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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Travolta wants to hear toy stories for this year’s Christmas show

Ellen Travolta, Molly Allen and Margaret Travolta will return to the Coeur d’Alene Resort this winter for “Christmas Unwrapped.” (Courtesy)

Last year, Ellen Travolta turned over the holiday storytelling, in part, to audience members.

And it went so well, she’s doing it again.

For the 2017 show, Travolta and her sister Margaret shared holiday memories submitted by area residents. For 2018, she’s asking to hear about people’s toy stories – a toy you got, a toy you gave, or a toy you didn’t get.

“There has to be a favorite toy at some point at your life. What did it mean to you? How important was it to you? Did you get it?” Travolta said. “Did you not get it? Did you give a toy to someone and give them extreme joy?”

The selected stories will be performed all through the run of “Christmas Unwrapped,” Nov. 24-Dec. 17, at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Those whose stories are selected will be given two tickets to the show as well.

Travolta said she was surprised by the response to her request for stories last year. “There were so many letters,” she said. “A lot of them were close in content, grandpa or daddy playing Santa Claus. But there some that were so heartfelt, so moving.”

Travolta, a stage and screen actress who has lived in Coeur d’Alene since the mid-1990s, has produced the holiday show at the Coeur d’Alene Resort since 2013. She often has featured her family on stage, and this year will be no different. Daughter Molly Allen will be there, alongside sister Margaret. Her granddaughter Lola Fridley will be among the special guests, along with singers and actors Mark Cotter, Laura Sable, Abbey Crawford, and Patrick Treadway.

There are three ways to submit toy stories: by email to christmasunwrapped@cdaresort.com, by mail to The Christmas Show, ATTN: Ellen Travolta, P.O. Box 7200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814, or in person at a dropbox located inside Figpickles Antique Toy Emporium in the Resort Plaza Shops, 210 Sherman Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. Be sure to include the writer’s full name and contact information. The deadline is Oct. 5.

Meanwhile, tickets to the Christmas show go on sale on Oct. 9. They’re $27.50 each and will be available at cdachristmas.com.