For 19 years the annual Beverly Hills Holiday Lighting Ceremony has illuminated the giant wire “tree” atop the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel (where Julia Roberts and Richard Gere did buisness in Pretty Woman) at the intersection of chi-chi Rodeo Drive and bustling Wilshire Boulevard.
The event has always been the closest thing to a “Rockefeller Center”-style tree lighting the L.A. area has to offer, but this year’s lighting had a little more jingle bling brilliance than normal by way of $1million worth of handcrafted crystal chandeliers lining the streets, provided free of charge by the renowned French crystal maker Baccarat-20 of the dazzlers in six different styles, valued at about $50,000 each and encased in a clear plastic box to protect the delicate decorations from the elements. Oh yeah, and it didn’t hurt that one of those dazzling “Desperate Housewives” threw the switch!
Of course, even before the tree was aglow, Beverly Hills delivered its own characteristic luminous star-wattage: a handful of famous faces were in the crowd of 90210 VIPs and citizens who gathered on the world’s most famous shopping street to watch the ceremony, including Marilu Henner and her kids, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Playmate (and ex-Mrs. Lorenzo Lamas) Shauna Sand. “Mr. Cooper” his own self, Mark Curry, hosted the ceremony from a stage at the end of Rodeo for an evening benefitting UNICEF, and Grammy-loaded songwriter/producer David Foster led the crowd in an impromptu rendition of “Jingle Bells.”
But the biggest celebs of the season were saved for last: first, Santa Claus arrived in a sleek white Rolls Royce and was escorted to the stage by a bevy of sexy Santa’s helpers in white fur-trimmed red micro-minis. St. Nick said he needed another “body” to help him push the plunger to light up the street, and Curry brought out lovely Nicolette Sheridan, who put her TV “maneater” act on the backburner and gave out a more yule-appropriate, family-friendly vibe, hugging Santa warmly in her very tasteful white wool overcoat-no naked towel drop for Santa! After a countdown from ten, Nicolette and Santa pushed the plunger and the chandeliers lit up all three blocks of Rodeo Drive while the Beverly Wilshire was awash in holiday glitz and glitter.
Santa seemed quite taken with Nicolette, and gave her another long hug before the two left the stage, with Nicolette whispering some kind of sweet nothings into Santa’s ear! I didn’t get the same up-close-and-personal exchange, but Nicolette did tell me “This is my first Christmas tree lighting, and I’m very excited to be here.” Her holiday plans include a big party at her place-“I do love to cook every year, and I have all of my friends and family and people who aren’t so fortunate to have a place to go, they all congregate under my roof”-and hitting the slopes for some skiing, she said making “shoooshing” noises.
Is she any good? “I’m fast!” she grinned. Of that, I have no doubt.
