David Henrie doesn’t need a wand to transform the holidays into a festive family affair.
That’s because the Wizards of Waverly Place alum and his wife Maria Cahill have introduced their kids Pia, 6, James, 4, and Gemma, 3, to a host of sweet traditions—including putting an Italian twist on their Thanksgiving meal.
“There's always something Italian that goes with our Thanksgiving,” David, told E! News in an exclusive interview. “Obviously, the bird is the most important thing. My wife does like a crisscross lattice bacon thing on top, which creates a great aroma, but it also just adds a wonderful flavor to it—cook it low and slow. And then we have the traditional sides: we got the gravy, we got the mashed potatoes, we have the stuffing.”
Then, of course, there’s the Italian flavor, including “lasagna and meatballs and pasta,” he noted, emphasizing how “you got to throw that stuff on everything that you possibly can.”
And this quality time at the dinner table continues for his family throughout the Christmas season.
“We do the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which is a Christmas Eve massive feast—and it's a very important one,” David explained. “You get your seven fishes, you get stuffed, you go to midnight mass, you sleep as long as you possibly can and then you open up presents."
"We do that with my kids, which is really special," he continued. "We also, during Advent, sing songs and we light candles. It's just an experience that's memorable for them.”
Beyond the traditions from David’s childhood that he and Maria have incorporated are those they’ve established for their family of five.
“Creating traditions around giving around holidays is a big thing for us,” Wizards Beyond Waverly Place star shared while detailing their previous work donating toys through Box of Joy. “My wife and I are continually trying to figure out how to create that experience.”
One tradition David and Maria are adding into the fold this year: A turn as Thanksgiving Day hosts.
“I feel like I'm one of many millennials out there who are hosting for the first time in their life," the Disney Channel alum admitted. “And us millennials, we've had great childhoods—pre-cell phones—and we also had great Thanksgivings. We remember them, and they were awesome. We want to recreate that incredible experience, but that's nerve wracking.”
That’s why he was more than thrilled to partner up with Butterball to make the holiday a little bit easier with their Thanksgiving Hosting Pants.
After all, the way he sees it, the Thanksgiving trousers, which come complete with plenty of pockets for the kitchen utensils needed to bake a Turkey to perfection, aren’t just practical, but it "embraces a lighter more playful energy, and that reminds you of what it really is about, which is joy and fun and family.”
And beyond utilizing Butterball’s 1-800-butterball hotline, David stresses how the guest list is the key to a perfect day.
“Invite people over that will love it despite success or failure,” he added. “Sometimes, when you fail, it's even more fun because then you just drink more and you end up finding fun stuff to do with people you love. Invite people you love, people who will laugh comically at an epic failure, or who will just love every bite of what they're eating, because it's about the people more than the food.”
Martha Stewart
The cookbook author baked a total of 35 pies, including chocolate pecan, brown butter maple rum pecan, pumpkin phyllo, apple crumb and cranberry.
"Took two days," she noted on Instagram. "100 eggs, 14 pounds pecan halves, eleven jars Karo syrup, 25 pounds heckers flour, thirty pounds plugra butter, six cups maple syrup, 60 ounces pumpkin puree, 18 cups fres cranberries."
Bruce Willis, Tallulah Willis & Scout Willis
The Die Hard star's daughters shared this sweet family photo on Thanksgiving, writing in a joint Instagram post, "Grateful."
Sofía Vergara
The Modern Family alum enjoyed an outdoor dinner with her loved ones, including son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara.
Jennifer Lopez
The Hustlers star revealed who she is thankful for this year, sharing a sweet note to her fans.
"I hope everybody had a beautiful and Happy Thanksgiving," she wrote on Instagram. "I am so incredibly grateful for all of you."
Nicole Scherzinger
The Pussycat Dolls alum volunteered at Feeding America in New York City.
Simone Biles & Jonathan Owens
The Olympic gymnast spent Turkey Day not at the dinner table, but on the football field to watch her husband and the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions.
Keltie Knight & Justin Sylvester
The E! News hosts gave back on Thanksgiving by volunteering for dinner service at Project Angel Food in Los Angeles.
Tom Brady
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was in full dad mode on Thanksgiving, sharing this sweet photo of his 17-year-old son Jack (who he shares with ex Bridget Moynahan) posing alongside kids Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11 (who he shares with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen).
Olivia Munn
The Magic Mike actress snapped a photo of her and John Mulaney's son Malcolm enjoying his Turkey Day breakfast.
Elizabeth Chambers
The TV host and her kids Harper and Ford—who she shares with ex Armie Hammer—volunteered at the Los Angeles Mission.
Kelsea Ballerini
The country music star gave a glimpse into her Thanksgiving feast preparations, sharing a photo of her turkey brining with the caption: "that's chef ballerini to you."
"Weird Al" Yankovic
The "Eat It" singer cooked up a storm at Project Angel Food in Los Angeles
Heather Rae El Moussa & Tarek El Moussa
The Flipping El Moussas stars celebrated Thanksgiving with both of their parents as well son Tristan, 23, months, and Brayden, 8, whom Tarek shares with ex Christina Haack. As for where Taylor, 14, was?
As Heather explained "for the haters" on Instagram, "Tay is on a trip with her mom, that’s why she’s not in our photo.
Barack Obama & Michelle Obama
The former president and his wife dressed up their dog, writing on Instagram in a joint post, "From our family (and Sunny!) to yours, wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving!"