Jon Gosselin Promises the Holidays Will Be the Same for the Kids

By Denise Warner Posted Nov 10th 2009 07:57PM

The holidays are coming and for families of divorce, it can be a difficult time of year -- something the Gosselin clan will have to get used to. But Jon Gosselin tells PopEater that everything will remain the same for his eight children despite his estrangement from wife Kate Gosselin, so that "they have the sense of security with everything that's going on."

The 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' dad -- who will be spending both holidays with his kids -- details for us their family traditions like his apple crisp, and also discusses the foundation he set up with his brother to honor their father and help children in need. Read the Full Interview

Are you getting ready for the holidays?
I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with my kids when I get back from Hawaii, not all day, just like half the day.

What are your plans for Christmas?
Christmas Eve and Christmas day are joint-shared custody days, which means we're both in the house. So we'll be there.

Have the kids started asking for presents yet?
I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet. Don't put pressure on me! It will probably be all Internet based this year, pre-wrapped. You know, I'm a guy, when there's free gift wrap, I'm like, 'Yeah, yes please.'

It's easier that way.
Oh my goodness, doesn't your back hurt so much? And why do we sit on the floor and reach over, you can never reach the end of the wrapping paper, you need monkey arms, it's annoying. Nothing ever matches up. My mother is like the best wrapper on the planet. The pattern matches perfect and she puts Hershey kisses on top [of the gift.] I'm envious of her wrap jobs.

What are your favorite family traditions to do at this time of the year?
On Thanksgiving I make apple crisp, that's like my thing. They always ask for it. I juice up my mom's recipe, I add more sugar and stuff. So they are always happy about that. They do like apple picking and make cider, all the Pennsylvania stuff that we've been doing for years anyway. We still keep those traditions. We have an organic apple orchard that we go to. There are a couple of apple trees on my property, so we can pick those ... We do stuff outside. I have landscapers, but I still tell them to leave leaves, so we can make a big pile and jump through it ... We do stuff like that at Christmas, hanging the stockings. They do the stockings early Christmas morning. Kate makes sticky buns. We keep it all the same. Nothing has changed. That way they have the sense of security with everything that's going on. But, this year, there's a lot of paparazzi, so who knows? Every year it's different.

Do they get up really early on Christmas?
Oh yes, because they are used to school. For school they have to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning. And the parents [do, too].

You started a new foundation. What can you tell me about that?
I started the Jon Gosselin Children's foundation in the name of my father. It's something that my brother and I wanted to do, but we never had the finances to do so. And obviously this year has been a pretty good year for me financially, so I started the foundation in memory of my father. My father was a children's dentist for 30 years and he dedicated one day a week for 30 years to handicapped children for free. It never really hit my brother and I. When my dad passed away that's when we started noticing at the viewing all these handicapped patients coming in. Now ... they were adults by now, but they were so thankful for all the work he did. He fixed their cavities and stuff like that. But he dedicated full service to them. That was amazing to me and my brothers and I always thought, "That's amazing what Dad did." All the time he spent with us and all the dedication he spent with us and he still had time to help other people. And that's what I want to do. I'm not a doctor obviously and the only way we could do this was start a foundation to allocate funds to children and a few parents that need help with medical bills. We're trying to get corporate sponsorships and hopefully everything will work out and we can continue the legacy of my father.

Is there anything else you'd like to get involved with?
Once you start a foundation, then other foundations call you. Now I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel because I've never ran [one] before. But you learn from other people and what they do and sometimes you can link foundations together, which would be great. Stuff I do, I visit cancer kids, not because it's a pat on the back for myself. It was just a turning point in my life going to St. Jude's. I did a film shoot with TLC last year at St. Jude's. That was the first time I really was shocked. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You have kids who are not going to make it. You're happy they are there because they are getting the best care in the world. But, it really touched my heart. Just because we showed up, they were happier just that one day. That's amazing you can change someone's life and attitude just by appearing. It's something that you have to realize within the public eye. People look to you and that's why I decided to change my life in recent months and started taking initiative for my actions, owning up to my mistakes and learning from them.

It must be difficult to reconcile the fact that you're in the public eye, but it also gives you the opportunity to help people.
Right. People always say to me, 'Jon, you are famous.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, OK, whatever.' They say, 'You can do two things with your fame. You can have your 15 minutes, or you can take your fame and do good for the world.' And that's what I'm trying to do.

Tags: jon and kate plus 8, jon gosselin, JonAndKatePlus8, JonGosselin, kate gosselin, KateGosselin

Comments

(59)

Wednesday 11 November

By grrr

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1st rule. If you can't be a real father, never be one........unless you can become rich off them.

Tuesday 10 November

By AladdinSane

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Enough of this rubbish that seems never ending...

Enough of this oaf, Gosselin...

ENOUGH!

Peace

By Ginny

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His property! The entire family worked for goodness sake. Yep, everything will be the same on holidays. He'll be there half day on Thanksgiving and he'll be in the house on Christmas - wonder if he'll bring a girlfriend. And, he adds extra sugar to his apple crisps. Bet Kate appreciates that. Also, I agree with everything that Wendy said.

By beth

Personally I think all this is sending mixed messages to the kids. The kids are still young and when all of the sudden the holidays are like nothing ever happened it seems like it's giving them false hope that the parents may get back together. I could be totally wrong but it just seems weird to me. Not to mention that Jon is a total loser so I dont' have too much faith in anything he says!

By margaret

This guy is up to something Come on Yes his dad did a great thing but to ask corps for money to fund his foundation - he is about to lose it all. He has to support 8 kids - kind of a creepy guy too weird just plain weird.

