Martha Stewart

Interesting video promo showing Martha Stewart and Jennifer Garner making Christmas cookie bows and talking about their Christmas traditions.  I love how Jennifer Garner talks about spending time in the kitchen with her sisters and being called “Puppy”. Did you see this Martha Stewart Christmas special? I’m bummed I missed it, but hopefully she’ll have some good ones this year.

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Simpsons Christmas

I cannot believe how long the Simpsons have been around.  It has to be almost 30 years now?  Crazy!!  Anyways, I always loved the Christmas episodes and the Mr. Plow episodes.  Here is a clip of Bart’s version of “The Night Before Christmas”.  Enjoy!

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus aka Elaine Benes

If you have ever been a fan of Seinfeld you have to remember “The Nipple” episode which is technically known as “The Pick”.  It is too funny and cracks me up even today when I watch it many years later!  Sweet Elaine sent out a batch of Christmas cards not knowing her nipple was exposed.  You can find many clips from this episode at Youtube.com.  Here is a clip of why the episode is called “The Pick”.  Enjoy!

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Charlie Brown Christmas

To me Charlie Brown transports me back to the sweet memories of my childhood.  Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas specials always warm my heart.  To prepare for another joyous holiday season I was searching online for cute Christmas clips.  I came across Charlie Brown Christmas and it just about brought a tear to my eye.  The sweet music and the kind message just touch me.  It’s hard for me to believe this clip is over 45 years old!

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One Magic Christmas

Okay so Christmas is upon us and I have to say I’m getting excited to pull out my trusty Christmas DVD collection and nestled by the fire.  Here is a list of my all time favorite Christmas Movies!

5. Home Alone – “KEVIN – What did you do to my room?”  This is such a sweet movie and I never get tired of seeing it at the Holidays.  Yes, it is far fetched and yes, it is a little corny but my gosh, it is also quite heart-warming.  It makes me want to live in big house, watch mob movies, eat sundaes and appreciate my family a little more.

4. It’s a Wonderful Life – An eye-opening account of a man who gets to see what his hometown would be like had he never lived.  I can’t say I’m a big fan of black and white movies but I love to watch this one.  I cry every time I watch it because it makes you think about just how important you really are.  Extra bonus points for being a classic!

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas – So technically this could also be considered a “Halloween” movie but who cares about technicalities!  Tim Burton’s movie about the inhabitants of Halloween Land who do a number on Christmas.  It’s creepy, it’s dark and it’s all around kooky and fun.  I love it!

2. A Christmas Story – “You’ll shoot your eye out”!  The story of Ralphie, his family and his yearning for a Red Rider BB Gun.  This movie  is the epitome of Christmas to me.  I remember growing up, watching this with my family, and it playing non-stop on TNT channel for 48 hours straight.  Comforting, sweet and Christmas in a nutshell.

1. One Magic Christmas – This one is a lesser known Christmas story.  I can’t really put my finger on why this is my favorite Christmas movie ever, but it is.  It’s a bit depressing for most of the movie — ok very depressing — but it is just so touching and makes you think about giving unto other and the true spirit of Christmas!

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

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It may seem incredible, as Christmas is still a day plus some away, but next week is the end of the year. And what better way to spend New Year’s Day (while you’re undoubtedly packing away Christmas ornaments and dismantling the tree) than watching the 120th Tournament of Roses Parade?

Al Roker, the weatherman and feature reporter for NBC’s “Today,” and Nancy O’Dell, co-anchor of the daily entertainment news magazine show “Access Hollywood,” are reuniting for the eighth year to co-host NBC’s live, high-definition coverage of the “120th Tournament of Roses Parade” from Pasadena, California, on January 1 from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.

This will be Roker’s twelfth year hosting the popular annual event, and the tenth consecutive year for O’Dell.  NBC has been broadcasting the New Year’s Day parade for 82 years, beginning on radio in 1927 and then televising the event beginning in 1954.

