How Martha Will Celebrate the Nativity
in Captivity December
21, 2004
Martha Stewart may be used to celebrating Christmas
with Hillary Clinton or The Muppets' Miss Piggy,
but unlike her 1995 CBS special, "Martha Stewart
Home for the Holidays," this Christmas, the
tastemaker will not be home -- but she will be in
the hearts of her fans and friends, like Rosie O'Donnell.
"My holiday wish for her I wish for everyone,"
Rosie told us. "Everybody should be surrounded
by family and people they love."
"Extra" visited the sleepy town of Alderson,
West Virginia, down the road from the federal prison
where Martha is being held, and found it decked
out for the holidays. Amid the decorations, a sign
in a store window read, "See you in the spring,
Martha, in the garden."
"Our business has just been wonderful since
Martha came to town," shop owner Betty Alderson
said to "Extra." She revealed she's been
selling plenty of Martha's Christmas decorating
books and T-shirts customized with Martha's catch
phrase: "West Virginia living -- It's a Good
Thing." Nita Rousch, of Alderson's Main Street
Organization, told us Martha's relatives even bought
one. "They didn't seem to be angry," Nita
noted. "They seemed to be amused."
Alderson's mayor, Luther Lawallen, Jr., told us
about a holiday tradition at the prison: the inmates
have a Christmas decorating contest. "They
have judges who come in from the outside and decide
who a winner is," Lawallen laughed, "And
the inmates, it gives them something to look forward
to."
No doubt Martha is most looking forward to spending
time with her family this Christmas. Her daughter,
Alexis, has been a regular visitor, and even Martha's
90-year-old mother is expected to make the nine-hour
drive from Connecticut to see her -- and Martha's
friend, Gotham magazine gossip columnist R. Couri
Hay, told us how much this means, "It is very
difficult for big Martha -- Martha Stewart's mother
-- to make the trip."
Hay also shared with us his favorite story about
Martha's jail time. "Martha and her daughter
were laying on the grass and someone came over and
said 'what are you doing?'" Hay recounted.
"Martha looked up and said 'we're at the beach.'
So she just completely sees only the positive things."
With her family by her side, Martha Stewart is sure
to make the most of her Christmas in captivity.
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