Gary Barlow says Christmas is always a "big" deal in his house.

Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow

The Take That singer has opened up about his family's festive traditions, revealing they put whiskey out for Father Christmas, carrots for the reindeers and recreate footprints ahead of the big day.

Speaking on Magic Radio about his Christmas traditions, he said: "It’s very important I always think to leave Santa a drink, whiskey is a great way of cheering Santa up on Christmas Eve, he needs a rest as well as doing all his work. So that’s big, we always put the carrot out and all that stuff, that’s fun, we’ve got an 11-year-old still so that all goes on, the footprints and all that business."

Meanwhile, Gary previously insisted he is a "nightmare" husband and a "dreadful" bandmate.

The 49-year-old singer admitted his "drive" and constant need to be on the go is difficult for his loved ones, particularly his wife of 20 years, Dawn, and his Take That bandmates because he is such a "pain".

He said: "I'm a nightmare husband. I'm just so ... driven. I always need to be doing something, planning something, putting 'just one more project' in the diary. I don't stop. I can laugh about it now, but I'm also a dreadful person to be in a band with. In fact, you really don't want to be near me at all. I'm a dreadful pain ... I'm difficult. Dawn is extremely laidback, whereas I'm not at all. She has zero interest in a celebrity lifestyle, going out, having her photo taken. She would absolutely hate to do what I do, and we've definitely had our ups and downs, but the simple fact of why we are together - we love each other."