Photo Courtesy of John Legend

It may be August, but I’d say ‘we need a little Christmas…right this very minute’ — how about you?! I guess John Legend agrees because, as it turns out, Refinery29 reports that the multi award-winning musician has been spending his spare time–as if he actually has any–making a Christmas album!

Now, if you’re a hardcore John Legend fan and/or a true Christmas music aficionado, you’d know that several years ago he did a duet with Mariah Carey, “When Christmas Comes” and in 2006 NBC released a special John Legend edition of their “Sounds of the Season” music collection. There were 6 holiday songs included on that record, which has provided a soothing vibe to my season each year, but that doesn’t mean I’m not eager to get a full-fledged Christmas album from Mr. Legend!

Photo courtesy the {m} media collective

It was announced during the Crown Media Family Networks’ bi-annual Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour–aka the Summer TCA Tour 2018, that Amy Grant will premiere a new one-hour special during the Countdown to Christmas 2018 programming entitled “Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas”, which is named after her 2016 holiday album.

“We’re excited to partner with beloved country music star Amy Grant for this heartwarming special we know will resonate with our viewers, especially during Christmastime,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming and Network Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks.

Photo: 98 Degrees

98 Degrees is coming to a city near you to celebrate Christmas! Nick Lachey, his brother Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre promoted their reunion album “Let it Snow” after its release during the 2017 holiday season and clearly had so much fun that they’re ready to hit the road again.

The At Christmas Tour 2018 kicks off on November 1st and runs through December 21st, and Nick Lachey spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about their eagerness to spread some cheer with songs of the season. “The songs just put you in a great spirit and I think the audience feels the same way,” he said. “It’s why we love to do stuff like this around the holidays. It just puts us in a great spirit and gets you ready for a very special time of year.”

Photo: Jamie Nelson/NBC

Gwen Stefani has found a home at NBC as a coach on “The Voice”, and now she’s getting ready to celebrate ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ with the network with “Gwen Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas”, an hour-long special featuring music from her new album, “You Make it Feel Like Christmas”, and several holiday classics, including “Santa Baby”, “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night”.

“Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year,” Stefani said. “I am excited to share my new holiday album with everyone and the joy of this holiday season. I look forward to giving audiences a peek into our family’s favorite Christmas traditions and enjoying some of the music, old and new, that makes the holiday so special.”

The Christmas special will air on December 12th at 9:00 PM ET/PT with special guest appearances, including: Blake Shelton along with Chelsea Handler, Ken Jeong, Seth MacFarlane and Ne-Yo.

 
Stay merry!

I know that most of you are so excited because “the season” is here… we can smell it in the air and feel it in our hearts.  I don’t want to look at any of the Countdown Clocks/Calendars anymore because they remind me that we don’t have many days until Halloween, Thanksgiving OR “sleeps to go” before Christmas.  The distance between each Christmas is short when you think about the season instead of just Christmas day.

Last month I told you that I sponsored a child for Christmas through “Letters to Santa”… well, I am proud to announce that I committed to sponsoring three more children.   I am also considering sponsoring some children just for stockings… you can do that – you don’t have to buy them a bunch of gifts, you can just do a stocking. For information on sponsoring a child or receiving assistance, please email LettersToSanta2012@gmail.com.   I wish that I could sponsor dozens of children, but what I can do is spread the word and find sponsors… I encourage you to do the same, these children need a special Christmas – all children do.   I also located some groups that support seniors, they say “It takes a village to raise a child but takes the whole community to care for our seniors”.   Here are some programs you can support or search Google for your area:  “Be a Santa to a Senior”   https://www.facebook.com/SeniorsSantaPage and http://www.beasantatoasenior.com .   These programs are usually coordinated by Long Term Care Facilities or Senior Care Homes such as Homestead but there are many managed by small groups and individuals.

As I am reading my Facebook feed I am instantly reminded by Countdown to Christmas that we are 208 days away from Christmas and so I am going to keep this short and sweet.. I am so excited and overwhelmed at the same time!

