Country Stars Read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Version 2)

Country Stars Read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Version 2)

To wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season, we’ve brought together some of your favorite country music stars to read the classic holiday poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Version 2)

Feel free to follow along with the poem…

Keith Urban:
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

Carrie Underwood:
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ?kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap

Kimberly from Little Big Town:
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

TJ Osborne from Brothers Osborne:
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

John Osborne from Brothers Osborne:
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

Tae from Maddie & Tae:
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

Jimi from Little Big Town:
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

Lauren Alaina:
More rapid than eagles his reindeer they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!”

Caylee Hammack:
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!?

Dierks Bentley:
So up to the house-top the reindeer they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too

Darius Rucker:
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

Jordan Davis:
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

Maddie from Maddie & Tae:
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

Karen from Little Big Town:
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

Jon Pardi:
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

Brandon Lay:
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

Phillip from Little Big Town:
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

Luke Bryan:
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

Alan Jackson:
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Country Stars Read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Version 1)

Country Stars Read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Version 1)

To wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season, we’ve brought together some of your favorite country music stars to read the classic holiday poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Version 1)

Feel free to follow along with the poem…

Alan Jackson:
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

Dolly Parton:

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

Keith Urban:

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads

Kenny Chesney:

And Mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap

Maren Morris:

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter

Cam:

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

Craig Morgan:

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of midday to objects below.

Miranda Lambert:

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer

Jake Owen:

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

Luke Combs

More rapid than eagles his reindeer they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

Old Dominion:

Brad: Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer!
Geoff: Now, Prancer and Vixen!
Whit: On, Comet! On, Cupid!
Trevor: On, Donner and Blitzen!
Matthew :To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

Lauren Alaina:

So up to the house top the reindeer they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas, too.

Darius Rucker:

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

Kellie Pickler:

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

Tyler Farr:

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

Trisha Yearwood:

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

Carrie Underwood:

His eyes—how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

Kane Brown:

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

Martina McBride:

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

Jerrod Niemann:

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

Sara Evans:

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

Kelly Clarkson:

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

Luke Bryan:

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

Chris Young:

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

Brad Paisley:

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

Garth Brooks:

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
‘Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!’

Matt Stell Shares a Christmas Gift He Loved, and One He Never Wants To Get

Matt Stell Shares a Christmas Gift He Loved, and One He Never Wants To Get

Some Christmas presents are a hit with people, and some are misses.

Matt Stell remembers one of his favorite Christmas presents ever, “My favorite childhood Christmas memory is when my mother got me a puppy one time.  It was a good little dog, Hollyberry.” 

Of course, like every parent knows, you get your kid a pet, and 9 out of 10 times, you become the main caretaker.

Matt jokes that happened with his dog and his mom, “My mom ended up being-They were probably more attached to each other than I was with it, but I loved that dog.  Man, she loved that dog.”

So, the dog was a big hit as a present, but just in case he ever ends up on your gift giving list, Matt Stell shares the one thing he never wants to get as a present, “I can’t really think of a gift that I always wanted that Santa didn’t bring me, but I can tell you some things- many things that Santa brought me that I never wanted and to this day it continues.  I hate getting clothes for Christmas.  I want toys. I want video games. I just want a card. I don’t care. I don’t like getting clothes for Christmas.”

Everybody clear on that now?

Well, a gift that Matt got this year that we know he was happy about, was his second number-one song. Back in November “Everywhere But On” topped the country airplay charts…

Photo Credit: Dustin Haney

Caylee Hammack Has Will Ferrell To Thank For Her Singing Career

Caylee Hammack Has Will Ferrell To Thank For Her Singing Career

There’s having a favorite Christmas movie, and then there’s HAVING a favorite Christmas movie.

Caylee Hammack says that her favorite is Elf, starring Will Ferrell, because “that is the whole reason I started singing.”

Yes, it’s a new holiday classic with many memorable scenes, but it’s one scene in particular that made her dad take notice of Caylee’s singing ability.

Caylee recalls, “I was leaning up against the kitchen island when they played ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ in the movie, Elf, and I was singing along to it. I was 13 when it came out. And my dad said, ‘Caylee, you can actually sing.’ I was like, ‘No, don’t make fun of me.’ We were always tease each other, so I thought he was teasing me.’”

Turns out that not only was her dad not teasing her, he wanted to help her grow her talent. Caylee recalls the encouragement from her dad led to her trying out for a talent show, “he’s like…Caylee, I think you should try it,’ and that’s when I signed up for this little talent show in my hometown and I completely embarrassed myself. I sang, ‘I Will Survive,’ and I froze on the first lines – ‘At first I was afraid, I was p-pe-pet-petrified.’ And completely flunked it.” 

Even with that little bump in the road, she pressed on, and now has a career singing…because of her dad and Elf. “The whole reason I tried out for it is because my dad heard me singing in the kitchen to ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ in the Elf movie.” So, when it comes to favorite holiday movies for Caylee, “Elf is probably my favorite Christmas movie.”

