Family to family

COEUR d’ALENE — Red curtains surround the stage and Christmas trees are all aglow.

This must mean one thing: It's Ellen Travolta's Christmas show!

"It’s fun to be able to kick off the holiday season with a tradition," said Travolta's daughter, Molly Allen. "When you hear all the stories that we’re reading and telling, it’s going to be universal. Everybody will find something they can relate to."

This year's holiday show, "Christmas with a Twist," opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday in The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

The "twist" of the production comes with what stories Travolta and sister Margaret will be sharing with audiences. While Allen will tell Travolta holiday tales, the "Twist Sisters" will be sharing a collection of stories sent in from members of the North Idaho community.

"I think because we are doing other people’s stories, they may feel more inclusive in the whole process, especially the people who come the nights that their stories are being read,” Margaret said. “It’s an extension of us."

Margaret said Christmas is the perfect time for storytelling.

"You have this audience, your family, and one day they’re going to repeat those stories,” she said. "This show reminds people how important stories are."

This is the first time Allen will share the stage with her mom and aunt for the Christmas show, which is in its fifth year.

"I love being anywhere with my mom and my aunt," she said. "I’ve been hearing the Travolta family stories over the years, and now they’re going to hear from one of the kids in the family what it was like."

Joining the family on stage is Yale-trained cabaret singer Abbey Crawford, who will delight as she serenades the audience with holiday favorites and other gems.

"It’s an honor and a privilege to be on stage with people I love,” she said. "The stories that they’ve chosen are beautiful. It’s a great mix and a lovely arc as far as the stories and the music. They work very well together."

Director Troy Nickerson said the stories are always warm and sweet.

"It’s a great evening to remind you what Christmas is about,” he said.

Also warm and sweet is the honey sage hot toddy that will be on the menu for those 21 and older. It's a mix of honey-sage syrup, whiskey and hot water that will warm guests from the inside out as they enjoy the show.

"To have this group together is a very healing experience. What can I say," Ellen said. "I’m proud of everybody."

Performances of "Christmas with a Twist" will begin Friday and go through Dec. 17. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets are $27.50 and can be purchased at www.cdaresort.com/discover/activities/holiday_show.