Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton have a Christmas special coming up on December 12 on NBC called Gwen Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas. She also has that Christmas album out, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, with the title song a duet with Blake. I finally listened to it, and it’s so bad you guys! It made me grimace so much. I’m listening to it now and I can barely finish my breakfast cereal. (Honey Nut Cheerios, but I eat the generic brand because I’m fancy like that.) A lot of people must agree with me as the song has less than a million views on YouTube and it’s been out since the end of September. It’s just awful.
Anyway I buy that Gwen and Blake are the real deal, she worships that basic guy and she convinced him to accept People’s Sexiest title, although she realizes that sexy is subjective. Gwen told Ellen on her show last week that Blake is sexy because of his “big old heart and that sense of humor. He doesn’t even like take himself seriously, and he’s just such an incredible person.” I think Gwen appreciates Blake because she was stuck in a difficult marriage for years, and for what it’s worth the feeling seems to be mutual.
Gwen also did an interview at a Spotify Listening Party for her album (I wonder how many people had to stifle grimaces) where she talked about her family’s Christmas traditions. Her grandmother had one that she can’t quite live up to:
“I don’t like to brag, but I did have an incredible family and parents and grandparents,” Stefani shared during a Q&A at the Spotify Listening Party for her album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, hosted by Fred Segal and Domino Magazine on Thursday. “I can remember my grandma, my mom’s mom, she was a redhead, Irish. I would call her crazy lady, she would probably like that, I think.”
“She used to do gingerbread villages. Like she would start and there would be the church and each one of us got our own gingerbread house and at Christmas, we would take it home and eat it. It was over the top,” she recalled, adding that she tried to recreate the tradition two years ago — but it was “a complete disaster.”
“[It had a] horrifying taste. I don’t even know how I did it. I think I used the wrong molasses. It was different molasses in it, so I’m trying to figure it out,” Stefani said. “This year is the year though! I have to do it.”
I’m not a baker, I’m just a middling cook and haven’t done much baking, and I can screw up a gingerbread kit. That said, now I want to make a kit with my kid. One of my favorite memories as a child was my grandfather making a huge gingerbread house with my brother and me. I’m pretty sure he made it from scratch. That’s amazing that Gwen’s grandmother made entire gingerbread villages like that! So much work and detailing must have gone into that, and it also takes incredible skill as Gwen learned the hard way. What a special memory. I just try to decorate my house and make Christmastime special and I hope that’s enough. We’re not religious at all in my family but we love Christmas and being together at the holidays. There’s no “war on Christmas” in America, but when Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are headlining Christmas specials, that’s a sign that it’s headed toward mediocrity.
Did we need Gwen Stefani’s version of Jingle Bells? No
Oh look, Chelsea Handler is in it.
Photos credit: Backgrid, Pacific Coast News, WENN, Instagram/Gwen Stefani
They seem like a perfect match!
Also, every kid loves a gingerbread house!! If you want to make a memory, make a gingerbread house.
What, did the CIA produce that song? It’s torture. On an endless loop (alternated with Sir Paul’s “Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time”), it’s what they play in Hell.
I *hate* that Christmas song with all of my heart! My work pals torture me by humming it starting mid-November. Sir Paul should be drawn and quartered for penning that misery-inducing dreck.
Why did you type that??? Now I have that horrid song as an ear worm! Noooooo.
Omg that is funny! I haven’t heard Gwen’s song yet. I guess I should count myself lucky!
Everyone I know likes their duet song. Sure, it’s sappy but it’s kind of catchy, poppy, maybe not a classic but noone has had that sort of overly negative reaction.
She looks less and less like her self.
As for Christman. I my self am Jewish but my husband is Christian and we celebrate Christmas. My dad passed away this year I am feeling extreemy down at the turn of the year so my instinct was to trow my self inot Christmas preparations. Now that my son is a toddler we decorated a Christmas tree, I spend a fortune on Christmas decorations running all over the place getting the very specific things I want and I plan on baking my own carrot and pineapple cake for Christmas and making the whole Christmas day dinner my self. Each evening we put into a Christas sock my son’s good deeds of the day and he gets a small candy from elfs for that, I’m doi g his bunny costume for daycare celebration…. and working. I will probably go mad but I feel like this what I need to do. And my son gets to have a lot of fun so there is that.
Sorry about your loss. It’s important to see the glass half full when times are sad. Happy Hannukah and Merry Christmas!
The worst song on that album, “When I was a Little Girl.” It’s horrendous. The rest is passable. Her version of Jingle Bells isn’t bad.
Awww grandma memories are the the best memories.
I love Gwen. OMG! I can’t get over what she is doing to her face. She is beautiful as can be. I don’t recognize her at all. I haven’t heard her new Christmas album. I have not listened to any holiday music this year. I guess I am not in the mood. It is not a bad holiday or anything. My husband & I have exciting changes going on in our life. I think that is taking precedent over holiday spirit. Blake has beautiful eyes. Never realized that before.
fun tip:
buy an extra Xmas gingerbread house or train kit and save for Valentine’s.
I make either a love shack or love train every year. they LOOK sooooooo cute!!
When did she turn into a country-western singer?
When she started seeing Blake. She molds into whoever the guy is. It’s sad.
Her single would be A LOT better without Blake. His voice overpowers hers and everyone is sick of them. Her album is “okay.” If you think the Blake song is bad, listen to her cover of Silent Night, it’s awful.
She needs to stop with the adolescent pointed finger gesture
Gawd, I’m so weaksauce when it comes to Christmas. I’m always working and the holidays are always one huge guilt-fest for me because I feel like I should do more because my mom always did. Hell, if I get some Christmas cookies made (or even bought) and a tree up, I’m doing good LOL I feel Gwen’s pain. I’m going to try to make a Swedish tea ring a la my mom’s tradition this year but I don’t have my hopes too high on that one LOL
I’m a huge fan of gingerbread houses, but not a huge fan of gingerbread (it’s okay dunked in tea, but not if it has stuff on it like icing!). One year I had the brilliant idea to invite some friends over and make gingerbread houses, and we donated them to the Children’s Hospital. They were a huge hit, despite being pretty amateurish. Kids stuck in hospitals at Christmas need all the cheering up we can possibly do. We also donated a bunch of home-made ornaments which helped decorate the trees every ward had.