Holidaze

Kirk Cameron stuck it to Gov. Gavin Newsom and his COVID guidelines by getting hundreds of people together in public to sing Christmas carols ... something he does not regret.

The "Growing Pains" star helped organize a massive outdoor gathering Sunday in the parking lot of the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks -- where literally swarms of people were huddled up, not wearing masks and singing their hearts and lungs out ... breathing up a storm.

Looks like a good time, sure, but it comes mid-pandemic, and in an area where infection rates are already high. Kirk wasn't concerned ... he partnered with an org named Sing It Louder USA, and specifically says it was a protest against Newsom's stay-at-home orders.

BTW, this mall caroling was the second such event Kirk and co. organized over the past couple weeks -- apparently, they did another one on Dec. 6, where Kirk says upwards of 500 people came out to sing. He wanted the mall event to be even bigger than that, and it looks like he might've succeeded -- the place was absolutely packed.

Law enforcement sources in the area tell us ... mall security did call police, and officers from the Thousand Oaks PD that responded simply educated folks on the importance of mask-wearing and left.

JoJo Siwa made a holiday wish come true for a very special little fan ... and Santa Claus couldn't help but pop in to spread even more cheer.

The YouTube star teamed up with Make-A-Wish and Macy's for a virtual hangout with 5-year-old Ainarah from Virginia, who has a neuromuscular disorder. Ainarah’s wish was to chat with JoJo, but the singer did her one better -- they're now forever linked as friends with matching bracelets.

We're told the adorable little girl and JoJo also chatted about music, fashion and what they want for Christmas ... before the big guy from the North Pole dropped in.

Being in a pandemic sucks for everyone, but foster kids across the country are finding it especially tough ... and it's heartbreaking.

Julie Brown, the Executive Director of Holy Family Services -- the oldest adoption agency in Southern California -- tells TMZ there's a 50 percent decline in the number of people volunteering to foster kids from the same time last year.

She says surging COVID cases have scared potential foster parents ... for obvious reasons.

And, it gets worse ... COVID is keeping some foster kids from visiting their biological families. As you may know, some of these kids are from loving families that just don't have the resources to care for them. The fact these kids can't visit their birth families during the holidays has created anxiety and depression.

Janice Goldwater, founder and CEO of Adoptions Together in the Washington metro area, tells us they try really hard to get children into adoptive homes by the holidays, but travel restrictions and work-from-home difficulties have derailed their placement process. Sadly, this means more kids will be stuck in foster care or group homes this year ... and spend another holiday without a family of their own.

Foster kids are also being left out in the cold when it comes to Xmas festivities. Houston's Ascension Child and Family Services rely on donations to throw Christmas celebrations for the kids, but funds are way down this year. We're told the kids in their care are really struggling emotionally.

Kim Kardashian is exhausted -- having to collect four different Elf on a Shelf dolls every day until Christmas -- so she waved her wand and gave 'em "COVID," and then put the toys on a healthy timeout.

The reality star posted a hilarious video on Instagram Sunday, showing her four children's own elves in glass jars -- where she says they'll remain until at least the 23rd so they can quarantine ... this because she just needs a break from all the EOAS household fun.

It's freaking funny ... Kim wrote up a note for her little ones -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm -- which makes it seem like it's from the elves themselves. It says, "We are on a 10 Day Quarantine! We still have our magic and will be back to flying around in 10 days."

Sounds like this will do the trick and give Kim and co. some peace of mind -- she says she's tired of having to remember to collect all 4 of these things from all over the house, so she took things into her own hands and deemed them to be riddled with COVID. Don't worry, kiddies ... something tells us they'll make a full recovery -- even if it's less than 14 days.

If you're unfamiliar, Elf on a Shelf is a popular holiday tradition. It's based on a book of the same name and entails you putting your own elf in secretive places throughout your home to "spy" on people for Santa, to make sure they're nice throughout December.

There's been a new twist to the meme/game, and celebs have gone to town on it this Christmas season. Instead of an elf, they're putting other celebs and/or movies and characters that rhyme with their own name, and photoshopping them onto their shoulders.

For example ... Elizabeth Banks plopped Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump onto her shoulder, and dubbed it Hanks-on-Banks. Reese Witherspoon got in on the fun too, and did "Grease"-on-Reese. Ryan Seacrest did Luke Bryan-on-a-Ryan, and Mariah Carey did Jim Carrey-on-Carey ... and J Lo's actually had a few ideas that she loved. She compiled her favorites in a post.

Mark Cuban is disgusted by the images of members of Congress showing up to the White House in ballgowns and tuxedos ... when millions are homeless, starving and unemployed.

The "Shark Tank" star was irate when he saw our video of Steve King, Jim Jordan, Doug Lamborn and others yukking it up Thursday night before entering the White House.

It's really outrageous ... Democrats blame Republicans, Republicans blame Democrats for the stalemate, but their job is to reach agreements -- to compromise, but that hasn't happened for months. As a body, Cuban and others think the entire Congress has acted shamefully.

If you ever wanted to walk a mile in Bill Belichick's shoes, now's your chance ... that is, if you got a bunch of cash saved up!!

The Patriots coach is auctioning off his game-worn My Cause, My Cleats sneaks from New England's lopsided 45-0 victory over the L.A. Chargers on Dec. 6 ... with proceeds going toward his foundation’s scholarship and grant programs.

Of course, the custom kicks were part of the NFL's Week 13 campaign which allows players and coaches to rock custom sneakers to raise awareness for a special cause.

BB decided to rep his Bill Belichick Foundation, which provides coaching, mentorship and financial support to football and lacrosse organizations throughout the country.

The legendary coach is also expected to wear the sneaks for the Pats' "Thursday Night Football" showdown with the L.A. Rams.

The auction is part of a huge donation by the BBF during the holiday season -- the org. is also distributing $440k in grants and scholarships to athletes and programs throughout the country.

On top of that, the BBF is hosting a "virtual" toy drive to benefit the Boston Marine Toys for Tots.

Matthew Morrison probably thinks fans who saw his performance in "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical!" have hearts 2 sizes too small ... 'cause they're going off about his hyper-sexual take on the Grinch.

The "Glee" star drenched himself in the green getup for Wednesday night's musical on NBC, but instead of softening hearts around the world, things got strange.

With lots of moaning, heavy breathing and come hither stares into the camera ... many viewers felt MM went bizarrely overboard with his portrayal.

You could almost hear people at home screaming, "That's a no for me, dawg" ... which is a pretty good summary of the Twitter reviews. One viewer even said, "Sending matthew morrison the bill for all the therapy i’ll need after watching his bizarrely sexual interpretation of the grinch."

After the show, Matthew posted a video of himself taking off his makeup while singing "For Good" from the popular play, "Wicked."

Nice PR move, but it still didn't distract fans from taking out their frustrations. Some of them included concerned parents who said their kids had nightmares.

As one unhappy customer put it, "matthew morrison doing an incredibly cursed rendition of the grinch is the most fitting way to end this wretched year imo, we r in hell."

The house featured in "A Christmas Story" is normally a tourist hot spot during the holidays, but this year business is hurting as much as getting your tongue stuck to a frozen flagpole.

Folks running A Christmas Story House & Museum -- the Cleveland residence used for exterior shots of Ralphie's home in the 1983 classic -- tell TMZ ... they're projected to have about 50,000 less visitors compared to 2019.

On top of that, the home -- which guests can reserve for an overnight stay and sleep in Ralphie and Randy's beds -- is still available on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ... which we're told is unprecedented.

Since the place began allowing overnight reservations in 2008, it's usually booked for November and December 6 months in advance ... even though it costs nearly $3k per night!!!

But, with COVID-19 cases surging, stay-at-home orders and financial struggles for families across the country ... 2020's put the 'Christmas Story' business in a difficult spot too.

The good news is ... the museum's online gift shop is helping make up for some of the losses in tour and lodging revenue this year.

We're told the shop's sold around 14,000 different variations of the movie's famous leg lamp, 1,000 pink bunny suits, and a couple hundred Red Ryder BB Guns ... and there are plenty more in stock.

Taylor Swift is lending a much-needed hand to a couple of mothers struggling financially due to the coronavirus pandemic ... just in time for the holidays.

The singer donated $13,000 apiece to 2 moms who have fallen on hard times, and whose stories were featured in a recent article about the millions of Americans who are unemployed, or behind on their rent and utilities.

The women -- Nikki Cornwell from Nashville and Shelbie Selewski from Michigan -- both received a generous donation from Taylor on their GoFundMe pages ... along with a personal note of encouragement.

Taylor wrote to Nikki ... "I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story. I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through this year and wanted to send you this gift, from one Nashville girl to another."

