How 17 Celebrities Make Christmas Extra Magical for Their Kids
There’s something about Christmas Eve that makes childhood feel a little more magical, isn’t there? The excitement of Santa’s arrival, the smell of freshly baked cookies, matching Christmas pyjamas and the feeling that something wonderful is just around the corner.
And apparently, even celebrities are just like us when it comes to creating those special childhood memories!
From Kate Hudson’s rather amusing Santa snack requests to Kurt Russell’s family Santa-tracking tradition, some of Hollywood’s most famous parents have shared the little rituals that make Christmas so special for their families.
We’ve found 17 celebrity Christmas traditions that are equal parts adorable, nostalgic and surprisingly easy to recreate at home. You might even find a new family tradition to steal this year!
1. Kate Hudson lets Santa leave the presents unwrapped (and apparently Santa has a sense of humour!)
Kate Hudson has a rather lovely approach to Christmas morning. In a 2016 post for her Fabletics blog, she explained that Santa traditionally leaves presents out in the open rather than wrapping every single one.
The children start by checking their stockings to see what Santa has noticed about their year. And apparently, Santa isn’t just thoughtful – he’s funny, too! Even the adults receive amusing little gifts.
The family also leaves treats for Santa, although his requests seem to change every year. One year he apparently fancied rum, root beer and liquorice, while another year he requested gluten-free cookies and almond milk.
Honestly, Santa sounds like a rather particular houseguest!
Steal this tradition: Let the children prepare a little Santa snack plate on Christmas Eve, complete with a handwritten note asking what Santa would like. You could even leave a funny reply from Santa beside the empty plate the next morning.
Read more about Kate Hudson’s Christmas traditions at Us Weekly.
2. Chrissy Metz makes the family open one present on Christmas Eve – and it’s always pyjamas
If there’s one Christmas Eve tradition that never gets old, it’s putting on a fresh pair of Christmas pyjamas.
Actress Chrissy Metz takes this one seriously. She told Us Weekly that her family opens one present on Christmas Eve, and it’s always matching pyjamas.
And when she says matching, she means the whole family. Finding matching sleepwear for 15 people isn’t exactly a small undertaking, but she says she loves it!
It’s such a simple way to make Christmas Eve feel special, and the photographs are a bonus.
Steal this tradition: Wrap up a pair of festive pyjamas for everyone and make opening them part of your Christmas Eve routine. Add hot chocolate and a Christmas movie, and you’ve got yourself a lovely little family tradition.
Read Chrissy Metz’s interview with Us Weekly.
3. Kurt Russell tracks Santa with the children before bedtime
When your family includes a legendary actor who has actually played Santa Claus, you might expect Christmas traditions to be pretty spectacular!
Kurt Russell has shared that his family makes a big occasion of Christmas Eve. They spend the day trimming the tree, enjoy a big meal, put on their pyjamas and hang up their stockings.
But the best part comes when everyone gathers around for a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The family also tracks Santa’s progress as bedtime approaches. Russell described how the children would become increasingly excited as Santa got closer, sometimes even listening for the sound of sleigh bells.
Now that’s how you build anticipation!
Steal this tradition: Read a special Christmas story together before bed and use a Santa-tracking website to follow Santa’s journey. Finish with a little bell-ringing surprise once the children are tucked in.
Read more about Kurt Russell’s Christmas traditions at Us Weekly.
4. Mandy Moore serves breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve
Mandy Moore’s Christmas Eve tradition has a particularly sweet backstory.
Growing up, her family always had breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve. The tradition began when her parents celebrated their first Christmas together without much food in the house – just eggs, bacon and toast.
Rather than letting that humble meal become a one-off, it became a family tradition that Mandy has continued with her own children.
These days, she makes the occasion a little more elaborate with pancakes and waffles.
I love this because it proves that the traditions children remember most don’t have to be expensive or extravagant. Sometimes it’s simply the same special meal you look forward to every December.
Steal this tradition: Make Christmas Eve breakfast-for-dinner night! Serve pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs and fruit, and let the children help set a special breakfast-themed Christmas table.
Read Mandy Moore’s 2026 interview with PEOPLE.
5. LeAnn Rimes creates a candy cane trail leading straight to Christmas morning
Imagine waking up on Christmas morning and discovering a trail of candy canes leading from your bedroom door all the way to the Christmas tree!
That’s the sweet tradition LeAnn Rimes once created for her stepsons when they were younger.
She shared that she used to place candy canes along the floor outside their bedroom doors, creating a festive trail for them to follow to the tree.
And even as the boys got older, she continued the tradition. Apparently, they began questioning whether they were a little too old for it, but LeAnn wasn’t having any of that!
Her response was essentially that nobody is ever too old for a candy cane trail.
Steal this tradition: Once the children are asleep, place candy canes along the hallway leading to the Christmas tree. You could even add little paper footprints to make it look as though Santa’s helpers have been busy.
