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By Briana Ellison, Eliza Berkon, Lynn Norusis, Rachael Keeney and Stefanie Gans
Going to Nashville, by way of Alexandria
Chatting with Nashville star Charles Esten was one of the highlights of my 2017. For a full immersion into his music, I hope to see him churn out guitar-backed tunes this Tuesday or Wednesday night at the Birchmere. As an audience member on the Nashville tour a couple years ago, I can attest to his enthusiasm and tenacity on stage. And if we’re lucky, we’ll hear a few tunes from the TV show, like “Sideshow” and the tender “I Know How to Love You Now.” –EB
Planning, planning and then planning for fun
I play a little trick on myself this week. I like to think that this week is a freebie week in the year, one where I get all caught up on my life, both work and personal aspects. I’m not a planner by nature (or maybe I should say I am a to-do list planner, just not a fantastic follow-through-with-the-to-do-list planner). I take this week to try and fully plan out major projects for the upcoming year with my new calendar—if you’re still looking for your perfect one check out these, and I’ll be making my new list of favorite planners soon. Regardless, I attempt to put best practices in place by reading through all the links of productivity articles I find through Pocket over the year, making sure to plan for fun too (each month I set a cultural goal of some sort—go to a play, attend a reading, make something with my hands, etc.). But top of the fun planning this week: NYE. -LN
A whole lot of nothing
Though I still have work, my husband is off, so our household will be in relaxation mode. I don’t want to make any plans, go to any dinners or really, do much of anything. And this is really one of the only weeks of the year to pull that off successfully. -SG
Figuring out how to spend 2017’s final moments
Having spent time with both my family and my high school friends the last few days, I will be ringing in 2018 with the people I met while attending the University of Maryland. Nothing’s official yet, but it’s looking like I’ll be going to a small, very laid-back get-together in southern Maryland this year. Now that the student loans have started pouring in, this party plan makes my bank account happy. Though I will admit, I am very tempted to attend one of these glamorous New Year’s Eve events. –RK
Welcoming 2018 … in the movie theater
After the hustle and bustle of Christmas Day, the rest of my week will be a quiet time. With the Golden Globe-nominated The Post now in theaters, I know for a fact I’ll be seated in a plush, reclining seat at the Starplex movie theater watching Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks on the big screen. Since I’m out of college and my friends and I are scattered all across the U.S., the forecast for a New Year’s Eve celebration seems cloudy. It doesn’t help that in past years my family and I have rung in the new year by seeing a movie. So, yes, I’ll be watching The Post as 2018 makes its long-awaited debut. If that isn’t the case, maybe some of my NoVA-based friends and I will see what’s going on at restaurants in One Loudoun. –BE