What you need to know
At Christmas, Oliver Hudson’s entire famous family plays a special role in bringing holiday cheer.
“Of course, my mom makes the house nice and has wreaths everywhere and smells amazing,” he tells PEOPLE of his mother, Goldie Hawn, while talking about his latest holiday romance, A Merry Little Ex-Mas. “Then we put up ornaments. We bake cookies. We put up the tree on Christmas Eve. It’s always me and Wyatt (Russell) on the ladder putting up the lights.”
Kate Hudson earned the nickname “Miss Holiday Spirit” for her consistent efforts to keep her family together.
“She’s always wearing a onesie or pajamas or a hat or something with her name on it, so she’s the most unified,” Oliver, 49, explains of his sister. “She brings us all together through these gifts, which make us one unit because each gift is unique, but we’re all the same. So everyone definitely has their role.”
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Who has the most important role? Kurt Russell, whom Oliver calls “Dad,” will be thanked for introducing many of Oliver’s famous family members to their Christmas traditions, including Oliver and Erin Hudson’s children Wilder Brooks, Bodie Hawn, and Rio Lola.
“This is a tradition that Kurt created when he came into our lives. For his family, which is now my family of course, but on his side it’s a big tradition and he brought it to us,” Oliver explains of their annual celebration. “The first Christmas I spent with him was in Colorado. He lived in a little cabin and we were there. This was before he got the ranch, and the ranch was set back into these hills. And we woke up in the morning and he said, ‘Look, you guys.’
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So they went outside and found sled tracks in the snow on the roof, a bell that had fallen from Blitzen’s collar, a present stuck in the chimney, and a scene that was “absolutely magical.” And ever since, Oliver emphasizes, magic has been “passed down from generation to generation.”
“Every year, it’s a big deal,” Oliver continues. “Santa shows up, someone is dressed as Santa, and the night before Christmas is red. The bell rings, and everyone runs to the window and looks out at the snow. Then Santa’s silhouette passes by, and the children are crying, ‘Oh my God, Santa is here. We’re not sleeping. He’s gone.'” And we go upstairs. And this was me 100 years ago, and has since been passed down through generations. ”
