Holidaze

The house featured in "A Christmas Story" is normally a tourist hot spot during the holidays, but this year business is hurting as much as getting your tongue stuck to a frozen flagpole.

Folks running A Christmas Story House & Museum -- the Cleveland residence used for exterior shots of Ralphie's home in the 1983 classic -- tell TMZ ... they're projected to have about 50,000 less visitors compared to 2019.

On top of that, the home -- which guests can reserve for an overnight stay and sleep in Ralphie and Randy's beds -- is still available on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ... which we're told is unprecedented.

Since the place began allowing overnight reservations in 2008, it's usually booked for November and December 6 months in advance ... even though it costs nearly $3k per night!!!

But, with COVID-19 cases surging, stay-at-home orders and financial struggles for families across the country ... 2020's put the 'Christmas Story' business in a difficult spot too.

The good news is ... the museum's online gift shop is helping make up for some of the losses in tour and lodging revenue this year.

We're told the shop's sold around 14,000 different variations of the movie's famous leg lamp, 1,000 pink bunny suits, and a couple hundred Red Ryder BB Guns ... and there are plenty more in stock.

Taylor Swift is lending a much-needed hand to a couple of mothers struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic ... just in time for the holidays.

The singer donated $13,000 apiece to 2 moms who have fallen on hard times, and whose stories were featured in a recent article about the millions of Americans who are unemployed, or behind on their rent and utilities.

The women -- Nikki Cornwell from Nashville and Shelbie Selewski from Michigan -- both received a generous donation from Taylor on their GoFundMe pages ... along with a personal note of encouragement.

Taylor wrote to Nikki ... "I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story. I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through this year and wanted to send you this gift, from one Nashville girl to another."

Shelbie's message says ... "I'm sending you this gift after reading about you in the Washington Post. No one should have to feel the kind of stress that's been put on you. I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season."

Both women have suffered both medical and financial hardships this year and say they are in danger of being kicked out of their homes if they don't catch up on bills.

Sadly, there are millions more in the U.S. who are also in dire straits, and without another government stimulus for support ... are feeling helpless.

One of the many depressing consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is it seems to be greatly reducing the number of toys donated to kids in need ... but first responders in L.A. are stepping up, again, to meet the challenge.

TMZ's learned from sources close to L.A. police and firefighters ... donations are down as much as 50 percent compared to last year at some donation locations, and less than normal across the board.

Part of the reason, we're told, is that the law enforcement agencies have not been able to hold their big annual toy drives in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions. On top of that, there's less awareness of toy drives due to people being stuck at home ... and finally, many people simply can't afford to donate because they've lost their jobs.

The good news -- many people who are able to give are doing so, and various police departments and L.A. County Fire are promoting the option of online donating. CHP is also utilizing TEXT TOYS 76278 to help bridge their toy donation gap this year. We're told several cops and firefighters are also reaching into their own pockets to help make up the difference.

Our sources say the L.A. police and fire workers are devising plans to properly disinfect all the toys and use contactless delivery to get them to kids.

NASA sent a massive goody bag of supplies and treats up into space this week to help their astronauts out for the holidays -- and we found out what they're noshing on!!!

A rep for NASA tells TMZ ... part of the resupply load, aboard a SpaceX capsule, that docked at the International Space Station Monday were thousands of pounds of cargo for scientific research -- and also some fresh grub.

We're told among some of the fresh food items -- which is a rare treat in space, since most everything is either freeze-dried or thermostabilized -- was a bunch of fruit. Sounds basic, but in space ... even a first bite at the apple is something to savor for these expeditions.

Some of that produce included Gala apples, navel and blood oranges, mandarin oranges, and ... lemons!!! Hey, when life gives 'em to you, gotta make the most of it right???

We're told there were also some holiday-themed hot foods sent up as well -- which are all probably arriving in some type of airtight packaging, a la Tang.

Among that lot, NASA says it shipped stuff like cherry blueberry cobbler, cornbread dressing, cranapple dessert, jellied cranberry sauce, macaroni & cheese, potatoes au gratin, roasted turkey, shortbread cookies, southwestern corn, sparkle gel, spicy green beans, french vanilla cappuccino and wheat flatbread. Mmmm -- space munchies 😁.