With a 2009 theme of “Hats Off to Entertainment,” the parade will feature Emmy and Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman as this year’s Grand Marshal.  Leachman has been entertaining audiences for 60 years, most recently as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.” She is perhaps best known for her role as Phyllis on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and more recently, for her Emmy Award-winning role on “Malcolm in the Middle.” 

The most popular New Year’s Day celebration in the world, the parade will feature 46 lavish floral floats, 21 spectacular marching bands from as far away as England and Mexico, and 18 high-stepping equestrian teams. This year’s Rose Queen and her court will also appear, along with special guests on spectacular floats.

Float highlights this year include a 49-foot tall robot, a skateboarding bulldog, divers diving into a pool perched on top of a float, and beloved “Sesame Street” characters Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar as well as original “Sesame Street” cast member Bob McGrath, plus a float surrounded by 75 disco dancers and Alaska’s inaugural Rose Parade float celebrating the state’s 50-year anniversary.

The Pasadena police department estimates that at least 1 million spectators will line the five-and-a-half mile parade route.  Tens of millions of people worldwide watch the telecast every year.

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There’s a tradition of sorts every Christmas Eve/Day, in which TBS airs the classic comedy A Christmas Story starting at 8/7c on Christmas Eve and then back to back for 24 hours straight.

The film, which is celebrating 25 years since its release in 1983, stars Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin and Ian Petrella as the Parker family, and is an adaptation of the Jean Shepherd story about a little boy’s efforts to receive a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas.

Who can forget classic lines like, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” and “You used up all the glue on purpose!” and “He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny!”

So sit back, relax and catch the flick. Whether it’s your first time seeing A Christmas Story, or your fiftieth, laughs and good times are virtually guaranteed.

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This is the last time President Bush and the First Lady will be celebrating the holiday season in the White House, and HGTV will be there to show how they are celebrating the holiday season before exiting the premises so the new tenants can move in.

“White House Christmas 2008,” HGTV’s new TV special, premiers on December 17 at 9 pm ET/PT, giving viewers one final “backstage pass” to the festivities of how the First Family celebrates the holiday season.

Hosted by Sabrina Soto (HGTV’s “Get It Sold” ), this HGTV special spotlights the creation of this year’s decorations, including the yards and yards of garland, hundreds of wreaths and nearly two dozen trees that will be decorated and put on display for the thousands of visitors expected to pass through the White House this holiday season.

Show highlights include:

· First Lady Laura Bush will explain the selection of this year’s patriotic holiday theme: “A Red, White &Blue Christmas”;
· Executive Pastry Chef will talk about his towering gingerbread house creation — a mouthwatering replica of the White House’s North Portico–made with more than 350 pounds of white chocolate and 125 pounds of gingerbread (officials estimate the house to weigh about 500 pounds total!);
· The Blue Room Christmas Tree will be on display, adorned with 369 hand-decorated ornaments from artists around the country; and
· Interviews with Chief Florist, along with various electricians, plumbers, and volunteers along the way who make it all happen.

For more information, click here.

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Henry Winkler plays crafty Uncle Ralph, a former NYPD cop. When Ralph visits his stressed-out niece for Christmas, he unexpectedly brings along a stranded fellow traveler, whose eccentric behavior and contagious enthusiasm causes Ralph’s niece to wonder if there isn’t more to be had from life. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, premieres Saturday, December 13 (9/8c).

Then, tune in again on December 20 when Dixie Carter, the former “Designing Women” star, co-stars in “Our First Christmas,” a Hallmark Channel holiday movie that premieres on Saturday, Dec. 20 (9/8c). 

And on December 27, tune in for “A Kiss At Midnight”.

When an online dating service becomes popular, a personal matchmaker (Faith Ford) finds her business at stake, and signs up on the website in order to prove that her old-fashioned touch is best.  Surprisingly, the site finds her the perfect mate, who just happens to be the company’s CEO (Cameron Daddo).  “A Kiss at Midnight,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, premieres Saturday, December 27 (9pm/8c).

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Woodstock, VT, photo courtesy of HGTV.

In case you missed the one-hour special, “Top 10 Christmas Towns”, which premiered on HGTV December 7, never fear. Not only will the show be reairing all month (check your local listing for air times in your area), but also you can find clips right here.

