It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for fan

It’s the first day of October, but Coeur d’Alene’s Alisha Kinerson is eager for Christmas.

"Last winter, (husband) Jesse and I were watching a Hallmark Christmas movie and one of the characters was wearing a Christmas quilt jacket,” Alisha recalls. “And I have never needed anything more.”

Fast forward to now and Alisha has a beautiful custom-made Christmas quilt jacket. It was a birthday gift from her thoughtful husband, who managed to keep it a surprise until the very end when fittings were needed.

And in a small-world coincidence, the actress playing the character in Hallmark’s “Haul Out the Holly,” whose jacket caught Alisha’s eye, was none other than our very own Ellen Travolta.

Turns out Alisha has never met Ellen but told me that if she were to meet her now she “can geek out and show her how much I loved her jackets from the movies!”

We all know how much Ellen loves Christmas, so I think she and Alisha would become fast friends.

Stay tuned ...

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Pam Houser enjoyed an incredible bucket-list trip to Ireland and Scotland this month with her brother-in-law, Greg Houser. Sunday was their last night before heading home and they visited Murray’s Irish Pub in Dublin before leaving for the airport. When they walked out of the pub, there were thousands of American and Irish NFL fans pouring into the streets following the Steelers/Vikings football game. It was the first NFL regular season game ever played in Ireland!

Later at the airport, they shared the same terminal as players and fans all heading home. The Vikings were heading to London, where they’ll be playing the Cleveland Browns next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Pam is home in Post Falls hugging on her grandbabies!

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Happy first day of October birthdays today to Casey Irgens, Jill Gardner and Kathi Southland. Tomorrow, Wendy Medlock, Jack Sjostrom, Dana Kinsey, Rebecca Armstrong, Millie Eylar, Linda Harris, Renee` Mullan, Karla Derton and David Tabakman (80!) celebrate. On Friday, Andy Stidham aka Bill Bosley, Dave Bobbitt, Dave Priano, Madison Morrow, Darcy Johnson, Shylo Deubner and Meilee Anderson mark their birthdays. On Saturday, Mary Wolfinger, Jada Olson, Michael Hillman, Barbara Lovett, Teri Grubbs, Ami Manning, John Beebe, Mike Bryan, Tommy Lynn and Nicole Sobelman blow out the candles. Jan Lindquist, Pat Riley, Amber Butler, Margie Basaraba, Jonalyn Clayton, Debbie McEnespy, David Kamka, Joe Eatherton, Steve Staaben and Tim Turrell dance a birthday polka Sunday. On Monday, the ageless Ellen Travolta, Gary Marian, Brooke Miller, Rochelle Seher, Katrina Slater, Kyle Messier, Kate Bennett and Ricky Blaski enjoy a slice of birthday cake. Wishing Midge Smock, Vicki Gehring, Mark Michalak and Erin Paisley their best birthdays ever Oct. 7.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected].