I have always liked Elton John ever since he first burst upon the music scene in 1970. He first appeared as a live performer at Los Angeles’ famous Troubadour nightclub, after which he began having hit singles at an alarming rate. From 1972 through 1975, the former Reginald Dwight was arguably the most successful performer on the pop scene.

Elton John's musical Christmas card to his fans brings lots of holiday cheer!

One of his greatest achievements, along with his writing partner, Bernie Taupin, was what he called his Christmas card to his fans – the single “Step Into Christmas,” which is considered by many to be the all-time, most popular Christmas single of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era. Released in 1973, the song has been a staple of radio stations at Christmastime every year since. The sound was reminiscent of the Phil Spector “wall of sound” technique – done intentionally – since both Elton and Bernie were admirers of Spector’s heavily-produced, girl groups’ Christmas album, “A Christmas Gift for You.”

“Step Into Christmas” features great opening lyrics, which pointedly announce the reason for the song’s existence:

Welcome to my Christmas song
I’d like to thank you for the year
So I’m sending you this Christmas card
To say it’s nice to have you here.

It’s a great lift hearing it again and again, even after all this time.

In a successful career that is now entering its fifth decade, Elton’s troubles with drugs and his sexuality have been well-documented. What has also been written about extensively – and rightfully so – has been his Elton John AIDS Foundation. Founded in 1992, the foundation has been one of the world’s leading organizations helping victims of AIDS, a proverbial Christmas card to thousands and thousands of people stricken with the disease. His charitable work is his way of apologizing to his fans (and himself) for having been a drug addict.

So perhaps during the next holiday season when you hear Elton’s annual “Christmas card” come on the radio, think of all the good things his foundation has accomplished and help the cause by making a contribution.

Alan Rickman sure has the Christmas spirit, but maybe not the way you’d expect. He has played a hostage-taking, Christmas Eve terrorist in Die Hard, a would-be adulterer in the romantic holiday comedy Love Actually, and the meanest wizard at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, his Sherriff of Nottingham gives out the direction to ‘Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans. No more merciful beheadings. And call off Christmas!’ These characters might lead you to believe that Alan Rickman’s annual Christmas cards would take the happy out of “Happy Holidays”.

Would you want Christmas cards from
Severus Snape? I would!

Known for not enjoying the press junkets and red carpet necessities of acting in today’s modern world, Rickman does not always promote his films. When the 2007 movie Snow Cake came out, however, he was quoted as saying the movie lived up to one of his beliefs: “A moment of action is worth a ton of theory.” He went on that he thought he’d read the line in a Christmas card somewhere. Perhaps Rickman’s real life Christmas cards wouldn’t be as unhappy as his roles suggest, but I’d like to think they’d have just the right dose of sarcasm somewhere within their covers.

In all seriousness, Rickman is a talented and well-liked actor who has taken issue with the “villain” label many of his roles have given him. Born in London, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on scholarship and spent much of his time in theatre, including the Royal Shakespeare Company. If his long history of plays, musicals, television and film doesn’t convince you of his stature, perhaps his award nominations and wins, including Emmys, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, will. He has shared the screen and stage with such distinguished colleagues as Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter, Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, and Johnny Depp.

Known as much for his roles as for his distinctive voice, Rickman played the role of the Caterpillar in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland before reprising his role as Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, just in time for the holidays in November 2010. Take a moment to think about what a Christmas card from Professor Snape would be like! A potions master with a wide knowledge of the Dark Arts, wizarding Christmas cards from such a man would be best left unopened!

With over 30 years of acting roles, it should be quite easy to put together a wonderful stack of Rickman films for a Christmas gift this year. And if you don’t know anyone who would appreciate such a present, feel free to send that package to me!

What a fabulous picture! Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were dressed to perfection on their wedding day, August 17, 2008. The amount of joy that oozes out of this picture would make a really great Christmas card. I, for one, would love to get this picture to add to my montage of Christmas cards. It reminds me of what love can add to your world. It was a long road to true happiness for Ellen.

Ellen and Portia make a beautiful picture on their wedding day.

Ellen DeGeneres grew up in “The Big Easy”, but things weren’t se easy for her at the start of her career. She held various jobs until she decided to do stand up comedy in 1981. She appeared in comedy clubs and on various talk shows until landing her sitcom Ellen (originally named These Friends of Mine) in 1994. She publicly came out of the closet on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1997 and was the first woman in a sitcom to portray an openly gay person. The “coming out episode” had tremendously high ratings, but the show ended in 1998 when the ratings declined. She went back to stand up comedy, starred in several films, hosted several award shows, and started her own talk show in 2003.

When Ellen came out of the closet she was in a very serious relationship with Anne Heche. The couple was the darlings of the media for several years until their very public breakup in 2000. Ellen appeared to be devastated, but moved on to a new relationship with Alexandra Hedison from 2001-2004. Ellen met and started wooing Portia in 2004. Talk about chemistry! They seemed to be in sync from the very beginning, and when California overturned the same sex marriage ban, Ellen proposed with a pink diamond engagement ring (3 carats!). They had their small intimate wedding in front of family and close friends. The pictures from their wedding depict true happiness. Let’s say hurray for love!

The latest rumor in the Portia-Ellen union is that they are considering the joy of listening to the patter of little feet. Let’s wish them long life and happiness. I can’t wait to see a Christmas card featuring the two love birds and a little one.

Bloggers beware…this is not another entry about Dan Aykroyd starting up a Ghostbusters 3 film. Although the concept of such a film would certainly outdo all of the Christmas cards you’ll receive this year, but that is just the Ghostbusters geek in me coming out. Come to think of it, I should just make this entry about the concept of Ghostbusters 3. I mean, who wouldn’t want to receive a celebrity Christmas gift like that one? I have the perfect way he could announce it too. All Dan Aykroyd would have to do is send out a bunch of holiday cards with the title “Who you gonna call?” And the inside of it will say what everyone wants to read next: “Ghostbusters 3!” And the perfect complement with these holiday cards would be a bottle of Aykroyd’s new Crystal Head Vodka – now that is a celebrity Christmas card to remember.

Who wouldn't want to see Ghostbusters 3 while sipping Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka?

Let’s be honest, there has not been that many good movies made lately never mind the fact that the last good sci-fi/comedy movie was probably Men in Black. I hear there is a strong possibility that all the original Ghostbusters are on board for a new film as well. That’s inspiring news considering how much Bill Murray had seemed against it over the past five years. Did you know that the original part of Dr. Peter Venkman was supposed to be for Dan Aykroyd’s pal, John Belushi? But when he passed away in 1982 Aykroyd supposedly rewrote the script for his Saturday Night Live pal Murray after the untimely passing of his Blues Brother companion.

Maybe the celebrity Christmas cards that Aykroyd would send out announcing Ghostbusters 3 can have a picture of the beloved Slimer on the front? Coincidentally, Aykroyd has joked in the past that he wrote in the part of the smoking / drinking / overeating green ghost based on the hard-partying Belushi. Dan Aykroyd has to be one of the most liked Canadians of all-time. Born in 1952 over in good-ole Ottawa, Ontario, Aykroyd has been in movies since 1974 and is still going strong having co-starred in recent box-office smashes such as I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry as well as 50 First Dates. Dan Aykroyd can next be seen starring as the Scarecrow in the animated film Dorothy of Oz.