House lawmakers share their favorite Christmas, Hannukah, year-end traditions
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Late December is a time of family and holiday cheer for many people. It’s no different for people on Capitol Hill, which is currently a ghost town after lawmakers head to their various precincts to celebrate their favorite end-of-year traditions.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. and Byron Donalds, R-Mo. For some, like, this means annual Christmas traditions with loved ones.
“So Christmas Eve consists of Spanish bean soup and Cuban sandwiches,” Donalds told Fox News Digital. “And on Christmas Day we just hang out, and on Christmas night there will be some basketball, some football and maybe a bonfire.”
Burlison described the “special” Christmas scavenger hunt her mother organized for her grandchildren to find in their stockings.
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The 2025 Capitol Christmas tree is seen on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 7, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
“Then we do Christmas bingo for our White Elephant gifts and it gets pretty competitive,” Burlison smiled. “One of the funny things that happens every year is that my brother, no matter which house we’re in, steals something from the house and throws it there as one of the gifts.”
“Eventually you’ll open it and say: ‘Oh, we have a vase like this, Oh, wait, that’s our vase!’ Very funny. He does this all the time.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital that his favorite Christmas tradition is opening presents and eating Cajun roast turkey with his children.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said he always keeps his faith close at Christmas.
“The holidays always begin by attending Christmas mass and thanking God for the miracle of the birth of Jesus,” Cuellar told Fox News Digital. “From now on, it’s about being at home with the family, gathering around the table, sharing home-cooked meals and continuing the traditions that bring everyone together.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., likes to share the end-of-year holidays with her chosen family and friends.
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Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is seen at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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This includes making Christmas cookies and sharing them with the same people, as well as “holiday dinner with my college roommates and holiday dinner with my poker group.”
And Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said Hanukkah and the rest of the holiday season are also about loved ones.
“Holidays are a special time for me to celebrate with my family, whether that means lighting the menorah with my kids, donating toys at local toy drives, or joining our community for tree and menorah lightings,” Gottheimer said.
