Happy Hour with Ellen Travolta – The Coeur d’Alene Resort

It’s that time of year again! Well, almost. I can hardly wait.

As we are officially knee-deep in autumn, it’s time for us to begin planning for the holidays here at The Resort!

With over 1.5 million lights, the worlds tallest floating Christmas tree, nightly carolers throughout the lobby, and a special cruise to the North Pole, the holidays on Lake Coeur d’Alene are about as magical as it gets.

One of the most special aspects of our Resort lakeside Christmas, and my personal favorite of the holiday happenings, is a family tradition going on its sixth year: our annual Travolta Christmas Show!

Ellen, alongside her sister Margaret Travolta, daughter Molly Allen, granddaughter Lola Fridley and talented pals Mark Cotter, Abbey Crawford, Patrick Treadway and Laura Sable, is back at it again for another year of a festive-filled holiday show here at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Debuted as “Christmas Unwrapped”, this year’s production includes sharing Travolta memories along with classic family Christmas tales, a handful of cherished holiday songs, and, of course, stories from the community about the Christmas toys and gifts they “unwrapped” during their childhood. Gifts that they got, gave, or didn’t get! The selected stories will be read by Ellen and Margaret themselves at this year’s show – how fun is that?

I had the wonderful opportunity to sip on a few cocktails with the star of the show herself, Ellen Travolta, and chat about the holiday performance that everyone is buzzing about this Christmas season!

Q. Toys are the theme of this year’s show. Do you have a favorite toy from your childhood?  

A. That’s an easy answer: The Sparkle Plenty Doll! She was loved by all young girls my age, and because you could do her hair in a countless number of ways, I had to have her!

Q. Last year was the first year you brought on your daughter, Molly Allen, to the cast. What was the best part of performing alongside your daughter?

Watching Molly fine-tune things from start to finish was so special to observe. Not only did she bring fresh and creative new ideas to the production, but she also brought an unmatchable humor that we all enjoyed. I swear she got funnier with every show!

Q. Because I grew up in a family with six kiddos, as did you, my favorite part about last year’s show was hearing you talk about your personal Christmas family memories. To this day, what is one tradition that has stuck with you since you were young?

A. Having a big family is such a blessing, isn’t it? I was so lucky to not only have such wonderful parents and siblings, but because we were all such believers in the holiday itself, it made Christmas just that much more special. As the oldest child, I had the pleasure of observing the glee of all of my younger siblings during the Christmas season. One of my most cherished memories is the stories we would always tell time and again at dinner – they were always warm, festive and just plain funny!

Q. What is your favorite thing about this year’s show?

A. Reading the story submissions from the community has been beyond special. Their letters have made me laugh, cry, smile and weep – I have enjoyed reading them over and over!

Q. The most important question: favorite Christmas cocktail?

A.  Most definitely our ‘Twist Cocktail’ from last year! Our 2017 theme was “Christmas with a Twist”, and in honor of the show, we concocted a fun cocktail that brought you warmth and happiness when you drank it – the same feeling you get when you watch our show. This fun Hot Toddy laces whiskey, honey sage syrup, lemon juice with a lemon twist and sage garnish! Yum, yum, yum!

This live, cabaret-style performance runs every Thursday through Sunday here at the fairy-tale holiday venue of the Pacific Northwest: The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Book an overnight stay package on the lake at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. Package includes two admission tickets to Christmas Unwrapped, and a $50 dining credit, redeemable at any of The Resort’s award-winning restaurants. Rates starting at only *$239!

One thing is for sure: I’ll most definitely be at the show this year with a glass of wine in hand!

Cheers to a fabulous Christmas season ahead!

Cally King