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.

Christmas... in the News: Christmas in Action Helps Fairborn Homeowners, Unexpected Christmas & Pentatonix "Christmas in the City Tour"

 

Welcome to this edition of Christmas... in the news. This is a review of Christmas articles and news over the last week.

Happy Sunday! I hope you're enjoying your summer—or winter, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere. There are only 130 days until Christmas. That's only 18 weeks!!! 

Christmas news reaches us from Fairborn, Ohio, where a group of volunteers from Christmas in Action visited area homes in need of repairs. You can read all about this organization and its early holiday efforts in this Fairborn Daily Herald article here. 

Variety reported on the upcoming Christmas comedy, Unexpected Christmas, starring Lil Rel Howery and Tabitha Brown. It is set for release on November 7. The movie follows a family as they gather for the holidays, which quickly dissolves into chaos. You can read more here. 

More entertainment news comes to us from Pentatonix, who announced dates for its "Christmas in the City Tour" a few days ago. Eyewitness News 3 out of Connecticut shared that the musical group will perform at the PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford on December 6. Tickets go on sale this coming Friday. You can read more here. 

That's it for this week's Christmas... in the news. Enjoy your week!

Christmas on TV: 'Twas the Date Before Christmas (Hallmark Channel, 2024 Premiere)

 

Photo credit: IMDB

Hallmark Channel's 2024 COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS starts off strong with this delightful romantic comedy starring Robert Buckley and Amy Groening. 

Feeling the pressure to bring someone home for the holidays, Jessie (Groening) invites Bryan (Buckley) to the "Chamberlain Family Christmas Olympics." Even though they just met through a dating app, Bryan, not looking forward to spending the holidays alone, agrees. Jessie's mother, played by Karen Waddell, is excited about her daughter's new boyfriend, but no one in the family realizes this is their first date. As the zany holiday activities continue, Jessie finds it hard to keep their secret. And while Bryan warms to Jessie and her family, he needs to hope other things in his life won't get in the way. 

I live streamed  'Twas the Date Before Christmas last night, and I am so glad I did. What a great way to kick off COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS. Groening and Buckley, Hallmark Channel veterans, are sweet, funny, and have amazing chemistry as their characters secretly hide they just met earlier in the day. Jessie and Bryan have touching backstories, which I won't share in case you didn't see 'Twas the Date Before Christmas last night, but those backstories play a role in how they begin to develop feelings for each other while partaking in the gift wrapping contest, snowball fight, baking competition, and more. Secondary characters have their own storylines, making this a wonderful movie for all. 

'Twas the Date Before Christmas is a classic Hallmark Channel holiday romance with such a unique and charming plot that you can't help but fall in love with it. 

Release date: October 18, 2024

Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes

I live streamed this movie through Frndly TV. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. 

Christmas... in the News: Macy's Walnut Room Reservations, Great American Family Christmas 2024 Schedule & Elks Rec "Christmas in the Country" Display Reservations

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Christmas... in the news. This is a weekly review of some of the Christmas articles and news over the last week. 

My, my what a plethora of Christmas news this week. I couldn't hope to post all that came out within the last few days. Here are some tidbits that caught my eye.

NBC 5 Chicago reported that the iconic Walnut Room in the Chicago Macy's on State Street is now open for 2024 holiday reservations. The report also shared special menu items. Check it out here.

Showing that we don't play favorites when it comes to the two powerhouse Christmas movie channels, we wanted to let you know that TV Guide shared the full 2024 schedule from Great American Family Media for it's "Great American Christmas." They say Candace Cameron Bure headlines two films this year. You can read the article here. 

The Santa Maria Times reported that Elks Recreation, Inc. is accepting display reservations for its annual "Christmas in the Country" drive-through holiday display. Honestly, it was the photo of a Smokey the Bear display that first caught my eye. I loved the commercials growing up that said, "Only you can prevent forest fires." You can read more about this event here. The article also mentions dates. 

This last part isn't really news, but this is a shot from my local Walmart from last week. I actually bought some Christmas lights early, so I could take advantage of the best selection. When do you buy your Christmas lights? 

That's it for today. See you next week!

Looking to Review Your Christmas Books, Movies, and Products

 

Photo credit: freepik

Looking to review your Christmas products! Being a lover of all things Christmas, and as someone who has been reviewing products since 2007, I am looking to help you spread the word about your seasonal book, family-friendly movie, home decorating or cooking/baking products.

Here is a short list of what I'm most interested in, but I'm open to other inquiries:

Books

• Picture books
• Chapter books
• Clean romance novellas

Movies

• Animated 
• Drama
• Clean romance
• Clean comedy

Decor

• Modern farmhouse
• Traditional
• Country/Rustic
• Indoor and outdoor

Cooking/Baking

• Supplies--speciality pots and pans, utensils, cookie cutters, aprons, tools, etc.
• Ingredients
• Cookbooks

If you would like me to help spread the word, please reach out to me at ccmal(at)charter(dot)net, replacing at and dot with the appropriate symbols. 

Below are the stats from personal social media accounts. Books might be cross-posted to The Book Connection or The Children's and Teens' Book Connection, so I am including that information as well.

Facebook friends 2.3K
Author page followers 589
Twitter followers 3,633
LinkedIn Connections 2,183
Instagram followers 1,462

Pinterest followers 228

Goodreads Friends - 792

The Book Connection - Average Monthly Visits 11,435

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection - Average Monthly Views 53

Mario Lopez Filming Christmas Movie in Long Grove, IL for Great American Media

Mario Lopez is shooting a Great American Media Christmas movie in Long Grove, IL. Currently, titled My Grown Up Christmas Wish, Lopez plays the role of the mayor of Long Grove, which is the actual name of the town.

 

According to the interview between the real mayor of Long Grove and WGN News, this is the fourth Christmas movie to be shot in historic downtown Long Grove. You can check out their website at www.longgrove.org

Christmas Cookbooks: The Christmas Movie Cookbook by Julia Rutland

 

While browsing social media one day in November, I came across an ad that included The Christmas Movie Cookbook by Julia Rutland. One of the kids ended up buying me this book for Christmas. 

This colorful and fun cookbook includes recipes from some of your favorite holiday films--or films with memorable Christmas scenes--through the decades: The Polar Express, Little Women, Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, Christmas in Connecticut, Gremlins, Elf, and more.

Separated into typical cookbook section format, the glossy pages include beautiful photographs and a discussion of the movie from which each recipe comes. Rutland opens with her introduction, tips for entertaining, and holiday menu ideas based upon the recipes found inside, then concludes with metric charts for those outside of the United States, a helpful index, and information about herself.

What I love most about The Christmas Movie Cookbook is the variety of recipes included and the diverse types of movies featured. Whether you are looking for new holiday menus to inspire your entertaining, seeking to find some interesting pop culture tidbits, or just want to try some new recipes, The Christmas Movie Cookbook is an excellent resource to explore.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ S&S/Simon Element (September 6, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982189371
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982189372

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.