The following are items of interest related to the holiday season.
Hallmark announces new immersive Christmas experience
Hallmark has announced a new Christmas extravaganza that will take place right outside their corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Their inaugural Hallmark Christmas Experience will celebrate all things Christmas at the Kansas City Crown Center every weekend beginning November 29 through December 23, 2024. This free, open-to-the public immersive experience is designed by Hallmark’s renowned creative team “to bring all the charm of a Hallmark movie town square to life, inviting guests to be merry, make memories, and find magic together.”
“Creating ways to help people celebrate and connect is at the very core of our brand DNA at Hallmark, especially during the holiday season,” said Lindsey Roy, Hallmark’s SVP, Brand Development. “We are so excited to bring this uniquely Hallmark experience to life, and can’t wait to watch people find joy and make memories together.”
Guests at the event will be able to shop at a Christmas market with event-exclusive Hallmark products and one-of-a-kind gifts created by Hallmark artisans and other seasonal merchants, indulge in holiday-themed food and drinks, and go ice skating. The event will also feature nightly tree lightings featuring “one of the world’s tallest Christmas trees,” card-sending and gift wrap stations, contribute to a Crayola Community Mural, and strike a pose during interactive light walks and photo ops.
There will also be exclusive ticketed activities, including events and photo ops with beloved Hallmark holiday movie stars, workshops with Hallmark artists, dining experiences and breakfast with Santa, and much more.
Learn more about the Hallmark Christmas Experience and buy tickets today.
Alaska’s Tongass National Forest chosen to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas tree
Somewhere in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska sits a tree that will be delivered to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol later this year to act as the official Capitol Christmas tree. It will be only the second tree from Alaska to act as the Capitol’s official Christmas tree, the first being in 2015. According to a Forest Service spokesperson, about eight to 12 trees will be selected before it is narrowed down to one in July. Once selected, it will make a series of stops along the way to the Capitol, where it arrives on November 22.
The ideal height they’re seeking is between 65- to 80-feet tall with Capitol Christmas trees only being selected from U.S. National Forests on a rotating basis. The tree is commonly referred to as “The People’s Tree,” reflecting the nickname for the House of Representatives (the “People’s House.). You can learn more about the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, and follow the progress of this year’s Tongass tree, by clicking here.
Comedian Gary Gulman’s take on the difference between these two awesome holidays!
Chevy Chase reunites with Christmas Vacation castmates for new Christmas movie
Chevy Chase, who starred in National Lampoon’s iconic holiday classic Christmas Vacation, is filming a new holiday movie with his daughter Caley Chase. He was recently spotted, above, filming in Central New York at the Fort Schuyler Club in Utica for the upcoming movie, which will be called “Christmas Letter.” Chevy is playing the manager of a restaurant where his real-life daughter is playing the maître d’. Both also starred in the 2016 movie, “Christmas in Vermont.”
The movie will be a reunion of sorts for Christmas Vacation actors as Chevy will be joined in the movie by Brian Doyle-Murray (who played his boss in Christmas Vacation) and Randy Quaid (his cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation). The movie is expected to be released in time for the 2024 holiday season, although no official date has been set.
Meet my new Christmas cousins!
If you haven’t been following cousins Chad and Seth in their Christmas journey on the Christmas Cousins podcast, what are you waiting for?! The hilarity flows like a smooth glass of egg nog in this original and unique podcast. Chad and Seth are both Jewish and one has fallen in love with Christmas and now is taking the other on a first-time journey through the holiday season and all its accoutrements and traditions. From Hallmark movies, to It’s a Wonderful Life to egg nog, Chad has been introducing Seth to the best aspects of our favorite holiday at christmaseveryminute.com.
I was honored to be a recent guest of the pod and proud to accept their invitation to become an honorary cousin. You can find all of the Christmas Cousins podcast episodes on Apple iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, Google podcasts, and wherever great podcasts are available for listening. You can also find the Christmas Cousins on Instagram and Facebook (@ChristmasCousinsPod) and youtube. Again, what are you waiting for?! Go forth and follow and leave a review for my hilarious new honorary cousins 🙂
The official 2023 White House ornament is here
This year’s ornament is a holiday wreath filled with decorations in the front that were inspired by the handcrafted ornaments used in the White House during President Gerald Ford’s term in office. The ornament includes dolls, cherubs, doves, stars, flowers, gingerbread men, and more in bright festive colors with red ribbons at the bottom. You can purchase the ornament from the official White House store for $24.95 by clicking here.
