Tag Archives: Eat'n Park

Celebrate 40 years of Eat’n Park’s Christmas Star!

For 40 years, Pittsburghers have watched Eat’n Park’s Christmas Star get a special lift to the top of the tree.

Like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the lighting of the Horne’s tree Downtown, the Eat’n Park Christmas Star is among those traditional holiday things that help us get into the holiday spirit.

The story of the star dates to early 1982 when then-Eat’n Park CEO Jim Broadhurst asked the company’s outside ad agency to create a holiday message that would “last for 20 years.”

After about 30 ideas, the Christmas Star was born. And it’s lasted far longer than anticipated.

“The idea of the relationship between the tree and the star illustrates an enduring holiday lesson – by helping one another, you’re making the world a brighter place,” Eat’n Park says on its site.

Of course, you can see the commercial whenever you’d like on YouTube.

But if you’re in Pittsburgh, Eat’n Park says to watch the programs listed below for the beloved commercial.

  • WPXI
  • Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Nov. 24, 9 a.m.
  • Christmas at Rockefeller Center – Nov. 30, 8 p.m.
  • Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors – Dec. 23, 9 p.m.
  • It’s a Wonderful Life – Dec. 24, 8 p.m. 

KDKA

  • Frosty & Frosty Returns – Nov. 25, 8 p.m.
  • A Christmas Proposal – Nov. 25, 9 p.m.
  • Rudolph – Dec. 10, 8 p.m.
  • National Christmas Tree Lighting – Dec. 11, 8 p.m.

WTAE

  • Love Actually – Nov. 29, 8 p.m.
  • The Great Christmas Light Fight – Dec. 5, 8 p.m.
  • Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
  • A Very Backstreet Holiday – Dec. 20, 10 p.m.
  • Home Alone – Dec. 24, 8 p.m. 

FOX

  • The Masked Singer Christmas Special – Nov. 30 & Dec. 7, 8 p.m.
  • Lego Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular – Dec. 19 & 20, 8 p.m.

WQED

  • WQED Holiday Sessions – Dec. 11, 1 p.m.
  • A Christmas Cookie – Dec. 11, 1:30 p.m.
  • Holy Night: Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir – Dec. 13, 8 p.m.
  • B.E. Taylor – Dec. 15, 8 p.m.
  • Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker – Dec. 19, 10 p.m.
  • Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas – Dec. 19, 4 p.m.
  • Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra Family Christmas Show – Dec. 20, 10 p.m.
  • The Nutcracker and the Mouse King – Dec. 23, 9 p.m.
  • Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams – Dec. 24, 7 p.m.
  • WQED Presents: Live from Studio A – Holiday Jam 2007 – Dec. 25, 1 p.m.
  • Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh – Dec. 25, 2 p.m.
  • All Creatures Great and Small on Masterpiece: The Perfect Christmas – Dec. 25, 8 p.m.

Looking for some Eat’n Park Christmas Star items? Check out the Eat’n Park Smiley store for cookies, shirts and other goodies.

You can buy a shirt from Steel City reppin’ the Christmas Star.

Plus, you can add it to your Zoom or Teams (or other video chat app) backgrounds, get a mobile phone background image, share it on social media and much more from Eat’n Park’s site!

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Celebrate the holidays with Eat’n Park’s famous Christmas tree star

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The holiday season amps up even more when the Eat’n Park Christmas tree star commercial runs.

Usually during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, too.

If you’re from Western Pennsylvania, you know what I mean.

The adorable little star trying to make its way to the top of the tree, only to miss the mark each time. Then, the tree, itself, gives the star an assist by bending itself down.

And, just like that, Christmas magic!

All the warm and fuzzies. Christmas happy tears.

The story of the tree and star began in 1982 when then-CEO Jim Broadhurst asked the company’s ad agency at the time to come up with a holiday ad that would “last for 20 years,” Eat’n Park says.

Safe to say, the commercial is the gift that keeps on giving, entering its 39th holiday season! (Read more about the star story here.)

Eat’n Park has latched onto the hearts and memories of Western Pennsylvanians and now offers everything from shirts via Steel City Brand (I own like three of these shirts — of the same design) and Eat’n Park’s store (red long, blue long, youth sizes) to video call backgrounds, phone backgrounds and even an Instagram tree/star filter!!

You can get face masks, a mug, a flipbook and gift cards with the tree!

You can go old-school and print and color the tree, too!

If you haven’t seen the commercial yet or just want to watch it again and again and again, here you go:

And, if you are wondering, no, this is not a sponsored post. The Eat’n Park Christmas tree and star are loved so dearly.