ENJOYING SONS AND SLOPES, WAGNER PONDERING CAREER : YULE LOG.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Lindsay Wagner and her sons are enjoying the holidays in the cold country, out on the ski slopes - not worrying about work or separations. However, the actress has some big decisions ahead.

She's trying to figure out what to do with her career.

Since she became a mother, work has always revolved around her sons, who are now ages 12 and 14. She's turned down chances to star in dramatic series in recent years, she explains, because, ``I would have had to leave for work before the boys were up, and I'd get home after they were asleep.''

And so she's limited her work to a TV movie or two a year. (She stars in the USA Network's ``Contagious'' Jan. 22, and in Lifetime's ``Second Chance'' Feb. 9.) That worked out well, she says, because often the projects shot when the boys were on school vacation, and even when they weren't, ``I'd take them along, with a tutor. It would only be for a matter of several weeks.''

Last year they tried something new.

``My older son didn't want to disrupt his school schedule, and so both boys stayed home and I went on location alone. Everyone got along fine - except me, I guess. But we all decided we didn't like the separation. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do, but it's hard. The hours on a half-hour sitcom would be rather civilized, but I like my work to do more than just represent making money.''

Nick Nolte is spending the holidays here with his gal, Vicki Lewis, and his son Brawley. Nolte, who's spent the last few months making Oliver Stone's ``Stray Dogs,'' can look forward to a bit of leisure. He isn't slated to start Paul Schrader's ``Affliction'' in New York until February. ... Diana Ross' daughter, Tracee, reports that the family is spending the holiday together in Manhattan. ... Cheech Marin and his wife have taken their children, ages 17, 14 and 4, to Utah for a snowy Christmas. He's proud that all three are top-flight skiers. ... Sally Field is spending Christmas at home here in L.A. She tells this column she usually spends the holidays with her three sons in Colorado, but the retreat is being remodeled.

Wishing upon a star

Steven Spielberg and Montel Williams are among the recipients of stars today - that is, they were gifted with certificates allowing them to name real astronomical bodies after themselves, a pet, pet cause or whatever - in the official Star Registry. We don't know who bought Spielberg a star. Williams, we're told, was given his by the staff of his talk show. We're also told that numerous notables, including Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, already have stars in the Star Registry.

Tiny tots with their eyes agog

Filmmaker (``Sling Blade'') and actor Billy Bob Thornton is kidding - almost - when he says that his children, ages 2 and 3, ``get spoiled so much, I don't know that they'll recognize that Christmas is different from any other day. They'll think, `It's the day we have the tree, and get even more stuff.' '' But seriously, ``My 3-year-old asked for a jack-in-the-box and a train set, which I thought was great in these days of superheroes and Power Rangers.'' He adds, ``Of course, he has the superheroes and Power Rangers, too.'' Thornton, who usually goes back to Arkansas at holiday time, has his mother visiting in L.A. this year. ``My brother works and goes to medical school in Arkansas. I was a lazy bum when I was in school, getting C's, and he's on the dean's list.'' And guess who's making a fortune?

He's no sellout

Comic-actor Steve Harvey feels no need to defend his position as a commercial spokesman for Denny's, the restaurant chain that was sued for racial discrimination last year. ``I'm very socially conscious and I take a lot of pride in my blackness,'' he says. ``I did my homework before I made the deal,'' says the star of WB's ``The Steve Harvey Show.'' ``Denny's made an extremely large civil suit settlement, fired everybody from that regime and increased their minority hiring.'' He adds that, as part of his deal, the company is helping his ongoing efforts to reach inner-city youth. ``They're putting a lot of money back in the African-American community, and I'm in a position to take advantage of that. I tour the country talking to high-risk high schools and spend a lot of time at youth detention centers. If Denny's can help my endeavors and sponsor them in the name of their company, why not take advantage of that?''

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Photo: Nick Nolte

Looking forward to leisure