Friday, December 25, 2009


Merry Christmas! Today's country tidbits...

What were your favorite stars up to on Christmas Eve?

James Otto got a new Benneli shotgun for Christmas. He tweeted, "All ducks beware-be fast or you will be dinner."

Justin Moore drove home to Arkansas for Christmas, and was happy to see all the mud from the storms. He drove his crew cab pickup and toted two four-wheelers. Can you say "muddin' on Christmas?"

Martina McBride's youngest, Ava, made Santa a cookie in her Easy Bake oven. I'm sure Santa loved it and probably left her some pretty good presents in exchange.

Randy Houser spent Christmas Eve trying to get on a flight to Hawaii. He got stuck in Chicago with three flights scrubbed before he was finally able to board last night. He's lost a day in paradise, and is threatening to write a song about the very bad customer service and post it on YouTube.

Why did Sugarland do a Christmas cd this year? Kristian Bush loves Christmas and Christmas music, and they felt this was the year to do it. Jennifer Bush says they picked out their favorite Christmas songs and then added a few originals, and hope that the cd is one that families will put on and just let play while they're opening presents or enjoying an after-dinner drink.

And what are your favorite stars' favorite Christmas memories?

Jennifer Nettles' favorite Christmas memory were the years when Santa came early to her house. Her family would go to a neighbor's house that was all lit up and festive. The neighborhood would gather there on Christmas eve for a party, and when she got home, miraculously, Santa had come. The explanation was that he was very busy and his night was very long, so some kids got early Santa visits. She was also told
that if she looked for Santa and found him, he would throw pepper in her eyes.

Kristian Bush's favorite Christmas memory was the year he got his own guitar. He had been borrowing his Uncle's guitar to learn to play, and his parents decided it was time he had one of his own. Jennifer is very grateful for that gift! He also
remembers the year he thought he figured out that Santa wasn't real, so used his home fingerprinting kit to try to capture Santa's fingerprints on the milk glass. He even left instructions for Santa to remove his gloves before drinking the milk. Santa left a note, saying he didn't want to lose those gloves so had to leave them on. Curses - Kristian's diabolical scheme was foiled!

Joe Nichols remembers a Christmas when his Mom had just become divorced and how poor they were. They went to a new church and that church family embraced them. His Mom had told him that there wasn't going to be much in the way of gifts so to just be thankful for what he had. The church delivered a big bag of presents and food for the family on Christmas eve. Joe says it wasn't about the gifts they brought, it was that someone remembered they were in need and took care of them. That was his greatest gift that year.

Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm, and remembers her cat climbing the tree, making the tree fall over...two years in a row. She also remembers the year that an owl took up residence in their living room on Christmas Eve, and it watched them open presents because they couldn't convince it to leave.

Blake Shelton remembers the year he got a Gilley suit, which is the ultimate camouflage. He says it's got stuff hanging off of it, and if you have it on and stand up in the woods, you blend right in. His uncle gave it to him, and he says he likes to put it on, wait by the highway for a car to come by, and then he runs across the road in front of the car. Then he watches local media for a few days to see if there's a Sasquatch report in his area. Now, this is Blake Shelton telling this story - no way to know if he's telling the truth or pulling our leg!

Darius Rucker remembers being about 12 and he asked for an electric guitar. His Mom struggled to make ends meet, but somehow managed to get a little guitar and amp for him. He still has the guitar to this day.

Kid Rock's favorite Christmas memory is a pretty recent one - the year he learned to deep-fry a turkey, took it to his family holiday dinner, and made his Mom cry. She had slaved all night cooking her turkey, he had spent 45 minutes cooking his, and everyone thought his was better. He consoled his Mom, telling her she was still the best cook - he was just a faster one.

Did Santa bring you Rock Band to play? Well, then, you'll want to know this - Rock Band Going Country Pack 02 will be available starting Tuesday, and it includes Alan Jackson's "Good Time," Jason Aldean's "She's Country," Keith Urban's "I Told You So," Martina McBride's "This One's for the Girls," Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine," Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" and Cross Canadian Ragweed's "Cry Lonely." The track pack will hit the XBox Live Marketplace and the Nintendo Wii stores on December 29th. They won't be available at the Playstation Store until January 7th.

Shania Twain fans, mark your calendars for January 19th. That's the night her episode of American Idol airs. She was a guest judge for the Chicago auditions.

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