Shelbie's message says ... "I'm sending you this gift after reading about you in the Washington Post. No one should have to feel the kind of stress that's been put on you. I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season."

Both women have suffered both medical and financial hardships this year and say they are in danger of being kicked out of their homes if they don't catch up on bills.

Sadly, there are millions more in the U.S. who are also in dire straits, and without another government stimulus for support ... are feeling helpless.

One of the many depressing consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is it seems to be greatly reducing the number of toys donated to kids in need ... but first responders in L.A. are stepping up, again, to meet the challenge.

TMZ's learned from sources close to L.A. police and firefighters ... donations are down as much as 50 percent compared to last year at some donation locations, and less than normal across the board.

Part of the reason, we're told, is that the law enforcement agencies have not been able to hold their big annual toy drives in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions. On top of that, there's less awareness of toy drives due to people being stuck at home ... and finally, many people simply can't afford to donate because they've lost their jobs.

The good news -- many people who are able to give are doing so, and various police departments and L.A. County Fire are promoting the option of online donating. CHP is also utilizing TEXT TOYS 76278 to help bridge their toy donation gap this year. We're told several cops and firefighters are also reaching into their own pockets to help make up the difference.

Our sources say the L.A. police and fire workers are devising plans to properly disinfect all the toys and use contactless delivery to get them to kids.

NASA sent a massive goody bag of supplies and treats up into space this week to help their astronauts out for the holidays -- and we found out what they're noshing on!!!

A rep for NASA tells TMZ ... part of the resupply load, aboard a SpaceX capsule, that docked at the International Space Station Monday were thousands of pounds of cargo for scientific research -- and also some fresh grub.

We're told among some of the fresh food items -- which is a rare treat in space, since most everything is either freeze-dried or thermostabilized -- was a bunch of fruit. Sounds basic, but in space ... even a first bite at the apple is something to savor for these expeditions.

Some of that produce included Gala apples, navel and blood oranges, mandarin oranges, and ... lemons!!! Hey, when life gives 'em to you, gotta make the most of it right???

We're told there were also some holiday-themed hot foods sent up as well -- which are all probably arriving in some type of airtight packaging, a la Tang.

Among that lot, NASA says it shipped stuff like cherry blueberry cobbler, cornbread dressing, cranapple dessert, jellied cranberry sauce, macaroni & cheese, potatoes au gratin, roasted turkey, shortbread cookies, southwestern corn, sparkle gel, spicy green beans, french vanilla cappuccino and wheat flatbread. Mmmm -- space munchies 😁.

BTW, these are the same astronauts that were shot up into the sky a few short weeks ago in another SpaceX Dragon capsule. So, they're probably due to a fresh shot of fuel.

The pandemic will hit the homeless in this country harder than most, especially as the temperatures drop in the coldest parts of the country for Christmas ... because a lot of shelters are being forced to be more restrictive with their services due to COVID.

TMZ spoke with various homeless shelters in some of the coldest cities in America -- which will be covered in snow and freezing this winter, as the pandemic rages on -- and we heard a lot of the same new policies being rolled out ... no volunteers, and no services for the recently displaced. The former's a bummer, but the latter could be devastating.

• Baltimore Outreach Services: This shelter only serves women and children, and they have a population of homeless that caps off at 40. They're not accepting any volunteers for holiday food giveaways, but are accepting outside donations, food and otherwise. They're also not taking in any new homeless clients needing housing, but have a waitlist.
• Hope Street Shelter, Minneapolis: They serve homeless youths between 18-22 years of age, and while they say they will be taking new clients needing housing this holiday season -- they are also not accepting volunteers due to COVID. They're also keeping their services in-house and exclusively for the homeless population currently staying with them.

• Light of Life Rescue Mission, Pittsburgh: This is one of the rare shelters that will take in and use outside of volunteers for Christmas and other food handout events. They plan to serve around 1,000 for Christmas, and will require volunteers to wear masks and distance. Unfortunately, they're not taking in any new homeless clientele due to COVID.
• Detroit Rescue Mission: They are not accepting any new homeless people to stay in their facility, but are committed to feeding anyone who needs a meal on Christmas. Social distancing will be required, and they hope to feed as many as 50 people.