BTW, these are the same astronauts that were shot up into the sky a few short weeks ago in another SpaceX Dragon capsule. So, they're probably due to a fresh shot of fuel.

The pandemic will hit the homeless in this country harder than most, especially as the temperatures drop in the coldest parts of the country for Christmas ... because a lot of shelters are being forced to be more restrictive with their services due to COVID.

TMZ spoke with various homeless shelters in some of the coldest cities in America -- which will be covered in snow and freezing this winter, as the pandemic rages on -- and we heard a lot of the same new policies being rolled out ... no volunteers, and no services for the recently displaced. The former's a bummer, but the latter could be devastating.

• Baltimore Outreach Services: This shelter only serves women and children, and they have a population of homeless that caps off at 40. They're not accepting any volunteers for holiday food giveaways, but are accepting outside donations, food and otherwise. They're also not taking in any new homeless clients needing housing, but have a waitlist.
• Hope Street Shelter, Minneapolis: They serve homeless youths between 18-22 years of age, and while they say they will be taking new clients needing housing this holiday season -- they are also not accepting volunteers due to COVID. They're also keeping their services in-house and exclusively for the homeless population currently staying with them.

• Light of Life Rescue Mission, Pittsburgh: This is one of the rare shelters that will take in and use outside of volunteers for Christmas and other food handout events. They plan to serve around 1,000 for Christmas, and will require volunteers to wear masks and distance. Unfortunately, they're not taking in any new homeless clientele due to COVID.
• Detroit Rescue Mission: They are not accepting any new homeless people to stay in their facility, but are committed to feeding anyone who needs a meal on Christmas. Social distancing will be required, and they hope to feed as many as 50 people.

• St. Herman House, Cleveland: No outside volunteers allowed for Christmas, only in-house staff will work to distribute meals on Christmas day, while maintaining proper distancing. They expect to be able to serve up to 150 meals, all of which will be bagged this year. They're also not taking in any new clients, but will start processing new apps soon.
• Coalition for the Homeless, Washington D.C.: This shelter will not be allowing any new volunteers to help out with Christmas activities, whereas they have in the past.

Naya Rivera's ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, is sending holiday greetings to anyone and everyone this year -- except to 2020 itself ... which claimed Naya's life.

Ryan posted a photo this weekend showing him and the son he shares with Naya, Josey, decorating a Christmas tree. Young Josey is reaching up to place the star on top while his dad hoists him up high with a Santa hat.

His caption ... "#HappyHolidays to all. You, you, and even you, all of ya. Hope you get nothing but happiness✨💫🎅Except you. I'm talking to you, 2020. #f***2020."

It's both cheeky -- because of how hard this year's been on everyone -- but also deeply personal. Ryan and the rest of the Rivera family have been devastated by the death of Naya this summer.

You'll recall ... she took Josey out to Lake Piru in Ventura County, where the two of them boarded a boat and went out on the water. After several hours, a search crew was sent out after the boat never returned -- and they only found Josey, with no sign of Naya.

It was later discovered she drowned -- this after several days of rescue teams and professional divers scouring the lake.

Naya's own family -- including Ryan -- made multiple trips out during the rescue effort ... and it's clearly still weighing on her ex. An especially tough 2020 for Ryan, no doubt.

Nothing like a Christmas tree to get the office in the spirit, but an Alabama Sheriff's Office is decorating its tree with mug shots ... and lots of people aren't merry about it.

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office has hung what it calls "Thugshots" -- mug shots of all the people it arrested this past year. The office posted a photo Thursday of the tree -- which also appears to have jail-issued sandals as the star.

The FB post starts with "HAPPY THUG THURSDAY MOBILE," adding ... "We have decorated our Tree with THUGSHOTS to show how many Thugs we have taken off the streets of Mobile this year!"

Right off the bat, the liberal use of the word "thug" rubbed some people the wrong way.

The post goes on to offer a Christmas special for "ALL MOBILE COUNTY THUGS" ... they can come to the property room, pick out some stolen goods ... then get hauled off to jail. They also joked about free COVID tests for all prisoners, along with a "custom fitting" for a holiday jumpsuit.

