Rachael Ray Shares Her Holiday Traditions With Husband John Cusimano

It should come as no surprise that Rachael Ray’s holiday traditions revolve around food.

She shared her Christmas essentials exclusively with Us Weekly ahead of the premiere of A&E’s Rachael Ray Holidays.

“My family always wants lasagna or pasta for Christmas and some sort of prime rib or a tenderloin, so that is kind of a food tradition for us,” she told Us. “But [my husband John Cusimano] and I love seafood during the holidays because on Christmas Eve that’s what you’re supposed to eat.”

The couple married in 2005 and have developed a routine around the holidays. While Ray, 56, says Cusimano “contributes a ton” to the to-do list, there’s one essential he must always handle.

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“I always task him with making the eggnog from scratch,” she explained. “He has a killer recipe where he froths skim milk and then shakes in cardamom, cinnamon, rum and an egg. It’s lighter than a store-bought eggnog but just as delicious.”

Ray added that not every tradition the couple has involves cooking (or mixing drinks) for themselves. Even celebrity cooks enjoy takeout every once in a while — and that’s a favorite during Ray and Cusimano’s date nights at their home in Tuscany.

“We have some limited take-out options near us in Italy, but there is some good Chinese if you drive far and, of course, great pizza very close that we get all the time,” she shared. “We also have some great friends near us that are cooks or chefs, so sometimes we ring them and say ‘I’m really tired, can you send over some sliced steak and salad?’”

That’s not to say the entire winter revolves around food and drink. In fact, Ray shared that her favorite tradition of all has nothing to do with the kitchen — and it’s something her and Cusimano can share with those in need.

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“One of my favorite holiday traditions is playing Santa by giving donations to the worthy charity partners of the Rachael Ray Foundation, which is the beneficiary of a portion of proceeds from the sale of our pet food brand Nutrish,” she added. “This season we will donate about $6 million in proceeds, and over the years, we’ve donated $115 million to help support our partners’ causes. I’m so grateful for this opportunity — it’s become an amazing tradition for us.”

Rachael Ray’s Holidays premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday, December 8, at 10 a.m. ET on A&E as part of the Home.Made.Nation lifestyle programming block.