Christmas is a time for spending with family and friends however, in the world of country music, musicians and their friends are often miles apart at this special time of year. Singer/songwriter Victoria Banks tells how Christmas memories can be made as long as the spirit is in your heart.

“I have three great girlfriends in Nashville that I hang out with all the time. They’re all artists too so we are never in town on Christmas. We always swap Christmas gifts when we get back in town after the holidays. Last year we didn’t get around to it until the end of February! I invited the three of them to my house for dinner, but I didn’t tell them that I had special plans for our gift swap.”

Victoria spent the day roasting a turkey with all the fixings, and baking pumpkin pie topped with real whipped cream. She strung Christmas lights all through the house and hung a wreath on the door. While outside, she found a discarded Christmas tree in the alley and brought it in to decorate. To compliment the festive occasion, her IPOD played all their favorite Christmas carols.

“The neighbors must have thought I was insane, but when the girls walked through the front door, their eyes just about popped out of their heads. It was fantastic.”