Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

I’m definitely still in Christmas mode, but now I’ve got my kinara out and I’m ready for seven extra nights of light and joy with my loved ones!  I hope everyone out there celebrating the first night of Kwanzaa has a wonderful holiday.  May your seven nights shine bright with peace and UMOJA (unity)!

 
Stay merry!

Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

I’m usually on top of my holiday game every year, but like many of you, this year has been a trying one; it has felt like constant moving, just within my own home, this season. The holiday rush is my favorite kind of busy, but it will be nice to sit back and take a few days to regroup …and we are only a week away from that.  The whole Christmas season brings me joy, but there’s something about that last week before Christmas where the cheer feels like it’s at a Level 25. I can’t explain it, but it’s usually one of my favorite weeks of the year…even though it always seems like I have a million things to do.

I’m going to try and slow down a bit to take everything in… finish up any decor, get some more Festive Fashion posts up, watch some of the Christmas movies I’ve missed and maybe get a jump on my end of the year cleaning so that I don’t take 2020’s mess into 2021… we had enough of that, haven’t we?

Stay merry!

Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, and I want to wish all of those celebrating a beautiful, healthy and peaceful celebration of the Festival of Lights. Happy Hanukkah!

Don’t forget about the Hallmark Channel premiere of “Love, Lights, Hanukkah!” this Saturday, December 12th at 8pm/7c!  The movie stars Mia Kirshner, Ben Savage and Marilu Henner, and tells the story of Christina (Kirshner) who is preparing her restaurant for its busiest time of year when she gets back a DNA test revealing that she’s Jewish. The discovery leads her to a new family and an unlikely romance over eight nights.

Photos and Key Art: NBCUniversal

The time-honored tradition of lighting the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will take place tonight during the NBC special, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,“ with a live telecast hosted by “TODAY” show co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Al Roker.

The iconic special will feature performances from top names in the business like Kelly Clarkson, Goo Goo Dolls, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brett Eldredge, Jimmy Fallon, Tori Kelly, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Dan + Shay, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor, as well as the cast of Broadway’s “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” and the legendary Radio City Rockettes.

That’s 4 Entertainment

IMPORTANT UPDATE (10/02/20): That’s 4 Entertainment announced today that they have officially postponed the Christmas Con New Jersey event to next year due to the pandemic. The new dates are December 10th-12th of 2021. Refunds are available if you can not make the event next year, but if you can, hold onto your tickets as they will be valid for the new dates!

FYI: The California event has also been postponed.

Christmas Con is coming back to New Jersey! Last year That’s 4 Entertainment held the the first-ever Christmas convention that featured holiday fun along with many of your favorite stars from Christmas movies and other popular creatives in the festive field. The LollyChristmas.com team was able to attend, and we had a merry blast!

Many thought with the announcement of Christmas Con: California that the event would be moving location entirely, but due to the success, Christmas Con will be returning to the Garden State this December with several returning stars plus additional fan-favorites for a weekend filled with cheer.

Photo: Crown Media

It’s March, which means that Hallmark Channel’s Merry Madness Christmas Bracket is back!

The fourth annual bracket is open and ready for you to place your picks in a head-to-head holiday movie match, which will earn you points and make you eligible to win anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000! You can create up to 10 brackets until March 26th, and the winner will be announced the first week of April.  Go create your Christmas Fantasy Game now by clicking here!

Stay merry!

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah! To everyone celebrating Hanukkah – or Chrismukkah – here’s to a happy holiday filled with joy, love, happiness & light!  Happy Hanukkah! 🕎✨

 
Stay merry!

Photo: NBC

It may be Christmas every day at LollyChristmas.com but, in New York City the Christmas season doesn’t officially kick off until the day after Thanksgiving or, for some, until the iconic Rockfeller Christmas tree gets lit up for the first time. The official tree lighting ceremony for the 2019 tree will take place on Wednesday, December 4th at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Each year NBC hosts the event with a live broadcasted event featuring holiday performances from some of the tops names in entertainment — including the Radio City Rockettes. The tree will then remain lit and on display until the evening of January 6th.

On Christmas Day, the lights will stay on for a full 24 hours.

Where does the tree go after it comes down? For the thirteenth consecutive year, the tree will be donated and turned into building materials for Habitat for Humanity.

For more information on location and visiting hours, visit RockefellerCenter.com.

Stay merry!

Hello!

I just wanted to pop in to wish all who celebrate a very Happy Hanukkah! Tonight is the first night of the *Festival of Lights*, so I hope all of your 8 nights are filled with joy, love, peace, and lots of light.

Stay merry!

With 119 days til Christmas, 66 days til Halloween and the first day of fall is in just a few weeks, there is no doubt that this time of year is when I am making my lists; I am also laying out my budget and I make sure that I have funds for giving… sometimes the amount is very small, but nevertheless I manage to donate toys and give to the Salvation Army or other organization and the church.  In keeping with the spirit of Christmas it has been many years since I was a young girl expecting gifts… the gift to me now nourishes my soul, and it’s when my family is healthy and happy; when my grandchildren are excited and when I have made someone’s life a little brighter.

As I manage my Facebook page I am rarely looking for sources to donate to but I came across Angels for Christmas, and they were matching children with sponsors for backpacks… I immediately enlisted to adopt two girls; sisters.  Trust me, with five grandchildren I definitely had my shopping cart full with school supplies; one of them just started High School and one of them lives with me, so there are many pencils to get!  Still, it gave me a good feeling to get two more backpacks, supplies, and a “first-day” outfit and uniform.    They posted a photo with their goodie bag and thanked me… and THAT is the gift.   So, I went back the page to see if the organizer was listing children for Christmas … then out of the blue, I saw another page status from Letters to Santa and they were listing children in need.  I instantly sponsored a little girl and I will do my best to make her Christmas special… especially since she wants a dollhouse!  If you can afford to sponsor a child, I recommend that you review these groups, and if you can’t please share the information with others because there are so many children in our country who are hungry, homeless, in foster care or shelters and they need a special Christmas.  There are many groups you can do this with, but I am supporting “Letters to Santa” because it is being organized by a young lady who is just out of school and I am impressed with her warm heart.  You can go to her site or email her, LettersToSanta2012@gmail.com.

I love hearing about Christmas miracles and goodness… there is another Facebook group that posted a heartwarming story about their friend who suffered a loss and a family illness, so they arranged to have Santa for a “Christmas in August” at her house for her sister and family.  They did it big with decorations, music, food the works!

I am also really excited about all the things you can make for the holidays using lanterns, vases… even wine glasses!  You can paint them, embellish them with ornaments, snow or even candy and they make great decorations for the table, mantel or coffee table… they make great gifts too!  Check out these cool ones for Halloween, click here.    I usually don’t make things during the holidays, but this year I have to make the time for it because some of these crafts are nicer than the ones you buy at the store.   The price of wreaths are going up and I have double entrance doors so I need two every time I buy them… so I have decided to “try” to make some wreaths for the fall and if they come out well, I will do them for Halloween and Christmas.  I found this tutorial to get me started on You Tube called “How to make a Christmas wreath”.  There are so many different ones on You Tube and great ideas on Pinterest too (you know I am hooked on that site!)

Well, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes are ready for the holidays and so am I… please share your excitement with me as well as any recipes, crafts or ideas.

Stay Merry,