How great would it be for a former professional football player to have a son become a successful player himself?  How much greater would it be if that son made it to the Super Bowl—and was named the Most Valuable Player in that Super Bowl?  And then think of the odds that that former player would have TWO sons be Super Bowl MVPs?  Of course, that is what happened to former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning who has seen two of his sons, Peyton and Eli, both achieve the highest accolades for themselves and their respective teams, the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants.   In lieu of Christmas cards from his sons, I’m sure Archie would prefer either (or both) to make to the “big show” again this season.  What a belated Christmas that would be if a Super Bowl victory was again “in the cards”!

Both Eli Manning and Peyton Manning will try leading their respective teams to the big game this year.

However, as of this writing, it may be a difficult reality for each to achieve, especially for Peyton.  Beset by injuries to key offensive players, Peyton has tried to perform heroics with players who are not on the same page as he is at times, resulting in more turnovers and less than stellar performances by those backups.  Normally a first place team, the Colts are still trying to win their division, which each season going back quite a few years they usually have wrapped up before Christmas.

The Giants, with quarterback Eli, have lost the division to the  Philadelphia Eagles but still have the chance to make the playoffs as a wild card.  A repeat of what happened three years ago—when the Giants went on the road as a playoff contender and swept each and every one of their opponents on their way to a Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots—would satisfy father Archie no end.

If it should turn out, instead, that neither team realizes their dream of playing for the championship in February, Archie Manning can still take pride in the fact that the “Christmas card” he and wife Olivia receive each year from their football-playing sons is the pride and admiration he certainly must feel watching Peyton and Eli striving to do their best—and oftentimes succeeding–each and every week.

It seems like only yesterday that I was looking at the Kardashians’ last Christmas card, and yet, here we are again. I’d like to say that this new tradition warms my heart, but if we’re being completely honest, it doesn’t. You know what does warm my heart? Snark.

Isn't the Kardashian Christmas card just filled with holiday spirit? All those smiling, jolly faces!

So, let’s get to it. This year’s Seacrest-free Christmas card features the Addams Family. Oops, maybe not, but they certainly look like it! No one is smiling. And although I cannot find a picture of the real Addams Family posing on a staircase, I feel like they could easily have struck such a pose – whether in the television, film, or Broadway incarnation!

It’s been a big year for the Kardashians, so you would figure that they’d be a little more jolly in the good tidings they bring. They just finished the fifth season of their reality show and are still spinning off new series for the sisters.

In July, Kim was honored with her very own wax figure at Madam Tussaud’s in New York City. She also dated Halle Berry’s ex, Gabriel Aubrey, although that relationship appears to have been short-lived.

She and her sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, released clothing and jewelry lines, a sunless tanner, and a book, Kardashian Konfidential (here we are with the K’s again!), that includes beauty tips and advice from their parents that helped them become the successes they are today. Kim and Khloé also guest starred on the season premiere of 90210. As we are all aware, today’s celeb climate demands exposure! Exposure! Exposure! The Kardashians are certainly making the most of their popularity while they can.

Perhaps the morose – I mean, sultry – poses on this year’s card were in preparation for the spoofing that they got on the Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live this year. Cast member Abby Elliott, as Khloé, expressed, “I’m thankful that four years ago, my sister made a sex tape with Brandy’s brother and now our whole family is famous!”

Could it be? Have the Kardashians realized that no matter how many clothing lines, talk show appearances, and reality shows they have in the works, they really are most famous for being famous?

Such is life in Hollywood. Here’s to a festive Kardashian Christmas card in 2011!

If there is one unattainable thing I would like for Christmas, it would be a voice like that of Annie Lennox! (If there were another, it would be a Christmas card with a million dollar check enclosed, but I digress.) For thirty years she has been singing hit songs, first as part of the eighties duo the Eurythmics and then as a very successful solo artist.

Annie Lennox shares her Christmas spirit through song

In 2009 the ASCAP declared the Eurythmics’ version of “Winter Wonderland” as the most performed holiday song of the decade, beating out such other staples as Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and Nat “King” Cole’s “The Christmas Song”.

Annie released her own holiday album in 2010, A Christmas Cornucopia. It is only appropriate as she was born on December 25, which must mean she gets a ton of birthday and Christmas cards every season. The album includes standards such as “Silent Night” and “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleman”, as well as an original song called “Universal Child,” which has been released as a single with all proceeds benefiting Lennox’s foundation benefiting AIDS charities.