• St. Herman House, Cleveland: No outside volunteers allowed for Christmas, only in-house staff will work to distribute meals on Christmas day, while maintaining proper distancing. They expect to be able to serve up to 150 meals, all of which will be bagged this year. They're also not taking in any new clients, but will start processing new apps soon.
• Coalition for the Homeless, Washington D.C.: This shelter will not be allowing any new volunteers to help out with Christmas activities, whereas they have in the past.

Naya Rivera's ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, is sending holiday greetings to anyone and everyone this year -- except to 2020 itself ... which claimed Naya's life.

Ryan posted a photo this weekend showing him and the son he shares with Naya, Josey, decorating a Christmas tree. Young Josey is reaching up to place the star on top while his dad hoists him up high with a Santa hat.

His caption ... "#HappyHolidays to all. You, you, and even you, all of ya. Hope you get nothing but happiness✨💫🎅Except you. I'm talking to you, 2020. #f***2020."

It's both cheeky -- because of how hard this year's been on everyone -- but also deeply personal. Ryan and the rest of the Rivera family have been devastated by the death of Naya this summer.

You'll recall ... she took Josey out to Lake Piru in Ventura County, where the two of them boarded a boat and went out on the water. After several hours, a search crew was sent out after the boat never returned -- and they only found Josey, with no sign of Naya.

It was later discovered she drowned -- this after several days of rescue teams and professional divers scouring the lake.

Naya's own family -- including Ryan -- made multiple trips out during the rescue effort ... and it's clearly still weighing on her ex. An especially tough 2020 for Ryan, no doubt.

Nothing like a Christmas tree to get the office in the spirit, but an Alabama Sheriff's Office is decorating its tree with mug shots ... and lots of people aren't merry about it.

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office has hung what it calls "Thugshots" -- mug shots of all the people it arrested this past year. The office posted a photo Thursday of the tree -- which also appears to have jail-issued sandals as the star.

The FB post starts with "HAPPY THUG THURSDAY MOBILE," adding ... "We have decorated our Tree with THUGSHOTS to show how many Thugs we have taken off the streets of Mobile this year!"

Right off the bat, the liberal use of the word "thug" rubbed some people the wrong way.

The post goes on to offer a Christmas special for "ALL MOBILE COUNTY THUGS" ... they can come to the property room, pick out some stolen goods ... then get hauled off to jail. They also joked about free COVID tests for all prisoners, along with a "custom fitting" for a holiday jumpsuit.

Of course, in a year in which police brutality has been a lightning rod issue and the relationship between cops and citizens is more strained than ever ... critics called the Sheriff's post insensitive, unprofessional and as one person put it, "pretty trashy."

BTW -- the controversial post comes about a year after 2 cops in the same county posted a separate Christmas-themed photo of a "homeless quilt" made out of panhandler signs.

FaZe Jarvis has transformed into FaZe Santa for the holidays ... 'cause the gaming star just donated more than $5,000 in gifts to a family in need!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 19-year-old was feeling extra grateful this year, so he decided to give back in an impactful way.

We're told Jarvis teamed up with the Los Angeles Mission to surprise a family with presents (TV, DVD player, movies, card games, etc.), gift cards and other donations to help them spread the holiday cheer with their loved ones.

On top of that, Jarvis took the time to video chat with one of his biggest fans.

It's been a good year for Jarvis -- not only is he one of the biggest stars on the sticks, he's also gained nearly 2 MILLION subscribers on YouTube in 2020.

Sure seems like the dude's gonna end up on the "Nice" list ... unlike last year!!! (We kid, we kid).

New York City's best efforts to keep people from congregating in close quarters for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting may have actually made it worse ... at least in one spot where folks could still catch a glimpse of the tree.

There was no crowd allowed for the 2020 lighting of the famous tree due to COVID-19 being totally out of control, and barricades and NYPD buses were used to keep people at bay. Authorities even tried to keep them from watching the ceremony from far away ... but it didn't work.

As you can see ... those lustful for Xmas lights found a spot between the buses where they could hold up their phones and capture the glory.

There's reason to block big celebrations, because the virus is so out of control the hospitals may not be able to treat everyone who becomes seriously ill.

In New York, where the positivity rate is around 5%, public health officials are urging people with underlying health conditions or otherwise at risk to stay home, except for essential trips.

On the other coast, things are just as bad. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti made it clear Wednesday ... "My message couldn't be simpler ... it's time to hunker down. It's time to cancel everything. And if it isn't essential, don't do it."