According to a survey...Clifton, just outside of Dayton is the best place for Christmas vibes in Ohio. It came in 56th out of 75 in the nationwide survey. Pigeon Forge,TN (Dolly Parton's hometown) was voted #1!!! I can vouch that they deserve to definitely be in the top 10! 

I guess the survey looked at decorations, maybe some festivals or other festivities that go on nightly, and just the overall feeling for the holiday you get when you visit these 75 places. Check out the FULL list here.

Nate Smith recently covered "Chasing Cars" from Snow Patrol, and now he has a new cover that he has been performing at shows. Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box". He said in an Instagram post 3 days ago that his all time favorite band will always be Nirvana. Yesterday, he posted a video of him performing the song in Seattle, which as we all know, is where Nirvana originated. So cool!

 

 

 

 

 

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Fingers crossed he will perform this one at The Country Fest on Thursday, June 13th!

Today, Tuesday, is a big day for me! 10 a.m. marks a full week without a cigarette, and if all continues to go well, I'm done for life. I've been a tobacco user for nearly a decade nonstop, beginning with chew in high school and transitioning to cigarettes for college onward. My loved ones have been pushing me to give up the habit and fight the addiction for years now, and I'm finally ready to put in the work. I've always said that if I was going to quit, it would happen during the cold months here in Ohio since I didn't smoke inside anywhere and going outside was a drag... (no pun intended!) 

I can't say exactly what the catalyst was for me to do this. Why now instead of any of those other times I've considered quitting? 

I will say I have some strong motivations to ditch this vice, from smelling badly to having to break away from others or fun activities to go outside and light one up. I especially do not want to give second hand smoke to my fiancée and our future family. The last thing I'd want is our kids to go to school with their clothes smelling like an ashtray. Additionally, I want to make everyone proud of me for bettering myself and get them to lay off! Ha! But seriously, from my health to my finances, this is probably one of the most significant decisions I have made in my life and I'm serious about moving on to a new, more free chapter in my life. Although I enjoyed certain aspects of being a tobacco user, I always felt burdened by my addiction. 

I so wish that I could casually smoke a cigarette or two on a given day, but I'm just not like that. It's got to be a full stop for me. I've been using nicotine gum to combat my cravings, and I admit that I am quite nervous to ween myself off of it. I know that former smokers always have that urge to some extent, and I'm so afraid that I will slip back into the temptation somewhere down the line. This could be triggered by an emotionally stressful time, drinking alcohol, seeing/smelling someone smoke, or something else unexpected. It's a test for my willpower, but thankfully cigarettes are culturally on their way out. If it were the 80's with cheap tobacco and smoking permitted nearly everywhere, I'd have no chance. I'm just out here taking it one day at a time, and it has been tough regardless. I want to thank my coworkers here at the radio station and everybody else who has been so supportive in pushing me through this difficult period. I hope I'm past the worst of it.  

Anyhow, here's a link to the American Lung Association's website if you're feeling inspired to ditch those cowboy killers and take care of yourself: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/i-want-to-quit

Thank you for reading this blog and for tuning in to 94.9 WQMX!

Well Chris Janson did a thing...  
Wednesday, December 20th look for Janson to play CMT: Crossroads with Brett Michaels of Poison.

I was flipping through channels on Saturday night and noticed one of the movie channels was showing one of my favorites from my childhood...Good Burger!!!

They weren't just showing it once...oh no! They showed it twice back to back!!! So I made sure to get under the blanket and take myself back to 1997 and watch a Nickelodeon classic. Especially since I have yet to see the recent sequel, this was fun to watch and quite nostalgic too.

As you can see, Buttercup didn't quite make it through the movie before he fell asleep in my lap :). It was just too far beyond his bedtime.

Since this is the final Thursday before Christmas this year, I thought we would revisit a country Country Mega Star born on Christmas Day.  And that is the incredible, Barbara Mandrell.

Let's revisit one of our most talented artists ever.

My Full Profile On Barbara Mandrell

Jingle All The Way  -  St. Nick  -  Year  - Who Knows? 

This song was once played by many morning shows, including a couple of mine decades ago.  It's in the same vain as Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.  This is just two minutes of total silliness, but after you hear it, you are a few things. First, you're glad it's over.  Second, your laughing (smiling at least).  And third, wanting to share this with someone you know will love it more than you.

If you've never heard it, take listen.  It comes out of the Jukebox on December 26  - Merry Christmas!!

I came across this article from which I learned quite a bit about a Holiday tradition, and feel compelled to share it with you! I'm particularly intrigued on the National Forests topic within. Here's everything you to know about the Christmas Tree industry, and then some! 

Why are Christmas trees so expensive? The economics of the U.S. holiday tree industry - Study Finds 

We cannot end the week without mentioning and saying a BIG congratulations to Darius Rucker who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday. 

Of course, he gained fame as the frontman to Hootie & the Blowfish before going solo and changing things up for Country music. He has had much success in both arenas and is now finally being recognized for that work with his own spot on the famous sidewalk.

Congrats Darius!!!

Ashley McBryde stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform "The Devil I Know":