Of course, in a year in which police brutality has been a lightning rod issue and the relationship between cops and citizens is more strained than ever ... critics called the Sheriff's post insensitive, unprofessional and as one person put it, "pretty trashy."

BTW -- the controversial post comes about a year after 2 cops in the same county posted a separate Christmas-themed photo of a "homeless quilt" made out of panhandler signs.

FaZe Jarvis has transformed into FaZe Santa for the holidays ... 'cause the gaming star just donated more than $5,000 in gifts to a family in need!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 19-year-old was feeling extra grateful this year, so he decided to give back in an impactful way.

We're told Jarvis teamed up with the Los Angeles Mission to surprise a family with presents (TV, DVD player, movies, card games, etc.), gift cards and other donations to help them spread the holiday cheer with their loved ones.

On top of that, Jarvis took the time to video chat with one of his biggest fans.

It's been a good year for Jarvis -- not only is he one of the biggest stars on the sticks, he's also gained nearly 2 MILLION subscribers on YouTube in 2020.

Sure seems like the dude's gonna end up on the "Nice" list ... unlike last year!!! (We kid, we kid).

New York City's best efforts to keep people from congregating in close quarters for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting may have actually made it worse ... at least in one spot where folks could still catch a glimpse of the tree.

There was no crowd allowed for the 2020 lighting of the famous tree due to COVID-19 being totally out of control, and barricades and NYPD buses were used to keep people at bay. Authorities even tried to keep them from watching the ceremony from far away ... but it didn't work.

As you can see ... those lustful for Xmas lights found a spot between the buses where they could hold up their phones and capture the glory.

There's reason to block big celebrations, because the virus is so out of control the hospitals may not be able to treat everyone who becomes seriously ill.

In New York, where the positivity rate is around 5%, public health officials are urging people with underlying health conditions or otherwise at risk to stay home, except for essential trips.

On the other coast, things are just as bad. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti made it clear Wednesday ... "My message couldn't be simpler ... it's time to hunker down. It's time to cancel everything. And if it isn't essential, don't do it."

Times are tough for "90 Day Fiancé" star Jon Walters ... so he's making extra Christmas cash as Santa Claus.

Check out Jon's brand-new look for his Santa side hustle ... as you can see, he dyed his beard white and he's hawking video messages from jolly old Saint Nick ... for a price.

Jon's selling his Santa videos on Direct Me, a social media platform connecting celebs with fans ... it's kinda like Cameo. He's marketing video calls for $75, but if you don't wanna stick around for a chat he'll personalize a message for only $35.

And, here's a big plot twist -- this particular Santa isn't just a giver, he's happy to take too. He's seeking cash gifts of $12, $25, $50 and $100. Christmas 2020 ... kinda figures.

One of the most famous Santa impersonators says COVID-19 has run lots of his jolly-bearded pals back to the North Pole ... 'cause they couldn't make the virtual pivot.

TMZ spoke to Santa-for-hire Ed Taylor -- founder of the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, with more than 3,000 members -- and he described for us just how he and his red-suited comrades have had to make do this COVID-riddled year.

Lots of folks are hesitant to bring their kids to malls for some face time with Santy -- despite plexiglass ideas we've seen rolled out -- while many others still don't have the option of going to a mall at all ... 'cause they ain't open.

Ed gets into all of that with us -- detailing how difficult it's been -- but he also talks about how Santas-for-hire have had to get creative just to get by ... meaning personal Zoom-like bookings through sites like Jingle Ring and others.

Fortunately for Ed, he was able to hop on the technology train early and adjust well enough in time. BUT, not every Saint Nick was able to catch that sleigh ride this year ... Ed says a lot of 'em couldn't hang (perhaps because of age, or 'cause their elf IT department sucked) and decided to skip Xmas 2020 entirely 😢.

Tiffany Haddish rattled off a list of things she's thankful for in life, and they're all very relatable ... except the part about the Grammys.

The comedian and actor put on a Thanksgiving Day show outside Hollywood's Laugh Factory -- accompanied by "The Office" star Craig Robinson on the keys -- to provide a little levity during this most unusual holiday season.

She also served up turkey with all the fixins for folks who didn't have a meal or a place to go.

Tiffany sings about how she's thankful for so many things, but she keeps it pretty basic -- food, shelter, health ... with a little bathroom humor mixed in.

