Megan Alexander Explores Local Yuletide Traditions in UPtv's "Small Town Christmas"

quotI39ve always been a huge fan of Christmasquot Alexander said during an exclusive interview with MediaVillage quotI remember at age five my parents took me to see The Nutcracker and I just fell in love with that music Now I have three small kids and Christmas is about so many things Obviously family traditions community events the music the food amp8230 but I also love to travel during the holidays and see what small towns do What39s their spin on the local Christmas parade or their spin on hot cocoaquotI said to my husband several years ago 39I39d love to do a holiday show where we travel the country and bring viewers all these unique events39quot she continued quotMany of them have been going for years and passed down through families like their grandfathers started an event and now the grandsons are carrying it on I think especially after the year we39ve had I wanted to bring people some cheer and hopequotAnd that39s exactly what Alexander achieved while visiting towns and cities where Christmas often begins as soon as the Halloween decorations come down quotThere was a long list of cities and small towns we wanted to visitquot she explained quotIt ended up coming down to logistics To get this season on air this year we had to film in November Branson MO kicks off Christmas with their tree lighting the first week of November We then rolled into Bethlehem PA for a live event they perform downtown We were able to capture Natchitoches LA their Christmas festival and the fireworks that take off over the Cane RiverquotWe ended in Summerville SC and it had to line up schedule wisequot she added quotThere were some towns and cities I39d have loved to have covered but they kick things off a little later Our fingers were crossed that we wouldn39t have any weather issues amp8230 I was wondering if a snowstorm rolls in what are we going to do But thank the Lord we ended up being okay weatherwisequotIn addition to hosting the series Alexander also serves as its executive producer and given all the mechanics in place behind the scenes due to COVID protocols she39s very thankful that everything went according to plan quotEverybody was really committed to bringing positive content for the Christmas seasonquot she explained quotThese small towns and small businesses are the heartbeat of America Our small towns keep things coming and keep things running In so many of our planning conversations I39d call somebody to present an idea for the show and say we would love to come and film with them It was all very much 39We could use it39quotFor example at the historic Hotel Bethlehem in the second episode premiering December 12th they told me they are used to being booked solid and sold out during the holiday seasonquot Alexander recalled quotSo to have things be so devastatingly quiet during COVID amp8230 I mean so many small businesses are hanging on by a thread They were thrilled to talk about their businesses and how they39re open and doing okay It was a privilege and an honor to feature all the small businesses These communities fight for each other and care about each other but they need our support and welcomed the opportunity to get some exposurequotDuring her travels Alexander was also exposed to traditions unique to the towns that she visited Something that took her completely by surprise was the variety of incredible creatures featured in so many of the festivities quotIn Branson I encountered camels used in their show Jesusquot she said quotThey39re beautiful and majestic creatures but very intimidating so I was nervousquotThen there was the filming of the third episode Natchitoches LA quotWe39ve all heard the classic poem 39The Night Before Christmas39quot she said quotBut in Louisiana they have a version called 39The Cajun Night Before Christmas39 Santa is called Papa Noel and his sleigh isn39t pulled by reindeer but by alligators So you will see alligators Never in a million years did I think alligators would be a part of things But it was all very safequotAlexander also enjoyed sampling the many culinary delights on offer quotThe Sugar Leaf Bakery in Branson had their take on the Yuletide Log and it was very decadentquot she said quotIn Bethlehem I made a candy cane peppermint cruffin In Summerville I was given a peppermint bubble tea which was really cool There are tons of goodies if you want to try to duplicate themquotAccording to Alexander UPtv39s message of faith and family made the network the perfect home for this slice of Americana quotI39ve been a fan of UPtv for a while nowquot she proudly stated quotBringing Up Bates is very positive and they also have shows like Heartland Reba and of course so many wonderful Christmas movies It seemed like a perfect partnership and it has beenquotAs for developing new traditions of her own Alexander has already started a miniature Christmas village after being inspired by the show39s first episode And there39s one takeaway she hopes inspires all viewers quotI got to meet Father Scott in Summerville SCquot she shared in closing quotHe does this really neat message on Christmas Eve for the kids that ties together Santa Claus and Jesus and brings it all together Sometimes people aren39t sure how it all matches up so I was inspired to do a better job talking to my children about how it all comes together I hope people take that away from our fourth episodequotSmall Town Christmas is telecast Sundays through December 24 at 9 pm on UPtvClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Megan Alexander Explores Local Yuletide Traditions in UPtv's "Small Town Christmas"

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Steve Gidlow

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Megan Alexander Explores Local Yuletide Traditions in UPtv's "Small Town Christmas"

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Steve Gidlow

TAGS:

Cookies