John Lamparski/Getty Images
Jenna Bush Hager Reveals the Unexpected Early Christmas Gift Hoda Kotb’s Daughter Got Her
Though it’s still a few months early, Hoda Kotb’s eldest daughter, Haley, left the sweetest Christmas gift for Jenna Bush Hager backstage on Today!
“This morning when I walked into my dressing room and it was still kind of dark out, there was a little Christmas present wrapped for me,” Jenna, 42, began during a Monday, October 21, segment on Today. “Now I thought, ‘Is it Christmas almost?’ Have we hit … Halloween hasn’t happened. Thanksgiving has yet to be.”
The former first daughter explained that Haley, 7, left the present for her backstage as a surprise. A photo of the present with wrapping paper was then shown on the screen before Hoda, 60, explained the meaning behind the sweet ornament.
“I’m gonna tell you a little bit about this present,” Hoda, who also shares daughter Hope with ex Joel Schiffman revealed. “So we were in Value Drugs, and they have all of the ornaments with the names on them. And Haley found one that spells her name properly, the way she does.”
Haley loved looking at the ornaments, but they did not have an ornament that said Hope. Instead, she picked up an ornament that said Little Sister on it for Hope, and found another one that said World’s Best Mom. Haley noticed there was an ornament with Jenna’s name on it and felt like she had to get it in honor of her mom’s Today costar.
“I go, ‘OK, guys. You can get three,'” Hoda explained. “So we check out, and I’m assuming it’s World’s Best Mom and Little Sister. I unpack to Value Drugs bag and what comes out? Haley, Little Sister and Jenna!”
“She left ‘World’s Best Mom’ on the rack, so she could buy a Jenna,” Hoda said, causing everyone to laugh. Jenna said that Haley was saving the World’s Best Mom ornament for Mother’s Day perhaps.
Jenna then held up the ornament to show viewers at home. It was an adorable little penguin wearing a winter hat. Hoda said that Haley took initiative and found the Christmas wrapping paper and wrapped the gift herself.
“I don’t think she realizes what this means to me, as a little kid, and you can understand this, the name Jenna was not popular,” Jenna, who shares kids Mila, Poppy and Hal with husband Henry Hager, told Hoda. “I would go to the airport and Barbara, back in the day, it’s now slowly becoming extinct, my sister’s name, sadly. … The name Jenna back in the ‘80s, I would go to the airport like ‘I’m sure there’s a magnet that’s Jenna somewhere.’”
Both Hoda and Jenna said that “Haley knew” Jenna would appreciate the ornament with her name on it. And she certainly did, as she could not wipe the smile off of her face throughout the entire segment.
This year will mark the first time Hoda will be celebrating Christmas with her daughters in her new suburban home just outside of New York City. And by the sound of it, it seems like the TV personality’s family is really looking forward to spending the holidays together and spreading the Christmas spirit!
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Closer Weekly does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
