RICCI. Big Yuletide dinner.RUBEN V. NEPALES
LOS ANGELES – We continue our column on stars’ Christmas memories or plans.
Courtney Cox cherishes the memory of one Christmas through the eyes of Coco, her 7-year-old daughter with David Arquette: “The first year that Coco was so excited to have all the toys and presents – that was my favorite Christmas! I remember Coco waking up. When she was a little baby, you were like, ‘Look, it’s Christmas!’ but, she didn’t know. But, there was a certain point when she wanted to open her stocking, which is my favorite part. I love the little things that go inside a stocking!”
“As for a New Year’s resolution, I’ll say, just take care of myself. It’s important. There are always so many people to please. It’s nice if sometimes you put yourself first. Of course, it’s always your daughter first, and then yourself.”
Christina Ricci, who stars in the TV period drama, “Pan Am”: “Every other year, Christmas is at my house. I always get a Christmas tree and decorate the house. I do the big Christmas dinner at my house with my sister, her little boy and her family, and other relatives.
“It usually involves my sister and me trying desperately to remember exactly how we cook Christmas dinner. Somehow, even though we do it every other year, we always forget how to cook a turkey. Someone comes in at the last minute and saves us.”
Maria Bello, actress and co-founder of We Advance, a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing the health, safety and well-being of women in Haiti: “We always bake. My mom bakes 22 different kinds of Christmas cookies. She starts making them, like, two weeks before. I make four of the 22 varieties of cookies now!
“Christmas Eve is our big celebration. I have it now in LA. That’s when we observe the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which is an Italian tradition. (According to Wikipedia, the celebration with meals of fish and seafood commemorates the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.)
“My mom makes the best Feast of the Seven Fishes, with recipes that include crab meat, shrimp and lobster. Last year, I tried it in my house, and I was just so overwhelmed with everything that I got seven nights of sushi for my seven fishes. On Christmas morning, we usually have a late Italian brunch – meatballs and sauce and stuff.”
Eddie Murphy, who’s in talks to play controversial former Washington Mayor Marion Barry in an HBO project: “We have all the kids come to the house on Christmas. Christmas at our house is the same way it is in other homes. Everybody gets together on Christmas day!”
Chloe Moretz, the young actress in Martin Scorsese’s joyous “Hugo”: “Christmas wish list? Another Chanel purse. But, that’s never going to happen.”
E-mailrvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.