Great American Christmas in July Starts Today!

Great American Media announced that its annual Christmas in July programming begins tonight! You can check out their movies--new and old favorites here. For more information regarding their announcment, you can visit their site.

Journey through Christmases Past: TV Dads through the Decades

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Happy Sunday! Today is the first day of summer, and there are only 187 days until Christmas! 

I will be honest. Work is leaving little time for blogging, so this week's post comes with a bit of an assist from AI. In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to share something fun about dads through the decades. Then it turned into TV dads. Enjoy reminiscing. 

Photo from a Facebook post

1950s Dad — The Classic Christmas Commander

He wore a cardigan, carved the turkey with precision, and strung lights with military-level seriousness. He read the newspaper while the kids played with new toys and made sure the tree was perfectly centered in the picture window. His gift? Something practical, like slippers or a pipe, which he accepted with a proud nod.

While this dad was before my time, I can totally see Ward Cleaver from Leave It to Beaver at work here.

Photo from IMDB

1960s Dad — The Cool, Calm, and Slightly Groovy One

He introduced color TV, insisted on tinsel one strand at a time, and played Christmas albums on the hi-fi. He might’ve assembled a bike or two, but only after “studying” the instructions with a cup of coffee. He loved a good gadget. Electric carving knife, anyone?

Do you recall the episode "Steve and the Computer" from My Three Sons? I totally see patriarch Steve Douglas in the above description.

Photo from this Facebook post

1970s Dad — The DIY Holiday Hero

This was the dad who built toys, fixed toys, and occasionally broke toys while fixing them. He hung those giant C9 bulbs that could heat a small home and drove the family around in a wood-paneled station wagon to see the neighborhood lights. His Christmas morning uniform: plaid robe, slippers, and a mug of Folgers.

Minus the plaid robe, didn't you immediately think of Mike from The Brady Bunch here?

Photo found on Christmas TV History

1980s Dad — The King of Christmas Morning Chaos

He was the master of assembling anything that required batteries, screws, or a PhD in engineering. He recorded Christmas on a giant camcorder that weighed as much as a toddler. He stayed up late wrapping gifts in paper featuring Garfield or He-Man and pretended not to hear the kids at 4:30 AM.

Steven Keaton from Family Ties, won't you please stand up and take a bow for being the dad we all wanted in the 80s.

Photo from People article

1990s Dad — The Tech-Savvy (Sort Of) Holiday Innovator

He programmed the VCR to record every holiday special, even though half of them cut off early. He helped set up the Super Nintendo, installed the new cordless phone, and proudly handed out gifts in those shiny metallic gift bags that required zero wrapping. He loved a good mall Santa photo and a trip to Blockbuster after Christmas dinner.

There were a lot of great TV dads in the 90s: Philip Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carl Winslow from Family Matters, and Tim Taylor from Home Improvement, but my favorite is Danny Tanner from Full House. I loved the 80s, but I think the 90s is my next favorite decade.

Photo from Mainlining Christmas

2000s Dad — The Digital Christmas Dad

He downloaded Christmas music onto the family computer, burned holiday CDs, and tried to figure out the new digital camera before the big day. He assembled Razor scooters, replaced AA batteries like a champ, and documented everything on early Facebook. His favorite gift? Anything with a power cord.

Hal Wilkerson was crazy on Malcom in the Middle, but he definitely loved his kids. Do you remember the episode where Reese turns Hal into a viral sensation by posting his father's embarrassing moments online? I think he deserved coal in his stocking for that one.

Photo from IMDB

2010s Dad — The Pinterest-Project Participant

He helped hang the “rustic farmhouse” stockings, wrapped gifts with kraft paper and twine, and tried to recreate a Pinterest-worthy Christmas breakfast. He set up the Elf on the Shelf (sometimes creatively, sometimes at 11:59 PM). He FaceTimed relatives during gift opening and took 200 photos on his phone.