6. Cameron Mathison goes ice skating every Christmas Eve
Actor Cameron Mathison and his family are serious about Christmas traditions.
He has shared that they go ice skating every Christmas Eve, read a special series of books before bedtime and bake sugar cookies using his mother’s childhood recipe.
And that’s not all. They also make traditional British mince meat tarts.
What makes this particularly lovely is that the family is passing recipes and memories down through generations. The cookies are made using a recipe that his mother made when she was a child, which Cameron then made with his own children.
That’s the sort of tradition that becomes part of a family’s story.
Steal this tradition: Choose one special Christmas Eve activity to repeat every year. It could be ice skating, a walk around the neighbourhood to see Christmas lights or baking a recipe that has been passed down through your family.
Read Cameron Mathison’s interview with Fox News.
7. Melissa Joan Hart makes her children wait at the top of the stairs until Santa has arrived
This one is absolutely adorable!
Melissa Joan Hart has continued a Christmas morning tradition from her own childhood with her children.
Rather than letting everyone rush straight into the living room as soon as they wake up, the children sit at the top of the stairs and wait for Mum and Dad to check whether Santa has arrived.
Only when the parents give the signal can everyone come downstairs.
Hart explained that this gives her time to set up the camera, switch on the lights and get the room ready for the big reveal.
It’s such a clever way to build excitement, and I imagine those few seconds of anticipation are just as memorable as the presents themselves.
Steal this tradition: Have the children wait together at the top of the stairs while you turn on the Christmas tree lights and prepare the living room. Then give them the big signal to come down!
Read Melissa Joan Hart’s interview with Us Weekly.
8. Blake Lively spends Christmas doing absolutely nothing – together!
Blake Lively once described her family’s Christmas tradition as staying home, baking cookies, making gingerbread houses and watching movies together.
But there’s one detail that makes this particularly sweet: apparently, the entire family ends up piled into one bed!
She described how they would spend hours chatting together, enjoying the rare opportunity to have everyone in one place without rushing off anywhere.
No elaborate itinerary. No endless Christmas outings. Just a house full of family members enjoying each other’s company.
And honestly, I think there’s something rather wonderful about that.
Steal this tradition: Declare Christmas Eve a no-rushing, no-plans family evening. Make gingerbread houses, bake cookies, put on a Christmas movie and let everyone pile onto the sofa or bed together.
Read Blake Lively’s interview with ABC News.
9. Reese Witherspoon turns gingerbread house decorating into a family event
Reese Witherspoon has shared how much she loves decorating gingerbread houses with her children.
In fact, she once joked on Instagram that although the family sets out to decorate the houses, they mostly end up eating the sweets!
She has also spoken about the importance of family traditions such as Advent calendars, neighbourhood Christmas carolling and making gingerbread houses together.
And in a more recent interview with PEOPLE, she revealed that the family still enjoys making gingerbread houses, although they now use kits after one ambitious attempt at baking a house from scratch ended in an epic disaster.
Relatable, Reese. Very relatable.
Steal this tradition: Buy a few gingerbread house kits, put out bowls of sweets and icing, and let everyone create their own little Christmas masterpiece. Award prizes for the prettiest, funniest and most chaotic designs.
Read about Reese’s family traditions at CafeMom.
10. Katherine Schwarzenegger makes Christmas Eve about faith, family and Santa
Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt has shared some lovely details about how her family celebrates Christmas.
The mother of three and husband Chris Pratt keep several family traditions alive, including attending church on Christmas Eve, leaving cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, and tracking Santa’s journey as bedtime approaches.
They also have sentimental Christmas decorations, including ornaments the couple collected during their travels together when they first started dating.
Each year, they share the stories behind those ornaments with their children.
I especially love that little detail. The decorations aren’t simply pretty things on a tree; they’re little reminders of the family’s story.
Steal this tradition: Make a special ornament collection that represents important family memories. Each Christmas, let everyone choose an ornament and tell the story behind it.
Read Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt’s interview with Us Weekly.
11. Brooke Burke puts the entire family in matching Christmas onesies
Brooke Burke has found a way to make Christmas pyjamas even more festive.
Her family tradition is to dress everyone in Christmas onesies – and that means absolutely everyone, including the grown-ups!
She told Us Weekly that she, her fiancé and all the children participate, with everyone wearing different varieties of onesies.
It’s a fun way to bring the family together and makes for some rather memorable Christmas photographs.
Steal this tradition: Instead of traditional matching pyjamas, choose festive onesies for the family. Have a Christmas Eve photo session before everyone settles down for the evening.
Read Brooke Burke’s interview with Us Weekly.
12. Eva Longoria celebrates Christmas on the 24th with a huge family feast
Eva Longoria’s Christmas celebrations are a little different from the traditional Christmas morning routine many families are used to.
Growing up in a Mexican-American family, Christmas Eve is the main event.
