts are heavy, but we’re not going to let the Devil win and the people who hate us. We’re gonna march right on down that road. I tell you children, there’s nothing forever. This shall pass. We will be better for it. Because God don’t put stuff on us that he don’t get us out of. …We are a strong family… we have strong genes.
The Chrisley lawyers have remained optimistic about appeals. Regardless, after her latest bid, Julie Chrisley was recently resentenced to 84 months in prison, which was her original sentence of 7 years if she serves the time in full. She recently asked for a resentencing hoping for reduced time, and didn't get it, though Nanny Faye still seems bullish about the future.
Meanwhile, Todd Chrisley was initially sentenced to 12 years for his part in the bank fraud and tax evasion scheme that landed them in hot water. His prison release date, however, seems to have been reduced by a bit to a little over 10 years. Todd recently experienced a prison setback when he lost his job at the prison's chapel. We'll be sure to keep you updated if and when the Chrisleys get home for the holidays.