Also, learn how to create down home holiday craft projects and recipes, including corn shuck angels, cowboy Christmas decorations, wassail and German spiced wine.

Below is a list of the towns, along with highlights.

Check out a slideshow with breathtaking photos here.

1.) NEW ORLEANS, LA – French Quarter Christmas
This city mixes spirit and spirituality during this time of year, shaped by the bayou, blues and Creole Christmas tradition. Traditions include fancy cornucopias filled with candy and flowers, like those used in olden days by gentlemen to woo women. Snow machines give youngsters a fun winter wonderland. Finally, some 2,000 locals gather to see candles in front of the St. Louis cathedral in Jackson Square to pray for those lost during Hurricane Katrina and other hardships over the years.

2.) KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE – Christmas by the Sea
Residents incorporate seashells into most of their decorations, especially wreaths. They eat lobster for Christmas dinner, rather than turkey – also Santa comes in a lobster boat every year and Christmas trees are made entirely of lobster traps.

3.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, ARKANSAS – Ozarks Christmas
The locals pay tribute to their centuries-long musical heritage by caroling in the caves, in a huge amphitheater located in Blanchard Spring Caverns, where the sound is incredible! Also they make corn shuck angels (made out of corn husks and string) that hold various musical instruments like fiddle banjos and dulcimers, and a guy whittles spools into ornaments.

4.) NORTH POLE, ALASKA – Alaskan Christmas
Just outside of Anchorage, this town celebrates with a stunning ice-carving competition, when artists have 29 hours to create their work using drills, chisels, hot water and heat. With sculptures ranging from a Santa on a rooftop to snowmen to a girl playing a harp while standing on a chair, this event consistently wows the crowds.

5.) ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – Scottish Christmas
Residents celebrate the town’s rich Scottish heritage, with an annual Christmas parade complete with bagpipes, dogs and a sea of kilts and tartans. The celebration culminates with the elaborate Holiday Boat Parade and a dazzling light show along the Potomac.

6.) MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN – Vintage Christmas
Just a frozen 20 minute ferry ride from the northern tip of Michigan, this town of only 500 people celebrate Christmas like they did a century ago — people travel only on horse and buggy, since cars have been banned for 100 years. Among the town’s traditions, Santa visits every child to hear their Christmas wish, they have an annual island Christmas bazaar where they sell unique crafts and their decorations are full of lots of green, red and lilacs, which is a special local color.

7.) DURANGO, COLORADO – Old West Christmas
Families use found items from the Old West for ornaments and trimmings, including cowboy boots as stockings, chaps as table runners or bridle bits as garland to wrap around stairwells or railings. They also have a Polar Express which has been around since the late 1880s, where kids show up in PJ’s, and they hop on a locomotive train which rides 30 minutes out of town to the “North Pole,” where Santa is waiting and gives them a little bell.

8.) WOODSTOCK, VERMONT- Medieval-style Christmas
Traditions stem from pagan days, including “wassail weekend” (where they drink apple cider-based drink, with fruits and spices, and alcohol) and a huge Yule Log fire on the village green. The entire town is decked with traditional wreaths and pine garlands throughout.

9.) SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS- Southwestern Christmas
Residents pull out all the stops to make this Christmas memorable, from piñatas and mariachis to riverboats and twinkling trees. Instead of turkey, they make tamales. Some of the traditional Mexican decorations include figurines made from cornhusks wearing colorful dresses. Finally, they stage an annual spirtual and spirited procession, “La Gran Posada,” a moving reenactment of the first Christmas eve.

10.) LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON – Bavarian Village
This former mining and logging town was transformed into an over-the-top Bavarian village 40 years ago, complete with Old World traditions for kids and grown-ups and redesigned architecture. There, they sip traditional Gluvine-spiced wine drinks and kids lead a lantern parade every weekend. During the holidays, this 2,200-person town swells to 50,000. The town even has a gingerbread factory that specializes in high-end holiday houses that they ship all over the world.

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