Joanna Gaines Reveals How Her Christmas Traditions Are Changing As Her Kids Grow Up and Leave Home (Exclusive)

Christmas is starting to look a little different in the Gaines household.

Joanna Gaines, 46, opened up to PEOPLE about how her family’s holiday traditions are starting to change now that her kids are growing up and going off to college during an exclusive interview about her new design class for MasterClass.

The Magnolia co-founder shares five childrenwith husband Chip Gaines, 50: sons Drake, 19, Duke, 16, and Crew, 6, as well as daughters Ella, 18, and Emmie, 14.

“As they’re getting older, Christmas day looks slower than it used to," Joanna tells PEOPLE. "We stay in our pajamas all day long and someone usually pulls out a puzzle or board game that we all gather around,” she adds, noting that there’s always a "competitive spirit” in their house.

Related: Joanna Gaines Says Son Drake’s Apartment ‘Looks Like a Club’ Thanks to Decor He Added After Mom Left

Joanna says that the holiday season is her favorite time of year because that means her whole family is under one roof again — which is rare now that her oldest is away at college.

“I love the holidays because I know I’m going to have all my kids home, so schedules go out the window,” she says. “We hang out, we relax, we’re a little more spontaneous. We make hot cocoa and drive around town to look at lights with Christmas music playing in the background.”

There is one thing that doesn't change, though. “It may be no surprise that most of the traditions we’ve started as a family revolve around food," she says. "The kids know that Christmas morning means mama’s cinnamon rolls and hash brown casserole.”

Related: Joanna Gaines Says It Can Be 'Uncomfortable' Reflecting on Her Life: 'Makes You Second Guess' (Exclusive)

Reflecting on Christmas traditions from her own childhood, theThe Stories We Tell author says she made sure to pass down some of her favorite rituals to her kids.

“I’ve carried forward the tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve and saving the rest for the next morning. And we always put on It’s a Wonderful Life at the end of the night before we all fall asleep,” she says.

Joanna also recalls a sweet memory that her husband “loved” to do as a kid and has now become part of their Christmas routine at their Waco, Texas farmhouse.

“When Chip was little, his parents would cover the door frame nearest to the Christmas tree with butcher paper,” she explains. “On the paper, his dad would draw something festive like a set of stockings hung by the fireplace, and no one was allowed to peek behind the paper until Christmas morning when Chip and his sister got to run through it.”

She adds, "Chip loved that memory as a kid, so it’s something we’ve done at the farm every Christmas since the kids were young."

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Joanna has previously been open about the importance of “cherishing” precious moments with her kids, especially after her son Drake went to college in 2023 and her 18-year-old daughter Ella is getting ready to leave the nest soon.

To learn more about Joanna’s class on MasterClass, visit masterclass.com.

Read the original article on People