'JAG' and 'Hercules' Stars Remember Mom

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday October 24, 2002 11:00 AM EDT

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It's been a while since "Hercules" he-man Kevin Sorbo graced the airwaves, but that doesn't mean he isn't in a celebratory mood. The actor, 44, is getting all ready for Christmas, joining "JAG" star David James Elliott, 42, and other celebs for a holiday ornaments promotion with Hallmark.

The greeting card company has surveyed several well-known strongmen about their holiday memory as part of the company's Keepsake Ornaments campaign, a spokesperson tells PEOPLE.com.

Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, 55, for instance, admitted to a particular fondness for a St. Nick ornament his mother in Texas would hang on the tree. "I could hardly wait for Christmas morning to discover what Santa Claus had brought me."

The Minnesota-born Sorbo recalled that when he was 7, his mother "made me a little mouse ornament, decked out in Santa attire. It is still my favorite ornament."

Elliott's special ornament back in Toronto was a decoration that was passed around his family. "My mother gave me one of the original bubble light ornaments that have colored water in them," he said. "The ornament had been given to her from her father, and then she gave it to me."

Boxing champ Oscar De La Hoya, 29, favors an ornament that he was given about a year ago from a fan. "I cherish (it) because it reminds me of a fable my mother and father shared with me when I was just a kid ... about the Santa Claus milk and cookies." He went on to say that the myth was shattered when he discovered that his brother ate the cookies.

Ho, ho, ho.