While it’s not a shower, Caylee knows that sometimes all you need for the perfect holiday atmosphere is a fireplace, an acoustic guitar and Christmas songs.

To make the holidays a little brighter, over the last few days Caylee has released three gorgeous renditions of some holiday classics for her fans — “Hard Candy Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

We are sure these are all dad approved…

Check out Caylee singing “The Christmas Song”…

 

Caylee puts her own spin on the Dolly Parton classic “Hard Candy Christmas.”

And to cap off her mini-holiday concert, Caylee sings “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson

Kenny Chesney Was the Little Star Before He Was a Big Star

Kenny Chesney Was the Little Star Before He Was a Big Star

Kenny Chesney is no stranger to performing in front of people these days, but when he was younger…it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Back in his Christmas pageant school years, Kenny remembers being more of a “behind the scenes” kind of guy, “I think one time I held the star, you know, and did it behind them. You know, I didn’t…never did show my face. I was holding the star going through the night. That’s all I did. I remember doing that one year. But all my other buddies was Joseph and Mary and all that stuff.” Kenny adds with a laugh, “I never did, really, get out on stage that much. Never really did sing in the Christmas play and…no, I was pretty scared to get up there then!” (laughs)

Since then, Kenny has performed for millions of fans all over the nation…and he’s gotten pretty comfortable in front of an audience.

While he has left his pageant days behind, Kenny has recorded Christmas songs to entertain his fans. When it comes to his own personal favorite holiday track, Kenny picks Alabama‘s country classic, “Christmas in Dixie.”

Kenny says, “Growin’ up in the South, I can just remember hearin’ that a lot. I mean, every Christmas, you heard Alabama. You heard Randy Owen singing ‘Christmas in Dixie.’ And it was just one of those songs that…you know, my hometown radio station played every year. And I just always remember lovin’ that song, and then I got into the music business and was able to get to know Randy and Mark [Herndon],  Teddy [Gentry], and Jeff [Cook]. They just mean so much to me.”

Kenny got to record his own version of “Christmas in Dixie” with Randy for his album, All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan.

Taking a cue from that album title, Kenny also recorded a Christmas song with a Caribbean flair a few years ago.

Check out Kenny Chesney’s “Christmas in Blue Chair Bay”…

Photo Credit: Allister Ann

Brad Paisley Admits That He Wasn’t Excited to Get a Guitar for Christmas

Brad Paisley Admits That He Wasn’t Excited to Get a Guitar for Christmas

Brad Paisley is known as one of the best guitar players in the music industry today, but he wasn’t completely thrilled when he got his first guitar.

When he was a kid, Brad remembers not being happy when his grandfather’s Christmas present to him was a guitar, “For me, at eight years old, it was, you know, the Millennium Falcon or Battlestar Galactica or something. It wasn’t a guitar. I knew I was getting a guitar ’cause he had told me he was gonna do that, but, you know, I was not that excited about it.”

Brad also shares the time he tried to catch Santa in the act, “One year I tried to figure out — it was third or fourth grade — I was startin’ to get the hint that maybe there wasn’t a Santa Claus…which there is, by the way. But I wanted to prove it once and for all, so I stuck a tape recorder, pressed record, stuck it behind the Christmas tree, and left it on hoping that I would hear whoever was gonna place those presents there…and I forgot to plug it in.”

Of course for the presents Santa doesn’t cover these days, Brad heads out to get some gifts. While he admits that he’s a last minute Christmas shopper, he doesn’t think he’s alone, “I’m pretty last-minute. Most guys are, I think, are like me. You just don’t invest enough, you don’t think ahead and plan it. I really do end up somewhere like the mall or something on the 24th. It’s a shame. It’s really a waste of what should be a fun day, ’cause you know, here I am scrambling around going, ‘Oh, I think they’ll like that.’ They may have never heard of it, and I don’t know what it is necessarily, but let’s buy it!”

Spreading the holiday cheer this year, Brad took sometime to record himself reading an Elf on the Shelf Christmas story, which you can check out here…

Photo Credit: Jeff Lipsky

 

3-star DB De’Shawn Rucker – Vols 18th 2021 ESP signee

3-star DB De’Shawn Rucker – Vols 18th 2021 ESP signee

De’Shawn Rucker / Credit: UT Athletics

De’Shawn Rucker
(DB) Tallahassee, FL (Godby HS)
5’11, 185
Commit: 5/3/20
3-star on 247 Composite/Rivals, 4-star on ESPN

Josh Ward’s Analysis: Rucker is one of the most underrated prospects in Tennessee’s class. He doesn’t have a great size but has SEC speed. Tennessee’s staff will likely give Rucker a look at multiple spots in the defensive backfield.

Eric Cain’s Analysis: Rucker coins himself as a ‘complete defensive back’ – meaning, he can play all five spots in the secondary. He’s done just that and will likely begin his Volunteer journey at the STAR position. Rucker chose the Vols because of Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley – seeing what they’ve done with players in the past.

Article on Rucker

Bio: A versatile blue-chip defensive back who can play every position in the secondary … A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com and 247Sports.com … One of the top 55 prospects in the state of Florida according to 247Sports.com … In a game as a junior in Nov. 2019, recorded three interceptions and took one back 56 yards for a touchdown … A speedster on the track who clocked a 10.76 100m as junior and qualified for the state long jump as a sophomore … Also a standout on Godby’s basketball team … Committed to the Vols in May 2020 … Coached by Brandon McCray … Twitter handle is @d_rucker22.

 

Jake Owen Has a Christmas T-Shirt Instead of an Ugly Sweater

Jake Owen Has a Christmas T-Shirt Instead of an Ugly Sweater

Christmas is always envisioned as a cold, snowy time of the year…but that’s not always the case.

There are parts of the U.S. where Christmas day could find you in a t-shirt instead of an ugly Christmas sweater.

Jake Owen says he grew up in that part of the country, where having a “White Christmas” meant a sandy beach, “Where I grew up in Florida, we didn’t have snowy white Christmases like you hear about. You know, it’s kind of weird. I never got that. I never saw that growing up. I had palm trees, and it was always 72 or 75 degrees and sunny on Christmas Day where we were from, and you didn’t get to wear the Christmas sweaters and stuff like that. It was like, we didn’t have that.”

Snow or not, you know Jake Owen is always going to have fun…check out his holiday song with Parmalee, “Christmas Spirits”

Photo Credit: Robby Klein

Three VFLs Selected to the 2021 Pro Bowl

Three VFLs Selected to the 2021 Pro Bowl

VFLs in NFL Pro Bowl / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee VFLs Morgan Cox, Alvin Kamara and Cordarrelle Patterson were selected to the 2021 Pro Bowl, the National Football League announced this week.

The 2021 Pro Bowl Game originally was scheduled to be played Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, but was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the NFL is working with EA Sports to create a week-long series of matchups featuring celebrities, NFL legends, current players and streamers playing the official Pro Bowl rosters on Madden NFL 21. The week culminates in a virtual Pro Bowl game with 2021 Pro Bowl players playing within Madden, which will be available for fans to watch across a variety of platforms.

The 2021 Pro Bowl selections mark the fourth for each of the three VFLs. Kamara has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons and is the first player in the New Orleans Saints’ franchise history to do so. Cox and Patterson have both made their second consecutive Pro Bowl roster.

Kamara, selected as a running back, has played in 14 games with 10 starts, leading the Saints in both rushing and receiving on the season. The VFL has amassed 777 yards on 165 carries and 10 touchdowns and ranks first in the league among running backs in catches and receiving yards with 80 catches for 739 yards and five touchdowns.

The fourth-year Saint ranks third in the NFL with 1,516 total yards from scrimmage, 83 first downs and is tied for third with 15 total scores.

Patterson, selected as a kick returner, has been named to the Pro Bowl in both of his seasons with the Chicago Bears. This season, Patterson leads the NFL with a 29.44-yard average on 32 returns. On Nov. 16 against the Vikings, Patterson scored on a 104-yard kickoff return to record the longest return in Bears’ franchise history. That enabled him to tie the NFL all-time record of eight career kickoff return touchdowns with Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.

The eighth-year NFL veteran ranks second in the NFL record books with a 29.8-yard career kickoff return average, trailing only Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.

Cox, selected as a long snapper, was selected to his second-straight Pro Bowl by NFL players and coaches as long snappers were added to the player and coach voting system in 2019. The 11-year NFL veteran has appeared in 13 games this season and 163 games throughout his career.

2021 Pro Bowl Roster

-UT Athletics

Trey Smith Named to Coaches All-SEC First Team For Second Straight Season

Trey Smith Named to Coaches All-SEC First Team For Second Straight Season

Trey Smith – Vols OL / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the second consecutive year, Tennessee senior offensive guard Trey Smith was tabbed to the SEC Coaches All-SEC First Team, the league office announced on Tuesday.

Smith was one of five SEC offensive linemen selected to the first team. He becomes the first Volunteer offensive lineman to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Arron Sears during the 2005-06 campaigns. Smith is one four UT offensive linemen to achieve that Coaches team feat in the last 32 years, joining Sears, Antone Davis (1989-90) and Eric Still (1988-89).

The 2020 season saw Smith start all 10 games at left guard. According to Pro Football Focus College, he logged 664 snaps and allowed only one sack. He paved the way for a Vol rushing attack that averaged 141.5 yards per game on the ground.

The Jackson, Tennessee, native concludes a brilliant career filled with accolades. Smith captured the 2020 Fritz Pollard Trophy and the 2019 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, while earning multiple All-SEC First-Team and SEC Community Service Team honors. Earlier this month, Smith completed his undergraduate degree in recreation and sports management and accepted an invitation to the 2021 Senior Bowl.

For his career, Smith started 41 of the 42 games he played in, including 22 consecutive starts. He logged over 2,500 offensive snaps in his four years and allowed only one sack in his final two seasons.

-UT Athletics

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