You have to admit that Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish tries hard. He is still seeking Pops' approval. He has wild overreactions that are hilarious — like the time he set the Christmas tree on fire ("Just Christmas, Baby") and picked up his favorite daughter, then rushed off to safety, pushing one of his other kids out of the way. And he has a deep appreciation of Black history and culture, which he uses to educate his family. While he actually has a tough time navigating social media trends, that was a pretty nice tree he and his daughter put together before it burned down.

Here's to all the TV dads and real dads doing their best.

Christmas in July New Movies Coming from Hallmark Channel

Get ready, Hallmark Channel Christmas movie lovers! "Christmas in July" starts soon! All-new original holiday movies kick off with "Christmas Under Construction" on Saturday, July 4. For the complete schedule and movie information, visit Hallmark Channel's website at https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-in-july/2026-christmas-in-july-movies

Journey through Christmases Past - The Heroes of Christmas 2020 & How the Pandemic Changed Christmas

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Happy Sunday! Guess what? We are only 201 days away from Christmas 2026! 

Life is a hectic mess of work, work, and work. It's all good. I am blessed to have a chance to help people. We are also gearing up for our daughter's move for her first full-time job since graduating from college and passing her nursing exam. As I thought about the career she has chosen, my mind drifted back to the first year of the pandemic, how it changed Christmas, and about all the essential workers and frontline professionals who made a difference.

On January 1, 2020, we said hello to a new year, never anticipating what was to come. On March 13, the United States government declared a nationwide emergency, two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak of a global pandemic. 

Schools and businesses were shut down. Travel bans and stay-at-home orders were issued. And for the first time in my life, simple, everyday things were no longer possible: eating out, going to the movies, grocery shopping without the fear of diseases being transmitted, and getting in-person appointments with a doctor. People were learning from home, working from home, and seeking any way to spend time outside of their four walls. 

But you know who didn't get to stay home:

• Healthcare workers and first responders, who worked long hours, often separated from their loved ones, sleeping in different places to protect their families. 
• Grocery store workers, delivery drivers, and mail carriers who made sure we had what we needed as we sheltered in place or used curbside pickup.
• Scientists and researchers who worked to find a vaccine.

If you would like to read stories of some of these heroes, you can check out the TIME Coronavirus Heroes Collection or the report from MSNBC titled, "Honoring the Heroes of 2020."

The pandemic created a major surge in home improvements and a resurgence in homesteading. I paid $10 for a 5 lb bag of flour, and don't even get me started about the price of eggs and butter. Stuck at home, we needed to do something. In Massachusetts, real estate was declared essential within 72 hours of the shutdown, but it certainly wasn't business as usual, and our offices remained closed at least until fall. 

By the spring of 2020, the country would begin its process of reopening in phases that would continue until Hawaii lifted its COVID restrictions in March of 2022. Slowly, we adjusted to the "new normal." The federal Public Health Emergency would not expire until May 2023. 

Considering that the first publicly available COVID-19 vaccine was not available until December 14, 2020, Christmas that year looked and felt different. Though many yearned to get together, the fear of illness was all too real. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended avoiding large get-togethers. Churches faced strict capacity limits. There were no office parties or sitting on Santa's lap... despite Dr. Fauci declaring he had vaccinated Santa so that he could deliver presents. Instead, children had virtual visits with Santa. The Salvation Army instituted virtual red kettles to collect donations. Bloggers wrote posts with ideas on how to celebrate the holidays at home. 

I recall seeing my social media feeds filled with people who decorated early that year. They needed to brighten the dark spot that the pandemic had created. I don't think we decorated early, but I appreciated the efforts of my friends across the globe. We had lost my father-in-law to COVID in April 2020, and it was an emotional time for us. 

But Christmas 2020 did get people to slow down and appreciate things easily taken for granted. We reassessed our lives and what truly mattered. We checked in on each other. We sent handwritten cards and baked for our neighbors. We drove around looking at holiday lights in an effort to hold onto the magic of the season. Christmas 2020 wasn't normal, but it was tender and full of heart. 

To view NPR's Christmas Around the World collection from 2020, visit here.