Hoda Kotb Hosted the Sweetest Double Tree Lighting, One for Each Daughter

From Oprah Magazine

• Hoda Kotb is hoping to give her girls a little Christmas magic.

• Earlier this week, the TODAY host hosted two mini tree lightings for each of her daughters—one for Hope Catherine and one for Haley Joy.

• Kotb is also celebrating her first Christmas as an engaged woman. Long-time partner Joel Schiffman proposed to Kotb late last month.

Hoda Kotb is getting into the holiday spirit! On Thursday, the Today show host oversaw not one but two tree lightings ceremonies... in her home. (Yes, Kotb did a Rockefeller-style countdown for her tabletop tree.)

The reason for the double illumination was simple: Kotb wanted to give each of her girls a special Christmas moment, and by the looks it, she did. Kotb shared two videos on Instagram of her and fiancé Joel Schiffman plugging in the lights on their little tree, once for seven-month-old Hope Catherine and then again for two-year-old Haley Joy.

In both clips, Kotb's daughters are propped on her knee.

The host and television personality captioned the videos with “What’s better than one tree lighting? Two tree lightings!" And she's got a point. But this isn't the first seasonal celebration Kotb has participated in. Just last week, she covered the annual tree lighting at Rockefeller Center—along with TODAY co-hosts Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, and Al Roker.

And on Sunday, Kotb, Schiffman, and the girls selected the family tree.

This will be baby Hope's first Christmas and Kotb and Schiffman's first as an engaged couple. Schiffman proposed to Kotb late last month after several years of dating. According to the TODAY host, the pair was enjoying dinner on the beach when, in the middle of their meal, Schiffman dropped to his knee and said "Would you be my wife?" And while we are not sure what Kotb and fam will do on Christmas day, perhaps she will let her littles in on her "not-so-secret secret," i.e. her engagement. Because they don't know yet.

"How am I going to explain [to the girls] your parents are going to get married," Kotb said on TODAY. "We're still trying to figure out that part."

For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter!