Thirsty for more holiday traditions? Catherine O'Hara has got a few—none of which involve accidentally leaving your 8-year-old to fend for himself.
For starters, "there's movies that I have to watch every Christmas," the Schitt's Creek alum and Home Alone mom shared with E! News last year. On her list: Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire's 1942 classic Holiday Inn, which introduced the world to Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, It's a Wonderful Life and, yes, Home Alone, of which she joked, "Oh yeah, have to force my kids to watch that."
But nothing says Merry Christmas, you filthy animal quite like the practice she's carried over from her years growing up in Toronto as the sixth of seven children. "My dad would go outside the house and pretend to be Santa," O'Hara explained. "They would buy pajamas and my mom would go in the bedroom and say, 'Oh, Santa's here.'"
Gathered in front of the locked front door, they'd hear the muffled sounds of her dad as Kris Kringle "so we're insanely excited," she shared. "They were fresh pajamas that we'd get every Christmas. And then, of course, we couldn't sleep because Santa had already been to the house and was coming back later and we'd just be lying in bed, stiff bodies, our eyes open, out of our minds excited. So I did that for years with my kids. My husband and I, he'd go outside and ring the bell."
Now, her sons with production designer Bo Welch are 28 and 25, she noted, but "I bet they'll still go along with it if I asked them."
And the three-time Emmy winner isn't the only one in Hollywood with a sentimental streak, with everyone from Kate Hudson to Zooey Deschanel gift wrapping their favorite family traditions for E! News.
All we want for Christmas (and Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa...)? To recreate a few of these celeb-approved customs. Okay, fine, and Taylor Swift tickets—a news team can dream.
Call it the OG Elf on the Shelf. Decades before the fairies were must-haves for parents of young kids, "My mom used to do the elves for my brother and I," the Uncommon James founder shared with E! News. "So a week before Christmas they would come and if we were good, we would get a little something in our stocking and if we were bad we would get coal." It's a practice she's maintained with sons Camden, 10, and Jaxon, 8, and daughter Saylor, 6, along with her father's Christmas Eve meal. "I always make homemade meatballs and sauce and pasta," said the cookbook author, "that's something my dad always did."
All they want for Christmas is a break, tbh. The actress and music producer husband David Foster "are always on the go," she admitted to E! News, "and it's been great to be busy but it's going to be great to not be busy and just be home." In between tending to 21-month-old son Rennie, they plan to "order in some meals, cook some meals, decorate a Christmas tree," she continued, "and just relax."
It truly is the most wonderful time of the year for the actress and her clan (Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, brother Oliver Hudson), who always gather at their family's Colorado cabin. "We play those games," she told E! News at the premiere of her new movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. "We get in those fights. We make up. We laugh. We get drunk. We do probably what every family does over the holidays. We get stressed out the night before Christmas. We stay up until 4 in the morning putting things together for the kids. We enjoy each other."
With her two under 2 not quite old enough to grasp the whole holiday situation, the actress is still finding her footing when it comes to creating traditions. "I'm excited for them to get a little older," the This Is Us alum told E! News while talking about her new holiday collection with Gymboree. Among her plans with husband Taylor Goldsmith and their sons Gus, 21 months, and Ozzie, 1 month: Watching holiday movies, baking cookies and making memories, and "figuring out what our traditions as a family of four are gonna be," she said. "That's exciting."
Every year the Little Big Town singer gives herself the best gift: A holiday free from hours of cleaning. "We always end our year in East Tennessee in a place called Blackberry Farms," the musician, wed to fellow member Jimi Westbrook, told E! News. "And we take our band and crew and kids and families and do all the Christmas stuff." Filling their afternoons with cooking classes, horseback riding and cookie decorating ("Just all the really fun stuff"), at the end of the day, she said, "We eat great food and we don't have to cook it!"
Not to be too cheesy, but the musician is fairly certain their mom makes the best version of mac and cheese. While they were unwilling to share the details with E! News ("I can't tell you that, she would kill me"), the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star insists it's that good and being able to serve as sous chef is one of the highlights of their holiday season. "I'm not the cook," Monae explained, "but I'm a good helper."
Looking to elevate your standard turkey dinner? Lift a page from the country singer's recipe book. "We do an international cookout every year," the Texas native told E! News of her family's best tradition. "We go and find recipes that we've never tried before and whoever has the best dish wins. That's really one of my favorite things." Noting that the contest gets "super competitive" (as in, full-on Michelin star-worthy presentations), the four-time Grammy nominee, mom to 21-month-old son Grayson with husband Grant Savoy, added that it's more than just pride that's on the line. "They have really good money prizes," she shared. "We do not play around."
A man after Mariah Carey's heart, the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actor admitted to E! News that the holiday music starts "not even the day after Thanksgiving, like, the day before Thanksgiving. And we keep it going as long as we can." To set the scene, continued the Broadway vet, he and his actress wife Nicolette Robinson—parents to Lucille, 5, and Able, 20 months—"decorate as early as possible."