By lor

he is so full of poop....he has been trying to act like mr. nice guy lately.....pulease

By michelle

First he says "everything will be the same", then he says "every year is different"....WTF? If there was an Olympic event that consisted of talking for hours on end without really saying ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE or making any sense......Infamous Lamefish would take the gold medal every time!!!!!!!

He can't speak clearly, he makes no sense. "take initiative for my actions"???? What the hell does that mean??? Does he mean take responsibility for his actions? He's such an idiot, they need to invent a new word for him!!!!

By karen Duffley

I have never seen such diregard for ones children...JOHN...Kates not perfect but isn't flaunting affairs and doing the best she can...alone, you jerk.

By RL

Well isn't that special.

By ltlmstrblmkr15

Not a single 'pro-Jon' comment here! LOL! Damn there was so much I was gonna say,but it's all been said fromwhat a poor excuse he is,right down to how selfish & totally ignorant he sounds. Must be he never heard the old adage about being quiet vs. talking & proving your stupidity.He TRIES using the big people words & totally screws up the English language,that 'initiave for my actions' would be hilarious.....if not so downright pathetic. I'm thinking my 4 yr old can string together a better sentence than this loser.....poor kids. He's also making it crystalclear WHY Kate acted as she did towards him,huh? Question is tho,how'd she manage to deal with this dimbulb for 10 freaking yrs?! The more he talks,the better she looks. ;-X

Pardon my typo & sticky space bar in my prior post.ty ;-)

By joanna

Robyn: I totally agree with you..What a jerk!

By LauraJ

Douche, douche...still a douche and no matter what he says he's always going to be a douche! This is all coming about because he's the bad guy (rightfully so) in the press and he's trying to clean up his image. Newsflash for you Jon - you're done with your 15 minutes now go lie down like the stinking dog you are!

By Jon Gosselin is a JOKE

Oh look, a LYING LAMEFISH. Cancer patients, ha, stop insulting people. You don't help them, you did once in a TLC episode with Kate. If you helped others the paparazzi would have photos of you doing that, because you would for sure contact them to brag about it.

Helping others Jon, you don't brag about doing good acts, you just do it and do it humbly. You cannot do anything like a humble mature man. You are so full of yourself, your ego is going to explode.

What an embarrassment this man is! Everything he says and does is a joke and I hate how he humiliates his twins on TV talking bad about them and bashing Kate. He is not even a good role model.

He is TOXIC and taints everyone near and around him.

Get some proactive to, your zits are gross Jon, you don't have that nice Asian skin you claimed to have. You even are an embarrassment to your own race.

Jon has his kids support him financially when he should be supporting THEM. He lines up photo ops and ET vids of his kids so he can get money.

LAMEFISH! The kids deserve better, you have no vaules, morals, you lie, you use people, you have this unhealthy mental illness and God Complex and it is time TLC and the court put you in your place for good.

INFAMOUS LAMEFISH

By alana

If Yawn-Boy set up a foundation "for his father" WHY isn't it in his FATHER'S NAME?
WHY the hell is it called "The Jon Gosselin ...."??
What a stupid ignorant UGLY UNINTELLIGIBLE uneducated MORON.
God, why isn't he ashamed? I'm embarrassed just reading what he says.
GO AWAY GREEDLINS.

By Jeanne

John is scrubbing the bottom of the chum barrel for the last bit of credibility he can muster. It is woefully inadequate and paints him an utter fool. He's about to get whomped by TLC's lawyers as well as his rightfully nagging soon-to-be-ex, and I for one hopes that he gets gored indelicately, 'Run of The Bulls' style. He is the poster child for the positive effects of divorce, and the negative effects of over-rampant fertility treatment in the U.S. today.

He is a tool. Craftsman-esque. And I loathe him.

I am utterly convinced he knows my own ex personally. Do I sound bitter? It's because I, like that insufferable Kate, defied ALL OF MY VAST INTELLIGENCE and proceeded to spend 15 years raising a gaggle of children with my OWN PERSONAL man-child, mommy-complexed, self-absorbed ego maniacal DOUCHEBAG. ARRGH. The Humanity!!!

Thank God I recovered my wits before my children were PERMANENTLY damaged.

I have no hope for the sad future they have reacted for their own spawn.

Sorry Kate- you really need to stay single if this is the pick you made to breed 12321389181 kids into the world. My sincerest empathy.

man, I need to proof my damned posts when I boast of my own intelligence. I spell like crap with a broken 'i' key at 2am. Look at the irrtation that dude has incited in me! I need to take a deep breath and cleanse the 'Gosselin' infection from my soul...

By Barb

T can't understand all the dumb remarks from the dumb people who don't know what has been going on with the Goslin family. Kate was the one who brought this all on, not Jon. Jon was always taking care of the kids while Kate was having a booksigning, meltdown, exhaustion, afraid to get dirty, nagging, etc... I don't blame Jon for not taking all that. She run him down till he felt like he was nothing. The kids are definitely afraid of her and she does not have a loving bone in her selfish body.

By caringvoice

He is the father of these children it was his responsibility to care for the kids when Kate was not able. I do not see where he was doing all the work, Kate had the right to have some time off. Jon has stated a couple times that he likes the fun times with the kids but not the work. Watch the playtime episode and you can see why there was so much stress and it was not all Kate's doing. I use to admire Jon, thinking he was a stand up guy but after everything I have seen and heard he is far from it.

When a 3 dollar bill is made, Jon's picture is sure to be on it.....lmao.

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