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" Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Gabrielle&amp;#039;s handsome, hotheaded hubby on Desperate Housewives &amp;quot;For me, Christmas isn&amp;#039;t about presents,&amp;quot; says Ricardo, a San Antonio native and new dad to son Tom\u00E1s. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s about family and friends and really good food.&amp;quot; Growing up with a Mexican-American father and a German-Irish mother who embraced Mexican culture wholeheartedly, Christmas at the Chavira household was always a festive affair. The house was full of relatives making tamales (steamed corn dough filled with pork, chicken or beans), which Ricardo and his sisters would steal and eat while decorating their stockings. &amp;quot;We always made these funky, ornate stockings,&amp;quot; says Ricardo. &amp;quot;It was really fun. We still have them.&amp;quot; Make Your Own Stocking For a really unusual stocking, make one from an old sweater. It could be a Christmas favorite, or, for a retro feel, swipe an old one of Grandpa&amp;#039;s. 1. Create a pattern by tracing an outline of a stocking onto drawing paper. 2. Select sections of sweater for stocking back and front. (Try to include waistband rib as the upper edge.) 3. Make sure knit is smooth and clean; steam if necessary. 4. Pin pattern to wrong side of knit and cut back and front separately. 5. Pin with right sides together. 6. Using thread and long machine stitches, sew seams 1\u20442&amp;quot; and 1\u20444&amp;quot; from edges, leaving top open. 7. To add a cuff, pin strip around upper edge with right side of cuff strip to wrong side of stocking. 8. Stitch top seam; sew cuff ends closed. 9. Hem cuff edge. 10. Turn stocking right side out. Fold down cuff. Harry Connick Jr., singer, actor As a child, this New Orleans native celebrated Christmas with his &amp;quot;zillions of cousins.&amp;quot; Now, with his wife of 16 years, model Jill Goodacre, and their three daughters, Harry&amp;#039;s Christmas is just as animated, even if the group is smaller. &amp;quot;My girls love to decorate the tree,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;I let them climb on the ladder when their mom&amp;#039;s not looking.&amp;quot; On Christmas Day the family enjoys a traditional Southern meal, replete with cornbread stuffing and sweet potatoes. &amp;quot;Christmas is a great movie day, so sometimes we&amp;#039;ll do that. But my favorite thing is to have a party that night because there&amp;#039;s usually nothing to do. And after Katrina, I&amp;#039;m especially thankful to be able to spend time with my loved ones this holiday.&amp;quot; Tony Danza, actor &amp;quot;When we were kids, the most important thing was the presents,&amp;quot; says Tony. &amp;quot;My parents would buy them and our job was to find them\u2014without getting caught!&amp;quot; But above all, his favorite part was getting together with his huge extended Italian-American family. &amp;quot;It was a long, wonderful day of family, food and joy.&amp;quot; Tony and his wife, Tracey, try to keep the tradition alive with their own family, but with a twist. &amp;quot;Now we make it a ski trip for the whole gang,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a great way to be together and have fun.&amp;quot; Take a Christmas Vacation This Christmas, hit the road for a much-needed vacation. In lieu of presents, everyone can pitch in to share the cost of a house somewhere magical. Snow bunnies can rent a place in Taos, New Mexico, famous for challenging trails and gorgeous scenery. For those seeking warmer weather, rent an apartment on the white sands of Destin on Florida&amp;#039;s northern coast. Look for options on www.vacationrentals.com. (Turn to page 38 for more great holiday destinations.) If you live someplace in demand, save some money and make a house swap. Check out www.homeexchange.com. Jo Dee Messina, singer &amp;quot;I look forward to this time because holiday traditions are my constant, my roots,&amp;quot; Jo Dee says. Her gang gathers at her sister&amp;#039;s house in Boston, where they decorate the tree, make Christmas cookies and go caroling. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a way to spend time together because that&amp;#039;s what the holidays are all about. And there are so many people in my family, it&amp;#039;s like &amp;#039;My Big Fat Italian Christmas.&amp;#039;&amp;quot; They string cranberries and popcorn, and have a competition to see who can make the longest strand. Jo Dee&amp;#039;s tip? &amp;quot;Use stale popcorn\u2014it doesn&amp;#039;t break as easily.&amp;quot; Make a Quick Wreath This wreath is so easy to create, even the littlest elves can join in on the fun: 1. Cut away the center of a paper plate. 2. Use markers to color the rim green. 3. Glue pieces of torn green tissue paper to cover completely. 4. Roll pieces of red, yellow and blue tissue into tiny balls and glue on. 5. Staple on a bow and a loop to hang. Constance Marie, actor &amp;quot;I spend Christmas Day with just my fianc\u00E9 and our cats and dog,&amp;quot; says Constance. But she saves Christmas Eve for a big family celebration. &amp;quot;I have so many family members, I just invite them all over to my house. It&amp;#039;s easier than trying to make the rounds.&amp;quot; The hostess rolls up her carpets, puts away her good china and lets the festivities begin. A strict vegetarian for the last 21 years, Constance makes a tofu turkey with veggie stuffing for her fianc\u00E9 and herself, while serving ham, brisket and flank steak to her family. &amp;quot;Since I don&amp;#039;t eat most of the food, I give the leftovers away. It makes cleaning a lot easier!&amp;quot; Veggie &amp;amp;amp; Bread Stuffing Try Constance&amp;#039;s flavorful Veggie &amp;amp;amp; Bread Stuffing (serves 10) with your own turkey. 2 Tbsp Oriental sesame oil 3 ribs celery, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 tsp minced garlic 8 oz each shiitake mushrooms, tough stems discarded, and white mushrooms, sliced 10 cups cubed whole-grain and/or white bread, toasted (1 lb bread) 1\u00BD cups vegetable broth 1\u00BC cup soy sauce 1 Tbsp poultry seasoning 1. Heat oven to 400\u00B0F. Coat a shallow 3-qt baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, or until onion is soft. 3. Add mushrooms; cook 4 minutes until tender. Remove from heat. Add to bread cubes along with remaining ingredients. Toss to mix evenly and moisten. 4. Spoon into baking dish, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes until hot. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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