She told Us Weekly that her family celebrates on December 24, with a huge meal, presents and a tradition of attending midnight Mass.
And, of course, there are tamales!
Longoria has described the family tradition of making and sharing tamales, with everyone getting involved in what sounds like a wonderfully busy kitchen.
It’s a lovely reminder that Christmas traditions can look different in different cultures, and that’s part of what makes them special.
Steal this tradition: Make Christmas Eve your family’s main celebration. Prepare a special meal, invite loved ones over and finish the evening with a church service or a quiet moment of gratitude.
Read more about Eva Longoria’s family Christmas traditions at Us Weekly via Yahoo.
13. Kristin Cavallari brings back a childhood tradition involving Christmas elves
Kristin Cavallari has carried a childhood Christmas tradition into her own home.
Growing up, she remembers the elves visiting in the week leading up to Christmas. Each day, children would find a little something in their stockings if they had been good – and coal if they hadn’t!
She has continued the tradition with her own children.
She also makes homemade meatballs and sauce using her father’s recipe for Christmas Eve dinner.
I love the combination of a little Christmas mischief and a treasured family recipe.
Steal this tradition: Create a little Christmas elf visit in the days before Christmas. Leave a tiny note, a sweet treat or a small activity for the children to discover each morning.
Read Kristin Cavallari’s interview with Us Weekly.
14. Gwyneth Paltrow hosts a Christmas Eve family dinner before a pancake-filled Christmas morning
Gwyneth Paltrow has shared that her family traditionally hosts a Christmas Eve party, bringing everyone together for dinner and festive celebrations.
Then, on Christmas morning, the grandparents come over to watch the children open their presents.
The family keeps the morning simple with coffee and pancakes.
It’s a lovely balance of a festive family gathering on Christmas Eve and a relaxed Christmas morning at home.
Steal this tradition: Host a relaxed Christmas Eve dinner for family and friends, then save Christmas morning for pancakes, coffee and present-opening with your closest loved ones.
Read about Gwyneth Paltrow’s holiday traditions at Us Weekly.
15. Carrie Underwood makes Christmas baking a way to remember family
Carrie Underwood has shared that decorating the Christmas tree and baking cookies with her oldest son are some of her favourite festive activities.
But one tradition is particularly meaningful: making her great-grandmother’s ginger cookie recipe.
The recipe has been passed down through the family, and baking it gives Carrie an opportunity to talk about her children’s great-grandmother and keep those memories alive.
I think this is such a beautiful way to help children feel connected to family members they may never have had the chance to know.
Steal this tradition: Choose a treasured family recipe and make it together every Christmas. Write the recipe down in a little family cookbook, including the name of the person who passed it down.
Read Carrie Underwood’s interview with Us Weekly.
16. George Clooney gets into character as Santa to convince his children he’s real
George Clooney has revealed a rather entertaining parenting trick involving Santa Claus.
He once explained that he dresses up as Santa and has the children believe that the real Santa has come to visit.
The clever part? He and Amal can listen to their children excitedly declare that they are going to be good while Santa is in the room.
He also shared a funny detail about his children’s Santa snack preferences: his son apparently wanted to leave Santa milk and a mince pie rather than the cookies Clooney had suggested.
It seems Santa has some very particular customers!
Steal this tradition: If you have an enthusiastic family member willing to play along, arrange a surprise Santa visit. Alternatively, leave a mysterious Santa note or a little bell behind after the children have gone to bed.
Read the story at The Independent.
17. Tia Mowry is choosing experiences over mountains of Christmas presents
Tia Mowry has shared a refreshing perspective on Christmas with her children.
Rather than focusing on huge gift lists and piles of presents, she’s putting more emphasis on creating meaningful experiences and memories together.
She explained that when she thinks back to her own childhood, she remembers the family trips and experiences far more clearly than the actual presents she received.
The family still enjoys decorating the tree, listening to Christmas carols and sharing sweet treats, but she’s making a conscious effort to prioritise memories over material things.
And I think there’s a lovely message here for all of us.
Steal this tradition: Instead of buying one more present, plan a special family experience. It could be a Christmas lights drive, a picnic, a day trip or simply an evening baking together.
Read Tia Mowry’s interview with E! News.
The best Christmas traditions aren’t necessarily the most expensive
Looking at all these celebrity family traditions, one thing becomes rather obvious: the magic isn’t really in the presents, elaborate decorations or perfectly planned Christmas Eve.
It’s in the little things that happen year after year.
A special Christmas Eve dinner, a favourite family recipe, a story before bed or a trail of candy canes leading to the tree can become the memories children treasure long after they’ve forgotten what was under the wrapping paper.
And you don’t need a celebrity-sized budget to make those memories.
Sometimes the simplest traditions become the most treasured ones.
I’d love to know: What’s one Christmas Eve tradition your family looks forward to every year?
