This Day in Country History: December 24
While many people enjoy Christmas Eve on Dec. 24 with family, country music artists are often busy. There have been several wedding proposals on this day, including Alan Jackson, who…
While many people enjoy Christmas Eve on Dec. 24 with family, country music artists are often busy. There have been several wedding proposals on this day, including Alan Jackson, who proposed to his wife, Denise, over 40 years ago. Kellie Pickler and her husband started their United Service Organizations (USO) tour in Iraq on Dec. 24, and Carrie Underwood performed on Christmas Eve in 2021.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Dec. 24 has seen some significant marriage proposals, including:
- 1978: Alan Jackson proposed to his girlfriend, Denise. They married on Dec. 15, 1979, and are still together today, which is a milestone in the entertainment industry.
- 2024: The legendary Reba McEntire became engaged to her boyfriend, Rex Linn, at Leiper's Fork in Tennessee on Dec. 24. Linn is a prolific actor in the crime drama genre. He and McEntire met on the set of Young Sheldon and started dating in 2020. McEntire was previously married to Narvel Blackstock for 26 years before their divorce in 2015.
Cultural Milestones
Sad and happy Dec. 24 milestones included:
- 2009: Philanthropist Brian Hughes spent years collecting signed guitars for an auction to support the Purtis Creek State Park charitable organization. However, on Dec. 24, thieves broke into the storage unit where the guitars were held and stole nearly $70,000 worth of instruments, including some signed by celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, and Brad Paisley.
- 2021: Carrie Underwood's Christmas Eve performance was part of a series of holiday specials. Underwood spent most of her holiday time entertaining fans on shows such as Opry Live: USO Holiday Special and The Voice, where she sang a duet of "Hallelujah" with pop star John Legend.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Notable performances on Dec. 24 have included a USO tour and a star singing the U.S. National Anthem at a football game:
- 2016: Kellie Pickler and her husband, Kyle Jacobs, kicked off their USO tour in Baghdad, Iraq. This was their 11th USO tour, entertaining troops across the world.
- 2017: The "God Bless the USA" singer Lee Greenwood sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Nissan Stadium in Nashville to start the football game between the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Eve.
Industry Changes and Challenges
Marriage proposals for Dec. 24 included:
- 2011: Wynonna Judd and her sweetheart, Scott "Cactus" Moser, drummer for the band Highway 101, were engaged on Christmas Eve. Moser, a songwriter and record producer, met Judd in 1989 while touring with The Judds. Moser and Judd married in 2012 and are still together.
- 2016: Kacey Musgraves and her boyfriend, Ruston Kelly, became engaged at her home in Golden, Texas. The couple married in October 2017 and divorced in September 2020.
Dec. 24 is a special day for those who celebrate this holiday, and special performances on Christmas Eve and throughout December help make the season memorable. With romantic lights and feelings of goodwill, it's no wonder that this day has seen many wedding proposals.
