Having two kids under 3 is a whole new ballgame for Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Pre-kids, the Modern Family alum told E! News in an exclusive interview, he personally saw to every detail of his carefully executed holiday parties, admitting, "I've been known to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to hosting."
But now that he's parenting 2-year-old son Beckett and weeks-old Sullivan—the baby boy he and husband Justin Mikita welcomed in mid-November—and flying back and forth from New York to his home in Los Angeles as he finishes up his 14-week reprisal run in Broadway's Take Me Out, the actor was forced to come up with a different game plan.
"I'm a new person now that I'm a dad," he said of preparing for his first holiday entertaining season in three years. As such, "I'm implementing some of these new rules of hosting and just trying to make my life easier."
That starts with letting others step up to the plate. While there are a few recipes the cookbook author always whips up from his Food Between Friends (his biscochito cookie bars are a must), "I like to remind myself it's okay to delegate, it's okay to let people bring things," he noted. (Though, admittedly, "I am a little micromanaging, so sometimes when people do bring things, I put them on my own plates so things look cohesive.")
It's also more than fine to fill your meal with already prepared bites or frozen appetizers that can just be tossed in the oven. Ferguson has been known to order cheese platters rather than spend a solid half hour stressing over his own charcuterie-based design. "First of all, no one ever knows," he insisted. "And sometimes you can just lie and say, 'Yes, I absolutely did make this.'" His theory, he continued, "It's like mixing highs and lows when you're decorating your apartment. It's okay to make some things and supplement other things."
And though he does take control of the bar—"I like to do a signature cocktail"—he's a big proponent of mixing up big batch cocktails ahead of time, making his go-to Absolut Kahlúa espresso martinis and Jameson Black Barrel old fashioneds (the same spirit his grandma used to sip) a centerpiece of the celebration.
"What I like to do with the martinis, specifically, is a little condiment bar so people can customize their martinis with chocolate flakes or marshmallows or coconut flakes or chocolate-covered espresso beans," he described. "It's just a fun and interactive way to make things a little more festive. And it's a nice gathering spot—sort of like the watering hole of the party."
Throw in a bit of entertainment—Ferguson will generally tap one of his many talented friends to helm their piano for a surprise set or an interactive singalong—and you've got yourself a bash that's relatively stress-free to pull together.
Because at the end of the day, explained the 47-year-old, busy parents (busy people, really) need to let themselves off the hook. "I'm at this place where now I just don't have the time," he said. "And Thanksgiving through December, that's my favorite time of the year. I just love the holidays. And so I want to be able to continue to do the traditions that I love doing and be easy on myself as well."
That way he can use the extra time to dote on his growing squad. Experiencing the newborn phase for the second time, "There's less anxiety around everything," he noted. "You also have this other person to take care of so it's something else to focus on. You're not just laser focused on this one person and micromanaging every move that they make."
Plus, he joked, there's also a toddler to consider: "You have to continue to raise this first child." Fortunately his eldest has adjusted to his new older brother status fairly seamlessly. "It's been great," said Ferguson. "And, honestly, Beckett's really helpful. He wants to help feed the baby so I actually have in some ways an extra set of hands."
Hoping to get ahead of any potential sibling rivalry, when he and Mikita, 37, brought their newborn home from the hospital, "Sullivan had a gift for Beckett," noted the star. "That was something someone suggested I do and it seemed to be smart. But, then, you know, Beckett was off playing with this new truck and could kind of care less about Sullivan for a moment."
Present distractions, aside, the actor is looking forward to creating holiday rituals with his new foursome. He's considering reviving the nativity scene of his youth ("Every Christmas Eve, we'd put the little baby Jesus in the manger," he recalled. "I could see myself trying that again with my kids") and weighing his options when it comes to the ubiquitous Elf on the Shelf. ("Is that going to be fun for me? Or is that just going to be stressful?")
But mostly he's just excited to dive into the magic of the season. "Beckett is almost two and a half and I think he's—for the first time—kind of aware of what's happening," Ferguson shared. "So it's a fun year to maybe start those new traditions."