It has been very hot and humid here on the East Coast so it the worst month for focusing on Christmas… I have had to really move into the “spirit”.  I’ve been organizing my decorations (getting more of those Martha Stewart organizing labels), watching Christmas movies, chatting with my friends on Facebook that love Christmas as much as I do, and listening to Christmas music.  I am excited though, I just got another coupon mailer from the Hallmark Store for Father’s Day and I KNOW that the next one will be for the Hallmark Ornament Premiere in July.   I also just finished going through the Hallmark Ornament Dreambook for 2012;  I picked out  some adorable ornaments; some will be released in July but most won’t be available until the unveiling in October; here is the link for the book so you can pick yours!

This weekend, I noticed that it was Feb 25^th which means that in ten short months Christmas will be here again!  I celebrated by listening to Christmas music (more than usual).   This is the time when I begin to feel overwhelmed… wondering if I have all my planning done, but the truth is that I haven’t even finished packing away all the ornaments and other fragile décor.   All throughout January I was purchasing those nifty storage containers (in red and green of course) that were 75% off at Lowe’s.   Then I would print storage labels, reorganize my basement (this time adding craft tables around the entire basement so that I don’t have to freak out of we get any flooding), and then stack all the boxes strategically.

As I mentioned in my post ” Christmas in January“, I have finally put up my winter tree.   As I was putting away ornaments from the family tree, the foyer tree, the tree in my son’s room (yes we have ten trees), I collected some of the blue, silver, white pieces along with a few embellishments, including blue snowflakes to make the winter tree.  This tree is only 3 ft; if I had decorated a larger tree (which I may do next year) I would add some snowmen and perhaps decorate the base with artificial snow, or even flock the tree with snow.  Does anyone else have a winter tree up?  Are you putting one up?

In keeping the Christmas spirit we also mark the 25th of each month on the calendar and celebrate by watching a movie, do some holiday planning and listen to Christmas music.  I listen to Christmas music all year.  How do you keep the Christmas spirit throughout the year?  Please share your thoughts, ideas and photos of your tree(s).

Stay merry!

I love my Father in Heaven, the Lord, Jesus Christ.  I love church.   I love gold, silver, green and red (are my favorite colors) and I love everything shiny.  I love the fall weather; maybe because I was born in October.  I love shopping and wrapping gifts; and I am drawn to my local Hallmark store because I adore the Christmas scent that lingers throughout the year.  I love making big dinners and I LOVE cookies.  I love the smell of Christmas; the pine, cinnamon and spice.  I am prone to listening to Christmas music all year long and if you ask me what color sweater or bathing suit I want, I say “red”!  I have to admit that I will definitely be playing that new Michael Buble Christmas CD all year long for sure.  I love the trees and Oh my goodness — I LOVE decorating and sparkling lights.   But is all that I love the spirit of Christmas?  One friend recently said the SPIRIT is Jesus.  Christmas is a blessed holiday and the season is full of love and miracles… that MUST be what it is.

One of the most important things I do every single year — without fail — is put on a particular Christmas album.  I’ve been doing this every year since 1997 and I’ve been known to do it at any given time between the months of January and December.  There’s no time frame limit when it comes to this album.

Yes, it’s true. The thing Ryan Gosling’s mother and I have in common is — it’s just not Christmas without “Snowed In” by Hanson (@HansonMusic).

You can usually tell how filled with the holiday spirit a performer is by their Christmas record. Sometimes an album just sounds like every other song by the artist but with Christmas-related lyrics.

This is not the case with the Hanson brothers.

Even at the young ages they were at the time of the recording of this album (17, 14 & 12), their holiday joy was apparent in every track.  From the jingling opening keyboard taps by Taylor in the cover of Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore’s classic “Merry Christmas Baby” to the joyous “What Christmas Means to Me” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)“.  Let’s not forget the slow or upbeat melodies in their original songs “At Christmas“, “Christmas Time“, and “Everybody Knows the Claus” right down to the closing spiritual tracks like a brilliant melody of “O Holy Night/Silent Night/O Come All Ye Faithful” and “White Christmas“.