What to Look Forward to This Christmas

Doctor Who Christmas Special

I know that most people really look forward to Christmas because it means celebrating the holiday with their families and friends, following traditions that have been part of their lives for decades or making new traditions with their friends.

But if you are like me – where most of your family has passed on or lives thousands of miles away – you tend to celebrate the holiday on your own, enjoying the peace and quiet that the holiday season can bring. And while to many, spending the holiday in solitude may seem lonely or even unwelcome, I don’t see it that way. It just means that I can revel in my favorite pastimes: television and movies

Thanks to the folks over at BBC America, Christmas Day will be filled with a marathon of Doctor Who Christmas specials from years past as well as a brand new Christmas special called “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe”.

In addition, for all the Browncoats out there – that is the fans of Joss Whedon’s fantastic but short-lived show Firefly – you can tune in to the Science Channel for a marathon of episodes of the cult favorite series.

Or, for the movie lovers out there, you can hit up the movie theatre to see the sequel to Sherlock Holmes, the Matt Damon-led flick We Bought a Zoo, the thrillers Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or the touching film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Again, spending the holidays alone should not be viewed – regardless of what you think – as a “bad” thing; but more so as an opportunity to spend the day as you see fit, enjoying what you love most – no matter what that might be.

I, for one, will be taking advantage of the serenity of the day by seeing a movie at the local Cineplex and then spending the rest of my day traveling to amazing worlds via the TARDIS along with the Doctor.

I couldn’t imagine having a better time unless there was a marathon of Jane Austen films (Matthew Macfayden as Mr. Darcy – YES, please!) or a movie marathon of classic films starring the likes of Betty Grable, Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn (just to name a few).

No matter how (or who) you spend your holiday (with), I hope you will make the most of it, enjoying it to your heart’s content and sharing in the delights of what the holiday truly means.

I want to wish to every single reader here at NiceGirlsTV a very blessed and extraordinary Christmas!! Be well, have fun and please remember to not drink and drive!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Train

Musician Spotlight: Train is an American rock band that was formed in 1994. Lead vocalist Pat Monahan moved from his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania to California, crossing paths with Rob Hotchkiss, who performed in coffee houses and local clubs. Monahan did vocals and Hotchkiss did backing vocals and guitar. When they decided to form a full band, Jimmy Stafford was recruited to play guitar with Charlie Conn joining at a later date and Scott Underwood was drummer. The band was rejected by Columbia Records in 1996 so they decided to release their first independent self-titled album, which came out in 1998, bringing the band mainstream success. Their sophomore album “Drops of Jupiter” came out in 2001 (surprisingly) by Columbia Records and brought them massive popularity. The self-titled single became an international hit, garnering the band two Grammy Awards in 2002. In 2003, their next album “My Private Nation” came out and featured the hit single “Calling All Angels”. The following year the band was one of the featured bands on the soundtrack to the major motion picture Spider-Man 2. Two years later, Train released their fourth album “For Me, It’s You” which was the last album that consisted of the five members. The band then took a three-year hiatus from recording and touring to be with friends and family; but Monahan released his debut solo album in 2007 and two years later Monahan, Stafford and Underwood reunited to release their latest album “Save Me San Francisco”. The band is working on their sixth studio album, which is anticipated to be released in the spring of 2012. For more information, visit their website here.