Celebrity Holiday Traditions

How Blake Lively, Eva Longoria and more are celebrating the holidays.

ByABC News
December 23, 2014, 2:58 PM
Actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Oct. 20, 2014 in New York City.
Actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Oct. 20, 2014 in New York City.
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

Dec. 23, 2014— -- intro: Blake Lively gives new meaning to the family bed.

The "Gossip Girl" alum recently revealed that one of her Christmas traditions is piling into bed with her entire family.

"Christmas is really just about being with family so we never leave the house," Lively said in an exclusive video for Canadian website The Kit. "We're together all day whether we're making gingerbread houses or making cookies or sitting around watching movies, all piled up.

"I don't know how my family does this but everybody gets in the same bed," added the 27-year-old actress, who is the youngest of five. "Somehow we just spend seven hours a day just chatting. It's really nice to have that time."

Lively will soon be adding another member to the family. The actress is expecting her first child early next year with husband Ryan Reynolds.

The actress also revealed what gets her in the Christmas spirit.

"To me the smell of Christmas is spruce, because growing up in California, when those candles would come out, it was the only way that we got any kind of a winter. Cookies I get year round, pine I only get at Christmas," she said.

Click through to see what other ways the stars celebrate the holidays.

quicklist:title: Jennifer Anistontext: For nearly 20 years, Jennifer Aniston has held an annual tree-trimming party. "At my tree-trimming party, we always do chili: turkey, regular beef and vegetarian. Everybody is satisfied," she told Allure in 2011. media: 27793126

quicklist:title: Jimmy Kimmel and Emily Blunt with John Krasinskitext: For three years now, Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, Molly, have shared a holiday tradition with friends and neighbors John Krasinski and Emily Blunt: They prank each other. This year, Blunt and Krasinki upped the ante by gift wrapping Kimmel's entire SUV, including the tires. Of course, this was after Kimmel planned the prank to end all pranks and gift-wrapped Blunt and Krasinski's entire home. Guess this is one tradition that won't end. media: 27794585

quicklist:title: Camila Alvestext: Since marrying Matthew McConaughey, model Camila Alves has incorporated some of her holiday traditions from her native Brazil into their family of five. "At Christmas time in Brazil we celebrate on the 24th at midnight. I can’t just skip that," Alves told Stylecaster.com. "So, we do both days. We do a big dinner on the 24th, but we keep opening gifts to the 25th."media: 27794487

quicklist:title: Reese Witherspoontext: Reese Witherspoon looks forward to singing Christmas carols every year. "I have a Christmas caroling party right before Christmas," the actress who won an Oscar for playing June Carter Cash told "Extra." "I love to sing and have fun." Also on her list of annual traditions is baking cookies on Christmas Eve for Santa. media: 27793951

quicklist:title: Tim McGrawtext: Tim McGraw hails from Louisiana, but on Christmas Eve, he pays homage to his Italian heritage. "I grew up with pasta on Christmas Eve. So it's passed on to me now. I make the pasta every Christmas Eve. We have spaghetti and meatballs," the country star and father of three, with wife Faith Hill, once told Oprah Winfrey. media: 27794003

quicklist:title: Eva Longoriatext: "Desperate Housewives" alum Eva Longoria looks forward to the holidays because she gets to cook. "The tradition is that I always cook," the Mexican-American actress told Us Weekly. "For Christmas we do tamales, which is very different and unique. That's always fun because it's like an assembly line at work!"media: 27793358