Annie earned a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe in 2004 for the song “Into the West” from my favorite film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This song once again shows off a unique and wonderful voice, which she talked about in 2009 with The Observer, saying, “There is something in singing that is uplifting and freeing of your spirit – there are no rules. Everyone should feel free to sing, like when you’re a kid and you skip or do somersaults. You should sing everywhere: when you’re in the shower, when you’re with your friends. After all, it’s completely free.”

Something tells me that no matter the acoustics in my bathroom, my shower singing will never come close to that of Annie’s! So, I think I’ll keep my Christmas wish list intact until Santa deems me deserving of such a gift!

I love Gerard Butler…love the accent, love the bedroom eyes, his mischievous grin, and yes,  loved the bod in 300. However, let’s face it…this pic that surfaced of him earlier this year is a far cry from how he looked when he portrayed King Leonidas. (Okay, I know there was probably some CGI enhancement going on but nothing that drastic!) This certainly isn’t the pic that will be gracing Gerard’s photo cards for Christmas this year.

Which picture do you think Gerard Butler would prefer for Christmas photo cards?

Though whether he actually sends out Christmas cards is doubtful. He was recently quoted saying that Christmas can be a “pain in the ass.” What? Say it ain’t so Gerard! According to the Scottish actor, now that he is an adult, Christmas Day has lost its magic for him. He said this in a recent interview where he was recalling his youth in Scotland: “My uncle would build us a sled or we’d get these weird wonderful gifts, and I would always be thinking I would catch Santa coming down the chimney. Coming from a country where it gets cold and it snows, there’s a real Christmassy feeling in Scotland. Then comes the day where you have to start getting the presents and it loses that magic suddenly and Christmas becomes a huge pain in the ass.” Christmas? A pain in the tuchas? Bah humbug, Gerard!

Still I won’t let his comments about Christmas or even this one unflattering photo diminish my affection for the movie hunk. Ever since I saw him in P.S. I Love You, I’ve been a huge fan. It seems like I’m not the only one as he is usually cast in romantic comedies these days, having starred in The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl and The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston. Still he is quite the action hero and I thoroughly enjoyed him in Gamer and Law Abiding Citizen as well. Those movies may not have been Oscar worthy but watching Gerard onscreen is certainly entertaining. And though he may no longer be sporting the six-pack he sported in 300, I still wouldn’t mind being on Gerard’s Christmas cards list…if he has one!

So Brett Favre’s shoulder injury kept him from being the starting quarterback for the first time after 297 consecutive starts, a streak that lasted more than 18 seasons.  It is a record that, arguably, is one that is even more astounding than baseball’s Cal Ripken considering the violent nature of pro football and the chances of missing a game or two each year, never mind 18 years!

Santa isn't the only guy who can sack this quarterback. Maybe it's time for Brett Favre to retire!

Of course, while viewing Favre on the sidelines as he was gingerly holding his purple hand (the shoulder problem was affecting the circulation all the way down to his fingertips), one has to wonder whether he will be able to hand sign his Christmas cards this year.  One could say that he probably never signed his holiday cards before since he was always busy with football sometimes well into January.  However, because of the severity of his injury, it would be wise if he not only shut down his season early, but also called it quits for good.

In a way, it’s a shame that Favre has to go out this way.  When the average lifespan of a pro football career is perhaps four or five years—tops–for most decent players, the fact that Favre lasted 18 seasons and never missed a start is a testament to his resiliency and toughness.  The way he played the game—the gunslinger mentality, the fact that at his peak he was the best around, the fun he had on the field—has made him one of the most loved and admired pro football players of all time.

But the time has come for him to retire.  Last year and two seasons ago, he brought his team (in 2007 it was still the Green Bay Packers and in 2009 it was the Minnesota Vikings) on the verge of a Super Bowl appearance but threw interceptions late in those games that ended the hopes of teams—something that never would have happened in his prime.  In 2008, as a Jet, he led his team to a playoff-bound season until an injury which wasn’t disclosed brought the remainder of their year to a disappointing conclusion.  And let’s not forget the alleged erotic emails to Jenn Sterger! (Sending a Christmas card to her might not be a good idea.)

It’s time for Brett to pack up his football, his memories and his great accomplishments and head home to Mississippi.   It’ll be the first time in many years Favre will be able to spend the holidays with his family, worrying only about getting his moniker on the family Christmas cards.