But, to top it off, Haddish thanks all of her fans who watched "Black Mitzvah" on Netflix ... which helped her score a Grammy nomination for Comedy Album.

It's actually her second nom -- she got her first a couple years ago for the Spoken Word Album, "The Last Black Unicorn" -- but as she points out ... neither have been for her singing voice.

Donald Trump got in a few holes before his Thanksgiving dinner, but it went about as well as the election for him ... and he was VERY vocal about it.

Trump was playing Thursday at his golf course in Sterling, Virginia, and he got teed off after he teed off and the ball went in the drink.

You hear Trump grouse, "Oh s**t," and it's clear he had a history with this particular hole, and it ain't a good one. As he watches the ball disappear in the water, he mutters, "I hate this f**king hole!!!"

You'd think he'd change the configuration of the pesky hole ... after all, he owns the course. He doesn't even need to be President to do that.

Maybe Trump was off his game because he's still so pissed off about the election. He was tweeting up a storm, again claiming he won the election, saying, "Just saw the vote tabulations.  There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes!!! This was a 100% RIGGED ELECTION."

Alex Trebek left a Thanksgiving message behind ... a message of faith and hope as he valiantly fought his battle with cancer.

As we reported, Alex filmed his show almost to the end -- he was hosting "Jeopardy!" just 10 days before he died, and one of his final acts was to record a message that will air on Thanksgiving day.

The folks at "Jeopardy!" are eternally grateful ... the show's twitter page has a new post which reads, "High on our list of things to be thankful for this year:  Alex's Thanksgiving message from today's show."

Alex, whose voice was raspy and was suffering from the pain and exhaustion of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, tried to comfort viewers, telling them there are "many reasons to be thankful."  His optimism shone through, talking about the various acts of kindness that have emerged from COVID times.

His message -- "Keep the faith. We're going to get through all of this, and we will be a better society because of it."

Producers earlier aired another posthumous message from Alex, recognizing World Pancreatic Cancer Day.

TMZ broke the story ... Alex died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. He became an effective spokesperson for the cause and helped an untold number of people in the process. By urging people to get tested, he may also have saved many lives.

We miss you, Alex.

Amazon's buying lots of love this year ... by giving away $500 million in holiday bonuses to its frontline workers.

The shipping giant announced Thursday the one-time bonus will go to frontline employees in the US of A working the holiday season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full-time staff working during the month of December will each get $300. Part-timers will get $150.

The news comes just days after Amazon veteran staffers grew furious over new hires getting as much as $3,000 in signing bonuses to work the holiday season ... while vets got measly turkey vouchers worth about 10 bucks.

This is the second time Amazon has rolled out a one-time bonus ... back in June it doled out another $500 million to its U.S. workforce. It's bittersweet, really. Remember ... Amazon's caught a lot of flak for reportedly overworking employees during a pandemic.

Making matters worse ... many workers said they did NOT feel safe from the virus. At the time, Amazon declined to disclose how many of its workers had been infected by the virus ... before finally revealing in October nearly 20k employees were either presumed or confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.

Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos crossing the $200 billion net worth has also riled up his critics. You'll recall protesters targeted his D.C. home back in June ... with a guillotine.

President-Elect Joe Biden says he's celebrating Thanksgiving 2020 the way he's urging others to celebrate -- with a small group of folks who are part of his bubble.

Joe and Jill Biden went on camera to wish everyone a happy turkey day, saying, "I know this isn't the way many of us hoped we'd spend our holiday. We know that a small act of staying home is a gift to our fellow Americans. Yes, it's a personal sacrifice that each of our families can make and should make to save somebody else's life. But, it's also a shared sacrifice for the whole country."

Dr. Biden added this ... "This has been a year filled with heartache and loss. Yet, there's still so much to be thankful for. We're thankful for the millions of Americans who've been working on the frontlines throughout this pandemic. Those who care for our sick, who helped put food on our tables, who teach our children and who have put on a uniform to serve our nation and the families who loved them as well. We're thankful for everyone who met this moment with kindness, bringing groceries to neighbors or asking, How can I help."

The Prez-in-waiting was optimistic, saying "I know better days are coming."