The Hawn-Russell-Hudson Hollywood family are famously beloved for being one of the most tight-knit unions in the entertainment industry, with Oliver Hudson sharing new insight on their close bond in his latest interview.
The actor, 49, is the oldest of Goldie Hawn's two children with her second ex-husband Bill Hudson, with Oliver and his sister Kate Hudson now acknowledging her longtime partner Kurt Russell as their "Pa." Oliver and Kate have been estranged from Bill for years, although they've more recently acknowledged a mending relationship of sorts.
Goldie, 80, and Kurt, 74, have been together since Valentine's Day 1983, welcoming their son Wyatt Russell in 1986. Kurt shares a son, Boston Russell, with his ex-wife Season Hubley, and together, their family unit does Christmas large.
In fact, per a new conversation with People, Oliver revealed that it all began back in the '80s with Kurt himself, who is the main man in-charge of festive season at their family ranch in Aspen, Colorado.
"Our first Christmas I ever had with him was in Colorado, and he had this little cabin that he lived in, and we were there, this is before we got the ranch, and it backed up into this hill," the dad-of-three shared. "And we woke up in the morning and he goes, 'Look, you guys.'"
Oliver remembered that Christmas being "just so magical," as he recalled Kurt showcasing the extensive decor of their home, which included reindeer figurines and sled marks in the snow, to give his new kids the joy of Santa Claus, especially fitting now given he eventually plays St. Nick himself in the Christmas Chronicles franchise.
"It was so real that immediately you're instilling this into your kids where, 'Wow, Santa's real,'" Oliver, who stars in the new Netflix holiday film A Merry Little Ex-Mas, continued. "And so that has been passed down from generation to generation where we try to keep the kids as long as we can — 10, 11, 12 years old — if we can make them still believe."
As a result, the Nashville star explained that Christmas has long-since become the entire family's biggest celebration of the year, one that's actually a non-negotiable for the in-laws. "Christmas is a holiday and a tradition that cannot be separated one year on, one year off," he said, noting that even his wife Erinn Bartlett's family doesn't mind.
"She never had to go back for Christmas because it is a tradition that was created by Kurt when he came into our lives," he continued. "Because with his family, who now of course is my family as well, but on his side of things, it was a huge tradition and he brought that to us."
As it turns out, despite decades having passed since Kurt introduced his idea of Christmas, it's remained as jolly as ever. "Every year, it's big," Oliver shared. "Bells are ringing, everyone's running to the window and looking out into the snow, and the silhouette of him runs by and the kids are crying like, 'Oh my God, Santa's here. We're not asleep. He's going to leave'," adding: "And this was me a hundred years ago, and then generationally it's being passed down."