Tag: Christmas

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CBS Christmas Special To Feature Gay Couple For First Time

CBS’ annual Christmas special – Home For The Holidays – will feature a gay couple and their family for the first time:

Home for the Holidays aims to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for more than 400,000 children in foster care. This year’s telecast, set for Dec. 19, will highlight the story of Rich Valenza, who adopted a 5-year-old and 4-year-old brother and sister shortly before he met his now-partner Jared Gee.

The special produced in association with the Children’s Action Network features adoptions stories mixed with musical performances. This year’s lineup includes Jennifer Hudson, Train, Earth Wind & Fire, Rixton and Katharine McPhee.

This year marks the 16th edition of the popular holiday special.

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Christmas Ad From UK Supermarket Chain Sainsbury’s Goes Viral

British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s Christmas ad is getting lots of attention within hours of being posted on YouTube.

Over 1.8 million views worth of attention.

From the Guardian:

There is no disputing that the new Sainsbury’s ad is, on its own terms, a masterpiece. The cinematography is breathtaking. Without saying a word, the young cast conveys a startling array of emotional depth within a few short minutes. The simple narrative, built around the near-mythical Christmas truce between the trenches of 1914, has just the right blend of poignancy and sentimentality to bring a tear to the most cynical eye.

However, the Guardian goes on to rip Sainsburys for making the first world war “beautiful.”

Watch for yourself below.

(h/t JMG)

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American Family Association Targets Companies Who Don’t Say “Christmas” Enough

The American Family Association like to say they want corporations to stay “neutral” when it comes to cultural issues, but don’t believe them.

Today they published their list of “naughty or nice” companies – those that say “Christmas” in all of their holiday advertising or only sometimes.

Basically, this is their boycott list.

Except, their boycotts don’t actually end up achieving anything.

(h/t JMG)

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Monty The Penguin Wins The Internet Today

Monty The Penguin and his best friend Sam

UK department store John Lewis released this year’s Christmas ad, a story about young Sam and his best friend Monty The Penguin.

Sam and Monty The Penguin are the very best of friends. Sam thinks he knows just what Monty is dreaming of for Christmas… something that will make one little penguin’s perfect Christmas day.

According to The Guardian, the video cost about £1m to make.

Last year’s ad – Bear and the Hare – received over 10 million views on YouTube, the department store group has raised its game with the help of Monty, a CGI-animated penguin.

More about Sam and Monty at JohnLewis.com.

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California: Woman fights the anti-gay with gayest holiday lights ever

Last April, Dr. Mary Pham of Irvine, California, flew a rainbow flag above her house in support of gay pride.  However, soon after she became the target of anti-gay rhetoric and hate mail from her neighbors.  One friend told her “Not in Irvine, Mary.”

Mary’s response?    “Look, either you know what it is or you don’t,” Pham said in response. “Either it’s a pride flag, or it’s just a rainbow flag. And if it’s a pride flag, and you notice, either you like it or you hate it. And if you hate it then you’re just a jerk.”

This Christmas,  Pham told the OC Weekly  that she had decided to fight hate with love (and thousands of sparkly rainbow lights).

Here’s what Pham and her son did to make the biggest statement she could think to make!

Mary Pham FTW!

(h/t SheWired)