Originally appeared on E! Online
Jennifer Garner’s holiday season sounds elektric.
And that’s in large part thanks to her and Ben Affleck’s kids, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, who are more than willing to bring their culinary skills to the table.
"I have one kid who specializes in mashed potatoes, that's their specialty,” Garner told People of Thanksgiving this year. “I have one kid who is all about making an apple pie, that's their specialty, and then I have one who goodness only knows what she will make."
And the festive treats won’t stop after Thanksgiving.
“The other night I got home from work, and my son had Christmas music playing full blast through the whole house,” the "13 Going on 30" star added. “And he was wearing an apron and he was making ginger snaps.”
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She continued, “And it was just like, 'That's what I'm looking for. That is the energy that I want to see brought to our house right now.’”
But when it comes to spreading holiday cheer, Garner’s celebrations don’t end in the kitchen. In fact, the 52-year-old has one major item on her to-do list for ensuring the perfect holiday season.
“We'll definitely go see 'The Nutcracker,'” she revealed. “Because that is a huge part of Christmas for me and for my kids — thank goodness I've drilled it into them — and just being together with family."
And it’s that being together that seems to particularly strike a chord for Garner. After all, she and Affleck reunited on Thanksgiving Day this year for a worthy cause.
The former couple — who were married between 2005 and 2015 — volunteered for The Midnight Mission in Los Angeles by serving meals to those in need in the city’s Skid Row neighborhood. And in pictures posted by the organization, the couple were all smiles as they posed in matching aprons with CEO David Prentice.
“Today, we were honored to have Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner join us at The Midnight Mission for Thanksgiving,” the Instagram post read. “Their kindness, warmth, and dedication brought so much joy to our Skid Row community.”
For her part, Garner — who is currently dating John Miller — has been candid about leading by example when it comes to her kids and encouraging them to give back to their communities.
“I think teaching your kids anything is a lifelong job and certainly values are something,” Garner told E! News in 2016. “You can’t just say, ‘Here, have values!’ You have to show them that you have values.”
“When they're older, they'll hopefully travel with us and go to places and be boots on the ground,” she continued, “but for right now, it's just really important to both of us that they see and appreciate the work we do.”
