'Today' host on Kennebunkport's Prelude: 'It's like a Hallmark Christmas movie'

KENNEBUNKPORT —"Today with Hoda & Jenna" co-host Jenna Bush Hager is a big fan of Christmas Prelude, saying on Monday's show that she "basically stepped into a Hallmark Christmas movie."

Hager and her family recently visited the town named one of the "most magical winter towns in the U.S." to attend the annual Prelude festivities. Now in its 41st year, the event from Dec. 1 to 11 is sponsored by the Kennebunkport Business Association and features tree-lighting ceremonies, art and craft fairs, Santa and fireworks.

The daughter of President George W. Bush talked about her road trip to the Pine Tree State with her husband, Henry Hager, and three children to co-host Hoda Kotb, gushing about the festive experience.

"The whole town is decorated," she said. "There's all this stuff like Breakfast with Santa, Cookies with Mrs. Claus, house tours, caroling, and we caroled as a family, ... fireworks."

Hager is no stranger to Kennebunkport as it's the home of Walker's Point Estate, also known as the Bush compound. The late former President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush spent summers there immersing themselves in the local community. Bush's son, the 43rd president, and other members of the Bush family continue to visit the family estate overlooking the Atlantic Ocean to this day.

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Hager said she read about the Christmas Prelude event and told her family, "Let's go and we drove to Maine."

"We had the best time," she said, showing photos of her family wearing gingerbread onesies that she says they "wore the whole time."

"How fun," Kotb said. "… You made an adventure."

"We made an adventure and I have to say really getting into the spirit of Christmas," Hager said.

"If you could have seen it, the Christmas tree had lobster buoys on it. Santa came in on a lobster boat."

She said during the visit she also got to hang out with her cousins and nieces "who were so funny, so there was so much laughter."

Showing a picture of the town's Christmas tree, she told Kotb "look at that, how pretty is it.

"Then we counted down and the tree lit up," she said. "The kids got to do art projects and make wreaths. It was just as festive as it could be … We had a great weekend. It was so fun."

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She joked Maine is not warm. "It is crisp," she said, and joked the photo of her in the gingerbread onesie was the only time she took her jacket off. Despite the cold, she said she was "merriest of all."

Christmas Prelude started in 1982 after Henry Pasco called a meeting of businesspeople to discuss ways for the business community to give thanks to the residents of Kennebunkport and Kennebunk for supporting them.The first Prelude included a tree lighting ceremony, a River Tree Arts concert, a chowder luncheon, candlelight caroling and Santa’s arrival by lobster boat.

It has expanded over the years with the addition of "midweek magic events" and other activities thanks to a "cast of hundreds of volunteers" who aim each year to "recreate the spirit and joy of the Christmas season."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Jenna Bush Hager calls Kennebunkport ME's Prelude 'a Hallmark Christmas movie'