The Real Housewives of New York newcomer doesn't do subtle when it comes to holiday decorating. Growing up, she recalled to E! News, "My dad would buy a miniature desk Christmas tree and place it on top of a speaker to pretend it was huge." And while she called the move "comical," now that she has two kids of her own—London and Rio with husband David Craig—"I want to make the holidays special and memorable for them." Every year, they select two "perfect" trees—one that goes up in their living room and a playroom fir "for the kids to decorate any way they want," explained the founder of lifestyle blog Scout the City. "This way, I'm happy that the adult tree looks perfect and the kids are happy that they did something by themselves. It definitely keeps the peace in our home."
As if Aquaman would rest on his wetsuit-clad laurels. Though he and kids Nakoa-Wolf and Lola do make time to watch movies and eat "lots of good food," he told E! News at the premiere of his latest film, Slumberland, the highlight of their holidays is heading outdoors for a bit of rock climbing and other activities. "We always go on adventures so we go on road trips," he explained. "We go wild and go camping around the world."
It begins to taste a lot like Christmas once the family puts away the Thanksgiving dishes. "We always decorate the tree, play Christmas music, I make hot apple cider," Decker told E! News of the traditions she's built with husband Eric Decker and their kids Vivianne, 8, Eric, 7, and Forrest, 4. "It's always a thing."
Sure, the country legend grumbled each time mom Naomi Judd had her and sister Ashley Judd take a walk through the woods to listen to the story of Christmas and Jesus' arrival—"I used to complain about having to go to the bathroom because we had so much clothes on," she admitted to E! News—but the memory feels much sweeter now that her mother is gone. "I'm going to do it to my grandchildren 'cause that's the way it works, right?" the musician explained. Most importantly, she's going to do her best to remember the reason for the season: "I'm going to try to stay in the moment and not get so bogged down by all the perfectionism."
Having grown up in Queensland, the New Zealand-born Aussie is decidedly not the dreaming-of-a-white-Christmas type. "It's summertime in Australia," the American Idol judge explained to E! News of his family's standard practice, "so it's kinda nice to get out and go to the beach." A bit of vitamin D is on the agenda for him, wife Nicole Kidman and their daughters Sunday, 14, and Faith, 11. Set to wrap his tour Down Under Dec. 17, "We'll stay there for Christmas with our moms and siblings down there and then be back here in the new year."
As "Pop Pop," he's basically Santa Claus to his two grandchildren—Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's kids Harlow, 14 and Sparrow, 13. "The family is negotiating 'Dad, where are we going?'" the musician explained to E! News of his upcoming holiday plans. "So when they say 'Where are we going?' that means that I pay for it." While the American Idol judge jokes he'd be content at home, he loves every second of their beach getaways. "It's fun. Having the family with me is the best."
The game plan for Dec. 25: Cheering on their quarterback, Denver Broncos' Russell Wilson. "We're literally playing football on Christmas day," Ciara told E! News. And then, perhaps, a little 1, 2 step? "Just hanging out, eating good food, dancing, having a good time, laughing," described the mom to Future, 8, Sienna, 5, and Win, 2. "That's my jam."
She and husband Tim Weatherspoon get things jumpin' jumpin' fairly early on Christmas Day. With sons 8-year-old Titan and 22-month-old Noah, "We like to wake up and the kids like to open the presents, let's be honest," the singer told E! News. "And we love to see them do it. We love to have our family time and reflect and be able to be, like, 'Thank you, God.'"
The stockings at her mother's house are hung by the chimney with extra care. "I love that my mom still puts up the same Christmas decor since we were kids," the E! News co-host gushed. "My stocking at my mom's house is vintage at this point!" And, yes, she plans to hold onto Ever James' pick for years as well. "I can't wait to do the same for my son!"
With kids Flynn, 11, Hart, 4, and Myles, 3, the model likes to whip up some memories in the kitchen. "My family and I, we grew up always making meals together," she told E! News of rolling up her sleeves with her grandmother, mom, aunts and uncles. These days her sous chefs have changed, but the recipes stay the same: "Having my mom there and my three boys involved in the cooking is something that I really enjoy."
Starting Dec. 1, the actress and fiancé Steve Kazee will begin decking the halls of their Los Angeles-area home. "Although we might do it a little early this year," she told E! News at the Baby2Baby Gala. Also on the to-do list she's been making (and checking twice): "We do the Christmas PJs," she said of kids Everly, 9 (with ex Channing Tatum), and Callum, 2 (with Kazee). And she tackles hosting duty. "I'm going to bring back the, you know, everyone gets one person to give a present to for Christmas," said the dancer. "So it's a little bit more special."
