Thursday, December 25, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1948, Country music legend Barbara Mandrell was born in Houston. Mandrell later relocated to Nashville, where she spent the majority of her career and owned the iconic 118-acre Fontanel Mansion.

Merry Christmas to all our readers! Our staff is taking holiday time off to spend with their families, so today’s edition will be a bit shorter than usual.

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Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Crocheted Cheer for Christmas Newborns

Newborns at Williamson Health in Franklin got a festive welcome this week thanks to Santa outfits hand-crocheted by local EMS worker Debi Reynolds. See the sweet pictures here.

The outfits, crafted through her small business Dilly Dolls Creations, were part of a hospital holiday tradition and even made it onto a local billboard.

Hospital staff say the gesture brought a joyful reminder of the season’s spirit.

Reynolds has created similar gifts in years past, spreading a little handmade cheer to Middle Tennessee’s newest arrivals.

Christmas Dinners with International Flare

Our readers wrote in to share some of their favorite Christmas traditions.

Every year, my family and I decide on a menu theme, and everyone in attendance cooks or brings a dish from that food genre or region.

The last few years have seen Tex-Mex, Thai, Greek, Indian, and Texas BBQ.

This year is Italian!

-- Bryan Lewis, Murfreesboro

Dressing to Impress for Family Pictures

We pick a Christmas dress-up theme each year, and it makes for some fun family pics!

We’ve had themes like:

Hawaiian Christmas
Homemade Christmas Hats
Footie PJs
Christmas PJs
Grinch
Ugly Christmas Sweaters
T-Shirts
Neck Ties
Goofy Santa Hats

And during Covid, we did Christmas Masks, which ended up being hysterical!

-- Teresa Bishop, Franklin

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➤ A Maryville resident continued his family's beloved "Listen to the Lights" Christmas display as a gift to the community, calling it a “labor of love." (See Display)

➤ Country star Keith Urban visited the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt to spread Christmas cheer, meeting patients and donating guitars to the hospital’s music therapy program. (See Photo)

➤ A Rutherford County family is offering a scholarship to support students impacted by critical illness, inspired by their son Declan’s cancer survival and honoring the memory of their younger son Asher. (More)

➤ A Nashville pastor retired after 50 years of service with a Christmas food giveaway that served over 300 families, hoping his legacy of community care continues under new leadership. (See Interview)

➤ Wags & Walks Nashville rescued a record-breaking 1,500 dogs this year, providing medical care and adoption support amid overcrowded shelters. (More)

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