Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

David Nail’s favorite Christmas memories are all about family…and naps. When he was growing up in Missouri, his grandparents lived right across the street and everyone would gather there for Christmas morning.

“I would get up in the morning, and I’d look out the window and you’d see a car there, and you’d get in the shower and come back and see a couple more cars there, and it was kind of that anticipation of seeing all the family members start to come into town in the morning,” recalls David. “Then we always got to kind of roll over there last, and it was like once we showed up, that was kind of the go-time!”

The holiday also featured some ZZZZ’s, as well. “After we opened gifts, it was kind of a race to see who could catch my dad sneak back across the street to take a nap, because he was always the first one to start dozing off on the couch.”

David and his wife Catherine added two more to the family last year with the birth of their twins, Lawson and Lillian. This year, however, they’re staying home in Nashville and David says everyone has to come to them.

Easton Corbin has been traveling the country, and while he’s on the road, he’s been trying different restaurants in a new Youtube series, “Easton Eats.” In the latest episode, you can find him eating up some good barbecue at Cooper’s BBQ in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kip Moore and his brothers would go on fishing trips with their dad around Christmas before the elder Moore passed away a few years ago, and it was always one of his favorite traditions. Another one of his favorite traditions was watching movies with his family on Christmas Eve.

“The night before Christmas, we would rent a bunch of movies,” says Kip. “My dad would take us to the store, the video store and we would rent a bunch of movies and we’d watch them all through the night. That was always a thing that we’d look forward to was all hanging out together and laugh until 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning, then waking up two hours later for the presents.”

The Georgia native is taking some time off from touring before he hits the road next spring.

Eric Church had certain family Christmas traditions, ones he wants to carry over into his immediate family, which includes his wife, Katherine, and two sons, Boone and  Hawk. One tradition, though, is very significant and puts everything into perspective for him and the rest of his family. “My grandmother, when she was alive, would always come over, and every year she would bring this Christmas story, and some of them were gut-wrenching. I’m not going to lie to you,” says Eric. “They were just heart-tugging stories…about a Christmas miracle…and she would always look all year long and find this story, and then we would have breakfast and she would read it, and it was just our family and we’ve carried that [tradition] on. My mom does that now and she’s kind of taken it and she finds the story, and that’s something I’m going to do with my family.”

The North Carolina native is spending time with his family before heading out on his Holdin’ My Own Tour, kicking off January 13th in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Darius Rucker released Home for the Holidays, his first Christmas album, in 2014, and it included several classic songs and even a couple of originals. One of them he recorded “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” was the first song he just knew he was going to put on the album.

“It was because I love it. For me, the Grinch cartoon, and even the movie now, but the Grinch cartoon growing up, before we had 152,000 channels, we had three channels and they showed all these cartoons once a year and the Grinch was one of those things,” says Darius. “I think we only bought the TV Guide in December, so we can know when the Grinch was coming on. It was in prime time and the whole family was sitting there watching it, and that song was always so cool.”

Darius also wanted to record, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” with Sheryl Crow, but it was because of the movie Elf. “I decided to do that for one reason, for Elf, for that movie and how great they did it when she’s taking a shower in the bathroom, and he comes and sits on the counter and he’s singing along with her. I thought it was just a great song,” he says.

Darius Rucker always looks forward to Christmas, not just because he gets a little downtime with his family after being on the road so much, but because he truly enjoys the holiday and all the magic that goes along with it.

He and his family – includes his wife and three children have a routine they pretty much stick to on the big day. “Christmas at the Rucker house is pretty laid-back,” says Darius. “Our kids wake up early – real early – and open their gifts and we hang out, have breakfast, go to church, come home and PLAY, play with toys and hang out and see family who comes by, and we go to see family. It’s just a pretty normal, fun Christmas Day.” Sounds like a great time! But if you happen to receive a gift from Darius, just know he wasn’t the one doing the wrapping! “I buy it and go, ‘Honey, wrap this!’ I don’t wrap, and it definitely doesn’t look like Dillards’ [wrapping],” he admits. “It would be frumpy is what it would be. [laughs]”

Darius loves to take it easy during the holidays after being on the road all year long. One way he winds down with his family is to watch Christmas movies…however, he can’t pick just one favorite.

“That’s such a hard question, favorite Christmas movie, because there are so many great movies that I can think of just off the top of my head that are great Christmas movies,” says Darius. “But it would be a tie between Miracle on 34th Street, which is still just great acting, great movie. I just love it. I love watching it. I watch it probably four times every Christmas and cry at the end every time. And I love Elf. I just think Elf is one of the absolute great stories and just funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and it just happens to be a Christmas movie. It’s one of my favorite movies.”

Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood have been spending the past couple of weeks touring Australia, and they’re wrapping up the trek Down Under this weekend. Every night, the pair would perform together, singing “The Fighter” from Keith’s Ripcord album, as well as the Stevie Nicks-Tom Petty duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.”

“We’ve toured together before, but we’ve never had a song together to do, so it’s great that we get to do ‘The Fighter.’ It was actually released as a single in Australia quite a while back and was a hit down there, so people are gonna know that song,” says Keith. “It has all been a very organic thing about us going down together at the same time and touring together. We would’ve been doing it had we not had the song, but with the fact that we’ve got ‘The Fighter’ as well is excellent.”

Keith’s Ripcord World Tour is set to wrap in Brisbane on Saturday (December 17th).

Keith, whose latest single “Blue Ain’t Your Color” is sitting in the Top 5 on the country charts, will headline Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Celebration at Bicentennial Mall.

Tis the season for family, friends and festive cocktails. Toby Keith‘s Wild Shot Mezcal offers the perfect libation for cold nights and good times with two cocktail recipes tailored for Christmas and New Year’s – the new Wild Shot Baked Apple and the classic Wild Shot’s Red Solo Cup.

Wild Shot’s namesake certainly has plenty to celebrate as the year draws down. From his successful Toby Keith Interstates & Tailgates Tour Presented by Ford F-Series to an acclaimed new single “A Few More Cowboys,” 2016 has been another example of high-level consistency. And if that’s not enough to get in the spirit, there’s always “Red Solo Cup (Holiday Version).” Watch here.

With the rapid rise of mezcal in the United States, Wild Shot has become an unqualified success as the premium brand leading the market. Imported from San Luis Potosi, Mexico by Shaw-Ross International Importers, Keith’s signature spirit is quickly claiming market share. Recent additions include 36 stores in New Hampshire and a yet-to-be tamed growing popularity and presence across Toby’s native Oklahoma.

Fans who’ve already added Wild Shot to their adult beverage rotation or may be trying it for the first time can enjoy these festive concoctions:

Baked Apple

Served hot. Goes great with chestnuts … open fires … roasting, etc.

1.5 ounces Wild Shot Mezcal

1/2 cup Apple Cider

2 teaspoons Agave Nectar

Twist of Lemon

Garnish (optional): Apple slices + Cinnamon sticks

Red Solo Cup

Served cold. Excellent at New Year’s Eve parties. Let’s have a party. Proceed to party.

1.25 oz Wild Shot Silver Mezcal

0.5 oz Orange Liqueur

2 oz Fresh Lime juice

0.5 oz Agave Nectar

2 oz Cranberry juice

0.5 oz Grenadine

In other Wild Shot news, the brand is making a reappearance at February’s 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, where more signature Wild Shot cocktails will be served. For more information please visit:  www.wildshot.com.

Tis the season for close-knit gatherings as the current two-time GRAMMY-nominated Hillary Scott & The Scott Family invite TODAY along to celebrate the holidays. From her home just outside of Nashville, TN, Hillary Scott sits-down with Jenna Bush Hager to recall favorite Christmas traditions and discuss the impact of the group’s GRAMMY-nominated “Best Contemporary Christian Music Album” LOVE REMAINS, which also received a “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song” nod for its chart-topping single “Thy Will.” Fans can tune-in to watch Hillary alongside her mother Linda Davis, father Lang Scott and younger sister Rylee, next week on Dec. 21st (7:00A CT on NBC) as they join together around the piano to reprise their favorite carols and holiday stories.

The “tenderhearted family collaboration” (People) behind LOVE REMAINS is the mix of the rich, entwined voices of the Scotts, on “new co-writes, lesser-known oldies and time-honored gospel staples” (Rolling Stone). The 13-track collection of faith-based songs was produced by Ricky Skaggs and are a collection of songs that find the redemption in struggle, the peace in death and the joy in bonding with family members whenever times are tough. LOVE REMAINS follows more than 18 million album sales worldwide for Hillary Scott as one-third of the one of the world’s most popular groups, Lady Antebellum. The trio has made nine trips to No. one, earned seven GRAMMY awards and has been dubbed ACM and CMA “Vocal Group of the Year” three years in a row. For more information on new music, a full list of upcoming tour dates and more, visit www.hillaryscott.com.

Luke Bryan stopped by to thank the Spring Hill Fire Department on Friday (December 9th) during their annual Christmas lunch. He spent nearly an hour with the firefighters signing autographs, posing for photos and thanking them for their efforts in East Tennessee battling the fires in Sevier County.