Why, yes, the author's 2-year-old daughter is well aware that Santa Claus is coming to town. "Lyla is obsessed with Santa and his reindeer," the host of Instagram Live series BDA Baby shared with E! News. It's a passion that has been stoked at bedtime when they read a Christmas book. But as fun as it's been creating this newer tradition with her girls, Schwarzenegger Pratt is even more excited to revisit those of her youth, including the Christmas mornings she and her three siblings still spend at mom Maria Shriver's house. "My sister Christina and I used to dress in matching holiday outfits as children, and my mom saved a lot of them," shared the star, also mom to 6-month-old Eloise with husband Chris Pratt (and step-mom to his son Jack, 10). "So I am looking forward to putting them on my girls to recreate some of those special memories."
We could definitely, uh, get on board with Christmas at the beach. Set to spend the holidays in his native Australia for the first time in years, "I have a tradition: I go to the beach, and a lot of my old mates, we'll all catch up and go surfing together," the newly single country singer told E! News at the CMA Awards, "then come home and do a big lunch with the family." And the guest list has one key VIP. "My grandfather dresses up as Santa and sits by the tree and the youngest of all the nieces and nephews delivers all the presents," he shared. "So that's my favorite time of day."
Hosting Christmas for the first time at their historic L.A. house, the pair, who met while filming "Carpool Karaoke" for The Late Late Show With James Corden, plan to return to their roots. "We will be caroling," the HGTV standout told E! News. "Yeah, we love to carol Christmas songs," agreed the She & Him vocalist. Also on the agenda when they host his twin brother Drew Scott, his wife Linda Phan, their 6-month-old Parker and other family: "A lot of games," continued Deschanel. "Opening presents—all the stuff."
In the Van Der Beek household, it really is better to give than to receive, the Dawson's Creek alum telling E! News his favorite part of the holiday season is helping their six kids select gifts. "It's really sweet," he noted of the process, which admittedly requires a bit of hand-holding from himself and wife Kimberly. "My 6-year-old would be really excited about the gifts she got her 4-year-old sister. She'd be like, 'Hey that's from me, that's from me!' Last year, my then-5 year old got me a skeleton costume for Christmas. And she remembered it all year and I wore it on Halloween. Just giving them the free range to get creative about what they want to get everybody is really fun to see."
For the Honest Company founder, the holidays are all about, well, company. "We always have a big Christmas with all of the extended family and everyone," the mom to Honor, 14, Haven, 11, and Hayes, 4 (with husband Cash Warren) shared with E! News, "So that's pretty awesome."
No offense to all the holidays she's loved before, but Thanksgiving has the actress' heart. "It's my mom's favorite as well!" Condor revealed to E! News. The highlight, of course, is a well-cooked bird and all the fixings, continued the star, in the midst of planning her wedding to longtime love Anthony De La Torre: "We all get together and I cook an eight-course Thanksgiving meal—I become Thanksgiving-zilla in the kitchen!"
Peaches are sweet, but The Real alum has other plans for the menu at her Georgia holiday. "Me and Jeezy are going to host Christmas at our house again in Atlanta," the mom to 10-month-old Monaco told E! News. "I like to say I bring a little bit of the bay to the A because I bring all the Asian food up in the A that I don't think they were ready for." With "Mama Mai" and her dad both on the guest list, noted the stylist, "We do it big."
Naturally, The Full Plate author runs point in the kitchen when it comes to serving up holiday meals. And this season she's looking to start some new traditions. "I'm switching it up this year, actually," she confessed to E! News at the Baby2Baby Gala. "I'm going to do a completely sustainable and ethically sourced Thanksgiving, which is, like, who am I? But I'm trying. So that's going to be the new thing."
'Tis the season for showing off her graceful side. "I love ice skating," the ballet dancer told E! News, noting that she commits to at least one outing every winter. Also on the menu: "Making more dinners and baking a ton," she shared of recreating the recipes from Bon Appétit and The New York Times. "I'm obsessed with cooking, so looking forward to doing that around this time of year."
This time of year, the Home Town stars put down the tools and pick up some spatulas. "Most of our traditions surround food," Ben admitted to E! News. On the menu, added his wife, mom to their kids Helen, 4, and Mae, 18 months, "There's pancake day that's comin'. That's going to be a big one."
The good times roll when The Bachelorette alum celebrates holidays with his family. "My mother loved playing Left Center Right," he said of the dice game. "We would play after dinner during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other big holiday get-togethers. We would all put our dollar bills together and play Left Center Right." And though his mom Andrea Cameron passed in 2020, the fun lives on—at least for one of the reality star's relatives. "My grandma always won," he lamented to E! News while discussing his Amazon gift picks. "Or a newcomer somehow found a way to win. But you know who doesn't win? Me."
—With reporting by Marenah Dobin, Alyssa Morin, Charles O'Keefe, Alex Ross & Mike Vulpo